LIST.UVM.EDU ( 100 Matches )
Subject | From | Date | Time |
Thanks for that link, Patrick. I just finished watching it. It was a
fascinating chronicle, albeit bittersweet for obvious reasons. I also
> Whoa ...... [sigh] ...... Hilaree Nelson. Someone who I had posted
> about earlier this year featured her in a recent blog post of his:
> Hilaree Nelson: The Last Word. — Adventure Risk Management
> accomplishments were so shockingly cutting edge ...... and her
> accident was so nightmarish. It was like something out of a
> haunting nightmare that sticks with you for awhile. The blog
> we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way
> back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it
> was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing
> above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our
> guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted
> to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on
> Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over
> maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving
> almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the
> table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and
> I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I
> felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being
> Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests
> solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had
> marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and
> had no beta on.
> our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to
> skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging
> but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the
> On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then
> a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream
> cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and
> I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck
> it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and
> I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a
> distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the
> Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken
> coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit
> for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out
> their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored
> over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous
> about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was
> plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping
> tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable
> for me on this trip.
>
> Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon
> binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski
>
> The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a
> good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one
> more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a
> new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it
> steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and
> I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a
> little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt
> to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when
> doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean,
> smooth break.
>
> Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find
> for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby
> drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots
>
> Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a
> polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we
> ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of
> opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30
> degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same
> aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had
> peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I
> picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C
> at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose
> avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my
> notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
>
>
> We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the
> Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who
> knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run
> down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very
> cool innkeeper.
> Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near
> Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool
> place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight
> to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first
>
> Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the
> trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too
> reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was
> there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi
> Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice
>
> But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow
> event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce
> winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S.
> citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where
> we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another
> lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a
> tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do
> this but hey, it happened.
>
> After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to
> Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not
> tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center
> aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take
> a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting
> flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At
> that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries.
> Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is
> part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics,
>
> We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time
> it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to
> be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and
>
> So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the
> trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they
> wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a
> dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
>
>
> Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the
> people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have
> avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into
> professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community,
> become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of
>
> It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I
> did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the
> Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear.
> I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch
> which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I
> did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
>
> the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with
> a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target
> (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for
> granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and
> nailed that at 5:36
>
> *A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:*
> One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in
> the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other
> [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well
> [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle
> out of my situation later on.
>
> *A First For Me:*
> We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our
> small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800
> footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on
> the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a
> night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and
> couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for
> being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
>
> *Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:*
> One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find
> probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of
> setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded
> sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I
> found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and
> reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first
> time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a
> guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all
> of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors
> system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have
> to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce
> On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain:
> Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad
> high school dance' - New England Ski Journal
> an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz
> was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a
> well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we
> had our first rando race competition - /Uphill Power Hour! /Under
> ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I
> represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard
> (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin').
> After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we
> registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our
> helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the
> excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one
> location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in
> Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing
> nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the
> Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es
> ...... and then they raised you!
> Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied,
> labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater
> VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by
> deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night
>
> At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling
> us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ......
> yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This
> combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche,
> going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme
> sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble
> super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero.
> Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling
> (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers
> - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back
> to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility,
> professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give
> him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges
> and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our
> had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for
> that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed
> by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other
> taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New
> England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good,
> proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline
> clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike
> Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some
> sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has
> been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of
> #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does
> trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a
> result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an
> attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a
> dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a
> Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is
> Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for
> burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited
> me to his place, LOL.
> has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking
> on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never
> skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a
> special.
> 1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently
> 2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open
> tib/fib on your own
> It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I
> did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open
> mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally
> blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was
> coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to
> Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last
> weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an
> island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of
> the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers,
> radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased
> out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no
> snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for
> some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi
> "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer
> and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville
> Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com)
> I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than
> that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say
> that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what
> that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are
> needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
>
> Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip
> and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the
> sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as
> usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs
> and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program,I just kick back,
> shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty!Ahem,
> in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that
> they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a
> very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were
> instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him
> drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to
> cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes
> very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie
> Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being
> gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian)
>
> At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like
> the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races
> The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In
> a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially
> distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern
> gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School
> like:
> "How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is
> everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone
> prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and
> prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of
>
> Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the
> "Check-In":
>
> It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a
> professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh
> Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in
> Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all
> women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am
> women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for
> women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women
> group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more
> communication, happiness ...... Emoji . Okay, here's how I run a
> de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting
> skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was
> buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be
> done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say
> anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen.
> Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
>
> was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at
> Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ......
> and I didn't even scare away the women!
>
> Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me.
> Omg ......
> backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting
> to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this
> younger set sure is different from my generation which is
> the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so
> part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a
> commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should
> YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZyvWzpAHck> " . Yes,
> Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a
> tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was
> discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he
> mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised
> watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw
> that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and
> age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something
> student who gave many complements after mentioning the word
> instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss!
> The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for
> anything.
>
> Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General
> Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands
> on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll
> run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday
> week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize
> with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be
> back with them after a 3 month absence.
>
> Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the
> season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
>
>
> Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a
> challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
> Whoa ...... [sigh] ...... Hilaree Nelson. Someone who I had posted about
> earlier this year featured her in a recent blog post of his: Hilaree
> Nelson: The Last Word. — Adventure Risk Management
> other way enough.". Her accomplishments were so shockingly cutting edge
> ...... and her accident was so nightmarish. It was like something out of a
> haunting nightmare that sticks with you for awhile. The blog poster and I
> seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the
> Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did
> not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all.
> Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the
> skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow
> Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al
> and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a
> place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised
> about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder
> especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day
> NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
> Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I
> had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map
> on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
> light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my
> tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for
> the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our
>
> On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a
> steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun
> I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step
> forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every
> moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I
> had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all,
> Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken
> coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our
> first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE
> field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather
> reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain"
> per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski
> routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love
> using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would
> prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
>
> Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding
> installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard
>
> The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good
> part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit
> and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I
> felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick
> (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day
> and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a
> little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was
> temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within
> them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a
> failure that had a clean, smooth break.
>
> Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our
> incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage.
> Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall
>
> Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I
> mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S
> aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests.
> We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as
> a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow
> that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado
> peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked
> this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters
> and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South
> aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for
> note taking.
>
> We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll
> Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe
> hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a
> geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
>
> Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near
> Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was
> to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying
> over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the
>
> Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The
> avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I
> contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain
> event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing
> but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It
>
> But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event
> occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was
> good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty
> avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred
> serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we
> were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit
> bad to do this but hey, it happened.
>
> After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik
> International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on
> Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which
> worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport
> to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on
> that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum
> that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for
> guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all
> glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving,
>
> We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was
> 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of
> opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
>
> So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At
> the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of
> the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I
> wanna' ski big sh1t".
>
> Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people.
> Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths
> have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA
> certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to
> the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list
>
> It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have
> one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2
> hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to
> manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so.
> I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff
> which made it all so worth it!
> starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to
> the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and
> being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than
> 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for
> a second one and nailed that at 5:36
>
>
> *A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:*
> One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the
> clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just
> said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get
> well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out
> of my situation later on.
>
> *A First For Me:*
> We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small
> compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They
> let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via
> text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real
> bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and
> Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o.,
> b.s. and boorishness.
>
> *Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:*
> One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on
> where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury.
> Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most
> vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy
> whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and
> reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever.
> Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled.
> Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the
> locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at
> the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the
> On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black
> Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school
> dance' - New England Ski Journal
> uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to
> restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a
> few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - *Uphill
> enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors
> with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville -
> just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we
> registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets
> and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per
> a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the
> challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my
> Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing
> but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and
> World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they
> raised you!
> age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we
> woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would
> pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive
> by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it
>
> At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us
> about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well
> into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his
> having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel
> bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as
> well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our
> big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling
> (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I
> actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a
> difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc.
> - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence
> and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better
> Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many
> ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed
> by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other
> precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot
> catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra'
> looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough
> today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our
> leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found
> some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been
> known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of
> #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH
> Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a
> hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need
> given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a
> ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag
> is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got
> results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's
> place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a
> brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
> of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have
> been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had
> never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a
> special.
> 1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently
> 2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib
> on your own
> 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to
> Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for
> getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter
> was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to
> Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend.
> It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake
> Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range
> including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and
> Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays)
> with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very
> narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick
> using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that
> camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle
> Summer Camp (wmur.com)
> I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna
> Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed
> by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've
> behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to
> be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new
> dynamic for me!
> with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin
> along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I
> laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE
> sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping
> burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just
> kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem,
> could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even
> eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and
> discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never
> instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while
> I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and
> let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE
> instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big
> guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian"
>
> At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the
> Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the
>
> The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a
> Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we
> assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of
> Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class
> "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:
> "How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone
> feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun
> fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and
>
> Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
> "Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it
>
> It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After
> the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I
> Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from
> a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates
> College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor
> pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an
> education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive,
> layering, more communication, happiness ...... [image: Emoji] . Okay,
> here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are
> defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and
> other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that
> he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be
> done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything
> else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a
> very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
>
> getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake
> NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare
> away the women!
>
> Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
>
> getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which
> is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation
> which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When
> community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the
> "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I
> just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZyvWzpAHck> " . Yes, Woody was going
> up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few
> days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day
> and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised
> watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post
> of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then
> got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements
> after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph
> instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole
> season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
>
>
> Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager
> Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is -
> glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during
> the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker
> room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and
> I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
>
> if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end
> of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
>
>
> Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging
> thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
For Day 7, I see in my notes for Group Check In: "More group fatigue" and "I have been lauded for group management". Perhaps I'm only remembering the challenges and not the compliments ...... :)
Part of my apprenticeship is to learn variations on backcountry skiing. Sometimes ya' gotta' "cheat" a bit and use a lift or even get a "heli-bump" (stay tuned for the latter). For the last day we went to Sigli which is short for Siglufjörður. Yes, there is lift served skiing to be had there. This place has 1470 feet of verts with 4 T-Bars and accessible backcountry that is off the charts.
Here is the base area. Three structures - sorta' - that includes latrines, hot dogs & beer/soda and a ticket office. I think there is another small building elsewhere, too.00 It appears that they don't even have a patrol. They do have a webcam: http://vedur.skardsdalur.is/cam1.jpg Wow,it looks like it is ready to go!
Okay, we're up to Day 6 I think (I've lost count here). It was my turn again to lead and do it solo. Using my arsenal of Gaia-CalTopo-Avenzza I came up with a plan that had Option A and Option B. Oh yes, I do practice with map & compass. During the pandemic, I did so extensively during the Covid quarantine around Wachusett and when things were relaxed a bit I did bushwhacking around Waterville to get an idea of what off-piste is like around Mount Tecumseh, Hardy Brook drainage and into Thornton Gap down to Tripoli Road. The latter is enunciated "Try-Poe-Lee" in Watervillespeak. Don't get excited about any of this off-piste - trust me.
So off we went into the unknown. Yes, I was guiding on-sight again. This was challenging again and compounded by some group dynamics and a personal (not me) issue that I will not go into and much courage was demonstrated. On top of all of this, visibility was poor in the flat light and whiteout all above tree line. Almost everything in Iceland is above treeline. I did set a skin track that was challenging for the guests but it was the best I could do with the limited knowledge I had.
Well, as we instruct in class everyone should have a Plan A and Plan B if the former does not. Neither of those were working for me so I came up with Plan C. That did not work either. Boy was I in trouble. I proposed we did another quick break. This was an opportunity to come up with Plan D and do it in a hurry. I broke out my wicked smaht phone, checked out Gaia and determined that a Plan D just might exist. I punched out a waypoint and crossed my fingers that another climb and a higher elevation traverse across a narrow ridgeline just might work. We had a transition and I got a bearing and led us down a ridgeline and where the waypoint was a big pile of rocky scree ...... oh $hit. WAIT, to the left was a sneak route between the scree and a steep slope leading to nowhere. I gave people that option of that or just walking across the jumble of rocks and scree. Everyone picked the narrow fun option and then ......
BOOM! We crushed an outstanding big slope with yummy corn up to 30 degrees steep. Such fun and rewarding for all.
At the bottom I texted the trip leader and it was determined to cut the day short. This did lead to some grumbling ...... (mutiny plans? ) ...... but after some visibility improved, I was able to determine that I could find an easier uptrack and could pull off some more skiing/riding. So, I texted again and said I could do another tour. We did it and got the same outstanding results and did so with much improving visibility. The long low angle ski out was very relaxing and satisfying.
Next day, we will get lift assistance at a ski area that will blow your mind!
Here is the view from the top on the final transition. Look hard and you can see evidence of a Size 3 (maybe 3.5) avalanche that ran during the storm and wind loading from the prior week or so ago:
That night I did what I always did after dinner - wash dishes. My title is "AMGA Apprentice Ski Guide". So what do apprentice ski guides do? ..... they scrub latrines for heliski operations, shovel lotsa' snow and wash dishes. Sometime during the trip, I got word that Nick Waggoner of Sweetgrass Productions became a fully certified ACMG Ski Guide (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides). This was via Facebook and in the description of his journey he mentioned how he scrubbed latrines for heliski operations, shovelled lotsa' snow and washed mountains of dishes. Nick is significant to me because he showed up with 3 of his buddies the first week of the opening of Snowfall Lodge with us and they were bemused that I described myself as a "Dilbert" per my "income earning job" as an I.T. hack in downtown Boston. So they christened the first ski run at Snowfall Lodge to be named which they named as "Dilbert's Dive" ...... and whaddya' know, it is mentioned in the following: https://www.skimag.com/adventure/backcountry-bliss-at-snowfall-lodge/ It's also on the Snowfall Lodge ski run map.
I sent Nick a congratulatory message mentioning that he could guide me down to Wheelerville Road anytime. Nick got a good chuckle outta' that one! Is Jim Crowley around? Yup, there is a SkiVt-L connection here. We've been cutting edge since the Reagan administration ya' know.
Weather forecasting in Iceland, especially the northern part is sketchy. Ditto for the topo maps. I mentioned the avalanche forecast up there, too - sketchy! It's isolated up there and can be somewhat primitive. That's part of the fun.
For Day 5, with a stable settled snowpack with some thaw-freeze cycles, we headed for a nearby couloir which Al loves ...... and so do I. Accessible, overlooking the fiord, deep snow with s dramatic super fun headwall up to 43 degrees in steepness that easily corns up. This is *real* corn I'm talking about everyone - thaw then freeze a coupla' times and voila. It is not just wet snow or isothermic slop that so many classify as "corn".
This couloir had a frightening looking massive "pillowed" wind loading when we first arrived in Iceland - it screamed avalanche danger. This is what I lecture in class regarding Wind Slab avalanches - beware of that "pillowed" look.
Al led the day while I did assume the sharp end numerous times too. We broke out cramps and ice axes for the upper 1200 feet or so. Yup, it's a big 2500+ couloir - something you could really sink your teeth into. BIG skiing!
The sun was out and temps were pleasant and even with a stable snowpack we ascended 1 at a time on a steep rollover among other safe practices.
Of course we had additional helpings of corn during the day. Picture of Liz does no justice:
For this day, we would head to Tunnel Town. It's in a fiord traversed by a road with tunnels on either side. Troll Peninsula has a network of tunnels to make fishing villages in the way far north accessible to the rest of the nation. With the potential for flat light in the weather forecast, we chose this due to good definition provided by rock bands, etc. It was up to me to lead the group solo.
The day did have challenges. Fortunately, I had a Gaia track from the prior year.to guide us as well as Marc Chauvin's track downloaded from his website. Well whaddya' know a linkup I had in mind to connect last years track to Chauvin's which woulda' resulted in the most efficient uptrack fizzled when I found on a sheet of ice on the linkup traverse. So up the old track and we found windslab on shallow angle terrain turning to hot pow. At the summit I had to be very strict with everyone to remind them to avoid the cornice at all costs.
Descent was done in difficult snow and had to do cat herding to put it mildly. Additionally, clouds rapidly moved in and we headed up for another descent. But then light rain started to fall. Sorry, but it's time to pull the plug even with a protest from the group. Rain = rapidly rising avalanche danger. Additionally, it means knee wrenching snow which means getting hurt exposes one to hypothermia. We got in a generous descent anyway.
The day did have some challenges that we had to discuss in the evening. As a result we were better prepared for the upcoming days.
Whoa ...... [sigh] ...... Hilaree Nelson. Someone who I had posted about earlier this year featured her in a recent blog post of his: Hilaree Nelson: The Last Word. — Adventure Risk Management
I responded to his Facebook post link to this with "Especially given her recent demise, there is something very haunting about this pic. On the one hand, I can't keep my eyes off of it and on the other, I can't look the other way enough.". Her accomplishments were so shockingly cutting edge ...... and her accident was so nightmarish. It was like something out of a haunting nightmare that sticks with you for awhile. The blog poster and I had some very good dialogue about this.
Onto happier items, at Waterville yesterday we spliced the haul rope on our shiny new super deluxe 6 person bubble lift. Haul Rope Splicing — Waterville Valley Resort Obviously I'm disappointed we're not installing 6 single lifts running parallel to each other up the White Peaks liftline but I'll live with it, grumble-grumble-grumble. This lift is massive and I am stunned about how beefy it is. We are building an overnight storage cabin for the chairs at the bottom that looks to be double the size of the Basebox. We'll have to adjust - lift pad installation? ...... bringing sleds up the lift?
Day 3 and Al was back and in charge. The snowpack was settling and we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on the E aspect but skied well on pitches up to 25 degrees.
On the way out, I observed where rockfall had occurred and that was congruent with what I had penciled in my pre-trip notes regarding what to look for. Iceland is volcanic which means the rock climbing is poor due to portable handholds which means rocks can come showering down.
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
Our group had some very strong personalities, determination and some dynamics which made things challenging for me ...... :)
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
At the end of the day, we met up with Al at Gisli Eirikur Helgi Kaffihûs Bakkabrædra aka "The Dalkik Bar" to make things easier. If you're in the neighborhood you have to check this place out. Just one for me as I was driving - I ain't messing around with them foreign country DUI laws.
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Okay, we're up to Day 6 I think (I've lost count here). It was my turn again to lead and do it solo. Using my arsenal of Gaia-CalTopo-Avenzza I came up with a plan that had Option A and Option B. Oh yes, I do practice with map & compass. During the pandemic, I did so extensively during the Covid quarantine around Wachusett and when things were relaxed a bit I did bushwhacking around Waterville to get an idea of what off-piste is like around Mount Tecumseh, Hardy Brook drainage and into Thornton Gap down to Tripoli Road. The latter is enunciated "Try-Poe-Lee" in Watervillespeak. Don't get excited about any of this off-piste - trust me.
So off we went into the unknown. Yes, I was guiding on-sight again. This was challenging again and compounded by some group dynamics and a personal (not me) issue that I will not go into and much courage was demonstrated. On top of all of this, visibility was poor in the flat light and whiteout all above tree line. Almost everything in Iceland is above treeline. I did set a skin track that was challenging for the guests but it was the best I could do with the limited knowledge I had.
Well, as we instruct in class everyone should have a Plan A and Plan B if the former does not. Neither of those were working for me so I came up with Plan C. That did not work either. Boy was I in trouble. I proposed we did another quick break. This was an opportunity to come up with Plan D and do it in a hurry. I broke out my wicked smaht phone, checked out Gaia and determined that a Plan D just might exist. I punched out a waypoint and crossed my fingers that another climb and a higher elevation traverse across a narrow ridgeline just might work. We had a transition and I got a bearing and led us down a ridgeline and where the waypoint was a big pile of rocky scree ...... oh $hit. WAIT, to the left was a sneak route between the scree and a steep slope leading to nowhere. I gave people that option of that or just walking across the jumble of rocks and scree. Everyone picked the narrow fun option and then ......
BOOM! We crushed an outstanding big slope with yummy corn up to 30 degrees steep. Such fun and rewarding for all.
At the bottom I texted the trip leader and it was determined to cut the day short. This did lead to some grumbling ...... (mutiny plans? ) ...... but after some visibility improved, I was able to determine that I could find an easier uptrack and could pull off some more skiing/riding. So, I texted again and said I could do another tour. We did it and got the same outstanding results and did so with much improving visibility. The long low angle ski out was very relaxing and satisfying.
Next day, we will get lift assistance at a ski area that will blow your mind!
Here is the view from the top on the final transition. Look hard and you can see evidence of a Size 3 (maybe 3.5) avalanche that ran during the storm and wind loading from the prior week or so ago:
That night I did what I always did after dinner - wash dishes. My title is "AMGA Apprentice Ski Guide". So what do apprentice ski guides do? ..... they scrub latrines for heliski operations, shovel lotsa' snow and wash dishes. Sometime during the trip, I got word that Nick Waggoner of Sweetgrass Productions became a fully certified ACMG Ski Guide (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides). This was via Facebook and in the description of his journey he mentioned how he scrubbed latrines for heliski operations, shovelled lotsa' snow and washed mountains of dishes. Nick is significant to me because he showed up with 3 of his buddies the first week of the opening of Snowfall Lodge with us and they were bemused that I described myself as a "Dilbert" per my "income earning job" as an I.T. hack in downtown Boston. So they christened the first ski run at Snowfall Lodge to be named which they named as "Dilbert's Dive" ...... and whaddya' know, it is mentioned in the following: https://www.skimag.com/adventure/backcountry-bliss-at-snowfall-lodge/ It's also on the Snowfall Lodge ski run map.
I sent Nick a congratulatory message mentioning that he could guide me down to Wheelerville Road anytime. Nick got a good chuckle outta' that one! Is Jim Crowley around? Yup, there is a SkiVt-L connection here. We've been cutting edge since the Reagan administration ya' know.
Weather forecasting in Iceland, especially the northern part is sketchy. Ditto for the topo maps. I mentioned the avalanche forecast up there, too - sketchy! It's isolated up there and can be somewhat primitive. That's part of the fun.
For Day 5, with a stable settled snowpack with some thaw-freeze cycles, we headed for a nearby couloir which Al loves ...... and so do I. Accessible, overlooking the fiord, deep snow with s dramatic super fun headwall up to 43 degrees in steepness that easily corns up. This is *real* corn I'm talking about everyone - thaw then freeze a coupla' times and voila. It is not just wet snow or isothermic slop that so many classify as "corn".
This couloir had a frightening looking massive "pillowed" wind loading when we first arrived in Iceland - it screamed avalanche danger. This is what I lecture in class regarding Wind Slab avalanches - beware of that "pillowed" look.
Al led the day while I did assume the sharp end numerous times too. We broke out cramps and ice axes for the upper 1200 feet or so. Yup, it's a big 2500+ couloir - something you could really sink your teeth into. BIG skiing!
The sun was out and temps were pleasant and even with a stable snowpack we ascended 1 at a time on a steep rollover among other safe practices.
Of course we had additional helpings of corn during the day. Picture of Liz does no justice:
For this day, we would head to Tunnel Town. It's in a fiord traversed by a road with tunnels on either side. Troll Peninsula has a network of tunnels to make fishing villages in the way far north accessible to the rest of the nation. With the potential for flat light in the weather forecast, we chose this due to good definition provided by rock bands, etc. It was up to me to lead the group solo.
