Another early season ski tour

Five days on snow in October ... not bad!

SLU ski ...

Lucy was the top dog in the final pre-season fitness test, the trail run up St. Regis Mountain. Even though conditions were less than ideal - lots of snow near the summit and downed trees - she was less than 90 seconds off the all-time record.

Awesome climbing and skiing website to explore

http://www.alpenglow.org

New York Times ... that rarest of oddities ...

An Op-Ed piece about climbing. Well written, I think this piece by Kelly Cordes is something all Fossils can relate to.


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/opinion/the-pleasure-and-pain-of-the-climbing-life.html?ref=opinion

1204 A.D. in Norway, can they save baby King Hakon ...

I watched the video last night on Amazon (also available on iTunes). It was very well done, the ski scenes were authentic, and the civil war details seemed historically accurate as well. Well worth the $3.99 to stream it. (And of course, if you have skied, or aspire to ski, the Birkie ... this is a must.)

Steve House's new website ...

Uphill Athlete looks cool.

http://www.uphillathlete.com

Another early season tour

Question Madness

Less than two minutes ... give it a look.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ayv41ZmNWtk

First ski tour of the season ...

The Whiteface Toll Road was awesome, but very windy.

Fast and Light

A nice short article well worth reading ...

https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/News/2016-10-12/Alpinism--what-does-%22Fast-And-Light%22-really-mean-#.WAoib5OLRAY?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=petzl-page&utm_campaign=Alpinism--what-does-%22Fast-And-Light%22-really-mean-&utm_content=en

Sunday could be the day ...

First day on snow? Six inches by noon on Sunday. Seems like a ski tour up the Whiteface Toll Road could be in the cards!

Hoping to ski the toll road soon

Grand Jorasses ... so much history, so many hard routes

Just looking at this north face gets me fired up to be in Chamonix. All these lines are out of my reach, but maybe the classic left-hand skyline ridge (Hirondelles Arête) could be on the agenda for next summer.

Half-bags are in ...

So glad that I have hung on to my Mountain Equipment pied d'elephant, after all these years, the half-bag concept is cool and made it into the Patagucci catalog.

Starting to think about early season skiing ...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kFdqtLN6hN8&ebc=ANyPxKoSgA4Q4QWgavowcnZYsWdSXArpMGCuvCIGyeSAlwJgbwns1pqfCXX2ZBLaZWJITxRv4z-xzsQ0wVEqK8QKEVvhyyswkQ&time_continue=118

New study confirms rapid glacial loss in the Andes

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/andes-mountain-glacier-range-lose-nearly-half-ice-40-years-climate-change-global-warming-a7356096.html

Wonderful Wedding ...

On a gorgeous day, at Trapp Family Lodge. Congratulations to Jon and Amanda.

Selden doing a last minute trim with a Swiss Army knife before the wedding ...

Wedding rehearsal at Trapp Family Lodge

One of my favorites ... The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Terrific; but hard to imagine he won the Nobel Prize for Literature

Nordic skiing history

https://vimeo.com/187028751

WildSnow ... well worth reading

https://www.wildsnow.com/21023/pre-season-checklist-ski-gear/

Catching up on Peruvian history

One of two options for my 65 birthday is the Cordillera Blanca. This has got me to re-read several books about Peru. Including reading up on the Ice Maiden inca mummy.

Great view from Owl's Head

Fossil news ...

Brian and Holly start driving out to Durango on October 31. Gary finished his 46th peak on Street and Nye this weekend. Mark and Liz may be back in Squaw before Christmas. El Presidente's PT is going well, and the stitches on his forehead come out soon. Danny had his first taste of Rusty Piton liquor while I was out, and said ... two thumbs up!

St. Lawrence University Nordic Team ...

Getting ready for an over-distance workout (Hedgehog, Rooster Comb, Lower Wolfjaws, and Big Slide) on their last day of Fall mini-camp.

Go see Reel Rock 11

Some highlights for me: "Young Guns" chronicling 14 and 15 year old gym rats, Ashima and Kai making a transition to climbing 5.14c and V15 outdoors. The four year effort to climb a hard splitter crack profiled in "Boys In The Bugs." Also "Rad Dad" was quite good too.

Aerial footage of the Dolomites

Great run on the beach

The mountaineering film that almost won an Oscar ...

From 1980, The Fall Line ... check it out ...

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2016/10/that-time-a-ski-mountaineering-film-almost-won-an-oscar/

13th century in Norway ... the most famous ski story ever

Watch the trailer and then you can stream the full length motion picture on Amazon!

http://youtu.be/qKbnq_3gL20

On my way to Puerto Rico ...

For a fund-raising event. Cute packaging for Delta airline snacks.

Unfortunately, if you like winter there is no good news here ...

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2016/10/swiss-alps-snow-season-has-shrunk-37-days-since-1970/

Get psyched for ski mountaineering

https://vimeo.com/184866615

Ellis Peak Trail Hike

Meeks Bay Run

Easy 90 minute run on a cool, early Fall afternoon.

Spartan World Championships

Before El Presidente bonked his head and had to get stitched, we were spectating this race ... 22k with all kinds of obstacles ... at Squaw Valley.