Training Update #3: Mountain Athlete

Today we started the 9-week "ice/mixed alpine" training program we purchased from Mountain Athlete.  We've been doing the program for the past few weeks at reduced weight just so we can start it again (today) at full weight. That means we leave for Alaska in 9 weeks.

Mountain Athlete is a gym is Jackson Hole, WY, that has built on the writing of Mark Twight and a few other alpinists who pioneered the idea that gym training is necessary to truly push the sport to the next level.  The owner, Rob Shaul, designed a really cool program that incorporates stretching with strength, durability and endurance training. He has also been enormously helpful with our questions.

We also built a pretty sweet workout space in my dad's lower shop, with a system board (a climbing wall for ice tools), a removable pull-up bar, a box, free weights and a bar.  The motto "Train Hard, Climb Fast" is Mountain Athlete's.

I'll be posting some videos at a later date, but for now suffice to say it's really f*$^ing hard.  Which is the whole point.  Rob says his workouts makes you "harder to kill," and after a few weeks of it at reduced weight, we're convinced it's true.

More updates to come.

Mindbender

Mindbender is the middle line

One of the nice things about Mindbender is that you can sing it to the tune of "Goldfinger" as you climb.  In your head, hopefully.

Max was working so I headed up to the Lake on Saturday with Jared Streeto, who had never climbed ice before.  We sought refuge from the high winds in the Mindbender amphitheater, which is a bit sheltered, and had a go at Mindbender herself.  She was in full WI5+ conditions - very mushroomed, which makes it difficult to find placements for ice screws and also makes the whole thing feel overhanging.


Jared was pretty pumped at the top of the first pitch and dropped a tool, so we retreated.  Still a great day.

Jared just before he dropped a tool

Cabot Sponsorship

We just got off the phone with Cabot Cheese, a cooperatively owned Vermont creamery, and makers of the best sharp cheddar in the world.  They are graciously donating thirty pounds of their Extra Sharp and Seriously Sharp cheddar cheeses to our expedition.

Cheese is an essential food in the backcountry because it provides fat and protein in a dense, calorie-rich package.

To the 1200+ dairy farmers across New England who are helping to fuel our bodies while we attempt to climb the proudest line to the highest summit in North America, thank you.  We love your cheese.

Climbing Update

Got out climbing twice this past week.

Tuesday hit up Rumney and worked on getting my lead head back after sketching myself out at Frankenstein a while back.  Climbed Geographic Factor, supposedly WI5 but more like a 4 and messed around on some fun mixed lines.  Sorry, no photos, forgot the camera, really wishing I had a couple of shots of the stuff we were playing around on.

Wed. Jacon and I headed up north to North Stratford, NH, middle of nowhere and explored some super sketchy bac kroads looking for a place to park to ski the 3-4 miles into Valhalla, WI6, saw lots of "Private" and "No Trespassing" and "Cameras" signs all over the place, apparently people in that neck of the woods don't take too kindly to visitors.  After hours of driving around and hours of digging the epically stuck car out of the snow we found the snowmobile/logging trails we could take to get close to the cliff.  Unfortunately we took the wrong trail and ended up not making it to the climb.

We will be returning next week to hopefully climb the notoriously thin and rarely "in".  Pictures of our latest adventure to follow.

Chicken Climbs Ice

He's also been talking about coming to Denali... if he bites the bullet and buys a ticket, we'll add him to the contributors.

Write to Denali and Rainier National Parks and Protest the Proposed Fee Increase

Below is my letter to Denali National Park protesting the proposed fee increase.  $200 is already too much.  $500 is way too much.  You should write one too, here.

To Whom it May Concern,

One of the small beauties of climbing mountains is that it's fairly accessible. No, the gear isn't cheap, even secondhand. And no, not everyone has mountains in their backyard. Of course there are entrance barriers. But compare climbing mountains to riding horses, sailing boats, or racing cars. Compare it to skydiving, or SCUBA, or skiing. There are thousands of ways to seek challenge and adventure in this world, and one of the small beauties of climbing mountains is that they are there for everyone. That's why representatives of the citizens of this great country saw fit to preserve the "crown jewels" of our environment - to preserve them as they are, to be enjoyed by everyone.

A $500 fee is a significant entrance barrier. A $200 fee is a significant entrance barrier. I know, because my friend Max and I are planning a trip to Denali this spring. We each won $600 grants from the American Alpine Club, but still there is an enormous amount of money to raise. We've both just graduated from college and have significant debt, but we love climbing enough to manage that while making this trip happen. Max is working three crappy jobs, while I'm working occasionally as a substitute teacher and writing letters to companies for sponsorship. The current fee of $200 is already a weighty burden for us.

The Park Service has always done extraordinary things for climbers - and not least among them are the rescue services sometimes required and always provided. We appreciate that. Seeking challenge amidst genuine danger is part of the allure of climbing mountains, and climbers should always strive to be self-reliant, but it's nice to know that if things go really, really wrong, there might still just be a chance.

But we're not all rich, thrill-seeking guided tourists. Some of us are debt-ridden lovers of mountains. I don't know for sure, but my guess is that raising the per-person fee to $15 and the per-vehicle fee to $30 would raise the same revenue as raising the mountaineering fees for Foraker and Denali. A 50% raise, and one that amounts to $5 or $10 dollars, is a lot more reasonable than a 150% raise amounting to $300. It's okay to expect mountaineers to pay a special fee for special services; but $500 is too much. Let some of the park's costs be offset by all the other visitors, just as emergency medical services are there for everyone, even though it's drunk drivers, the obese and the elderly who use them most.

Don't turn mountain climbing into downhill skiing: a sport for the rich.

sincerely,
Jacon Mayer

Patagucci Shout Out!

Patagonia athlete and mountaineering great Kelly Cordes gave us a nice shout out about two weeks ago on Patagonia's blog, The Cleanest Line.  Along with the other winners of AAC Mountain Fellowship Grants, we're "young guns."  Looks like there are a bunch of other cool trips happening this year, undertaken by some other youngish climbers.  According to Kelly, "Many of the recipients over the years have evolved into America’s top climbers"....  just so we're clear, that's going to be the other guys and girls.  Still, we appreciate it.  The Cleanest Line definitely gets more readership than our modest efforts.  Thanks Kelly!

Also thanks to my friend Martha, who brought this to our attention.  They don't tell us nothin'.