Blast from the past: south face of the column

Hock clearing the A2 pitch 100 feet off the bivvy at Dinner Ledge ... first time he ever placed a Friend!

Memories of Michael

So, what is your favorite mountain memory of Michael Franklin? And what is the next route that we will have a quorum on to spread some of his ashes? The picture above ways taken on top of Pinnacle Buttress on Mount Washington. Hock and Michael had just completed the four pitch Pinnacle Gully (NEI III+).

The Good Old Days

"The Fat Boys Come Back Skinny Expedition." Hock and Mark moments after unloading their gear from the plane. Notice the feed bag dangling from the neck, and the 50mm nordic racing boots. The unseen details include: one toothbrush between us, one book between us, no down parkas, only single mountaineering boots, and the barest minimum of climbing gear. Mark was under 11 days for the roundtrip Reno-Denali-Reno. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)

Larry R.

Friend of fossils taking NCS kids climbing in our own backyard. Hock
also got a few laps in too.

The New Heifer

Katika had a little baby that we named Hope. In another 3-4 days Selden will be back milking her and skimming off the cream. So, fossils it is time for a visit ... nothing like fresh heavy cream in your morning tea and coffee, not to mention the homemade heather bar crunch ice cream.

NCS students storm Rummey N.H.

Several weeks ago Larry R. - friend of fossils - took a bunch of
8th and 9th graders ice climbing on their "invitational only" trip.
Routes up to NEI IV+ and M5 were climbed.

Gary in Peru

Here is Gary at 18,500' at the base of the West Face, as we stalled out -- trying to forgo the advance basecamp -- and do a one-day blast from 14,000.'

Air fares are low, book that flight

Multiplication Gully (NEI III) will be our warm up ... how does mid-February sound?

Jon to write movie reviews

Click here to read a draft of Jon's first movie review for the Lake Placid News

Pre-Christmas Fossil Trip

The final rappel getting off the "Eye of the Needle" NEI 3+ on the backside of Pitchoff.

Amazing video trailer

If this doesn't get you energized nothing will. (Click on this link.)

Old, Tired, and Tattered

Kind of like us fossils. The original guidebook is pretty worn and
well thumbed ... When we going back?

Wildman of the Alps

On top of the Aiguille de Argentiere outside of Chamonix in the summer of 1977. Notice a few period pieces, the puffy Gerry down jacket which I still use and is now held together by duct tape. The army surplus mittens, with the trigger finger just visible. And the "slightly" unkempt beard. On a related note, the astute may pick out the Swiss Route on Les Courtes directly behind me, which did not have its first American ascent until 1965 when Chouinard and Kor climbed it some thirty years after the original ascent. The really keen eyed may be able to pick out the "Shroud" on the Grand Jorasses directly behind Les Courtes. SO DO ANY FOSSILS SEE THESE ICE ROUTE IN THEIR FUTURE?

An unusual posting

While skiing around campus yesterday I came upon this scene, one of my students pulling out a 13 inch lake trout while ice fishing. Hello Fossils, when are you coming for a visit? If the ice climbing is too daunting we can always go fishing?

NCS Whiteface Day

John D. - the tele guru - and one of my teachers is giving an
advanced lesson. I was his helper ... Somebody has to do it and it
sure beats the office.

1989 Fossil Trip

Cresting Jackass Pass in the Wind Rivers, the boys managed to do: East Ridge of Wolf's Head (II 5.6), South Buttress of Pingora (II, 5.6) and the Overhanging Tower - Shark's Nose Traverse (II, 5.6).

Sons and Daughters

Family outing in 1990 at Tuolumne Meadows. (With apologies for the blurriness ... This is an iPhone snapshot of a picture.)

Reflection on Sir Ed Hillary

Click here to read this article from the NY Times

Mountainfest

To get ready for Doug Scott's slideshow, friend of fossils - Matt
Hoffman - is doing laps on a thawing Pitchoff Right.

Hock to Introduce Doug Scott

Introduction:

I am excited but also flattered, as well as a bit surprised to be introducing our guest Doug Scott. As a headmaster of a local boarding school, I am mostly shackled to my desk. These days the only “Alpine starts” I am allowed are days like Wednesdays when I am on the road at 3 AM, rushing to catch the first train out of Albany to Manhattan … for a day of fund raising. And so I really hope that Doug will get a chance to hang out with some “real Adirondack climbers” while he is here.

