• The hidden dangers of 60 degree slopes
• The power of a big quiver
• Lou Dawson on “Why it never gets better.”
• Trusting your instincts
• Ski like a Hedge Fund
• Doug Coombs on “Nibbling”
• Bob Athey on taking the high road
• Redefining challenge
• Doing it for the children
• The only known cure for avalanches and seasickness

I think I’m limited to 15 minutes, so some of these may not get covered.  My goal is to avoid mentioning the F word  (f*cets) or the flakes of ill repute (hoars) even a single time.  I expect these theories to get flushed straight down the avalanche sewer, so this might be your only chance to hear them.  For good measure, I’ll throw in a photo of a naked female.
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The downside of the WSE is that it is difficult to access, to say the least.  There may be a few places where you can do day trips, but for the most part it is Expedition Central and to get anywhere beyond the fringes  often involves winter camping, sled hauling and lots of shivering. With this in mind, I’ve teamed up with Wild Alpine and the Ultima Thule Lodge  to put together the inaugural “Wilderness Ski Week” from April 1-7, 2012.  This will be my forth time up to the Ultima Thule lodge and I’m sure it will be the highlight of the 2012 ski season.

Some photos from a previous trip – mouse over for captions, click to enlarge.

The idea behind the Wilderness Ski Week is to use the  Ultima Thule Lodge as a basecamp and then do daily ski mountaineering excursions from there using the planes and superb piloting skills of Paul Claus. Paul’s Turbine Otter has an incredible range and carrying capacity, which means we will have excellent access to a variety of regions and elevations.  A typical day might involve getting dropped off and skiing one zone, or if need be shuttling to a different area after a run or two and then flying back to the lodge for dinner and/or sauna.  There are also endless peaks to be skied (see Solidarity video below) and backdrops such as the Bagley Icefield, Mount Saint Elias and University Peak.

The trip dates are April 1-7 and a second week may be added based on demand. Group size will be limited and the objectives will  be adjusted based on conditions and skill levels of the group.  It is recommended for skiers with solid touring skills and although we will be getting flown out to each area, once there, we will be ascending under our own power.

Prices vary according to the level of accommodations and range from deluxe to ultra deluxe.  Suffering in a cold, wet tent and eating partially re-hydrated food is NOT included in this event.

For more information, visit the Wild Alpine website, or send an email directly to Aria Thomases who is the Programming Coordinator for the event.

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Ahhhhh… It is about time. These two lovely leafs are from the “Winter Indicator” tree across the street from our house in Park City, UT – elevation 7,100′.  The tree often changes color over 3-4 days, but for some reason this year it seemed to go all in one shot.  I may have just missed the early changes, but being a skiing optimist, I’d like to think that the sudden change can only mean one thing – it is going to be a HUGE winter.  :)
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Dinner will be sauteed Sea Bass with an iceberg on the side. The view out the cabin window during dinner.

One of the many things l love about this trip is that it takes place in November, so it’s a fantastic way to start the new ski season.  Unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, once you get back back home, you’ve got your ski legs under you and are ready to begin the new year.  Aside from that, skiing in Antarctica is an amazing experience that never gets old.  It is one thing to read about it, but another to be shadowed by penguins and seals in the Zodiac, then get out and ski a line where the roller balls from your edges tumble down thousands of feet before plunging straight into the deepest of the deep blue seas.

The daily commute and trailhead access.

This trip accommodates a wide range of skiing abilities, but obviously the more comfortable you are ski touring, the more skiing you’ll get in.  The price includes guides, of which I am one.  Groups are divided into teams of four per guide, so if you and three friends sign up, we’ll have our own little posse.  If not, you might get me anyways. ;)

The skiing is almost anything you want to make it, including steeps if you happen to be into that sort of thing...

The trip is November 8-20th and once you are on the boat the price includes almost everything but your bar tab and personal charges.  For more information, call Karyn Stanley at 530-582-1246, email her at Karyn@iceaxeexpeditions.com or check out the IceAxe.tv website.
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Ed Viesters described 50 as the new 30, but in any case, I’ll take it as it is better than the alternative, which is not turning 50 as far too many of my skiing buddies have done, may the shred in heaven. I’ve always assumed that at some point I might have to stop or curtail my skiing, so I’ve tried to enjoy it as much as I can, as often as I can, while I can.  But, I’ve somehow managed to avoid getting sidetracked and one good run has led to another, and then before you know it, it  adds up and turns into a lifetime of skiing. On a skiing trip to the Grand Teton, Doug Coombs mentioned that he never told his sponsors how old he was, which I got a laugh out of, as skiing had kept him eternally preserved at 18 and smiling, so it hardly mattered, at least to me.

Hiking Tuckerman's at age six.

I started skiing when I was four and some of my earliest memories are of  skiing at Alta, although at the time we were living in the East Coast and skiing at Mohawk Mountain. My mom taught skiing for years and was the main skiing instigator of the family.  We’d go every weekend, regardless of sheet ice, gushing rain or huge crowds. We later moved to Washington state where I spent many years skiing at Alpental, which I still consider my home mountain.  After a series of jobs I ended up moving back to Utah (where I was born) to work for Black Diamond Equipment, which is how I first got into backcountry skiing.  Since then, “skiing” for me has changed from racing and riding lifts to almost exclusively backcountry skiing.  I never would have predicted this years ago, but that is one of the great things about this sport – it has so many avenues to explore.

