December was a good month ... 17,500'

Even with my work travel, special events, and the holiday season, I hiked, ran, and skied a lot of vertical.

Doug Robinson ... Still doing it after all these years

A Good Workout

It was a chilly 6 degrees when I started this ski at 9:30 am. I had planned to do the Olympic men's 15k course, however tracks had not been set yet on Porter Mountain. I am starting to feel like I am getting in the grove with my traditional skiing, now it's time to take the skate skis out of the bag.

2012 UTMB video

CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

An interview with Yvon Chouinard

CLICK HERE TO READ THE INTERVIEW.

The Hobbit

I have not seen the movie yet, and my son says it is disappointing. However the book is a quick read, and our merry band of dwarves, plus Bilbo and Gandalf are stuck in the mountain, chased by goblins. Next up is chapter V, the game of riddles with Gollum.

Kikkan on the top step of the podium again!

A great start to the Tour De Ski for the US women, three gals in the top 21. Unfortunately Jesse Diggins took a big spill and so finished at the back of the pack. Canadian Alex Harvey had a good start with a 5th place, Andy Newell 21st, and Kris Freeman in 35th.

Post Christmas Reading And Skiing Binge

I have logged many kilometers and lots of vertical since the big storm. So too have I blasted through many a delightful page. As always books make up a big portion of our family gifts under the tree. This year's titles include: The Longest Fall, Juggernauts, An Honorable Run, And Then The Vultures Eat You: true tales about ultra-marathons, The Elements of Effort, The Silence of Great Distance: women running long, Bone Games: extreme sports, shamanism, zen, and the search for transcendence, Mount Analogue, Bodies From The Ice: melting glaciers and recovery of the past, well as the guidebook for the classic climbs of the Eastern Alps.

Sartorial splendor

As you can see, I still have not gotten the hang of how to wear the buff as a balaclava!

Snowing Hard

Selden took this picture of the Fossil Cabin early yesterday morning, and it snowed hard all day long. It seems that we have gotten almost 20 inches. Yesterday morning I did a 50+ minute ski on mountaineering gear, and then in the afternoon I did a 65+ minute ski on Nordic racing equipment.

Quote of the Week ... John Muir

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity..." 

Packing for a European Hut Trip

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS NICE ARTICLE FROM THE WILD SNOW WEBSITE.

Early morning workout

Extreme skiing in Patagonia

Christmas at the B.O.G.

MERRY CHRISTMAS. I am ready for the Alps: a buff, a guidebook, lobster claw mittens, duct tape, and two pounds of special fruit cake. (Notice me modeling the buff - hottest thing in Nordic fashion - wear it as a hat, a balaclava, a head band, or scarf. I need to go on-line to get directions how to maximize this sartorial item.)

As per our family the gifts are easy to categorize: 1) Hock = running books (planning to do a summer ultra) or climbing books. 2) Lucy = teenage Aeropostale fashions or nordic racing stuff. 3) Jon = stuff for his apartment in Boston or gift certificates to supplement his meager income. 4) Selden = books about Laura Ingalls Wilder and Georgette Heyer or barn clothes.

Merry Christmas from The Fossil Historian

If you have been climbing as long as I have ...

You no doubt remember MOUNTAIN GAZETTE, the artsy, left of center, bohemian, alternative to the prosaic OFF BELAY and the all things British MOUNTAIN. Take a quick trip back to 1974 and peruse this gem. The Roberts and Rowell essays are a prelude to the winds of change then blowing through the mountain world, so too are the short pieces on ski town condos or the 1974 demise of the Russian women in the Pamirs. But I have to tell you, as a proud owner of a double down army surplus sleeping bag, I loved the essay by Harvey Manning about World War II army surplus.CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ISSUE.

Annapurna and Maurice Herzog

No doubt many other Fossils out there got their first introduction to the mountains by reading reading the classic ANNAPURNA, still the most widely read mountaineering tome in the world. While the exact details of the ascent and harrowing descent of the first 8000 meter peak ever climbed may be a bit disputed, there is no doubt that the stirring account, fired up my passion for alpine peaks.CLICK HERE TO READ THE OBITUARY IN THE ALPINIST.

Looks like winter has finally come to the Adirondacks

Another Dawn Patrol

The first day of winter, was quite wintery. It also brought out a host of dawn patrol types skinning up Whiteface. We almost made it to the top of the Gondola (Little Whiteface) in the 80 minutes we scheduled for this session, as I had to head home and say goodbye to Reggie.

