flashback.

No, not the Ministry classic...though, I guess these events took place around the same time. I'm talking about a story from back in the day, before crows feet and back hair; and, at the risk of crossing genres: "In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man." This is a tale that tells of youthful exuberance and lessons in humility.

So, thanks to David Crothers and Climberism Magazine for the inspiration to share my story of the old days, back home, where it all began.

Head over to Climberism, subscibe (it's a free, ad-supported online mag - and I promise, spam-free as well), then check out issue 8 for my feature article. I'd also love some feedback, good, bad or indiffernt, so please - fire away!

gettin' down and dirty

...hit The Great One (bridger range) with Chris Ebeling the other day and found super-awesome, amazing-sweet turns in the upper couloir; the lower, not so much.  It looks like the wet spring and lower elevation cleaned things out considerably and devastated some of the forest below - pretty gnar.  Regardless, the upper stretch alone is well worth the trip right now.

Here's a quick shot of the bottom feeding:
oh, and remember, head to vimeo if you're down with the hd...

Summer Skiing (some are not)

July 9, 2011...We missed the classic 4th of July mark for die-hard, celebratory backcountry skiing, but perhaps with the record snowpack this year, that benchmark should be pushed back; August 4 would likely be a more accurate test of the hardcore's resolve to chase an endless season this time around.

As noted in my previous post, I didn't exactly get around to skiing this past winter season -- like, zero, nadda, nil, zilch days on the boards since wrapping up ten months of consecutive turns in July of 2010.  This has left me not only a little confused, but also pretty hungry for the sensations of glide and exposure (not to mention, a fiendish Need For Speed).  And so it goes...after riding out far too many rainy weeks on the couch and having once more tasted the sweetness of spring corn as the clouds have parted, I've been a solar-powered, Red Bull-fueled, early-rising, creek-crossing, farmer-tanned (red-necked-whitey is more like it) aspect-chasing machine.  I simply can't get enough and my quads are ready to explode.

Here's a quick vid from the other day (watch on Vimeo in HD and full-screen, with volume cranked for maximum viewing enjoyment):

Great Weather for Ducks

Not much to report, unless you're interested in my rantings of pent-up emotion as a result of staring at the same four walls, watching incessant rain course over window panes and the spring climbing opportunities wash away...  wwmftd?

Despite this being the rainiest season I can remember, I did manage a high-quality outing with good friend and partner Drew Ruderman - damning the rain and Positive Mental Attitude intact, we made a honest effort to bag one of the ephemeral mixed lines on the south face of Beehive Peak, near Big Sky.  The routes can be amazing, but given their elevation and aspect, require pretty specific weather conditions.

This season, the melt/freeze cycle needed to form ice on the typically sunny face became more and more of a melt/melt cycle, so we opted for Plan B and enjoyed record snow on the east ridge of the peak.  Classic and moderate terrain was tempered with copious snow and firm, frozen conditions on the north aspect eased the challenge of 5th class mixed climbing in ski boots, while to the contrary, the boards strapped to my back behaved like the sails of a great ship in strong, shifting, erratic winds, tossing me off balance when least expected.

After simul-climbing from the east col, adrenaline began to pump hard and fast as I clicked into my skis on the summit and felt the enormous exposure circling, spinning 360 degrees of extreme consequence and threatening to pull me into an apprehension-fueled vertigo.  Not having been on skis since July of 2010, these would be my first turns of the year.  I opted for a belay. 

Once in motion, I felt at home and suddenly the summit descent seemed a little anticlimactic.  Off belay and a body length of down-climbing put me at the top of a 300cm-wide gully that ran out to a pocket of snow perched over yet more exposure - a quick hipcheck on my last turn in the pocket, only a few feet from the edge of the world, reminded me that this was indeed still very real terrain. A billy goat traverse linked to the top of a much larger gully and beautiful turns above one last pinch.  A short hike up and over the west col brought us to the top of the Fourth of July Couloir and a cruiser descent on down to the tall boys we'd stashed in the snowbank back at the trailhead.

Now let the sun shine...

Drew Ruderman amplifying his power and will high on the east ridge - PMA Bob, PMA...

Alpinist TV

Like most of us, I love a good ego stroking -- even if I have to do it myself sometimes (yes, by all means, feel free to read into the innuendo, that's part of the fun in this self-deprecating shtick).  I love the validation I feel when complimented on my abilities as an instructor or when sponsors keep me on year after year...there's some sense of relief I feel (along with the lightness of being that my ballooning ego provides); a sense of relief that perhaps this climbing gig isn't a total farce, a waste of an otherwise (potentially) useful member of the working class.

