Kingdom Trails, VT - October 2012

Headed up to VT for our second annual Kingdom Trails trip with Scott, Chad, Josh and Zack in mid-October.  A little past peak fall season, and a nice overnight frost, but once again the trip was a blast.  Crashed in the Burke Bike Barn for the second straight year as well, can't speak highly enough about the place.  Plenty of space, a fully functioning heater (which was key this weekend), and a new "game" room - but we didn't take advantage because, well, it was under 30 degrees out at night.

Saturday was beautiful though, blue skies and cool air.  Scott and I hit up the cross country network, and Chad, Josh and Zack headed over to the downhill on Burke mountain.  Turned out to be our only day of biking due to pretty heavy rain on Sunday, but it was a great one.  Scott and I logged more than 16 miles.  Troll Stroll stood out in particular as a great ride, I don't believe we went down that trail last year.   Scott and I also came across a man who took a really hard fall on Tap and Die.  We were able to contact emergency services and get him out OK on a backboard, but definitely an opportunity to pause and make sure to keep things under control the rest of the day.  Hope he is doing alright.

Anyway, please enjoy the video.  I kept it short because, frankly, the footage is borderline unwatchable.  So much bouncing.  I guess strapping the Contour to my bike helmet with an old ski goggle strap was not a good strategy.   But the still shots I mixed in should give a feel for what the bike barn was like and the beauty of the surrounding farm lands, so it wasn't all for not.

Ski season is getting closer.  And by then I vow to have a Go Pro, so hopefully this site takes another step in the right direction from a quality perspective.

Mt. Moosilauke - September, 2012

Ryan, Scott, Gene and I decided to hike Mt. Moosilauke on a splendid rainy day in September.  Some people plan their fall hikes for blue bird days when the leaves are at their peak color, but we opted for a grey, rainy, cold day.  Funny how it always ends up being a great time though.  And as an added bonus, we were able to check out the Moosilauke snow fields and two possible ski descents for this winter.  My guess is that you would have to time a ski trip there perfectly to get powder on the snow fields - seems likely to be wind swept pretty quickly - but one of the descents looked like it would be fun on a day when steeper terrain is off-limits due to avalanche risks.

Enjoy a few pictures.  Video footage of Kingdom Trails to come soon.

(At the summit, one of the ten highest peaks in NH)

Hiking in Switzerland

This is probably the last of my long overdue Swiss blog posts.  For the most part, other than my trip to Austria for some late season skiing, I alternated hiking in the alps with taking naps by Lake Luzern for a month.  Wish it could have lasted forever.  I suppose blogging about it will have to suffice for now.

Anyway, I took some pictures and video during the many hikes.  Here are some highlights.  Consider this entry a photo journal of sorts with a few panorama shots at the end.

Enjoy!

Stroll along Lake Luzern on day one.  Got a good look at Mt. Pilatus, which would ultimately get the better of me.  But more on that later.

View of Mt. Pilatus and Luzern in the background, Lake Luzern in the foreground.  Taken from a clearing on the way to the summit of Mt. Riggi. 

Tuckerman Ravine - April 2012

The chronology of these last few posts is a bit off, but here is footage from a trip to Tuckerman Ravine that I took with the Osgood twins in late April, just before I headed off to Europe.  This was very late in the season (Sherbourne Trail was only open 1/3 of the way down), but it was a beautiful day and there was plenty of coverage in the bowl despite the year-long snow shortage in the northeast, so the lack of people on the mountain was shocking.

The day featured a warm up on Left Gully, straight into a trip down Chute (my first time).  Definitely give Chute the steepness edge over any of the other lines I have taken (Lip, Left & Right Gully).  We'll see about the headwall next winter. 

After those first two runs, I ate a huge tuna sandwhich.  Big mistake.  Ended up calling it a day, exhaustion and a full stomach made it to tempting to just take a nap in the sun.  The elder Osgood did one more run down Hillman after trying to recover a lost set of skis on Chute - impressive energy!

Anyway, I already posted the still shots from the trip back in April (http://eightyninenorth.blogspot.com/2012/04/tuckerman-still-shots.html), so I'll just leave you with the video.  Again - bright sun = washed out footage.  The lack of a fish eye was also especially frustrating - really no way to appreciate how steep the terrain is.  Cannot wait to get a Go Pro for this season.

Enjoy!

Ischgl, Austria - April, 2012

Traveled to Ischgl, Austria, for the bluest of blue bird days during the first week of my month long trip to Europe this past April and May.  I was delighted to discover that Austria pulled down nearly two feet of snow 48 hours before my planned trip.  Although I figured much of it would be skied off by the time I got there, I held out faint hope that it was late enough in the season I could still find some great, untouched lines.

(example of a great untouched line)

The plan was actually to go to St. Anton am Arlberg, the cradle of modern skiing.  I found an unbelievable lodging deal in the center of the famous ski town, and set off on the 3 hour train ride from Luzern.  When I arrived in St. Anton on a Tuesday evening, however, I was shocked to find the town abandoned.  I went to check into my hotel, and I was told the ski area had closed for the season two days earlier, even though they had a massive base and just pulled in nearly 2 feet of snow!  I guess everyone is spoiled by skiing in the Alps, so no one comes after mid April even though there is still great skiing. 

Anyway, I managed to figure out that I could take two 45 minute bus rides to Ischgl, which was still open.  So I set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. and crossed my fingers I would figure out the bus system without issue. 

(me waiting for a connecting bus next to a gas station in Austria - aprox. 6:45 a.m.)

Amazingly, it worked out perfectly, and I had a bright, bright blue bird day (so bright the videos are pretty washed out, but that is a recurring theme with the Contour) and unlimited untracked powder.  The only downsides were that I was skiing on my own, and all my advance back/side country research was for St. Anton, so I was mostly confined to in-bounds skiing.  Didn't matter though - was still an awesome day.

Enjoy the video!  Two more to come this week, but this is probably the best of the bunch.