First ice climbing laps of the season …

David Hochschartner (Hock)

Outside Magazine article: Disaster In The Alps



https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/snow-sports/chamonix-zermatt-alps-haute-route-disaster/?utm_source=outside&utm_medium=instagram&utm_campaign=instagram&utm_content=later-23334601

Christmas Week Workouts

Given the upcoming holidays, exercise shared prime time with last minute shopping, wrapping, hanging lights and ornaments, holiday movies, and cleaning the house. So, volume, vertical, and kilometers were not overly impressive, BUT still keeps me on track to do the 90k Canadian Ski Marathon.  I logged 15+ hours, 4150' vertical, and 135k (67k exercise bike, 60k ski, 8k run).

POWDER DAYS … an engaging book

One part ski history, one part autobiography, one part sociology, one part environmental, and always well written. Read the Wall Street Journal book review.

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/powder-days-book-review-ski-bum-memoir-a-view-from-the-top-11637347919

Skimo World Cup Coverage

Wild Snow has a season long column from 19 year-old American ultra runner and skimo racer, Grace Staberg. Last week, she started her season off with a bang: got to the semifinals in the sprint, won the vertical, and finished second in the longer individual event. All of the World Cup races will be televised, you can find commentary all winter long on Wild Snow, and Grace has an enjoyable podcast (Alpine Start) which usually comes out every Thursday. 

https://www.wildsnow.com/30375/ismf-adamello-world-cup-ponte-di-legno-italy/#more-30375

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Well, as usual for our family there were many, many books under the tree. Also of course, there were all sorts of athletic clothing, and for me several fruitcakes!  The only sad part, is the winter storm advisory has been mostly drizzle thus far. 

Sisters Of Skimo … great short video

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NVoOzFsdYC0

Climate change and the impact on Rebuffat’s 100 Finest Route

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2019.1612216?scroll=top&needAccess=true

Transition from skins to skiing?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=124&v=FsCNct6Vqe4&feature=emb_title

A winter solstice sunset

The view of Street and Nye out our back pasture. 

A short skimo video

https://youtu.be/AxRR122ZcR8

Climate change and its impact on skiing

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/14/travel/global-warming-ski-resort.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Travel

Spectacular ski video … a traverse from the Bugaboos to Roger’s Pass

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FvApou1Ln8Q&feature=youtu.be

Climbing skin maintenance … from Wild Snow

https://www.wildsnow.com/30335/resources-for-climbing-skin-wellness/

Oh, the things you can do when you are retired …

Not quite as big a deal has driving to Bozeman to watch NCAA nordic championships, but yesterday I jumped in the car for a seven hour round-trip to watch a 45 minute biathlon race. Lucy out-skied the winner, but she was only so-so on the range, and thus she finished fifth. Two more races to go in the series, however at the moment, she is on the bubble for an invitation to the European Championships. 

 

10th Mountain Division … a conversation with historian Maurice Isserman

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Zchm8UDo8&feature=emb_rel_end

After the thaw, bare ground everywhere

Thankfully, night-time temperatures have slipped into the 20s, and Mount Van Hoevenberg has a great 4K loop.  Yesterday, I was out on skimo race gear, doing hilly 1.5k laps, and dialing in transitions. 

Uphill Athlete … yoga for recovery

Now that I am logging ski hours - with early season drive time to snow - I have stopped yoga, as well as tai chi.  I need to get back to those activities for overall body maintenance.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=94&v=izM9V0PFnvo&feature=emb_title

Halfway through TRAVERSE OF THE GODS … quite engaging

Take a look at the Kirkus review, and if you are interested, borrow it online from the internet archive.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/bob-langley/traverse-of-the-gods/

On the road again …

Camping out in the Hockmobile and getting ready to watch Lucy race at Craftsbury.

Andy Tuthill … another old fossil still throwing it down at the crag

He was just a casual acquaintance the year I was the caretaker in Huntington Ravine, who my buddy Mike Brochu introduced me to. He was climbing well out of my range, but we were well matched for some mega- ski tours.

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2021/12/the-old-timers-of-new-hampshires-rumney-rocks-climbing-scene/

Snowpack on our cow pasture didn’t survive rain and thaw …

But the man-made loop, and 1980 trails are still well covered, and skiable. We have had flurries - off and on - for the past 36 hours, so things look a lot more seasonable now.

Wax bench …

I have made a promise to myself that this season I will glide wax ski more frequently.

I can’t even remember the last time I slept in a snow shelter

I have put it on my bucket list for this year!

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2021/12/heres-how-to-build-the-coziest-of-snow-shelters/

Movie review … 14 PEAKS: nothing is impossible

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/movies/14-peaks-nothing-is-impossible-review.html

Holiday book list for sweat science

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/sweat-science-holiday-book-list-2021/

Another good week of training

I logged 16 hours, 4000' vertical, and 154k (91k exercise bike, 56k skiing, and 7k running).  The snowpack survived Friday's rain, and hopefully it will make it through the rain tomorrow. 

Is Grace Staberg our best hope for a 2026 Olympic skimo medal?

Too soon to tell, but this 19 year old gal is making the ultra running and skimo world take notice. 

https://www.wildsnow.com/30287/before-the-races-begin-the-calm-before-the-skimo-storm/

Whiteface toll road … ice, sastrugi, and even some powder

Beautiful day skiing up the toll road, however in places the wind was brutal, and the windchill was well below zero. 

Incredible footage of skiing in the Alps

Four fantastic minutes … the pandemic has shut down all the lifts in Chamonix, so it's old school, if you want to ski it you have to get yourself up there. Wow … the places Sam Favret gets to!

https://vimeo.com/samfavret/flow-samfavret 

A CLASSIC: The Last Of The Ski Bums

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N9uuMzVS3EE&feature=emb_title