Imagine my ecstasy when I received email, out of the blue from the crew at Alpinist.com, expressing interest in one of my nascent video shorts.  From my first reaction to now, I've run through a gamut of feelings that I can only imagine closely follows suit to those experienced by monkeys you might have seen at the zoo, as they first discover the simplicity and apparant joy found in their public display of pleasuring themselves in the most imaginative of ways.

Disregarding my drivel... I'm sincerely flattered and utterly stoked to be associated with Alpinist TV.  Many thanks to Daniel Starr and Keese Lane for taking note and their continued encouragement.  You guys are awesome.

You can follow the links to check out the featuring of these vids on Alpinist.


http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web11w/video_deadfall


http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web11w/video_bourbon_tan





 

Cody

I, uhh....sorta fell behind the curve once more.  All the same, happy to report that the Cody Ice Fest was a blast again this year.  Don Foote does an amazing job of putting it all together and really pulls off a great event.  New Belgium Brewing definitely does their part as well (bottomless Ranger IPA's -- dear lord...).  And of course a huge thanks goes out to Black Diamond and Sterling Ropes for their support also.

Confession time: by mid-February I'm usually pretty well sated in terms of my appetite for ice climbing so, while Cody is renowned for it's long, continuous ice lines, word is slipping out on the high-quality bouldering to be had just on the edge of town (shirtless in the winter sun no less), I was quite happy to sneak in an afternoon of pure, sandstone-pullin' joy in good company.

Marko: getting full-value from his Five-Tenies.

LoLo: saving the day with a delicious beverage.

Doug Shepard did a great job of warming the stage for Jack Tackle as team BD provided the entertainment for Friday evening and the beer flowed freely as we all mingled and laid plans for the following morning.

Doug and Jack: covering the finer points, err, pints.

Saturday was a fantastic clinic day for me with a few familiar faces and a couple of new friends, covering lots of material on the super-classic Broken Hearts.  At the end of the day, my best "teachable moment" was backing off the very top of pitch three... I tried left; I tried right; center was missing and replaced with a surging cascade of ice water that revealed just how little of the entire pitch was actually attached to the wall.  So, I stuck to my plan and backed off exactly where I told my students I would.  In discussing the matter and how to decide when to back off in general, I stressd the point (to my group of six dudes) that "I've backed off way easier stuff in front of way hotter chics than you guys."

Broken Hearts, Pitch 1: everybody up!

More Rangers; Majka Burhardt on Ice Climbing and Africa, not in Africa; a massive dinner; the "Tough-Axe Awards" (I took first for easiest pitch backed off) and a drunken pull-up contest rounded out the evening.  Well, that and a few more Rangers...

Given the hangovers and the fallen temps, my partner Marko and I opted for a recovery day before presenting Sunday evening.  I filled in for Jim Shimberg on short notice, which was nice, since I had much less time to stress over getting my show together.  A quick assemblage of still shots with a soundtrack by The Melvins got things going and, much to my relief, everyone seemed to enjoy the collection of climbing vids that I put together.  Needless to say, I was pretty stoked to sit back and see the audience actually watching the show...

Home Field Advantage (talk about milage...)

I've been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time on a few occasion.  Sometimes luck plays a greater role; other times it's more a matter of stubbornness...er, I mean dedication, will and embodiment of pure spirit or some crap like that.  More often than not, nabbing a quality first ascent, particularly on ice or mixed terrain, has everything to do with the timing.

I often used to think that the more prolific first ascentionists had some sort of a deal with the devil thing going on...how else could they keep nabbing all of these fine and ephemeral lines?  I wondered...  With the passage of time, and my own occasional good fortune, I've begun to realize that it is more likely a matter of wisdom or "mountain-sense" that leads to this serendipitous timing.

Scoring the F.A. on Home Field Advantage was the result of more than 10 years of diligent, patient waiting and watching.  It's a line that had caught my eye long ago, yet never really came into condition and more or less fell off my radar, outside of serious consideration.  I never really said much about it to anyone, nor did I hear of it mentioned by others.  All along, Joe Josephson was right there as well, also quietly watching...stalking from the sidelines.

Somewhere in the social network, I caught wind that John Frieh and Bryan Schmidtz would be in town and JoJo's "vague" description of where he thought they should go tipped me off.  I was like a fly to shit...there was no way I would miss the opportunity to catch this line I'd been spying on for an embarrassingly large portion of my adult life.

We ironed out plans and braved sub-zero temps -- our commitment to the project, despite the cold was rewarded with a fantastic day of climbing in the company of good friends; a memorable experience and the satisfaction of perseverance leading to success.

For the last few seasons, since our first ascent, the route has begun to form regularly and fatter than ever.  With this, the popularity of the line has surged and it's now considered a modern classic.  I recently visited Home Field with compatriots Marko Pujic and Craig Pope.  Below is a short video from that day; click away, go to full-screen and crank the volume.

Enjoy -

Also, check out ColdThistle.blogspot.com for a little more route history.