Skiing: the way it used to be

The NCS tow house, powered by a 1957 Ford engine. The rope tow gets
spliced regularly and it eats ski gloves for breakfast.

Skining Up The NCS Ski Hill

Temperatures are dropping fast. I headed out for a quick ski tour on campus (rossignol stratos and Ramer bindings from the mid-70s) before our New Year's Eve party. Unfortunately the ski hill was too icy to enjoy.

Audiotape: first chapter of Mount Analogue

Click here to link to the website, with a five minute recording of the first several pages in the allegorical Mount Ananlogue. (The photograph is of the author Rene Daumal.)

A Gift From Santa

MOUNT ANALOGUE ... do you know it? A reissue of a twentieth-century classic in the acclaimed Tusk Ivories series A twentieth-century classic, Mount Analogue combines the author's poetic gifts and philosophical accomplishments in a manner that is both entertaining to read and profound to contemplate. The novel is a representation of the author's own spiritual quest, transposed into fictional form, and was published posthumously in 1952. This edition is newly translated by Carol Cosman, with an afterword by Vera Daumal. Among other things, this is an allegory for the journey of life, as well as a marvellous tale in which the narrator/author, one of an intrepid company of eight, sets sail in the yacht Impossible to search for Mount Analogue, the solid, geographically located, albeit hidden, peak that reaches inexorably towards heaven - as Mount Olympus reached to the home of the Greek gods, or Mount Sinai to the presence of Yahweh. Daumal, often described as one of the most gifted literary figures in twentieth century France, died before the novel was completed, providing an uncanny one-way quality to the journey that the reader cannot help but share.

Video: mixed climbing

Click on this link to see a short video from NE Ice.

50 Degrees

In spite of 24 hours of rain and warm temperatures the Porter Mountain Loop is in pretty good shape – hardly a bare spot – best enjoyed with a pair of waxless skis. The stadium is probably a puddle so park on the road near the Cascade trailhead. Keep your fingers crossed for more snow! (Although temperatures drop tonight and so the ice climbing will come back quickly.)

Dinner Plates

Gary took a big ice chunk in the face while climbing in Chapel Pond Canyon today ... Still reasonably
"cute" for a guy who will be pushing 60 soon.

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays. Never fear the stockings are anchored with an alien
and a knifeblade ... bomber protection. I hope your days are full of
family, friends, and fun in the mountains.

Feeling Pumped

Last laps on "Pitchoff Right" before the 6+ hour drive home.

Final Column

Brian putting in a "stubbie" to protect the last 15 feet of "Ice Slot."

On Belay

Gary doing the honors on "Ice Slot."

Chapel Pond Canyon

Gary having led "Positive Reinforcement" (NEI 3+), now Brian leads
"Ice Slot" (NEI 4-).

Chapel Pond

Fantastic ice, but single digits and high winds make the grades even
harder.

A Toast

Gary and Brian, having hung up their soggy gear to dry, toast another
great day in the mountains.

Second pitch

Brian placing his second piece on the second pitch ... Excellent ice.

Dry layers

After the 70 minute approach the Fossils pull out dry clothes at the
base of "Tendonitis."

Skiing in

The Fossils heading into the north face of Pitchoff.

Oops ... Maybe it's not so thick

Moments after Gary fell into the beaver pond.

Modeling New Boxer Shorts

Brian swears that these are the lynchin of his layering system.

First Screw of the Season

Gary placing his first piece on Buster. A beautiful afternoon with
four laps under our belt ... Brian is motoring up the Northway.

Quick Tune Up

I skipped lunch today to run a few laps on "Pitchoff Right." Conditions are superb and the weather will be good but on the cold side. Many routes are quite "fat" from Monday's rain. "Rugosity" a very stiff mixed route being one of the routes that is looking quite good.

Adirondack New Route

(Click on the photos to enlarge the pictures to see the climber leading out.) Matt Horner grabs first ice ascent of "Upper Partition", 5.8, on Giant Washbowl.

Matt Horner, with partner Jonas Morelli, rappelled down the Weissner Corner, Sat., Dec. 14, from the top of Giant Washbowl Cliff in Keene Valley, NY. to reach the base of the Upper Partition corner (rated a steep 5.8 in summer). Horner then led back up the thin ice with bomber rock gear obtained by excavating ice out of the crack in the corner. According to staff at The Mountaineer in Keene Valley, Morelli said he was unable to cleanly follow Horner's lead when the sun came out for 10 minutes and the ice became too unstable and detached to climb on.

Fred Beckey: king of the fossils

Click here to view the link to the New York Times article and video about the legendary 85 year old Fossil, who is still climbing.

Mountain Collection: how to do books

Mountain Collection: how to do books

Self-rescue ... Teach yourself to ski ... Training for Nordic
skiing ... Good glide ... Really cool telemark tips ... Really cool
backcountry ski book ... Mountaineering ... Free heel skiing ... Ski
mountaineering ... Rock climbing ... Learning to rock climb ...
Climbing ice ... Freedom of the hills ... Caldwell on cross
country ... Ski faster, easier ... Winter hiking and camping ...
EPSTI: instructor's manual ... How to shit in the woods ... The
wilderness handbook ... Backcountry skiing ... Don't look back ...
Leadership the outward bound way ... The climber's handbook ... The
handbook of climbing ... Basic rockcraft ... Sea kayaking ... Alpine
climbing ... Avalanche safety for skiers and climbers ... Cross
country ski conditioning ... One stride ahead .., the illustrated
guide to glacier travel and crevasse rescue ... The centered skier ...
Wilderness skiing

Blast From the Past

Given the leather boots, knicker socks, old bergans pack, and post
Denali water bottle .., I would put this as a mid-80s picture hiking
in the Adirondacks.

-18 degrees this morning

Incredibly chilly, but bright and sunny. The thermometer is up to +4
degrees for my mid-day ski.

Early Christmas

Selden's early Christmas present was propane lights for the Fossil
Cabin ... Superb Nordic conditions, beautiful ice, and below zero
temperatures tonight.

NCS Nordic Team

Most of our kids have been out a couple of times but today was the
first "official practice" for our oldest kids who have been engaged in
bio labs and secondary school applications.

Good Ice

I went out for a bit of top-roping on Pitchoff Right (NEI 3) which was fun, although the picture of Power Play on Chapel Pond shows that the early season conditions are quite good.

Mixed Climbing

The new winter bouldering area being developed on campus.

Blast From the Past

I walked into Larry's class today and he was using a scanned picture
of a teaching poster I had developed in the 1980s when I taught Earth
Science. (Click on the poster to enlarge the photograph.)

Frigid!

It is 10 am and the temperature is still well below zero ... The ice
will be awesome for the fossils.

Tuning Up

Larry had the NCS students out on some boulders practicing their mixed climbing skills, enclosed is a photo of him bouldering an M6 called "Waiting for John."

Stellar dentrites to transceivers

Larry teaching his 8th graders a detailed unit on snow physics which
includes theory, experimentation, as well as real life applications in
snow pits and doing grid searches for buried skiers.

Single Malt: the key ingredient to a fossil trip

There was an excellent article in this mornings New York Times about single malt. Much like sharpening your ice tools, I consider this a key ingredient to the start of the winter season. (Click on this link to access the article.)

Air fares are low

Book those flights! How can you go wrong? What a set-up: Brian offers to transport you from Albany, room and board is a freebie, the ice will be fantastic, the single malt is on me, and the air fares are the lowest holiday rates in years.