Adventure Sports Journal // Dec 2019 / Jan 2020 // Issue #112

KEVIN JORGESON’S 1CLIMB / SKIING CRANE FLAT / EARN YOUR BEER / CALENDAR

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 ISSUE #112

LAST DAYS

THE

OF BOB SWIFT 1930 – 2019

GIFT GIVING GUIDE RESORT TIPS FOR A PERFECT DAY Warm Water Surfing ADRIAN BALLINGER www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

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GEAR CHECK | FAST & LIGHT HYDRATION

Pocket Power Weight and ergonomics matter—whether on a oneday summit bid or a long weekend fastpacking loop.

Katadyn BeFree Filtration System 0.6 L

These racking-up-miles-and-vertical missions are no place for water to be sloshing around a half-filled, heavy metal water bottle. Instead, maximize pocket space with a HydraPak flexible bottle—such as the SoftFlask 750 ml, which weighs in at a scant 2.3 ounces. Or the 500 ml Stow that tips the postal scales at 1.5 ounces and tucks away into its own handle when empty. And even with an in-line filter, the Katadyn BeFree 0.6 L, with HydraPak-made flexible bottle, is just 2.3 ounces. Flexible bottles have the benefit of shrinking around the remaining water as you drink it down, which eliminates sloshing in your pocket or pack. As the kicker, all three of these products from gram-shaving pioneer HydraPak are built from ultra-durable TPU material—essentially survival insurance if your drinking vessel takes a tumble from a high point. Now if only they could dehydrate water.

SpeedCup 200 ml

2 ASJ—June/July 2012

SoftFlask 750 ml

Stow 500 ml expanded and collapsed

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CONTENTS Dec 2019/Jan 2020 #112

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18

28

regular departments

6 7 8 10

Editor’s Note The Matrix

Inbox

Our readers chime in

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Ear to the Ground News & notes

Warm Water Dreams

Surfing in Hawaii

22

12

Gift Giving Guide

ASJ’s annual guide to holiday goodies

18

Bob Swift

A legendary adventurer’s last days

22

Skiing Among Giants

Exploring Crane Flat

24

Picture Perfect

ASJ’s annual winter resort guide

28

Adrian Ballinger

The suffering & joy of summiting

ON THE COVER Bob Swift faced everything with equanimity, including his own impending death. Photo: Jan Tiura

DON’T MISS AN ISSUE – Subscribe to ASJ Mail a check for $20 to PO Box 35, Santa Cruz, CA 95063 along with subscriber

4 ASJ ASJ—June/July — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020

16 31 32 33

Epic // 1Climb

Getting kids to climb

Earn Your Beer Hiking Dewey Point

Event Profiles Featured events

Event Calendar Upcoming events

asj contributors what’s your coldest winter adventure to date?

PUBLISHING + EDITORIAL

leoniesherman

Fifteen years ago I hitchhiked the Alaska Haul Road north of the Arctic Circle in the back of an open pick up truck during a howling blizzard. Cold, windy and wet — the perfect recipe for hypothermia.

chrisvanleuven

While climbing the first ascent of “Run For Cover” (V5.10 A2) on the south face of the Minotaur in the Northwest Territories, my partner Matt Childers and I were hit with a heavy (summer) storm. A foot of snow fell on us.

dierdrewolownick

Taking our little kids camping to Death Valley in January. If you don’t think that’s an adventure, you’re not a parent!…or have never been in the high (or low) desert in the winter.

jamesmurren

I solo climbed Mt. Washington in New Hampshire in winter, with wind chills in the -30s.

Once on the summit, I looked around a few minutes and headed down below Lion’s Head, where it was “warm.”

kristahoughton

Back-country camping in December. Fire is life.

Zero-degree bags rule. I repeat my mantra: sun, fire, dry, toes, warm, wood, beanie, miserable. I just want the sun to come up and light my way down the mountain.

taylorluckenbach

jantiura

Hiking in the Wyoming backcountry during a thunder, lightning, and hail storm. My group and I huddled in lightning position for over an hour in a puddle of water waiting for the storm to pass. My lips were blue!

