MTN Fest Weekend

 Whoa was it cold.  We got up into the valley at noon on Friday and prepped for some afternoon fun.  Because it was so cold we headed out to Chiller Piller to climb in the sun. We dropped a line over it to get climbing quickly and stay warm.

It was Ryan's first time out there so he went first and had a great time up on the steeps while going leashless. It was in great shape but running a bit because of the sun. Well this was to be the last of the warmth for the valley.

Saturday dawned with temps well under zero and came up a bit to around 10. Sunday and Monday just got worse with Monday in Keene starting out at -14.

Ryan had a great day in a Steep Ice clinic with the one and only Don Mellor while Janet and I ventured out to the Polar Soldier area.

The clinic was held in the Quarry wall and gave Ryan probably 200 feet plus of technique pumping vertical climbing while Janet and I got skunked.  We broke trail in a foot plus of powder to get to the base of a hollow sounding free standing piller which goes to a ledge to start the climb.

I ended up backing off and squeezing up a chimney to the right to get to the ledge. From the ledge I  started up the main part of the climb to get some screws in and then drop a screw into powder.

Rollie Circle

With WTH going through my head I put to good screws in and backed off again.  I took the long hike around to the   top of the cliff to drop a line and rap to get my gear.  As I was rapping in the whole flow sounded hollow and detached. I was glad to have backed off when I did and didn't end up tip toeing up the shell of ice.

While I didn't get much done yet during the weekend these guys GOT IT DONE ! They put up a killer variation to a wicked climb out on Pokomoonshine.
  
Click it !!!

http://www.vimeo.com/18940546

Sunday we headed to the ever quiet Three Flows area to shred some ice by ourselves. Not many people want to do the walk across the lakes and slog up the short hill. But if you do you are rewarded with a nice area with plenty of open ice. Ryan got his post clinic first steep and leashless lead in and did a great job in cold tough conditions.

Still chilly after hiking in w/ our Puffys on

Monday started with temps at -14 so we took our time in getting out the door.  We gave it the ol' JRZ try and headed out the door with the thermometer reading zero and when we got to the climbit it was a balmy 5 degrees.  Haggis and Cold Toast was on the menu or as Janet said Cold Toes. It was extremely fat and interesting and the hardest conditions I've ever done it in. Maybe it was the brittleness and low temps but it took a lot of thinking to get up it. It was also the first time I went leashless on this climb.

I'd put it at a WI 3+++.



Headed home to warmer temps in NJ with some great climbs, tough conditions, good slide shows, awesome spaghetti dinner and a tough Rollie Circle competition behind  us equaled a great Dacks weekend.

A long long ride

SUP in Alaska.  Two words: TIDAL BORE. These guys have it made. It might be a little cold but with no one dropping in on you because you're all on the same wave you stay warm just carving up a storm.


http://www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/23568/surfers+in+alaska+ride+waves+for+an+astonishing+five+miles/

MOUNTAINFEEEEEEEEST !!

Janet w/ Chouinards Gully in the backgound

                                   

 Its that time of year again to rally with the crowds at slide shows and enjoy the community with the lovers of cold mountain adventures.  This weekend the Mountaineer hosts its annual Mountainfest in the Adirondacks.  They bring in awesome climbers to present slide shows in the Beaverdome of their adventures and have great clinics for the beginners to get out on ice.

Last year they had Steve House and what a show it was. He covered the scary beginnings of his tenure and the just go for it attitude along with the beautiful photos.

Steve House

                                                                                                              

Chuck selling the tickets for the dinner

They also have a awesome all you can eat spaghetti dinner hosted buy the Keene Valley Fire Department with beer donated by the Lake Placid Brewery. Two bucks for a beverage ? You can't beat that !

Its a great weekend and you'll never feel the crowds when you do a little hiking to get to the out of the norm ice destinations.  Even if you're not a climber its a great weekend to get up there ski or hike then check out the shows.  The Smuggs Ice Fest in VT and North Conway in NH fests are coming up soon too.  Check them out and get on some ice and snow.

Dacks: The week in review

Friends, filly's and fellas cruised up the the North Country for a week of icy snowy fun. The ice climbs were in great shape but the snow pack was a bit lean.  Games like scrabble and Catch Phrase were won and lost.  The classic loss of the week lead to the girls running a lap in the snow on the deck barefoot.

Two peaks were hit. Phelps was a long day with a super cloudy summit with no view.  Sometimes you walk a long way for no view but the challenge of the peak is well worth the effort of doing something or going farther then you ever had before.

The conditions for cross country skiing were very nice with comfortable temps for light weight tops and thin gloves.

We were all looking forward to snow tubing but I give give ORDA a F-.  The tubes were 1 person tubes and lead to very long lines.  They also had no bathrooms.  We were hoping for 6 or 4 person tubes to cruise down with friends laughing all the way.  NO GO.  We bailed and hit up the Adirondack Brewing Company.  Good beers and food were had by all.

Warm weather and rain invaded the mountains and that lead to a fun day playing games and heading into town for some movies and toboggan purchasing.  We headed to the golf course for a test run. It needs some wax but she's FAST.  We're looking to enter the toboggan classic in February.

http://www.adktobogganchampionship.com/index.htm

Training and waxing will start when we return to JRZ.  Hopefully we get to enjoy some of the snow we missed and shred the slopes.


We'll return in the future and kick it here or another home. The price was right and killer location just up the driveway from Baxter Mountain Tavern.

Neurosis from the road

                                                                   Colin at the base

                                         The girls warming the toes after the snowy deck run

                                                                           JRZ bound.