It’s been a busy couple of weeks around Mountain Lessons HQ (ie, my Subaru). With the lax winter precipitation, there hasn’t been a lot to do around Portland besides pretending that it’s Spring. Except, unlike spring, the temperatures are still…
The No Excuses Interview Series explores the approaches and personalities of athletes who are inspiring in both the quality and consistency of their achievements. They’re real people doing great things. What they do, you can too, if you want it.…
I’m now resigned to the fact that true winter may never actually arrive in the Pacific Northwest. Though global warming appears to have nothing to do with this unfortunate situation, it sure looks like the sunshine and warm temperatures are…
This year I was honored to be invited to the Northwest Snow and Avalanche Workshop as a guest of the organizer, Michael Jackson. He saw my write-up from last year and and agreed that sharing the conference in writing could only spread…
Editor’s Note: I’m excited to introduce you to Mountain Lessons’ newest contributor, Peter Innes. Peter and I met mountaineering in Wyoming, and after he relocated to Portland, he’s become a frequent partner on my adventures. Pete’s a collegiate cross-country runner…
What separates fast skimo racers from slow skimo racers? Certainly equipment, technique, transitions, and fueling are all important considerations, but I propose that one simple metric sets fast racers apart from the rest: cadence. In short, cadence is how many strides…
There are a lot of skin options available these days with retailers like Skimo.co bringing more of the European variety to the USA. Unfortunately, tip attachments on pre-built skins are like cell-phone chargers; they’re unstandardized and are often poorly cross-compatible with…
Ok, you’ve got one week until Christmas. Game face. Your spouse/partner/sibling/parent is a climber/skier/runner and you haven’t done anything for them yet. Or maybe, you have all of your shopping done and it’s time to give yourself a little reward…a…
Up at Mt Hood on Saturday evening, Taylor got a text from a connected friend: “Do you guys want to climb with Ueli Steck tomorrow?” For those of you less familiar with Ueli: he is a Swiss alpinist best known…
When you decide to take the plunge, invest in your success, and buy light gear, SkiMo.co has got you covered. As the only dedicated skimo store around, they have the inventory and the advice to get you set up…