January 1970, we crashed in Kirkwood meadow, with no tent. Stiletto stars piercing the crystal winter sky seduced us into imagining it wasn’t friggin’ freezing. At dawn, we nearly had to call for rescue 50 yards from the highway.

michelecharboneau

I’m a fair-weather adventurer who’s learning to embrace winter.

Haven’t had many crazy cold experiences yet, but waking up to 20 degrees on a recent backpacking trip gave me a taste for 7am whiskey! #justanip

PUBLISHER Cathy Claesson cathy@adventuresportsjournal.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Matt Niswonger matt@adventuresportsjournal.com

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MANAGING EDITOR Michele Charboneau michele@adventuresportsjournal.com COPY EDITOR Jennifer Stein jen@adventuresportsjournal.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Leonie Sherman, Chris Van Leuven, Dierdre Wolownick, James Murren, Krista Houghton, Taylor Luckenbach CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Leonie Sherman, Bob Swift, Jan Tiura, Fred Pompermayer, Kasey Carames, James Murren, Scott Brown, Mike Oitzman, Scott Rokis, Nicole Mattacola, Allen Steck, Adrian Ballinger, Christian Pondella, Cory Richards, Esteban “Top” Mena/Eddie Bauer Collection LAYOUT Cathy Claesson & Michele Charboneau

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COVER DESIGN Lauren Worth ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Cathy Claesson I 831.234.0351 cathy@adventuresportsjournal.com EVENTS & DISTRIBUTION Matt Niswonger matt@adventuresportsjournal.com EVENTS MARKETING Michele Charboneau michele@adventuresportsjournal.com Jennifer Stein jen@adventuresportsjournal.com Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Adventure Sports Journal or our advertisers. We usually agree with our articles, but sometimes we don’t. We welcome all contributions.

All content © Adventure Sports Journal 2019.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission of the editors.

ADVENTURE SPORTS JOURNAL PO BOX 35, Santa Cruz, CA 95063 Phone 831.457.9453 asjstaff@adventuresportsjournal.com PROUD MEMBER

www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

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Editor’s Note

The Matrix Shopping local to avoid the predatory dot coms

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ith the announcement that much-loved outdoor adventure store A16 is going out of business after the 2019 holiday shopping season, California will lose another important outdoor retailer. Citing pressure from online competition and a steady decline in foot traffic, A16 could not find a way to make it work in the current business climate. An important part of the outdoor community in southern California, A16 has been selling gear to hikers, backpackers, and other outdoor enthusiasts since 1963.

Heading into 2020, clearly the world is changing fast. When technology guru Steve Jobs predicted only twenty years ago that a “portable internet screen you carry in your pocket” would radically alter our lives, most of us had no idea what he was talking about.

Now, as brick-and-mortar retail stores rapidly disappear across California and America, the new reality has come into focus. While big box companies like REI are doing just fine, the vast majority of outdoor specialty stores have disappeared along with the familiar experience of shopping in locally owned businesses.

Besides the loss of locally owned businesses, the overall digital trend worries me. In just twenty years our friendships are online, our shopping is online, our

66 ASJ — Dec 2019 2012 / Jan 2020 ASJ—June/July

entertainment is online, and — increasingly — our money is landing into the hands of a few technology companies. These companies exert a level of monopolistic domination that we haven’t seen since the golden age of Standard Oil. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where this is going. Because technology companies are so good at making the internet experience habitual, once you are using their websites you really don’t want to stop. Tech gurus call this “stickiness,” but I think “addiction” is a more accurate word.

Given how rapidly our lives have changed in only two decades, I’m reminded of one of my favorite movies: The Matrix.

When the Keanu Reeves movie came out in the late 1990s, the story seemed like an entertaining fantasy. Now it feels eerily predictive. Digital reality is quickly becoming our main reality. Once that happens physical connection with other people becomes rare, just like in The Matrix. While your digital self is cruising around the internet, selling stocks or arguing politics on Facebook, your physical self might as well be warehoused in a closet somewhere, hooked up to feeding tubes.

If this sounds depressing to you let’s stop this trend. I’m certain that most of us still prefer real outside adventures with other

people over digital adventures on a laptop or phone. We still enjoy reading articles in a printed magazine over reading words on a small screen. That’s why big tech is working overtime to change our habits.

Out there in the organic world you are not a commodity. On a screen, your habits can be monetized. If you currently spend three hours per day on a screen, big tech wants four. If you spend twelve hours per day on a screen, big tech wants thirteen.

