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My Favorite Colorado 14er

There are 58 Colorado peaks over 14,000′, so to pick one as your favorite is tough. I have climbed 51 of them so this may be a tad premature but here I go anyway.
For years, I told anyone who asked that Longs Peak was my favorite. It had everything a mountain could offer: a variety of routes from easy to impossible, unpredictable weather, and amazing views. Longs will always be close to the top of my list.
But in the late summer of 2009, another climb took the top spot – Capital Peak in the Elk Range of central Colorado near continue reading

Climbing considered for 2020 Olympics

After watching all the spills in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, many climbers wondered about IOC’s 2007 decision to monitor climbing as the first step to full inclusion in the Olympics.
In Vancouver, during a plenary session, it was announced that after provisional IOC recognition in 2007, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has passed the two-year “observation period”. This according to the Italian website Planet Mountain and The Adventure Blog.
The IOC had already announced at their final meeting before the Vancouver Olympics they had granted “full recognition” to the IFSC as the governing body for sport climbing and the primary continue reading

Gear Reviews: Ice Tools, Base Layers and Gloves

One of the great things about climbing after Christmas is  chance to try out all those new toys you got over the holidays as gifts or on sale. And I am guilty as charged!
I recently went ice climbing in Ouray and then made the summit of Colorado 14er, Quandary Peak in temps well below zero and winds gusting over 30 mph. Perfect time to try out new gear.
In Ouray, I used my new Black Diamond Cobra ice tools for the first time. I had bought them on sale at the BD site and was anxious to see if they lived continue reading

A Colorado Weekend: Ice and 14ers

Over President’s day weekend in mid February 2010, I joined some friends for some ice climbing in world famous Ouray Ice Park. It was a great time with perfect weather and nice ice.
Ouray is famous for man-made ice and the annual Ice Festival held every January. Ouray is a small mountain town in Southwest Colorado. A longtime favorite summer destination, it is nestled in the high Rocky Mountains. Ouray, once a mining town, might have disappeared or slowly dwindled away if an accident had not occurred. A leak in the fresh water pipe running along the top of a river continue reading

Pine Beetles Love Rush Limbaugh

If you have ever driven along Colorado’s Interstate 70 from Denver to Vail, you might have noticed all the dead pine trees along the highway. Some think it is due to pollution spewed by cars but is actually nature at work.
Mountain pine beetles have killed an estimated 3.6 million acres of trees in Colorado alone. Their favorite food is the lodgepole pine tree but they also enjoy the ponderosa, Scotch and limber pine. The beetles kill the trees by creating fungus under the bark, which slows growth and eventually kills it.
The root issue is that the beetles are enjoying run-away continue reading

Aerogel – Should Geese Start Celebrating?

Manufacturers of all types are always looking for that next great breakthrough. Think: Gortex, Teflon and that famous exchange from The Graduate:
Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
Now another breakthrough is hitting the consumer outdoor products market based on a man-made material called aerogel. It is lighter than air in its pure form, warmer than down, can be compressed, is breathable and is virtually unbreakable. It keeps hots things hot and cold things cold – How does it do it?
There seems to be continue reading

Ptarmigans – Nature’s Perfect Camouflage

I love to climb or more specifically to be out in nature. This past week, I took a long climb to almost 13,000′ on Longs Peak in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a rare winter day with mild temps in the high teens and virtually no wind – unheard of for Longs in January.
The scenery of the snow covered Continental Divide was stunning as was the lightly peppered Diamond on Longs’ East Face. I was completely alone for the majority of the day. I had started just before sunrise and enjoyed watching the sun light up the Colorado continue reading

Partners supporting Alzheimer’s Research

You can now support Alzheimer’s research through purchasing products you might already buy. I am so pleased to announce that Body Results and Action Wipes will now donate a percentage of each noted sale to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.
I have has teamed up with outdoor conditioning coaches Courtenay and Doug Schurman at Body Results, a Seattle-based company that focuses on wilderness sports conditioning. Also with Martha Van Inwegen of Life Elements with the Action Wipes product line for athletes.
Cure Alzheimer’s Fund
The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund use 100% of all donations to fund breakthrough research. None of your donation goes to overheard continue reading

Support Haiti Relief

Those who want to make an immediate contribution, there is a quick and easy way to do so. By texting “HAITI” to “90999″ a donation of $10 will be made to the Red Cross and charged to your cell phone bill.
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Exercise Wards off Alzheimer’s

You may wonder why I link mountain climbing with Alzheimer’s. My simple answer is that a healthy body =  a healthy mind. You don’t have to climb Mt. Everest, a short amount of daily exercise will do the trick.
A new study from the famed Mayo Clinic proves the point:
Those who said they did moderate exercise — such as swimming, brisk walking, yoga, aerobics or strength training — during midlife were 39% less likely to have mild cognitive impairment, while those who did moderate exercise later in life were 32% less likely to have the condition.
The Mayo team said exercise may continue reading