Showing posts with label Mammut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mammut. Show all posts

Friday, October 30, 2015

Ten Sleep Tips


Ten Sleep Canyon is a popular summer climbing destination. This Wyoming cragging area sits at high elevation and provides reasonable climbing temperatures throughout July and August. After a three-week trip this summer, I thought I'd share a bit of information that we found helpful when visiting the area.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Dodging the Rain.

When early season rains dampen Squamish many climbers flee to the Okanagan, a dry belt on the east side of the Coast Mountains. Near the city of Penticton is an extensive cragging area, Skaha Bluffs, that offers close to 1,000 single pitch climbs on beautifully featured gneiss. The nature of the climbing is varied and the dozens of excellent cliffs are connected by a pleasant network of hiking trails. Spring and fall are the prime seasons; summer is crazy hot.


Monday, April 27, 2015

Mammut North America - a company of climbers, skiers, and mountain athletes.

Our team of mountain climbers on top of the wind scoured summit of Mt Monroe 5372 ft.
 The Mammut Athlete team has been charging ahead with expeditions, rock - ice climbs, ultra trail runs, and ski adventures while quietly back in Vermont the Mammut management, sales, and distribution employees run the core business of this top of the line outdoor company.

This past weekend was the time for an in-house adventure. The Mammut staff came to NH for a ski and mountain climb on Mt Washington in the White Mountains.  MMG Guides Alex, Erik and I met the Mammut team at the AMC Highland Center Lodge on Friday afternoon for an evening of drinks, dinner and social activities.  Saturday morning we all awoke at dawn, ate a healthy breakfast and headed into the wilds of the mountains. 

Friday, March 27, 2015

Chattanooga Snapshot

Not one for stasis (see: previous blog posts), I’m on the road again. After a brief stint in Oregon, I have recommenced the road trip:

You know that saying, “it’s the journey, not the destination”? Yeah, I think about that one a lot. It’s one of the many small truths I frequently wrestle with. This most recent leg of my US adventure has given my ample time to consider the implications.

It’s a forty six hour drive from Portland, Oregon to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The last half is prime reflection country. Not much going on there, in the fly over  states. Cruise control, 70 on 70, just gotta stay between the lines. 


Nate Drolet on Interplanetary Escape

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Hiking Hawaiian Style

Rock climbing on the Hawaiian island of Oahu is currently closed due to an accident that occurred a number of years ago. With this restriction in place, climbers stranded in paradise can either entertain themselves with a bit of jungle bouldering (check out Unrealhawaii.com) or leave the beach to explore Oahu's varied topography on a well-developed network of local hiking trails. Hiking in Hawaii has gained a lot popularity in the last decade and there are now guidebooks, maps and websites dedicated to this away-from-the-sand activity.

(Edited on 3/2/15- A local climber reached out to us indicating that two of the three main areas on the island have since reopened to climbing.) 

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Working for the Weekend, Season 2


One of my favorite experiences each winter since I have moved back to Vermont is skiing with Ben Leoni for the Working for the Weekend series that Ski The East has been producing for the past few years. I get to wander around the woods of New England and explore places that are truly breathtaking. For this episode, the first installment of season 2, Ben and I skied in my own backyard so to speak. While the snow was not ideal, we found a pretty sick little line and made the best of some true Vermont weather. The shots in the video capture the pain and agony of breaking trail on this particular day, due to the gloppy consistency of the snow. Looking back, all that work was worth it because I got to hang out with some great people on a beautiful day in the Vermont backcountry.




I hope you enjoy! I know I did!

Until next time,

Louise Lintilhac
a.k.a. Steezy Weezie

Monday, January 5, 2015

SheJumps Women's Gear Clinic



Learning how to get ready and be efficient for a backcountry day can be daunting for many aspiring backcountry enthusiasts. I am still working on my systems and I have been backcountry skiing for over 10 years. It takes many hours frigging with gear and getting your skins stuck in your hair while they flap about in the wind to get it right. There is a lot of technique involved in outdoor expeditions on skis, but a lot of guess work can be eliminated by bringing good gear that has a reputation for holding up in stressful situations. For this reason, SheJumps, the nonprofit that is dedicated to getting women active in the outdoors, decided to host an event focused on helping people (and specifically women) prepare for backcountry skiing. I agreed to Emcee the event and show the women of Burlington what I have over time decided are the most important things to bring into the backcountry with me.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Mixed Bag: Alpine Climbing in the Tantalus Range

