Aid Climbing How To Do

Click here for an excellent four minute video on fifi hooks and top-stepping by Chris McNamara, the SuperTopo dude!

233 Cabins to Close in Curry

Click on this link to the Modesto Bee newspaper article.

Yale Mountaineering Collection

Once a month I do a bit of trolling on iTunes University. Today I came across a little known gem ... a 6 minute podcast highlighting the extensive Yale Mountaineering collection. A collection started in memory of Michael Curtis (a yale graduate) who was killed climbing in the Alps. To access this podcast go to iTunes University, then Yale University, and then to the Yale Humanities section. The podcast is done by Emily Horning, and it is entitled "The Yale Collection of Mountaineering Literature." The enclosed picture is the bookplate in each of titles.

20K groomed

I just came back from an hour long classical ski. A good start to the
season, as I have 10 days on snow before December this year!

Motivational Video

A three minute video of the 2007 Ouray Ice Festival ... time to get of the couch! Click on this link to watch.

Teaming Up Again

The heart and soul of the NCS outdoor program ... Larry and Dave!

Faster than a speeding bullet

Larry led "Central Pillar" (NEI 4) and "Tendonitis" (NEI 3+) faster than most people can flake the
rope! Dave and I marveled at his quickness and confidence ... Two
screws 120'.

North Face of Pitchoff

The climbs are in and there were 6-8 parties there by 10 am ... When
we were heading home. The early bird catches the worm!

Added Bonus

After a December day of hard ice, don't worry there are plenty of sheep for Fossil guests to cavort, frolic, and snuggle with! (Click on the photo to enlarge the picture of Selden's flock.)

Get Ready

Click on this link and select "ice climbing" on the left hand menu. This will allow you to access the short video - the trailer for "Ice Up" - which will help you get motivated for the winter season.

El Cap: the 50th anniversary of the "Nose"

Click on this link to access the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article that El Presidente sent me.

Article: climbing in Chamonix

Click on this link to access this excellent essay.

Happy Thanksgiving

Sit down dinner for 280! Every thing but the cranberries came from the
NCS farm.

First laps of the Season

The light was bad, as it was getting dark, however I was out with NCS students doing laps on "Pitchoff Right."

Mountain Collection: videos

Mountain Collection: videos

Pathfinders ... The Alps ... Legends of American Skiing ... Fire on the Mountain: the story of the 10th mountain division ... The Haute Route ... 1990 Lake Placid Loppet ... Avalanche Awareness ... K2 ... The Mountain ... The Simple Secrets of Skating on Skis ... Fundamentals of Cross Country Skiing Technique ... Matterhorn ... Kaipo Wall ... White Winter Heat ... Nordic World Cup 88 ... Five Days One Summer ... The Eiger Sanction ... Moving Over Stone ... Storm and Sorrow ... Snowbird Rock Climbing World Cup ... Climbing the Matterhorn ... 1932 Winter Olympics: rare, original, historic newsreels

Cascade Lakes: ice is forming nicely

Enclosed is a picture of several one-pitch climbs over in the "Three Flows" area. (Click on the picture to enlarge the photograph.)

Golf Course Skiing

The snow cover is not fantastic, although it is great to be out skiing
on my rock boards.

Ice: a report from Larry

Went North side of Pitchoff today and did Tendonitis NEI 3-4 with kids. The ice is in thick back there. Central (4) was in, Arm and Hammer (3+), and Peanut Brittle Pillar (4) looked awesome-- never done it. Screw and Climax (3+) looked thin but doable (about usual-- thin low thicker high) and Hanging Spoons (5) looked super in. Who's up?? It's sick.

I haven't been in Cascade pass recently.

First Ice

NCS students gearing up for the first ice climbing of the season. Larry is
knee deep in crampon adjustments and looking for missing gloves. They
are hoofing it over to the north side of Pitchoff. Make your plane
reservations for the fossil gathering.

Winter is definitely here!

As you can see from the weather page on my iPhone, we have another solid week of cold temperatures, on the heels of the previous week which was even colder! Ice is forming and we are sending out our first NCS ice climbing trip to the back side of Pitchoff tomorrow. MAKE YOUR PLANE RESERVATIONS.

Almost Heading Home

I have an admissions visit and one more major donor visit, before I
head back to the Adirondacks. I spent an hour enjoying the exhibit
about the history of Yaddo at the New York Public Library.

Half Dome

Mark told us many stories over the years about his trip up the classic
north face route. (Let it be remembered that I did the 26 mile round
trip to deliver the beer!)

Hannah

At the belay on pitch # 3.

Great Day

"After Six," a 700' route on Manure Pile Buttress with pitches of:
5.6, 5.1, 5.5, 5.4, 5.4, 5.5

Fantastic 36 Hours

Leaving the valley ... what a beautiful place even with too many cars,
amd too many people. Truly a rock climber's paradise.

Halley's Comet

Back at Manure Pile Buttress top roping the 5.9 "Jump for joy" and the
5.10a "Halley's Comet." So as El Presidente was falling off the latter
he was heard to exclaim, "I'm all out of sync. Oh I am pissed."

Gorgeous end to the day

Hiking back from our climb we were treated to a great sunset on El Cap
and "The Nose." Boot Flake and the Great Roof are clearly visible. (This month is the 50th anniversary of the first ascent; click on the picture to enlarge the photograph.)

Finishing the Evening

This is a photograph from the terrific collection of paintings hanging in the great room of the Ahwanhee Hotel in Yosemite. (The painting was done by Gunnar Widfross in 1929.) We ended our Saturday evening with single malt at the Ahwanhee ... Thanks to
Hannah our designated driver.

Last Pitch

El Presidente takes the last pitch to celebrate his upcoming 60th.

