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Grounded

Cypress mountain is showing 30+ cm of new snow in the last 24 hours on a 100cm base. The road is completely buried in snow on the Duffy Lake Road Webcam. My car has spent more time in the shop than the mountains this month. The snow is out there waiting for me to come ski but I am sitting grounded, waiting for a new starter motor. Tomorrow is a full day at school. Hope I can get out this weekend.

Nutrition - Competing Interests

"What supplements should I consider taking for improving performance and staying healthy during competition season?"

This is a common question that I get from friends and fellow racers (running, nordic, skimo or otherwise - it doesn't matter). My answer is usually a rambling version of "it depends" as diet, training plan, and personal taste all bring a lot of variation. I started this article with the purpose of generally answering the question (and thats still how I will finish it) but quickly got sidetracked with the issue of competing interests.

First Ski!

East Ridge of Mt. Matier

I have never had snow on my birthday but Friday night, after celebrating with Sarah, it started to snow in the mountains. Saturday morning we woke up to snow low on the north shore and even saw a bit down in the valley during a run. I had to wait until Wednesday for a full day free but when it finally came, I got an early start driving to Pemberton.

Nick hiking in Ceriese Creek

Nick and I hoped to climb the East Ridge of Mt. Matier, normally a easy climb/scramble in summer, we expected things to be a little more exciting with a bit of snow and ice. We also figured we could get a good ski run in down the Anniversary Glacier with all the new snow.

Trip Report - Mt. Baker

Sarah with her eyes on the prize.

Sarah and I decided to fill up our (Canadian) Thanksgiving long weekend with a trip down to Mt. Baker. Usually a spring ski trip or summer climb, the moderate temps and good forecast gave us the confidence to head out for a climb up the Coleman-Demming Route - one of the more relatively low key on the mountain.

Gear - Plum Race 145 Bindings

Plum Race 145

Plum is a French skimo binding company that produces several solid looking products. Among their all metal bindings (no plastic bits to worry about breaking) is their race series, the flagship of which is the Race 145. The name of course refers to the weight of one binding in grams. Certainly in the same league as the lightest bindings available (the Race 135 is lighter but has a lower release setting), the Race 145 is built with a steel rear fork giving it a forward release of 8.5 and a lateral release of 7.5.

Trip Report - Mt. Weart Recon

North face of Mount Weart

When climbers go to the trouble of packing up a rope, rack and gear for an alpine climb, hike in, reach the route, and then decide not to climb it for whatever reason, one way of justifying the effort is calling it a recon. This trip was definitely a recon - certainly not a failure.

Race - 2012 Rubble Creek Classic

Sarah and I went to Squamish on Saturday night and stayed with my former roommate Nick. Sunday morning we got up exceptionally early and headed off in the dark to the Garibaldi Lake Trailhead North of Squamish. We met our friend Ed there at 6:30 and continued on to the Chekamus Lake Trailhead near Whistler.

Physiology - Lactate Threshold Testing

Many athletes and coaches use the term lactate threshold. Sometimes it is used in reference to a particular workout intensity and sometimes to testing but many times the meaning is unclear.

What is lactate and the lactate threshold?

We are able to live and exercise because our bodies are incredibly efficient at taking food and converting it into energy that we can use. Fat, carbohydrates, and protein are the three main types of nutrients that we can convert to energy.

Gear - Black Diamond Drift Ski

Rogers Pass ski touring.

For the 2011-2012 season, the Black Diamond Drift was my go-to ski. Training at Elfin Lakes, steep chutes at Blackcomb, skimo races in the rockies and powder days on the Duffy Lake Road, I used them for everything. A light and fat option from BD's Efficiency Series (and bigger brother to the Aspect ski) the Drift is designed to make life easy when skinning and sublime dropping into powder stashes off Crystal Chair.

Physiology - DiMM

Last weekend I got the chance to tag along on the first day of the Canadian Society of Mountain Medicine, Diploma in Mountain Medicine Course in Whistler BC.

The course is put on by a group of physicians, medics, SAR techs, and UIAA guides to train personnel in mountain medicine techniques. A majority of the students were physicians, many ER and ski patrol docs.

Gear - Suunto t6 Heart Rate Monitor

 
The t6 is Suunto's premier training heart rate monitor and has been on the market for several years. Thanks to its compact size, the t6 doesn't even look all that different from a basic sports watch compared to most bulky heart rate monitors, but when paired with its heart rate strap, it becomes a valuable training tool.

September Sun

We have had a mix of things going on lately, with moving, the semester starting, and Sarah's new job, we haven't been getting after it as big as usual but we have still gotten out plenty here and there.

Race - Semi-Alcoholic Traverse

Three weeks ago, Stano and I set out to do the Semi-Alcoholic Traverse. This is a high alpine ridge run from Brandywine Mountain to Cypress Mountain. Aparently the proper Alcoholic Traverse finishes at Brew rather than Cypress Mountain but we decided Cypress was a better finish on a more logical route and with a better scramble at the end. We made it up Brandywine in good time but turned around as the weather deteriorated.

Nick and I set out again to do it this week on a perfect crisp day. The hardest part of the traverse is arranging the cars, as you start and finish in two different places - both very far up logging roads. Having heard of epics involving mountain bikes and hitchhiking, we opted to each drive a car and do the shuttle.

Training - Six Favorite Squamish Trail Runs

Here I have listed six of my favorite trail runs in Squamish. All offer variations that can easily be explored. I have included explanations and Google Earth photos for each run but not the GPS files. I suggest picking up a copy of the Squmish Trail Map. It is worth every penny for the paper copy and the iPhone App. Some of these trails are used by mountain bikes as well and I always try to give them the right of way - keep a head up.

Smoke Bluffs Loop:
Distance: 14.54 km
Elevation Gain: 270 m

Training - Periodization

This will be the first of a series of articles detailing some basic ideas on training methods and principles. Generally these are the concepts on which I have based my own training for skiing from high school, racing on an NCAA team, coaching other skiers, and competing in ski mountaineering races.

What is periodization and why have a plan?

SNOW

White stuff on the ground on top of Whistler this morning - winter is coming!

 

 

Gear - Wind Jacket Review: Houdini vs. Sirocco

I have been searching for a new lightweight wind jacket to use for running workouts and as extra insurance on ski days where the weather is likely going to be fine but I want a shell layer as well just in case.

Race - Whistler 5 Peaks Trail Race

Sarah and I both attended the 2012 5 Peaks race in Whistler this weekend (actually on Blackcomb Mtn. due to snow conditions across the valley). The enduro category is the longer and more competitive distance at 10 km with 750 meters of elevation gain. Even after missing our alarm, we made it up to Whistler Village on time and caught the gondola up.

 

Training - Nepal Trail Run

During one of the very few slow days in Dhunche, Nepal, Martin and I snuck away from the research to go for a run. We did an easy 45 minutes on the flat-ish beginning of the Gosainkunda Trail. It was a good way to stretch out the legs and test out my Inov-8 X-Talon shoes and new Patagonia Strider running shorts on some steep and muddy trails. Unfortunately, much of the rest of the trip was a write-off for training due to illness.