Skiing a 7000 meter peak … thanks to WildSnow reports

Still acclimatization, but in the last video they ski up to Camp 2.

https://www.wildsnow.com/32363/a-7000m-himalayan-speed-project-dispatch-3/

Took the pedal off the gas a bit last week …

In an effort to have fresh legs for the race. Still, it was a good week with 14 hours logged and just over 5,500' vertical. I am starting to look for an ultra, after my return from out West next month.

Race to the Top of Vermont

This was a good event, well worth doing again, and I did well … finishing third in the 70+ age group. The toll road was 4.3 miles and about 2600'. I ran the course in 1:06, while the top guys were in 36 minutes.

Katie Schide wins UTMB

Kilian looks like he will win in under 20 hours

He is approaching Flegere and has at least a ten minute gap on second place. It looks like we will have two Americans - Jim Walmsley and Zach Miller - in the top five. American Katie Schide looks like she may win UTMB as well.

So, are there other boxes of jewels on the Mer de Glace?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59538540

Run or hike up those hills in your next ultra?

https://freetrail.com/climb-the-mountain-when-to-run-hike-or-pole/

How ultra-races impact your body

https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips-training/how-do-men-and-women-differ-in-post-ultra-physiological-responses/

Via Ferrata

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/travel/via-ferratas-in-america.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Travel

Skimo on a Himalayan 7000M peak

https://www.wildsnow.com/32209/a-7000m-himalayan-speed-project/

BLAST FTOM THE PAST … chamonix

After guiding our Chamonix-Courmayeur (TMB), Mark and I spent another couple of weeks camping in Argentiere. We spent the time hiking, climbing, eating and drinking wine, as well as spectating UTMB week.

This picture is from our hike down, after a bivy at Lac Blanc.

American nordic skiers finding success in trail running

https://fasterskier.com/2022/08/running-roundup-skiers-find-success-at-the-golden-trail-world-series/

Glacial melt in the alps continues to accelerate

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

Movement In The Mountains … runner, musician, climber

An enjoyable short video by Black Diamond … good music, nice footage of trail running, and speed climbing on Boulder's Flatirons.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D20lx0bNAbs

This year’s PTL course

https://utmbmontblanc.com/en/tv/1-ptl

UTMB week starts August 22nd

If Courtney is not at the start who will win? Will this be the year of Jim Walmsley and Zach Miller?  Or will Kilian and Francois battle it out?  How many PTL teams will complete their 300k, and 150 hour odyssey?  Follow everything on the link below …

https://utmbmontblanc.com/jp/page/1/a-mythical-race,-an-unique-experience.html

Good article and essential reading for Fossils … balance

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/12/well/move/balance-exercises.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Well

The Nordkette Traverse outside of Innsbruck

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NktVxZ-69Vw

Another change in direction …

The month of May was about the last of the skiing, and getting used to running. June was about biking to get ready for the Prouty. July was adding more running/hiking volume and vertical, with some intensity added as well. Now after the Stratton Uphill Race, it's about more running/hiking volume with a pack, and some bouldering to get ready for the Tetons.

Yesterday, the key part of my 3+ hour workout was a Level 2 hike up the Tim Burke Uphill on Whiteface with a 20 pound pack. The day before that, I did some laps on the new competition loops with my mountaineering boots. Today I am hoping for some bouldering.

From the ADVENTURE JOURNAL … Eric Shipton a mountaineering badass

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2022/08/eric-shiptons-style-and-whims-shaped-mountaineering-history/

FIT TO PLAY … a superb resource

They have a list of 20+ sports activities, and three tiers of exercises to do. Well worth a visit.  The screen capture is for the 11 basic exercises for climbing.

https://fittoplay.org/sports/climbing/climbing/

Ski touring speed record on Dhaulagiri 7

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PUqt64kXoWs



Pinning the bib on …

Yesterday, I raced the Stratton Uphill Run, which was 3.2k and just a shade under 2000' vertical.  USST member Gus Schumacher was first in 21:23, Ben Ogden in 21:49, and Hagenbuch 22:30. For the women, Novie McCabe ran a blistering 23:54, Alayna Sonnesyn 25:53, and Diggins in 26:13.  I finished in 38:03, which was comfortably within the "fossil handicap" of double the podium times. Julia Kern did it as a bounding workout with poles in 30 minutes, which she described as a comfortable level 3 jaunt!

