Snow Ridge: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Boots

Posted on by ml242

It was late in the evening, and Snow Ridge NY was touting a storm capable of producing five feet of snow. I convinced my girlfriend to take Saturday off and come with me to Tug Hill.

Snow-Pocket

The stoke was high, for skiing and adventure in general. I am filled with a profound gratitude to have found a partner so ready to abscond on long and snowy journeys at every hour. A few podcasts and some Paul Simon helped to keep me awake.

The ride went pretty quickly even as Amy slept. At 7:30 am, Siri was able to bring up the snow report. A foot had fallen and maybe more was on the way. We decided to bypass the Adirondacks and head West.

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Tagged: Powder, Snow Ridge, Tug Hill3 Comments

Interview with Alex Honnold and Cedar Wright

Posted on by Stetson

Last year, pro-climbers Alex Honnold and Cedar Wright switched gears, embarking on their first bike tour, “The Sufferfest.” Along the way, they would summit all 15 of California’s 14,000 ft peaks, free-soloing any technical routes they encountered.

Sufferfest-2-Bike

This year, they hopped back on their bikes for Sufferfest 2, a fantastic three-week tour of the Southwest. The duo felt the need to raise the stakes; they hoped to free-climb 45 select towers along the 800-mile journey.

If that sounds like a lot for 21 days, that’s because it is. Especially when you consider all of the variables; 33 of the 45 of the climbs were graded at 5.11 or above.

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Tagged: Climbing, Interviews2 Comments

Zealand Falls Hut, NH: A Hard Pack Tour

Posted on by midatlantico

For skiers who prefer earning their turns away from resorts, few winter pleasures compare to overnighting in a backcountry hut. No traveling to the trailhead: Just open the front door.

Zealand Notch

In the Northeast hut options are limited, but hardly non-existent. David Goodman, author of Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast, considers the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Zealand Falls Hut the best option for hut-based ski touring in the region. With two nights booked between Christmas and New Year’s, my party of two hit the trail in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest.

Unfortunately, the Grinch stole Christmas for northeastern skiers, decimating our early-season snowpack with rain and warm temperatures. Over three days along the busy Zealand Winter Trails, we were the only group foolhardy enough to attempt a ski tour – everyone else sported hiking boots with traction aids and just-in-case snowshoes that they never used.

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Tagged: Backcountry, NH4 Comments