Good week, but not the light recovery week I expected

Last week's volume was 14.5 hours, and 4550' of vertical. Most of this time was running (30k+), skiing (34k), as well as 21k with the ergometer. Finally, two short yoga, and three short strength sessions rounded out the week.

Today, was my tenth day on snow, and I managed a good 95 minute classical ski (1075') before the heavy rain started. The next few days will be yucky, and this week will also be hampered by colonoscopy prep ... but hopefully Friday-Sunday morning might yield some good skiing.

As you can see beyond the biathlon range, some great views are to be had skiing these new MVH tracks.

Another good classic ski

It was a frozen, hard, and fast track early this morning. Too say the least, not the best conditions for my Atomic racing skis with skins. So, I stuck to the gentle terrain until it softened up a bit.

Good early skiing on the 2k man-made loop

Unlike other years, this has challenging terrain for training. 

David Hochschartner (Hock)

Blast From The Past ...

This Instagram photo reminded me of all the great times I have had over the years soaking in the Travertine or Mammoth hot springs after climbing.  Can't wait to get back on the east side of the Sierras. 

First day in tracks on the new MVH trails

It was a blast. They made snow on the roller ski loop, which had some nice downhill corners and good vertical for early season. New World Cup terrain is not open yet.

Mount Van Hoevenberg opens Friday ...

Yahoo! It was great to ski yesterday but it's gone today, so I am excited about the consistency of the man-made loop opening up. Back to running today.

Back on snow again ...

The toll road was actually quite nice, except for a few exposed turns (like this) where the wind blew the snow off. Unfortunately rising temperatures will probably kill it tomorrow.

Drone footage of Cerro Torre set to music



Spectacular, and hard to imagine, it ever gets climbed ... be sure to watch the final scene!

https://vimeo.com/408175270 

Pulling gear out of storage ...

Even though I have five days on snow, I am still not fully prepped and ready to go.

Another good week of training

I logged 15 hours and just over 6100' vertical this week, with a portion of two sessions at a fast (for me) clip. The specifics include: 53k running and skiing, almost 21k rowing, as well as a couple of strength and yoga sessions.

It might be sensible to throw in a recovery week soon.

Pinnacle Gully

It looks like, despite the warm temperatures, the ice in Huntington will survive. The stuff in Cascade lakes has been cascading down, however I believe there will be something climbable in this coming week.

Great podcasts ... the cutting edge

These great interviews and stories are brought to you by the American Alpine Journal. I have only listened to two thus far Pitri and Jeff Wright's year-long climbing sabbatical and Colin Haley's 2018 speed ascent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali ... superb.

https://americanalpineclub.org/cutting-edge-podcast

Rim to rim to rim: a joint venture

Well worth watching, and something I would like to do one day, but I think I would need to overnight on the floor of the canyon. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9hMyVv7ag_E

Another reminder for the upcoming ice climbing season

An important essay passed along by my buddy Gary ...

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

Speaking of which, yesterday afternoon we shot the breeze for an hour at my cabin, with a bottle of hooch. 

Wild Snow ... troubleshooting your tech bindings

https://www.wildsnow.com/28549/diy-tech-binding-inspection-part-ii/

Great to be back on skis again

Another good week of training

I logged just under 15 hours and 4200' vertical, with 45k running, 25k on ergometer, and 12k on my mountain bike. The rest of the week was filled in with three strength, and two yoga sessions.

I kept fingers crossed for skiing today, but after hiking up 2k on the toll road there was not quite enough snow.

Ice climbing season is almost here ...

Time to reflect on the really important aspects of this sport.

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

Zermatt to Verbier

The teaser for a video to be released soon.  The PDG is on my bucket list, but it may be beyond my physical means as I am pushing seventy, and may have to wait until my next reincarnation. NEVERTHELESS ... doing modest ski mountaineering in this corner of the world is high on my agenda. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-p002SVjyRM

Ancient skis uncovered from the glacier

https://secretsoftheice.com/news/2018/10/04/skis/?fbclid=IwAR3N11bdUrLAH4uSpY50SQLqdeAUPrT6bYyxHQSnU5Nkdb0W1W1EZGKAKo4

Don’t stop skiing

Lucy is back on snow in Montana ...

