Selden is recovering from knee surgery and I had a pretty good week of training

Well, recovery and rehab are never linear, and Selden has had a couple of tough post-op days. But, she is hanging in there and working hard at her PT.

Despite the care-giving and extra chores, I managed a week with just over 15 hours and almost 4300' vertical.

After the rain and floods …

We have had some spectacularly great skiing.

When to replace your skimo boot liners

https://skimo.co/ski-touring-liners

Mountaineering Cartoons



Running the Haute Route …

And bookending the three-day trip by tagging the summit of the Breithorn and Mont Blanc.

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

The Origin Of Skiing and hunting on skis

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=810

Ski touring speed record Dhaulagiri 7

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PUqt64kXoWs&feature=youtu.be

Estimating how long your ski tour will take … the Munter Method

https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/a-birds-eye-view/trip-planning-how-to-estimate-the-time-a-ski-tour-will-take-based-on-distance-and-elevation-gain

The Jackrabbit Rally

Help support the building and maintenance of mountain bike and ski touring trails in the Adirondacks.

https://www.betatrails.org/jackrabbit-rally.html

The 2000 avalanche on Angel Slide

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/outtakes/interview-with-avalanche-survivors

If you are planning a Skimo glacier tour …

As I am this spring, it's time to check your gear, refresh your skills, as well as your knowledge base.

https://www.wildsnow.com/30772/techniques-and-considerations-for-ski-mountaineering-on-glaciers/#more-30772

Good to be back home

Selden and I are glad to be back in the Adirondacks. Her surgery went well but the post-op and first two nights have been tough ones.

The rain, sleet, ice and snow we will get in the next 18 hours is also keeping spirits low.

Large Avalanche on Angel Slide



Using skimo race gear on cutting edge Alaskan climbing routes

A decade ago, I was on the Argentiere glacier, with my double ice climbing boots clipped in to a pair of silvretta bindings. Functional - in a clunky and heavy sort of way - but then I bumped into some Chamonix guides jumping on the North Face of Les Droites with their TLT5 Dynafit boots and lightweight skimo race setup. I never looked back, after I flew home. 

However, the gear is pricey.  I have cut costs by the repeated process, of selling off old and still quite serviceable gear, and then upgrading to slightly used or end-of-season lighter gear. This season's upgrade is a three year old Dynafit PDG setup. My Madshus nordic race skis, bindings, and Salomon skate skis weigh in at 1400 grams, my skimo race gear comes in at just 1700 grams.  

Of course, about to turn 70 the notion of "cutting edge" is not in the cards, but there are plenty of "walk-ups" that are still worth skiing down. As the article hits home many times, skiing down has a much higher fun quotient than hoofing out from the base of your climb.

https://www.wildsnow.com/30740/making-the-most-out-of-the-alaska-range/#more-30740

A good week … with a few recovery days

However, I still logged a bit over 14 hours, 144k (80k ski, 60k bike, 4K run), and 6100' vertical.  Starting to cut back on skimo and add more nordic to get ready for a late season 50k.

75th day on snow since November

Today was 80 minutes of Skimo laps. My guess is that 70% of the time I am on nordic skis, 25% on skimo gear, and 5% riding a lift.

Olympic nordic races

There have been some great races to watch, and some great story lines.  For Americans the highlights so far: Diggin's sprint bronze medal, four American males in the heats and Ben Ogden making it to the semis, and Rosie's fourth in the sprints. 

Well over a billion people depend on glaciers for fresh drinking water

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/climate/glaciers-water-global-warming.html

A good Skimo workout …

The Saranac Lake town ski area - Mount Pisgah - has a very liberal uphill policy. No fee, no need to register, and any time of day, as long as you stay out of the way of paying customers.

Tuesday was a marvelous day, mild temperatures (35 degrees), and partly sunny. I showed up at 2:30 and they had just finished grooming, however they do not open until 3:30 … so I had the place to myself.

I was pretty tired from the past couple of high volume weeks, so I kept it to just four laps, 55 minutes, and 1250' vertical.

VANISHING LINES … ski resort expansion v. protection of alpine climate zones

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eofG6Z-YBxA&feature=youtu.be

A good day on Whale’s Tail

An enjoyable tour into Marcy Dam, and then a skin up the 575' vertical of Whale's Tail. Gary is putting skins back on for third, and last wonderful lap.

Finishing of a good week with a sunset jog with Stash

I logged 17 hours, 6200' vertical, and 157 kilometers. This was all covered by a bit over 90k on the exercise bike, 55k skiing, and almost 12k jogging.

Great skiing conditions with the recent storm

However, if you ever wonder, just check out the Barkeater Trails Alliance.

https://www.betatrails.org/conditions

A pretty good Olympic nordic start for Team USA

In the cross country skiathlon we had two women in the top 15, and half of our single mixed biathlon relay team (pictured below) had a best ever seventh place.

Olympics About To Start … how to watch biathlon

My daughter is just back stateside, from the European Championships.  This link will let you know all the key elements of a biathlon race.

https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/beijing-2022-biathlon-glossary/gkaOygHGmjBLbh9AObqrx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=article&utm_term=&utm_content=weekly_08&utm_campaign=GG

Risk … how much can you accept or tolerate?

Obviously a very interesting guy, and raising a family, wrestling with this question personally and professionally. 

It made me think quitea bit, about how that question has changed for me over time. Turning 70 in a few months, I know I want to be in, and around, big mountains, but I also know my appetite for risk has changed considerably, and is now quite low. 

If I hike or skin up to an alpine hut, and the vibe isn't right, I have no problem staying put, eating strudel and drinking tea, and heading back down in the valley.

https://www.patagonia.com/stories/the-relentless-push-and-pull-of-a-mountain-guide/story-94071.html?utm_source=em&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=020222_new_arrivals_cold

Soloing Everest … in winter, no oxygen, and via the West Ridge

Now this is truly extreme!

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/01/sports/the-loneliest-mountaineer-on-everest.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Sports