Having said all that, for those relatively unfamiliar with the details, we are going to hear an amazing narrative about one of the great adventure stories of all time. More than a climbing story, more than a Himalayan tale, this a moment of high drama and a testimonial to all that is best in the human spirit. It is the kind of tale you expect to hear recounted third or forth hand, around a fire ring perhaps in Camp Four. (My first hearing of this tale was huddled around the stove in the Harvard Cabin in Huntington Ravine where I was the caretaker. Just a few short months after the events on the Ogre occurred, Paul Ross an ex-Brit was doing a bit of guiding, and regaling all at the cabin.) It is a tale that makes your jaw drop and your eyes grow wide with amazement. A tale that you pray you’ll never find yourself stuck in the middle of. A tale on par with Hillary’s climb, or Shackleton’s voyage, or Nansen’s ski crossing … its a tale you expect to read about in a book, as you never expect to hear the tale from the mouth of Odysseus ... tonight we have that great privilege.

Finally, Doug Scott is representative of an entire climbing generation. For those of you that are familiar with the book, he is indeed one of the Boys of Everest. Sitting at a study carrel in the basement stacks of the college library I constantly perused climbing rags when I should have been studying. Seemingly I lived to follow the escapades of Bonington, Whillans, Brown, Patey, Haston, Boardman, Tasker, and Renshaw, Rouse and Doug Scott, it was what got me interested in the sport in the first place. It was their stories of grim nordwands and lung busting 8000 meter peaks, not the short vicious overhangs at my Gunks, nor the multi-day aid routes of the Valley that caught my attention. And as my own climbing evolved, and my skills more closely matched my aspirations, it was Doug’s accounts of Denali that I turned to before heading off to the Cassin. It was his expeditions to the Garwhal that I read about before applying for permits to Kalanka and Dunagiri.

Please welcome Doug Scott.

Get the juices flowing!

The video is in French, but it is a sensational trailer on ice climbing

Skiing to Olympic Trails

Lucy and Hock are skiing the one kilometer trail from our property to
the biathlon trails. (Click on the photo to enlarge it ... our cabin is just visible in the bakground.)

Ice Belays 101

Well worth a look and a brief reminder

What is wrong with this picture?

Friend of Fossils, Edward Kenney is smiling but ... he has two identical "right" boots while his identical twin William - in France - has two lefts!

New Year's Eve

The buffet at the clubhouse ... The cabin is ready to go, the ice is
better than antime in the past decade AND we are not getting any
younger. Come on up to the north country.

Ewing Goes 1-4

In 1982 Mark went head-to-head in the California Gold Rush ski marathon and beat Hock. (Of course, Hock insanely went out with the lead pack of Olympians and national team members, and died after the first 25K.) However, since then in the intervening years Mark has lost four straight to the "Hockmeister." (The usual rationales ... bad wax, stiff back, sniffles, lack of training.)

The rumor-mill has it that Danny Hyde is out training - often by headlight to avoid detection - and plans to dust all Fossil comers on March 16, 2008.

click here to find out more about the Gold Rush

Rare Art to be Housed in Clubhouse

AP News is reporting a story that several - possibly many - objects of
rare art will be housed in the almost completed Fossil Clubhouse. It
is expected that the pieces will span many genre from kinetic
sculptures made from broken gear, to photography, to paintings and
drawings. (The object above is entitled, "The Cassin," and it depicts
Hock brewing up on the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna. The discerning
observer can just make out the stuff sack hanging around Hock's neck.
This key identifies the attempt as the 1981, "Fat Boys Come Back
Skinny" trip in which Mark and Hock went ultra-light ... Single boots,
no parkas, Nordic racing skis, 9 mm rope, six screws - setting a standard Mark Twight was to emulate, one book between them, one meal a day, no toothbrushes, and no shovel. The artist is reported to be Selden West working in acrylics. Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Another Rare Piece

Painted by noted Fossilette watercolorist - Selden - this piece
is entitled, "Jonny Dome." It depicts Hock roping up his three year-
old son Jon to ascend an un-named "dome" in Tuolumne Meadows. The outing was part of the famed Ewing-Hochschartner family vacation. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Fossil Spouses

Selden claims that Hock's caprilene long-johns smell. I personally assured her that no self respecting fossils wash their garments more than once a fortnight ... if that! She urged me to survey the spouses. So the question is, does your manly man launder his long-johns:

a) after every outing even if it is a one pitch, half day

b) after every long ski tour or full day on the hill

c) after several (3-4) mountain outings

d) after a couple of weeks

e) once a season

Please send responses to seldenwest@gmail.com

Running Laps

Larry Robjent (the Order of the Friends of Fossils) running it out on
Quarry Wall (NEI 4+) by Cascade Lakes. We then ran some laps on this
classic testpiece.

