Important Himalayan Ecological Problem

Timber to Tibet from gocoolthokar on Vimeo.

First ski descents still available in the alps if you know where to look

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE ON THE CHAMONIX INSIDER

Looking for light ski mountaineering gear from Santa ... Have him check out CAMP

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WILD SNOW REVIEW.

Maintaining Your Skins

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS INFORMATIVE ARTICLE.

YAHOO ... a milestone has been reached

The Snow Is Melting

However, Lucy and I had a good 60 minute ski, with the downhill on the East Mountain loop being a little spotty. The picture is taken on the infamous "Russian Hill," of the 1979 pre-olympics, for the past decade or so it has been formally known as Harry's Hill in honor of Harry Eldridge, former NCS headmaster.

Demonstrations in Peru ... Gold mines or drinking water?

CLICK HERE TO READ THE HUFFINGTON POST ARTICLE.

Setting goals ... look at two time Olympian Andy Newell goals from when he was 15!

Perusing the new Nordic coaches manual, and seeing what Andy Newell did when he was 15, prompted me to get my nordic team to do the same ... Of course I couldn't resist doing a goal pyramid. (Notice, some of my goals only make sense if I am retired and training more, if I am still working a zillion hours a week, I am not likely to be getting a medal in anything except fundraising.)

Skiing in Bolivia

Adventure through the Andes. Bolivia - episode # 3. from Bjarne Sahlen on Vimeo.

Skiing up the Toll Road

Nordic skiing in the Adirondacks

Just before Thamksgiving we got our first significant snowstorm - 12 inches of heavy wet snow - and so Lucy and I got several early morning, and late evening tours under our belt.

Words of Wisdom From Chouinard

Special Guest - Yvon Chouinard from Bozeman Ice Festival on Vimeo.

Ski-Mo Racing

CLICK HERE TO READ THE SHORT ESSAY ABOUT HOW I GOT FIRED UP ABOUT SKI MO RACING.

Getting ready for the NCS Nordic season

Our Nordic team has been doing dry land training for the past three weeks, and has gone on a number of long hikes. Here is Lucy on the summit of Big Slide last weekend.

The Tao of Gnarliness ... Mad River Glen

CLICK HERE TO READ A SHORT HISTORICAL ESSAY IN THE TIMES.

Historic climbing and skiing video footage

Lowell Skoog's website about the ski mountaineering history of the Pacific Northwest is a real treasure trove. Click on this link to read some engaging text about the state of the sport just prior to World War II! However the best treats are the two short videos. The first depicts a climb up Mount Shuksan, and the two 16 year olds in the party are Fred and Helmy Beckey. The second video follows on ski tour on the Puyallap Glacier on Mount Rainier ... Not to be missed.

Mountaineering History ... Mugs Stump

While re-reading Krakauer's "Eiger Dreams," I was reminded of Mugs Stump's unsuccessful solo attempt on the Eiger north face. Which prompted me to do a quick google search to refresh my memory ... Emperor Face on Robson, Moonflower Buttress on Hunter, East Face of Moose's Tooth, and a one-day blast of the Cassin Ridge. He was an amazing guy and a true believer in the fast, light, and hard school of Alpinism.

Two million vertical feet

OLD NEWS BY NOW BUT SEE THS ARTICLE IN KOOTENAY MOUNTAIN CULTURE WITH EXCERPTS FROM HIS JOURNAL AND TRAINING LOG.

Slack line, highline, and base jumping

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Hiking the Porter Mountain Loop

Reggie and I took advantage of the spectacularly warm November day to hike around the 10k loop, and exit at the South Meadow Farm pastures.

USST off to a good start

Marit and the Norwegian gals dominated the 10k, however Kikkan had her best every distance finish (8th), and Stephan finished in the top 20, even occupying the leader's seat for awhile. CLICK HERE TO READ THE COVERAGE IN SKI TRAX.

OFF PISTE IN CHILE.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ESSAY IN THE OR BLOG.

Something we climbers do not think about enough

Water and its present and projected scarcity is a huge issue in the places we go to climb .... Whether in the American southwest, Peru, or as talked about here, the Himalaya. The major rivers of Asia start in the Himalayan mountains, and as this essay mentions there are already significant border disputes and more to come in this region, over who controls the flw of water. Will the subject of water rights have two nuclear powers squaring off in the future?

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS SHORT ESSAY.

Fossil Weekends Coming Up In One Month

Last evening I hung out in the Cabin testing all the systems: cabin stove and lights, sauna, single malt, outhouse, and book collection. Everything is good to go for December, now all we need is a bit colder temperatures and some snow. After the sauna I had a good yoga session in the cabin, and then read some of Gary Snyder's Cold Mountain poems.

