December was a good month

Between November and December, today was my 28th day on snow. I also averaged one run a week, several workouts per week on the Ergometer, as well as three casual yoga sessions a week. And of course, I managed to get out ice climbing once this month. All in all, feeling pretty fit.

10k before work

Lucy squeaks through!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SHORT VIDEO ...

http://blogs.fasterskier.com/juniornationals/2014/12/30/video-eastern-cup-opener-pile-up/

Spring Break In The Sierras?

There are six parts to every day: 1. Wake up to a very brisk morning, warm up the car, and marvel at another bluebird day. 2. Drive for five minutes to Schat's, ingest great quantities of caffeine and sugar, and then maybe show some interest in a breakfast burrito. 3. It's now about 7 am, so what will this morning's tour be? 4. After a wonderful descent on velvet corn snow, eat a quick lunch, and hike down into Owen's River Gorge to clip bolts. Do not forget shorts, T-shirt, and sunscreen. (It is rumored that one morning when Hock wanted to keep the stress level low, he lead a 5.6 - Clip Junior - a dozen times.) 5. These routes are steep, so when the forearms are pumped, it's time to head to the hot springs. 6. After a Mexican dinner at Petite Pantry, you finish the day with a session at the Happy Boulders. (Did you know that the Bishop bouldering guide is over 1200 pages long.)

WAKE UP AND DO IT ALL AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK ... of course if this sounds too boring, laid back, or hedonistic ... Substitute a five day trans-Sierra traverse for a dose of real adventure!

A little bit of everything!

We started skinning up Whiteface at 6:30 am and got some good turns in. A good breakfast at a diner, and fondling some gear at High Peaks Cyclery, gave way to laps on Pitchoff Right. (To use the word "thin" is a gross understatement.) After a short nap we finished with some classic skiing - klister conditions - on the Olympic trails.

Brain research and endurance

Whet your appetite with this short essay ...

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/what-is-fatigue?mbid=social_twitter

Sunset view of Algonguin

A good and relaxing day with lots of reading, several naps, and two good workouts. I did a predawn ski up whiteface, and then later in the day, I did a 55 minute run on the dirt road up to Rock and River. I snapped this picture while scoping out the ice climbing for tomorrow with Gary ... in a word ... Thin.

Merry Christmas

As always there were lots of mountain related literature ... from ALPINIST 0 (completes my set) to this Avalanche Book (great cartoons), to Doug Robinson's ALCHEMY OF ACTION, and on to a subscription to Trail Runner magazine. Santa was great!

It poured during the night, temperatures were just below 50 degrees when we opened presents, but it is dropping quickly, and will soon be in the 20s. Seemed like we dodged this thaw.

Our three beautiful women heading out to Christmas Eve service

Three things on every climbers mind ...

caffeine, ibuprofen, and gear.

Ski mo bindings, release, and serious injuries

As most of my fossil buddies will verify, I have little if any mechanical skill. I can however prep a mean kick and glide race ski. I mentioned this for several reasons: a) I only understood every third word in this important article. b) This is a must read article for anyone who sky's in the backcountry. c) Despite the complexity and technical nature of this article, it does yield important takeaways for a doofus like me.

1. Unlike in Alpine ski bindings, a ski mountaineering binding does not have a consistent lateral load placed on it over the length of the binding, therefore the release of that binding has a certain amount of inconsistency as well.
2. The DIN setting on your ski mountaineering set up may significantly understate the actual release value.
3. Take your rig to a dealer or store that has the equipment to perform standard alpine release tests, to confirm the actual value of your settings.
4. Finally, skiing super aggressively, or close to your physical limits in the back country, has many potential pitfalls ... including bindings that might not release.

Google the wild snow website, and check out the article entitled "Ripping Ligaments."

Eastern Ski-mo Races

FOR MORE INFORMATION ... http://nerandorace.blogspot.com

Mustagh Ata Ski Expedition

Fossils we are getting up there in age, any interest in one more expedition before we hang up the spikes? Maybe not to China, but any interest in a ski mountaineering expedition? Alaska? Yukon? Chile?

http://vimeo.com/111318708

Solstice skinning

A bit foggy but a nice skin up to the top of the Facelift Chair. Bought my uphill season pass, and schmoozed with Brian and various reps setting up for the AT demo day.

