the end of 2008

Merry Christmas

Heather and I want to wish everyone a very happy Holiday season. Here's to an enjoyable winter...

Heather finding bliss in our backyard

That's me finding bliss too!

Pitches with Pros

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to rope up with Steph Davis on Moab's desert sandstone or climb ice with pro Will Mayo? Mammut USA, has teamed up again with Big City Mountaineers to create Pitches with Pros, a new program that will send a handful of lucky winners on their trip of a lifetime, while helping urban teens to do the same.The sweepstakes is under way now and ends 1/11/09.
5 winners will be drawn and paired up with one of our five professional climbers:
Dean Lords
Dean Potter
Steph Davis
Will Mayo
Sean Jones
$5 per entry or 5 for $20
All proceeds benefit Big City Mountaineers
. For complete raffle rules and regulations, and to enter the contest at any time, visit: http://pitcheswithpros.com/Work.html For information on the Pros, visit: http://pitcheswithpros.com/About_climbers.html or http://www.mammutusa.com/athletes.php About Big City MountaineersThe goal of Big City Mountaineers, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is to provide urban teenage youth with challenging, safe outdoor experiences designed to build self-esteem and positively impact their beliefs about themselves and their relationship with others. To learn more about Big City Mountaineers, visit www.bigcitymountaineers.org.

Same ol stuff

It's been a pretty normal week. Two days of gym climbing; some power, some endurance. Three days of skiing. Some work around the house. Nothing super exciting. I did ski Green Mountain in the Tetons with a couple of friends. Trip report at: http://nopiste.blogspot.com/ and Heather and i skied at Targhee yesterday.

The one positive thing is that i seem to be having less pain in my knee. I am starting to wonder if the up hill travel on skis has helped to strengthen things in my knee; possibly providing some needed muscle balance as i have not really done much cardio and leg work this summer. I suppose that's what happens when I'm psyched about sport climbing.

It looks like Heather and I will be traveling to the St. George area just after Christmas for several days. We'll get to spend some time with several of our dear friends climbing and just goofing off. We are looking forward to this very much.

It continues to snow here and it's starting to really pile up. Looking forward to some ski touring on Kelly Mountain just behind our house. Should be worthwhile by the end of the week if the snow keeps coming. Keep your fingers crossed.

I love winter...really!

That's not a drool-cicle in my Goatee. Promise!

Honestly it wasn't until late January of 2008 that i started getting excited about skiing again. I grew up alpine skiing with my family and friends. Discovered the joys of exploration on cross-country skis around the age of 10. A guy that i worked with at the long time gone, Solitude Sports, showed me the graceful art of Telemark skiing when i was 15. Ice climbing started to consume my time in winter and skiing fell by the wayside. The last time i remember skiing down hill for fun was with Jess at Teton Village, maybe during the winter of 2000 or 2001. I might have skied Jackson Pass a handful of times that winter too, but i don't really remember.

I picked up a used pair of skis last winter mounted with AT bindings. I felt like i didn't have the time to dedicate to Telemark skiing enough to allow me to ski comfortably and in control in a myriad of conditions and terrain. I had a lot of fun and got out enough to justify new skis, boots and bindings for this year! Even Heather ditched the snowboard this year and equipped herself with a pair of Black Diamond Joules! Yesterday was my 6th day of skiing this season and for the first time ever, i have skied more this winter than i have been ice climbing. Pretty much everyone skis, and pretty much everyone is much better than i am at skiing. I suck at it which makes it so much fun for me!

Most of the time, winter is my favorite season. I love rock climbing, but there is something about winter and being outside that moves me. Okay, i don't like standing around in the cold, but winter climbing, skiing, and exploring is as enjoyable to me as rock climbing during the other three seasons of the year! Who knows maybe I'll ski more this winter than i will have the opportunity to go ice climbing. That's cool i suppose...

I have a trip report from skiing on the Crows Nest yesterday at http://nopiste.blogspot.com/

Justin and Chad, thanks for the photos and fun day on Friday.