Backcountry Shovel Review

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE REVIEW FROM STRAIGHT CHUTER.

Perfect Haute Route Training ... Canadian Ski Marathon

A spectacular event, and I plan to ski 100K with some of the NCS students. Stegs is thinking about it ... who else?

Snow and Ice Conditions in the Adirondacks

After the New Year's thaw we have had seasonably cold temperatures and a little bit of snow every night. As the screen capture shows, we will continue to get snow this week, and the ice climbs will continue to get fatter. While snow depths are below normal you can see the NCS ski team waxing up ( and clowning around) for a classical workout.

Amazing end to the Tour de Ski

Given her enormous lead from her incredibly even performance in every stage, Justyna Kowalcyzk won the Tour handily and became the first female winner to repeat. However today, the Norwegian Theresa Johaug had the fastest time, and an amazingly high skating tempo for such an incredibly steep hill. She was wearing a heart rate monitor and Eurosport was clocking her at working at 94% of her maximum heart rate for almost the entire climb! Kikkan Randall - in her first ever Tour de Ski - finished 21st, and continued to show the Euros that she is a force to be reckoned with. She is in 13th place in the overall World Cup standings, and ranks 3rd in the World Cup sprint division.

The climb up Alpe Cermis

Norwegian nordic legend - Vegard Ulvang - does a video course inspection of this final stage of the Tour de Ski. The climbing speed, strength, and heart-lung capacity of the world cup athletes who will be hammering up this course today is amazing. American Kikkan Randall and Kris Freeman had poor skis yesterday, but watch both of them rebound today. Canadians will be fighting for an overall Tour podium, and my bet is on Babikov to take the prize money home for this stage ... they don't call him "the Bulldog" for nothing.

The last stage of the Tour de Ski

Think you are a stud, pride yourself on your fitness, think you are a good climber on skis ... check in tomorrow morning (link enclosed) to see if Petter Northug can catch Dario Cologna. Also, watch the Canadian Babikov come from behind as this massive climb is his forte.

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO ACCESS A VIDEO FEED FROM EUROSPORT TV.

Chamonix: death sport capital of the world

Author Jon Karkauer may be best known for INTO THIN AIR, however EIGER DREAMS is my personal favorite. In this collection of short stories there is a gem of an essay, simply entitled, "Chamonix." He does by way of capturing the tone and tenor of the modern day alpine hamlet, what Shelley and the romantic poets of England did in the early 1800s, or the Victorian British mountaineers did during the golden age of mountaineering. This is a superb read. If you are too cheap to buy the book, or simply have your bedside table already clogged with titles, click on the enclosed link, click again on the book to search inside, then type in "Chamonix" and go to page 86 ... you will be able to read all but the first two pages of this delightful story ... not to be shared with spouses.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE AMAZON.COM LINK.

Zermatt Webcams

Its time to step up the training. Make sure that on every weekend, at least one of your days is a long one ... 2-3 hours of aerobic endurance work or at least a half day riding lifts. Once again, you might want to bookmark this site to keep the motivation high. (Oh, and the cemetery just visible in the photograph is a sobering place, it is dedicated to those that have been killed climbing or skiing the local peaks. Chamonix guide, Michel Croz, from the ill-fated first ascent party in 1865 is buried here.)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VARIOUS WEBCAMS IN, AND AROUND ZERMATT.

MOUNTAIN QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In the mid-1800s William Blake wrote:

Great things are done when Men and Mountains meet,
This is not done by Jostling in the Street.

The enclosed picture shows the North Face of the Grand Jorasses, one of the great alpine classics. Off to the right, is the spire-like Geant. The picture was taken from the top of the Aiguille du Midi, right where we will put skis on for our descent of the Mer de Glacé.

Chamonix webcam

A view from early this morning in Chamonix, at the Balmat square which celebrates the first climb of Mount Blanc. I suggest you bookmark this link as in addition to the town itself, it has webcams of Brevent, Grand Montet, Mer de Glacé, Punta Helbrunner, and the Aiguille de Midi.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS ALL THE WEBCAMS IN THE CHAMONIX VALLEY.

La Nina

It seems that the West coast is being hammered by storms, and that the snow depths are astronomical.

CLICK HERE TO READ AN INTERESTING ARTICLE FROM THE SACRAMENTO BEE.