The day did have challenges. Fortunately, I had a Gaia track from the prior year.to guide us as well as Marc Chauvin's track downloaded from his website. Well whaddya' know a linkup I had in mind to connect last years track to Chauvin's which woulda' resulted in the most efficient uptrack fizzled when I found on a sheet of ice on the linkup traverse. So up the old track and we found windslab on shallow angle terrain turning to hot pow. At the summit I had to be very strict with everyone to remind them to avoid the cornice at all costs.
Descent was done in difficult snow and had to do cat herding to put it mildly. Additionally, clouds rapidly moved in and we headed up for another descent. But then light rain started to fall. Sorry, but it's time to pull the plug even with a protest from the group. Rain = rapidly rising avalanche danger. Additionally, it means knee wrenching snow which means getting hurt exposes one to hypothermia. We got in a generous descent anyway.
The day did have some challenges that we had to discuss in the evening. As a result we were better prepared for the upcoming days.
Whoa ...... [sigh] ...... Hilaree Nelson. Someone who I had posted about earlier this year featured her in a recent blog post of his: Hilaree Nelson: The Last Word. — Adventure Risk Management
I responded to his Facebook post link to this with "Especially given her recent demise, there is something very haunting about this pic. On the one hand, I can't keep my eyes off of it and on the other, I can't look the other way enough.". Her accomplishments were so shockingly cutting edge ...... and her accident was so nightmarish. It was like something out of a haunting nightmare that sticks with you for awhile. The blog poster and I had some very good dialogue about this.
Onto happier items, at Waterville yesterday we spliced the haul rope on our shiny new super deluxe 6 person bubble lift. Haul Rope Splicing — Waterville Valley Resort Obviously I'm disappointed we're not installing 6 single lifts running parallel to each other up the White Peaks liftline but I'll live with it, grumble-grumble-grumble. This lift is massive and I am stunned about how beefy it is. We are building an overnight storage cabin for the chairs at the bottom that looks to be double the size of the Basebox. We'll have to adjust - lift pad installation? ...... bringing sleds up the lift?
Day 3 and Al was back and in charge. The snowpack was settling and we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on the E aspect but skied well on pitches up to 25 degrees.
On the way out, I observed where rockfall had occurred and that was congruent with what I had penciled in my pre-trip notes regarding what to look for. Iceland is volcanic which means the rock climbing is poor due to portable handholds which means rocks can come showering down.
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
Our group had some very strong personalities, determination and some dynamics which made things challenging for me ...... :)
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
At the end of the day, we met up with Al at Gisli Eirikur Helgi Kaffihûs Bakkabrædra aka "The Dalkik Bar" to make things easier. If you're in the neighborhood you have to check this place out. Just one for me as I was driving - I ain't messing around with them foreign country DUI laws.
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
That night I did what I always did after dinner - wash dishes. My title is "AMGA Apprentice Ski Guide". So what do apprentice ski guides do? ..... they scrub latrines for heliski operations, shovel lotsa' snow and wash dishes. Sometime during the trip, I got word that Nick Waggoner of Sweetgrass Productions became a fully certified ACMG Ski Guide (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides). This was via Facebook and in the description of his journey he mentioned how he scrubbed latrines for heliski operations, shovelled lotsa' snow and washed mountains of dishes. Nick is significant to me because he showed up with 3 of his buddies the first week of the opening of Snowfall Lodge with us and they were bemused that I described myself as a "Dilbert" per my "income earning job" as an I.T. hack in downtown Boston. So they christened the first ski run at Snowfall Lodge to be named which they named as "Dilbert's Dive" ...... and whaddya' know, it is mentioned in the following: https://www.skimag.com/adventure/backcountry-bliss-at-snowfall-lodge/ It's also on the Snowfall Lodge ski run map.
I sent Nick a congratulatory message mentioning that he could guide me down to Wheelerville Road anytime. Nick got a good chuckle outta' that one! Is Jim Crowley around? Yup, there is a SkiVt-L connection here. We've been cutting edge since the Reagan administration ya' know.
Weather forecasting in Iceland, especially the northern part is sketchy. Ditto for the topo maps. I mentioned the avalanche forecast up there, too - sketchy! It's isolated up there and can be somewhat primitive. That's part of the fun.
For Day 5, with a stable settled snowpack with some thaw-freeze cycles, we headed for a nearby couloir which Al loves ...... and so do I. Accessible, overlooking the fiord, deep snow with s dramatic super fun headwall up to 43 degrees in steepness that easily corns up. This is *real* corn I'm talking about everyone - thaw then freeze a coupla' times and voila. It is not just wet snow or isothermic slop that so many classify as "corn".
This couloir had a frightening looking massive "pillowed" wind loading when we first arrived in Iceland - it screamed avalanche danger. This is what I lecture in class regarding Wind Slab avalanches - beware of that "pillowed" look.
Al led the day while I did assume the sharp end numerous times too. We broke out cramps and ice axes for the upper 1200 feet or so. Yup, it's a big 2500+ couloir - something you could really sink your teeth into. BIG skiing!
The sun was out and temps were pleasant and even with a stable snowpack we ascended 1 at a time on a steep rollover among other safe practices.
Of course we had additional helpings of corn during the day. Picture of Liz does no justice:
For this day, we would head to Tunnel Town. It's in a fiord traversed by a road with tunnels on either side. Troll Peninsula has a network of tunnels to make fishing villages in the way far north accessible to the rest of the nation. With the potential for flat light in the weather forecast, we chose this due to good definition provided by rock bands, etc. It was up to me to lead the group solo.
The day did have challenges. Fortunately, I had a Gaia track from the prior year.to guide us as well as Marc Chauvin's track downloaded from his website. Well whaddya' know a linkup I had in mind to connect last years track to Chauvin's which woulda' resulted in the most efficient uptrack fizzled when I found on a sheet of ice on the linkup traverse. So up the old track and we found windslab on shallow angle terrain turning to hot pow. At the summit I had to be very strict with everyone to remind them to avoid the cornice at all costs.
Descent was done in difficult snow and had to do cat herding to put it mildly. Additionally, clouds rapidly moved in and we headed up for another descent. But then light rain started to fall. Sorry, but it's time to pull the plug even with a protest from the group. Rain = rapidly rising avalanche danger. Additionally, it means knee wrenching snow which means getting hurt exposes one to hypothermia. We got in a generous descent anyway.
The day did have some challenges that we had to discuss in the evening. As a result we were better prepared for the upcoming days.
Whoa ...... [sigh] ...... Hilaree Nelson. Someone who I had posted about earlier this year featured her in a recent blog post of his: Hilaree Nelson: The Last Word. — Adventure Risk Management
I responded to his Facebook post link to this with "Especially given her recent demise, there is something very haunting about this pic. On the one hand, I can't keep my eyes off of it and on the other, I can't look the other way enough.". Her accomplishments were so shockingly cutting edge ...... and her accident was so nightmarish. It was like something out of a haunting nightmare that sticks with you for awhile. The blog poster and I had some very good dialogue about this.
Onto happier items, at Waterville yesterday we spliced the haul rope on our shiny new super deluxe 6 person bubble lift. Haul Rope Splicing — Waterville Valley Resort Obviously I'm disappointed we're not installing 6 single lifts running parallel to each other up the White Peaks liftline but I'll live with it, grumble-grumble-grumble. This lift is massive and I am stunned about how beefy it is. We are building an overnight storage cabin for the chairs at the bottom that looks to be double the size of the Basebox. We'll have to adjust - lift pad installation? ...... bringing sleds up the lift?
Day 3 and Al was back and in charge. The snowpack was settling and we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on the E aspect but skied well on pitches up to 25 degrees.
On the way out, I observed where rockfall had occurred and that was congruent with what I had penciled in my pre-trip notes regarding what to look for. Iceland is volcanic which means the rock climbing is poor due to portable handholds which means rocks can come showering down.
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
Our group had some very strong personalities, determination and some dynamics which made things challenging for me ...... :)
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
At the end of the day, we met up with Al at Gisli Eirikur Helgi Kaffihûs Bakkabrædra aka "The Dalkik Bar" to make things easier. If you're in the neighborhood you have to check this place out. Just one for me as I was driving - I ain't messing around with them foreign country DUI laws.
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Weather forecasting in Iceland, especially the northern part is sketchy. Ditto for the topo maps. I mentioned the avalanche forecast up there, too - sketchy! It's isolated up there and can be somewhat primitive. That's part of the fun.
For Day 5, with a stable settled snowpack with some thaw-freeze cycles, we headed for a nearby couloir which Al loves ...... and so do I. Accessible, overlooking the fiord, deep snow with s dramatic super fun headwall up to 43 degrees in steepness that easily corns up. This is *real* corn I'm talking about everyone - thaw then freeze a coupla' times and voila. It is not just wet snow or isothermic slop that so many classify as "corn".
This couloir had a frightening looking massive "pillowed" wind loading when we first arrived in Iceland - it screamed avalanche danger. This is what I lecture in class regarding Wind Slab avalanches - beware of that "pillowed" look.
Al led the day while I did assume the sharp end numerous times too. We broke out cramps and ice axes for the upper 1200 feet or so. Yup, it's a big 2500+ couloir - something you could really sink your teeth into. BIG skiing!
The sun was out and temps were pleasant and even with a stable snowpack we ascended 1 at a time on a steep rollover among other safe practices.
Of course we had additional helpings of corn during the day. Picture of Liz does no justice:
For this day, we would head to Tunnel Town. It's in a fiord traversed by a road with tunnels on either side. Troll Peninsula has a network of tunnels to make fishing villages in the way far north accessible to the rest of the nation. With the potential for flat light in the weather forecast, we chose this due to good definition provided by rock bands, etc. It was up to me to lead the group solo.
The day did have challenges. Fortunately, I had a Gaia track from the prior year.to guide us as well as Marc Chauvin's track downloaded from his website. Well whaddya' know a linkup I had in mind to connect last years track to Chauvin's which woulda' resulted in the most efficient uptrack fizzled when I found on a sheet of ice on the linkup traverse. So up the old track and we found windslab on shallow angle terrain turning to hot pow. At the summit I had to be very strict with everyone to remind them to avoid the cornice at all costs.
Descent was done in difficult snow and had to do cat herding to put it mildly. Additionally, clouds rapidly moved in and we headed up for another descent. But then light rain started to fall. Sorry, but it's time to pull the plug even with a protest from the group. Rain = rapidly rising avalanche danger. Additionally, it means knee wrenching snow which means getting hurt exposes one to hypothermia. We got in a generous descent anyway.
The day did have some challenges that we had to discuss in the evening. As a result we were better prepared for the upcoming days.
Whoa ...... [sigh] ...... Hilaree Nelson. Someone who I had posted about earlier this year featured her in a recent blog post of his: Hilaree Nelson: The Last Word. — Adventure Risk Management
I responded to his Facebook post link to this with "Especially given her recent demise, there is something very haunting about this pic. On the one hand, I can't keep my eyes off of it and on the other, I can't look the other way enough.". Her accomplishments were so shockingly cutting edge ...... and her accident was so nightmarish. It was like something out of a haunting nightmare that sticks with you for awhile. The blog poster and I had some very good dialogue about this.
Onto happier items, at Waterville yesterday we spliced the haul rope on our shiny new super deluxe 6 person bubble lift. Haul Rope Splicing — Waterville Valley Resort Obviously I'm disappointed we're not installing 6 single lifts running parallel to each other up the White Peaks liftline but I'll live with it, grumble-grumble-grumble. This lift is massive and I am stunned about how beefy it is. We are building an overnight storage cabin for the chairs at the bottom that looks to be double the size of the Basebox. We'll have to adjust - lift pad installation? ...... bringing sleds up the lift?
Day 3 and Al was back and in charge. The snowpack was settling and we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on the E aspect but skied well on pitches up to 25 degrees.
On the way out, I observed where rockfall had occurred and that was congruent with what I had penciled in my pre-trip notes regarding what to look for. Iceland is volcanic which means the rock climbing is poor due to portable handholds which means rocks can come showering down.
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
Our group had some very strong personalities, determination and some dynamics which made things challenging for me ...... :)
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
At the end of the day, we met up with Al at Gisli Eirikur Helgi Kaffihûs Bakkabrædra aka "The Dalkik Bar" to make things easier. If you're in the neighborhood you have to check this place out. Just one for me as I was driving - I ain't messing around with them foreign country DUI laws.
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
For this day, we would head to Tunnel Town. It's in a fiord traversed by a road with tunnels on either side. Troll Peninsula has a network of tunnels to make fishing villages in the way far north accessible to the rest of the nation. With the potential for flat light in the weather forecast, we chose this due to good definition provided by rock bands, etc. It was up to me to lead the group solo.
The day did have challenges. Fortunately, I had a Gaia track from the prior year.to guide us as well as Marc Chauvin's track downloaded from his website. Well whaddya' know a linkup I had in mind to connect last years track to Chauvin's which woulda' resulted in the most efficient uptrack fizzled when I found on a sheet of ice on the linkup traverse. So up the old track and we found windslab on shallow angle terrain turning to hot pow. At the summit I had to be very strict with everyone to remind them to avoid the cornice at all costs.
Descent was done in difficult snow and had to do cat herding to put it mildly. Additionally, clouds rapidly moved in and we headed up for another descent. But then light rain started to fall. Sorry, but it's time to pull the plug even with a protest from the group. Rain = rapidly rising avalanche danger. Additionally, it means knee wrenching snow which means getting hurt exposes one to hypothermia. We got in a generous descent anyway.
The day did have some challenges that we had to discuss in the evening. As a result we were better prepared for the upcoming days.
Whoa ...... [sigh] ...... Hilaree Nelson. Someone who I had posted about earlier this year featured her in a recent blog post of his: Hilaree Nelson: The Last Word. — Adventure Risk Management
I responded to his Facebook post link to this with "Especially given her recent demise, there is something very haunting about this pic. On the one hand, I can't keep my eyes off of it and on the other, I can't look the other way enough.". Her accomplishments were so shockingly cutting edge ...... and her accident was so nightmarish. It was like something out of a haunting nightmare that sticks with you for awhile. The blog poster and I had some very good dialogue about this.
Onto happier items, at Waterville yesterday we spliced the haul rope on our shiny new super deluxe 6 person bubble lift. Haul Rope Splicing — Waterville Valley Resort Obviously I'm disappointed we're not installing 6 single lifts running parallel to each other up the White Peaks liftline but I'll live with it, grumble-grumble-grumble. This lift is massive and I am stunned about how beefy it is. We are building an overnight storage cabin for the chairs at the bottom that looks to be double the size of the Basebox. We'll have to adjust - lift pad installation? ...... bringing sleds up the lift?
Day 3 and Al was back and in charge. The snowpack was settling and we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on the E aspect but skied well on pitches up to 25 degrees.
On the way out, I observed where rockfall had occurred and that was congruent with what I had penciled in my pre-trip notes regarding what to look for. Iceland is volcanic which means the rock climbing is poor due to portable handholds which means rocks can come showering down.
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
Our group had some very strong personalities, determination and some dynamics which made things challenging for me ...... :)
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
At the end of the day, we met up with Al at Gisli Eirikur Helgi Kaffihûs Bakkabrædra aka "The Dalkik Bar" to make things easier. If you're in the neighborhood you have to check this place out. Just one for me as I was driving - I ain't messing around with them foreign country DUI laws.
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Whoa ...... [sigh] ...... Hilaree Nelson. Someone who I had posted about earlier this year featured her in a recent blog post of his: Hilaree Nelson: The Last Word. — Adventure Risk Management
I responded to his Facebook post link to this with "Especially given her recent demise, there is something very haunting about this pic. On the one hand, I can't keep my eyes off of it and on the other, I can't look the other way enough.". Her accomplishments were so shockingly cutting edge ...... and her accident was so nightmarish. It was like something out of a haunting nightmare that sticks with you for awhile. The blog poster and I had some very good dialogue about this.
Onto happier items, at Waterville yesterday we spliced the haul rope on our shiny new super deluxe 6 person bubble lift. Haul Rope Splicing — Waterville Valley Resort Obviously I'm disappointed we're not installing 6 single lifts running parallel to each other up the White Peaks liftline but I'll live with it, grumble-grumble-grumble. This lift is massive and I am stunned about how beefy it is. We are building an overnight storage cabin for the chairs at the bottom that looks to be double the size of the Basebox. We'll have to adjust - lift pad installation? ...... bringing sleds up the lift?
Day 3 and Al was back and in charge. The snowpack was settling and we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on the E aspect but skied well on pitches up to 25 degrees.
On the way out, I observed where rockfall had occurred and that was congruent with what I had penciled in my pre-trip notes regarding what to look for. Iceland is volcanic which means the rock climbing is poor due to portable handholds which means rocks can come showering down.
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
Our group had some very strong personalities, determination and some dynamics which made things challenging for me ...... :)
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
At the end of the day, we met up with Al at Gisli Eirikur Helgi Kaffihûs Bakkabrædra aka "The Dalkik Bar" to make things easier. If you're in the neighborhood you have to check this place out. Just one for me as I was driving - I ain't messing around with them foreign country DUI laws.
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Day 3 and Al was back and in charge. The snowpack was settling and we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on the E aspect but skied well on pitches up to 25 degrees.
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:
One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:
We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:
One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:
"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Day 3 and Al was back and in charge. The snowpack was settling and we were seeing no signs of instabilities. On this day we went way back into the Karsala Valley onto a glaciated back bowl. While it was sunny, temps did not rise much and did not go above freezing above 500 meters at all. Heading up the bowl, we had Taylor our guest and a former student set the skin track because she wanted to learn. We obliged and coached her. Snow was wind affected on the E aspect but skied well on pitches up to 25 degrees.
On the way out, I observed where rockfall had occurred and that was congruent with what I had penciled in my pre-trip notes regarding what to look for. Iceland is volcanic which means the rock climbing is poor due to portable handholds which means rocks can come showering down.
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
Our group had some very strong personalities, determination and some dynamics which made things challenging for me ...... :)
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
At the end of the day, we met up with Al at Gisli Eirikur Helgi Kaffihûs Bakkabrædra aka "The Dalkik Bar" to make things easier. If you're in the neighborhood you have to check this place out. Just one for me as I was driving - I ain't messing around with them foreign country DUI laws.
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
> Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al
> and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a
> place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised
> about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder
> especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day
> NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
> Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I
> had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map
> on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
> light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my
> tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for
> the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our
>
> On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a
> steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun
> I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step
> forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every
> moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I
> had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all,
> Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken
> coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our
> first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE
> field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather
> reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain"
> per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski
> routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love
> using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would
> prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
>
> Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding
> installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard
>
> The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good
> part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit
> and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I
> felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick
> (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day
> and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a
> little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was
> temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within
> them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a
> failure that had a clean, smooth break.
>
> Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our
> incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage.
> Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall
>
> Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I
> mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S
> aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests.
> We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as
> a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow
> that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado
> peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked
> this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters
> and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South
> aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for
> note taking.
>
> We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll
> Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe
> hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a
> geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
>
> Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near
> Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was
> to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying
> over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the
>
> Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The
> avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I
> contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain
> event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing
> but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It
>
> But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event
> occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was
> good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty
> avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred
> serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we
> were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit
> bad to do this but hey, it happened.
>
> After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik
> International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on
> Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which
> worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport
> to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on
> that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum
> that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for
> guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all
> glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving,
>
> We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was
> 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of
> opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
>
> So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At
> the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of
> the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I
> wanna' ski big sh1t".
>
> Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people.
> Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths
> have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA
> certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to
> the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list
>
> It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have
> one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2
> hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to
> manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so.
> I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff
> which made it all so worth it!
> starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to
> the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and
> being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than
> 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for
> a second one and nailed that at 5:36
>
>
> *A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:*
> One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the
> clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just
> said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get
> well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out
> of my situation later on.
>
> *A First For Me:*
> We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small
> compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They
> let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via
> text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real
> bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and
> Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o.,
> b.s. and boorishness.
>
> *Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:*
> One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on
> where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury.
> Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most
> vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy
> whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and
> reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever.
> Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled.
> Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the
> locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at
> the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the
> On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black
> Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school
> dance' - New England Ski Journal
> uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to
> restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a
> few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - *Uphill
> enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors
> with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville -
> just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we
> registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets
> and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per
> a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the
> challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my
> Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing
> but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and
> World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they
> raised you!
> age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we
> woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would
> pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive
> by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it
>
> At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us
> about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well
> into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his
> having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel
> bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as
> well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our
> big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling
> (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I
> actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a
> difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc.
> - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence
> and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better
> Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many
> ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed
> by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other
> precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot
> catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra'
> looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough
> today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our
> leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found
> some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been
> known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of
> #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH
> Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a
> hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need
> given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a
> ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag
> is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got
> results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's
> place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a
> brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
> of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have
> been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had
> never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a
> special.
> 1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently
> 2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib
> on your own
> 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to
> Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for
> getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter
> was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to
> Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend.
> It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake
> Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range
> including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and
> Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays)
> with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very
> narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick
> using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that
> camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle
> Summer Camp (wmur.com)
> I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna
> Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed
> by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've
> behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to
> be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new
> dynamic for me!
> with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin
> along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I
> laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE
> sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping
> burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just
> kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem,
> could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even
> eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and
> discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never
> instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while
> I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and
> let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE
> instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big
> guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian"
>
> At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the
> Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the
>
> The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a
> Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we
> assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of
> Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class
> "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:
> "How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone
> feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun
> fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and
>
> Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
> "Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it
>
> It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After
> the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I
> Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from
> a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates
> College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor
> pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an
> education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive,
> layering, more communication, happiness ...... [image: Emoji] . Okay,
> here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are
> defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and
> other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that
> he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be
> done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything
> else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a
> very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
>
> getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake
> NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare
> away the women!
>
> Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
>
> getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which
> is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation
> which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When
> community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the
> "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I
> just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZyvWzpAHck> " . Yes, Woody was going
> up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few
> days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day
> and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised
> watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post
> of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then
> got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements
> after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph
> instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole
> season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
>
>
> Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager
> Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is -
> glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during
> the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker
> room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and
> I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
>
> if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end
> of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
>
>
> Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging
> thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Who are you guiding with? I probably missed it.
I'm about to head out (finally) with Doug Stoup / ice axe for a trip, but
you're going to have to wait until mid-November for some definitely non-VT
> Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al
> and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a
> place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised
> about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder
> especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day
> NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
> Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I
> had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map
> on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
> light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my
> tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for
> the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our
>
> On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a
> steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun
> I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step
> forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every
> moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I
> had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all,
> Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken
> coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our
> first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE
> field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather
> reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain"
> per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski
> routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love
> using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would
> prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
>
> Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding
> installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard
>
> The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good
> part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit
> and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I
> felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick
> (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day
> and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a
> little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was
> temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within
> them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a
> failure that had a clean, smooth break.
>
> Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our
> incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage.
> Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall
>
> Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I
> mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S
> aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests.
> We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as
> a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow
> that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado
> peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked
> this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters
> and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South
> aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for
> note taking.
>
> We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll
> Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe
> hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a
> geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
>
> Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near
> Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was
> to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying
> over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the
>
> Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The
> avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I
> contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain
> event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing
> but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It
>
> But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event
> occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was
> good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty
> avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred
> serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we
> were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit
> bad to do this but hey, it happened.