As you can tell by the tone of this article, I’m disgusted with where things are headed, and honestly I’m slightly disgusted with myself. According to an app I have installed on my phone, I’m currently averaging about two hours per day on social media, and most of that time is spent on Facebook.

For the past three years I have been managing our ASJ Facebook page. At first it was fun to post pictures and share articles, but lately I appreciate our printed magazine so much more. Creating a printed magazine is a much slower process, and it feels more meaningful, intentional, and permanent than counting likes, comments, and shares.

At first I thought I was making real friends on Facebook, but over time I have realized that digital friendships are only a fleeting reflection of the real thing, just like almost everything else in the digital realm.

ASJ co-founders Cathy and Matt having a shared adventure in the great outdoors.

So, let’s not be like mindless lemmings running off a cliff. Let’s do what we can to limit big tech this holiday season. After all, big tech creates a few millionaires, but too many working families are struggling to put food on the table. Now the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is warning us that kids age 10–14 are having a mental health crisis and it’s probably linked to social media.

I’m interested in your thoughts. This holiday season, how can we use the internet as a tool for good instead of running straight into the arms of The Matrix? What changes need to be made so we don’t waste our lives mindlessly scrolling through our Facebook feeds? My email is matt@adventuresportsjournal. com. As always, thanks for reading ASJ.

—Matt Niswonger

Campfire memories from Sea Otter, 2017. ASJ editor, Matt Niswonger on the plasitc horn.

INBOX

Fanmail, Feedback, Ideas & Opinions In response to Editor’s Note #111 Depression: What Is It Good For?

In response to Editor’s Note #110 Amercian Jedi-Bodhisattvas

ENDORPHINS ARE MY RELIEF hank you for your article. I have suffered from Depression my whole life. I have periods where I am not in a depression state but overall I cannot shake it. I, too, do not like antidepressants as I feel they create more turmoil and make me want to alter the altered state they put me in. I remember looking at my doctor one day and saying, “Is it as simple as diet and exercise?” He replied “yes” and I said “then why give me these mind altering pills.”

For me it is the mountains. It is the ocean.

It’s a trail away from the world pushing myself. I lived in South Lake Tahoe for 12 years and am back every winter to get my mountain love. I live near the beach in Monterey Peninsula and hit beach and trails almost daily. For me it is getting outside of me and sweat usually does that with endorphins being my relief. I have sat in a therapist’s chair. I have sat in groups.

What helps me is pushing myself through exercise like snowboarding, biking, hiking, paddle boarding. I relax watching my three year old daughter play at beach or disc golf.

When life is tough and I hide, the isolation leads to unproductive behavior like calling off work or grinding an ax of past events.

Each day is a new day and as long as I can get outside and channel my energy in “extreme” sports my overall being is raised. I too feel I should be further along in life in my professional career but my mental state also needs balance so maybe I’m exactly where I need to be at this moment.

Thanks again for an inspiring article.

NOBODY WINS I picked up a copy of your magazine and really enjoyed it. And then I found the editorial page on inclusion. Being a person of the Judeo-Christian faith, I am perplexed at why efforts are not being made to invite me to the great outdoors?

T

— Michael, Monterey Peninsula THE DEPRESSION ADVENTURE I like the way you went on a bike ride with your friend to lift him out of his depression. You guided your friend out of the wilderness of Depression. A true wilderness guide!

— Carlyle Seccombe, Carmel Valley

NATURE THERAPY FOR CARETAKERS am sorry to hear you suffer from depression, but I am happy you have chosen to speak out about it. Thank you for your courage. I want to remind you that outdoor adventures also help those of us who live with a person who suffers from depression.

After my recent retirement, my wife went into a very deep, severe depression. Don’t worry, I already made the joke myself about how my being around all the time would send anyone into depression.

Honestly, we don’t know what caused it.

It has been a year and a half and she has come a long way back from a scary place.

During the long, dark time of her worst days, when I really didn’t know if she would get better, I got out into the woods.

I hiked, I went birding, I cycled and I played a lot of disc golf. Sometimes it allowed me time to think and other times it was so immersive it freed me from my sadness and fears.

Activity and time in nature can be healing.

