Brian and I have become super disciplined about our turn around times.All good things must come to an end. My favorite magazine, a monument to the climbing world and probably one of the best publications (for tons of reasons) has ended.
http://www.alpinist.com/
Alpinist LLC to Suspend Operations
Jackson, Wyoming — October 16, 2008 — Alpinist LLC, which publishes the climbing magazine Alpinist, runs the website www.alpinist.com and produces The Alpinist Film Festival, announced today that the October 2008 financial crisis has forced them to suspend operations.
Founded in 2002 by Marc Ewing and Christian Beckwith, Alpinist began in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as an archival-quality publication dedicated to world alpinism and adventure climbing. The quarterly quickly gained a reputation for both superior writing and beautiful photography; by 2004, Italian climbing legend Reinhold Messner called it, "The best climbing magazine in the world today." Alpinist went on to win numerous awards; in March 2005 it was featured in a seven-page article in Outside Magazine ("The Purists") that explored its impact on American climbing.
Bummer.
Yep, 10/1 time to start tracking calories, again.
Gotta get sub 160 before the end of the month.
I learned lots of great things on lifting, methodology, training. Good session. Here I'm hauling around a 40 lbs medicine ball. Got the agenda for our weekend mountain athlete lifting seminar....Looks painful.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
0730-0900 Strength Training Session
In this hands-on session attendees will experience first hand a training session which includes a 1-RM strength test, complex work and strongman training.
0900-0930 Mountain Athlete Training Philosophy & Goals of Gym Training
Our approach. What we feel is important, lessons learned, and the drive for continuous improvement. The transferable goals and attributes of gym training as they relate to mountain, industrial and tactical athletes.
0930-1000 Basic Training Concepts
Fundamentals of strength and conditioning will be explained and discussed: Adaptation, Progression, Accommodation, Specificity, and Individualization.
1000-1130 Periodization Basics
Discussion of differences between Linear, Undulating and Conjugate periodization, periodization cycles (macro, meso, micro), and applying periodization principals to a yearly calendar. Periodization for hybrid gym training, and integrating hybrid gym training with program design for sports and activities outside the gym will be covered.
1130-1200 What athletes need. How we train it.
A nuts and bolts discussion of how gym training can complement the performance and out-of-the gym training and practice for mountain, industrial and tactical athletes.
1200-1300 Lunch Break
1300-1400 Training Strength
Different types of strength, types that are important for mountain/industrial/tactical athletes and how to train them will be covered.
1400-1430 Core Strength
A strong core is key to durability, especially in mature athletes. Discussion will include static versus dynamic core training, loaded core training, and strength endurance.
1430-1500 Power Endurance & Metabolic Conditioning
Power endurance - or the ability to deliver power over extended periods is perhaps the most important physiological attribute to hybrid athletes. The principals behind power endurance will be discussed. Training sessions to train and evaluate power endurance will be demonstrated and discussed.
1500 - ?? Programing Basics (Lecture)
Conjugate periodization to train in the gym for maximal strength, explosive power, power endurance, strength endurance and metabolic conditioning will be covered. Lecture will include programming for an example month.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
0800-0900 Core Strength Training Session
In this hands-on session attendees will experience first hand an intense, core training session.
0900-1000 Sport Specific (Climbing) Training & Periodization
Physical attributes and how to train them for climbing will be covered, including how to incorporate sport specific training with hybrid gym training.
1000-1100 Training Session Design
This is where the rubber hits the road. Designing daily workouts which meet conjugate periodization goals, yet take into account athlete physical and mental fatigue, movement and muscle balance, and time restrictions is as much art as science. Learn the approach we use.
1100-1130 Professional Development Strategies
Developing a strategy for continuous learning and professional development which pays attention to time and cost restriction will be discussed.
1130-1200 Final Q&A
An open question and answer period to address any lingering questions.
So after 8+ weeks of 2x a week chiropractor, and 2x a week naturopath, I'm done. Time to take the situation into my own hands.
Go the the gym and pulverize my back until it gets in line!
Long story short, on Saturday I fell while climbing. Brian carried me out. Compound fracture of the L2 vertebrea. Totally my fault and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.