Gearing up

Heading out to Manure Pile Buttress at the crack of noon!

The Big Stone

The little speck is Mark, checking out the route the Nose. 33
pitches ... Hard to imagine it gets climbed in under 3 hours.

Fossil Liftoff!

Heading to the plane at 6AM, I spotted a Rickey sculpture ... He did
some of his earliest work at Camp Treetops. Heading out for Yosemite.

It's getting colder!

As you can see from the thermometer outside our Main Building, the temperature at 9 AM was about 22 degrees. The ice is forming. I am looking forward to the gathering of the Fossils and friends on December 20-22.

Fossil Support

Students and staff training a llama and two alpacas to help carry fossil gear into the mountains.

More Snow Coming

Seeing the forecasted snow, I pulled out a book of vintage ski posters to get myself psyched for the winter that is almost upon us. (Click on the photo to enlarge the picture.)

Mountain Library: adirondacks

Fair Wilderness ... Contested Terrain ... The adirondacks ... The
adirondack atlas ... The plains of Abraham ... Wandering home ... High
Peaks ... Perspectives on the Adirondacks ... Peaks and people ... The
reserve ... Seneca ray stoddard ... Adirondack pilgrimage ... The
adirondack reader ... Adirondack almanac ... Lake placid and north
Elba: a history ... Birds of the Adirondacks ... An adirondack
passage ... Woodswoman ... Woodswoman III ... Beyond black bear
lake ... Rocks and routes of the north country ... And gladly Guide ... Nathan Farb, The Adirondacks (23 volumes)

Early Ice

Pinnacle Gully on Mount Washington got climbed on November 3rd ... NEI III.

Hock's Collection

Mountain Library: expeditions

Annapurna ... In the throne room of the gods ... Nanga parbat
pilgrimage ... Changabang ... Annapurna south face ... The shining
mountain ... Deborah ... Tilman, seven mountain travel books ...
Shipton, six mountain travel books ... K2: triumph and tragedy ..,
conquest of everest ... Minus 148 ... The Last Step: an American
ascent of K2 ... Mountain of My Fear ... Fallen Giants ... The Mountain of Storms (17 volumes)

More From Hock's Collection

Mountain Library: biography and autobiography

Dougal Haston, in high places ... Walter Bonatti, on the heights ...
Dorothy pulley, climbing days ... Nansen ... Master of Rock ... Spirit
of the Age-royal robbins ... Leni Riffenstahl: memoir ... Into the
unknown: the life of hans kraus ... Miriam Underhill, Give me the
hills ... Snowsoe Thompson ... Elizabeth Woolsey, off the beaten
track ... Geoffrey Winthrop young ... Menlove ... Lynn Hill, climbing
free ... The last hero ... Hillary, nothing venture, nothing win ...
Gary hemming ... The legendary jackrabbit johannsen ... Alan Rouse: a mountaineer's life (19 volumes)

Election Day

I just finished my fifth day on skis. Unfortunately the last for
awhile as it's going to be unseasonably warm for the next couple of
days. Take a look at these incredibly funny cartoons in the New
Yorker. It is time to settle in an watch the results. (Click on this photo to enlarge this picture.)

Mountain Library: guidebooks

Scottish climbs (volume 1 and 2) ... Rocky mountains of Canada
(north) ... Climbing guide to RMNP ... Climber's guide to the Teton
range (volume 2) ... Dolomites east ... Pennine alps central ...
Selected climbs in the Bernese alps ... Northville-Lake Placid
trail ... Ski touring Jackson hole ... Carderock climber's guide ...
AMC White mountain guide ... Scrambles in skye ... Adirondack
trails ... Owens river gorge climbs ... Climbing guide to north
America (volumes 1-3) ... Selected climbs in the northeast ... New
England bouldering ... Classic adirondack ski tours ... Snow, ice, and
mixed (volumes 1 and 2), Bolivia: a climbing guide ... Ice climber's
guide to northern new England ... Adirondack rock ... The high
sierra ... The good, the great, and the awesome ... Bishop
bouldering ... The alpine 4000m peaks ... Selected climbs in the
Canadian Rockies ... Shades of blue ... Rock climbing in the lake
district ... Classis climbs and treks of the cordillera huayhuash ...
A rock climbers guide: cannon, cathedral, and Whitehorse ... Yosemite
big walls: supertopos ... Fat city and urban ice
Climber's guide to tahoe rock ... The mt shasta book ... On foot
through europe; Austria and Switzerland ... On foot through Europe:
British isles ... Hiking marin ... The tahoe sierra ... Mexico's
volcanoes ... Fifty hikes in Connecticut ... Fifty more hikes in new
Hampshire ... 25 ski tours in new Hampshire ... The best ski touring
in America ... Fifty classic climbs ... Extreme alpine rock ... Cold
climbs ... Bay area rock ... Hiking virginia's national forest ... The
fool's climbing guide to Ecuador and Peru ... Appalachian Trail Guide
to mass. and Connecticut ... Touch the sky ... Shawangunk rock
climbs ... Climber's guide to Yosemite valley ... Woods and waters: a
guide to long and raquette lakes ... Guide book to the long trail ...
Day hiker's guide to Vermont ... Wind river mountains ... A guide to
adirondack trails ... Climbing in the Adirondacks ... Blue lines ...
Traprock ... Ski tours (vol. 1) in the sierra nevadas (66 volumes)

Inspirational Ice

Click here to see this fantastic 45 second slide show set to music.

Going to Campaign

Heading to New Hampshire with Jon to ring doorbells and canvas for Obama ... Be sure to vote.

Bummer

Best magazine out there! Given Selden's writing, editing, layout
background I asked her if she wanted to see what the purchase price
would be ... No interest.