Thursday, March 28, 2024
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Nice morning at Whiteface
Unfortunately, warming trend will quickly dispatch the recent foot of new snow. As a matter of fact, at 6am this morning it was 41 degrees.
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
From the shelf of Hock’s Alpine Library
TRAINING FOR THE UPHILL ATHLETE has a terrific amount of useful information for trail runners, alpinists, and skimo racers. Of course, it also has wonderful graphs, charts, and beautiful photographs. Perusing this the other day, made me realize - given recent PT experience - that I ought to read-read the sections on strength.
Monday, March 25, 2024
Full moon setting over our farm
Sunday, March 24, 2024
The return of winter
Well, it's 2 degrees this morning; with a big bright full moon, and despite the storm underperforming, it looks and feels like mid-winter. Yesterday, I did a morning and afternoon ski tour, starting from our front door, out on to the 1980 biathlon trails.
Saturday, March 23, 2024
New issue of Skiing History
A great organization to belong too, with a superb digital archive, and a magazine you look forward to every other month. The cover art is from 1955, to advertise the recently opened Sugarloaf ski area in Maine. Among the interesting articles were the stories about Robert Redford and the Sundance ski area, a 100 year history of the FIS, and a look at an old advertisement about Wengen in the Swiss Alps.
Friday, March 22, 2024
Watching World Cup Bobsled
I just did my PT and two sessions on the exercise bike before and after several hours watching these folks cruise down at 80+ mph. I had a great time with a college buddy and his wife.
Thursday, March 21, 2024
BLAST FROM THE PAST … original jensen pack
This is an ad from Mountain #27 (May 1973); I still have two of these packs, the expedition model with beefy snap on side pockets, and the smaller model for several overnights. Still use them, although zippers have had to be replaced.
Super comfortable carrying loads.
Super comfortable carrying loads.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Yesterday was the best ski of the season
Terrific conditions; hard pack base with two inches of powder on top … it was glorious. Today will be my 100th day on snow this season, and conditions should be just as good.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Monday, March 18, 2024
A good training week
Last week I logged over 16 hours, and just under 4400' vertical, on 127k (91k bike, 20k ski, and 16k run). I also managed four PT stretch sessions, and two mornings of alpine skiing, but sadly no strength sessions.
And the second picture!
The next is from my hour-long workout on Sunday, at the Mount Van Hoevenberg World Cup competition trails, next door to our farm.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Friday, March 15, 2024
Thursday, March 14, 2024
It’s not trail running season yet, but it’s coming soon!
This video will help you get back into the swing of things after a long winter of skiing.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Backcountry skiing is wonderful but it is dangerous
A backcountry skier died in a fall this week in Tuckermans Ravine, and then this death out west.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/us/oregon-avalanche-forecaster-killed.html
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Monday, March 11, 2024
Still snowing and blowing
Snow accumulation continues to underperform; although it certainly looks and feels like winter. With Mount Van Hoevenberg off limits due to the Junior Nationals, the Whiteface toll road looks to be the go to alternative.
On a related note, given that last week looked more like late April, rather than early March, I did manage a decent week of training. I logged just under 16 hours, on 138k (114k bike, 19k run, 5k ski), with 2800'. I also managed five PT stretch sessions, two mornings alpine skiing, and one strength session.
On a related note, given that last week looked more like late April, rather than early March, I did manage a decent week of training. I logged just under 16 hours, on 138k (114k bike, 19k run, 5k ski), with 2800'. I also managed five PT stretch sessions, two mornings alpine skiing, and one strength session.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Saturday, March 9, 2024
I skied at Whiteface yesterday but …
I continue to add some transition activities into my training. Although I hope the potential winter storm this weekend out performs expectations, and prolongs our ski season.
Friday, March 8, 2024
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Glaciers continue to retreat and vanish
This of course has promoted new marketing opportunities in terms of "last chance tourism."
First day back on my mountain bike
The ski season is not over, but the collegiate clubs are having their nordic ski championships at Mount Van Hoevenberg, and so exercise options were a bit limited.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
More sad news for northeastern skiers
Monday, March 4, 2024
Yesterday was my 90th day on snow this season
My soft tissue, foot injury - from last week's race - is slowly getting better, and I was able to do a 50 minute ski session without ibuprofen, for the first time this week.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Mountaineering Fiction
A short overview by George Pokorny found while perusing some old issues of the British Alpine Club Journal. (I have many of the volumes cited in this article in my collection.)
Saturday, March 2, 2024
The Valentine House … an excellent novel set in the French Alps
This is a multi-generational saga, starting with "Sir A" one of the founding members of the British Alpine Club; over the next 100 years, all the action takes place at the summer compound (Arete) overlooking the Hext valley, near Chamonix. Climbing and hiking are tangential; the central focus are the mountains and the relationships between the Upper class English (in the patois referred to as the "rostbifs"), and the peasant guides and house staff (the women are referred to as "the uglies"). Enclosed below is an excerpt from the book review in the 2017 edition of the Alpine Club (page 376).