>
> After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik
> International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on
> Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which
> worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport
> to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on
> that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum
> that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for
> guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all
> glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving,
>
> We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was
> 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of
> opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
>
> So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At
> the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of
> the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I
> wanna' ski big sh1t".
>
> Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people.
> Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths
> have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA
> certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to
> the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list
>
> It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have
> one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2
> hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to
> manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so.
> I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff
> which made it all so worth it!
> starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to
> the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and
> being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than
> 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for
> a second one and nailed that at 5:36
>
>
> *A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:*
> One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the
> clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just
> said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get
> well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out
> of my situation later on.
>
> *A First For Me:*
> We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small
> compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They
> let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via
> text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real
> bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and
> Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o.,
> b.s. and boorishness.
>
> *Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:*
> One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on
> where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury.
> Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most
> vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy
> whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and
> reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever.
> Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled.
> Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the
> locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at
> the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the
> On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black
> Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school
> dance' - New England Ski Journal
> uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to
> restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a
> few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - *Uphill
> enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors
> with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville -
> just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we
> registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets
> and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per
> a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the
> challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my
> Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing
> but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and
> World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they
> raised you!
> age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we
> woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would
> pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive
> by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it
>
> At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us
> about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well
> into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his
> having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel
> bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as
> well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our
> big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling
> (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I
> actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a
> difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc.
> - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence
> and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better
> Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many
> ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed
> by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other
> precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot
> catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra'
> looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough
> today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our
> leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found
> some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been
> known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of
> #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH
> Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a
> hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need
> given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a
> ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag
> is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got
> results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's
> place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a
> brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
> of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have
> been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had
> never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a
> special.
> 1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently
> 2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib
> on your own
> 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to
> Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for
> getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter
> was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to
> Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend.
> It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake
> Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range
> including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and
> Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays)
> with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very
> narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick
> using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that
> camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle
> Summer Camp (wmur.com)
> I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna
> Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed
> by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've
> behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to
> be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new
> dynamic for me!
> with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin
> along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I
> laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE
> sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping
> burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just
> kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem,
> could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even
> eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and
> discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never
> instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while
> I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and
> let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE
> instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big
> guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian"
>
> At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the
> Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the
>
> The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a
> Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we
> assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of
> Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class
> "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:
> "How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone
> feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun
> fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and
>
> Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
> "Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it
>
> It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After
> the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I
> Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from
> a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates
> College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor
> pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an
> education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive,
> layering, more communication, happiness ...... [image: Emoji] . Okay,
> here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are
> defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and
> other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that
> he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be
> done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything
> else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a
> very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
>
> getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake
> NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare
> away the women!
>
> Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
>
> getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which
> is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation
> which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When
> community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the
> "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I
> just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZyvWzpAHck> " . Yes, Woody was going
> up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few
> days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day
> and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised
> watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post
> of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then
> got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements
> after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph
> instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole
> season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
>
>
> Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager
> Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is -
> glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during
> the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker
> room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and
> I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
>
> if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end
> of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
>
>
> Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging
> thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Next morning after researching weather forecasts and poring over maps, Al and I discussed a plan for the day. The idea of driving almost an hour to a place we call "Tunnel Town" was put on the table but concerns were raised about exposed melt-freeze crust and I wanted to go higher up for powder especially in a place that I felt would have been loaded per the prior day NE winds and being on the edge of ocean effect snowfall.
Al was to recon Tunnel Town which meant I had to lead the guests solo. I had a distant spot tucked high up in a col that I had marked out on a map on an E aspect that I had never been to and had no beta on.
Our group had some very strong personalities, determination and some dynamics which made things challenging for me ...... :)
So on the way on some lower elevation terrain on some frozen corn, the ascent route steepened and I had my group put on ski crampons with some of them doing it for the first time ever including Taylor the splitboarder and former student. This did challenge the guests at times but I did believe I chose the best route. We eventually got onto soft snow and easier terrain but it also got murky which impaired visibility. The latter really put my navigation and leadership skills to the test. But ya' know, it all paid off at the summit as we had powder runs beckoning! There had been some light loading from I guess the prior day. I advised our team to use my tracks and some Arctic Heliski Guides tracks to skiers left as a guide for the descent. Visibility was challenging but the skiing was great as our guests were super psyched. At the bottom of the bowl, they wanted additional helpings in the same bowl. One rule of thumb in ski guiding is to not leave good snow. My challenging day then became easy - just repeat and have fun!
On the ascent out, we hit some difficult death crust snow but then a steeper headwall at the lower elevation that had good cream cheese. The sun that had been forecasted never really came out and temps remained below 0C above 400 meters.
I ran the show for our tour that day - it had been time to suck it, step forward and crush it! It was a tough challenging day and I loved every moment of it. Lead Guide, sharp end, on sight in a distant isolated area I had never been to, murky visibility in the Arctic alpine and best of all, my guests - WAIT, I mean my teammates - WHOA, even better, my new FRIENDS were crushers and totally got the concept of adventure. We scored powder turns! Can you make the connection here?
At the end of the day, we met up with Al at Gisli Eirikur Helgi Kaffihûs Bakkabrædra aka "The Dalkik Bar" to make things easier. If you're in the neighborhood you have to check this place out. Just one for me as I was driving - I ain't messing around with them foreign country DUI laws.
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following " Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now. "
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:
One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:
We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:
One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!
On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: [ https://www.skijournal.com/black-mountain-ski-the-whites/ | Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal ] we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: [ https://www.watervillevalley.org/department-public-safety | Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH ]
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently
2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own
3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: [ https://freestyleamerica.com/about-freestyle-america/ | About Freestyle America - Freestyle America ] Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville [ https://www.wmur.com/article/thursday-august-16th-freestyle-summer-camp/22678320 | Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) ] . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:
"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: [ https://mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org/all-observations/ | All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center ] as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Ken Wylie, author of this [ https://www.archetypal.ca/buried-updated-version | Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management ] and [ https://www.archetypal.ca/blog | Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management ] . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZyvWzpAHck | (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube ] " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
On the 1st summit the prior day, Al gave me tips on handling guests - advise them to deploy brakes when transitioning to prevent runaway skis as many might not have ever been to an exposed summit, think of warmth and skins blowing away in the winds, etc.
Yes, our guests: 4 men, 3 women with 3 of the group having taken coursework from me. Due to a long trip, we let them sleep in a bit for our first tour day together. We did gather and some filled out their AIARE field guides while we discussed the day and some pored over weather reports. One guests "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" per my notes ...... and then there was another who told us he "wants to ski big $hit". The plan was to keep it mellow for new guests, use the obs we made the other day going to the same bowl. I record all of my Iceland tracks with Gaia and additionally I use CalTopo to plan. With the latter I downloaded 9 of Marc Chauvin's routes from his website as well as coming up with my own per drooling over my hard copy maps and CalTopo maps as well as routes that Al gave me. I also load route plans into Avennza. Yes, I love using the new age online mapping tools - they kick a$$! These tools would prove to be indispensable for me on this trip.
Well, at the trailhead, I had to assist a guest with ski crampon binding installation. This is common to do nowadays for ski guiding. I have heard stories of people taking courses and coming to trailheads on Day 1 needing to fit new skins to their new gear or in one case, someone installed skins on their splitboard backwards. This is how we roll nowadays with the huge increase in people interested in off-piste skiing.
The day went well and I had a ball getting on the sharp end for a good part of the day. Towards the end, 2 of the guests wanted one more summit and I was happy to lead them. I even came up with a new skin track which I felt was an improvement especially since it cut down on the number of kick turns and the 3 of us had an outstanding descent on slopes in the high 20s (degrees in steepness). Conditions were the same that we had the other day and I was as happy as possible. The one guest who "appeared to be a little nervous about steeper terrain" at the end of the day felt it was much better than expected.
Back at the retreat, it was geothermal hot tub time with some excellent IPAs and then there was dinner - fresh ocean caught fish as almost all of our dinners are - Ocean Whitefish, Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char, etc. Sunset was spectacular at 8:39pm.
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
In my notes, I penciled in "Flight in - chaotic wind loading noted at all elevations and aspects". Then per the avalanche bulletin, many slabs observed, skier triggered slabs the last 2 days, new wind slabs have steep temperature gradient within them, starting to see CTM(SP) results within them. The latter means that when doing a stability test, there was a failure that had a clean, smooth break.
Next day, Al and I put together a plan to recon what we could find for our incoming guests, especially S aspect bowls in a nearby drainage. Importantly, our plan stated to avoid scoured icy spots (long sliding fall hazard) and wind loaded slopes > 30 degrees.
Our terrain choice was to ascend alongside a stream 3km to a polygon I mapped out on CalTopo and Avennza. So of course, we ascended the first S aspect bowl we found and found all sorts of opportunities for our guests. We had a big descent on slopes 25-30 degrees on E, SE, E aspects as well as a half descent on same aspects all in nice powder and cream cheese on snow that had surprisingly good preservation on solar aspects. My Colorado peers don't like me using the term "solar aspects" - I suspect I picked this habit up in Canada. I also recorded a temp of minus 6C at 600 meters and -3 at 200 meters with evidence of a Dry Loose avalanche on a South aspect at 400 meters. Yes, this is all in my notes. I am a stickler for note taking.
We had to cut the day short due to chores needing to be done.
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
We'd be staying at the same super cool place on a fiord on the Troll Peninsula on the north shore of Iceland. An old place (who knows, maybe hundreds of years old) that was rustic but not run down and with a geothermal hot tub, a great kitchen and a very cool innkeeper.
Al was to fly into Keflavik (that's the international airport near Reykjavik) and drive a van across the island to our super cool place. I was to fly in shortly later and take a connecting flight to Akureyri, flying over the interior. Akureyri was first temporarily settled by Vikings in the 9th century with permanent settlement not happening until 1778 and is the most populous town in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik area.
Uh-oh ...... a rain event occurred on the island prior to the trip. The avalanche bulletins up there are not detailed or too reliable, so I contacted a Colorado Mtn School colleague who was there after the rain event for a report and got the following "Hi Mark we did some corn skiing but before we came, it was rock/ice solid (it rained and froze solid). It will probably change by the time you come. Looks like low snow year. We are chasing for sunny aspect right now."
But whaddya' know, right before Al landed at Keflavik, a big snow event occurred in the interior and northern part with some fierce winds. This was good news. But the bad news is that 4 U.S. citizens were caught in a nasty avalanche accident very near where we were staying. Two of them incurred serious injuries and another lost their life. This was sobering and we were to use this as a tool to temper the first group. Yeah, it sounds a bit bad to do this but hey, it happened.
After a day of wfh, I caught a direct flight outta' Boston to Keflavik International on an IcelandicAir Boeing 767. April is not tourist season on Iceland so I was able to use the 3 seat center aisle seating as a bed which worked reasonably well. I had to take a bus to the per se Reykjavik airport to pick up a connecting flight to Akureyri and had spectacular views on that flight. At the latter airport, I ran into some ski guides from Exum out in Wyoming ...... then there were other U.S. guides heading to the Troll Peninsula including 2 organizations from New England. Al picked me up at the airport and we shopped for meals and some of that fine Iceland brews that can compete with the best breweries. Planning and organizing for guests is a big logistic chore and is part of guiding. Guiding is not all glamour ya' know - logistics, people skills, unexpected problem solving, etc ......
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
We were off to Iceland for a second year in a row again! This time it was 2 weeks with a new group of guests each week. There was to be plenty of opportunities for me to lead - such excitement and opportunity.
So, for the first group we had a Zoom meeting to prepare for the trip. At the end of the meeting, I asked the group what they wanted to get out of the trip. There was a long silence and then a dude in a deep voice said "I wanna' ski big sh1t".
Here it comes ...... yup, here it comes.
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Mount Washington patrol - Year 22 for me! A big part of it is the people. Someone pointed out to me the number of people that I have crossed paths with, who have schooled me, who I have assisted and who I've helped. Many have saved lives, earned Professional avalanche certifications, earned AMGA certifications, gotten into professional guiding, have given back a lot to the community, become Snow Rangers and more! It became an impressive list of people when I thought through it.
It was a relatively uneventful season for me patrolling there. I did have one afternoon where I took care of 4 or 5 patients in the Bowl in about 2 hours and caused me to get low on my 1st aid gear. I subsequently had to manage a litter carry down to Pinkham Notch which lasted until 7pm or so. I got home a little before 11pm. I did earn a 16 ounce can of good stuff which made it all so worth it!
I did very well in our beacon practices ...... as I should since I instruct it professionally, duh. I particularly crushed one at Hermit Lake starting at HoJos, making my way downhill on skins on the narrow path to the lake nailing the first target at 2:58 with a probe, dug it out and being the good skier I marked the target (I wasn't told there was more than 1 and I did not take it for granted that there was only 1) and checked for a second one and nailed that at 5:36
Next: ICELAND! It. Was. A Challenge ......
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Let's see, patrolling at Waterville last season ......
A Big Challenge Trying To Behave:One day I had to bring a kid into the clinic and whaddya' know, in the clinic was another patroller with another patient. This other patient just happened to be [gulp] someone I dated 22 years ago who dumped me to go back to her real boyfriend. We made eye contact and it was obvious we remembered each other. We kept our mouths shut and I behaved. When she left, everyone said "get well, [first name withheld]" and I did not chime in with "get well [something snarky]". I actually behaved. We all got a good chuckle out of my situation later on.
A First For Me:We had a nice Bourbon Night at Jeff and Laureen's one night in our small compact village surrounded by 5 4000 footers and even a 3800 footer. They let me spend the night there which Jeff insisted on the prior week via text. So, for the first time ever, I spent a night at Waterville in a real bed as opposed to truck surfing and couch surfing. I did send Jeff and Laureen a thank you card for being such saints, putting up with my b.o., b.s. and boorishness.
Outdoing Myself, A Personal Record, A First:One thing I am famous for on the patrol is my ability to find injuries on the hill when I am free skiing. On busy days, I do try to ski in places where I think there will be the highest probability of finding an injury. Well, while in the process of setting a personal record for the most vertical running a loaded sled - 1550 vertical feet from PHQ - down Tippy whaddya' know, I found another injured skier. I mastered running a sled and reporting an incident on the radio simultaneously for the first time ever. Oh, and a week prior, I got a $40 tip for running a guest in the sled. Since it's always a team effort, I donated all of it to "The Boot" in the locker room. "The Boot" is an honors system where if you make a mistake, at the end of the day you have to stand up in front of everyone, ring the cowbell and announce your sin and pay the $2 penance. This goes to our Summer outing.
Race Time!On the same night there was uphill trouble at Black Mountain: Black Mountain owner says Ski the Whites events were 'like a bad high school dance' - New England Ski Journal we had an uphill first at Waterville. Note that our own Jonathan Shefftz was able to restore uphill order at Black Mountain with a well-organized rando race a few weeks later there. Meanwhile we had our first rando race competition - Uphill Power Hour! Under the portable lights set up on the Poma served Exhibition we had our downhill portion and up the not-so-lit High Ground covering 310 feet of verts (felt like 350') we had our uphill marked by flags. The object was to try to bag as much vertical as possible as soon as possible in one hour. Andrea, Andrew - both of their ages are almost young enough to be my grandcritter - and I represented the patrol as competitors with Andrea on a splitboard (the latter is allowed in races at Waterville - just sayin'). After mingling a bit with fellow patrollers apres :) we registered, got bibs and mandatory glow sticks to plunk into our helmets and we were off. It was snowing briskly which added to the excitement. Per a thaw, there was an open water spot in one location which added to the challenge. I had skin issues late in the game which added to my frustration. Many other patrollers showed up to cheer us on which added to the festiveness. In the end it was all fun and good competition and added to our growing uphill culture which is adding to our ski/ride culture and ski/ride community! Needless to say, some additional conviviality was had at the Freestyle Lounge afterwards ...... and nobody had to call Waterville Fire and Safety: Department of Public Safety | Waterville Valley NH
The Kids Are Alright
Oh, and our patrol is so much younger than average - yes, many are SNOWFLAKES! (oh $hit). They've accumulated more (participation) trophies in an average 6 month stretch of their lifetimes than all of the trophies I've gathered in 6 decades of living. So, one of my favorite things to do is to kick back and listen to their banter which amuses me. Oh, and they're so much more "huggy" and affectionate to each other and their families (as dysfunctional as they may be) than my generation is. I'm taken aback by all of this which I guess this can be explained by some dialogue I had last season which was as follows:Him: Mark, when were your parents born?Me: Ummmmmm, 1930 and 1936 respectively.Him: Right, they spent the first years of their lives knowing nothing but hard times and a global $hit World War show during the Depression and World War II, hence they were probably hard-a$$es ...... and then they raised you!
Has anyone else noticed those signs on people's front lawns announcing the graduation of their kid from high school? ...... you know, the ones blaring out "Congratulations [Kaitlyn or Liam or Madison or Aidan or some other new age name], Class of 2022". Geez, if that happened back in our day, we woulda' gotten bullied, labelled as a whose and then 5 or 6 peers would pile into a beater VW Bug, crack open beers, fire up a bowl and then drive by deploying obscene gestures at that sign and then later at night burn it down. This is NOT the way to act. Yes, things have gotten better nowadays.
At one of our Bourbon Events, a newly minted patroller was telling us about his challenges in becoming a 70-something rookie ...... yes, well into his 70s, he decided to become a patroller. This combined with his having a real cool wife, driving a Porsche, going on big road and gravel bike rides and having an extreme sophisticated taste for high end whisky as well as being a humble super down-to-Earth guy has secretly made him our big hero. Anyway, he was telling us that while he was recently struggling (in his mind) as a candidate, one of our 20-somethings patrollers - I actually was tasked to take the 20-something aside awhile back to have a difficult talk to him on leadership, responsibility, professionalism, etc. - took the 70+ y/o candidate aside to give him a big pep talk on confidence and taking on patrol challenges and making him aware that he was better than he realizes. Our 70-something says this was very helpful to him. Subsequently, I had to take the 20-something aside to applaud him in many ways for that move which was a discussion I had that did not go unnoticed by one of our Assistant Patrol Directors. Support for each other flourishes everywhere on our patrol
YES, the Kids Are Alright these days and more power to them! I super enjoy working with them and watching them grow (grow in an appropriate manner, too) and I am learning from them ...... and even being humbled by them.
Ugh, whaddya' know, I caught Lyme Disease even though I've always taken precautions. I do not see how anyone living in Southern New England cannot catch it. Fortunately, I have a very good, proactive, thorough doctra' looking after me and Doxycycline treatments are working. I felt well enough today to punch the clock on Glade Brigade. Awhile ago, I followed our leader Mike Furgal from the Ski School on a short bushwhack and we found some sweet potential that we had been previously unaware of. Mike has been known to be a bit mischievous with his skiing so a hashtag of #DontFollowFurgal came about. Mike has led Glade Brigade, does trips to CMH Gothics and has helped me with my skiing so as a result, I came up with a hashtag of #WeFollowFurgal as I felt an attitude change was in dire need given what he can lead a dedicated skier into. This did cause a bit of a ruckus on a Waterville discussion page but it appears that the new hashtag is gaining traction! Today we went at it on our bushwhack line and got results. For apres we switched gears and went to the General Manager's place in the village near the Waterville Academy for burgers, dogs and a brew or 2 ...... gee, Bunny Bob never invited me to his place, LOL.
Five years patrolling at Waterville so far - who woulda' thunk' it, LOL! One thing I have kept quiet about is that the year prior to me joining, there had been massive turnover including the Patrol Director before the 2016-17 season started. So when I joined, the patrol was in the second year of "rebuilding". This has all been very exciting for me as I not only have been taking on massive challenges learning a new patrol in a place I had never skied before but also being part of building a patrol which is a special.
Before I started at Waterville, I was frequently told 4 things in the New England patrol community:1 Sharpen and tune your skis frequently2 There's a high probability that you'll be taking care of an open tib/fib on your own3 You'll be under an outstanding Patrol Director4 You'll be appreciated.
#2 has not come even close to happening and I have been following #1 which has made me realize the value of ski tuning and #3 and #4 has been spot on. Plenty of other huge challenges have been had. It's been difficult changing 18 years of habits at Mad River and I did tell myself prior to coming to Waterville to keep a very open mind to learn new things and prepare for getting brutally blindsided by a new environment. Yeah, I knew the latter was coming ..... and it did. Sleds are kept at the top as opposed to various caches all over the mountain as we had at Mad River, different nuances to running sleds, different gear, different policies /procedures, stricter radio protocol, stricter dress code and I'll leave it at that and won't go deeper and believe you me, it gets deeper (it's all good both at Mad River and Waterville) ...... and I like it!
Well, we Waterville patrollers had our annual summer outing last weekend. It was held at a fellow patroller's fantastic place on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee with a stunning sweeping boss view of the Sandwich Range including the Tripyramids, the Sleepers, Whiteface (NH), Passaconway and even Chocorua. Swimming, eating, horse play, plenty of beer and even exploring some good Canadian whiskey (changing gears from bourbon). We caught the boat ride back to shore via the long way the following day and then I just had to put in some time on the mountain. I tasked myself hike up to clear some nasty conifer blowdown on Preston's Path that was partially buried last season when it fell. Mission accomplished and now my favorite bump line is ready to go. It's an under the radar trail under the Northside lift (which has been being phased out, rarely running nowadays) with a consistent pitch, no snowmaking with a shaded NE aspect and very narrow thus making for some fun user-friendly bumps. It's named after Nick and Suzi Preston who brought freestyle skiing to prominence: About Freestyle America - Freestyle America Yes, they coached Hannah Kearney and they created what we at Waterville call "Tramp Camp" - using trampolines for dryland training in summer and for many going to that camp is a rite of passage at Waterville Thursday, August 16th: Freestyle Summer Camp (wmur.com) . I've never taken much of an interest in freestyle - other than that Donna Weinbrecht is a big ski hero of mine - but I must say that I am impressed by what goes into this sport and what Waterville has exposed me to. I've done patrol stints at local competitions and US Ski & Snowboard Team events held there, have gotten to mingle/work with USSST people, seen kids advance in the sport (including one who started competing nationally and was just accepted into the Waterville Academy) and learned about the behind-the-scenes. Wow, these kickers and stuff have standards that have to be met and to construct these, certifications are needed. It truly is a new dynamic for me!
Our classes really never end. I've been helping Melanie from Philadelphia with weather resources for her upcoming Chile trip and I brought Kevin along for a Wachusett Dawn Patrol to catch the sunrise from the summit. I laid down the hammer for the latter as he needs to toughen up for an AIARE 2 next season in Cameron Pass, Colorado.
Today we had our 3rd Glade Brigade workday of the season. Betsey the Nashoba PD joined us. She also patrols on Tuesdays for us at Waterville and has always thanked me for tutoring her on avalanche and Mtn Travel & Rescue skills 21 years ago for her Certified exam. She is also one of Skip's mentees and at 75 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Yes, we sweated hard today and as usual capped the day off at Mike's place flipping burgers and dogs and a few beers. Since Mike runs the program, I just kick back, shut off my brain and saw, clip, sweat and get very dirty! Ahem, the score now is:
Waterville Glade Brigade: 3 daysMad River Glen: 0 daysGranite BC Alliance: 0 daysAngry Beavers: 0 daysWhatever RASTA is now called: 0 days
Our last class was especially interesting. I was leading and I sent out an intro email asking about them and what their goals were. I normally get short stock responses ...... but this one was providing responses in dramatic details, LOL! Then as I sat in the conference room finishing up wfh for the day, the pupils trickled in. I made eye contact with them and I could immediately tell that they sure were eclectic or maybe even eccentric. This was all a very good thing as it kept the class lively and discussions were intriguing especially when they observed things I've never seen anyone observe before. They kept us instructors on our toes which we enjoyed.