It may not solve all problems or completely cure illness, but it certainly gives relief. We can all use more of that, no matter what side of an illness we may be on.

— Anonymous to protect the privacy of my wife

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YOUR QUOTE: "Why aren't more white CEOs of large outdoor companies stepping aside to allow more diversity in leadership positions?"

This is as silly as it gets. If I asked you to step down as editor of your magazine (which you have probably made a considerable investment in blood, sweat and tears) just because you are white (or appear so from your photo) and allow me to take over primarily because I am a person of color, would that make for a great business decision? What about African American or Asian CEOs, should this apply to them as well? Why is success such a nasty thing?

— Ray ‘been there and still am sometimes” Meltvedt, San Clemente

YOUR QUOTE: "Why are all the outdoor clothing catalogues filled with skinny people and no plus-sized athletes?"

Only wankers spend their time thumbing through those catalogs. Do you really think I'd buy an "Original Earn Your Beer" t-shirt if the model posing had a beer gut as big as mine. Hypocrite.

Other than that wonky editorial, keep up the good work! I don't expect this to get published, but if it does I know that you're really sincere about addressing both sides of a polarizing issue.

A GOOD FRIEND hanks for sharing your thoughts, experience and helpful suggestions with depression. I’d like to point out that your choice to engage with your friend outside and with time and attention (and the word gratitude that you happen to use) may be the most important parts of your friend’s recovery ... well done and carry on buddy!

Thank you to the many readers who reached out to me in confidence. I’ve read every email and handwritten card and am with you in spirit and adventure.

— Matt Niswonger

SHIFTING MY PERSPECTIVE dventure Sports Journal always brings me joy to look through. The Oct/Nov issue is kinda serious, though, isn’t it? I’m glad that you are addressing the depression and grief of loss. Maybe it’s getting to be that time in life when we begin to lose more people than we could imagine.

My depression was at its worst around 2000-2005 when I got out of bed mostly to go to work. I had made a suicide attempt back in college following a trauma event back around 1993 compounding a childhood that was not much fun. So I had coped with it for quite awhile. Yes, Had. I worked my way through it without medication, or therapy because I’m therapy averse. I don’t discourage people from going there. I had to make my way through on my own knowing the root of depression would still be there when the meds wore off.

At times I contemplated suicide, but part of me, call it a soul if you want, the timeless part of me, connected with the same part of me in the future in the Eternal Nature of Things, called me forward and pulled me through. I was watching the sunset and twilight on the coast a few weeks ago, and I knew this was what was calling me then, that there would be this time of beauty ahead only if I could get through that despair.

Around 2005, going a bit too deep into drinking as self-medication, I took a major step, quit the soul sucking job, put in my one-month notice with the apartment management, and cashed in my portfolio and went on the road to travel the American West from

A

YOUR QUOTE: "Right now, sincere efforts are being made to invite women, persons of color, the LGTBQ+ community, plus-sized individuals, and NON Judeo-Christian faiths into the great outdoors."

Is it something about Jesus (maybe He doesn't give a hoot about being green) or are there too many J-Cer's out there already? In your sincere effort to include people, it appears that you would like to exclude people as well. How about saying "people of all faith" are invited to the outdoors? Everybody. No strings attached, no cliques, no drama. The outdoors is available for anyone and everyone who wishes to go.

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” — John Muir I don't think John was really focused about making sure he saw an Asian, African, Queer, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian etc. when he was out on the trail. It was HIS personal desire for adventure that met his life's needs. Not the desire of somebody else trying to make it his desire to go outdoors.

Being a person of color (I'm classified "Asian" in demographic studies), I have never felt a need to be invited or accepted anywhere that I wanted to visit. I've experienced racism first-hand but I do not blame any group (white, black, brown, yellow) for their "privilege" of dishing out such treatment. Each person is different and the condition of their heart is what matters, not the color of their skin.

I'm sure that the white privilege police will let me know when a "person of color" refers exclusively to black, dark brown, etc. since it appears that a lot of Asians are outdoors already (especially the ones coming off the tour buses at Yosemite :) seeking the solace of the "Great Outdoors." I've never heard that being Asian has its privileges (especially if you're applying for college in the Ivy Leagues) but that the privilege to be able to work at something and "succeed" was the privilege available to all Americans.