Are you longing for ski season?

Tomorrow I will be running up Stratton Mountain, trying to see how long I can keep USST members Gus Schumacher, Jessie Diggins, Julia Kern in my sights. I am guessing that within 3-4 minutes they will be out of my sight! Hopefully, I will get an autograph or two at the awards ceremony. 

I have been reading Lowell Skoog's book - Written In The Snows - the definitive history of skiing in the cascades. It mentioned that the Olympic gold medalist skater's first movie was Thin Ice (1937 picture below), and the ski scenes were filmed by Otto Lang at Mount Rainier.  A musical comedy, which along with Sun Valley Serenade did much to expose Americans to the sport of skiing. 

And so, after tomorrow's race, Jessie and Julia are off to Australia for three weeks of on-snow training, while many of the other American nordic team members are off to the ski tunnels in Europe, as well as participating in the big summer rollerski races. 

I will go back to running laps on the new competition trails at Mount Van Hoevenberg and reading Skoog's book, while I  keep my fingers crossed for October skiing on the Whiteface toll road.

BLAST FROM THE PAST … december 2007 ice climbing trip

Just coming back from climbing the "Eye Of The Needle" on the north side of Pitchoff with Brian and Gary.

Rate Perceived Exertion … in life as well as endurance sports

From the authors of Peak Performance, a nice little essay. 

https://thegrowtheq.com/how-to-apply-an-rpe-scale-to-life/?utm_source=The+Growth+Equation&utm_campaign=53581e2cfe-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_07_14_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ca7b0a0e16-53581e2cfe-179831701

Malcolm Gladwell’s modest proposal for high school sports

https://malcolmgladwell.bulletin.com/a-modest-proposal-to-fix-high-school-sports

THE SLOVAK: reflections on light and fast alpinism

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2qXUxlTk0IM

July had good moments, but everything was overshadowed by the emergency appendectomy

I turned 70 and it was not traumatic, and just yesterday, we had a good family reunion on the New Hampshire coast (picture of the Great Bay). Training went well, with weekly running volume, vertical, and intensity making steady gains. I finished the
month having trained 73+ hours with 23,675' vertical (all on foot).

However, three weeks after the surgery - although Selden is up and about - she still is trying to recover appetite, strength, and zest. When will she feel normal? It was a very tough month.

It’s looking like a September trip to the Tetons

On my agenda will be: running the Painbrush-Cascade Canyon Loop, bouldering at Jenny Lake, hiking up Prospectors Mountain, and climbing the easy routes on Cube Point, South and Middle Teton.

BLAST FROM THE PAST … classic 1970s mountain boots

Browsing through an old Ken Wilson, Mountain magazine, I saw this ad for the famous French climbing boots. I suffered through two pair of super guides, and one pair of the hivernale double boots. And my college buddy climbed in the blue suede yosemite shoes. While El Presidente was always a fan of the peutereys. They were not comfy or light, but we did manage to climb some serious routes.

Stephanie Case, Free To Run helping Afghani women, and the Tor des Glaciers

https://treelinejournal.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7d7e66e5ecd3df13e1ce387ed&id=0733a12aa6&e=23177b1d37

Another strong training week in the log

I logged 18+ hours, 5325' vertical, and 185k (145k on the exercise bike and 40k on foot). This also included two interval sessions, as well as two strength sessions. Twelve more days until the Stratton Mountain uphill run (pictured below).

Chris Landry … extreme skiing from November 1981 POWDER magazine



Running in the Alps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqJ-pboY7o&feature=emb_title

Checking out Stratton Mountain uphill race course

I kept it under control - mostly 130-140 bpm, so a solid level 4 workout. Nice day, and hung out with college buddies afterwards. Hoping I can get my race time closer to 40 minutes flat.

