INTO THE SILENCE: The Great War, Mallory, And The Conquest Of Everest.

Having a long drive coming back from a meeting with junior boarding
school headmasters I started listening to this incredibly engaging
book. I read this a couple of years ago when it first came out in hard cover ... highly recommended ...
thoroughly researched, incredibly well written, a gripping, page turning, white-knuckle read.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUTHOR WADE DAVIS TALKING AT THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF SCIENCE.

What type of climber are you?

CLICK HERE TO PERUSE THE INTRIGUING STONE MIND WEBSITE.

Cordillera Blanca ... six weeks to go!

The Andes of Peru are in the tail end of their rainy season. It is
time to get serious about training, although that will be a challenge
with my travel schedule and the end of school.

The Vermont 50 ... whose all in?

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Getting Motivated For The Andes

Indiegogo Pitch Video for Finding Traction from Partnership Productions on Vimeo.


GOING TO HAVE A STEADY DIET OF MOUNTAIN TRAIL RUNNING THIS SPRING TO GET READY FOR THE CORDILLERA BLANCA. 

First trail run of the season

The ground was firm enough for me to do an easy 5k out in the Dexter
Pasture ... glorious day.

BLAST FROM THE PAST ... Tom Patey

Browsing through the Rock and Ice website, I found this gem of a
feature story on Tom Patey. A good reminder, that ONE MAN'S MOUNTAIN should be the next book I re-read. I wish it was available on audible.com for some of my upcoming business trips.

CLICK HERE TO READ "THE TIGER OF YESTERDAY."

Roughing it ... where are you in the camping hierarchy?

Chalk and Chocolate ... get psyched for rock climbing

Chalk&Chocolate with Natalija Gros Trailer from Jure Breceljnik on Vimeo.

At the same time that I start to stow my skis over at the Fossil Cabin (although still nordic skiing on a man-made loop across the street), I am dusting off my running and rock shoes. This short video of the stunning blonde Natalija Gros climbing an 8c+ route, got me psyched to head out to Owl's Head for some bouldering. 

The Brooks Range and a blast from the past

The World Beyond the World from Paxson Woelber on Vimeo.

In 1974 I graduated from college and was beginning to become fanatical about mountaineering. I worked on Martha's Vineyard for a summer as a cop (that's another story), and then scrimped and saved to do my first big mountain trip that Fall. So, having digested much of Bob Marshall's writings (quoted in this video) the three of us, and two dogs, packed into a Pinto and set out to drive to the Brooks Range. Needless to say, after tuning up in the North Cascades, we found that the potholes on the highway to Alaska were bigger than our car, so we bailed and spent four months climbing in the Canadian  Rockies ... Unfirtunately for me The Brooks Range will have to wait until my next reincarnation, although it is certainly nice to see video footage.

A short Easter hike up Owls Head

Charlie Porter (again) and an ode to The Silent History

THANKS TO KATIE IVES FOR DUSTING OFF THIS IMPORTANT SHORT ESSAY FROM ALPINIST 35

Extreme Mountain Sports ... great trailer

2014 5Point Film Festival Trailer from 5Point Film Festival on Vimeo.

"Lucy's Easter Weekend Ski"

A 40 minute ski at the Middlebury Snow Bowl on our way back from St. Paul's. About 6k and 650'.

Lucy's Easter Weekend Ski

The Snow Leopard ... Peter Matthiessen

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE.


I read this book when it was first published in the 1970s.  Maybe I was too young, maybe it was too complex and subtle, but I was unimpressed. However, having read the Times article a couple if weeks ago (and a few days before his death), caused me to order a used copy from Amazon. I have only read a few chapters thus far but I find it incredibly well written, insightful, and fully engaging. I had given up on visiting the Himalaya in this lifetime, yet I find the the embers have been stoked, and a growing desire may be burning in my soul. 

Spring ice climbing in Chamonix

CLICK HERE TO READ THE COLD THISTLE BLOG.

Big New Ski Descent In The Canadian Rockies

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THIS LINE ON MOUNT STEPHEN.

Mountain Running

There is too much snow, and at lower elevations too much mud, to run
any of our mountain trails. However, as I ran some dirt roads
yesterday, I dreamed of late spring and summer runs on the Adirondack peaks.


CLICK HERE TO READ RUNNING ON THE EDGE BY CRAIG LLOYD.

Chamonix video ... Beyond Good And Evil

Beyond Good and Evil from morgan on Vimeo.