Since I walked up to the emergency room, I guess I wasn't an emergency, therefore I got to wait 3+ hours before I saw a doctor. Better yet, we were there a total of 8.5 hours. I can't wait to see what the bill is.
For the first couple of days, I've been in some pretty good pain. How to you spell relief? P-E-R-C-O-C-E-T!!
It's healing fine, thank you.
Climbing @ the end of the summer in July!!
Amazing Man....Amazing
.JPG)
Me at advanced base camp, 21,000 feet, Everest in the background. Making plans for a localish climbing trip.
More details later
We've had such huge weather in the Cascades that it's downright dangerous. Snow, Rain, Snow, Rain. Mountain snow doesn't like huge variablity. Bummer....Oh well, I have other plans until the summer comes.
North Cascades, kinda near Steven Pass
This was the first part of the climb, just a scramble. I'm hauling a full rack and a 70m climbing rope.
This was the first and only pitch, and it was kinda a combo of a slab/ramp and a chimney. The tough part was a small finger width crack I had to do my best to cram my fingers in. I sketched out a couple of times, as it was pretty damned hard to get decent foot placement. I damn near peeled off.
Brian and I on the top of slippery slab tower, about 2:30pm. We signed the summit register and headed home.
Not a great shot, but the tower in the background is what we climbed. We were back at the car in 1.5 hours and home by 7pm.
So last weekend, Brian and I decided we would try Thompson again. This attempt would be different:
As we're unloading things from my truck, I lock the keys in the cab. Nice. Not a big deal as most of my climbing gear is in the shell, and it is unlocked. So it looks like we will walk to the trail head. No biggie, maybe half a mile.
Brian and I drink a beer and relax. Try to get to bed early since it is an early rise. At 12:15 I wake up and remember I have a special credit card key in my wallet. How could I be so stupid as to not remember that? Jesus, am an idiot. I lay awake for the next 3+ hours waiting for the alarm. It doesn't go off and finally I get up @ 4am.
I eat a big bowl of Museli, as I'm not gonna bonk on this epic SOB. We're on the trail @ 5. Not bad, actually 5:02. An hour or so up the trail, we're making good time, but I'm hearing voices...Shit, somebody is on the trail behind us? Hell. An hour or so later, they pass us. Climbers. Where they headed? They say Thompson. Shit. Shit. Shit. It could be a problem. If they get on the rock BEFORE us, then we have to wait for them. Thompson is a long approach in and out. Last time (about 2 months ago) it was a 17 hour day. We were back at the car at midnight. Brutal. I have never been so completely wiped out.
Brian was on his toes as in the fog we nearly miss the left hand turn to scramble up what is called Bumblebee Pass. We hear voices behind us and really start moving. We get to the top and it's wet and cloudy and foggy and looking really bad. Shit. Shit. Now the weather is gonna keep us from attempt number 4? Shit. We eat a bite and take a breather trying to decide what to do next. I'm about 50/50 on bailing. Brian says, lets at least get to the other side of the bowl. We push on. 
The fog is super thick as it's really difficult to see where the notch is on the other side. None of the snow is left from our attempt 2 months ago. Where is that notch? We know where it is in general as we've been there 3 times before, but pretty hard to make out when you can barely see 100 feet in front of you. Then, the sky breaks for a minute, and we see the notch. We are so psyched. Hell maybe the weather will let up.
As we put on our boots and start to rack up on the first pitch, we hear voices. There they are, just minutes behind us. As the four of them come around the first big rock, we're ready to go. Brian has built a rock solid (ha ha) anchor and I'm tied in and ready to try this bastard again. We brought a new 9.9 mm 70 meter dual weave dry rope, I got on sale @ backcountry.com. Those guys have good stuff at good prices.
Pitch 1 - Climb a chimney. I remember. Turn towards they north and climb another climney. I remember it too. Scramble over the burley bush. Go. I'm feeling good, but the rope drag is really starting to be burdensome. I'm near the end of the rope. I find a decent ledge and set up a belay station. I have to huff and puff to really bring in the rope. We should have used more doubles and triple runners.
