Fossil Alpinism

Click here for an excellent four minute video on fifi hooks and top-stepping by Chris McNamara, the SuperTopo dude!

Click on this link to the Modesto Bee newspaper article.

Once a month I do a bit of trolling on iTunes University. Today I came across a little known gem ... a 6 minute podcast highlighting the ex...

I just came back from an hour long classical ski. A good start to the season, as I have 10 days on snow before December this year!

A three minute video of the 2007 Ouray Ice Festival ... time to get of the couch! Click on this link to watch.

The heart and soul of the NCS outdoor program ... Larry and Dave!

Larry led "Central Pillar" (NEI 4) and "Tendonitis" (NEI 3+) faster than most people can flake the rope! Dave and I mar...

The climbs are in and there were 6-8 parties there by 10 am ... When we were heading home. The early bird catches the worm!

After a December day of hard ice, don't worry there are plenty of sheep for Fossil guests to cavort, frolic, and snuggle with! (Click on...

Click on this link and select "ice climbing" on the left hand menu. This will allow you to access the short video - the trailer fo...

Click on this link to access the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article that El Presidente sent me.

Click on this link to access this excellent essay.

Sit down dinner for 280! Every thing but the cranberries came from the NCS farm.

The light was bad, as it was getting dark, however I was out with NCS students doing laps on "Pitchoff Right."

Mountain Collection: videos Pathfinders ... The Alps ... Legends of American Skiing ... Fire on the Mountain: the story of the 10th mountai...

Enclosed is a picture of several one-pitch climbs over in the "Three Flows" area. (Click on the picture to enlarge the photograph....

The snow cover is not fantastic, although it is great to be out skiing on my rock boards.

Went North side of Pitchoff today and did Tendonitis NEI 3-4 with kids. The ice is in thick back there. Central (4) was in, Arm and Hammer...

NCS students gearing up for the first ice climbing of the season. Larry is knee deep in crampon adjustments and looking for missing gloves....

As you can see from the weather page on my iPhone, we have another solid week of cold temperatures, on the heels of the previous week which ...

I have an admissions visit and one more major donor visit, before I head back to the Adirondacks. I spent an hour enjoying the exhibit abo...

Mark told us many stories over the years about his trip up the classic north face route. (Let it be remembered that I did the 26 mile round...

At the belay on pitch # 3.

"After Six," a 700' route on Manure Pile Buttress with pitches of: 5.6, 5.1, 5.5, 5.4, 5.4, 5.5

Leaving the valley ... what a beautiful place even with too many cars, amd too many people. Truly a rock climber's paradise.

Back at Manure Pile Buttress top roping the 5.9 "Jump for joy" and the 5.10a "Halley's Comet." So as El Presidente ...

Hiking back from our climb we were treated to a great sunset on El Cap and "The Nose." Boot Flake and the Great Roof are clearly...

This is a photograph from the terrific collection of paintings hanging in the great room of the Ahwanhee Hotel in Yosemite. (The painting wa...

El Presidente takes the last pitch to celebrate his upcoming 60th.

Heading out to Manure Pile Buttress at the crack of noon!

The little speck is Mark, checking out the route the Nose. 33 pitches ... Hard to imagine it gets climbed in under 3 hours.

Heading to the plane at 6AM, I spotted a Rickey sculpture ... He did some of his earliest work at Camp Treetops. Heading out for Yosemite.

As you can see from the thermometer outside our Main Building, the temperature at 9 AM was about 22 degrees. The ice is forming. I am look...

Students and staff training a llama and two alpacas to help carry fossil gear into the mountains.

Seeing the forecasted snow, I pulled out a book of vintage ski posters to get myself psyched for the winter that is almost upon us. (Click o...

Fair Wilderness ... Contested Terrain ... The adirondacks ... The adirondack atlas ... The plains of Abraham ... Wandering home ... High P...

Pinnacle Gully on Mount Washington got climbed on November 3rd ... NEI III.

Mountain Library: expeditions Annapurna ... In the throne room of the gods ... Nanga parbat pilgrimage ... Changabang ... Annapurna south f...

Mountain Library: biography and autobiography Dougal Haston, in high places ... Walter Bonatti, on the heights ... Dorothy pulley, climbing...

I just finished my fifth day on skis. Unfortunately the last for awhile as it's going to be unseasonably warm for the next couple of d...

Scottish climbs (volume 1 and 2) ... Rocky mountains of Canada (north) ... Climbing guide to RMNP ... Climber's guide to the Teton ran...

Click here to see this fantastic 45 second slide show set to music.

Heading to New Hampshire with Jon to ring doorbells and canvas for Obama ... Be sure to vote.

Best magazine out there! Given Selden's writing, editing, layout background I asked her if she wanted to see what the purchase price w...

Went out on my heavy backcountry skis this morning, fantastic conditions, and great alpenglow on Algonguin. (Click on the photo to enlarge ...

Here she is opening a present ... New halter for Birch.

A spectacular day ... I think the snow may last until Sunday!

Except for the downed trees, and an occasional boggy spot ... Conditions on the biathlon trails were excellent.

From my favorite company ... Despair Inc ... check out their website its incredibly funny.

The Black Dike ice climb was done last weekend in NH! October 20th ... amazing.