Check out the video "Running The Campus Perimeter"

Hock NCS/CTT just shared Running The Campus Perimeter with you. Watch Video  » SocialStudio, Inc. © 2012. To manage your JumpCam email subscriptions click here

Ueli scores again!

Uehli Steck solos THS South Face of Annapurna. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT IT.

Excellent novel centered around climbing

A STANCE OF WONDER by Mark Rodell is an engaging page-turner. The journal sections of the fictional character Conrad at times can be confusing, and the novel's structure is somewhat flawed. However the depiction of the climbing scene in Yosemite and the Sierras during the late 1960s and 1970s is spot on. At $3.99 on your kindle or iPad its a steal.

Weight control for alpinists

One of the many reasons it is hard to get down to fighting weight is because I am the head of a boarding school where all day long the kitchen tries to get the boss to sample food. These sourdough loaves had just come out of the oven ... needless to say I could not restrain myself.

Skimo season fast approaching

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A SHORT VIDEO TO GET YOU PSYCHED FOR SKI MOUNTAINEERING.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK ... "no brandy no blankets"

In 1861, Edward Whymper made the first of many attempts on the Matterhorn. As he describes in Chapter IV of Scrambles Amongst The Alps, he was preparing for an attempt on the mountain and realized he would need to bivouac. So, he proceeded to gather some things, including purchasing some brandy in town. However, when he approached the inn keeper to rent some blankets, he was refused because, he had not bought the brandy at the inn ... "No brandy, no blankets."

BLAST FROM THE PAST ... joe tasker and tobin sorenson

In the late 1970s I was on a leave of absence from my teaching job, and had spent the summer in Scotland and the Alps, the Fall in Yosemite with Ewing, and the winter caretaking the Harvard Cabin in Huntington Ravine. During some of those cold and lonely nights when the cabin was empty, I corresponded with both guys (Sorenson and Tasker), to get information about routes that I hoped to do in the coming years ... A winter ascent of the North Face of the Matterhorn and the East Face of Dunagiri ... I remembered that of the former Tobin said "pretty casual if you can solo snow covered 5.7," and of the latter Joe said, "you better have bloody big calves to do that ice route at altitude."

Recently while going through some old boxes, I tried to put my hands on those letters, but unfortunately I have had no luck yet. Sadly, both guys perished a few years later, and of course, I never did use their wise counsel to get up either route.

What's on your bucket list?

Yosemite and other parks still closed

No doubt there is more to worry about in this government shutdown than the ire of the climbing community, however I am never voting for anyone that shuts down national parks.

SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS

CLICK HERE FOR A FREE DOWNLOAD OF WHYMPER'S CLASSIC, FOR YOUR NEXT LONG DRIVE, APPROACH HIKE, OR BIG WALL.

Getting ready for the Sochi Olympics ... Tim and Lowell

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A WALL STREET JOURNAL VIDEO OF THEM TRAINING.

Check out the video "2.5 Hour Run In The Adirondack"

David Hock just shared 2.5 Hour Run In The Adirondack with you. Watch Video  » SocialStudio, Inc. © 2012. To manage your JumpCam email subscriptions click here

Added Bonus for the Fossil Icefest ... you can become a 6er!

Ski Mountaineering Crampons

Opinionated, and most always on target, Dane's COLD THISTLE blog has a nice short review to give some good consumer advice. CLICK HERE.

NORTH FACE SPEAKER SERIES ...Conrad Anker, Simone Moro, and Kit Deslauriers

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SLIDESHOW AND TALK FROM JUST A FEW DAYS AGO ...fast forward to the 30 minute mark to skip the commercials.

Check out the video "Recent Mountain Activity"

David Hock just shared Recent Mountain Activity with you. Watch Video  » SocialStudio, Inc. © 2012. To manage your JumpCam email subscriptions click here

A New Prefontaine Movie In The Works

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE FILM BEFORE YOU WATCH IT.

Pre's People from Brad Jenkins on Vimeo.

MOVE with Will Gadd

MOVE from ARC'TERYX on Vimeo.

Voytek's alpinism

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ALPINIST ARTICLE AND INTERVIEW.

