Peaks and Passes We Can Do From Jamtal Hutte

Trap Dike Avalanche

One week to go!

Skinning laps on the NCS ski hill in very wet snow. Pretty frustrating as the skins iced up terribly. Nevertheless, Larry's modifications to my Dynafit boots worked like a charm.

Assuming snow conditions in the alps must be stabilizing nicely

I love my dynafit bindings!

The only thing I dislike is having to remove skis when going from touring to downhill mode ... Yahoo today on the ski hill I figured out how to do it without removing the skis!

NCS ski-mo course

Getting ready for the alps so I was back out on our 4k training route, up and around our ski hill.

Nordic Gold Medal

Slopes just outside Galtur are looking good

Andy Newell getting some big air on his nordic race skis

On Saturday the NYSEF racers hosted a training session with the Mount Greylock high school team from Massachusetts. A good time was had by all, and one of the things they worked on was team sprints (in preparation for the junior nationals). Anyway, after all was said and done, Lucy and the rest of the NYSEF girls got copies of the DVD - A Day In The Life - produced by Andy Newell. The main focus was interviews with top US racers, and footage from races in Dusseldorf, Canmore, and Rybinsk.

This evening I watched it while doing yoga ... pretty good stuff ... however after the credits are done, just as you are about to turn it off, then comes this two minute segment of Andy doing some wild stuff in Park City.CLICK HERE TO WATCH HIM WORK THE HALF-PIPE ON NORDIC GEAR.

TOP DOG ... a page turner

Whether you are an athlete, a manager, a coach or a teacher ... This is an engaging, lay persons narrative summary of the genetic, cultural, psychological, and material factors that determine who wins and who loses. Who performs at their best and why. Highly recommended.

Paintball biathlon

After the biathlon Nor-Am race ended, a bunch of my novice NCS types jumped into a paintball biathlon race. I ended up doing a good skating workout while they were racing to supplement an hour of laps on the ski hill this morning with my AT gear.

The Eiger Contradiction

I just finished the second part of this long essay that spanned two issues of the ALPINIST. A must read for any serious climber ... covers the first ascent in the Victorian age up to the latest north face speed ascents in under three hours.

Update from the Silvretta Range

The snow is starting to fall again in Austria after a fairly dry week which saw limited flurries at most areas - not a problem though with temperatures low and bases deep throughout much of the country. Fresh snow has been reported in the Arlberg in the past 24 hours with 20cm for Lech on Wednesday. More is expected in the coming days as the country's skies turn snowier. St Wolfgang reported 20cm fresh snow and Waidring 25cm. The Pitztal glacier, which incorporates Austria's highest lift and is open to mid-May, still has the deepest snow at 3.4m, and Lech isn't too far behind on 305cm. Most Austrian resorts have healthy bases of 1.5m to 2.5m and are expecting more snow in the next few days. (Planet ski website)

The Silvrettas Are Looking Good ... less than two weeks to go

Avalanche precautions ... time to review the do's and don'ts

Watch a couple of 8th graders (including my daughter Lucy) from last year presenting their research on avalanches ... wind loading, slope angle, snow layers, last seen point, beacons, probes, shovels, snow pits, ridges and bowls ... just a few things to start thinking about.CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE PRESENTATIONS.

Laps on the NCS ski hill

Only weeks to go before I head to the Alps. So I am trying to spend a little time each day on my randonee gear, especially as I have to get used to new bindings (Dynafit speed radicals).

An Alpine Epiphany In Chamonix

What do discussions about ski-mo racing gear - TLT vs. Aliens, or Plums vs. Speed radicals - have to do with alpine climbing? In fact quite a bit, as there is a growing and very strong connection between Dynafit boots, randonee ski gear, ice climbing, and hard alpine routes. Several years ago, at the same time and place, I came to similar conclusions as Dane. Indeed we chatted about these connections while sitting out a storm in the Cosmique Hut. He makes the case with more force and insight though, so read his piece at Cold Thistle about how it all comes together. (Oh, and you do notice those white ski mo boots in the picture above, getting ready to jump on a hard route on Mount Blanc du Tacul.)CLICK HERE.

Ueli Steck on Summiting Everest

EpicTV Interviews: Ueli Steck On Climbing Everest Without Oxygen from EpicTVAdventure on Vimeo.

Skimeister

About 31 years ago I re- introduced the historical concept of the four event skier at NCS. Every year since in mid-February we have held an intra-school competition combining freestyle, slalom, cross country, and biathlon. Lucy won both nordic events, but finished far down the list in the alpine events (which she was doing on tele-gear). A good time was had by all.

NCS bouldering cave

Now that we are heating with biomass plants we have decommissioned several oil furnaces. As NCS grads remember there was a furnace room next to our hiking gear stored underneath Woods House. As their class projectLarry and the seniors are turning the vacant room into a terrific bouldering cave ... they are also constructing homemade ceramic holds ... No doubt I can feel a good case of tendonitis coming on in my elbows!

Patriot League Indoor Track Championships

On Sunday we traveled down to West Point to watch Lucy's cousin Ashley run the 800m and the 4 x 400m. She finished fourth in both events, which is not too shabby considering she is only a freshman.

Ski Trails of The New Deal ... A blast from the past

75-80 years after their construction by the CCC during the Depression, one writer's look at how they fare today.CLICK HERE TO READ THE NY TIMES ARTICLE.

Avalanche thoughts

Avalanche Accident in Engelberg from Thomas S. on Vimeo.

Davos World Cup Sprints ... another good day for US nordic team

Newell in fourth, Hamilton in 13th, Randall in 8th, Sargent in 18th, and Brooks in 23rd. I hope the distance events on Sunday go as well.

