Lucy’s home, we trimmed the tree, and temperatures have dropped below freezing!

Another good morning skiing at Whiteface, before the mountain gets jammed over the holidays.

Rain has stopped, temperatures above freezing

But, skiing at Whiteface this morning was pretty nice. Late this afternoon, temperatures dropped below freezing, and flurries began. Just an inch or so forecasted, although it will feel like winter again.

A good morning skiing at Whiteface

However, yesterday the temperature rose all day into the 40s. This morning it's 43 degrees and it will not drop below freezing until midnight. After that temperatures will hover above and below freezing for most of the day before dropping steadily, heading into Thursday … so I am not a happy camper!

Of course all is not lost, as I can ride lifts or ski the 2.5k hamster wheel (manmade snow) at MVH.

The week in review

The main story was the big 30 hour thaw and rain, which curtailed snowmaking, and quashed our superb conditions. Some flurries at the end of the rain storm were a bit of a consolation. So, our conditions are not as prime-time as Craftsbury, but we still have skiable snow (rock skis) in multiple places.

I logged 15 hours, on 134k (110k bike, 20k ski, and 4k run), with 2,250'. I rode lifts at Whiteface for two mornings and did two PT stretch sessions.

Wonderful lunch with college buddies in Clifton Park



A good day of skiing at Scott’s Cobble

Superb American Alpine Club Podcast … kilian jornet

Available were every you get your podcasts.

Blustery morning at Whiteface

Yesterday brought day-long flurries, windblown snow, and the occasional whiteout; however there was some good powder to ski.

Also, every now and then, there was a clearing and I was able to grab this picture of Bear's Den.

20th day on snow

However, I checked on my blog, and by December 8, 2023 I had already hit my 30th day on snow. I only managed that because I spent a week in late May, and early June, skiing in the Sierras. (As per most other retirement years, this year is squarely on track.)

After yesterday's rain, as we went to bed last night it started to snow, and we picked up 2-3 inches, with flurries continuing today. I will spend the morning at Whiteface and the afternoon at Mount Van Hoevenberg.m

2024 NOAA ARCTIC REPORT CARD

At the link below, you can read a summary, print out the full report from a PDF file, or watch a great video summary. Either way you look at it, climate change is happening ever faster, in this critically important part of the globe.

https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/

Just found this cool podcast

This podcast mostly covers sub-ultra mountain running, however he also has a healthy side order of Skimo.

In the past couple of months he has had U.S.Skimo team members and multi-sport athletes David Sinclair and Cam Smith on his show. He has interviewed Slovenian Skimo racer Rea Kobl. Also, there have been multiple episodes by Hagan - Skimo company - about gear.

Atmospheric river is headed our way

However, today the skiing was awesome at Whiteface.

Every so often Strava entices me to upgrade

Seems like every month on some random day, they give me a snapshot of the data I would have if I upgraded. I have resisted thus far, but I must admit it's tempting.

Anyway … seems like I had a good November.

Mount Van Hoevenberg finally opened this past weekend.

They have 2k with a deep base of man-made snow, which has been meticulously groomed and tracked, as well as 40k which has been rolled.

It was a good week for exercise, with below freezing temperatures, and almost continual flurries. I logged almost 17 hours, on 153k (112k bike and 41k ski), with 2,250' vertical. I also alpine skied at Whiteface, did four PT stretching sessions, as well as one strength workout.

New innovative ski development

Key concepts: 1) Completely recyclable, easier to manufacture, and a lower energy footprint. Of course, no idea if niche products like nordic or backcountry skis are in the pipeline. Also, no idea of what the eventual price point will be.

https://www.wired.com/story/the-worlds-first-ever-all-aluminum-skis-have-arrived/?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=wired&utm_mailing=WIR_Backchannel_112924&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&utm_content=WIR_Backchannel_112924&bxid=5cc9e1d13f92a477a0e91062&cndid=50856636&hasha=6198c0660e1ecd8a9ea08421374cb0d3&hashb=c95623bb46171b59573e9f8a7bd0ad5e4571a909&hashc=86bf94b5bfbe63d58552888eab4341e98e3a1503133c77c01bd9649801b08541&esrc=sign-up-page&utm_term=WIR_Backchannel

Got my season pass to 12 ski areas …

But, you have to earn those turns!

