Climbing for the Future of Climbing

My 13 year old son has been to the 14,265' top of Quandary twice before. He recently asked me about climbing it in the Winter, and I felt that he was ready to do it. He's been riding his bike about 150 miles per week average during the non-Winter months and in pretty good shape. Good shape involves mental as well as physical preparation.

Mount Royal in Frisco CO with friend Mauri

We did a test run on Mount Royal, a very steep (over 1000' in a mile) short peak outside Frisco Colorado and he did pretty good in spite of the deep snow. We did some night trail running on a snow covered dirt road near Dillon Colorado. Finally one day the stars aligned and we decided to go for it on Quandary.

It was a pretty good hike overall. The weather was warm and not too windy. On the way we ran into my friend Alan Arnette, who maintains an Everest News blog as well as Climbing for Alzheimer's. I was in running shoes and my son was in Sorel's. It was a bit slippery, and we had some issues above the bridge where there is usually deep snow to wade through.

With Alan Arnette and the Kite Lake 14'ers behind

We had decided to forgo snowshoes so that we could go a bit faster and lighter, and overall it was a good decision. In about 3:35 we hit the summit. I had to coax him past that zone of depression that hits all the newbies around 13,000' and makes them want to quit (so far nearly everyone I've taken up for the first time needs help mentally getting past that point). I needed to remind him to eat and drink. I needed to help him keep bundled up against the cold and wind. It was a great experience.

There we are huddled by the summit pole on Quandary

Then on the way down it was slow slippery going. At that point I decided that we'd need spikes if we were going to do this again. Which is likely. When we got home and had hot chocolate and snacks he asked me about how to work on beating his time and we're going to try another Winter ascent on the snow. It's really cool to see how he has picked up on my own focus on doing the route quickly and efficiently. It's cool to see him want to get faster and better at it. It feels cool to be passing on the torch and inspiring the next generation of mountaineers.

Share your story with me. How did you get the bug? Are you helping your children embrace this life?

Aconcagua 2012 Memories

Aconcagua in November 2012. I had gone on my second attempt at a solo summit, and due to some scheduling issues, late November seemed like the right time to go. Unfortunately the weather thought it would be a really bad time to go. Everything froze up in Confluencia, first camp on the Horcones approach to the normal route. The wind was pretty rough at Plaza de Mulas, the normal route base camp. It snowed and blowed every day I was there. Not sure if the weather was part of the problem, but my health deteriorated, and the Rangers didn't clear me to ascend past base camp and recommended I descend. I hung out for a few days to see what would happen, but the weather was bad enough that the Rangers also declared that no one should go above Camp One at about 16,000'.

Goal Zero Solar Charger and Battery Pack

Holy Snot! Only 79?

Purificup filtration, glacial sediment and ice and all that.

Half Mile visibility seemed about the norm

Water bottle frozen even after spending the night in my -20 bag

Yeah, about that visibility thing

Frozen water barrels at Plaza de Mulas made it tough to get water

I basically ran out of acclimatization time, since the Rangers promised they could open the upper mountain again about 3 days before I had to catch my plane. Take out the day to descend to Puenta Del Incas, a day to travel to Mendoza, and that left me a day to summit. No thanks. I took off for the long haul to Horcones Ranger Station in the blowing drifting snow and lower down gritty sand. I got there after the Ranger Station closed, but some Rangers cleaning up were able to call down for my ride and soon I was in the lodge again.

I did learn a lot about Aconcagua, in spite of not really being able to go past Base Camp this time. Last time I was near Camp One when I twisted my knee outrunning the lightning blast. I figured out a lot about how to use my Goal Zero Solar battery packs to keep my electronics charged and how to keep the water flowing in my Purificup Water Purifier in spite of ice and gritty minerals. Both of these skills were essential for when I successfully climbed Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia [book] and finished the Elbrus Race 2013 [book].

I might be going back in 2014. If so, I'll keep you in the loop.

Relaxing at Elbrus Race 2013

In my book about Elbrus Race 2013 [more info] I talked about how we relaxed on our rest days by hanging out at the huts and talking and eating and drinking. One of my good friends that I met there, Svetlana, who is mentioned numerous times in the book, sent me this pic that totally sums up the feeling at the Barrels on Elbrus while resting and recovering from our runs.

Kilian Jornet resing with a hot drink at the Snowcat Graveyard

This was one of my favorite books to write about one of my favorite times on a mountain with good friends and fellow competitors. I'll be going back next year with my teammates Todd Gilles and Jen Hamilton. Check out our training progress at ElbrusRaceTeam on Blogspot.

New 8000 meter peaks?

I guess Nepal has finally let the cat out of the bag and revealed several new 8000 meter peaks you can buy permits for. I think this article said there will be 5 to start with, and "many" of them have summits "way above 26,000'"

As far as I know there are 14 recognized 8000 meter peaks. I'm curious where these have been hiding and if the 14x8km climbers will have to come out of retirement.

Post by Seven Summits Quest.

Standing at the Equator - November 2008

I went with Mountain Madness for an Ecuador Volcano Climb. We went to the Equator museums and displays and had a great fun day as part of the acclimatization process. We climbed Illiniza Norte and Illiniza Sur, but when we went to do Antisana found conditions to be too dangerous with heavy slab over loose hoar so we didn't climb it. Sur was my high altitude mark at 17,218'

Post by Seven Summits Quest.

