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

Case study of a 70+ year old world record holding runner

Pretty amazing!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36860525/

First bouldering session at HPC gym

I am hoping to do one session a week at High Peaks Cyclery, through the winter into the spring. Range of motion through my right arm is pathetic.

A new extreme ski line on Mount Cook

https://www.skimag.com/adventure/first-ski-descent-mount-cook-new-zealand/

2024-25 adk Tour de Ski schedule

A good week despite election anxiety

Ski-able snow on Monday, and a dusting of snow at weeks end. I logged 16:40, on 159k (122k bike, 30k run, and 7k ski), with 4325' vertical. I had my fourth day on snow, and did two strength sessions, and two good stretches.

Another thought on the aging athlete

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/declining-muscle-power/

The ski mountaineer running for the Senate

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/caroline-gleich-senate/?utm_term=ool&utm_campaign=ool-longreads&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--jaw9WfxkOEUB0MzOlBHGKvt9qs0E5r32g1tvr4E4vuNbNz_Cb4SasOjY3qIxD2NsGfNeUarSjWE_mVU2e5SCXM7n15g&_hsmi=331854297&utm_source=newsletter

Endurance performance and aging

It's going to take me awhile to digest this, but of course the bottom line is obvious … performance declines!

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2375571/