Nice sunset ski up the Toll Road

BLAST FROM THE PAST ... silvretta traverse

Mostly to expose you to an interesting topographic map tool ... Hiking and ski routes (on and off piste) from around the world. Quite nice.

https://api.tiles.mapbox.com/v4/matt.3bf5028b/page.html?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoibWF0dCIsImEiOiJTUHZkajU0In0.oB-OGTMFtpkga8vC48HjIg#12/46.9394/10.2087

Ski Mountaineering History

An excellent article, covering the notable descents from Colorado to Alaska. Well worth your time, even if you never intend to ski the Grand or the Messner Couloir.


http://ascentbackcountry.com/a-selected-history-of-ski-mountaineering-in-the-west/

Nordic prep season kickoff

Proctor Academy hosted a mixed gender sprint relay yesterday. A low key, non-point affair where you were supposed to match your stronger with weaker skiers. St. Paul's, Dublin, KUA, Proctor, VA, Cardigan Mountain, and Belmont Hills all participated. Several of our alumni at other schools did not attend as they were taking finals. A good time was had by all; although no splits were taken, unofficially I had Lucy as the fastest girl. (I of course logged 10k while spectating the race.)

Ski Traverse Of The Ortler Range

My suggestion for our next adventure ... late March 2016. Who will think about it, and help get the ball rolling? Read the nice article in this new online backcountry ski journal.

http://ascentbackcountry.com/viva-italia-the-ortler-ski-circuit/

Quote of the Week from Jonathan Waterman

Just bumped into a great annotated slideshow about the history of Denali on the American Alpine Club website ... Well worth a visit ... My former climbing partner knows more about Denali than any dozen guys you know. His quote about the early Sourdough expedition is a good one!

"To become a Sourdough, one had to have pissed in the Yukon, slept with an Eskimo, and wrestled a polar bear. But among the ranks of the initiated, often broke and unable to find the gold, it also meant that you had soured on the cold winters and didn't have the dough to escape Alaska."

  

Heading out for the first skate workout of the season

The Chamonix Experience ... episode four

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO ABOUT EXTREME SKIING.

http://www.tetongravity.com/video/ski/from-bars-cafes-to-the-top-of-the-world-the-chomonix-experience

Come visit

The holidays are the perfect time for fossil buddies to come and hang out at the cabin and do a bit of skiing or ice climbing.

The first Nordic race of the season

Mount Van Hoevenberg hosted the first big race of the season, and Lucy's best friends Nina and Gaby did incredibly well. The overall winner of the men's race was a former NCS student, who now races for St. Lawrence.

Blast from the Past ... cordillera blanca 2014

Thanks for the great pictures John!

The history of trail running in the White Mountains

A GREAT LITTLE ESSAY.


http://www.farnorthendurance.com/trail-running-hits-the-white-mountains/

DAWN PATROL

Skinning some laps on the ski hill before going to barn chores ... the NCS students were psyched about the 18" of new snow.

ALPINIST 48

A great new issue with interesting articles ... Doug Robinson's history of mountaineering in the Palisades was particularly good. However, the most enjoyable essay for me was about the Jensen pack ... I still own two well worn but serviceable examples of these Rivendell a Mountain Works packs, both a large capacity and the smaller model pictured here.

10th day on snow and winter is looking good!

Watching Nordic World Cup Action

Usually about 6-8 hours after the race has been run, the EUROSPORT coverage has been archived on this website. Not too much to cheer about this past weekend though.


CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ACTION.

Ice Climbing Has Started

Another great trail run

In the Cleveland National Forest ... 95 minutes and 800'.

I wish I was skiing but ...

However I'm in Southern California seeing alumni, so I had to settle for a nice two hour run on trails in and around the Lake Hodges area. Thankfully I saw no rattlesnakes, however the 75–80° sunny weather cause me to wilt a bit.

New Research ... run to stay young

GOOGLE this recent New York Times article as there are some very interesting findings, including the suggestion that the benefits accrue even if you start running quite late in life!

A MUST READ ... before you head to the backcountry this winter

The first four chapters are online and the last one is published next week. This is a must read because it is not about slope angles, digging pits, or slope orientation, rather this is about where the rubber meets the road ... why we make the decisions that we do.

BE SURE TO GOOGLE THIS!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK ... from The Eiger Sanction

The movie was a bit lame, the book was far better. Still, there were a few good moments: chasing George, watching the Buffon Pope get his come-uppance, and some stunning mountain visuals. Then of course there was this exchange.

Jonathan Hemlock: If you hauled beer up this rock you're insane!

Ben Bowman: I may be insane, but I'm not stupid. I didn't carry it, you did! It's in your pack.