— Bob Shimizu, Sacramento

Monterey Bay to Death Valley to Four Corners Canyon Country to Yellowstone to Northern California Redwoods and points in between which took about three months.

It didn’t make it all go away and cure me, but it was a start.

Over the years, I learned to shift my perspective on the world. I learned to let go of anger about things, personal and global. I don’t have to forgive, but I don’t have to hold onto the sadness, grief, and whatever else. The major shift came a few months ago when I decided to change my attitude about the soul sucking frustrating job (yes, I had to get one again!) I decided to just go “I love my job! I love my Job!” when all I wanted to do was just walk the hell out and away. Funny thing happened then. I started to resonate with the elements of the job I actually liked! So I am self-employed and enrolled at school to finish my degree. I have hope for the world watching the people demand better; however, one major lesson has been that my happiness (and depression) cannot depend on how other people behave. My depression was a reaction to the way people treated me and acted. Insidious thing about depression is that sense of helplessness, the feeling of “can’t” which blinds you to possibilities outside of the dark. I also took this free course online offered by Dr. Laura Santos of Yale on Coursera, “Science of Well-Being” which is well researched and easy to understand. It was more helpful than seeing a therapist and cheaper!

I hope you will find what works for you.

— Yoshimi, Monterey Bay www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

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Outdoor Enthusiasts Boycott Backcountry.com

Ear to the Ground

News & notes from the outdoor industry

Tahoe Fund Meets Campaign Goal for Lily Lake Trail

Photo: Scott Brown

Thanks to a triple match from Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise guest donation program at Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood, completion of the Lily Lake Trail will be a reality in 2020.

Earlier this year, the planned 2.1-mile multi-use trail designed to provide new access to Fallen Leaf Lake and Desolation Wilderness faced a $75,000 funding gap. The nonprofit Tahoe Fund mobilized its supporters, and within a few short months, secured funding commitments from Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise, the Mathman family, and other contributors to ensure the trail can be completed next summer by the US Forest Service and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association. The trail will be comprised of aspects unique to the Tahoe trail repertoire — slickrock, boulder traverses, and an expansive view of Fallen Leaf Lake on the edge of a 75-foot cliff.

Learn more at adventuresportsjournal.com/tahoe-fund-meets-campaign-goal-forlily-lake-trail-thanks-to-triple-funding-match-by-vail-resorts-epicpromise.

The Courage Project Launches Fall Donation Drive

The Courage Project, based out of the Tahoe area, provides free access to professionallyguided mindfulness adventures and evidence-based coping skills to all children in need, regardless of financial means. This winter, the non-profit organization plans to offer 50 free spots for children with anxiety and depression to get out in nature, get comfortable being uncomfortable, and learn coping skills. A $30 donation provides one child with equipment, a beanie, backpack, snack and water bottle.

Learn more at adventuresportsjournal.com/courage-project-donation-drive.

88 ASJ — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020 ASJ—June/July

Outdoor enthusiasts are boycotting Backcountry.com after it was revealed that the Utah-based on-line retailer was using a team of lawyers to bully and intimidate small companies who were using the word “backcountry.”

Without the funds to fight off Backcountry.com’s legal team, several small companies were being forced to give up their use of the word “backcountry.”

To thousands in the outdoor community it felt as if Backcountry.com wanted the right to control a cherished word that belongs to everyone ... that they seemingly contrived to own the entire backcountry concept and all commercial opportunities that come from the word.

As outdoor enthusiasts began to blow the whistle on Backcountry.com in late October via social media, a boycott group started on Facebook which quickly ballooned to over 20,000 members.

In response to this intense pressure, Backcountry.com cut ties with its legal firm and has started dropping legal actions.

Read more at adventuresportsjournal. com/opinion-why-the-backcountry-comboycott-is-good/

Sawpit Trail to Re-Open at Soquel Demonstration SF

Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC), a non-profit trail stewardship organization, will begin construction on the Sawpit Trail reroute at Soquel Demonstration State Forest (SDSF) in the Santa Cruz mountains.

To fund this project, MBOSC launched the “Trees, Trails, and the Return of Sawpit” fundraiser. One lucky supporter will ride away with a new $10,000 mountain bike from Santa Cruz Bicycles.

