Col du Cristaux

Col du Cristaux is in the far left cornerI came to Chamonix 3 weeks ago with a calm mind and no firm objectives. Over the years I’ve learned that the quickest way to a humbling beatdown is to show up at a new area with all guns blazing. Sure, the truly gifted and unfathomably talented (think Alex Honnold climbing anywhere in the world) can get away with it but most of us need to wade in from the shallow end.

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Chugach Magic

Yep, it's as big as it looks. The bottom 200' is obscured by a rock band in the foregroundThere's no hiding the fact that this winter has been somewhat grim in Alaska. We've been high and dry and occasionally oddly warm during the last couple of months. We knew the drought would end eventually and it did in grand fashion this past week. Not all the local ranges got snow, however, and, in my opinion, the Front Range and Western Chugach faired the best. I sampled both offerings this week.

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The Name Has Changed

Anyone paying attention when they come here will notice a new name on the banner and a few new images. Over the next few days, the domain name switch will be complete and this site will be officially be Skimo Life. You'll still be able to get here using the old name. That name has a certain amount of weight in the Google world and I don't want to lose what I have. But I'll be building an internet presence with the new one.

When I first started the site years ago, Get Stronger, Go Longer reflected the content and the direction. I'm still a physiology geek but since I'm competing less and exploring more the content of the blog has shifted. Hence, the name change. I always feel odd telling people the name of the site because it doesn't immediately reveal my overall direction of late. I hope the new name represents better what I'm writing about these days.

Content will continue to revolve around ski moutaineering including gear, trip reports and training. Off season pieces will likely center around mountain running which is the summer distraction for many alpinists and ski mountaineers. Internet users will still come to the site based on specific searches they're performing and hopefully the banner name won't distract or confuse visitors. Ultimately, I hope the transition will be a smooth one.

Thanks for reading. - Brian 

My Fattening Quiver

Most of the quiver todayAnyone who’s read this blog for a while knows that I favor light gear and little skis for most of my outings. This stuff works best for the long tours and vertical gain I prefer. I’ve pushed the use of thinner, shorter skis and light race bindings onto steep, technical terrain with generally satisfying outcomes.  With like-minded partners encouraging this behavior, my ski quiver has stayed skinny…. until now.

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The Otter Kind

Thought I'd give a shout out to my friend Michelle Smith, a film maker from Jackson Hole who has been steadily upping her game with these fun videos featuring my old stomping grounds. The Grand Teton is getting some love lately from TGR and will be featured on Jeremy Jones' next effort, Higher.

Michelle beats him to the punch here with this tasty nugget. She was preceeded by the Otter Body Experience, a film by David Gonzales but that awesome movie is MIA on the internet now. UPDATE: This great film is now available again here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcsQG3HZkYU 

So, sit back and check out the fun on one of the coolest lines on the biggest peak in the range along with some perspective from Teton skimo pioneer, Mark Newcomb.

The Otter Kind from getungrounded on Vimeo.

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