This article may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!Having the chance to see Ed Viesturs, one of America’s greatest mountaineers, speak on the theme of risk, obsession, commitment, and fear in the mountains, was one of the most illuminating outdoors talks I’ve ever …
Learn to Lead Course with Seneca Rocks Climbing School
My buddy Sameer and I took a two-day Learn to Lead Course with Seneca Rocks Climbing School this past weekend. We both have done a little bit of leading on some of the easiest routes at Seneca, so we already had some understanding of the fundamentals and basic systems for multi-pitch rock. We wanted to get out there and practice …
Sunburns, Handguns, and Hypothermia: 32 Miles through the Massanuttens
“Don’t be intimidated by my gun, I always carry it. I gotta concealed weapons permit fer it, as well.” “Uhh, okay,” I responded, not even realizing at that point that my fellow shelter companion had a handgun strapped to his waist. My friend Chris and I had just arrived at the Little Crease Shelter in the Massanutten’s not more than …
Climbing Mount Hood in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains
I’m out in Washington State for work right now, and a few weeks back me and a couple climbing acquaintances out of Portland penciled in Easter weekend to make an attempt climbing Mount Hood. Things were looking doubtful for awhile there with all the snow that was dumping throughout the Cascades, the avy conditions, and the general weather pattern, but …
Avalanche! What to Expect During an AIARE Level I Course
I headed back up to New Hampshire for the third time in the past few months, but this time it was for an AIARE Level 1 avalanche safety course. The course was organized and financially supported by the Potomac Mountain Club, our local climbing club in Washington DC. The course appealed to me because this course was to focus more …
Catskills Ice Climbing: Stoney Clove and Deep Notch
My buddy Sameer and I headed up to New York over the long weekend in search of some Catskills ice climbing opportunities. We made a brief pit stop in New York City on the drive up from Washington D.C. so we could camp out in the living room of his friend’s apartment in the Bushwick neighborhood. After a quick NYC …
Ice Climbing in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire
I made my first trip up to New Hampshire over the MLK holiday for a long weekend of ice climbing! There is an amazing amount of ice to be climbed up in the White Mountains and it was an absolute blast: we got on some multipitch water ice climbs and did a long alpine-style gully climb. It was also really, …
2011 Year in Review and Outdoor Adventures
2011 turned out to be a pretty good year for me in terms of time spent in the great outdoors. The beginning of the year didn’t offer much in the way of overnighters—some recent staffing changes left me swamped at work and the paltry snowfall didn’t compel me to get out there like it otherwise would in winter. Things really …