BLAST FROM THE PAST … a Zermatt ski mountaineering trip

In the early 1990s I spent a fantastic two weeks with Gary, Ben, and Susie skiing some great routes during the March NCS spring break.

We took a couple of lifts up with two rucksacks each, and booted up to the unheated "winter room" of a closed hut. We had planned on climbing the Matterhorn, but we got so much fantastic snow, that except for a mixed climb up the Riffelhorn all we did was ski. And, all of our skiing was on relatively narrow three pin, tele-gear, and leather boots!

The three best memories:

- skiing the Breithorn 

- skiing the Schwarztor (and climbing Castor)

- skiing Monte Rosa (all the way to Zermatt … 10,000' vertical descent)

https://alpsinsight.com/trip/schwarztor-zermatt-ski-tour/

Three easy 4000 meter peaks in the Alps

https://alpsinsight.com/trip/climbing-4000-meter-introduction-peaks-breithorn-allalinhorn-and-strahlhorn/

Physiology of uphill running and hiking

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/uphill-trail-running-research-2022/

Beautiful, warm and sunny weather, as well as a good training week

Selden is on the mend, I turned 70, and I logged 18 hours, 6000' vertical and 145k (101k exercise bike and 44k on foot).

Interview with a Sierra artists

https://sierratrailruns.com/interview-with-artist-ann-piersall-logan/

Great rendition of the view of Lone Pine Peak, Day and Keeler Needle, as well as Mount Whitney.

Hardrock 2022 … what a race!

The top three finishers are in … Kilian, Francois, and Dakota. Kilian broke the course record again. Courtney is running in sixth place overall, and has a big lead on all the other women.

The Beauty of the Irrational … spectacular scenery on this ultrarunner

Ryan Sandes running the Fish River Canyon.

https://vimeo.com/47355798

The Hardrock 100 starts tomorrow at 8am eastern time

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku4dYpW6MG0&feature=youtu.be

Alex Hutchinson’s Guide to the best sweat science books of 2022

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/sweat-science-summer-book-list-2022/

YAHOO … selden is home from the hospital

It has been eight brutal days since her emergency appendectomy; we are keeping close tabs on her to make sure no infections develop. She will be off barn chores for several weeks to come, so I am on duty, thankfully she will be around so I don't mess up!

She ate two full pieces of toast and jelly tonight … the most she has eaten in over a week.

Changing focus

Well Selden is still in the hospital recovering from her appendectomy. Obviously my 50 mile gravel ride with buddies is out. With the exception of the Whiteface VK, the past 3-4 weeks I have focused almost exclusively on the exercise bike and MTB rides.

Yesterday - knowing I would not ride the Prouty - I metaphorically changed it up, and squeezed in some easy hill repeats on the MVH competition loop (picture).

So, the next 3 items on the agenda are:
1) The August 6th uphill race at Stratton Mountain.
2) Some significant September mountain climbs in either the Sierras, Tetons, Cascades, or Alps.
3) A trail race at whichever mountain area I am climbing at in September.

All of which means, I put strength workouts back in the routine, start bouldering again, pedal for recovery/warmups/cool downs, and crank up the vertical.

On The Brink … testing mountaineering products

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=395&v=U3rPYvO7gQQ&feature=emb_title

Or, the best - and only real job - Kelly Cordes has ever had. A nicely done six minute video. 

Mount Marathon Race in Alaska

While I don't have any great footage of this year's July Fourth race, when the course record was crushed; we do have some great footage of Allie Ostrander's previous win, with her voice-over commentary.

Clearly, it's a beast of a race!  (It makes the Whiteface VK look like a warmup.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=985&v=Gu11ILt2_Ks&feature=emb_title

A MUST SEE … for anyone that has climbed in Alaska or dreamed of it

The Sanctity of Space is one part a daring and outrageous climb of the Tooth Traverse; one part a celebration of Brad Washburn; one part the history of aerial photography; and one part some of the most spectacular mountain vistas you'll ever see. You can stream in on Amazon for $5.99. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0NT1vfXKy5g