World Ski Mountaineering Championships

2008 Teams World Championship from skimountaineering.org on Vimeo.

A short video to keep you motivated on your Haute Route training schedule ... also some great close-ups of transitions ... hopefully we will get our skins off as quickly and efficiently!

Winter in the Adirondack Mountains

On the first day of winter term, while I was taking the Nordic team out on the Olympic trails, a bunch of our students were shoveling off one of our ponds for skating. The peak in the background is Cascade which is 4000'.

Will Gadd Ice Climbing Tips

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE BLOG ARTICLE ON GRAVSPORT.

Haute Route Miscellany

First completed as a walking route, the High Level Route (HLR) was often done in the mid to late 19th century by members of British Alpine Club. The tour from Chamonix to Zermatt is still a popular summer hiking excursion. It was first skied in January 1911, and so we will be doing a 100th anniversary trip. Finally, in 2008 the record for the Haute Route in a day was set by Bonnel and Brosse in 21 hours, 11 minutes.

How is your training going?

"Euro Death Knot" ... not really

Alpine Touring Gaining In Popularity

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN MAINE'S LARGEST NEWSPAPER

ATC GUIDE

After a late afternoon sauna with Brian, Santa gave me the Black Diamond ATC Guide. Pretty exciting, and this video covers the all important topic of how to lower a second that has locked the belay device.

How-to Video: Using the Black Diamond ATC Guide from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

Climbing Gym Video

While there is no substitute for the real thing, and while I certainly do not feel weightless moving from hold to hold, and while I would suffer devastating injuries if I were to even attempt some of the moves pictures ... it is still pretty appealing to watch these gym rats (especially the 8 year old) crank it out.

Fantastic Climbing Novel

How have I missed this 2001 Boardman-Tasker prize winner? By Roger Hubank, the author of NORTH FACE, this historical novel of the Golden Age of Lake District rock climbing is a gem. Many of the scenes are set in Wasdale head out on the Gable, Napes Needle, and Scafell. Many of the luminaries - Collie, OG Jones, and the Abraham Brothers - are here. This is a coming of age story set in an England consumed by the Boer War, conformity to Edwardian mores, the increasing industrialization of the country, and the fore-shadowing of the loss of the Empire. Brilliantly written and with a scope that places it well beyond the average climbing novel, if indeed there is such a thing!

Or, it doesn't get better than this!

Stegs and I had a great training day for the Haute Route on AT gear, which ended with gorgeous alpenglow on Cascade.

It doesn't get much better than this!

Porter Mountain Loop

Excellent and very fast conditions out on the Olympic trails. This is the first iPhone picture I have taken wearing gloves, which as you may know is no small feat. (Lucy sewed in some special patches that conduct the ions, which allow you to use these devices with gloves.)

Very Funny Photo Essay

If you have never visited the Pimpin and Crimpin hysterically funny climbing site, it is worth a visit. Photo essays like "Twelve Climbers You Know" or "The Cute Climbing Girl Of The Week" are over the top. This essay is entitled "What Your Belay Device Says About You."

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO ACCESS THE PIMPIN AND CRIMPIN ARTICLE.

Distance Workout

Fueled by Selden's pecan pie I headed out for many laps on - and around - our ski hill. I was using mountaineering skis, lots of good vertical, and when I was done I stacked firewood for just under an hour.

Ski Mountaineering in the Himalayas

I always wanted to do an expedition to the Himalayas. My goals were always two-fold, first to climb an 8000 meter peak and second to do a long ski traverse (Haute Route) and tag some peaks along the way. This photograph was taken from the website Telemark Tips.

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO READ ABOUT THIS SKI TRIP TO THE NANDA DEVI SANCTUARY.

Temperatures just went above zero

I went out for a short ski with Brian and Holly before I headed into the office.

Superb Nordic conditions

However, it was pretty chilly when Lucy and I went out on our skate skis ... About 5 degrees. Tonight we are supposed to get 5-7 more inches.

Ice Climbing in the Canadian Rockies

Barry Blanchard's list of his top ten favorite moderate routes ... Of course his idea of moderate may be a bit different from most.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE SHORT ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN CLIMBING MAGAZINE.

Haute Route Training

MERRY CHRISTMAS. I just finished an hour of laps up and down the NCS ski hill. Notice my special Santa visor hat!