Holiday book suggestions from the sweat science guy

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/2024-sweat-science-holiday-books/

Getting a little more snow every day

The skiing at Scott's Cobble Nordic Center has been pretty good. Tonight the projection is from 1-8 inches of snow in the winter advisory, which suggest they don't have a clue.

That said, I am well over a 100k of nordic skiing, a milestone which suggests I am well adjusted, and can start specific training in earnest.

Case study: small struggling ski areas becoming non-profits

Wonderful video by Teton Gravity Research

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1VbO4ZXTM4o

First South American Country To Lose All It’s Glaciers

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aFDi81KyK3Q&t=164s&pp=2AGkAZACAQ%3D%3D

The Ray Jardine story





https://www.backpacker.com/stories/people/profiles/ray-jardine-ultralight-backpacking-profile/

A full week on snow

The first full week of the season, and despite all the snow being made at Whiteface and MVH, all the workouts were on natural snow. As you can see from the enclosed screen shot … it seems like winter has come to the Adirondacks.

So, this past week I logged 14:42, on 152k (110k bike, 40k ski, and 2k run), with 3200' vertical. Yikes … no stretching or strength!

Diggins ends first Weekend taking a win in the 20k

Three days of racing in Ruka saw lots of highs and lows. Saturday being a very disappointing day, with none of the American men making the classic heats, and only Jessie (27th) and Rosie (28th) able to make the quarter-finals, but unable to advance.

On the previous day in the classic 10k there were bright moments with Jessie finishing 7th, Rosie (9th), and Sophia (17th). For the men, the bright moments were Gus finishing 18th, Ben (29th), and Zander (30th).  

However, it was the final day with the mass start races, where the magic happened: Jessie taking the win dropping Johaug, Weng, and Sundling, with Sophia taking tenth, and for the men Zander grabbing seventh and Gus eighth.  Now it's on to Lillehammer.

Skiing the 81 highest peaks in New York State



Brothers make history skiing 81 mountains in Adirondacks, Catskills adirondackexplorer.org

Starting to feel like winter

The ground is covered in white. Next week the temperatures are consistently cold. There is enough snow for Scott's Cobble and MVH to roll some trails; Whiteface is open although not top to bottom. Moreover, I have enough days on snow to start planning which projects I might do this winter.

HIGH ON THE LIST: return to Mount Washington, tour into Avalanche Lake and the round trip to Rock and River, do a couple of skimo races, use my uphill pass at various resorts, go to Norway and ski the Birkie, and ski at least two ADK Tour du Ski events.

Mount Van Hoevenberg … no idea when they will open

BUT, they are finally making snow.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Among many things to be thankful for: Selden, Jon and Lucy, my family, my grandchildren, our farm, the wonderful Adirondacks where we live, Stash and Phoebe, my fossil buddies, as well as snow to ski on.

Today was my tenth day on snow this season … yahoo!

Still skiing on the toll road

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and it will be my tenth day on snow. With Lucy gone, and Jon's family unable to travel, it will be a quiet - and a little bit lonely - Thanksgiving day.

Back in my youth, I always looked forward to the massive amounts of football you could watch on TV on this holiday weekend. Others look forward to Black Friday sales. But with the advent of live streaming in the past decade, I look forward to the start of the nordic and biathlon World Cups.

Something else to brighten up the day is the three inches of new snow forecast for Thanksgiving, and the opening of Mount Hoevenberg on Friday for cross country skiing.

Continuous Lacate Monitoring … the holy grail for cycling

But will it also be useful for elite ultra and mountain trail runners?

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-training/continuous-lactate-monitors-are-poised-to-reshape-pro-cycling-the-most-important-revolution-since-heart-rate-monitors/

Yahoo … back on snow

Plenty of snow on the Whiteface toll road, which given colder temperatures this week, should stick around for a long time.

It was a good week of training, and I logged 15.5 hours, on 132k (95k bike, 21k ski, 16k run), with 5100'. This also includes two PT stretching sessions, and one strength workout.

Kilian Jornet website … excellent resource for alpine climbing, skimo, and mountain running

https://mtnath.com/

Another tour on the toll road

Saw this unbelievable peak in 2019 Huayhuash trek … amazing video



https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=uhreb-LNhhS8Iio2&v=rzlLT-je9jg&feature=youtu.be

The storm under performed however …

After hiking for a kilometer, the skiing on the toll road was quite good. Pretty windy, and heavy wet snow falling, so it certainly felt wintry.