Finally feeling better ... two good ski workouts

I made a dawn patrol excursion with Guillaume ... 60+ minutes and 1200'. Then in the afternoon I took a pair of waxless skis out on the Toll Road. Despite rain everywhere else, I had a 60+ minute workout (1000') while very heavy snowflakes fell all about me.

Patagonia Ski Adventure ... Andreas FRANSSON

Light is Right ... a revised look almost 30 years later

Dane at Cold Thistle revisits the classic Bouchard text from Wild Things and makes a modern day comparison.CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

Case study of an avalanche ... a must read and watch

Take your time with this piece, read it and watch all the multimedia segments. We will have fully trained and certified guides but bad stuff can happen to even the most knowledgeable. (Note that this is not appropriate for significant others to read.) CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS TIMELY PIECE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES.

Awesome Mountain Fiction

I am only on page 50, but this novel is riveting, and incredibly well written. This novel set in the Canadian Rockies and was short-listed for the 2009 Boardman-Tasker prize. It takes as its jumping off point, the mythological peaks - Hooker and Brown - thought in the early 1800s to be the highest in North America. CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO TRAILER.

Good day for the Nordic men ... Kudos to Hoffman and Freeman

Two in the top-ten, on a very challenging World Cup 30k in Canmore.CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

A nice 40 minute workout

Looking good in the Silvrettas

Relaxing at the Fossil Cabin

Thin conditions but there is ice to be climbed

Gary brought up a young gun - Joe from Scotland - to sample ice climbing Adirondack style. I did four laps and called it a day as I am getting the flu that has descended on NCS in the last week of the term.

The cutting edge ... Hard climbing in Chamonix

The Hobbit ... re-reading for the zillionth time

Given that the movie comes out on Saturday, and that the kindle version only costs $3, I am re-reading this classic.

Trail running to Skimo training

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE ON THE I RUN FAR BLOG.

Things are looking better for the Fossil Icefest

The snow is flying ... get psyched for Austria

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

Unseasonably warm again ... ugh!

Not very often I am out hiking in shorts during December. The crag was a bit wet from a dusting of snow that melted, but definitely climbable.

US NORDIC WOMEN ROCK

Randall and Diggins win the sprint relay, Brooks and Sargent make it to the final, four women in the top 30 of the individual sprint, and Kikkan Randall wins the whole darn thing. Of course, kudos to Andy Newell and his fifth place in the sprints ... Awesome weekend in Quebec City. CLICK HERE TO READ THE RE-CAP IN FASTER SKIER.COM

The only game in town ...

If you want to log some vertical on skis, the dawn patrol on Whiteface is all there is. I managed a total of 90 minutes, with 75 minutes and almost 2000' uphill. Sure wish it would snow.

Quebec World Cup Sprint Course

Two laps of this course, and as always in these city sprints, I think there will be some big pile-ups. The jump down the backstretch is bound to be a scene.

Snow making at Nordic ski areas

While nobody talked about it during the presidential or congressional campaigns, cross country ski areas are dealing with climate change as best they can. CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE.

Climate change impacting winter tourism ... Important research study

Earlier this week the National Resource Defense Council released this study that quantified in financial terms the impact of climate change on the ski, snowboarding, and snowmobile industries. In New York alone, these account industries for 14,627 jobs, and 846 million dollars in revenue.CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

Joy to the Children

The big fund-raising gala of the year, geared towards arts programming and held at the Mirror Lake Inn. Selden, new staff Melanie and David Damico, and I attended. Selden promised to boycott the event unless I swore not to bid at the silent auction ... I have a long track record of impulsiveness here.

Ibuprofen ... and the endurance athlete

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE.

Another dawn patrol at the Whiteface Ski Area

A Great Workout But ...

Shorts in the Adirondacks in December! Lucy had a good track workout with NYSEF. (They did a couple of miles of easy jogging to warm up, and then they did 4 X 800 meters, with a jog lap recovery between each interval.). I did a nice trail run in Henry's Woods.

US Nordic Women Having A Great Season

Five athletes in the top 25, probably the best team outside of Norway. We had great results in Sweden and Finland ... on to Canada, and today's team sprint. Lucy and the NYSEF girls are going to Quebec City tomorrow to watch the individual World Cup sprints. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE 10K Kuusamo pursuit.

US Nordic Women ... They do not get much press over here but in Europe they are hot!

Kilian Jornet ... Ultra-running season over and extreme skiing starting

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THIS FIRST SKI DESCENT.

Passion and passing the torch

Ultra-marathoner and alpine super stud, Kilian Jornet goes for a run in the Colorado backcountry with a cross country runner from the days of Shorter and Pre. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO.

Ski god Ullr

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE WORK BY THIS ARTISTS.