The Alpine Santa Came

In our house the best Christmas presents are always books. And while I always get some serious literature, if truth be told, it is the addition to the mountaineering library that are most coveted. Of the six titles, three are reprints of old classics, two are climbing novels, and one is a scholarly work.

A Truth Seen While Shopping

I saw this T-shirt while looking for last minute stocking stuffers ... HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

> As my college buddies - the D Phi Haute Route expedition - get ready to head into the mountains with our guides, gore-tex, hi tech AT gear, and grey hair, I quickly pulled together some pictures of a different day.
>
> In order of appearance: Stegs ice climbing on the Athabasca glacier in Canada, Hock-Stegs-Trols leaving Edmonds col in January 1974 on a traverse of the northern Presidential Range, Harry and Hock calling it a day and heading for the gunks, Hock-Lenny-Dick on a warm winter day heading up Mount Washington, and Stegs in bluejeans and wooden planks skiing into the Carter Notch hut. (The picture quality is low, as I quickly just took an iPhone picture of my Kodak instamatic photographs. Someday soon I will have the time to scan them.)
>

More Snow in the Adirondacks

We got another five inches of snow today and Lucy and I toured around the sugarbush and ski hill just before dark. (She is standing in front of the tow house.) This morning before heading into the office I did some pitches with Larry.

Avalanche Safety Test

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO ACCESS THIS SELF ASSESSMENT OF YOUR AWARENESS.

MOUNTAINEERING QUOTE OF THE WEEK

No doubt Santa is going to bring each fossil some more gear in the next 36 hours. Never forget, it was our antiquated gear that gave us the name Fossils. These days though it is safe to say, our gear is more hi-tech than it used to be ... Gore-tex, wire gate biners, specters, as well as super-light ropes, tents, packs, and boots. So, please let's not forget our roots; swami belts, 70cm axes, and leather boots.

The quote today comes from Harold Raeburn, a Scottish hardman of the late 1880s and early 1900s. He put up many rock routes on Ben Nevis, the first winter ascent of Observatory Ridge, and he was the climbing leader on the 1921 Everest recon.

"Think of everything you could want on a climbing expedition, say, of thirty hours. Cut out from this all you think might be fairly easily dispensed with. Take with you 50% of the remainder."

Analysis of 2009-2010 Avalanches in France

As we gear ourselves up physically for the Haute Route, so too is there a need for mental preparation ... Glacier travel, rescue procedures, snow dynamics, and avalanche safety precautions to be reviewed.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE REPORT.

The Three Best Novels About Skiing

If you are looking for a last minute holiday gift from Amazon.com, try one of these three. A MEDAL OF HONOR by Olympian John Morton captures the real life drama of biathlon. As a competitive biathlete from the 1980s several characters are composites of folks I used to race against. Any Nordic racer would love this novel. THE DOWNHILL RACERS by Oakley Hall was the inspiration for the 1969 movie with Robert Redford. It does for Alpine skiing what the previous book does for Nordic. Finally, THE SNOW GODS by Herbert Burkholtz is a fictionalized history of skiing in the 20th century, with terrific writing, and a cast of characters that spans multiple generations. I read each of these novels every year as the snow begins to fly.

YOU ARE INVITED

Trimming the Tree

Selden's Blog and the Fossil Fest

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO READ SELDEN'S ACCOUNT OF THE FOSSIL FEST.

Fossil Climbing Summary

During the Fossil Fest, the following routes were climbed: Pitchoff Right (multiple laps), Buster (multiple laps), Chouinard's Gully, Green Gully, Cascade waterfall, and the Quarry. The Fossils pictured range from 56 to 60 years young!

The Quarry ... NEI IV

The fossils are headed home, although it was a nice morning to finish on. BD climbed leashless ... He's the man!

The 10 best depictions of the Alps in literature

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS SHORT ARTICLE FROM THE GUARDIAN.

Sunset at Fairhope Farm

I came back from climbing a bit early so I could fire up the sauna.

Cascade Falls and Green Gully

Another day with moderate temperatures and superb ice climbing. Of course with overnight lows around -10 degrees, the ice was pretty brittle. Frank and Edward started early as they were going to ski the Nye slide.

Prepping for another day of climbing

Keeping the fossil anatomy running requires a delicate balance between sipping single malt in the cabin and massaging spastic muscles in Hock's living room.