I had a long travel day yesterday, but made it home just before dark. The snow is going quickly, and there is no climbable ice left. Still, backcountry skiing on the high peaks, riding the lifts at Whiteface, and for a while, logging kilometers on the Olympic nordic trails are all nice options.

"Alta Ski Tours-Grizzly Gulch"

It was a great ski reunion and although we still have snow in the Adirondacks it may be time to put the skis away.

Alta Ski Tours-Grizzly Gulch

Heading home ... last day in Alta

I road the lifts until 1:00 pm, grabbed a quick lunch at Alta Java and
skinned up Grizzly Gulch to the Solitude Ski Area Boundary. We catch
the 4:45 am shuttle to the airport tomorrow morning.

Wet slab avalanche season

CLICK HERE FOR SOME REMINDERS FROM POWDER MAGAZINE.

Grizzly Gulch

Fantastic spring conditions continue, and the combination of riding
the lifts for 3-4 hours and then ski touring for 1.5 - 2 hours is
awesome.

ALTA ... no powder days but awesome spring skiing

We have the mountain to ourselves, it is warm and sunny, it gets
pretty slushy by 2:00 pm, but that's when I go touring up in Grizzly
Gulch. We have a good crowd of alumni and everyone is having fun.

Skiing the Trap Dike

Trap Dike, Mt. Colden, Adirondacks from Macky Young on Vimeo.

Dreaming of Chamonix

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

If you are an Alpinist and ski mountaineer from now until the end of
summer, you dream about, and mull over when your next trip will be. Ski tours, extreme descents, long alpine ice routes, massive rock ridges, major mountain grand courses, and grim north walls ... It has them all. (Of course no complaints from me as I am heading out to Alta, although I am scheming to get to Chamonix in the winter or summer of 2015.)

This segment from the Blizzard of aahhh's is bound to whet your appetite for Chamonix.

Lower Wolfjaws

Guillaume, Gary, and I skied this Adirondack classic on Sunday April 6. A superb day, with the upper slide never really softening up.

Skiing the Bennie Brook Slide

Eastern Powder

Gary, Guillaume, and I had a great time skiing the Bennie Brook Slide
on Sunday. By 12:30ish much of the lower slide had softened up, and
there was even some glorious corn snow.

However, as you can see, there was also a lot of bullet-proof ice.

Awesome Spring Tour ... skiing the slides on Lower Wolfjaws!

BLAST FROM THE PASS ... Dent du Geant

Ascensione al Dente del Gigante (Mario Piacenza, 1911) from Cineteca MNC on Vimeo.

A note from the fossil historian ... The Geant was the first peak that Mark and I climbed. There is no easy route to the summit and so this peak on the French-Italian border, was not climbed until 1882, during the SILVER AGE OF MOUNTAINEERING. This 1911 film was one of the earliest mountaineering films. 

Get psyched for mountain trails ... spring is coming.

I skied the Porter Mountain Loop today, and also did my third run of
the spring on some dirt roads.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO OF A RIM TO RIM TO RIM RUN, WHICH HELPED GET ME OUT THE DOOR.

The Himalayas On Canvas

CLICK HERE TO READ THE HEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE ON THE NICHOLAS ROERICH MUSEUM.

1953 ... first ski descent of Mont Blanc

CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY ON WILD SNOW

Fun v. Risk ... do they have it right?

The first boil of the season!

Given a very cold and snowy March, it was one of the latest starts to
the sugaring season that I can remember.

The transition to trail running

We still have great snow to ski on, however spring is knocking at the
door, and so as I said last week, every third or fourth day I will mix
it up with an easy run. Watching the highlights from last summer's
UTMB, really got me psyched to run some mountain trails.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS AMAZING TRAIL RACE IN THE ALPS.

Adirondack slides coming into shape

Of course, always be safe, be mindful of potential avalanche danger,
dig a pit, check snow conditions with knowledgeable locals, have
shovel-probe-beacon handy, and make cautious decisions.
(Your best source may be the Adirondack Backcountry Skiing website.)

Spring ski touring in the Adirondacks

March was very cold and snowy, but spring-like weather has finally
arrived. We will probably be collecting sap in the sugarbush tomorrow.

It was 45 degrees this afternoon when I went for an hour-long tour on
the NCS ski mountaineering loop. Yesterday, some of the young staff
skied the Cascade Slide. On Sunday a local website mentioned that a
party had done several laps on Angel Slide. I have lots of work to
catch up on before I head out to Utah next week for our school and
camp ski reunion, however I am hoping to do something this weekend.
A few pitches of ice? North face of Gothics? Ride the lifts on
Whiteface? Ski the toll road?

YAHOO!