Explosions in the distance were going off as I rolled out of bed at 1:00 AM on a Sunday. That might be the only time in my entire life I have been annoyed by the 4th of July. Much as I do not usually mind a bunch of high-schoolers lighting off fireworks in the middle of the night, it was an annoyance when trying to catch some sleep before a big day. The concert and midnight bedtime the night before were not helping either. Oops. I guess that one is on me. I silently reminded myself that if Andrew Hamilton can climb 58 peaks in 10 days on basically zero sleep (a record which was in progress during our climb), I could slog up Glacier Gorge for some rock fun on 1 hour of it. Keep Reading…
After a fitting finale to the ski season with a motley crew on Torreys’ Tuning Fork, it was officially time to switch into summer mode. I generally always welcome the transition with open arms, and this season was no different. While skiing peaks is without a doubt my favorite thing to do in the mountains, there’s something freeing about exchanging the plastic boots and heavy pack for a pair of comfy trail shoes and a light rucksack, and heading out for a day of unimpeded peak bagging under sunny summer skies. Read more…
This past weekend we finally got around to skiing Mt. Guyot outside of Breckenridge. Up the northwest face and down the northeast line (aka the “Swan Dive”) we went, which made for a nice tour of the peak and another fun ski descent. Mt. Guyot sits on the Continental Divide 7 miles south of the Keystone Ski Area and 4 miles west of Jefferson Lake. The peak was named after Arnold Henry Guyot, a Swiss geologist who emigrated to the United States in 1848 and was eventually hired on as a professor of geography at Princeton University. Keep reading…
I’ve been in the market for a hooded softshell that can bridge the gap between burly inbounds jacket, breathable and functional touring jacket and something to wear around town when the weather gets a little brisk. After years of searching, I think I’ve finally found the right match in the Stio Vescent Softshell jacket. But first, a little background on the jacket and on Stio as a company, as it too, has been a gear company I’ve been waiting for quite some time. In 2007, I stumbled upon a nice looking, versatile “fleece” on the clearance shelf at REI with a Cloudveil logo on the chest. It was referred to at the time as the Cloudveil Gridlock Fleece with Windstopper technology that was used for the better part of 5 years as a do-it-all jacket in all seasons. I also owned a Cloudveil Koven “Hardshell” that had an innovative “Cloudburst stretch” material that gave it the feel and function of a softshell, but also contained the waterproofness of a hard shell with pit-zips. Keep reading…