Pitch 2 - Climb up and around a corner. Move up slow and steady. Ah here is the ledge I remember last time. How did I get up this? I move to the right, and put in an Alien...Hmm, I don't like it. I step down and head back to the ledge. Shit what now. Ah hell, just climb. I put in that same Alien Cam @ the ledge and hope that if I fall, it will stay stuck in the crack. It was a while ago that i put pro in...If I fall, and that Alien pulls, it's really gonna hurt. Later I get to the ridgeline. I remember this spot as my water bottle fell out of the sleeve last time. I think it went a couple hundred feet. I wonder, did it break? It was my livestrong bottle. Damn. Oh well. Better the bottle than me! I decide the rope drag is so bad that I have to belay Brian from this spot. I tug on the rope and it barely moves. Jesus. This is gonna take a while. After quite a while of tugging, and my arms are burning like hell. I get Brian up the the ledge.
Ridgeline - I bring Brian up and we're gonna protect the next slabby section. I put in a couple pieces but soon I'm out of rope. Good thing too. I was getting tired of rope drag, once again. Our climber friends are right behind us. They are proably better climbers, and they are in rock shoes, not boots. Two distinct advantages. I tell Brian, I need a break. He has to lead as the rope drag is killing me and I need just a bit of a breather.
Brian heads to the left up a little ramp and around the corner. The rope is moving pretty fast as I'm guessing, it's pretty easy climbing. It is. In a few minutes he's on the top, but this is not the summit. We walk along the top and discover a small ridge. Brian leads out, as he scrambles over and climbs an easy 4th class pitch. He brings me up and we toss the rope down and walk to the top. The sun clears up the fog and we sit for a half an hour enjoying the view.
Money Shot
Me on the top, facing north, the southern hump is just behind me.
Summit Movie
We walk north and with two rappells down, are near a meadow where we can walk down the far eastern side of Thompson. This appears to be the scramble route up. You mean we could have walked up? Jesus H?
We get down the scree/talus field and in to the bottom of the bowl. Nice snow melt water. We fill up the water bottles, eat a snack and head back up the other side of the bowl, back to bumblebee pass and PCT will take us home. Moving fast, we are back at the parking lot in 3 hours.
Tried to make an attempt on Thompson again. Damn diet foiled me as I didn't feel like I had any juice in my system. My Naturopath warned me about that. I didn't believe her. Now I do.
So if you look @ weather patterns throughout the US of A, pretty much most western states are in a serious drought. Colorado, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico. What about Washington and Oregon? Uh. No. Not quite. Not close. We've got so damned much water it's scary. Hell there is still SO much snow up in the Cascades. In fact, I've been here 13 years and I don't remember this much snow, so late...ever.
So Brian and I tried to climb a simplish route yesterday, kinda near Skykomish.
Uh...hello snow.
Don't you need to go?
I've been waiting for you to melt
Even if it's slow.
I'd like to do some climbing
Instead of this stupid rhyming
And this is how I've felt
You've got such shitty timing.
An hour up the trail, it was wet, raining, cold, and snow covered. Not sure if our climing season is a bust this year....Maybe good glacier climbing, but as far as the pure alpine pursuit....I'm skeptical.
Can anybody say Vantage? How about Smith Rock?
Just north of da toof. Mt Byrant in the background.
Brian's Cuzzin Tim (that's how they spell it in Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, where ever. Cuzzin Tim did pretty well considering a) he doesn't hike b) he lives in where ever, and c) we move fast. I was pretty impressed since I figured we'd drop him like a hot rock in the snow the first sleep section. Nope...He hung tough. Nice job Cuzzin Tim.
More scenes pics of da toof.
Me headed towards Chair Peak, but we couldn't make it all the way over there and get off the mountain in a decent time. We had no successful summits (oh I did scramble up this little peak just for something to do) but we did have a pretty good time. GREAT glissading BTW.
Brian on the snowy approach.
I have no idea, but it was funny.
I guess Brian isn't having as good a time as I am?
We ended up bagging the attempt and heading home early.