The Valentine House
Emma Henderson
Sceptre, 2017, pp338, £18
This is a novel in love with place. From the lascivious descriptions of the French Alps in the startling open pages to the lingering evocations of the high farms and pastures of Haute Savoie, it is clear Henderson relishes these landscapes. It is in Arete, the Valentine mountain holiday retreat that a story spanning a century plays out.
Friday, March 1, 2024
From my antique mountain postcard collection
A postcard from Chamonix, depicting guides and clients heading to the Col de Geant.
I am looking forward to my trip to Chamonix with Selden in October. I won't be leading her on a tour of that glacier, but she will get to see it from the Aiguille du Midi.
I am looking forward to my trip to Chamonix with Selden in October. I won't be leading her on a tour of that glacier, but she will get to see it from the Aiguille du Midi.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Monday, February 26, 2024
A good race but …
Any time the evening before a race, you get an email suggesting race volunteers wear nanospikes, and racers go into their basement and dig out those old 1990 fishscale touring skis … you know there will be some sketchy sections! However, many thanks to Mike Battisti and his volunteer crew.
On a different note, with another race this weekend, my training totals were again, modest. I logged just under 13 hours, and just under 2500', on 121k (87k bike, 31k ski, and 3k run). I also managed a morning of alpine skiing and five sessions of PT stretching. The upcoming week looks like it will be slim indeed, given my foot injury.
On a different note, with another race this weekend, my training totals were again, modest. I logged just under 13 hours, and just under 2500', on 121k (87k bike, 31k ski, and 3k run). I also managed a morning of alpine skiing and five sessions of PT stretching. The upcoming week looks like it will be slim indeed, given my foot injury.
Adirondack TdS
A Herculean effort by the staff to pull this race off.
With three straight days of temperatures in the 40s and then two nights of zero degree weather … it was an icefest. Blew my mind that people were on race gear, I opted for backcountry fishscale setup. Good to see some folks.
My goal was to stay on my feet - which I did - but somehow with a misstep I pulled something in my ankle. I will be off snow for awhile.
With three straight days of temperatures in the 40s and then two nights of zero degree weather … it was an icefest. Blew my mind that people were on race gear, I opted for backcountry fishscale setup. Good to see some folks.
My goal was to stay on my feet - which I did - but somehow with a misstep I pulled something in my ankle. I will be off snow for awhile.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Another book off my shelf
Some great photos from Jimmy Chin on Everest, and a gripping account of skiing down the Lhotse face of Everest. (This is the face that the Japanese skier - Miura - fell down in the 1970s).
Any way you look at it, skiing the seven summits is pretty impressive.
Any way you look at it, skiing the seven summits is pretty impressive.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
A wonderful 90 minutes at Whiteface
I grabbed the first lift, and had wonderful corn snow for an hour, which rapidly turned to slush in the next half hour. Still, the best morning I had riding lifts this season.
Friday, February 23, 2024
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Fiction added to my Alpine Library in the past decade
My collection of mountain fiction has always been robust, however, in no particular order during the past decade I have added: Murder On Skis, The Fall, The Sound Of Gravity, Where Blood Runs Cold, La Patrouille, Cham, Electric Brad, Mer De Glacé, One By One, Aspen Pulp, An Afterclap Of Fate, Murder On The Matterhorn, Hazard's Way, The God Of Skiing, Madog Mountain, Surfing The Himalayas, The Longest Fall, Peak, and The Ski Bum. While most of these make no pretensions about great literature, a few have received attention from Boardman-Tasker and Banff Festival award committees.
Monday, February 19, 2024
Stratton Mountain Skimo race
Yesterday I traveled to Vermont for the second event, in the Stratton Skimo series. It was a small field of 25 racers with a couple of certified hotshots in spandex and lightweight racing gear. I was the fourth skier to top of the course (an 850' climb), and then passed by a couple on the downhill, so I finished sixth.
I spent the evening relaxing with a college buddy and his wife who have a house in Manchester. Wearing my Skimo Shirt awarded for being the oldest racer.
As for my previous week's training, it was lower volume as I tried to recover from the previous three hard weeks, and the start of a new round of PT for my shoulder. I logged just under 14 hours, just over 4500', and 106k (75k bike, 25k ski, 6k run). I also did five PT stretching sessions, one strength workout, and a morning alpine skiing.
I spent the evening relaxing with a college buddy and his wife who have a house in Manchester. Wearing my Skimo Shirt awarded for being the oldest racer.
As for my previous week's training, it was lower volume as I tried to recover from the previous three hard weeks, and the start of a new round of PT for my shoulder. I logged just under 14 hours, just over 4500', and 106k (75k bike, 25k ski, 6k run). I also did five PT stretching sessions, one strength workout, and a morning alpine skiing.
Minneapolis World Cup delivers
This was the first time a nordic World Cup has been in America in 23 years, and our athletes delivered, and the two day event drew huge crowds. (My daughter flew out to meet up with dozens of her former collegian racers to cheer the Americans on.)
And of all the good results, the most unexpected was an American man winning the 10k.
Sunday, February 18, 2024
80th day on snow this season
Yesterday was my 80th day skiing this season, and it was a good one at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Today I am heading out to meet a college buddy and do a skimo race at Stratton.
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