Learn more at adventuresportsjournal. com/mountain-bikers-santa-cruz-sawpit.

Yosemite Facelift Volunteers Remove 16,420 lbs of Trash

2,243 Yosemite Facelift volunteers removed 16,420 pounds of trash (with roughly 80% recycled) out of Yosemite Valley over the course of five days this past September. For over a decade now, Yosemite Facelift has been making a remarkable difference in the amount of trash left behind in Yosemite Valley after the tourist season. The event offers a fun, community-building opportunity to give back to the incomparable Yosemite Valley.

Learn more at adventuresportsjournal. com/yosemite-facelift-report.

Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark, who first surfed Mavericks in 1975 at 17 years old and founded the original Mavericks surf contest, has partnered with entrepreneur Chris Cuvelier, founder of Zola, to form a video performance contest in honor of Mavericks and the athletes who surf it.

This virtual contest recognizes exceptional performance throughout the entire big wave season. A ceremonial paddle out opened the big wave season on October 25 in Half Moon Bay. Learn more at adventuresportsjournal. com/mavericks-surf-awards-announcesnew-contest.

Mt. Shasta Ski Park recently announced its partnership with Indy Pass, a multiresort lift pass for snow sports enthusiasts.

Indy Pass resorts are independently owned and offer an authentic, uncrowded mountain experience. The $219 pass includes two lift tickets to each of 44 nationwide resorts for a total of 88 days of skiing and riding. Mt. Shasta Ski Park and its quaint surroundings are typical of Indy Pass resorts and the communities they are part of, offering affordable lodging, meals, rentals and lessons.

Learn more at adventuresportsjournal. com/mt-shasta-indy-pass.

ASJ contributor Matt Johanson Wins Book Award

ASJ contributor Matt Johanson has won a National Outdoor Book Award for his title, “Sierra Summits: A Guide to 50 Peak Experiences in California’s Range of Light.”

“I’m honored to be recognized and grateful that readers enjoy my work. I loved writing the book and hope it helps people discover new experiences in the mountains,” Johanson said.

Johanson has contributed to ASJ since 2002 when he wrote his first outdoors travel story about a trans-Sierra ski trip.

Learn more at adventuresportsjournal.com/asj-contributor-matt-johanson-winsnational-outdoors-book-award.

Photo: Kasey Carames

Photo: Fred Pompermayer

New Mavericks Video Contest Mt. Shasta Ski Park Partners with Indy Pass Kicks Off

Western Mountaineering Turns 50

Bay Area-based Western Mountaineering will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020.

Since 1970, the adventure gear manufacturer has set the industry standard for warm, light, reliable sleeping bags and down garments. The company manufactures three dozen different bags, from the summer Everlite, which weighs less than a pound to the Bison Expedition bag, which features a Gore Windstopper fabric and will keep you toasty when the temperature dips to 40 below.

The company’s down jackets, vests, pants, and booties are designed for any activity from kicking around a chilly cabin to scaling Denali.

Meticulous attention to detail insures consistent high quality. This attention to detail takes time; Western Mountaineering’s simplest bag takes about two hours to make and the most complex bag takes about eight.

Learn more at adventuresportsjournal. com/western-mountaineering.

California Enduro Series Raises Funds for Bike Projects in Truckee and Ashland

California Enduro Series (CES) raised $14,000 with two Specialized mountain bike raffles held over the 2019 season.

The popular enduro race series donated $3,500 of this to the Truckee Bike Park in Truckee, home of the Northstar Enduro presented by Northstar California Resort.

Another $3,500 was donated to Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association (RVMBA) based in southern Oregon, home of the Ashland Mountain Challenge presented

by Ashland Mountain Adventures.

The remainder benefits the series which is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Specialized donated two mountain bikes to the effort: the all-new Enduro Expert, raffled off at EWS Northstar, and a 2019 Stumpjumper EVO, raffled off at the Ashland Mountain Challenge.