For the last day we were in the field. Ivo, our newly minted AIARE instructor wanted to come along and I unleashed him and let him drive while I kicked back a bit. Part of leadership often is to cultivate new blood and let 'em rip. It was obvious he took notes very well from his AIARE instructors and IFMGA Guide Emilie Drinkwater as he kicked a$$. He's a big guy as well as being gentle and polite and with his "Boolgar-r-r-rian" (Bulgarian) accent, he caught the attention of the women in the class - they loved him!
At the end of the class, a student from Catalonia (yes, much like the Basques they are distinct from the rest of Spain) who races for the Plymouth State U Panthers (she so ripped the Sherb') stated in her accent that the course was helpful in giving her "the tools to combat my 'Stoke Attacks' " (it was funny to listen to when you were there). Now you can see why I enjoy teaching these courses!
The prior season I had an inkling that I had to change things. In a Safeway parking lot in Estes Park on a blustery day socially distanced we assembled for our field day. Ron, a Southern gentleman and Director of Education at Colorado Mountain School joined me and led the class "Check-In" and here's what he sounded like:"How y'all doing? Did everyone get a good night's sleep? Is everyone feeling great spiritually and cheery? Is everyone prepared to have a fun fulfilling day in the mountains and prepared to look after each other and [insert all sorts of uplifting material]"
Now here's how I - a $hithead from New England - handle the "Check-In":
"Mornin' all. It's Winter so expect to deal with cold, duh. Just suck it up, gear up per that gear list I sent ya' and think freakin' Polar Bear thoughts".
It was sobering for me and I wanted to be like Ron, a professional. After the field day he did pour me some bourbon (oh $hit here it comes, I thought), sat me down and did indeed give me some good constructive feedback which I enjoyed and scribbled in my notes.
Then there was feedback I got last season. Apparently, I had to look after students more, check up on their well-being, dial back ascent rates, develop camaraderie more, communicate ...... oh $hit.
Then after the MWVSP Refresher, I checked in at the debrief in Gorham from a field day. The class was an AIARE 1 comprised of all women from Bates College. Now I've been told frequently that I am women friendly in outdoor pursuits and a good advocate/ally for women's sports. Nonetheless I got an education of how women operate own their own - self care, supportive, communication, group dynamics, looking after food/water intake and layering, more communication, happiness ...... . Okay, here's how I run a de-brief once inside: "Okay, I hope all of you are defrosting yourselves. Now what did everyone have for snow, weather and avalanche observations out there today? We're gonna' gather them and post them to the MWAC obs site. After we're done with that, we can dig into our favorite apres bevvies". Yes, posting to the obs site is important: All Observations – MWAC – Mount Washington Avalanche Center as we are getting valuable info from it - it's how we can constructively honor the passing away of Nick Benedix, Ian Forgays and Scott Sandberg. But I loved what the Bates women came up with ...... so, duh I gotta' do both in the debriefing!
Hmmmmmm ...... even more soft skills training was to be had.
Ken Wylie, author of this Buried Updated Edition by Ken Wylie | Archetypal — Adventure Risk Management and Blog | Archetypal | Ken Wylie — Adventure Risk Management . Uh-ohhhhhh ...... whaddya' know, 19 years later, we caught up with each other. Ken and I skied together the week before the horrific accident that he was buried in. So, we set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting that just had to be done. It lasted an hour and 15 minutes ...... and I won't say anything else. I still do not judge that incident - I just listen. Yes, it was a very important meeting and I got a lot out of it.
Even with all of the challenges I was having, there were some awesome triumphs on Team Acadia. Josh crushed his ITC, Ivo did likewise with his Pro 1 and ITC and Cord passed his Pro 1 with AAI instructed by Sarah Carpenter who plays hardball. I was given copious thanks for coaching, advising and mentoring with these achievements which made feel oh-so good. Someone then pointed out to me that I have had positive influence over so many over my years in the Presidentials whether it be instructing, helping, volunteering, mentoring, etc.
Then by the end of March, listening and penciling in notes as I was getting positive feedback. Here we are in March all smiling at Hermit Lake NH on a very less than favorable weather day ...... and I didn't even scare away the women!
Ummmmmm ...... 2021-2022 was indeed a challenging season for me. Omg ......
Avalanche Instruction:I did get promoted to AIARE Course Leader (finally ...... that's another story). This means bigger responsibilities and more challenges.
One of my biggest challenges is dealing with Millennials ...... or whatever anyone under age 50 is called. For avalanche courses, back in the day they used to be taken often by older more experienced backcountry travellers who finally got burned in the backcountry. Nowadays we're getting much younger students wanting to start off on the right foot which is a good thing. But this younger set sure is different from my generation which is "Generation Jones" (omg - we're examples of what not to be). When Mikaela Shiffrin was coming under pressure from the media during the Olympics including cameras getting into her face, someone from the NoCon community (that's dudespeak for North Conway - I am so part of the "in-crowd" ya' know LOL) posted on Facebook a commentary about that. So I just had to respond with "she should do what Woody Hayes did: (48) 1977 Woody Hayes Punches Cameraman - YouTube " . Yes, Woody was going up against his archrival Bo Schembechler in a tight game ...... so a few days later, a mentor of mine was discussing how I handle people in this day and age and he mentioned to me "a problem of yours is that you were raised watching Woody and Bo go at it on national TV ...... yes, I saw that post of yours. So, you have to adjust things for this day and age". Later I then got a feedback email from a 20-something student who gave many complements after mentioning the word "anxiety" twice in his first short paragraph ..... my generation didn't know what "anxiety" was though we sure caused our parents to have lots of it.
This is just the tip of the iceberg ...... we have more avalanche instruction, Waterville, Mount Washington and ICELAND to discuss! The whole season was a grueling trip and I would not trade it for anything.
YES-S-S-S-S-S! we had our first Glade Brigade today at Waterville ...... I cannot think of anyone else in the Northeast who yet has broken out and deployed their "glade weapons" as we call them at Waterville. While SkiVt-L sez September 1st is the start of the season, we at SkiNH-L say it's July 5th which is when our Glade Brigade leader Mike says his wife allows him to start to talk about skiing for the upcoming season.
Wow, a record turnout of 19 including 4 patrollers and our General Manager Tim Smith. I do not know of any other GM that is as hands on as he is - glading with us and even patrolling with us (he'll run a sled or 2 during the season) and at the end of a holiday week, he'll stop into our locker room to thank us and socialize with us. Yes, we have a tight community and I was so happy to be back with them after a 3 month absence.
I broke out some new glade weapons as we all crushed some lines on Green Peak between Pfosi's and Clean Shaven. Good conviviality was had afterwards in the village flipping burgers and dogs and having deep discussions about snowboarding, telemarking and our new uphill policy. The latter was late in happening but we have it now as it is allowed - before it was not (except if you joined the Sunday Club where we looked the other way and at the end of the season they'd give us a gift of a high end bourbon).
Next, a review of last season. Ummmmmm ...... it was indeed a challenging thought provoking season for me. Omg ...... |
Gunstock Mountain Resort — a ski area and resort in Gilford, New Hampshire — shut down its summer attractions last month when its management team abruptly resigned. It will soon reopen after an overhaul of the commission that oversees Gunstock.
The general manager of the county-owned resort and other senior staff resigned July 20 in a power struggle with the Gunstock Area Commission, a five-member body appointed by county lawmakers.
"It feels great, feels wonderful," said Conroy, whose husband is a ski instructor at Gunstock. "After weeks of just chaos and arguing it feels great to get back to work," she told WMUR-TV. |
> Ditto. So Roger, has your kid reached the stage where she is calling you a
> "whose" yet?
> |
| Ditto. So Roger, has your kid reached the stage where she is calling you a "whose" yet? |
It turned out that on a work day, fellow patroller Betsey (also the Nashoba PD) and I had a miscommunication with leadership over a task. She is highly respected throughout the patrol scene in the East and has always thanked me for tutoring her in avalanche and ropework in preparation for her taking the Certified Exam (she passed) and has provided me with mentorship over the years. Oh, and she was one of Skip's mentees at Sunday River.......does this make me Skip's grandkid or something like that? Oh well, we discussed and resolved the miscue like professionals.
Saturday was fun with the wet snowfall improving the surface which had some thin spots which only made things more entertaining. Covid mitigation was in place which has made socializing limited and for me bars and restaurants are out - dinner was a sandwich and a bag of chips picked up at Jugtown (a small store) in the village followed by couch surfing reading over a few beers I got at the safe takeout from the local Hudson Mass microbrewery.
Today the winds were raging through Thornton Gap. Ike, one of our groomers, checked in to our patrol room and provided colorful commentary (the locals working at Waterville are very colorful and take "Live Free or Die" to heart and I'll leave it at that, LOL!) about the wind chaos going on at the higher elevations. We were pretty sure that we would not open at that point but assembled slightly prior to sunrise at the base of the quad........and we were closed until we weren't and off we went to PHQ at 3500 feet above sea level. Some nice windblown was had as I continue to take a liking to that good dense New Hampshire powder - yes, it is significantly heavier than Vermont powder! The snow was forecasted to stop during the day but instead snow squalls continued through the entire day.
Winds raged throughout the day but not enough to shut down the lift. In the afternoon, I took care of my first patient in the Covid era. Someone hurt herself at the top but said she did not want to be a whose about it and rode her board to the bottom to the ticket office where I was summoned to take care of her. My Covid mitigation kit - extra masks, gloves, disinfectant, wipes - came in handy and I was confident and took care of the incident.
Later on, someone took a spill at the top of the lift and needed a sled ride as winds picked up even more. Recent Northeastern grad Chris got in the handles and our Ski & Toboggan specialist Peter got in the tail and then whaddya' know the latter broke a binding clicking in. So I was deployed to take over in the tail from the top. Tail running can be challenging and many of us think more so than being in the handles. Yeah, Chris and I had a tough assignment because the surfaces had become very variable ranging from nice windblown powder to brutal scoured porcelain made more difficult with a ground blizzard that made anticipating surfaces very challenging - we were constantly getting blindsided by abrupt changing conditions. Oh and with the winds, communication was difficult. This all made for my most challenging sled run ever and the longest that I had ever run the tail. But we did get the job done. Chris thought Upper Bobby's was the toughest part while I felt it was a choke point on Old Tecumseh. I just emailed Betsey about this coupled with an inside joke about sled running.
On the lift ride up, I called into PHQ my "20" (location) and I did not get a response and when I double checked my radio it turns out I had it on the wrong channel. I switched back to the correct one and.....Me: "5-13 on Lift 1"PHQ: "10-4 and 2 dollars for the boot" .....2 dollars is a fine which we collect in a ski boot for the annual summer party. Shoot, I got caught red handed immediately. Then the lift stalled near the top for awhile. It turned out that it was the last lift ride up as the winds were shutting it down. Inside PHQ we had a good impromptu de-brief about the sled run and somehow felt bad about feeding me to the lions and mentioned that I probably did not have a good time. I told him while I did not have a good time, but had a great experience which I was glad to have had.
The wind hold turned out to be a great thing as the winds quickly covered over the skier scoured sections and made for a sweet sweep run for the most part.
Now to show you that I have not abandoned Vermont altogether, I was able to score a 4 pack of Catamount IPA at the Jugtown store. Yes, Catamount beer is back after being dormant for a long while. It was the first VT microbrewery back in the day and has been re-born: About – The Catamount Brewery & Taproom: Windsor, VT |
I was at the bottom of the mountain with 2 cut trails that were similar to Gema and True Grit at Waterville. They had no lift service and bootpacking up the sides was the practice. There was a huge amount of snow and it was nice and soft. I had my skis on my pack as were others having a good time. It was a festive atmosphere and there was a 1 year old in pajamas sliding head first downhill in pajamas having a great time as were his parents. Dream ended while I was ascending at a moderate pace enjoying the scene.
In North Carolina now visiting my elderly mom. I was a whose about taking a plane per Covid so I put in 814 miles over 15 hours 2 minutes in one big push Friday. Once south of D.C. the drive was stunningly pleasant - people here in DIxie have no idea what road rage and potholes are. The CT Tpke+New England Thruway+Cross Bronx Expressway was teeth chattering and chaotic even at 5 and 6am. I saw a beautiful sunrise from the Vince Lombardi Rest Stop on the Joisey Turnpike amongst the chemical plants and toxic waste dumps while using my pee bottle. Ummmmmm, I think I'll take the scenic route tomorrow via the Shenandoah and State of Pennsylvania (US 220, I-81, I-84).
Interesting news is that Colorado is gonna' get dumped on tomorrow especially in the Front Range and even in the lower areas - maybe up to 18" on the Palmer Divide which is that high spot between the Springs and Denver (see, I'm learning a lot about Colorado recently :) ). Our student Seth Linden is doing an awesome job tracking it on his FB page. He's very qualified being that he works for the National Center Atmospheric Research and has a degree in this stuff from CU Boulder. |
>>> say I¹ve ever seen crowds so large, especially for such crappy skiing the
>>> day after a major rain event. Yes I said rain; the crappy corporate ski
>>> report specialist didn¹t even use the immature snow euphemism; where oh
>>> where can our college grads get an honest day of work.? I would have packed
>>> it in earlier than mid day, but have a 16 year old hockey player, whose time
>>> is rather limited due to silly hockey schedules, and was on season day one;
>>> how could I not ski him into the ground? Fortunately, the north face was
>>> slick as a hockey rink, keeping the ma and pa riff raff away, so tiring the
>>> young one out turned simple.
>>> past like last year after major immature snow activities, there was
>>> atleast a glorious layer of wonderful snow made on many of the beginner and
>>> main mountain trails, to supplement MA Natures short comings. I think I
>>> had covered the mountain in new man made, such as you would not have
>>> noticed. Well so far, this year, after the big hoopla of upgrading a pass
>>> to ski at all the new evil empires resorts, it would appear that snow making
>>> but when they don¹t make topping snow when ever the conditions permit,
>>> especially since the big rain event a couple weeks ago, you start to see a
>>> pattern. While there was a public statement that none of the local
>>> management group was let go this year, but likely would be cut loose by
>>> significantly and 90% of it had already been used Who knows, the weather
>>> has been a Turd Sandwich in southern Vermont since the big rain, and maybe
>>> old management would have ended with the same result. I don¹t know, and am
>>> skied and enjoyed it. But then again he spends lots of time on ice anyway,
>>> and enjoys it, so not such a stretch.
>>>
>>> And just incase the ranger makes to better country, I¹ll do my best to set
>>> him up with a ticket, cause I¹m not really making fun of NH skiing, but
>>> being in So VT its hard to find other groups to bully.. |
> say I¹ve ever seen crowds so large, especially for such crappy skiing the day
> after a major rain event. Yes I said rain; the crappy corporate ski report
> specialist didn¹t even use the immature snow euphemism; where oh where can
> our college grads get an honest day of work.? I would have packed it in
> earlier than mid day, but have a 16 year old hockey player, whose time is
> rather limited due to silly hockey schedules, and was on season day one; how
> could I not ski him into the ground? Fortunately, the north face was slick as
> a hockey rink, keeping the ma and pa riff raff away, so tiring the young one
> out turned simple.
> I am very unimpressed with new managements take on snow making,. In years past
> like last year after major immature snow activities, there was atleast a
> glorious layer of wonderful snow made on many of the beginner and main
> mountain in new man made, such as you would not have noticed. Well so far,
> this year, after the big hoopla of upgrading a pass to ski at all the new evil
> empires resorts, it would appear that snow making has reverted to the early
> for poor conditions, is very passe and easy, but when they don¹t make topping
> snow when ever the conditions permit, especially since the big rain event a
> couple weeks ago, you start to see a pattern. While there was a public
> statement that none of the local management group was let go this year, but
> significantly and 90% of it had already been used Who knows, the weather has
> been a Turd Sandwich in southern Vermont since the big rain, and maybe old
> management would have ended with the same result. I don¹t know, and am tired
> enjoyed it. But then again he spends lots of time on ice anyway, and enjoys
> it, so not such a stretch.
>
> And just incase the ranger makes to better country, I¹ll do my best to set him
> up with a ticket, cause I¹m not really making fun of NH skiing, but being in
> So VT its hard to find other groups to bully.. |
> Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham, Stapleton - oops - I mean Denver
> International. Expedia, Priceline, web surfing. It's a mess and I'm
> lost and turning into a travel whose.
>
Okay. For starters, there are certain airports that whack you with a
pretty hefty destination fee (or some such - it's basically a local tax)
and there's not much you can do about those, other than to avoid those
Next, there are certain times when there's high demand at a given
airport - in winter, for example, you can expect prices at DEN to be
really high, particularly for cars decent in the snow; you're going to
pay a premium to rent a car at MCO during Christmas vacation week. To
the extent you can avoid those times and destinations, you should.
through their websites, and STICK WITH THEM. In fact, if your new
employer has a relationship with a rental car company, get into that
program (if they'll let you). Once you're in, it's all good - I still
use a Hertz #1 Gold membership I got through Killington back in the
pre-ASC days!
this stipulation is written into contracts). First time you require
roadside assistance in a rental car you'll see the value; without the
full coverage they'll charge you for service if you blow a tire. If
you'd rather not do that, check the coverages offered with your credit
I have only found once or twice that booking from a cheaper company
and/or going through a travel site offers an appreciable savings over
what I can get from a major brand like Hertz, National or Enterprise
(National and Enterprise, btw, are different marques from the same
company). And having a steady customer relationship with one of the big
dogs makes the whole reservation, pickup and return process a LOT
easier. That's worth a few bucks in and of itself. |
Many thanks for the TR, Denis. Keep 'em coming please - we need 'em and anyone on this list that thinks otherwise is a WHOSE. We had Waterville patrol picnic in Lincoln VT this weekend. Good times, good patrol bonding and a nice Bourbon Event was had as I contributed with some Jefferson's Reserve that I scored at the Hooksett NH State Liquor Store. Yeah, I'm getting it as my bourbon education is paying off and much was left over as all of these events are always done in **moderation**. Lotsa' good shop talk was had and I was psyched to find out that Ski Instructor Mike is bringing our PD and Assistant PD to CMH Gothics in December; Mike has heli-skied with Corin who guided me in Canada as his first gig ever - small World!
Mark P. Renson
The quest for a 12 month ski year continues. My August day is in the books.
September - January remain to be done before skiing in every month for 12 continuous months. A madman’s quest? Perhaps. I can’t say it was that good, but it’s August. Timberline closes for September for lift maintenance. As the only U.S. lift served summer ski area it has a different business model. The model is summer race camps and other specialty camps, mostly for youth. Operating hours are 7 - 2. The magic mile lift serves skiers from 7-9:30 and sightseers from 9-2. The upper lift serves the Palmer snowfield. On August 1, skiers had to walk to lift loading and carry skis and poles. It is surprisingly tricky to load and unload a slow moving chair while in cumbersome ski boots while carrying equipment in both hands. I almost came to grief on both ends of the ride which would be a very sad ending to a ski season that began with a spectacular rehab from 2 knee replacement surgeries. You unload the magic mile and carry your skis 100 yards down a steep nasty slope of volcanic rocks and dust to onload the Palmer lift. There, standing on a rug, you finally put on your skis since you will unload at the top - ON SNOW. The Palmer has a midstation where skiers could onload in order to ski laps on the upper half of the snowfield. The deal is to get up to the top at 8500 ft., ski the top half of the snowfield, which is about 750 vertical feet, and repeat. At the end of your day you ski the full Palmer snowfield, take off the skis, walk up the steep lava field and download on the magic mile lift.
Now, is when I have a problem with the mountain’s business model for the summer. There were about 500 summer race camp kids ages ~ 6 - 20 assigned to a dozen or so roped off lanes for race training. Their teams pay for the privilege of setting up those groomed race lanes. There is one lane, about 50 feet wide, ungroomed and chunked up, left for the public, who are forbidden to use the race lanes. Fair enough. I knew that in advance. The problem is that for some mysterious reason dozens of the race kids at a time will poach the one public lane skiing at warp speed and coming within inches of us members of the skiing public. I discussed this at length with a patroller and a course official. “why can’t I duck this rope and ski in the race lanes?” “It’s not allowed.” “We’ll then, why are they all over here”. Silence, then a sheepish admission that this issue has been brought up repeatedly with higher management who turn a deaf ear. I understand, but don’t like it. They have made a clear eyed decision to pursue the money to be made in race camps and ignore the admittedly small numbers of the public. |
> Sigh ........ I still haven't heard from Resi: http://tinyurl.com/y4u7z93a
> Wow, she does have a hot blooded streak in her: http://tinyurl.com/yxey98wh
> :)
> internet and found her GoFundMe page. I'm very cautious of these, but her page
> proved her worthy of a donation plus I felt sorry for her so I sent her a
> small contribution. About 2 hours afterwards, I received a very nice thank you
> message from her which included a thank you from her mom & dad (her dad knows
> our #2 in command and he let it be known that I took care of his kid). In fact
> true ambassadors to the sport; take notes everybody. I expressed this to
> Patty, a friend of mine who works for Tiger Shaw on the US Ski Team in Park
> City and he immediately responded and told Patty to thank me.
> the bright side, our oldest patroller - Betsey at age 72 (she is not shy about
> revealing her age as she rebels against ageism) - came back from a pelvis
> injury ..... yup, she took a nasty tumble in December , kept skiing, drove
> herself to the hospital in Massachusetts, went through the PT and whaddya'
> Powderfall at Snowbird last weekend. Yeah, she's also the Nashoba PD who puts
> in a day per week with us, is a Certified Patroller and has been a leader in
> the NSP East Division for years. As PD Jeff told us, she truly is a role
> model.
> Yeah, I really enjoyed working with members of the US Ski & Snowboard Team in
> such a professional scene and I am downright proud of our team.
>
>
> Weekend before last, I was at Mount Washington. I had a nice leisurely skin up
> in the morning which felt good and the weather then got miserable for both
> days. Not much to report other than that we worked on training film intended
> for the Mount Washington community, MRS and AVSAR. This was actually a good
> chance for me to get in a lot of practice as Hermit Lake became Hermitwood.
> Ski down the Sherburne was a bit difficult with some rotted snow.
>
> skills which they said in the interview was not an issue - like, DUH, didja'
> read my f-ing resume and why the hell didja' bring me for a 3 hour interview
> for (I actually smoked it and they were impressed). Smoked a phone screening
> the next day and before it was over, they insisted on setting me up with an
> getting me to crush strength training lately and I even had some PRs but maybe
> it's catching up to me a bit. Sunday, after a huge amount of sleep, I was good
> to go and some nice spring skiing was had. A little before 6:30am, a member of
> the Sunday Skinner Club gave us a gift of high end bourbon as a show of
> appreciation for our work. I was bummed at the end of the day as I knew my
> Waterville Patrol season was over. We said goodbye to snowboard patroller Bri'
> who got a nursing gig in California and got a call from the Mount Rose Patrol
> (she can so make us proud out there) and Andrew and Andrea who got gigs doing
> yelling at him to complete his in-progress OEC to complement his stellar
> toboggan work so we can get him a well deserved cross which we want him to get
> so bad. PD Jeff and I talked about next season plans which are in progress and
> how I want to crank it up a few notches with my skiing - yes, I will be asking
> the might orifice of knowledge known as SkiVT-L for advice as I have been
> Facebook. Oh $hit, what's gonna' happen if someone cyberstalks me on SkiVT-L.