Ross Berg and client climb in the Tantalus Range. Photo by Ross Berg.
It was 10:37pm on a Thursday, August 21st and I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I received a text from Bram. "Hey, rather last minute but a friend is flying a client to Tantalus on Saturday. One more spot in heli - $215." I responded, "YES" and scrambled to find someone to cover my weekend shifts at work. I couldn't say 'no' to the Tantalus Range…

Friday, November 14, 2014

Monashee Powder: The Cure to Fall Depression

Holly Walker shreds down the fluffy cold smoke.
Photo by Hans Christian Gulsvik 
It was deep, too deep. The fluffiness was up to my waist and after five minutes I didn't have the energy to go on. Mike Ship laughed at me while he pushed ahead, moving at a slow pace but breaking the trail. We skinned across the deep open flats with over 60cm of fresh snow and continued up 'Merlot' hill through the trees. The avalanche risk was high due to the ongoing storms and as we continued to ascend in the dense old growth spruce trees, we witnessed a size 2 slab avalanche on the open slope of the mountain across named 'Shiraz'.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Pretty Faces Revolution

 
Welcome to the Pretty Faces revolution. There have been all female ski movies in the past, and many of them have been great films. What happened when Pretty Faces, the new Unicorn Picnic Production film came out was more of a paradigm shift than a shred fest. Pretty Faces has been getting a lot of press over the past few weeks and continues to gain momentum as it travels around the country and internationally. If I were to put a finger on why this film has been so well received, I would have to say that it is because of the great skiing, but it is also because of the relatable story it tells. We have all struggled to make it at some point in life, and Pretty Faces is a testament to the fact that if you stick with it for long enough, good things will come. For many of the women in the movie, this meant being able to ski amazing lines in stunning landscapes around the world. For me it meant showing the world that the east coast is not a barren wasteland of skiing, it is a beautiful peaceful, rugged, powdery, good time that deserves far more respect than it often gets. It is my motivation for waking up in the morning because I am always excited to see what the beautiful Vermont landscape has to offer.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Three's company in the mountains?


Approaching the North Buttress of Begguya (Mt. Hunter)
 ©Doug Shepherd
Climbing with three has it's appeals.  Splitting the work with an extra person, more warmth while cuddling, and general camaraderie. That said, I've been known to repeatedly say "I hate climbing in the mountains with three" and turn down climbing trips, especially on technical alpine routes.  My reasoning for this comes from many failed climbs with three people, due to general slowness, stuck ropes, difficult communication, and even a lack of stoke!

However, I've recently had a break-through, efficiently climbing large routes with a team of three.  Part of this is finding the right partners and part of it is due to finally figuring out the right gear and tactics for efficient movement with three people.  Keep reading for my take on making it work in the mountains with three.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Sardinia Explored - Limestone Delight!

May in NH? This year it was the right time to travel - escape of mud season, black flies, and showers. Sardinia had always been on my list for a climbing trip/ travel vacation. I made the flights plans well in advance booking the tickets with United Airlines using frequent flyer miles. This flight was quite easy with a overnight flight to Milan then a short 1 hour flight to Sardinia. Terry and I  arrived on the island at the Olbia airport in mid afternoon with bright sunshine and temps at 27C.
Soon enough we were at the crags - working the limestone routes. We concentrated our climbing to the southern areas around the town of Baunei. This area was a less traveled/climbed area. The limestone rock was very solid, not polished, and we had most areas to ourselves

Monday, June 2, 2014

Life in Skaha


Skaha is a vast single pitch climbing area in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. Since the climate is very dry, rain beaten coastal climbers make regular weekend trips. Easter is the most popular time of year due to the statutory holidays and typically wet (or snowy) conditions found elsewhere in the province. This year, we joined the throngs of climbers and enjoyed three days of pleasant cragging. The camping on the lake shore is scenic and the sport climbing is excellent, with hundreds of quality face routes on crisp orange edges and white-washed overhangs. Next time you're getting rained on in Squamish, consider a quick side trip to Skaha to dry out your gear and work out your muscles!