However, projections suggest I will be skiing on the toll road tomorrow.  It seems the only question will be how far up will we have to hike.  It is the time of year when I really start tuning into NOAA data. 

Time to inspect your skimo bindings

https://www.wildsnow.com/28548/diy-tech-binding-inspection-part-i/

360 Degree View Of New Mount Van Hoevenberg Trails

In the picture you can make out the 2.5k rollerski loop and the biathlon range. Click on the link for the full view ...

https://kuula.co/share/collection/7PdNS?fs=1&vr=0&sd=1&thumbs=1&info=1&logo=1&fbclid=IwAR39kKFnNEXN7N9hPpLTihqp6FCiYZPBkCzJXhUn6-tZo4jwDPxjqL2GJm4

A curated collection of the best ski movies ever

https://mountaingazette.com/blogs/mountain-notes/best-free-ski-movies-online?utm_campaign=Ski%20Movies%20%2B%20Hats%20%28QSavkD%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Be%20The%20First%20To%20Learn&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJkYXZlaG9jazUyQGdtYWlsLmNvbSIsICJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIldRZ0E5QyJ9

Chris Davenport on ski mountaineering

https://www.wildsnow.com/28561/chris-davenport-videocast/

Importance of recovery

My recovery week - after a busy October with a virtual half marathon race and my biggest mountain day in a year - seems to have gotten me back on track. This week my total volume was 14+ hours, with skiing and running accounting for 50k and over 4600' vertical. Additionally, my training included six ergometer, three strength, and three yoga sessions to fill out the rest of the log.

Last night’s dramatic sunset over Street and Nye

 MAYBE THIS WAS A SIGN, THAT WITH THE ELECTION OVER, ALL IS WELL AGAIN!

After several days skiing it’s back in running shoes

But the weather is spring-like and the views are spectacular.

Don Sheldon ... first in a long line of great bush pilots

an excellent short article. Sheldon died before my first trips to Alaska but I flew with a bunch of his colleagues and successors including: Cliff Hudson, Jim Sharp, and Doug Geeting.

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2020/11/bush-pilot-don-sheldon-definitive-badass/

BLAST FROM THE PAST ... where it all started

Looking for some photos for my climbing buddy's 40th anniversary, I found this gem in a box. That's me in 1957 - age five - posing for a picture at Disneyland? (It would be another dozen years before I got my Chouinard curved piolet.)

Beautiful day skiing Whiteface Toll Road



Calming election anxiety

Most of the day - being a political junkie - I parked myself in front of the TV watching pre-election result coverage. Whenever, the anxiety built up, I went out and skied laps in our pasture.

First day on snow ...

The Whiteface Toll Road was awesome yesterday, and will be even better today.

https://www.relive.cc/view/vQvyD7M4G4q

My recovery week

I had a big day on Friday, October 23. It wasn't as big a day as I had hoped for, however i did bag two peaks, hiked 20+ miles, and climbed 4500' vertical. Since then I have ingested lots of ibuprofen and cut down my daily training substantially.

Having said that, on this recovery week I have managed: to run 16 miles, log 11.5 hours, ascend 1200', and manage 4 yoga sessions, 3 easy strength sessions, and seven ergometer workouts. The knees are still creaky but I am chomping on the bit to ski up the toll road.

A “must watch” before the nordic season begins

For the past four years, before ski season I have watched The Last King on Amazon. It is the story about the civil war in Norway in 1204, over the succession to the throne. It is the story of skiing the infant Håkon over the mountains to safety, which is the inspiration for the 55 kilometer Birkebeiner race in Norway. Each of the 15,000 participants carry a 3.5 kilogram pack, symbolic of the infant prince. Well worth watching; skiing is on authentic gear, and the fighting scenes are bloody. 

https://www.norwegianamerican.com/birchlegs-101-history-and-the-last-king/

Avalanche safety

Out of my price range, but it does seem like good value for money.  I am rarely capable these days of skiing a slope steep enough to slide.



https://www.mtnsense.com/p/backcountry-skiing-avalanche-course/?product_id=2420140&coupon_code=EARLYBIRD30