Get Psyched for the Nordic Wold Cups

Nordic World Cup Starts Saturday

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE OUTLOOK FOR AMERICA.

Snow descent in chile ... Vulcan villarrica

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT JACK BAUER'S SNOW DESCENT IN THE CHILEAN LAKE DISTRICT.

Blast From The Past

A couple of Nordic skiing ads from the late 1970s. Do you remember when you got your first pair of fiberglass Nordic skis, or when you had your first pair of non-75 mm bindings? Do you remember the wave of excitement around Bill Koch's Olympic silver medal? My first pair of non-wood Nordic skis were the white pair of Fischers pictured in the ad, and yes I did own a pair of the 38 mm Adidas blue racing boots.

Update: Chamonix ski mountaineering scene

CLICK HERE TO READ THE SHORT UPDATE IN POWDER MAGAZINE.

First Time On Snow

A full day at Killington - good man-made snow an nice weather - I even skinned up some laps at the end of the day. I will probably do this again if we continue to have no snow.

Ski Mountaineering In Peru

Adventure through the Andes. Peru - episode # 2. from Bjarne Sahlen on Vimeo.

This season's weather is even a challenge for elite skiers traveling to Sweden

Pinnacle Gully ... First weekend in November

Fossil Icefest ... December 16-20

FIS Nordic races start this weekend

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE SEASON-OPENER.

Ice Climbing Season Has Started in the Canadian Rockies

Terminator, The Trophy Wall: WI6 M5, 3 pitches from Joshua Lavigne on Vimeo.

Chamonix ... What to do on a rainy Fall day

Folks head over to the gigantic roofs outside Sallanches, and go dry-tooling. Most routes are already equipped with quick draws, the huge overhang ensures that you stay dry, and the rock is choosy so you are not doing any harm! The enclosed picture is of an M10+ trade route. CLICK HERE FOR SOME BETA AND A TOPO.

Getting anxious ... no snow in the East

Despite the amazing Nor'easter of October, it seems that there is no Nordic skiing in the East at the moment. Of course, we also do not have a ski tunnel like this one pictured in Sweden where a bunch of the USST are training. I may go to Killington to do some turns and skin up trails if they let me. (Or, if Brian is free maybe I will climb in the Gunks.)

Skiing in the Andes

CLICK HERE TO READ A TRIP REPORT OF A CLIMB UP NEVADO VULCAN AND A WONDERFUL DESCENT.

The Cathedral Traverse

North Ridge, Grand Teton via Cathedral Traverse from Mark Smiley on Vimeo.

Over the years having done all the individual peaks and pitches, of the Cathedral group, the thought of putting them all together in one traverse would be pretty exciting.

The Chuting Gallery: a guide to steep skiing in the Wasatch Mountains

Whiteface

Flying to Maine to see alumni ... A beautiful day.

Put it on your Christmas List

CLICK HERE TO READ THE AMAZON.COM REVIEW AND PUT IT ON YOUR WISH LIST .... You can even get it for your kindle.

What sabotages your training program?

For me, it is close proximity to the NCS kitchen. Whenever a taste treat comes out of the oven, there is always someone in the kitchen offering a sample ... needless to say I have no willpower.

I stopped running but maybe I will start again ...

CLICK HERE TO READ AN IMPORTANT ARTICLE ON RUNNING IN THE NY TIMES.

Alternative To The Haute Route?

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE AND WATCH A SHORT VIDEO.

Sleeping Pad Review

Leashes, Gaiters, and Screamers ... All out-dated?

CLICK HERE FOR A DOSE OF WILL GADD WISDOM.

The Alpine Trilogy

In the past alpine season - Barmasse - father and son roped up to open three, classically hard routes on: Mount Blanc, the Matterhorn, and Monta Rosa. CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE MONTA ROSA ROUTE.

North American Ingenuity

While North America does not have the all year-round, refrigerated, ski tunnels that Europe has, however we do have Yankee ingenuity and so a few places stockpile, and store snow covered by hay through the summer months for Fall training.

THE Season Has Started

Black Dike ... Game On

The Granite State classic test piece was climbed last weekend. Most of the gullies in Huntington Ravine were climbed as well ... It looks like the season has started.

Not a sleeping bag cover but A Real Bivy Sack

I was thinking about purchasing one last year before I headed to the Alps, however I could find no retailer to talk to, or any climber that had used them so, I brought along a standard issue US style sleeping bag cover (aka bivy sack). With Dane's review, I put it bak on my Christmas list for Santa.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REVIEW FROM COLD THISTLE.