3 DAYS TIL THE FIWAR!!!

Well, 3 days to go now til our first ever winter adventure race. Justin and I went out yesterday for a little combined training. We skiied a couple miles into Little River state park in Waterbury, then put on our snowshoes, strapped our skis to our packs, and did some bushwhacking. The race director has implied that we should practice carrying our skis, particularly through dense pine trees, so we figured we better give it a go. It went pretty well, and we did have a couple of spectacular crashes once we strapped our skis back on and blasted out (OK, I had a couple spectacular crashes). Great little training day, about 2 and a half hours total. Good times...

As for the rest of the week, I think I am done training, physically anyway. Time to give my body a couple days to heal up all the minor aches and pains that seem to chronically plague the adventure racer, even amatuers like us. Today during lunch my "training" consisted of reviewing the pics online of last years FIWAR. Most of the pics were of the tyrolean traverse, which should be interesting. I've never done one, and I am looking forward to it. Although it appears that last year it was strung right through some evergreen branches. Well, I guess that's what we should expect from the sadistic GMARA fellas. Seriously though, after yesterday's fun in the snow, I think Saturday will be a boatload of fun (especially given the forecast of 6-12 inches snow Friday). Can't wait!!!

Grambo

Do the Humpty Hump!!

So, this Saturday, Biz, myself, and John, a buddy of mine from work, hike up Camel's Hump (See pic of me and Biz above, and me and John below. As you can see, John fits the requirement of ragin' facial hair to travel with us). It was a pretty nice day, cold, but hey, any day on the mountain is a good day as far as I'm concerned. We made good time on the way up (especially Biz, who's new nickname may be "Mountain Goat", as he blasted up the mountain), not really needing our snowshoes, but wearing them for the traction. The bootpack was pretty well traveled, and as long as you stay on the trail, the summit is probably doable just in boots. We hit the summit clearing around 11am, stopped for a quick snack and to layer up (everyone added at least 1 layer, I myself added an extra fleece coat and my shell), and proceeded up to the summit. And man, was it windy!!! We figure it was blowing at least 40mph, steady. Not enough to knock you over, but you definitely had to brace yourself. Based on the temperature (around 0) and wind, it put the wind chill around -50 F or so. Cold, but we were well prepared, and spent about 5 minutes up there. Visibility was OK, but there was no scenery as the top of the mountain was pretty socked in.

After decending from the summit, John and I removed our snowshoes to help speed our descent, and I managed to slide on my rear a good part of the way down. Man, is that fun, definitely the best way to get down a mountain. We made great time down, and the sun actually came out. Probably if we'd gotten a later start we would have gotten better views, as the clouds continued to lift throughout the day, but what the heck. It was a great hike, my first time up the Hump this winter, and Biz's first time ever on the Hump. Good times....

In other news, it's T minus 5 days and counting (counting today) until the FIWAR!!! Woo hoo!!! I'm gettin' pretty psyched, although it will be interesting race considering how deep the snow is. The forecast is looking good, at least as far as the temperature goes, looking like low 30s. Nice, makes navigation easier when you can actually feel your fingers...

Grambo

Skiing, finally!!

Well, yesterday I finally bit the bullet and bought a new pair of cross country ski boots. I have a pair of skis, and I used to have boots, but apparently they were lost in one of our many moves back before we bought our house. I headed down to the Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington in the hopes of finding some inexpensive used boots. No luck, but I did find a reasonably priced pair of new boots made by Whitewoods. Since I am not a huge skiier, I didn't want to spend big bucks, but I did want something decent. I think these boots fit the bill. I like that they are not full leather, as they are quite a bit lighter (in weight) that some of the other boots I looked at, and they seem pretty well insulated. I guess we'll really test 'em out next weekend.

So, I got home around 4:30 yesterday, thinking of running, but the sidewalks still looked pretty sketchy. It was sunny and warm, so I figured what the heck, I put on my new boots, threw my skis in the car, and headed up the Little River State Park. Turns out the road is only plowed to the bottom of the hill, not up to the dam as I expected, but it gave me a chance for some climbing in my skis right off. And, I have to say, even though they are pretty old (15+years?), my skis worked out great. Climbed up the hill to the dam and a bit beyond with no problem, and sped me down nicely, with only one crash at the very bottom. It was a short outing (45 minutes or so), but it was good to get the feel for it again, and got me wondering why I don't do it more often. Also, it may me realize I need to spend every moment I can before the race on my skis to get fully back into the swing of it. Yee haa!!