2000 year old Roman Legion camp discovered in Alps

https://legionmagazine.com/team-discovers-2000-year-old-roman-legion-camp-in-swiss-alps/

Peru: melting glaciers, growing lack of water supply, and increasing pollution

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/science/peru-glaciers-water-pollution.html

Lake Champlain just visible in the distance

On Monday I perused almost all of the ski area webcams in the northeast. I noticed that several had made skiable snow during the run of cold nights last week. On the previous day, I even watched a skier, at sunrise, on Stratton's webcam skinning up a nice long patch of snow.

So, yesterday I drove to Bolton Valley - the closest patch of snow - unfortunately I got booted off, even before I clipped into my skis. (Next time, I will do it as a dawn patrol, knowing that all I will have to do is apologize, rather than get permission.)

All was not lost, as I had a good run up the skinning route on the edge of the ski area boundary.

WOW … KILIAN JORNET AND HIS ALPINE CONNECTIONS PROJECT

https://www.kilianjornet.cat/en/blog/petite-balade-alpine?utm_source=em&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=111924_routefinding_1&utm_klaviyo_id=01GQMSY133HGKT7KSCB0CMAK2H&_kx=VOA8zu5fg4rURwSosHy2WlWapQ1Ue6IQgCg0iNyBd8g.YgU9me

Lots of cold nights …

But, still no snow, and a burn ban until the end of November for fear of forest fires.

However, Whiteface opened - one or two runs - on the upper mountain, then downloading on Facelift. Probably just Fridays through Sundays until Thanksgiving.

I logged just under 17 hours, on 190k (163k bike and 27k run), with 3400' vertical. I also did two strength sessions, as well as one PT stretch.

At the start of every snow season the books I revisit …

Last week I re-read A Medal Of Honor, a novel about an Olympic biathlete, this week it's The God Of Skiing. A novel about a fictional Tack Strau, who skis and competes with all the greats. It is an often poetic ode to winter, the great resorts, big mountains, and going fast.

The cover photo is of Fritz Stammberger; certainly a flesh and blood man, in the mold of the main character. First to ski the north face of the Maroon Bells, notching climbs all over the world before perishing on a Hindu Kush expedition, or as some believe, captured and tortured by the Russians for helping supply CIA weapons to the mujahideen.

Next on my list of novels are: The Downhill Racers, The Lonely Skier, The Snow Gods and a couple anthologies of ski stories.

Excellent morning workout

I started with a 30 minute shakeout on the exercise bike, then over to Mount Van Hoevenberg for a crisp interval session on a bluebird 30 degree morning. Getting ready for an easy afternoon session of 60 minutes on the bike. 

Lindsey Vonn training and perhaps racing again

https://planetski.eu/2024/11/14/lindsey-vonn-set-to-race-again/

Latest grim 2025 snowfall prediction



Thinking of skiing Norwegian Birkie



Birkebeinerrennet worldloppet.com

Mystery surrounding secret Finnish kick zone invention for wet snow

 https://nordicinsights.news/2024/11/13/reports-finnish-inventors-devise-secret-tape-like-kickwax-solution-superior-in-wet-conditions/

David Hochschartner (Hock)

Maybe snow tonight, but more forecast in Jay Peak in Vermont

Keeping fingers crossed, and gearing up for a quick trip to ski on the Jay Peak golf course.

Good training last week. I logged just over 16 hours, on 161k (131k bike and 30k run), with 3300' vertical. I also did a bouldering session in the HPC Gym, two strength sessions, and two good PT stretches.

A wonderful Saturday in the Adirondacks

It started with a very chilly but quite nice mountain biking excursion on the rail trail. The middle of the day had me start to re-read A Medal Of Honor; the novel of a young biathlete as he tries to make an Olympic team, and compete in Cortina. (Well written, and true to life, as the author John Morton was an Olympian, and eventually head ski coach at Dartmouth.)

Finally, I ended the day with a sunset run on the 1980 Olympic trails.

Registration is open for the worlds longest nordic ski race

https://www.nordenskioldsloppet.com/1884