High Altitude Success Secret: Beards

THIS ARTICLE is based on a study done by the Wisconsin Institute of Physiological Performance Science in which oxygen utilization by mountaineers on Everest was examined. The oddball result of this:

By 7,500 metres, the bearded sample showed, on average, a 7.3% rise in ORI compared to the clean-shaven mountaineers, by 8,000 metres, the gap had grown to 10.7% and on the summit, bearded climbers were processing oxygen almost 15% more efficiently, a differential which could mean the difference between life and death in Everest's harsh climate.

So apparently, there is a positive effect of allowing your beard to grow out while on a mountain. Since the subjects of the study were encouraged to grow or not grow facial hair, the potential for chicken/egg effect was diminished. In this case you would be left wondering:

• A) do climbers who allow their beards to grow become more efficient at utilizing oxygen?

• B) are climbers who are better at utilizing oxygen naturally more inclined to let their facial hair grow?

Letting my beard grow for the cause

Trail running at 9,600' with facial hair for better oxygen utilization

Since I had my first over-exposure to a biting cold wind on Rainier in April of 2007, I have had to allow my beard to just do its own thing. I trim it with electric clippers to a very short 1/32" about every two weeks In the meantime it can become as long as 5/16" if I'm eating normally. I think protein consumption and exertion or training levels do have some impact on this.

I have to say that on every one of my speed runs on a Colorado 14'er I have been a bit on the shaggy side. I have also had great success on Kilimanjaro, Orizaba, and Carstensz with a fair amount of facial hair. Based on my own anecdotal evidence, I suspect there is something to this theory. I hope to hear more positive mountaineering results obtained from other lapses in hygiene...

Resting in the tent to allow the best possible facial hair growth

Alpamayo Gear List

From the San Juan Mountain Guides Website, here's the gear list for Alpamayo:

6000 Meter Double Boots with Crampons

General Equipment

Duffel Bag: Large durable bag for airline and in-country travel and organization.
Backpack: Internal frame, 50-60 liters max. Guides’ pick: Osprey Aether 60 or Variant 52
Sleeping bag: Down or synthetic bag rated between 15-20 degrees with compression stuff sack. Guides’ pick: Neutrino Endurance 400
Sleeping Pad:  Full-length Therm-a-Rest air mattress.
Pocket knife: 2-3 inch blade, simple, light
Cup/Bowl & Spoon:  Versatile plastic/lexan type.
Small thermos: Optional, but nice to have
Water bottles: 2 liters combined capacity; bottles or bladder. Guides’ pick: Nalgene or Platypus
Water Bottle Insulators: OR or similar sleeve type water bottle insulators

Weighing gear in Talkeetna Alaska

Climbing Equipment

Adjustable Trekking Poles
Harness: Adjustable leg loops are essential.
Locking carabiner (2): Pear shaped, wide mouth.
Non-locking carabiners (4): Wire gate biners are best
Helmet
Boots: Climbing boots.  Double boots or insulated single boots with zippered gaiter.
Crampons: Step in crampons.  Guides’ Pick: BD Sabretooth
Ice Axes: 2 Technical Ice Tools.  Guides’ Pick: BD Cobra

Clothing and Personal Equipment

Travel Clothing: 2 sets of travel/town clothing is usually suffiicient
Hiking boots: Lightweight hiking boots or approach shoes for acclimatization hikes and around town.
Socks: 2-3 pair of medium weight wool or synthetic blend socks.
Base layers: Synthetic t-shirt and synthetic long underwear
Mid-weight Layer: For over your long underwear and under other external layers. Guides’ Pick: OR Centrifuge Jacket
Soft shell pants: Warm enough for cool mornings and nights, yet light enough for warm days. Guides’ Pick: OR Cirque Pant
Soft shell jacket: Your workhorse jacket with a hood. Guides’ Pick: OR Alibi Jacket
Insulated Jacket: Down or synthetic with a hood. Guides’ pick: OR Virtuoso Hoody
Hard shell jacket: waterproof and breathable, no insulation. Guides’ Pick: OR Axiom Jacket
Gloves: 3 pair. 1 mid-weight, 1 heavy-weight, 1 light-weight. Bring mittens if you get cold hands easily.
Hand Warmers: 2 – 3 packets to stick in your gloves.
Hats: one with brim, one for warmth
Balaclava: BUFF’s are also acceptable.
Sunglasses: With Category 4 lenses.
Goggles: A standard paid of ski goggles will suffice.
Sunscreen and lip balm: water/sweat-proof. SPF 50 or higher recommended.
Headlamp: with extra batteries. Guides’ pick: Black Diamond Spot
Toiletries: Toilet paper, baggie for used TP, toothbrush/paste, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, etc.
Personal first-aid kit: for your personal meds/needs; guide will have a large one as well
Stuff sacks: for convenient packing
Digital Camera
Book and/or iPod/iPad
Lunch food: Everything you eat between breakfast and dinner. May include: bagels, dried meats, cheese, trail mix, candy bars, peanut butter, etc…