30 Years Ago: still on the agenda?

The Cassin Ridge, like Ahab and the White Whale, has consumed much of my psychic energy in the mountains. One of the most beautiful hard alpine routes in the world ... I still dream about it.

Le Beatnik: a video

Gary Hemming lead a mythical alpine life until his suicide in the Tetons. Robert Redford always wanted to make this film and play this part. Now an English production company has produced a conceptual piece on their way to raising money for a full length film version of this enigmatic climber. Click here to watch the video.)

Video Trailer

UPDATE - 12/04/08: Andy Parkin documentary wins Special Jury Prize at Kendal!
We are delighted to announce that Andy Parkin: A Life in Adaptation has just been awarded the Special Jury Prize at Kendal Mountain Film Festival, where it premiered over the weekend. (Click here to see a video clip.)

A Little Humor

PENMEN® was created by 12 year old artist Gary Blehm in 1977 in a one room school house near Aspen, Colorado. The first official poster was published in 1989 entitled, “Find the Two Identical PENMEN®” with 1,039 characters doing everything from floating in a raft, to playing Frisbee, guitar, drums, sports, backpacking, etc.. 100,000 posters were sold, which led to a book published through Harcourt Brace. Then in 1995, the wordless comic strip was syndicated nationally through Creators Syndicate, inc. In 2006, keeping warm by a wood stove in a Lake George, Colorado cabin, Gary animated 6 episodes of a short PENMEN adventure series for European television through JETIX, a Disney owned company.

Amazing Alpine Feat

Steck Solos Grandes Jorasses in 2:21
By Dougald MacDonald / The Mountain World

Enlarge
The Colton-Macintyre Route (1,100m, ED2 WI6 M6) on the 3,600-foot north face of the Grandes Jorasses, first climbed by Britons Nick Colton and Alex MacIntyre in 1976. Ueli Steck deviated from this route for two steep ice pitches on the 1993 Alexis route in the middle of the climb. Courtesy of Ueli Steck.
Ueli Steck has soloed the Colton-MacIntyre Route on the north face of the Grandes Jorasses in 2 hours 21 minutes, the fastest time for any route on the premier north wall of the Mont Blanc massif. The Swiss climber had never been on this route. Steck carried a 50-meter 5mm rope, two ice screws, two pitons, and four carabiners; however, he completed the 3,600-foot route, including difficult dry-tooling, without using the rope or pro. He stopped his watch atop Pointe Walker, the highest point of the Grandes Jorasses.

Last February, Steck broke his own record for speed-climbing the north face of the Eiger, climbing the classic 1938 route in 2 hours 47 minutes 33 seconds. In March 2006, he climbed the Bonatti Route on the north face of the Matterhorn in 25 hours, a record for that route but not the face; Walter Bonatti took five days on his first ascent of the route in 1965.

Date of Ascent: December 28, 2008

Pinnacle Gully

Click on this link to read Guy Waterman's account of the ice climbing history of this important climb in New Hampshire ... see pages 86-93.

Evening Chores

Selden feeding Birch, after giving hay to the sheep, and milking Katika.

A Card From Santa

Now that holidays have past, and I have eaten too much, I can reflect
on how special the time was. Of course, this card from Santa in my
stocking really made my day on Christmas.

Larry Gearing Up

Moderately thin conditions, much harder than listed, and Larry just
flew up Cascade Ice Dance. The first pitch was delicate and
technical, the second pitch had a very steep column with some stems on
thin icicles.

Cascade Ice Dance

As Don Mellor says the best line at the Cascade Lakes, although often
not in shape. Today it was in thin but manageable conditions.

Michael Franklin: 30 years ago

Some of you may ask, what does a one pound hunk of fruitcake (a Christmas present from my sister) have to do with Michael? Well almost 30 years ago to the day, Michael had finished visiting his family in Boston and so headed out for a week of ice climbing in New Hampshire with Hock and Mike Brochu. Given the rudimentary gear their totals were pretty good: soloed Cinema Gully twice, Pinnacle and Damnation Gullies in Huntington Ravine, Dracula-Chia-Pegasus at Frankenstein Cliff, and the Black Dike on Cannon.