Still hiking 42 years later, this time in Antarctica. At least I've learned how to carry my skis on my pack by now. Photo by Adam Clark.

If I was to be hurt and not be able to ski,  I think the thing I would miss most would be all of the fantastic people and friends I have met along the way.  Sure, they would still be there and we’d still be friends, but there is something about sliding over snow-covered mountains with good friends that is far greater than the sum of its already great parts.  May it never end and a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been a part of it.

Happy turns!

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Hans (in red) at the Shishapangma south side ABC.

I have had the honor of being on the HSMF Board of Directors since its inception and on the grants review committee. There are many other grants out there for climbing and exploring, but as far as I know this is the one and only grant targeted specifically for Ski Mountaineering and it has become the Gold Standard of the sport.  The Fund awards up to $15,000 per year, which is a substantial amount of money.  In general, 3-5 projects are awarded cash, which may be fully or partially funded.  The emphasis of the grant is exploring new terrain under human power once your starting point has been reached.

Hans on an attempt to ski the Vision Quest Couloir, Grand Teton.

Here’s how to increase your odds of winning.

1) Apply.  Some years we get lots of applications, other years not so many.

2) Be creative with your goals.  This doesn’t mean it has to be some wildly exotic location (it could be your backyard), but more a matter of expanding the ski mountaineering genre.

3) The documentation aspect of the grant is important.  Hans was a writer, so he wrote about his trips, but documentation could be anything from a map, video, performance art, interpretive dance, painting or whatever you can imagine. The idea is to go skiing in a cool place and then by sharing it with the world, inspire others to do the same.

4) Answer the questions on the application. There have been a few good applications over the years that were panned as people had no idea what the budget was, or didn’t want to list their experience at the risk of “spraying.”

Go forth and conquer.
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Job Description:

• Go to exotic locations, climb beautiful mountains and ski them
• Provide product feeback
• Public speaking about the glories of Ski Mountaineering
• Photo shoot pose-downs
• Teach the occasional SM clinic
• Attend tradeshows and/or ski events
• Attend sales and/or design meetings

The ability to hold your own in a sausage-fest is helpful.

Your new office.

Minimum Requirements:

• Strong backcountry touring and/or ski mountaineering skills
• Semi long-term commitment
• Know the difference between facets and faucets
• Ability to turn left AND right in all snow conditions

Girlie pink is not required, but provides a good source of entertainment. Kellie Oh! in Argentina.

Left and right turns are required.

Desirable Requirements:

• Ability to thrive in a male dominated sausage-fest environment
• Enjoy cold weather camping
• Enjoy steep skiing
• Lead 5.8 trad or higher
• Skin at 1,000′ per hour or more
• Lead Class 4 ice
• Alpine climbing experience (Teton, Rainier, Shasta type things)
• No job conflicts, or better yet, no other job ;)
• English as a second language or better
• Flexible schedule

Office hours are from midnight until noon, or whenever the snow gets too soft. Petra climbing before the first descent of Mt. Buckner, WA

Meet great photographers and spray them with snow.

Job Benefits:

• All the gear you can eat
• The chance to ski your brains out
• Meet and travel with other fun, deranged and talented skiers
• Postpone adulthood indefinitely

A sense of humour and tolerance for immature behavior is important.

Occupational Hazards:

• Death
• Eventual loss of interest in other more financially rewarding work
• Lifestyle addiction
• Disdain of anything less than a perfect field of unbroken powder

I’m not doing the actual hiring, but will pass your: 1) Brief skiing resume and 2) Contact information along to those who will.  Please contact me at amclean@xmission.com.  Time is of the essence.

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Details: Saturday Evening, January 15th Silverton Town Hall 7:00PM.  SAS students get in free. There will be sponsor giveaways.

If you are around the area, I hope you can make it.
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Good god.

One of Greg's many semi-ethical tricks for big vert - using bionic sausage prosthetics. He has bull pizzle implants in his thighs as well.

Knowing Greg, I get a laugh out of people’s suspicions that he has some ulterior fame motive out of this.  Greg is just Greg and he is a fantastic expression of mental focus, physical endurance and a very high tolerance for pain.  I once saw him stuff his bleeding and blistered foot into a ski boot which had filled with snow overnight and was chilled to at least -20 degrees, then proceed to hack hundreds of feet of frozen fixed line out of the ice for no apparent purpose.  He’s a goal setter and numbers oriented guy whether he is planting trees or skiing big vert.  If he was a Hedge Fund Manager, I have no doubt he’s set some sort of record there as well (perhaps bankrupting all of Canada..).  One place where his focus and talents fail him is when playing Cribbage.  He is a ruthless cheat and felt no remorse about claiming victory over me in virtually every game.  Shameless.

Greg sporting a festering shin blister. I wonder if Tracy washed his socks after this two week trip?

David Ebner wrote a great summary on Greg’s quest in the Global and Mail and you can follow Greg’s final footage on his website at http://www.greghill.ca/ He is currently at about 1,800,000 and has 24 days left (tricky math – figure it out yourself).

I’m fully confident that Greg will make his goal and look forward to hear about it.  I hope he downloaded the Suunto software patch that fixes the altimeter problem before he started this project.  You did get that notice, didn’t you Greg?

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