PLANNING NEXT SUMMER

GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN 2013 from PLAN B on Vimeo.

It seems a long way off, however my experience is that if I do not lock in firm comments from partners it does not happen. At the moment there seem to be three options tossed out there: Peru, Alps, domestic trip (Diamond, Leaning Tower, or Lone Pine Peak). My hope is to start or end the trip with a good mountain run ... although not necessarily a stage run like this!

UROC ... and the winners of the Skyrunning championship

A TERRIFIC FIELD OF RUNNERS, AN EARLY WINTER STORM, AND A VERY COMPETITIVE 100K ULTRA RACE OF CHAMPIONS. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT.

If Larry and I try the Diamond next summer, I am also thinking about ...

Given these crazy thoughts, I may hop in the car at 3 am on Saturday morning, drive to New Hampshire, and run a half-marathon to see if I can get qualified. Of course, the bonus is that I will get to see another one of Lucy's cross country meets.

North Country School from Balanced Rocks ... it doesn't get much better than this!

Another cross country meet

In a five team meet, Lucy again placed just outside the top ten, but finished much stronger than her first race. She finished 13th of 79 runners, with a personal best 5k trail run of 23:14. St Paul's top runner broke the course record, and Lucy was the fifth fastest on her team, which is now 2-0. My sister Jody and her husband Chris provided great encouragement and photos.

A box of gems found on Mount Blanc

With glaciers melting all over the world, a metal box full of rubies, sapphires, and emeralds was found on the Bossons glacier, a remnant from the 1950 or 1966 airplane crashes. CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE.

Climbing Movies On Netflix

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

It is snowing out west ... get ready for winter

Art Of Skinning with Donny Roth from Dynafit North America on Vimeo.

Ski Hill Loops and Laps

One of my favorite workouts on campus takes about 70 minutes. It involves 4k of hiking, 500', and between 5-8 laps on an easy 5.2 rock climb. The gorgeous weather continues in the Adirondacks.

Are the dolomites on your bucket list ... A bit of running, via ferrata, and climbing.

Trail Running Dolomites Alta Via #1 from holimites.com on Vimeo.

A long day at the annual JBSA meeting

We started our drive to central Massachusetts at 4:30 am, and were back on campus at 8 pm. Our ten junior boarding schools had a collaborative marketing meeting at the Williston Northampton School. On the drive home we took an hour out for a nice trail run in the Berkshires.

Spectacular sunset run

It was a busy weekend, traveling to Rhode Island and then Vermont to see alumni. Of course an added bonus was that I was able to see Lucy's first cross country meet. On Sunday evening, after attending Eileen Rockefeller's book launch party, I decided to change into my running shorts and take advantage of the incredible trails at Shelburne Farms on the edge of Lake Champlain, with the Adirondacks in the distance.

Fred Beckey ... 90 years old and still going strong!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A TRUE FOSSIL CLIMBING ROUTES AT 90 YEARS OLD.

Lucy's first high school race

In a four school meet with about 60 girls, St. Paul's won handily, and Lucy finished the 5k course in 24:02, finishing 13th. SPS had the top time of the day in 21:50. A great first event for my daughter. (As I had to visit alumni in Rhode Island and Vermont I had an excuse to attend the meet at the Brooks School.)

One of my favorite workouts

Running laps on our hilly sugarbush loop, with the rest intervals doing yoga and bouldering. I was out for 90 minutes, in gorgeous weather, just before sunset.

The New Breed Of Runners

Important thoughts about clipping your anchor

A MUST READ ON WILL GADD'S SITE.

Big second ascent ... North Pillar of Twins Tower

CLICK HERE TO READ JON WALSH'S TRIP REPORT.

Revolutionary new avalanche airbag

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THIS FORTHCOMING BLACK DIAMOND PRODUCT.

Climb to the Castle

It was a chilly, but beautiful morning on the Whiteface Toll Road. I ran up to the halfway point (2.5 mile and 1100') and took some photographs of the big dogs from the USST and the US Biathlon. There were quite a few collegians and youth skiers also in attendance. Liz Stephans and Tim Burke won handily. Will we medal in Sochi?