NCS skating workout

Well Lucy seems to have recovered well from the Canadian Ski Marathon. Today she did a PR in our 5k time trial.

Biathlon Silver Medal

A long time coming ... I saw the last one happen in Lake Placid in 1987 ... Congratulations to local Tim Burke, who has come a long way since his days in the Bill Koch league skiing at Dewey Mountain. I remember when our NCS middle school students would say, who is that 5 year-old hotshot!CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Uphill Ski Policy ... an idea whose time has come

This Wild Snow article both profiles the new and highly enlightened policy at Created Butte, as well as surveys American ski areas in general.CLICK HERE.

Do you use umbilicals while ice climbing?

If so this is a must read Cold Thistle article.CLICK HERE.

The Eiger North Face

Nothing new here, the 1938 route that we have all read so much about, however the photographs by Jon Griffith are spectacular and well worth a visit.CLICK HERE.

A FOSSIL MOUTHS OFF ... tales from the Canadian ski Marathon

This morning at breakfast in the NCS dining room, after recounting tales of Lucy's escapades, the often asked question was: "So how did you do Hock." Now that is a pretty complex question. I have tied a race bib on often enough over the past decades that I never go into an event without some very concrete goals. My goal was to ski 160k and log 9000' vertical ... I managed 85k and 5000' of climbing ... in a word CRAP was how I did.

I also know after decades of racing that you better have some secondary and tertiary goals, because you do not win every race, not every outing brings a PR, nor does every peak get bagged. My other goals for this Quebec adventure were two-fold: help Lucy achieve a three year-old dream of skiing the full route, and getting back-to-back gut busting days under my belt to be sure I was physically and mentally ready for the Silvretta range ski traverse. In this, the weekend was a resounding success.

What were the take-aways from the experience:

1) Beware ... when your longest workouts are long drives to look at secondary schools, your strength workouts are unscrewing the sudafed and ibuprofen bottles, and you find yourself packing GU next to your flu medicine for the endurance event ... you may not be headed for a peak performance.

2) Trying to keep up with Lucy for the first 30k, when her "slow" pace is not really slow at all ... is a recipe for disaster.

3) After 40k of tough hilly skiing as a prelude, going airborne because I chose to aggressively ski the icy, three kilometer long, tight, and technical, downhill section nicknamed "The Bobsled Run" was madness. In a fall that would have made Ted Blandy proud, my left shoulder was damaged, I screamed bloody murder, but found that after I dusted myself off I could raise my arm to mid-chest level without too much pain, and more-or-less use my pole. (Pain, real pain however, was trying to get my shirt off later back at the ranch.)

So what did I actually do? On Saturday, after my wicked crash - a crash guaranteed to produce enough damage that only a twenty-something could absorb - I used the age-old ski pole brake technique to get me off the hill. I limped and shuffled to the 50k checkpoint and called it a day. On Sunday after ingesting oodles of pain killers I had a great 35k ski, bailed early, retrieved the car, drove to the finish line and watched my daughter arrive after 160k, looking fresh as a daisy.

Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks!

Coureur de Bois

Lucy was a brute, skiing all 160k with 9000' feet of climbing over two days in the Canadian Ski Marathon. She clearly earned her bronze Coureur de Bois award, and with it the title of "runner of the woods." The first picture is taken on the first day after only 15k at a feeding station. The second picture was taken after skiing 160k and she still looks fresh as a daisy. The third picture is from perhaps one of the toughest moments, which may be that half hour at the start, having finished waxing and waiting for the gun to go off. How did I do ... that is another story!

Repentance

Matt, an NCS alumnus, following the first pitch of the classic hard test piece - Repentance - on Cathedral Ledges in the White Mountains. A relatively newly minted PhD, he is taking some time off mid-week before his next gig in Boston's high-tech corridor. The word is that it is in good shape.

Winter climbing on the east side of the Sierras

I have been out in the Sierras at least a couple of dozen times in winter - always skiing or rock climbing in Bishop - this article from Cold Thistle reminds me that before I get too old, I ought to sample some winter alpine climbs in the Range of Light. CLICK HERE.

Less than 48 hours to go ...

Recovering from my 17 hour road trip on Tuesday to visit Holderness and Proctor Academy, I just toured some laps around our lake at sunset. Beautiful but cold. I got am email yesterday that said all 160k were groomed, tracked, and ready to go ... wish the same could be said for this old body ... still this will be a great test to see if I am ready for the Alps.

Canadian Ski Marathon

It looks like the 6 AM start on Saturday morning could be brutally cold. However, it looks like the waxing should be pretty straightforward ... green klister covered with green and blue hard wax.

Avalanche Airbag Review

GO TO THE WILD SNOW ARTICLE.

Winter 2013 Outdoor Retailer Show

A first take on next year's hot skis, boots, bindings, climbing gear, parkas, and gloves.CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT COLD THISTLE HAS TO SAY.

Countdown to the Canadian Ski Marathon

Ice climbing technique ... Will Gadd

They say you can not teach an old dog new tricks, well I am going to try, as I think Will Gadd's pointers are spot on.CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY.

Lucy named to the Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team

Sochi ... another great day for American nordic women

Kikkan Randall dominates every heat for the win, and a total of five US gals place in the top 21.

Quote of the week ... Milarepa

"Deep in the wild mountains, is a strange marketplace,where you can trade the hassle and noise of everyday life, for eternal Light." I am part way through BONE GAMES, and this is the opening quote. The book is one part Han Shan, one part Jack Kerouac, and one part Doug Robinson. It is tough sledding in parts, with occasional bits that are right on target.