The latter climb, completed after dark was a relatively early repeat, of the now classic climb. Done in good style - Hock wielding a piolet and carrying his Chouinard alpine hammer as a third tool - still was a stretch for the boys. Freezing cold, topping out without having food or drink all day, we broke out the water bottles (frozen shut) and the food. Michael Franklin grabbed the Claxton fruitcake, took a huge bite, and I said "the wrappers are still on," and he said, "I know that you A-hole but its too F-ing cold too peel it off, and I am starved."

Instead of the customary rap back to the sacs, the evening concluded with a bushwhack to the car, only to find that the keys were in the sac at the base of the route ... it was a long day (and night).

Happy New Year

Lucy and her friend Teresa in the loft of the Fossil Cabin. Meanwhile 10-15 people were crammed below munching on Selden's homemade pigs in a blanket and various dessert items. (Notice the prayer flags which came from Lewie's basecamp on the West Ridge of the 23,500' Pumori.)

Yoga

Click here to access the New York Times article on the humorous side of yoga.

Skiing: the way it used to be

The NCS tow house, powered by a 1957 Ford engine. The rope tow gets
spliced regularly and it eats ski gloves for breakfast.

Skining Up The NCS Ski Hill

Temperatures are dropping fast. I headed out for a quick ski tour on campus (rossignol stratos and Ramer bindings from the mid-70s) before our New Year's Eve party. Unfortunately the ski hill was too icy to enjoy.

Audiotape: first chapter of Mount Analogue

Click here to link to the website, with a five minute recording of the first several pages in the allegorical Mount Ananlogue. (The photograph is of the author Rene Daumal.)

A Gift From Santa

MOUNT ANALOGUE ... do you know it? A reissue of a twentieth-century classic in the acclaimed Tusk Ivories series A twentieth-century classic, Mount Analogue combines the author's poetic gifts and philosophical accomplishments in a manner that is both entertaining to read and profound to contemplate. The novel is a representation of the author's own spiritual quest, transposed into fictional form, and was published posthumously in 1952. This edition is newly translated by Carol Cosman, with an afterword by Vera Daumal. Among other things, this is an allegory for the journey of life, as well as a marvellous tale in which the narrator/author, one of an intrepid company of eight, sets sail in the yacht Impossible to search for Mount Analogue, the solid, geographically located, albeit hidden, peak that reaches inexorably towards heaven - as Mount Olympus reached to the home of the Greek gods, or Mount Sinai to the presence of Yahweh. Daumal, often described as one of the most gifted literary figures in twentieth century France, died before the novel was completed, providing an uncanny one-way quality to the journey that the reader cannot help but share.

Video: mixed climbing

Click on this link to see a short video from NE Ice.

50 Degrees

In spite of 24 hours of rain and warm temperatures the Porter Mountain Loop is in pretty good shape – hardly a bare spot – best enjoyed with a pair of waxless skis. The stadium is probably a puddle so park on the road near the Cascade trailhead. Keep your fingers crossed for more snow! (Although temperatures drop tonight and so the ice climbing will come back quickly.)

Dinner Plates

Gary took a big ice chunk in the face while climbing in Chapel Pond Canyon today ... Still reasonably
"cute" for a guy who will be pushing 60 soon.

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays. Never fear the stockings are anchored with an alien
and a knifeblade ... bomber protection. I hope your days are full of
family, friends, and fun in the mountains.

Feeling Pumped

Last laps on "Pitchoff Right" before the 6+ hour drive home.

Final Column

Brian putting in a "stubbie" to protect the last 15 feet of "Ice Slot."

On Belay

Gary doing the honors on "Ice Slot."

Chapel Pond Canyon

Gary having led "Positive Reinforcement" (NEI 3+), now Brian leads
"Ice Slot" (NEI 4-).

Chapel Pond

Fantastic ice, but single digits and high winds make the grades even
harder.

A Toast

Gary and Brian, having hung up their soggy gear to dry, toast another
great day in the mountains.

Second pitch

Brian placing his second piece on the second pitch ... Excellent ice.

Dry layers

After the 70 minute approach the Fossils pull out dry clothes at the
base of "Tendonitis."

Skiing in

The Fossils heading into the north face of Pitchoff.

Oops ... Maybe it's not so thick

Moments after Gary fell into the beaver pond.