The Fossils are 0-3

The plum, the big kahuna, the trophy fish that has never been landed ... the Cassin Ridge of Denali. One of the most aesthetic and direct lines on any big mountain in the world. Over 10,000 vertical feet, 65+ degrees ice, and 5.7 rock at altitude. Will we ever go back?

Sunset from the porch

All the windows went in, some furniture, and we are getting ready to
christen the Fossil Clubhouse with a New Year's Eve party. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

Fossil Contest: name that route

The fives pictures below, represent routes that have been done multiple times by Fossils and their friends. NAME THE ROUTES ...

Question #2

Question #3

Question #4

Question #5

SCORING: 5 correct (either too much time indoors or you are a relatively young fossil with brain cells intact), 4 correct (you are a hard man), only 3 correct (you've spent too much time above 20,000'), only 2 correct (you've been drinking or possibly the early onset of senility), and 1 or none correct (you are probably almost comatose from the drugs they are using to 'scope your knees)

ANSWERS:

#1 ROYAL ARCHES
#2 DANA COULOIR
#3 WEST BUTTRESS OF DENALI
#4 MENDEL COULOIR
#5 GREAT WHITE BOOK

More Palisades

Mark Ewing went back with Lewie and on successive trips did the Moonlight Goddess and Sun Ribbon. There has been talk - off and on - of going back in to the area to do the last of the Celestial Aretes on Temple. So, is anyone up for a one-day blast of the Venutian Blind Arete (IV 5.7)?

Two Fossil Trips Separated by 25 Years

In the late 1970s Mark, Michael, and Hock hoofed it into the North Palisades for a week of climbing. It was early season and there was lots of snow about. The guys climbed "Moon Goddess Arete" on Mount Temple (III 5.7), the "Swiss Route" on Mount Sill (II 5.7), and the Thunderbolt to Polemonium Traverse (III 5.9). (Trip highlights included Michael Franklin's "surprise" glissade in shorts and Hock's pit stop at the basis of the Ibrium Tower.)

On Hock's 50th birthday gathering (summer 2002), the guys hired horsepackers to head back into the cirque. Mark, Lewie, Brian, Danny, and Hock headed in for a three day trip, with the larder incredibly well stocked. The routes done were the West Ridge of Gayley and the North Buttress of Starlight. (Trip highlights included Lewie's "discussion" with the horse packers about the card table, and Mark's bivouac.)

Clubhouse Sign

Lucy made a Fossil sign for the cabin.

Bomber Pro!

A medium hex and a tri-cam on the other side of the fireplace hold the
stockings up.

Fossil Quiz

What Fossil has ascended the Southeast Buttress route (III 5.6) of Cathedral Peak most frequently? When were the trips, and who was in attendance? (Hock has done five trips.)

Upcoming Fossil Objective?

A mini-guide to the Pharaoh Mountain classic ice route (click here)

The Roof Is On!

We are planning to christen the Fossil Clubhouse with a New Year's Eve party. Selden is amazing ... Although not too sexy looking in Michael's old overalls!

New Uses for the Old

An original Chouinard ice hammer being put to good use banging nails on the Clubhouse loft. The last time this fossil gear was used was in the late 1970s nailing "Stigma" and then on the North Buttress of Middle Cathedral in Yosemite.

Z Pulley System

The Fossil Clubhouse sleeping loft is going up but oops ... The cut
boards are not a good fit. Not having a come-along handy, Hock breaks out the gear and sets up a pulley system to tighten them up. We'll be ready for the Doug Scott slideshow and Mountainfest on January 9th.

Merry Christmas

Trimming our tree, Lucy gets to hang the ice tool ornament!

Doug Scott

The guest lecturer for January's Mountainfest, sponsored by the Mountaineer is Dou Scott. His slideshow will be about his epic trip to the Ogre in the Himalaya. Here he is crawling off the peak with two broken legs! HOW ABOUT ANOTHER GATHERING OF THE FOSSIL CLAN?

Fossil T-shirt

Folding the laundry and came across my commemorative 50th birthday shirt from 2002 ... it needs updating ... so what routes have two or more fossils done since then?

Lucy

Skiing out in the sugarbush with dad to make sure he doesn't have a
coronary.