So, as far as last minute training goes, for me I plan on skiing up at Little River either today or Friday after work for 2 hours or so, and also next Tues and Weds, to really get my skiing legs under me. In addition, Biz, Justin and I are going to blast up Camel's Hump this Saturday. I'm looking forward to that, as I haven't yet been up the Hump this winter. Hopefully we'll have some good pics from the hike on the web Monday...Well, back to work...

9 Days to the FIWAR, which has reached capacity at 25 teams. Awesome!!!

Grambo

Wow, We Hit 1,000! AND...the checks in the mail...

Not long ago this blog passed the 1,000 mark for visits since July. That's pretty remarkable considering that no one really knows who we are. That means, generally, that the team and our families and friends are responsible for most of the visits.

As I've noted before, however, we have had some special visitors from time-to-time. Ian Adamson, for example--the most successful adventure racer in the history of the sport--has visited and even posted a few comments. Thanks, Ian!

The guys from GMARA check in now and then too. Speaking of checks, our race registration checks for the Frigid Infliction are literally in the mail. Thanks for your patience, dudes. We confess to being registration slackers.

The entire team is very grateful to each of you for checking in and reading about our sordid adventures and irrelevant matters now and then. Thank you.

Please feel free to post your own comments and encourage everyone you know to check in with us too.

Team Runs with Scissors is alive and well.

We need more snacks.

JG

PS--Skiing and riding conditions are still EPIC. Those crazy bastards at GMARA are going to send us through the deepest snow they can find next weekend, I know it! What could possibly go wrong?

The Valentines Day Blizzard of 2007

It was as big as Roger Hill said it would be--and bigger than everyone else thought it might be.

We received 30 inches here in Waterbury. And--are you ready for this?--the mountain got pounded with more than 50 inches in some places.

This morning, the National Weather Service issued an avalanche warning for the steepest pitches on our central and northern mountains. Not just some sort-of warning. A real, don't go there because it will kill you warning.

The final stats for this one have it in the top three storms of all time and the most snow to fall in 24 hours or less. All champagne powder. You can find a summary of the storm rankings here.

Tonight we rest, tomorrow we ride...and the next day, the next day and the next day.

jg

Buckle Up, The BIG ONE is Coming!

First, we want to apologize for not posting more frequently, everyone has been busy...

Things here in Vermont are going very well, at least as far as the winter weather is concerned.

The snow continues to pile up on the mountain and we may be in for one of the largest storms in about a decade--woo hoo! This storm is suppose to start late tonight, last all day Wednesday and go into Thursday morning. One reliable forecast is calling for a minimum of 2-3 feet, with the potential for up to 4 feet of snow in the mountains.

I have to confess, although the east coast flatlanders have no idea, the northern Vermont mountains are in great shape. I hiked the Mount Mansfield Chin--Vermont's highest point--(See the topo map here) on Saturday and rode Hell Brook down to the Notch Road (Route 108) and it was epic. The traverse between the first snow field just northeast of the Chin (where the Long Trail connects with Hell Brook) had me chest deep in powder at times--and my feet weren't even on the ground! Amazing. It's easy to forget how rugged our mountains are, especially in the winter.

In total, we've received well over 6 feet of snow on Mansfield in the last 4 weeks. Mother nature is rewarding us for our early season patience and frustrations, I think. Nevertheless, this next storm is going to make every ski area in Vermont perfect for the Presidents' Week holidays. If you're from out-of-state, you really need to be in Vermont. It's going to be EPIC!

Of course, I have to make a shameless pitch for Stowe. There's only one Stowe, and it's the best there is. Please come and take a snowboarding lesson, from me.

All this snow doesn't just mean great skiing and riding, it also means the mountains will be especially inhospitable and unforgiving for the Frigid Infliction, which is just a few weeks away. Something tells me I'm going to wish I spent more time walking and skiing up hills than I've spent sliding down them--But, hey, what's a guy to do?