> I can see it now: "Mark, how often do you ski?; what's a "whose"?; what are
> these "bourbon events" about?
> On top of this, I then got floored this afternoon when Lindsay and Jeff -
> former managers of mine on a contract downtown that I crushed awhile back -
> all of a sudden have some work for me ..... then there's Wednesday and I have
> to juggle things for 2 more positions this week and dang, it looks like I
> woulda' gotten a position for the UMass President's office in Shrewsbury -
> convenient to WaWa Dawn Patrols - if the timing was right.
> Mount Washington Inferno this weekend. The community really appreciates me
> being there which is a great feeling.
> |
Sigh ........ I still haven't heard from Resi: http://tinyurl.com/y4u7z93a Wow, she does have a hot blooded streak in her: http://tinyurl.com/yxey98wh :)
So after I took care of the young lass that crashed, I looked her up on the internet and found her GoFundMe page. I'm very cautious of these, but her page proved her worthy of a donation plus I felt sorry for her so I sent her a small contribution. About 2 hours afterwards, I received a very nice thank you message from her which included a thank you from her mom & dad (her dad knows our #2 in command and he let it be known that I took care of his kid). In fact after all of my short interactions with the US Women's Ski Team I was left stunned at how accessible, genuine, upbeat and professional they all were - true ambassadors to the sport; take notes everybody. I expressed this to Patty, a friend of mine who works for Tiger Shaw on the US Ski Team in Park City and he immediately responded and told Patty to thank me.
All went well with our team supporting these major events in recent weeks. On the bright side, our oldest patroller - Betsey at age 72 (she is not shy about revealing her age as she rebels against ageism) - came back from a pelvis injury ..... yup, she took a nasty tumble in December , kept skiing, drove herself to the hospital in Massachusetts, went through the PT and whaddya' know she was back on skis working the most recent event and was skiing at Powderfall at Snowbird last weekend. Yeah, she's also the Nashoba PD who puts in a day per week with us, is a Certified Patroller and has been a leader in the NSP East Division for years. As PD Jeff told us, she truly is a role model.
Yeah, I really enjoyed working with members of the US Ski & Snowboard Team in such a professional scene and I am downright proud of our team.
Weekend before last, I was at Mount Washington. I had a nice leisurely skin up in the morning which felt good and the weather then got miserable for both days. Not much to report other than that we worked on training film intended for the Mount Washington community, MRS and AVSAR. This was actually a good chance for me to get in a lot of practice as Hermit Lake became Hermitwood. Ski down the Sherburne was a bit difficult with some rotted snow.
Last week ...... dang, I didn't get the job as they said I lacked the QlikView skills which they said in the interview was not an issue - like, DUH, didja' read my f-ing resume and why the hell didja' bring me for a 3 hour interview for (I actually smoked it and they were impressed). Smoked a phone screening the next day and before it was over, they insisted on setting me up with an in-person. So, I consoled myself by heading up early Friday morning to the mighty Mount Tecumseh. Coverage was still at 100% and I had one of the nicest lift served spring ski day in years. Overnight, we got about 2 inches that skied nice first thing in the morning on Saturday especially on the untracked True Grit. But things got brutally sticky as the heat was turned on after I worked at finishing off the pond for the pond skim event. This was in the afternoon and #2 in command with young Bobby in the sled crushed it with the new Edge (Special IC version where IC stands for Ice Coast - that Edge Rescue crew is so cool) toboggan: Waterville Valley Resort
That evening, we had some fun conviviality with the Snowsports School. I was weary and toasted though, so I had to couch surf early - my coach has been getting me to crush strength training lately and I even had some PRs but maybe it's catching up to me a bit. Sunday, after a huge amount of sleep, I was good to go and some nice spring skiing was had. A little before 6:30am, a member of the Sunday Skinner Club gave us a gift of high end bourbon as a show of appreciation for our work. I was bummed at the end of the day as I knew my Waterville Patrol season was over. We said goodbye to snowboard patroller Bri' who got a nursing gig in California and got a call from the Mount Rose Patrol (she can so make us proud out there) and Andrew and Andrea who got gigs doing backcountry EMT in Kings Canyon National Park for the summer and we know they will make us proud. It was young Bobby's last day and we got in his face yelling at him to complete his in-progress OEC to complement his stellar toboggan work so we can get him a well deserved cross which we want him to get so bad. PD Jeff and I talked about next season plans which are in progress and how I want to crank it up a few notches with my skiing - yes, I will be asking the might orifice of knowledge known as SkiVT-L for advice as I have been inspired! We're doing Waterville Patrol School again, Certified Boot Camp will be happening and our summer outing in Vermont is first weekend of August.
This morning ....... crushed an interview downtown and .......Me to the recruiter: ".....all went well"
Response: "Just got an update. The managers seemed to feel the same way about the interview this morning. Nothing official yet, but they let us know that we will be hearing from them early tomorrow morning. Stay tuned…"
Shocking revelation in the interview: they have been cyberstalking me on Facebook. Oh $hit, what's gonna' happen if someone cyberstalks me on SkiVT-L. I can see it now: "Mark, how often do you ski?; what's a "whose"?; what are these "bourbon events" about?
On top of this, I then got floored this afternoon when Lindsay and Jeff - former managers of mine on a contract downtown that I crushed awhile back - all of a sudden have some work for me ..... then there's Wednesday and I have to juggle things for 2 more positions this week and dang, it looks like I woulda' gotten a position for the UMass President's office in Shrewsbury - convenient to WaWa Dawn Patrols - if the timing was right.
Hold my beer, watch this - I'm gonna' nail something real good real soon. Dilbert has to fund the important ski projects somehow.
Mount Washington Inferno this weekend. The community really appreciates me being there which is a great feeling. |
I was not a whose, I just decided to stay at Smuggs where they were actually running some of the lifts so that I was sure I wouldn't be stuck at $towe with no way back. I had already paid my $85 (thanks Tawny, my buddy) the previous Saturday to skate a bit and then go taste some WhistlePig whiskey.
The day was quite spectacular. Untracked everywhere. Did an ear run, a low IQ, a highway chute. It was all good. Except the lift lines. About 45 minutes for Sterling lift, maybe 20 minutes for Madonna 2 (they never opened Madonna 1).
Glad that the Morton family could donate their winter break to the important role of returning snowfall to the northeast. But overall, the skiing was terrible the first day, good for the next five days, and then awesome for the last two days. We got my three year old nephew out making a few turns on a non-MRG friendly device. The nights were fun, complete with yours truly doing a crowd-rocking Missy Elliot "Work It" at the Liquid Courage Karaoke.
It was a little sad going through the back bowls without Ben, Tawny, Roger and others. They should have warned me to take GPS coordinates before going to the dark side. Maybe next year these lifts will be back on the same pass? :-). |
I was not a whose, I just decided to stay at Smuggs where they were
actually running some of the lifts so that I was sure I wouldn't be stuck
at $towe with no way back. I had already paid my $85 (thanks Tawny, my
buddy) the previous Saturday to skate a bit and then go taste some
WhistlePig whiskey.
The day was quite spectacular. Untracked everywhere. Did an ear run, a low
IQ, a highway chute. It was all good. Except the lift lines. About 45
minutes for Sterling lift, maybe 20 minutes for Madonna 2 (they never
skiing was terrible the first day, good for the next five days, and then
awesome for the last two days. We got my three year old nephew out making a
few turns on a non-MRG friendly device. The nights were fun, complete with
yours truly doing a crowd-rocking Missy Elliot "Work It" at the Liquid
Courage Karaoke.
It was a little sad going through the back bowls without Ben, Tawny, Roger
and others. They should have warned me to take GPS coordinates before going |
"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do
the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no
safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring
adventure, or nothing."
> In the longer run, there's no such thing as a safe zone - SUCK IT UP,
> WHOSES!
> lift. I hope your health is on the mend and that there are no more
> catastrophes!! I think with all that, it is probably a good idea to
> take some time off from work and enjoy the skiing and all life has to
>
> Oh, and a paddling friend of mine is in the hospital for lung cancer.
> I can only imagine what's next ........ scary.
> catastrophes ......1) I had another health crisis Thanksgiving
> Sunday2) Colleague/Mentor/Friend almost was killed in a fall in
> Smugglers Notch3) Colleague/Classmate was the one leading the group
> incident: https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?accfm=inv&acc_id=685 4)
> I got laid off Finally: Now Sharon is inferring that I'm a whose.
>
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> If you are truly a skier, you should not start a new job until after
> ski season is over. On Wed, Jan 23, 2019 at 9:37 AM Mark P. Renson
> Sigh....... the wussification of society continues. The memo did
> mention using Fisher or Clark which I assume means a place to couch
> surf or set up a slumber party which could be fun especially if
> alcohol is allowed; just sayin' ya' know. Then you can get up early
> and blah and blah ..... Work is tough, DEAL WITH IT. Upon getting
> back from vacation yesterday, I was cut per a huge downsizing at my
> company. But that's okay 'cuz I had been talking with ###########
>
> To all Whoses and Snowflakes, like A.J.'s dad said last season: SUCK
> IT UP!!
> Really? I beieve it has been understood for decades that ski area
> employees are expected to get to work after a snowstorm. - BobJiminy
> Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to
> Jiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse
> to sk... The notice was posted by the manager of a restaurant, went
> viral. Jiminy Peak owners apologize for notice. | | |
In the longer run, there's no such thing as a safe zone - SUCK IT UP, WHOSES!
Oh Dear! I am so sorry to hear of these horrible things in your lift. I hope your health is on the mend and that there are no more catastrophes!!
I think with all that, it is probably a good idea to take some time off from work and enjoy the skiing and all life has to offer you right now. Hopefully your lay-off includes your health insurance throughout the winter.
Sadly, as we get older, we have more of these catastrophes and health scares...I've certainly had my share, and if my job ended today, I would take the winter off and ski ski ski until the money ran out!! Start the new job after ski season.
Oh, and a paddling friend of mine is in the hospital for lung cancer.
I can only imagine what's next ........ scary.
Thanks Sharon, just what I need especially after the last 14 months of being cursed for Gawd only knows what. Let's seeeee the latest catastrophes ......1) I had another health crisis Thanksgiving Sunday2) Colleague/Mentor/Friend almost was killed in a fall in Smugglers Notch3) Colleague/Classmate was the one leading the group in this shocking incident: https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?accfm=inv&acc_id=685 4) I got laid off
Finally: Now Sharon is inferring that I'm a whose.
If you are truly a skier, you should not start a new job until after ski season is over.
On Wed, Jan 23, 2019 at 9:37 AM Mark P. Renson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Sigh....... the wussification of society continues. The memo did mention using Fisher or Clark which I assume means a place to couch surf or set up a slumber party which could be fun especially if alcohol is allowed; just sayin' ya' know. Then you can get up early the next morning and earn first powder turns.
At Waterville, we're expected to watch the weather forecast and plan accordingly. After all, going up against what Mutha' Nature hurls out at you is part of the fun/adventure.
But I guess ski areas/resorts/resort towns are supposed to be all about rainbows, unicorns, distorted views of reality, calling in sick to get in line at the local store for the next shipment of Toppy Header beer, smoking weed wherever ya' want whenever ya' want, expecting Flatlanders to pay for your lifestyle and blah and blah .....
Work is tough, DEAL WITH IT. Upon getting back from vacation yesterday, I was cut per a huge downsizing at my company. But that's okay 'cuz I had been talking with ########### about positions that would pay better and I will be talking in an hour to someone else in an hour about positions at ############## and in 15 minutes I will be talking to someone else about an immediate need for my skills. My network is humming away and 2 ex-bosses enthusiastically said they will will give me references. My severance and health benefits go through March and ****most importantly*** I still have patrolling at Waterville and Tux and I'll also be working at an AIARE 1 this weekend for Acadia Mountain Guides.
To all Whoses and Snowflakes, like A.J.'s dad said last season: SUCK IT UP!!
Really? I beieve it has been understood for decades that ski area employees are expected to get to work after a snowstorm. - BobJiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to skip work was overzealous, uncaring
Jiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to sk...
The notice was posted by the manager of a restaurant, went viral. Jiminy Peak owners apologize for notice. | | |
Yes, great advice. Cash in an IRA and do the tour you’ve always wanted to. Go to Europe and rent a car. See if Reudi has had a cancellation. Come visit in Cabot….
Hang in there Mark, being a patroller, avalanche guide and instructor is a tough path. Injuries and death are part of it. Your colleague who let that fatal tour must be devastated, as I’m sure everyone involved is.
>
> I think with all that, it is probably a good idea to take some time off from work and enjoy the skiing and all life has to offer you right now. Hopefully your lay-off includes your health insurance throughout the winter.
>
> On Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 8:13 AM Mark P. Renson <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
> Oh, and a paddling friend of mine is in the hospital for lung cancer.
>
> 1) I had another health crisis Thanksgiving Sunday
> 2) Colleague/Mentor/Friend almost was killed in a fall in Smugglers Notch
> 3) Colleague/Classmate was the one leading the group in this shocking incident: https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?accfm=inv&acc_id=685 <https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?accfm=inv&acc_id=685>
>
> If you are truly a skier, you should not start a new job until after ski season is over.
>
> On Wed, Jan 23, 2019 at 9:37 AM Mark P. Renson <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
> Sigh....... the wussification of society continues. The memo did mention using Fisher or Clark which I assume means a place to couch surf or set up a slumber party which could be fun especially if alcohol is allowed; just sayin' ya' know. Then you can get up early the next morning and earn first powder turns.
>
>
> Work is tough, DEAL WITH IT. Upon getting back from vacation yesterday, I was cut per a huge downsizing at my company. But that's okay 'cuz I had been talking with ########### about positions that would pay better and I will be talking in an hour to someone else in an hour about positions at ############## and in 15 minutes I will be talking to someone else about an immediate need for my skills. My network is humming away and 2 ex-bosses enthusiastically said they will will give me references. My severance and health benefits go through March and ****most importantly*** I still have patrolling at Waterville and Tux and I'll also be working at an AIARE 1 this weekend for Acadia Mountain Guides.
>
>
> To all Whoses and Snowflakes, like A.J.'s dad said last season: SUCK IT UP!!
>
>
> Really? I beieve it has been understood for decades that ski area employees are expected to get to work after a snowstorm. - Bob
> Jiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to skip work was overzealous, uncaring <https://www.masslive.com/weather/2019/01/jiminy-peak-owners-notice-telling-ski-area-workers-snow-is-no-excuse-to-skip-work-was-overzealous-uncaring.html>
> Jiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to sk...
> The notice was posted by the manager of a restaurant, went viral. Jiminy Peak owners apologize for notice.
> <https://www.masslive.com/weather/2019/01/jiminy-peak-owners-notice-telling-ski-area-workers-snow-is-no-excuse-to-skip-work-was-overzealous-uncaring.html> |
I think with all that, it is probably a good idea to take some time off
from work and enjoy the skiing and all life has to offer you right now.
> Oh, and a paddling friend of mine is in the hospital for lung cancer.
>
> 1) I had another health crisis Thanksgiving Sunday
> 2) Colleague/Mentor/Friend almost was killed in a fall in Smugglers Notch
> 3) Colleague/Classmate was the one leading the group in this shocking
>
> If you are truly a skier, you should not start a new job until after ski
> season is over.
> Sigh....... the wussification of society continues. The memo did mention
> using Fisher or Clark which I assume means a place to couch surf or set up
> a slumber party which could be fun especially if alcohol is allowed; just
> sayin' ya' know. Then you can get up early the next morning and earn first
> Work is tough, DEAL WITH IT. Upon getting back from vacation yesterday, I
> was cut per a huge downsizing at my company. But that's okay 'cuz I had
> been talking with ########### about positions that would pay better and I
>
> To all Whoses and Snowflakes, like A.J.'s dad said last season: SUCK IT
> UP!!
> Really? I beieve it has been understood for decades that ski area
> employees are expected to get to work after a snowstorm. - Bob
> Jiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to
> sk...
> The notice was posted by the manager of a restaurant, went viral. Jiminy
> Peak owners apologize for notice. |
Oh, and a paddling friend of mine is in the hospital for lung cancer.
I can only imagine what's next ........ scary.
Thanks Sharon, just what I need especially after the last 14 months of being cursed for Gawd only knows what. Let's seeeee the latest catastrophes ......1) I had another health crisis Thanksgiving Sunday2) Colleague/Mentor/Friend almost was killed in a fall in Smugglers Notch3) Colleague/Classmate was the one leading the group in this shocking incident: https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?accfm=inv&acc_id=685 4) I got laid off
Finally: Now Sharon is inferring that I'm a whose.
If you are truly a skier, you should not start a new job until after ski season is over.
On Wed, Jan 23, 2019 at 9:37 AM Mark P. Renson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Sigh....... the wussification of society continues. The memo did mention using Fisher or Clark which I assume means a place to couch surf or set up a slumber party which could be fun especially if alcohol is allowed; just sayin' ya' know. Then you can get up early the next morning and earn first powder turns.
At Waterville, we're expected to watch the weather forecast and plan accordingly. After all, going up against what Mutha' Nature hurls out at you is part of the fun/adventure.
But I guess ski areas/resorts/resort towns are supposed to be all about rainbows, unicorns, distorted views of reality, calling in sick to get in line at the local store for the next shipment of Toppy Header beer, smoking weed wherever ya' want whenever ya' want, expecting Flatlanders to pay for your lifestyle and blah and blah .....
Work is tough, DEAL WITH IT. Upon getting back from vacation yesterday, I was cut per a huge downsizing at my company. But that's okay 'cuz I had been talking with ########### about positions that would pay better and I will be talking in an hour to someone else in an hour about positions at ############## and in 15 minutes I will be talking to someone else about an immediate need for my skills. My network is humming away and 2 ex-bosses enthusiastically said they will will give me references. My severance and health benefits go through March and ****most importantly*** I still have patrolling at Waterville and Tux and I'll also be working at an AIARE 1 this weekend for Acadia Mountain Guides.
To all Whoses and Snowflakes, like A.J.'s dad said last season: SUCK IT UP!!
Really? I beieve it has been understood for decades that ski area employees are expected to get to work after a snowstorm. - BobJiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to skip work was overzealous, uncaring
Jiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to sk...
The notice was posted by the manager of a restaurant, went viral. Jiminy Peak owners apologize for notice. | | |
Thanks Sharon, just what I need especially after the last 14 months of being cursed for Gawd only knows what. Let's seeeee the latest catastrophes ......1) I had another health crisis Thanksgiving Sunday2) Colleague/Mentor/Friend almost was killed in a fall in Smugglers Notch3) Colleague/Classmate was the one leading the group in this shocking incident: https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?accfm=inv&acc_id=685 4) I got laid off
Finally: Now Sharon is inferring that I'm a whose.
If you are truly a skier, you should not start a new job until after ski season is over.
On Wed, Jan 23, 2019 at 9:37 AM Mark P. Renson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Sigh....... the wussification of society continues. The memo did mention using Fisher or Clark which I assume means a place to couch surf or set up a slumber party which could be fun especially if alcohol is allowed; just sayin' ya' know. Then you can get up early the next morning and earn first powder turns.
At Waterville, we're expected to watch the weather forecast and plan accordingly. After all, going up against what Mutha' Nature hurls out at you is part of the fun/adventure.
But I guess ski areas/resorts/resort towns are supposed to be all about rainbows, unicorns, distorted views of reality, calling in sick to get in line at the local store for the next shipment of Toppy Header beer, smoking weed wherever ya' want whenever ya' want, expecting Flatlanders to pay for your lifestyle and blah and blah .....
Work is tough, DEAL WITH IT. Upon getting back from vacation yesterday, I was cut per a huge downsizing at my company. But that's okay 'cuz I had been talking with ########### about positions that would pay better and I will be talking in an hour to someone else in an hour about positions at ############## and in 15 minutes I will be talking to someone else about an immediate need for my skills. My network is humming away and 2 ex-bosses enthusiastically said they will will give me references. My severance and health benefits go through March and ****most importantly*** I still have patrolling at Waterville and Tux and I'll also be working at an AIARE 1 this weekend for Acadia Mountain Guides.
To all Whoses and Snowflakes, like A.J.'s dad said last season: SUCK IT UP!!
Really? I beieve it has been understood for decades that ski area employees are expected to get to work after a snowstorm. - BobJiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to skip work was overzealous, uncaring
Jiminy Peak owners: Notice telling ski area workers snow is no excuse to sk...
The notice was posted by the manager of a restaurant, went viral. Jiminy Peak owners apologize for notice. | | |
Yeah, call me a whose but I've been pretty freaked out on that pass as well, having driven it a handful of times in the past few years including in snowstorms. As you said its scary in dry weather, even when there isnt fresh rockfall on the road!
There is some nice skiing towards the top of Red Mountain Pass when the snow is stable, as I believe Mark Renson can attest to also. Here are our tracks from Red Mountain #3 still visible from the road a few days later since apparently nobody else ski tours in that area in early May?- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont.To unsubscribe, visit http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html |
Yeah, call me a whose but I've been pretty freaked out on that pass as
well, having driven it a handful of times in the past few years including
in snowstorms. As you said its scary in dry weather, even when there isnt
snow is stable, as I believe Mark Renson can attest to also. Here are our
tracks from Red Mountain #3 still visible from the road a few days later
since apparently nobody else ski tours in that area in early May? |
> We had 3" of refresh this am. I expect hordes of post holing Boston ians
> wearing "Goodell is a Whose" tshirts over their Starter jackets, but
> whatever. Send me a txt if you're gonna be there this afternoon.
>
> Somebody cleared that point forest?! I started on that 12 years ago the
> summer after nearly getting skewered on a horizontal pungi stick. It
> needed too much work. I completed less than 10% of the line. The
>>
>> is worthy of Dr. Suess. And that you that thrashed a Yaris to get there.
>> Color?
>> Glades that saw their glory back in the 70s were skiing wide open and
>> unobstructed. A scant 5 years ago these same runs were choked with woody
>> flotsam/jetsam. And whomever schwacked the schwack was nowhere to be seen
>>
>> Took 4 runs, ending with BOS, the old lift line, which was a dream from
>> top to bottom. It ain't big but it's good. |
We had 3" of refresh this am. I expect hordes of post holing Boston ians wearing "Goodell is a Whose" tshirts over their Starter jackets, but whatever. Send me a txt if you're gonna be there this afternoon.
Somebody cleared that point forest?! I started on that 12 years ago the summer after nearly getting skewered on a horizontal pungi stick. It needed too much work. I completed less than 10% of the line. The corporate battery-operated Sawzall crew must have gotten after it. Nice!
is worthy of Dr. Suess. And that you that thrashed a Yaris to get there. Color?
--Alex
Glades that saw their glory back in the 70s were skiing wide open and unobstructed. A scant 5 years ago these same runs were choked with woody flotsam/jetsam. And whomever schwacked the schwack was nowhere to be seen ... at 2 pm.
Ashby roads untouched by plows. Had to wail the snot out of the Yaris to get there. 16" of snow seems to be its limit. We parked on Bennett Rd and followed the road to the base of Little Dipper. An old skin track hooked left into the pines lookers left of the slope. We followed it and were stunned to see the work that had been done there. It was top to bottom, nicely spaced, no eye gouging allowed glade skiing. This may now be the longest steepish run on the North side of the hill.