Friday, May 16, 2014

SheJumps Alpine Finishing School



Something that I have always regretted is not becoming a proficient climber. As a skier, I shrugged off learning rope skills and picked up mountain biking as the summer counterpart to my winter endeavors. When I was about 23 years old, I spent a winter in Courmayeur, Italy skiing on the Mont Blanc Massif and dabbled in crevasse rescue and basic glacier travel skills, but I was inexperienced and my nervousness made it hard for me to absorb the information that I was taught. When I lived in Colorado, I spent many days in the backcountry, but I never really found the need to apply any of those skills that I had learned that winter in Europe.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

East Coast Lovin'

Me laying some turns down on a day of filming, Stowe backcountry, Photographer: Dana Allen


What does it mean to ski backcountry on the east coast?

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

A Powder Magazine realization

Shredding Smuggler's Notch near Stowe in Powder Magazine. Photo taken by Dana Allen
I remember as a kid, going to Warren Miller films or reading ski magazines and thinking to myself that I would never be able to lead the lifestyle of the ski bum, living in Vermont. All photos and videos were of men, usually shot in Jackson Hole or somewhere else far away, and it was hard for me to relate to that image of skiing.  I went through the race program at the Mount Mansfield Winter Academy here in the green mountain state, and kind of forgot about my dream of “extreme skiing,” or freeskiing as we call it now. It was not until after college, when I moved out to Crested Butte, Colorado that I started to consider signing up for a competition. I dedicated my time for the next few seasons to training hard and working on my progression in the sport, and I was happily encouraged by decent standings in the events. At the end of the day, however, I still felt like I was far away from what I had imagined being a ski bum would be. There was a lot of work and not enough play.          

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The Downhill Days of Fall

Fall in east is one of the most beautiful sights on earth. The leaves are on fire and the cool air reminds me that it is almost time to break out my ski boots again and see if I can remember what I am doing on snow. It is also the time of year when I start driving down to Highlands Mountain Bike Park in New Hampshire to give my downhill bike a little bit of a workout. Downhilling on the east coast is a blast, but it can be extremely uncomfortable in the summer when the humidity is through the roof and the temperature is around 95 degrees. Wearing a full-face helmet in that kind of weather is less than enjoyable. In late fall, however, body armor provides extra warmth and Downhilling becomes a far more pleasurable activity. I also came prepared with my Mammut Jungfrau T-shirt as an anti-chaffing underlayer to keep me the perfect temperature and my Pike Jacket which is quite possibly my favorite layer for warmth in the entire world.

Posing with my trusty steed in front of Highlands

Monday, November 4, 2013

Callaghan Country - Late Summer Explorations


With the Squamish summer slipping away and our fall climbing trips just around the corner, we were anxious to squeeze in a couple more hikes before the snow started to fall in the alpine. One area we hadn't explored was Callaghan Lake Provincial Park, an alpine playground about 45 minutes north of Squamish. This park and its surrounding peaks is a winter hot spot for Nordic and backcountry skiers, but it also features amazing terrain for summer explorations. Although established hiking trails are rare, Cirque Lake and Ring Lake both have good approaches and make excellent day trips from Squamish or Whistler. Visiting these two basins was a great way to end our summer and our Mammut backpacks (Creon Element and Contact) really proved themselves after dozens of trips into the alpine.

2013 Virgil Crest Ultra 50 Mile Race Review: Running Wild---A Course Record Perspective




The Virgil Crest Ultra.  The Race Director labels the run as "Not a race for sissies!", I would totally agree.  With living only 5 miles from the race course, I have had the opportunity to train on the trails, the ski slopes, and really gauge my fitness.  Little did I know that all that training almost did not matter!  This course is just rugged-hard.  Not only is there tons of tough vertical ups and blinding down hill sections but the footing is what makes this race "not for sissies".  Every foot-plant I made, my foot was twisted through mud, roots that made me feet ache upon each strike, and narrow paths deep in the woods where a fall could be...fatal.

This race was TOUGH!  I never imagined how hard it would actually be but it was.

The 50 mile race was a great challenge and I am so glad I had enough guts to hold it together for a course record.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Squamish Hiking with the Heron Light


Heron Light in front of Elfin Lakes, Garibaldi Park, Squamish.
With the hot summer weather in Squamish making difficult climbing, well, difficult, we continued to focus on getting into the alpine to explore new areas and research my latest guidebook.Our gear is getting a serious workout this summer and I got to test my new Heron Light overnight pack. I've got the 60 +15 litre size and found it pretty much perfect for multi-day trips in good weather (small tent, small sleeping bag, minimal clothing). If you were doing long trips in the off-season, you might want the 70-litre size for more clothing or the addition of climbing gear, et cetera.