So, we're all bracing for a great winter storm. The kind of storm that makes you crave a cozy fireplace and warm bowl of Campbells soup. The kind of storm that reminds you why you love living in Vermont. And the kind of storm that makes Vermonters so darn tough.

It's going to be great.

Buckle up, the BIG ONE is coming--no joke.

JG

Indeed, as J notes below, I am approaching the 20 mile/week mark, with 17.5 miles last week. Total tally for January was 52.7 miles, which I am pretty happy with. I was shooting for 5 miles yesterday, but went short at 4 miles, as I was pretty sore from a hike on Sunday. That day I did a short training hike/run up and down the Stowe Pinnacle. Not a long hike, true (1.6 miles each way), but I pushed it pretty hard on the way up, and I ran all but the steepest parts on the way down. Turns out, running full tilt down a mountain in slippery snow in heavy hiking boots is a pretty dang good workout, at least that's what my quads were telling me. My right quad remained pretty sore yesterday, so I elected to do the shorter distance. Probably means that 20 miles is out of reach this week (my "week" ends of Friday), but I'll be shooting for a couple 5s to get my numbers up there.

I must say, though, as much as I always hated running, I really am starting to enjoy it. I think the best part, for me, is the fact that I can actually run 5 miles. I've never been in great shape, and to be working up to longer and longer mileage is awesome. In fact, I am hoping to do some much longer runs as the year progresses. Check this out, a 16ish mile trail run right in our back yard in August, the Herc Open! Sounds pretty awesome, and it's part of the Trail Runner Magazines race series. Cool stuff, can't wait to get more details...

Well, back to work. Later...

Grambo

Weekend Update Update

First, a big thank you to Turtle and Sonnick for hosting a great party for the Super Bowl. It was a blast. Sonnick, update your blog! Slacker.

This week is off to a roaring start. It seems like everyone is busy with one thing or another. We're still managing to carve out training time, which is crucial as we approach the Frigid Infliction.

Team EMS--the USARA National CHAMPIONS--might be in. Have we mentioned that? It would be cool and might help GMARA get the media attention they need to boost membership and participation.

That reminds me, we've got to send our reg. money in guys...let's coordinate that via. e-mail...

Anyway, there was a roadside siting of the Grambosaur tonight.

Word on the street is he was out for a 4-miler. He's closin' in on 20 miles/week these days. Way to go, Grambo!

Team Runs with Scissors -- Weekend Update

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. The sun has been out most of the day and we got a few inches of fresh snow last night. It was 18 degrees when I got up this morning and it's about 26 degrees now. A near perfect winter morning.

Yesterday, Grambo and I went for a run around town. I'm going to guess that it was at least 5 miles. It was solid. This was followed by some brew burgers at the Alchemist with the wives. Brew burgers are great--I highly recommend them.

This morning, I got up and went to the mountain for a few runs. It was awesome. The snow continues to pile up and the trees continue to fill in. As Grambo and Turtle reported earlier, there is a boatload more snow up there than down here in town. Although, when I went to fill the bird feeder this morning the snow in the yard was nearly up to me knees.

After this morning's runs, the Mrs. and I went snowshoeing for about 90 minutes. That's quite awhile for a pregnant lady! We did about 4-4.5 miles, I think. I was impressed.

Great way to spend a Saturday.

jg

Final Countdown!

There's a reason we love Monsters of Rock.

It's because we ARE monsters of rock!

And, we need more snacks!

We're In!

We're now officially registered for the Frigid Infliction winter race staged out of Bolton ski area, which is a month from Saturday. Should be awesome.

The boys at GMARA promise an awesome race and have this to report:

"The course is looking great - we're going to have some good navigation for you all in some really cool areas, and I'm personally really looking forward to trying out this year's tyrolean. The course designers are doing their usual evil best to get you lost and pissed off. I think Jim's quote was something like 'what can we find out here that will cause a rash through snow pants *...' There are already teams coming from as far away as North Carolina and Ohio, plus a team from Ontario - come join us!"

Sounds great. The team list is already pretty impressive and word is a few more may register in the next few weeks. Registered teams include heavy weights like ARFE-Smart Wool and Team Endurance Adventure.

In the words of those crazy Sweds, Europe: It's the final countdown!

jg