Fred Beckey the climbing legend passed away ...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/31/obituaries/fred-beckey-dead-mountain-climber.html?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=1&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F10%2F31%2Fobituaries%2Ffred-beckey-dead-mountain-climber.html&eventName=Watching-article-click&_r=0

Lucy turns 20!

Video of the new speed record on the Nose

https://vimeo.com/238951601

Early morning sauna ...

Toweling dry in the warm rays of the rising sun, just peaking over Cascade. Getting a couple of books from the Fossil Cabin and heading home.

With the ice climbing season rapidly approaching ... what is your head space like?

Well worth reading before you grab your tools for the first outing of the season.

https://www.neice.com/back-on-the-sharp-end/

NCS Halloween

Last night we celebrated Halloween: homemade costumes, carnival games, a haunted house, a dance, a ghoulish dinner, and candy were the order of the day. The cat in the hat stopped into the kitchen to thank the crew.

Running on Old Mountain Road

Day two on snow!

Skied with two guys from the para-Olympic team at the end of the day. (It was their second workout of the day, so they were tired, but still faster than me.)

First day on snow ... yahoo!

The ski season is just about to start!

Climbing equipment circa 1900

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1945663/LEquipement-de-lAlpiniste-1900

Running the John Muir Trail ... amazing

Gripping mountaineering fiction ... kindle e-book reduced to 99 cents ... today only

https://www.amazon.com/Summit-Novel-Harry-Farthing-ebook/dp/B01D2965WC?_bbid=7530520&tag=bookbubemail12-20

Snow piles continue to grow ...

I took this picture on a run earlier in the week, there is another pile of snow that has been moved into the woods.

Early morning sauna ...

Feels like winter is coming ...

Tops of the mountains got snow yesterday; and we needed hats and gloves at the barn this morning. Students and staff have fingers crossed for a good old fashioned winter. 

Get ready for the ski mountaineering season ...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EWsCuPB2nD0&time_continue=271&ebc=ANyPxKokeXRIp-ppxBV6LwBpK1K-KHwfVXpe6hJmMLARPeUve67pACBHXYcu52k8OeUZmFu0_yuPDsYA2EndjDIx_5jUCJvsPA

Baby onboard ...

Jon and Amanda had a lunch at Trapp Family Lodge on the occasion of their first anniversary. Although it was all the baby presents that caught the attention of the camera. The due date is December 25th.

Stockpiling snow ...

A 30' x 10' x 20' pile in the foreground and an even bigger one in the back. Ten days from now they will have a 1k loop for the para-Olympic team. Official opening day is Oct 29.

As you can see, well beyond peak foliage ...

Nevertheless a nice run into Marcy Dam with sky all grey and gloomy.

Death and Climbing ... David Roberts

A great podcast brought to you by Alpinist ...

http://www.alpinist.com/p/podcast

Beautiful night in Lake Placid

Taking some current NCS parents from Guatemala out to dinner.

Nobel Prize and possible implications for mountaineering ...

I have no idea whether there is any connection between behavioral economics and climbing.  However, behavioral economics is what Thaler won the Nobel Prize for, and after reading a short essay about how Thaler applied his work to football, basketball, and baseball decisions,  I assumed there is much to be gleaned from his work about the high stakes decisions we make in our sport. (I hope to return to this in the future.) 

Short, but very engaging essay about Thaler's work ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/30/sports/caution-is-costly-scholars-say.html


Here is another interesting article, about a similar line of research directly connected to climbing ...

https://www.outsideonline.com/2245016/what-climbers-decison-making-tells-us

Video of Honnold and Ozturk in the Ruth Gorge

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9HoUDDetAg0

Video of Honnold soloing El Cap

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9HoUDDetAg0

Good news on saunas

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/well/live/saunas-may-be-good-for-blood-pressure.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Moth-Visible&moduleDetail=inside-nyt-region-5&module=inside-nyt-region&region=inside-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region

Easy run to the North Side of Pitchoff

The resurgence of wool in the outdoors ...

Last year, I replaced my base layers with wool.  These new wool products do not stink and they are not scratchy. Of course, if you care about such things as climate change, it is also comforting to know that your base layers are not made from petroleum.  Good article ...

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2017/10/time-bring-wool-sweaters-back/

Having a beer while the sun sets over the mountains

Snow making has started at the nordic center ...

Opening day looks like Oct. 21 ... take a look at their Facebook page.

29° yesterday morning ...

I fired up the sauna just as the sun was coming up over Cascade.

First measurable snow on the summit of Whiteface

Trial Run

I did a hilly one hour run with a super light overnight pack as a test drive. Food, water, fleece, hat, gloves, rain gear, headlamp, life straw, sleeping bag, and my tiny air mattress ... about 13 pounds.

After shivering on many trips with a half bag - most recently on the Tahoe Rim Trail with El Presidente - I recently sprang for a super light sleeping bag. The Sea to Summit Spark II sleeping bag has a total weight of one pound, and as you can see is not much bigger than a water bottle. Good for nights that get down to 35 degrees, it should certainly be excellent in the Sierras, Rockies, or Alps during June-July-August, and maybe a few weeks in either side.