Took 4 runs, ending with BOS, the old lift line, which was a dream from top to bottom. It ain't big but it's good. |
Not quite on the level of Piecasso though. I don't think it's a stretch
to say that they have the best slices in the state
On 12/06/2016 11:00 AM, Iski Stowe wrote:
> The one in the Valley was owned by a buddy of his. Jimmz helped him
> get up & running, then they had a parting of the ways.
> Have you been to the Blue Stone in the valley? That looks like a
> good fit for the valley and that building.
>
> I really like Jimmz pizza, I used to get slices there a lot when
> he had his place in the Valley.
>> Piecasso is great, but it is probably too $teaux for Mark's
>> taste. Piecasso would be a great place for a date.
>> Jimmz is next to Pete's Greens or Rt 100 Waterbury Center. It is
>> right across from the Sunnoco Gas Station. Jimmz has great
>> selection of slices & beer. It is a locals favorite.
>>
>> On 12/05/2016 12:13 PM, Mark P. Renson wrote:
>>> Is that the place that offers 2 slices and a PBR for under
>>> $10 that I heard of?
>>> 4 hours.
>>> Jimmz pizza is a great spot for a cheap slices of pizza.
>>>
>>>
>>> With a thaw and freeze and forecasts of measly amounts
>>> of snow, I planned on getting in some miles on machine
>>> outstanding and it was snowing vigorously when I
>>> arrived. I arrived a little later than I wanted to and
>>> that 10 mile stretch of road between Waterbury and Stowe
>>> always feels like 30 - go figure. But most importantly
>>> ..... THE SKIING! It kicked a$$. Not only did I get in
>>> miles, but conditions were outstanding and a breeze with
>>> snowfall throughout the day kept things fresh. Snow was
>>> heavy, but skied very well. Towards the end of the day,
>>> some of the McScrape effect reared its ugly head in a
>>> few select spots, but nothing to whine about and
>>> not show any of that. I was able to score another
>>> bargain at the Octagon - $7 for a Gatorade and cookie,
>>> WOW! I even bought another Gatorade during the day, but
>>>
>>> A poachfest happened with people not being shy about
>>> skiing the closed trails. Being an AMGA member and an
>>> MRG Patroller means that I feel that I have to behave
>>> myself at other ski areas plus I tend to be a law
>>> abiding goody-whose-shoes so I refrained from ducking
>>> ropes ....... plus on-piste was so good that there was
>>> I called it quits at 3:55pm, avoiding 1 more run and
>>> grabbing a Lost Nation Mosaic at the bar. Lotsa' new
>>> glitzy stuff at Stowe, but I've always enjoyed the
>>> coziness of the old Mount Mansfield Lodge and The Den in
>>> it - hasn't changed a bit since my first time to Stowe
>>> in January 1984 and I still like it. |
The one in the Valley was owned by a buddy of his. Jimmz helped him get up
& running, then they had a parting of the ways.
Have you been to the Blue Stone in the valley? That looks like a good fit
for the valley and that building.
> I really like Jimmz pizza, I used to get slices there a lot when he had
> his place in the Valley.
> Piecasso is great, but it is probably too $teaux for Mark's taste.
> Piecasso would be a great place for a date.
> Jimmz is next to Pete's Greens or Rt 100 Waterbury Center. It is right
> across from the Sunnoco Gas Station. Jimmz has great selection of slices &
> beer. It is a locals favorite.
>
>>
>> Is that the place that offers 2 slices and a PBR for under $10 that I
>> heard of?
>> around lunch time. No way I could have skied another 4 hours.
>> Jimmz pizza is a great spot for a cheap slices of pizza.
>>
>>
>>> With a thaw and freeze and forecasts of measly amounts of snow, I
>>> planned on getting in some miles on machine groomed. I planned on
>>> customer service was outstanding and it was snowing vigorously when I
>>> arrived. I arrived a little later than I wanted to and that 10 mile
>>> stretch of road between Waterbury and Stowe always feels like 30 - go
>>> figure. But most importantly ..... THE SKIING! It kicked a$$. Not only
>>> did I get in miles, but conditions were outstanding and a breeze with
>>> snowfall throughout the day kept things fresh. Snow was heavy, but skied
>>> very well. Towards the end of the day, some of the McScrape effect reared
>>> its ugly head in a few select spots, but nothing to whine about and
>>> sticking to the web of trails on the skiers right did not show any of
>>> that. I was able to score another bargain at the Octagon - $7 for a
>>> Gatorade and cookie, WOW! I even bought another Gatorade during the day,
>>>
>>> A poachfest happened with people not being shy about skiing the closed
>>> trails. Being an AMGA member and an MRG Patroller means that I feel that I
>>> have to behave myself at other ski areas plus I tend to be a law abiding
>>> goody-whose-shoes so I refrained from ducking ropes ....... plus on-piste
>>> was so good that there was no need to poach.
>>>
>>> I called it quits at 3:55pm, avoiding 1 more run and grabbing a Lost
>>> Nation Mosaic at the bar. Lotsa' new glitzy stuff at Stowe, but I've
>>> always enjoyed the coziness of the old Mount Mansfield Lodge and The Den in
>>> it - hasn't changed a bit since my first time to Stowe in January 1984 and
>>> I still like it. |
Piecasso is great, but it is probably too $teaux for Mark's taste.
Piecasso would be a great place for a date.
Jimmz is next to Pete's Greens or Rt 100 Waterbury Center. It is right
across from the Sunnoco Gas Station. Jimmz has great selection of slices &
beer. It is a locals favorite.
>
> Is that the place that offers 2 slices and a PBR for under $10 that I
> heard of?
> lunch time. No way I could have skied another 4 hours.
> Jimmz pizza is a great spot for a cheap slices of pizza.
>
>
>> With a thaw and freeze and forecasts of measly amounts of snow, I planned
>> on getting in some miles on machine groomed. I planned on Sugarbush, but
>> service was outstanding and it was snowing vigorously when I arrived. I
>> arrived a little later than I wanted to and that 10 mile stretch of road
>> between Waterbury and Stowe always feels like 30 - go figure. But most
>> importantly ..... THE SKIING! It kicked a$$. Not only did I get in miles,
>> but conditions were outstanding and a breeze with snowfall throughout the
>> day kept things fresh. Snow was heavy, but skied very well. Towards the
>> end of the day, some of the McScrape effect reared its ugly head in a few
>> select spots, but nothing to whine about and sticking to the web of trails
>> on the skiers right did not show any of that. I was able to score another
>> bargain at the Octagon - $7 for a Gatorade and cookie, WOW! I even bought
>> another Gatorade during the day, but avoided the $16 wraps.
>>
>> A poachfest happened with people not being shy about skiing the closed
>> trails. Being an AMGA member and an MRG Patroller means that I feel that I
>> have to behave myself at other ski areas plus I tend to be a law abiding
>> goody-whose-shoes so I refrained from ducking ropes ....... plus on-piste
>> was so good that there was no need to poach.
>>
>> I called it quits at 3:55pm, avoiding 1 more run and grabbing a Lost
>> Nation Mosaic at the bar. Lotsa' new glitzy stuff at Stowe, but I've
>> always enjoyed the coziness of the old Mount Mansfield Lodge and The Den in
>> it - hasn't changed a bit since my first time to Stowe in January 1984 and
>> I still like it. |
On 12/05/2016 12:13 PM, Mark P. Renson wrote:
> Is that the place that offers 2 slices and a PBR for under $10 that I
> heard of?
> around lunch time. No way I could have skied another 4 hours.
> Jimmz pizza is a great spot for a cheap slices of pizza.
>
>
> With a thaw and freeze and forecasts of measly amounts of snow, I
> planned on getting in some miles on machine groomed. I planned on
> the ticket for me. Stowe customer service was outstanding and it
> was snowing vigorously when I arrived. I arrived a little later
> than I wanted to and that 10 mile stretch of road between
> Waterbury and Stowe always feels like 30 - go figure. But most
> importantly ..... THE SKIING! It kicked a$$. Not only did I get
> in miles, but conditions were outstanding and a breeze with
> snowfall throughout the day kept things fresh. Snow was heavy,
> but skied very well. Towards the end of the day, some of the
> McScrape effect reared its ugly head in a few select spots, but
> nothing to whine about and sticking to the web of trails on the
> skiers right did not show any of that. I was able to score
> another bargain at the Octagon - $7 for a Gatorade and cookie,
> WOW! I even bought another Gatorade during the day, but avoided
>
> A poachfest happened with people not being shy about skiing the
> closed trails. Being an AMGA member and an MRG Patroller means
> that I feel that I have to behave myself at other ski areas plus I
> tend to be a law abiding goody-whose-shoes so I refrained from
> ducking ropes ....... plus on-piste was so good that there was no
>
> I called it quits at 3:55pm, avoiding 1 more run and grabbing a
> Lost Nation Mosaic at the bar. Lotsa' new glitzy stuff at Stowe,
> but I've always enjoyed the coziness of the old Mount Mansfield
> Lodge and The Den in it - hasn't changed a bit since my first time
> to Stowe in January 1984 and I still like it. |
lunch time. No way I could have skied another 4 hours.
Jimmz pizza is a great spot for a cheap slices of pizza.
> With a thaw and freeze and forecasts of measly amounts of snow, I planned
> on getting in some miles on machine groomed. I planned on Sugarbush, but
> service was outstanding and it was snowing vigorously when I arrived. I
> arrived a little later than I wanted to and that 10 mile stretch of road
> between Waterbury and Stowe always feels like 30 - go figure. But most
> importantly ..... THE SKIING! It kicked a$$. Not only did I get in miles,
> but conditions were outstanding and a breeze with snowfall throughout the
> day kept things fresh. Snow was heavy, but skied very well. Towards the
> end of the day, some of the McScrape effect reared its ugly head in a few
> select spots, but nothing to whine about and sticking to the web of trails
> on the skiers right did not show any of that. I was able to score another
> bargain at the Octagon - $7 for a Gatorade and cookie, WOW! I even bought
> another Gatorade during the day, but avoided the $16 wraps.
>
> A poachfest happened with people not being shy about skiing the closed
> trails. Being an AMGA member and an MRG Patroller means that I feel that I
> have to behave myself at other ski areas plus I tend to be a law abiding
> goody-whose-shoes so I refrained from ducking ropes ....... plus on-piste
> was so good that there was no need to poach.
>
> I called it quits at 3:55pm, avoiding 1 more run and grabbing a Lost
> Nation Mosaic at the bar. Lotsa' new glitzy stuff at Stowe, but I've
> always enjoyed the coziness of the old Mount Mansfield Lodge and The Den in
> it - hasn't changed a bit since my first time to Stowe in January 1984 and
> I still like it. |
> Over the phone, they just weren't too sure of exactly where they were. Something about being on the Tucks Trail. So, I was dispatched to search with binoculars the section of the Tucks Trail from The Sluice to the intersection with the AT. Yeah, If you look hard enough, you can see from Hermit Lake the sign marking that intersection way up in the alpine above The Bowl. Then after more discussion, we figured they were perhaps on one of the E aspect snowfields or even the Alpine Garden. So, Ranger Helon and Caretaker Patrick hoofed up to the alpine. I was dispatched afterwards in my own little lower slower group up Lions's Head Summer Route which is shockingly now open. In shoulder seasons, this trail is really not a hiking trail, but a mountaineering route and crampons and an ice axe are very helpful in getting over the ledges. I was also racing the clock as I wanted to get over that steep ledge on the Lion Head before dark. So, I hustled and whaddya' know I got to that ledge at 7pm with Flight Commander Bob catching up to me as I wanted to ensure he scaled it safely, as well. Yeah, there was barely enough light to make it comfortable.
>
> On our way to the snowfields we went with us barely catching a glimpse of a headlamp once in awhile. At the intersection with the Alpine Garden Trail we paused to figure out the best route which would avoid the krumholz. Up Lions Head we went until we saw a straight shot through the krumholz on snow. After poking around the boulders and ledges, we found our team with the patient. MRS and the Commander-In-Chief of the summit - Mike - all showed up. Mike was very professional and a gentleman. The following tells it all:
> Mount Washington Avalanche Center | Accident Summary: March 13, 2016
>
> Yup, we had what I suspect is an unprecedented 2 heli-evacs on Mount Washington in 1 day. It was a bumpy ride down the Auto Road with some good camaraderie even though I was getting tired, arriving at the bottom at 11pm. Since I had a long drive back to Massachusetts, I requested that I go on the first ride back to Pinkham asking "I hate to be such a dick, but I do have a long ride back to Massachusetts" which generated some good laughter and pats on the back.
>
> I got some caffeine and sugar in me and drove prudently back home, staying within the speed limits as I'm a law abiding goody-whose-shoes and driving aggressively would be too much given my state. I arrived back in Hudson at 2:20am and yes, I made it to work in downtown Boaston at a little before 9am.
>
>
> So, we gathered in the USFS cabin and assembled as well as ensuring that we were all hydrated and had something to eat. As often is the case, we received multiple calls, some with conflicting information which confused Hillman's with Huntington and then some word about an incident on The Lip (which was false). I mentioned to Ranger Frank that I had ran into a local hardman/crack guide who is on the A Team for MRS when I was on the way out of the Bowl - we might have needed him. I did find an extra pair of crampons and dreaded the chore of making adjustments to ensure they would fit on my boots - but whaddya' know, they fit perfectly.
>
> Up Hillman's we - including 3 of us patrollers - ascended Hillman's Highway moving at a vigourous but not rushed pace - like the Sugarbush Patrol says "Slow is Pro". Well, our patient was a wreck and I cannot get into the details. But it did necessitate and airlift and we were lucky as the weather had turned calm and clear. I joined Ranger Helon and Caretaker Patrick in making snow anchors/belay station. It felt just like practicing with my classmates last year in the San Juans or with ACMG guides high up in the Canadian Icefields. The local hardman.crack guide when we started litter lower #1 and then he put in some valuable assistance. The DHART chopper made an awesome landing in the Hermit Lake courtyard - what a pilot! - and our patient was loaded in roughly 1:15 after we 3 patrollers got the word. We ensured all of our gear was secure and out of the way as I stated "when the chopper takes off, there's gonna' be a hurricane here".
>
> Phew! Nothing like the feel of pulling off a complex rescue! We started to put stuff away. Then Yogi Berra's voice boomed from the summit cone: "IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER".
>
> Something about a call with an area code 514 number. Oh merde! Please, speak reasonably good English, I mumbled.....
>
>
> Up the Tux Trail I went on Saturday morning and it was crap. About 1/3 of the way up, I put on my ski crampons and that at least made the ascent doable. Things were slow at Hermit Lake and I took some pics to record this historically lousy season. During mid-day, we did have a serious injury at HoJos to tend to. In the afternoon, I was able to make it to the Bowl, snap some more obscene pics and get in some turns on S aspects.
>
> Sunday started slow but was cooler. Howling winds all night long kept the snow cold. N aspects stayed hard and S aspects were a bit crusty as I made some turns again. On the way out, I broke one of my aluminum crampons. Jonathan recommends those and eating GU, but an old plowhorse like me needs steel crampons an salami & cheese to stay alive in the mountains.
> |
Over the phone, they just weren't too sure of exactly where they were. Something about being on the Tucks Trail. So, I was dispatched to search with binoculars the section of the Tucks Trail from The Sluice to the intersection with the AT. Yeah, If you look hard enough, you can see from Hermit Lake the sign marking that intersection way up in the alpine above The Bowl. Then after more discussion, we figured they were perhaps on one of the E aspect snowfields or even the Alpine Garden. So, Ranger Helon and Caretaker Patrick hoofed up to the alpine. I was dispatched afterwards in my own little lower slower group up Lions's Head Summer Route which is shockingly now open. In shoulder seasons, this trail is really not a hiking trail, but a mountaineering route and crampons and an ice axe are very helpful in getting over the ledges. I was also racing the clock as I wanted to get over that steep ledge on the Lion Head before dark. So, I hustled and whaddya' know I got to that ledge at 7pm with Flight Commander Bob catching up to me as I wanted to ensure he scaled it safely, as well. Yeah, there was barely enough light to make it comfortable.
On our way to the snowfields we went with us barely catching a glimpse of a headlamp once in awhile. At the intersection with the Alpine Garden Trail we paused to figure out the best route which would avoid the krumholz. Up Lions Head we went until we saw a straight shot through the krumholz on snow. After poking around the boulders and ledges, we found our team with the patient. MRS and the Commander-In-Chief of the summit - Mike - all showed up. Mike was very professional and a gentleman. The following tells it all:Mount Washington Avalanche Center | Accident Summary: March 13, 2016
Yup, we had what I suspect is an unprecedented 2 heli-evacs on Mount Washington in 1 day. It was a bumpy ride down the Auto Road with some good camaraderie even though I was getting tired, arriving at the bottom at 11pm. Since I had a long drive back to Massachusetts, I requested that I go on the first ride back to Pinkham asking "I hate to be such a dick, but I do have a long ride back to Massachusetts" which generated some good laughter and pats on the back.
I got some caffeine and sugar in me and drove prudently back home, staying within the speed limits as I'm a law abiding goody-whose-shoes and driving aggressively would be too much given my state. I arrived back in Hudson at 2:20am and yes, I made it to work in downtown Boaston at a little before 9am.
So, we gathered in the USFS cabin and assembled as well as ensuring that we were all hydrated and had something to eat. As often is the case, we received multiple calls, some with conflicting information which confused Hillman's with Huntington and then some word about an incident on The Lip (which was false). I mentioned to Ranger Frank that I had ran into a local hardman/crack guide who is on the A Team for MRS when I was on the way out of the Bowl - we might have needed him. I did find an extra pair of crampons and dreaded the chore of making adjustments to ensure they would fit on my boots - but whaddya' know, they fit perfectly.
Up Hillman's we - including 3 of us patrollers - ascended Hillman's Highway moving at a vigourous but not rushed pace - like the Sugarbush Patrol says "Slow is Pro". Well, our patient was a wreck and I cannot get into the details. But it did necessitate and airlift and we were lucky as the weather had turned calm and clear. I joined Ranger Helon and Caretaker Patrick in making snow anchors/belay station. It felt just like practicing with my classmates last year in the San Juans or with ACMG guides high up in the Canadian Icefields. The local hardman.crack guide when we started litter lower #1 and then he put in some valuable assistance. The DHART chopper made an awesome landing in the Hermit Lake courtyard - what a pilot! - and our patient was loaded in roughly 1:15 after we 3 patrollers got the word. We ensured all of our gear was secure and out of the way as I stated "when the chopper takes off, there's gonna' be a hurricane here".
Phew! Nothing like the feel of pulling off a complex rescue! We started to put stuff away. Then Yogi Berra's voice boomed from the summit cone: "IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER".
Something about a call with an area code 514 number. Oh merde! Please, speak reasonably good English, I mumbled.....
Mark P. Renson
Up the Tux Trail I went on Saturday morning and it was crap. About 1/3 of the way up, I put on my ski crampons and that at least made the ascent doable. Things were slow at Hermit Lake and I took some pics to record this historically lousy season. During mid-day, we did have a serious injury at HoJos to tend to. In the afternoon, I was able to make it to the Bowl, snap some more obscene pics and get in some turns on S aspects.
Sunday started slow but was cooler. Howling winds all night long kept the snow cold. N aspects stayed hard and S aspects were a bit crusty as I made some turns again. On the way out, I broke one of my aluminum crampons. Jonathan recommends those and eating GU, but an old plowhorse like me needs steel crampons an salami & cheese to stay alive in the mountains.
Anyway, I and 2 fellow patrollers packed up, cleaned up and were just about to head out the door of our bunkhouse when Ranger Frank showed up mentioning "long sliding fall in Hillman's" |
What a whose. He's not a real skier. The comments are right on.
> My rule of thumb was always that I should never ski so fast that I couldn't crash into a tree instead of a fellow skier. Once I had kids, I decided that I needed a third choice.
> |
>
>>I know it was an old tradition. I thought now that we have a better idea of what skis are made
>>of and how we wouldn't want to breath what comes from burning them, it was a tradition whose
>>time has past.
>
>Would it make you any happier if I told you it was a pair of decambered XC woodies that were starting to delaminating at the tail? ;-)
> |
>I know it was an old tradition. I thought now that we have a better idea of what skis are made
>of and how we wouldn't want to breath what comes from burning them, it was a tradition whose
>time has past.
Would it make you any happier if I told you it was a pair of decambered XC woodies that were starting to delaminating at the tail? ;-)
I did a drive-by but didn't ski. It was cold enough that they were still bombing the slopes (and showing up at the office soaked with a grin on my face doesn't always impress new clients favorably... :-) )
Thursday is definitely a GO! Weatherspark's projected temperature for Princeton MA at 7AM is 34F, so they will probably not be in heavy snow-making mode during the daylight hours, which should make it a bit more fun. |
>I didn't see Mark's comments to necessarily be negative, taken
>purely in a literal sense. I think he was just being informative,
>albeit in his unique way. E-tone cane be misread easily, Especially
Exactly. I know that some number of listers* never saw this post due
to workplace filtering. At a former employer of mine, there would
have been an automated email sent to HR because of the subject and a
video link in the body.
Beer spelled backwards was just a goofy list thing, like whose.
Keywords in the subject line that can trigger corporate IT/HR
involvement are a different thing entirely. Sorta like joking about
guns or bombs at the TSA checkpoint at the airport. |
Sender: Vermont Skiing Discussion and Snow Reports <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Wesley A. Wright" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Daily Morning Vermont Weather
.TODAY...CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE
LOWER 70S. NORTHWEST WINDS AROUND 10 MPH.
HIGHS IN THE MID 70S.
.MONDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S.
.TUESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
HIGHS IN THE MID 70S. CHANCE OF RAIN 50 PERCENT.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S.
.WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE
LOWER 70S. CHANCE OF RAIN 50 PERCENT.
NORTH COUNTRY TODAY WITH MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS AND COOL
TEMPERATURES. A FEW SPRINKLES OR LIGHT SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER
THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE...DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE
LIMITED DEEP LAYER MOISTURE AND SOME WEAK SFC HEATING/INSTABILITY
TO PRODUCE CLOUDS AND MAYBE A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS/SPRINKLES ACROSS
THE MTNS. BEST CHC FOR SEEING A PASSING SHOWER THIS AFTN WILL BE
ACROSS NORTHERN VT INTO THE NORTHEAST KINGDOM WHERE MOISTURE IS
ACRS THE NE CONUS. THIS WILL SUPPRESS THE HEAT/HUMIDITY TO OUR
SOUTH...ALONG WITH BEST INSTABILITY/MOISTURE...RESULTING IN A DRY
FCST. NAM/GFS BOTH SHOW NO PHASING OF SOUTHERN STREAM SYSTEM WITH
DIFFERENCES, SO THERE STILL REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY. WHERE
GUIDANCE IS STRUGGLING IS ON DETAILS OF A PROGGED COASTAL LOW -
ITS PARENT SHORTWAVE TROUGH LINKED TO ONGOING CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY
OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI/OHIO VALLEY REGION - AND THE RESULTING
MID-LEVEL PATTERN THEREAFTER. EARLIER ECMWF DEVELOPED A COASTAL
LOW OF WINTER-LIKE STRENGTH WHOSE PRECIPITATION SHIELD BRUSHED
EASTERN VT SUNDAY. THE GFS HOWEVER HAS MAINTAINED A MORE
PROGRESSIVE, OFFSHORE SOLUTION THROUGHOUT. WPC'S OVERNIGHT
EXTENDED RANGE DISCUSSION DOES A NICE JOB HIGHLIGHTING THESE
DISCREPANCIES, THE ECMWF LIKELY PLAGUED BY SMALL-SCALE CONVECTIVE
BAROCLINICITY. THOUGH THE GFS HAS PROVEN TO BE THE MOST
CONSISTENT, FELT A BLENDED GUIDANCE APPROACH WAS PRUDENT FOR THIS
PERIOD. IT MAY TURN OUT TO BE AN ACTIVE PERIOD FROM A SENSIBLE
WEATHER PERSPECTIVE, PARTICULARLY FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK.
SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW CHANCE POPS GOING OUT OF DEFERENCE TO
CONTINUITY IN CASE LATER RUNS COME IN WITH A WESTWARD SHIFT. A
LARGE EASTERN NOAM MID-LEVEL TROUGH DEVELOPS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK
AND SPREADS GULF MOISTURE NORTHWARD (PW'S ABOVE 1.5 INCHES).
ACCOMPANYING THAT MOISTURE SURGE WILL BE A MODEST INCREASE IN
INSTABILITY, SO SHAPING UP TO BE A WET START TO THE UPCOMING
WORKWEEK. I'VE SHOWN HIGH CHANCE POPS FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS
.AVIATION /12Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY...VFR THROUGH MUCH OF THE TAF PERIOD. A BRIEF
WINDOW OF RADIATION FOG AND IFR VISIBLITIES POSSIBLE AT SLK LATE
SCT TO BKN CLOUDS UP TO THIS POINT. THOSE CEILING CONDITIONS WILL
GENERALLY CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT. IF THERE'S A WINDOW FOR
FOG TO DEVELOP, IT'S NOT UNTIL AROUND/AFTER 09Z AT SLK. NORTHWEST
SHOWN VCSH FOR THESE AIRPORTS, WITH ANY SHOWERS DISSIPATING
THROUGH 00Z. THERE LOOKS TO BE A BETTER CHANCE OF FOG THURSDAY
NIGHT, AND STARTED TO HINT AT THIS WITH 3SM BR NEAR THE END OF THE
12Z SUNDAY THROUGH 12Z MONDAY...MAINLY VFR. VFR/MVFR RAIN A
POSSIBILITY AT MPV FROM COASTAL LOW. |
It was a lousy week of Dilberting and I was bumming about the prospect of having to skin to the bunkhouse on Friday night in the rain. Whaddya' know, the rain held off and I set a brisk pace up the hill. There I got word that Hillman's Highway ran big with wet slough slide. Next morning was Inferno Day and the weather was awful - subsonic winds and the prior day soft surfaces turned to porcelain/coral reef crap. I skinned up to the base of the Hillman's slide and found huge blocks of frozen sludge. I skied down and made a traverse across Hillman's and I swear the wind was blowning me back uphill. The skiing was rude.
Winds howled during the night and the Summit Obs recorded a top wind of 118 MPH. But today......sweet! S aspects RULED! I especially loved that pitch that is on skiers left after the opening at the bottom of Right Gully. I had an especially nice run going down the Lobster Claw steeps - I just love unloading on that steep pitch below the choke point - and banging a hard left with two hop turns through a tricky spot and over to the overlooked R-Cubed. I sampled Left Gully but only got as high up as just below Left of Left as the surface was getting too firm.....nonetheless, I had nice turns descending from that point. Those Dynafit Denalis that I got continue to amaze me. Jonathan harps on light is right on the uphill but I am finding out how awesome it is to go light on the descents as I have such a pair of happy feet turning those light skis with the interesting new shovel design (it's kinda' funky, but works great).
There was still good coverage on Connection through Little Headwall and the Sherburne was heaven at 5:15pm - outta' my brain on the train! I was reminded of why I love skiing so much. The season is still in high gear and if you've gone golfing or gardening now, then you're a WHOSE!
Mark P. Renson |
From: Sharon Heller <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Day 51, Smuggs, 3/22/15: BK IS A WHOSE
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Let me tell you about the the life of a whose.
>
> A whose claims to be too tired from doing report cards to join a large
> group of friends(aquanut, the Blooms, B&K, Eric K., Duphphy, LaSH) in a
> great day of skiing.
>
> A whose gets scared off by threats of cold and ice, missing run after run
> of untracked snow and brilliant sunshine and moderate wind at your back.
>
> A whose misses hard charging competition for lines that results in
> hilarious near collisions, where none of the 3 skiers bothers to stop,
>
> A whose thinks driving a few hours for powder is a hassle.
>
> BTW, telenaut is NOT a whose. On day 3 of his season, he allows himself
> to get dragged down steep, narrow, rocky chutes in order to get to the
> but joins in for another run. And another. And yet Another. telenaut is the
> anti-whose.
>
> LaSH isn't a whose. She brings powder skis to a purportedly icy day. But
> she quickly learns that Smuggs is not Revelstoke, and she should have trust
> and ski, and that the powder ski wasn't a bad choice..
>
> Bruno is so not a whose that his face eats frostbite for lunch and goes
> back to the slopes looking for more. Kirsten and Tawny's cold toes are not
> whoses. They don't get scared by a little white. In fact, they seek it
> out, billowing up from the toeside edge.
>
> Eric K can't be a whose. He skis MRG bumps regularly. And then gamely
> tracks up anything that us locals could point out to him.
>
> BK? Well, he did those things at the top of this tr, so.....Major Whose.
> |
From: Miguel Naughton <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Day 51, Smuggs, 3/22/15: BK IS A WHOSE
Mime-Version: 1.0
Very uncrowded and the sun was nice. A great day. |
From: Caveat Lector <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Day 51, Smuggs, 3/22/15: BK IS A WHOSE
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Let me tell you about the the life of a whose.
>
> A whose claims to be too tired from doing report cards to join a large
> group of friends(aquanut, the Blooms, B&K, Eric K., Duphphy, LaSH) in a
> great day of skiing.
> ...
> A whose thinks driving a few hours for powder is a hassle.
> ...
> BK? Well, he did those things at the top of this tr, so.....Major Whose.
>
I will not plead innocent to the charge of being whose. But, to clarify, it
wasn't because I was too tired... they weren't done and needed to be. So
poor time management, which I deeply regret. And as sad as I am for having
missed a great day with friends I miss, driving a few hours isn't a hassle.
But, if I may be serious for a moment, driving with no sleep may be being a
whose, but it is also wise. An exhausted driver is no better than a drunk
driver. </serious note> |
From: David Guertin <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Day 51, Smuggs, 3/22/15: BK IS A WHOSE
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
as this. But this TR does not make me happy -- it just makes me jealous.
Oh, sure, I wasn't a whose today, and I wrapped my face up in layers and
braved frigid temps and blowing wind to make turns, but... it wasn't
On 03/22/2015 06:40 PM, roger Klinger wrote:
> Let me tell you about the the life of a whose.
>
> A whose claims to be too tired from doing report cards to join a large
> group of friends(aquanut, the Blooms, B&K, Eric K., Duphphy, LaSH) in
> a great day of skiing.
>
> A whose gets scared off by threats of cold and ice, missing run after
> run of untracked snow and brilliant sunshine and moderate wind at your
>
> A whose misses hard charging competition for lines that results in
> hilarious near collisions, where none of the 3 skiers bothers to stop,
>
> A whose thinks driving a few hours for powder is a hassle.
>
> BTW, telenaut is NOT a whose. On day 3 of his season, he allows
> himself to get dragged down steep, narrow, rocky chutes in order to
> off on his own but joins in for another run. And another. And yet
> Another. telenaut is the anti-whose.
>
> LaSH isn't a whose. She brings powder skis to a purportedly icy day.
> But she quickly learns that Smuggs is not Revelstoke, and she should
> have trust and ski, and that the powder ski wasn't a bad choice..
>
> Bruno is so not a whose that his face eats frostbite for lunch and
> goes back to the slopes looking for more. Kirsten and Tawny's cold
> toes are not whoses. They don't get scared by a little white. In
> fact, they seek it out, billowing up from the toeside edge.
>
> Eric K can't be a whose. He skis MRG bumps regularly. And then gamely
> tracks up anything that us locals could point out to him.
>
> BK? Well, he did those things at the top of this tr, so.....Major Whose.
> |
From: roger Klinger <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Day 51, Smuggs, 3/22/15: BK IS A WHOSE
MIME-Version: 1.0
Let me tell you about the the life of a whose.
A whose claims to be too tired from doing report cards to join a large
group of friends(aquanut, the Blooms, B&K, Eric K., Duphphy, LaSH) in a
great day of skiing.
A whose gets scared off by threats of cold and ice, missing run after run
of untracked snow and brilliant sunshine and moderate wind at your back.
A whose misses hard charging competition for lines that results in
hilarious near collisions, where none of the 3 skiers bothers to stop,
A whose thinks driving a few hours for powder is a hassle.
BTW, telenaut is NOT a whose. On day 3 of his season, he allows himself to
get dragged down steep, narrow, rocky chutes in order to get to the goods
joins in for another run. And another. And yet Another. telenaut is the
anti-whose.
LaSH isn't a whose. She brings powder skis to a purportedly icy day. But
she quickly learns that Smuggs is not Revelstoke, and she should have trust
and ski, and that the powder ski wasn't a bad choice..
Bruno is so not a whose that his face eats frostbite for lunch and goes
back to the slopes looking for more. Kirsten and Tawny's cold toes are not
whoses. They don't get scared by a little white. In fact, they seek it
out, billowing up from the toeside edge.
Eric K can't be a whose. He skis MRG bumps regularly. And then gamely
tracks up anything that us locals could point out to him.
BK? Well, he did those things at the top of this tr, so.....Major Whose. |
Oof, sorry it didn't deliver today, Dave! I'll gladly give you another
tour next time you make it to the mountain. We still call a run 60"
because of a run you and I had down it with your kids. :) It's become one
of my favorites.
> which was as good as I can make it sound. Most of the signed glades were
> closed, and the ones that weren't were mostly devoid of skiers other than a
> few teenage males, whose attempts looked less than appealing. Negatory on
> the woods.
> ones that weren't were also almost completely devoid of skiers. I saw, and
> most of the mountain must have heard, a couple skiers going down through
> the gentle bumps under the Sterling chair. Nothing I saw encouraged me to
>
> It was a beautiful day, with bright sun changing to light overcast,
> temperatures in the high 20s, and none of the wind that was forecast, so it
> was just a nice, comfortable day to be on the mountain.
>
> It was surprisingly crowded for a weekday, though. Maybe it was a
> combination of some schools being off, and some colleges having Spring
> Break, but there were 15 minute lift lines most of the day, maybe a bit
> less on Sterling at times.
> I like Smuggs, and despite it being too far away, I would like to get back
> there sometime on a good day with someone to show me around.
> |
closed, and the ones that weren't were mostly devoid of skiers other
than a few teenage males, whose attempts looked less than appealing.
Negatory on the woods.
the ones that weren't were also almost completely devoid of skiers. I
saw, and most of the mountain must have heard, a couple skiers going
down through the gentle bumps under the Sterling chair. Nothing I saw
It was a beautiful day, with bright sun changing to light overcast,
temperatures in the high 20s, and none of the wind that was forecast, so
it was just a nice, comfortable day to be on the mountain.
It was surprisingly crowded for a weekday, though. Maybe it was a
combination of some schools being off, and some colleges having Spring
Break, but there were 15 minute lift lines most of the day, maybe a bit
less on Sterling at times.
I like Smuggs, and despite it being too far away, I would like to get
back there sometime on a good day with someone to show me around. |
It's as good as I've ever seen on Northern VT. Skier's right of Cat Bowl has been a blast and I have been working on my new techniques in the bumps there. There are gargantuan bumps everywhere and new lines in the woods that I never have seen before. Today, for the second time this season, I hiked up Paradise from Fox to assist in an injury. I then had a great practice sled run down Fall Line, going a significant distance chainless before dropping the chain brake.
Somebody on the list mentioned that "these are the best of times" and I wanted to say that 2 weeks ago but was worried about jinxing things. Any skier ambulatory in Northern VT and not skiing is a WHOSE. Period. |
It's as good as I've ever seen on Northern VT. Skier's right of Cat Bowl has been a blast and I have been working on my new techniques in the bumps there. There are gargantuan bumps everywhere and new lines in the woods that I never have seen before. Today, for the second time this season, I hiked up Paradise from Fox to assist in an injury. I then had a great practice sled run down Fall Line, going a significant distance chainless before dropping the chain brake.
Somebody on the list mentioned that "these are the best of times" and I wanted to say that 2 weeks ago but was worried about jinxing things. Any skier ambulatory in Northern VT and not skiing is a WHOSE. Period. Mark P. Renson |
Good for you. I looked at the temps in the morning and decided to be a whose and stayed home.
Sorry I missed you.
>and SO couldn't make February in VT and I had to get skied, so he and I
>came up. Really nice guy, really nice skier, for a boarder that is.
>
>Well, that was after waiting for the very inefficient staff at the lift
>ticket shack to pick up his ESC card. His only took a minute. The five
>people in front of us all seemed to take 5 minutes. And they were ALL
>
>Decided to do a warmup in Chapel Woods, except I couldn't find it. I knew
>the intersection I was looking for. Heck I even have the Google Earth map
>that many people can't be dumb. It was good out there. Afterwards, Noah had
>to fix an equipment issue and I grabbed a little sustenance.
>
>They shut the quad down for winds, which blew a hole in our plans to do the
>Bruce at the end of the day. Did a couple laps on Spruce and one more down
>a tree run at the Gondola. We ended at 3:45 and the place was empty.
>
>I will be skiing Smuggs Sunday through Saturday (Noah leaves Wednesday and
>my mom comes in). BC for cell if anyone doesn't have it. I have quite a few
>spare tickets on this trip so if you want a Smuggs day, you can have one.
>
>Oh, and we will be at MRG on Friday. If anyone is skiing there and willing
>to ski with a Texan; let me know.
> |
From: Patrick Haskell <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How much for a used Pieps Beacon?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
doesn't have as many antennas, simplicity, and accuracy of modern beacons,
you can get an old one for a fraction of that price. (I got a beacon more
recent than that, several years ago for less.) If you want a deal that may
or may not endanger your life, at least get a better deal. You can get new
beacons with a better version of the old technology here
<http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3667573&emssrcid=PPC%3AgooPLAs%3ASporting_GoodsCamping_Hiking_Backpacking&adpos=1o2&creative=50700532245&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KEQiAiamlBRCgj83PiYm6--gBEiQArnojD478nO9TWDQHhBIU8RgoP8sF9gwiyzQUpvMuPRjVjKIaApIU8P8HAQ>,
> Value of a 10 y/o beacon? Oh, about $1.63. Seriously, I would not trust
> my life to a 10 year old beacon whose history you’re not sure of. That
> package deal of $300 is too high. For not a whole lot more money, you
> can get a new beacon, probe and shovel. I just got a Barryvox Pulse and
> as I tinker and practice with it, I’m seeing that it’s totally awesome! The
> customer service from Mammut in Burlington was outstanding (Mammut owns
> Barryvox). You should take a Level 1 course, too.
> WTF is TEO talking about?
>
> Matt, I know you are trying to be a smart alec, but you know full well
> that I have not cut down on my ski trips because of a wife and family.
> Bubba doesn't care who I travel with and you know we have a pack of dogs
> and I'm lucky enough that he stays home and takes care of them while I'm
> off skiing with my ski pals. While I may seem somewhat "butch" I don't
> foresee ever taking on a wife...too high maintenance. I got me a very
> low-maintenance dude, and while he no longer skis, he is fully supportive
> of my passions and I don't complain about 3 nights of "band practice" when
> he takes off with his new bass guitar that he made. This is a
> ski-discussion listserve...no need to change the subject. Let's get back to
>
> What is the value of a 10 year old Pieps?
>
>
> Does your wife ski? (I hope it's not a touchy subject, what happened to
> Bubba?) Did the family come with her, or did the two of you start one
>
> My friend has a Pieps Beacon that he used when he was on ski patrol at The
> Canyons 10 years ago. Since he lives here and no longer travels, and I have
> So the thing is 10 years old. Works just fine. He had to own one for work
> and probably got a pro-deal.
>
> I figured the list would give me an idea of what value would be and what
> would be a worthwhile deal for the both of us (since we rarely get to
> travel together anymore..y'know...wife and family) |
From: "Mark P. Renson" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How much for a used Pieps Beacon?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
Value of a10 y/o beacon? Oh, about $1.63. Seriously, I would not trust my life to a 10year old beacon whose history you’re not sure of. That package deal of $300 is too high. For not a whole lot more money, you can get anew beacon, probe and shovel. I just gota Barryvox Pulse and as I tinker and practice with it, I’m seeing that it’stotally awesome! The customer servicefrom Mammut in Burlington was outstanding (Mammut owns Barryvox). You should take a Level 1 course, too.
Matt, I know you are trying to be a smart alec, but you know full well that I have not cut down on my ski trips because of a wife and family. Bubba doesn't care who I travel with and you know we have a pack of dogs and I'm lucky enough that he stays home and takes care of them while I'm off skiing with my ski pals. While I may seem somewhat "butch" I don't foresee ever taking on a wife...too high maintenance. I got me a very low-maintenance dude, and while he no longer skis, he is fully supportive of my passions and I don't complain about 3 nights of "band practice" when he takes off with his new bass guitar that he made. This is a ski-discussion listserve...no need to change the subject. Let's get back to the matter at hand...
What is the value of a 10 year old Pieps?
On Mon, Jan 5, 2015 at 2:43 PM, Matthew Kulas <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Sharon,
Does your wife ski? (I hope it's not a touchy subject, what happened to Bubba?) Did the family come with her, or did the two of you start one together (baby pics?). Regardless, congratulations!
--Matt K.
My friend has a Pieps Beacon that he used when he was on ski patrol at The Canyons 10 years ago. Since he lives here and no longer travels, and I have been borrowing it when I go out west, he would like to sell it to me with the shovel and probe for $300.
I offered him half the current value to take ownership and allow him to borrow it from me when he wants. (Since I borrowed it from him so many times over the last few years).
So the thing is 10 years old. Works just fine. He had to own one for work and probably got a pro-deal.
I figured the list would give me an idea of what value would be and what would be a worthwhile deal for the both of us (since we rarely get to travel together anymore..y'know...wife and family)
Discuss- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont.To unsubscribe, visit http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html |
Great Ripton Power Outage, so the area was still closed. I had fun
skinning up Ross and skiing down Ross and Allen in about a foot of
powder sitting on top of another foot of last week's dense perma-base.
>
> Any skier in Northern VT last weekend who did NOT ski is a WHOSE!
>
> caking everything, I almost felt like I was in the Pacific Northwest.
> No ice, anywhere. Late Saturday afternoon, there was a bit of a
> breeze and that blew snow into the right places - Canyon was awesome!
> It's been a long time since we've had so much snow, so early.
> |
This weekend really really protected the brand. The MRG Haters are gonna' get enraged as I had even more phun this weekend than I did the prior weekend at Sugarbush (and 'da Bush was lotsa' phun).
Any skier in Northern VT last weekend who did NOT ski is a WHOSE!
There's lotsa' heavy snow up there. Much snow was caked on the trees, especially the conifers. In the conifers, with all of that heavy snow caking everything, I almost felt like I was in the Pacific Northwest. No ice, anywhere. Late Saturday afternoon, there was a bit of a breeze and that blew snow into the right places - Canyon was awesome! It's been a long time since we've had so much snow, so early.
Life is worth skiing, especially now! Mark P. Renson |
From: George Bakos <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
Some, who are lucky (insightful?) enough to work for an org whose
benefits & HR folks see value in their folks regularly going to the gym,
I call 14k vert while not violating corporate policy a good day at the
office, especially when rounded out with a little Sip of Sunshine
after the workday officially ends. |
From: Sharon Heller <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>
> I had similar plans for this morning at the Snow Bowl (also under a
> fixed-grip double. I have no idea where you guys are referring to. Why all
> the secrecy? You have secret stashes of rained-on man-made snow?). Alas and
> alack, a look out the window and a look at the webcam turned me into a lazy
> whose -- I'd rather watch the biathlon competition from Sweden than drive
> up the mountain to ski 2 inches of snow in the niar.
>
> Dave G., whose
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SkiVt-L is |
From: Alex Friend <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
MIME-Version: 1.0
No, people don't do that. But people might, on a weekday, travel somewhere via bicycle, or they might do that to score a unicorn reeb. Sometimes they might combine the travel modality with the mission. On a weekday.
On Saturday, December 6, 2014, at 08:20 PM, roger Klinger [mailto:[log in to unmask]] said: |
From: roger Klinger <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> |
From: David Guertin <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
In-Reply-To: <W2055569320591417902630@atl4webmail06>
took another job elsewhere without even consulting me, the bum), and I
don't have a pass this year to the poor rumpled stepchild of the Mad
River Valley, so cheapness will dictate that my visits to those places |
I hope you back and neck are fine. Did asking for a massage 3 times in a post get you one?
>I was almost a whose, but am glad I wasn't.
>
>Got the Smuggs version of the breakfast sandwich, 'cept it ain't a
>sandwich, it's a donut at the Cupboard down in Jeff. And unlike the Stowe
>sandwich it comes in many varieties. Today's pick was a yeast donut with a
>maple & chocolate glaze.
>
>Took a hard fall 3 turns into the day. Coming out of LOT 1, S.O.P. is to
>make 2-3 quick turns down the hill than carry a lot of speed to traverse
>across the bottom of Practice Slope in order to avoid poling a long way to
>the Sterling Lift. Well, I had just picked up a lot of speed when an
>unseen rock knocked one ski tip under the other and sent me flying forward
>through the air to land on my shoulder and head. I've got a spasming
>trapezius. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
>
>bottom. Smuggler's Alley surprised and was shockingly good styrofoam
>manmade. Black Snake/Practice Run(and a little bit of Lower Pipeline)
>opened today for the first time, and was uncrowded and fun. Lower
>On the second chair up, the liftie didn't hold back the chair and it jolted
>me. My neck hurts. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
>
>Met the Bloom family after the second run. Ben's sister made a triumphant
>return to skiing after becoming a parent, Tawny's summertime regimen of
>burpees has translated into aggressive boarding, and Ben is, well, Ben.
>
> Skied a total of 9 runs, under persistent snowfall. That's about 12,600
>verts, using a map, not a fancy rich resort skier's app. My thighs are a
>little sore. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
> |
Ahh... I considered that. I like biking and I'd like to spend some serious
time on a fat bike, but I like skiing more.
> Tomorrow, I am toying with the idea of going to Le Grand Fat Tour at
> Catamount and demoing a fat bike for a couple of hours:
> http://www.legrandfattour.com/global-fat-bike-day-2/
> Lots of fun skiing today, sorry we didn't bump into you, Alex! Will you
> be up there tomorrow? I'm going to try to rally Tawny and Kate for a repeat
> of today: ~9am-noon. If the snow continued all day (and they got the 2-3
>> This was today? Funny, it wasn't crowded at all. I arrived shortly before
>> 10, left at 2, had a decent Day 1, and tried to adapt to a new pair of
>> boots, which are not made of carbon.