Modeling New Boxer Shorts

Brian swears that these are the lynchin of his layering system.

First Screw of the Season

Gary placing his first piece on Buster. A beautiful afternoon with
four laps under our belt ... Brian is motoring up the Northway.

Quick Tune Up

I skipped lunch today to run a few laps on "Pitchoff Right." Conditions are superb and the weather will be good but on the cold side. Many routes are quite "fat" from Monday's rain. "Rugosity" a very stiff mixed route being one of the routes that is looking quite good.

Adirondack New Route

(Click on the photos to enlarge the pictures to see the climber leading out.) Matt Horner grabs first ice ascent of "Upper Partition", 5.8, on Giant Washbowl.

Matt Horner, with partner Jonas Morelli, rappelled down the Weissner Corner, Sat., Dec. 14, from the top of Giant Washbowl Cliff in Keene Valley, NY. to reach the base of the Upper Partition corner (rated a steep 5.8 in summer). Horner then led back up the thin ice with bomber rock gear obtained by excavating ice out of the crack in the corner. According to staff at The Mountaineer in Keene Valley, Morelli said he was unable to cleanly follow Horner's lead when the sun came out for 10 minutes and the ice became too unstable and detached to climb on.

Fred Beckey: king of the fossils

Click here to view the link to the New York Times article and video about the legendary 85 year old Fossil, who is still climbing.

Mountain Collection: how to do books

Mountain Collection: how to do books

Self-rescue ... Teach yourself to ski ... Training for Nordic
skiing ... Good glide ... Really cool telemark tips ... Really cool
backcountry ski book ... Mountaineering ... Free heel skiing ... Ski
mountaineering ... Rock climbing ... Learning to rock climb ...
Climbing ice ... Freedom of the hills ... Caldwell on cross
country ... Ski faster, easier ... Winter hiking and camping ...
EPSTI: instructor's manual ... How to shit in the woods ... The
wilderness handbook ... Backcountry skiing ... Don't look back ...
Leadership the outward bound way ... The climber's handbook ... The
handbook of climbing ... Basic rockcraft ... Sea kayaking ... Alpine
climbing ... Avalanche safety for skiers and climbers ... Cross
country ski conditioning ... One stride ahead .., the illustrated
guide to glacier travel and crevasse rescue ... The centered skier ...
Wilderness skiing

Blast From the Past

Given the leather boots, knicker socks, old bergans pack, and post
Denali water bottle .., I would put this as a mid-80s picture hiking
in the Adirondacks.

-18 degrees this morning

Incredibly chilly, but bright and sunny. The thermometer is up to +4
degrees for my mid-day ski.

Early Christmas

Selden's early Christmas present was propane lights for the Fossil
Cabin ... Superb Nordic conditions, beautiful ice, and below zero
temperatures tonight.

NCS Nordic Team

Most of our kids have been out a couple of times but today was the
first "official practice" for our oldest kids who have been engaged in
bio labs and secondary school applications.

Good Ice

I went out for a bit of top-roping on Pitchoff Right (NEI 3) which was fun, although the picture of Power Play on Chapel Pond shows that the early season conditions are quite good.

Mixed Climbing

The new winter bouldering area being developed on campus.

Blast From the Past

I walked into Larry's class today and he was using a scanned picture
of a teaching poster I had developed in the 1980s when I taught Earth
Science. (Click on the poster to enlarge the photograph.)

Frigid!

It is 10 am and the temperature is still well below zero ... The ice
will be awesome for the fossils.

Tuning Up

Larry had the NCS students out on some boulders practicing their mixed climbing skills, enclosed is a photo of him bouldering an M6 called "Waiting for John."

Stellar dentrites to transceivers

Larry teaching his 8th graders a detailed unit on snow physics which
includes theory, experimentation, as well as real life applications in
snow pits and doing grid searches for buried skiers.

Single Malt: the key ingredient to a fossil trip

There was an excellent article in this mornings New York Times about single malt. Much like sharpening your ice tools, I consider this a key ingredient to the start of the winter season. (Click on this link to access the article.)

Air fares are low

Book those flights! How can you go wrong? What a set-up: Brian offers to transport you from Albany, room and board is a freebie, the ice will be fantastic, the single malt is on me, and the air fares are the lowest holiday rates in years.