Best bet in Chamonix ... Midnight Express

This is not a place for foodies, or those expecting haute cuisine. However, if you just finished a four hour trail run, or come in from ten days on the TMB, or maybe you got off the ice route on Tacul a wee bit late, missed the last tram, and had to hoof it down the Mer de Glace ... when you get back to town at 1:30 am they will still be cranking out Poco Loco sandwiches and "American Burgers."

Damn good advice about ice climbing

http://willgadd.com/note-to-self-how-not-to-fall-off-ice-climbing/

Twilight ski tour

Is the outdoor community too silent about climate change?

Dick Dorworth, was one of the original California "fun-hog" group in 1968, along with Chouinard, Tompkins, and Tejada-Flores. He speaks up pretty loudly about our need for activism in this short essay, well worth reading.

A welcome home to the Adirondacks Gift!

I was away for a week, seeing alumni in Washington DC and California. Luckily, I had a small avalanche shovel for ski mountaineering in the Dodge Dart trunk. After I dug out my car, I could start to feel excited and delighted ... great conditions for the NCS ski hill, skiers doing the supertour races last weekend were ecstatic, and merchants in town will have lots of tourism in the coming weeks.

Ice climbing is a dangerous sport

Brought to my attention by Gary, it's well worth reading.

https://www.neice.com/2019/01/this-dangerous-game/

The Oscars and climbing ...

Well, I am pretty sure Free Solo is not a better film than Meru, but I sure hope it wins and Oscar! 

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2019/01/free-solo-nabs-oscar-nomination/

What if they market air-fresheners on real life smells we get on our outdoor adventures?

https://semi-rad.com/2019/01/air-fresheners-based-on-real-outdoor-odors/

Tahoe House ...

Not as large or as good at Schat's Bakkery, but pretty darn good.

A short visit with Mark, Liz, and Danny

The weather was awful (rain) but it was great to see my buddies. As I was leaving early this morning, I was wishing I had one more day to ski in the new snow the storm dropped last night.

Lots of snow falling in the Adirondacks but ...

Imagine how snowstorms a century or more crippled cities like New York.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/nyregion/vintage-new-york-blizzards-photos.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Looking forward to the TMB

On my way to California ...

via DC and two days of alumni visits.

Grabbing the headlamp and heading out to ski with my dog

St Lawrence Carnival Race

The two days of racing went off without a hitch, except for the mandated morning delays to allow for temperatures to warm up above the allowable limits. Sunny weather and terrific conditions eased the pain in the skate and classic 10k.

View from the back pasture at -10 degrees

Be safe in the mountains

In our Mountaineering the objective dangers are often great and then human error compounds them many-fold.  Hopefully, all your adventures will be safe and pleasant, and any bad luck will be manageable. However, if the sh*t really hits the fan, maybe you will be lucky and have this guy pluck you to safety.

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2019/01/watch-this-helicopter-put-its-blades-inches-from-snow-in-alps-rescue/

Here comes the sun!

It was about -10°F this morning for our hour long ski.

Eastern College Ski Circuit Is About To Start

The nationals are over, the studs have flown back to Europe for the World Cup, it's -8°F, and the D-1 winter carnival races start today. Lucy's team - St. Lawrence University - hosts this kickoff event, just across the street from school.

The shutdown and impact on mountain economies

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2019/01/the-shutdown-is-hurting-mountain-town-economies/

Trail running across Nepal

The scenery in this video is spectacular, and if I were younger, the thought of a through-hike from tea house to tea house, going light and fast would be pretty appealing. On the other hand it is hard to imagine doing this without micro-spikes and some water purification system. (I wonder when they film the inevitable acute GI distress from having local villages just fill up their water bottles!)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SKv-7DccgJI&time_continue=167

Still skiing but ...

Another thaw; so the amazing November snow, and it's promise of a fantastic winter has not materialized. However, with days lengthening, I was able to get a 50 minute ski done without having to use my headlamp.

Muscular endurance, training, and growing old

I still work out religiously. I still log long workouts. I still obsess over Steve House's training advice for climbers on his site Uphill Athlete. All this is to say that I still consider myself an athlete, and by extension I am not an old fart, but rather, a middle-age strapping buck.

However, wandering down into my basement to watch the news, or more likely to watch Stage 1 of the Tour du Ski, I came across my daughter during her strength workout. This was her last such workout before the upcoming national championships. As she reeled off sets of clapping pushups, and explosive jumps, and core exercises ... I realized that if truth be told, I actually am an old fart.

Beautiful sunset

The glow in the West as the sun sets behind the High Peaks, and our barn lights go on as Selden does her chores. A great sight to see after a ski workout.

2019 Cross Country Ski National Championships

The big dogs were all there, and despite classical skiing not being her forte, Lucy had an excellent 10k race.

I took a day off from work to cheer her on over at Craftsbury. My former student Matt Marchildon (NCS '84) who was the best skier I coached in the 1980s ran all over the course with me to cheer her on. Lucy (NCS '13) was the best skier of this decade that I coached. Stuck inside the St. Lawrence University wax trailer working on Lucy's skis, was assistant coach Kyle Curry (NCS '09), who was the best skier of the previous decade that I coached.

More semi-rad graphs ...

Ain't it the truth though!

Full of ice and full of history ...

On a misty morning, with the temperatures dropping rapidly, and the third big thaw in two weeks playing havoc with the ice climbs; it is still worth saying that routes are thin but climbable.

It is also worth saying that this pass on the north side of Pitchoff is rich in history ... from the Underground Railroad, to Timbuktu, to John Brown, and on to rum running in the 20th century.

Consistency is the key to endurance ... UPHILL ATHLETE

https://www.uphillathlete.com/consistency-process-dopamine/