Fossil gathering in Tahoe

Watch the short video ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvp5ny1pHe0

More Nordic skiing in Tahoe

A big day for Lucy

At the New England Prep School Championships she won the individual skate race, and then skied a fast classical lead-off leg in the relay, which St. Paul's won.

Skiing in the Sierras

Squaw Valley

A short Fossil gathering with Danny and Mark.

Nordic conditions still superb

It's a small loop, but the quality is high - good views, good vertical, and highly technical.

Another book from the mountaineering library

Erring Strom lived an adventurous life, and was involved in many early exploits in the history of North American skiing. Among other things he was one of the founders of the Stowe Derby.

Ski jump loop is still in great shape

This has been a frustrating and depressing winter for eastern skiers. Normally, I might have switched some of my attention back to ice climbing, however with a painful rotator cuff (surgery?) skiing was the only real option for a physical outlet.

Of course, the snow has been awful, maybe the worst in all my years in the Adirondacks. That said I have over 60 days on snow. Some as modest as a 30 minute ski tour, or skating laps up the beginner's hill at an alpine slope, or skinning up Whiteface before the lifts open, or many 1.5 k laps at the ski jump trail, or a couple of hours tele-skiing at Pisgah, or 1.3 k laps around our lake on three inches of powder, and even a few glorious days skiing the Porter Mountain section of the Olympic trails.

If you are a skier, you do what you have to do, even if it's not much fun.

Winter run on a dirt road

Mallory's boots and Everest clothing

To say it is "old-school" is an understatement! However, read this short article assessing his kit ... Seems to be pretty decent stuff.

http://adventure-journal.com/2016/02/check-out-george-mallorys-boots/

Whiteface at Sunset

Exercise and the brain; which routine is best?

Read this short provocative article in the New York Times.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/which-type-of-exercise-is-best-for-the-brain/?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Moth-Visible&moduleDetail=inside-nyt-region-2&module=inside-nyt-region&region=inside-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region

Check your carabiners

http://www.tetongravity.com/story/news/black-diamond-issues-voluntary-recall-on-carabiners-and-runners

Snow making and Nordic skiing

If it were not for snow making the eastern prep school and college circuit would have been a washout this year ... just as the European World Cup circuit would have been. Yesterday I skied a short classical workout on the man-made snow at the jumps. The skiing was quite nice and just as the local youth teams were finishing up, the first of the college teams were arriving for the Williams College Carnival this weekend.

NCS always celebrates holidays and special events on Wednesday

So, yesterday for us was Valentine's Day. A special dinner, homemade cards, and dressing up in red, white, pink, and purple.

American premier ... THE LAST KING

For those of you not skiing the Birkie, it seems like the film will get distributed later in the year.

http://www.newsinenglish.no/2015/03/19/birkebeiner-film-races-to-a-finish/

-114 degrees ... I guess it was a good thing that we did not ski up the Toll Road

While New York City had its coldest start to Valentine's Day in 100 years on Sunday, it would seem balmy compared with the wicked wind chill at upstate Whiteface Mountain.

As temperatures dropped across the Northeast from the blast of a polar vortex, the wind chill at Whiteface, near Lake Placid, made it feel like a body- and mind-numbing minus 114 degrees late Saturday and into Sunday. Central Park could only muster a minus 1 degree.

The Wild Center, which works with the Atmospheric Science Research Center at SUNY Albany, recorded the frigid temperature from a research station at the mountain's summit.

THE WILD CENTER

This is what happens when a tree is exposed to minus 114 degrees wind chill at Whiteface Mountain's summit.

POLAR VORTEX TO BLAST NORTHEAST WITH COLDEST AIR IN A DECADE

"The extreme temperatures (Saturday) night on Whiteface have to do with its elevation, 4,865 feet and the wind speed," Tracey Legat, the center's communications manager at the center told the Daily News. "The mountains of the Adirondacks are often some of the coldest places in the lower 48 states during the year."

THE WILD CENTER

Winds at Whiteface Mountain's summit blasted at 45 mph on Saturday night going into Sunday morning.

The Arctic winds howled through the summit at about 45 mph, freezing almost everything in their path.

The center managed to capture a photo of a tree being turned into a popsicle as the winds formed "monstrous rime ice" around it.

The keys to a good weekend with your ski mountaineering buddies

Coffee. Whiskey. An implement to serve dessert with. It was good to see Harry, Ted, and Dick.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK ... "I'll go skiing if it warms up to to -20"

Guess what? By 9:45 am it warmed up to -18 degrees and we headed out to MVH. By the time we finished - 90 minutes later - it was a balmy -11 degrees. Of course as many of you know, it was a little bit like skiing on sand ... Not much glide!

A good day despite the bitter cold

A dawn patrol skin up Whiteface, and 12 easy kilometers at MVH with multiple stops at Josie's Cabin to warm up.

Hardly any snow but it feels like winter

Trailer for the famous Norwegian tale set in 1204

http://www.filmweb.no/trailere/article1254528.ece?clip=1

Reading another Christmas gift

Quite good really ... no doubt who the better leader was!

Good corn whiskey

A little ice, a twist or two of lemon, and local ingredients makes a nice sipping drink.

Fossils Ice Climbing

Last week Brian and Gary met in the Catskills to do some routes. Gary was up this weekend, and will be back with Brian the week after next.

Dawn Patrol

Quite rare that I'm still doing the dawn patrol in February, however given the lack of snow this is one of the best alternatives. In the afternoon I will probably do double pole laps on our frozen lake – which has a dusting of snow – just like I did yesterday.

Old School

I joined the NCS tele-patrol from 3:30-6:00 pm at Mount Pisgah. I was outfitted in gear from the 1970-80s ... Gerry expedition parka, leather boots, 207 cm Karhu skis with no side cut and cable bindings. The conditions were eastern "packed powder" and I did alright.

The 2k loop at the ski jumps

Spectacular sunset and great skiing once the high school race was over ... maybe I can ski there in the pre-dawn hours?

Pretty scratchy but still skiing

Cascade Loop laps.

Local Adirondack Spirits

I will bring this and some Blackfly Bourbon to our next gathering of the fossil clan.

Lake Placid Super Tour

The premier domestic ski races have come East. This weekend 350 nordic racers had a freestyle sprint competition on Saturday and a classic 10k on Sunday. Lucy had strong back-to-back races, with Saturday being a personal best ... first ever skating into the knockout rounds. Next week the season long series moves to Stowe. Take a look at the short video.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CdbRnvhqSM4&feature=em-upload_owner