>>
>> I was almost a whose, but am glad I wasn't.
>>
>> Got the Smuggs version of the breakfast sandwich, 'cept it ain't a
>> sandwich, it's a donut at the Cupboard down in Jeff. And unlike the Stowe
>> sandwich it comes in many varieties. Today's pick was a yeast donut with a
>> maple & chocolate glaze.
>>
>> Took a hard fall 3 turns into the day. Coming out of LOT 1, S.O.P. is to
>> make 2-3 quick turns down the hill than carry a lot of speed to traverse
>> across the bottom of Practice Slope in order to avoid poling a long way to
>> the Sterling Lift. Well, I had just picked up a lot of speed when an
>> unseen rock knocked one ski tip under the other and sent me flying forward
>> through the air to land on my shoulder and head. I've got a spasming
>> trapezius. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
>>
>> the bottom. Smuggler's Alley surprised and was shockingly good styrofoam
>> manmade. Black Snake/Practice Run(and a little bit of Lower Pipeline)
>> opened today for the first time, and was uncrowded and fun. Lower
>> On the second chair up, the liftie didn't hold back the chair and it
>> jolted me. My neck hurts. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
>>
>> Met the Bloom family after the second run. Ben's sister made a
>> triumphant return to skiing after becoming a parent, Tawny's summertime
>> regimen of burpees has translated into aggressive boarding, and Ben is,
>>
>> Skied a total of 9 runs, under persistent snowfall. That's about 12,600
>> verts, using a map, not a fancy rich resort skier's app. My thighs are a
>> little sore. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
>> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SkiVt-L |
Tomorrow, I am toying with the idea of going to Le Grand Fat Tour at Catamount and demoing a fat bike for a couple of hours:
http://www.legrandfattour.com/global-fat-bike-day-2/
Lots of fun skiing today, sorry we didn't bump into you, Alex! Will you be up there tomorrow? I'm going to try to rally Tawny and Kate for a repeat of today: ~9am-noon. If the snow continued all day (and they got the 2-3 they claim) it should be another fun day.
On Sat, Dec 6, 2014 at 4:56 PM, Alex Friend <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
This was today? Funny, it wasn't crowded at all. I arrived shortly before 10, left at 2, had a decent Day 1, and tried to adapt to a new pair of boots, which are not made of carbon.
--Alex
I was almost a whose, but am glad I wasn't.
Got the Smuggs version of the breakfast sandwich, 'cept it ain't a sandwich, it's a donut at the Cupboard down in Jeff. And unlike the Stowe sandwich it comes in many varieties. Today's pick was a yeast donut with a maple & chocolate glaze.
Took a hard fall 3 turns into the day. Coming out of LOT 1, S.O.P. is to make 2-3 quick turns down the hill than carry a lot of speed to traverse across the bottom of Practice Slope in order to avoid poling a long way to the Sterling Lift. Well, I had just picked up a lot of speed when an unseen rock knocked one ski tip under the other and sent me flying forward through the air to land on my shoulder and head. I've got a spasming trapezius. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
Basically 2 choices available from the top splitting to 3 ways down to the bottom. Smuggler's Alley surprised and was shockingly good styrofoam manmade. Black Snake/Practice Run(and a little bit of Lower Pipeline) opened today for the first time, and was uncrowded and fun. Lower Rumrunner had really nice snow on the top pitch. And Crossover/Treasure were surprisingly carve-able and pleasant, and the un-park parts of Birch Run were really nice. The only less-fun, but still fun, part of the mountain was Upper Rumrunner, which was showing brown ice spots, forcing each run to be skied closer and closer to the edge of the trail.
On the second chair up, the liftie didn't hold back the chair and it jolted me. My neck hurts. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
Met the Bloom family after the second run. Ben's sister made a triumphant return to skiing after becoming a parent, Tawny's summertime regimen of burpees has translated into aggressive boarding, and Ben is, well, Ben. Never saw Alex or any of my Journal Club.
Skied a total of 9 runs, under persistent snowfall. That's about 12,600 verts, using a map, not a fancy rich resort skier's app. My thighs are a little sore. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight. |
Lots of fun skiing today, sorry we didn't bump into you, Alex! Will you be
up there tomorrow? I'm going to try to rally Tawny and Kate for a repeat of
today: ~9am-noon. If the snow continued all day (and they got the 2-3 they
> This was today? Funny, it wasn't crowded at all. I arrived shortly before
> 10, left at 2, had a decent Day 1, and tried to adapt to a new pair of
> boots, which are not made of carbon.
>
> I was almost a whose, but am glad I wasn't.
>
> Got the Smuggs version of the breakfast sandwich, 'cept it ain't a
> sandwich, it's a donut at the Cupboard down in Jeff. And unlike the Stowe
> sandwich it comes in many varieties. Today's pick was a yeast donut with a
> maple & chocolate glaze.
>
> Took a hard fall 3 turns into the day. Coming out of LOT 1, S.O.P. is to
> make 2-3 quick turns down the hill than carry a lot of speed to traverse
> across the bottom of Practice Slope in order to avoid poling a long way to
> the Sterling Lift. Well, I had just picked up a lot of speed when an
> unseen rock knocked one ski tip under the other and sent me flying forward
> through the air to land on my shoulder and head. I've got a spasming
> trapezius. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
>
> bottom. Smuggler's Alley surprised and was shockingly good styrofoam
> manmade. Black Snake/Practice Run(and a little bit of Lower Pipeline)
> opened today for the first time, and was uncrowded and fun. Lower
> On the second chair up, the liftie didn't hold back the chair and it
> jolted me. My neck hurts. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
>
> Met the Bloom family after the second run. Ben's sister made a triumphant
> return to skiing after becoming a parent, Tawny's summertime regimen of
> burpees has translated into aggressive boarding, and Ben is, well, Ben.
>
> Skied a total of 9 runs, under persistent snowfall. That's about 12,600
> verts, using a map, not a fancy rich resort skier's app. My thighs are a
> little sore. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SkiVt-L is |
This was today? Funny, it wasn't crowded at all. I arrived shortly before 10, left at 2, had a decent Day 1, and tried to adapt to a new pair of boots, which are not made of carbon.
--Alex
I was almost a whose, but am glad I wasn't.
Got the Smuggs version of the breakfast sandwich, 'cept it ain't a sandwich, it's a donut at the Cupboard down in Jeff. And unlike the Stowe sandwich it comes in many varieties. Today's pick was a yeast donut with a maple & chocolate glaze.
Took a hard fall 3 turns into the day. Coming out of LOT 1, S.O.P. is to make 2-3 quick turns down the hill than carry a lot of speed to traverse across the bottom of Practice Slope in order to avoid poling a long way to the Sterling Lift. Well, I had just picked up a lot of speed when an unseen rock knocked one ski tip under the other and sent me flying forward through the air to land on my shoulder and head. I've got a spasming trapezius. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
Basically 2 choices available from the top splitting to 3 ways down to the bottom. Smuggler's Alley surprised and was shockingly good styrofoam manmade. Black Snake/Practice Run(and a little bit of Lower Pipeline) opened today for the first time, and was uncrowded and fun. Lower Rumrunner had really nice snow on the top pitch. And Crossover/Treasure were surprisingly carve-able and pleasant, and the un-park parts of Birch Run were really nice. The only less-fun, but still fun, part of the mountain was Upper Rumrunner, which was showing brown ice spots, forcing each run to be skied closer and closer to the edge of the trail.
On the second chair up, the liftie didn't hold back the chair and it jolted me. My neck hurts. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
Met the Bloom family after the second run. Ben's sister made a triumphant return to skiing after becoming a parent, Tawny's summertime regimen of burpees has translated into aggressive boarding, and Ben is, well, Ben. Never saw Alex or any of my Journal Club.
Skied a total of 9 runs, under persistent snowfall. That's about 12,600 verts, using a map, not a fancy rich resort skier's app. My thighs are a little sore. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight. |
From: Alex Friend <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [SKIVT-L] Who's a whose?
I had similar plans for this morning at the Snow Bowl (also under a fixed-grip double. I have no idea where you guys are referring to. Why all the secrecy? You have secret stashes of rained-on man-made snow?). Alas and alack, a look out the window and a look at the webcam turned me into a lazy whose -- I'd rather watch the biathlon competition from Sweden than drive up the mountain to ski 2 inches of snow in the niar.
Dave G., whose
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont.To unsubscribe, visit http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html |
From: Wesley Alan Wright <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>>
>>> I had similar plans for this morning at the Snow Bowl (also under a fixed-grip double. I have no idea where you guys are referring to. Why all the secrecy? You have secret stashes of rained-on man-made snow?). Alas and alack, a look out the window and a look at the webcam turned me into a lazy whose -- I'd rather watch the biathlon competition from Sweden than drive up the mountain to ski 2 inches of snow in the niar.
>>>
>>> Dave G., whose
>>> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont. |
I was almost a whose, but am glad I wasn't.
Got the Smuggs version of the breakfast sandwich, 'cept it ain't a
sandwich, it's a donut at the Cupboard down in Jeff. And unlike the Stowe
sandwich it comes in many varieties. Today's pick was a yeast donut with a
maple & chocolate glaze.
Took a hard fall 3 turns into the day. Coming out of LOT 1, S.O.P. is to
make 2-3 quick turns down the hill than carry a lot of speed to traverse
across the bottom of Practice Slope in order to avoid poling a long way to
the Sterling Lift. Well, I had just picked up a lot of speed when an
unseen rock knocked one ski tip under the other and sent me flying forward
through the air to land on my shoulder and head. I've got a spasming
trapezius. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
bottom. Smuggler's Alley surprised and was shockingly good styrofoam
manmade. Black Snake/Practice Run(and a little bit of Lower Pipeline)
opened today for the first time, and was uncrowded and fun. Lower
On the second chair up, the liftie didn't hold back the chair and it jolted
me. My neck hurts. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight.
Met the Bloom family after the second run. Ben's sister made a triumphant
return to skiing after becoming a parent, Tawny's summertime regimen of
burpees has translated into aggressive boarding, and Ben is, well, Ben.
Skied a total of 9 runs, under persistent snowfall. That's about 12,600
verts, using a map, not a fancy rich resort skier's app. My thighs are a
little sore. I think I'm going to need a massage tonight. |
From: Michael Taub <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>
>> I had similar plans for this morning at the Snow Bowl (also under a fixed-grip double. I have no idea where you guys are referring to. Why all the secrecy? You have secret stashes of rained-on man-made snow?). Alas and alack, a look out the window and a look at the webcam turned me into a lazy whose -- I'd rather watch the biathlon competition from Sweden than drive up the mountain to ski 2 inches of snow in the niar.
>>
>> Dave G., whose
>> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont. |
From: Wesley Alan Wright <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Who's a whose?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>
> I had similar plans for this morning at the Snow Bowl (also under a fixed-grip double. I have no idea where you guys are referring to. Why all the secrecy? You have secret stashes of rained-on man-made snow?). Alas and alack, a look out the window and a look at the webcam turned me into a lazy whose -- I'd rather watch the biathlon competition from Sweden than drive up the mountain to ski 2 inches of snow in the niar.
>
> Dave G., whose
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont. |
From: David Guertin <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Who's a whose?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
I had similar plans for this morning at the Snow Bowl (also under a
fixed-grip double. I have no idea where you guys are referring to. Why
all the secrecy? You have secret stashes of rained-on man-made snow?).
Alas and alack, a look out the window and a look at the webcam turned me
into a lazy whose -- I'd rather watch the biathlon competition from
Sweden than drive up the mountain to ski 2 inches of snow in the niar.
Dave G., whose |
If you can't have a run of a lifetime, it's great to have a run of the year.
You just described my favorite type of dessert. But I must have been a bad
boy yesterday, because I didn't get dessert today.
TOS has apparently been a bad boy for so long that he was sent to bed
without dinner.
> So if yesterday was the main course, and two days ago was the appetizer,
> that would make today dessert. Except this dessert wasn't a little scoop of
> ice cream. This was a Triple-Scoop-Death-By-Chocolate-Double-Fudge-
> Brownie-with-Whipped-Cream-and-Extra-Hot-Fudge sort of dessert.
> opened yesterday, so this morning all that 20+ inches of powder was still
> untracked. A mere three hours later, when my legs screamed Uncle and I
> called it a day, that was no longer the case. But oh my, what a three hours
> it was. I spent the entire day poking around Youngman, Lift Line, and
>
> I had my eye on a patch of woods that I had never explored, because the
> entrance is guarded by an imposing boulder-strewn near cliff, not unskiable
> at all to someone with expert skills, but beyond anything I'm comfortable
> tackling, especially when alone. Today I skied a bit lower and
> found/created a whose's entrance to said line, which still involved a bit
> of sideslipping, tree-hugging, and ski-tip-disentangling. But once below
> the entrance, oh my, what a payoff: moderate-pitched open hardwoods, turn
> after turn of thigh-deep powder, and generally the unadulterated bliss that |
So if yesterday was the main course, and two days ago was the appetizer,
that would make today dessert. Except this dessert wasn't a little scoop
of ice cream. This was a
Triple-Scoop-Death-By-Chocolate-Double-Fudge-Brownie-with-Whipped-Cream-and-Extra-Hot-Fudge
opened yesterday, so this morning all that 20+ inches of powder was
still untracked. A mere three hours later, when my legs screamed Uncle
and I called it a day, that was no longer the case. But oh my, what a
three hours it was. I spent the entire day poking around Youngman, Lift
I had my eye on a patch of woods that I had never explored, because the
entrance is guarded by an imposing boulder-strewn near cliff, not
unskiable at all to someone with expert skills, but beyond anything I'm
comfortable tackling, especially when alone. Today I skied a bit lower
and found/created a whose's entrance to said line, which still involved
a bit of sideslipping, tree-hugging, and ski-tip-disentangling. But once
below the entrance, oh my, what a payoff: moderate-pitched open
hardwoods, turn after turn of thigh-deep powder, and generally the |
> were sublime. Just point and go. The powder gave extra control, as it always
> does - it yields "forgiveability" in terms of path selection and it provides a
> (sub)surface in which to gain greater control at higher speeds.
> wrote:
>> With this storm coming, this Octagon issue is like a big whatever, ya¹ know.
>> The MWAC is thinking that tomorrow might be an ³Extreme Rating² day. We
>> should all be excited!!!! Anyone who isn¹t is a whose. I¹ve been making
>> turns on The Rockpile the last 2 weekends dust on crust with the crust
>>>> >> Today's Snow Conditions page is helpful, though:
>>>> >> "Please Note-- The Octagon lodge will be closed tomorrow due to a
>>>> >> mechanical issue. We apologize for any inconvenience." |
Things that took lots of effort in terms of controlling speed two days ago were sublime. Just point and go. The powder gave extra control, as it always does - it yields "forgiveability" in terms of path selection and it provides a (sub)surface in which to gain greater control at higher speeds. Straight-lined. tree-lined narrow shots were paths of euphoria. Yeah!
With this
storm coming, this Octagon issue is like a big whatever, ya’ know. The MWAC is thinking that tomorrow might be
an “Extreme Rating” day. We should all
be excited!!!! Anyone who isn’t is a
whose. I’ve been making turns on The
Rockpile the last 2 weekends – dust on crust with the crust crumbling with weak
>>> Today's Snow Conditions page is helpful, though:
>>> "Please Note-- The Octagon lodge will be closed tomorrow due to a
>>> mechanical issue. We |
always does - it yields "forgiveability" in terms of path selection and it
provides a (sub)surface in which to gain greater control at higher speeds.
Straight-lined. tree-lined narrow shots were paths of euphoria. Yeah!
> With this storm coming, this Octagon issue is like a big whatever, ya'
> know. The MWAC is thinking that tomorrow might be an "Extreme Rating"
> day. We should all be excited!!!! Anyone who isn't is a whose. I've
> been making turns on The Rockpile the last 2 weekends - dust on crust with
> >> Today's Snow Conditions page is helpful, though:
> >> "Please Note-- The Octagon lodge will be closed tomorrow due to a
> >> mechanical issue. We apologize for any inconvenience." |
With this
storm coming, this Octagon issue is like a big whatever, ya’ know. The MWAC is thinking that tomorrow might be
an “Extreme Rating” day. We should all
be excited!!!! Anyone who isn’t is a
whose. I’ve been making turns on The
Rockpile the last 2 weekends – dust on crust with the crust crumbling with weak
>> Today's Snow Conditions page is helpful, though:
>> "Please Note-- The Octagon lodge will be closed tomorrow due to a
>> mechanical issue. We apologize for any inconvenience." |
kayaking – making it so I get Maytagged, cheese gratered across rocks and then
dragging me to safety on shore as I hack and cough a few gallons of water outta’
my lungs. He made sure I was battle
toughened and provided and acid test to see if I really liked it and was not
just some poser (just a whose, instead).
Hmmm, I see no BK or MK on Dan’s list of ‘da good guys……is
there a reason for that?
Mark P. Renson
> Go back and look at the original post, and try hard to read between the linesŠ
> Its as much a request for companionship and some guidance Š
millions of little, tiny tricks of the trade--things that seem too obvious
to mention to anyone who's done it a while--that go into a fun backwoods
day. |
Sounds like a most excellent plaid road trip. Thanks for the TRs, guys.
>
> The 3 of us skied a pretty full day 9-3:30 and we are really feelin it.
>
>
> Telenaut passed right out afterwards while Eric and I climbed aboard a
> crazy shuttle van with a Quigley Conversion which took us up a narrow
> winding road 25 minutes to the Strawberry Hot Spring.
>
> Eric took the full plunge into the river. Call me a whose, but I didn't
> make it in the river past my thighs. I did enjoy a good hour of soaking in
> 105 degree springs. |
This storm was a bit of a disappointment, though for this winter 3" of
freshies is nothing to complain about. 3" is what there was when I
loaded the first chair at 9:00. The wind was blowing it around a bit, so
with careful selection of terrain I could pick a few spots where it was
considerably deeper, though those spots always ended far too soon.
Skiing within a few feet of the safety fences lining the race courses
yielded the best runs of the day on both Ross and Allen.
The heavy snow forecast for the day never materialized, and by 11:00
things had dwindled to flurries. Still, a heavy band of snow was
predicted to come through in the afternoon, so I opted to head home,
the point where I thought it would be worth the drive back up. Yup, I'm
a whose. Of course, just when it got too late in the afternoon to do
anything about it, things picked up again, and we got several more
inches outside the house. I consoled myself with a very nice jaunt on
the XC skis out over the back fields and trails, and made plans for dawn
I'll be in the parking lot at 6:30 for a single lap up and down Worth
Mountain, and should be able to get to the office before anyone even |
The 3 of us skied a pretty full day 9-3:30 and we are really feelin it.
Telenaut passed right out afterwards while Eric and I climbed aboard a
crazy shuttle van with a Quigley Conversion which took us up a narrow
winding road 25 minutes to the Strawberry Hot Spring.
Eric took the full plunge into the river. Call me a whose, but I didn't
make it in the river past my thighs. I did enjoy a good hour of soaking in
105 degree springs. |
not on the menu, but if you ask, they will serve it on an excellent
housemade baguette. They also have a delicious housemade hot sauce. The
Bacon, Egg & Cheese is served with a side of potatoes for under $7. This
ain't Stowe.
twisted, Robyn B. and non-lister Stuart(to whom I'll forever be grateful
for treating me to a bottle of Pliny the Elder last spring). I saw Ben B
from the lift at one point but he did not hear my yells. Conditions were a
mixed bag throughout the day. First run included first tracks down a
reserved and aptly named Poachers, which deserved to be reserved. We then
skied a couple more on Sterling, including my favorite combo of
Exhibition->->Harvey's->Full Nelson->Exhibition, with Harvey's being thin
We then did our one run on Madonna. Earlier, when Robyn and Stuart told me
they wanted to take a half hour hike to an off the map run, I told them
they were welcome to do it without me. Having once turned down Robyn's
smart enough to stay on named trails. Robyn and I had one of the most
memorable runs of the year, but not in a good way. I feel sorry for the
guy who followed us in. After 4 turns, I stopped and said it was a mistake
and Robyn agreed. I asked if we should walk back up, and he said we were
turns. By the time we all reached the bottom of Madonna, everyone except
twistedpfister were cold enough to take a break at the bar, whose service
was almost as bad an adventure as the trees we just descended.
Back at sterling, we skied pretty much everything open, with a nearly
untouched powdery Pipeline being a highlight, as well as first tracks down
a powdery and sketchy Pirate's Plank. The group shrank gradually until I
was the only one left at 3:30. For my last run, I hit an almost untouched
Harvey's and Full Nelson(which had 4" of pow sloughing atop hard manmade)
to a reserved old t-bar line that held plenty of untracked boottop
freshies. Not a great day, but the group of buddies and the soft snow made
it the best of the year.
On Sunday, we decided it was too cold to take Sonya to her miteymites
class. So we got her a playdate and Amy and I headed up to the vast
meadows on the hill behind our house, armed with leathers, Rotafella
3-pins, and Rebounds. Not counting 1 day on xc gear at Trapps last year, it
had been 3 years since the last time I clipped in to a freeheel binding.
For two hours we rushed up every hill we could find, each covered in 3-6"
of snow, and worked on remembering how to tele, 5-10 turns at a time. By
the end, I was starting to make turns that somewhat matched my will. And
we managed to work up a sweat in the cold sun, while enjoying views of
Bolton, Camel's Hump and Lincoln Peak. Not a great day, but my best buddy
and the soft snow made it the best of the year. |
I broke 2 pairs of Onyx multiple times, in the backcountry. It's a prac
binding. I highly recommend everyone steers clear of them. Bummer,
> I know, I know, they're not Dynafits, but I did break a pair of Onyx
> bindings while bashing bumps "inbounds" last season. First day out on
> That being said, I did spend the *entire* day - like every run -
> smashing moguls like a madman.
>
> >
> > Yesterday I spent a happy hour carving fast turns on corduroy on them,
> and I
> probably
> > ski like a whose, so YMMV.
> >
> >>
> >> I have read review after review that claims a Dynafit Radical binding
> >> won't withstand the rigors of "inbound" skiing.
> >> So it leaves me wondering: Will the binding be unable to withstand any
> >> resort skiing? Or is it fine for us average skiers, and a bad choice
> for |
I know, I know, they're not Dynafits, but I did break a pair of Onyx
bindings while bashing bumps "inbounds" last season. First day out on
That being said, I did spend the *entire* day - like every run -
smashing moguls like a madman.
>
> Yesterday I spent a happy hour carving fast turns on corduroy on them, and I
> was just about as happy as I'd be on alpine bindings. Of course, I probably
> ski like a whose, so YMMV.
>
>>
>> I have read review after review that claims a Dynafit Radical binding
>> won't withstand the rigors of "inbound" skiing.
>> So it leaves me wondering: Will the binding be unable to withstand any
>> resort skiing? Or is it fine for us average skiers, and a bad choice for
>> the likes of Greg P.? |
Yesterday I spent a happy hour carving fast turns on corduroy on them,
and I was just about as happy as I'd be on alpine bindings. Of course, I
probably ski like a whose, so YMMV.
On 12/30/2013 9:01 AM, roger Klinger wrote:
> I have read review after review that claims a Dynafit Radical binding
> won't withstand the rigors of "inbound" skiing.
> So it leaves me wondering: Will the binding be unable to withstand
> any resort skiing? Or is it fine for us average skiers, and a bad
> choice for the likes of Greg P.? |
|
|
|
