Light Is Right

No doubt you are already committed to this concept. Really, have you ever known an old geezer, fossil mountaineer, that wanted to carry a heavy pack!

AN EXCELLENT ESSAY WHICH STARTS WITH A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE AND ENDS WITH GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS.

Fantastic day in the mountains

Beautiful views, no wind, excellent snow cover top to bottom ... the ski up the Whiteface Toll Road doesn't get much better.

Our First Zero Degree Morning

It's going to be a great day, by mid afternoon it will be in the low 20s. A perfect day to ski the toll road.

Mount Van Hoevenberg Opens Today

They will have about 10k rolled and ready to ski ... The winter has really started ... I will drive down to the Cascade Lakes later today to check on the ice climbing.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

No mountains on Wednesday or Thursday. I am chomping at the bit as we have good snow now, however yesterday I was talking to a large room full of parents, before they visited demonstration classes.

Early Season Ski Workout

Snow is predicted for tonight, so maybe on Thanksgiving afternoon I will be able to ski on the Olympic trails. Until then I have been skiing by headlamp at the Whiteface ski area.

Mountains of Guatemala

For a very small country, Guatemala is quite mountainous. It has 37 volcanoes, up to 4000 meters tall, and 3-4 of which are active. Here are some of the peaks I will climb on my next trip.

Ski laps at Whiteface

In the rain, by headlamp ... Lucy was on skate skis and I was skinning on AT gear.

KILIAN JORNET ... mountain man

READ THE OUTSIDE MAGAZINE PROFILE

Snow Crystals ... a present day Wilson Bentley

Google Alexey Kljatov, his stuff is pretty wonderful.

The thaw

Temperatures are rising and will soar tomorrow, before getting cold again Tuesday evening. Despite that, the skiing was pretty good on the toll road. Lucy and her buddy took off like they were shot out of a cannon.

An epic long day

My trip started with a red-eye flight from Guatemala City at 11:30 PM. After a layover in Newark I arrived at the Logan Airport in Boston at about 10:30 AM. Then a bit of early Christmas shopping in southern New Hampshire followed by an excellent 90 minute trail run in Winant Park. (The park is named after a former New Hampshire governor – who was also a St. Paul alumnus – it is where my daughter's teams do their hill sprints and intervals.). We logged just under 1000' vertical, and all I saw was the back of Dick's blue windbreaker. I finished off the day with a five hour drive, bringing Lucy home for her Thanksgiving vacation. It was great to have so much time to chat, and her enthusiasm for the coming ski season is almost boundless.

Guatemalan beach trip

Today was the last of my 72+ hours in Guatemala. We went to Carlos and Karla's beach house in San Jose. It was fantastic, with various pools, hot tubs and saunas – as well as a sunny sky and a very warm Pacific ocean.

The sand was black, and I had a superb 30 minute run along the water's edge. This was followed by an amazing lunch, a little Zacapa, and a soak in the hot tub. And in a couple of hours it will be time to hop aboard the red-eye.

Pacaya Lava Fields

Guatemala

A great day seeing alumni, current parents, and hiking Volcan Pacaya.

Climate Change ... some good news ... China and America decide to lead

FROM THE ADVENTURE JOURNAL

Quote Of The Week

A good ski weekend

Bill Tilman ... "with a wit so dry sparrows could bathe in it."

READ THIS SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THIS HISTORICAL BADASS.

Skiing the Toll Road

Truth be told, the weather and views were spectacular, while the skiing was fair at best. The uphill journey was enjoyable, although super windblown and icy on the last couple of kilometers. The downhill skiing was awful ... The upper section needed metal edges and I was on old nordic race gear. The middle section was highly varied, and if you were not light on your feet - which nobody has ever accused me of - a but too much weighting of a ski caused it to grind into the macadam and come to a full stop.

Tomorrow the tactics are clear ... Laps on the bottom 1.5k which is thin but enjoyable skiing.

Put it on your bucket list ... Gemmi Run

I am not sure if I am fast enough for this "do it yourself race," but it is right up my alley ... All uphill, the awards are a delicious torte, and a freebie to hang out at the sauna and hot springs all afternoon ... Definitely on the agenda for my next climbing or ski mountaineering trip to Europe.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS.

Words Of Wisdom From Chouinard

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ADVENTURE JOURNAL ARTICLE.

The Biathlon Team Uphill Time Trial Course

The course set by Tim Burke, starts from Kids Kampus and is 2.5k with 1025', with almost all the footing on the dirt service road. Of course, today I was a bit slow as the last 6-7 minutes I was running through snow.

The good news is that it looks like you can skin from the mid-station to the top.

Moving onto the Nordic ski season

Lucy's running season ended Sunday, and the St. Paul's cross country team ended the season with a dual meet record of 11–3. They were the ISL league champions, and they finished fourth in New Englands. Her last 5K race of the season was 22:40.

Gary and some other old guys gearing up for a long rollerski

Beautiful Fall Sunset

First Ski Of The Season

As you can see from the picture of the high peaks - they are getting snowed on - but just a dusting down in the valleys. However, the Whiteface Toll Road was quite nice. The first 2k are quite icy and scratchy, but the next 6k are superb. The St. Lawrence University ski team came flying by me at the halfway point, with a former student of mine in the lead. (He turned a lot of heads when he dove into the pond, on his return to the bottom of the toll road.)

Fantastic Mountain Trail Run

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL TRAIL.

Going to check out the toll road

This afternoon after work I am going to run up the toll road to see if it is skiable for the weekend.

SKY RUNNING comes to Whiteface!

Beautiful Fall Morning

Playing around with the panorama function on my iPhone!

The New NCS video

CLICK HERE TO WATCH PROMISE

Last stop - Kunming - then heading home

In the southwestern province of Yunnan, I visited this wonderful Chinese city of 8 million people. My stay was less than 24 hours but included a delightful dinner with several current and former school parents. The city is at an elevation of 1800 m, surrounded by mountains, with clean air, and a tradition of being a wonderful place to train for the national sports teams.

Jun and I took a quick trip up West Mountain on the shore of Lake Dian – using the cable car – to see the national Park on the summit. The monument is the gravesite of Nie Er who is the Chinese composer best known for March Of The Volunteers – the national anthem of China.

Partner needed - GRAND TRAVERSE - 40 mile ski mountaineering race

Google it, and check it out!