Learn more at adventuresportsjournal. com/california-enduro-series-raisesfunds. www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

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WARM WATER DREAMS Six tips for surfing in Hawaii this winter

By Krista Houghton

Every surfer knows late fall marks the beginning of the real surf season. The winter swell window is open, and the big waves are coming. Winter means waves, but it also means cold. In Northern California where I learned to surf, that means bone-chilling cold. With water temps in the low 50s, even a 5/4/3 suit, booties, hoodie and gloves couldn’t keep the cold from creeping in, resulting in what we call “the claw”: hands so cold you’re not able to grip your board rails or even effectively paddle. You’re like a stiff Gumby trying to surf. Oh yes, I know cold water.

W

hen I was younger, I would proudly say, “I shall never wimp out to cold water.”

Ha, I wasn’t prepared for my 40s. Something shifted, and cold water and I no longer agree. Now, it can take my hands hours to recover to full function after a surf session. Sure, I’ll stuff myself into my wetsuit in the summer and fall, when it’s sunny and daytime highs are 80 degrees in Santa Cruz, up the coast, or at Pleasure Point. But those days of dawn patrol at Scott’s Creek in January, when the buoy is 10 feet 17 seconds – well, now I pull the puss card. Yes, the “I don’t do winter cold water” card.

I’m off to Hawaii.

Hawaii, the stuff of surfing dreams. It’s for real too, not some artificially enhanced commercial. Hawaii is always naturally in technicolor. The water turquoise blue, the mountains every shade of green, the sweet scent of plumeria in the air. And the waves are like nowhere else. Every kind of wave, from sandy beach breaks, to huge barrels over the reef – and all of them are in warm, rarely below 80-degree water! So, book your tickets and pack your bags. Here’s the inside scoop on how to satisfy your warm water dreams in Hawaii.

I moved to Kauai full time in 2015. It was hands down the best decision I ever made. It’s where I truly found my surfing stoke and learned to relax. The waves will come to those being patient. The saying “slow yourself down” is taken seriously in Hawaii, see rule #1.

GO SLOW! DRIVE SLOW, ACT

SLOW, EAT SLOW, EVEN SURF SLOW: I see it all the time, and I was guilty on a few visits before moving here. Don’t be bringing your 9-5, fast driving, gotta-get-a-million-things-done to the islands. This is the land of slow. If there are ten things or places you want to see or surf, pick five and concentrate on the quality of the experience, not the amount you can cram in. For surfing this specifically means rolling up to a break slow. Take it in, watch the lineup, stretch in the warm air, pick up some trash or share some bananas. Be a good contributing part to the beach, not just a tourist who waxes up their board and jumps in the water without so much as a reflection on how sacred this land and the sport of surfing is to Hawaii. Surfing was born in Hawaii and every time before I surf, I slow myself down and take a moment to give gratitude for the privilege of surfing.

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10 ASJ—June/July 10 ASJ — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020

BE ALOHA: Ask any local bruddah – if you come with

entitlement, thinking you deserve some Hawaiian waves because you paid for your trip out here or are some hotshot back home – guess again.

The island has a saying: “Either it takes you in or spits you out.” All that truly depends on your attitude. Localism is very present in Hawaii, but it comes from a place of respect. If you come with respect for the land, the ocean, the culture, the lineup – doors will open, waves will come to you. But if you come with a sense of entitlement, that you expect or even worse, deserve waves; doors will close, no waves for you. So always approach your Hawaiian day with an attitude of Aloha.

Aloha is not just a greeting in Hawaii, it embodies an attitude of love, respect, affection, peace, compassion and mercy.

Aloha is a good mindset not just for Hawaii, but for society. So, be Aloha.

2

MAYBE DON’T BRING YOUR

OWN STICK: If I could turn back t the clock and change things, this would be one of those moments. My first visit to Kauai, I brought my quiver – three boards to handle all elements. I was sponsored, 29 years old, all that and a bag of chips. I unzipped my new travel bag, slid out each bright colored, logo embossed board onto the beach, right there at the Hanalei Pier. Snapping my fins in, waxing them up, and all with my white haole ass in a bikini. What a kook move! I was announcing for all the locals to see, “that girl don’t live here, she don’t belong here, and she don’t surf here.” My advice is to avoid a dog and pony show, rent a local board. The surf shops in Hawaii are full of good locally shaped boards, meant to be ridden in local conditions.

Having a nicely worn in local board will get you waves and save you the hassle and expense of traveling with a board.

3

WHAT TO WEAR: Yes, the surf

magazines show girls surfing

in bikinis. But it’s not easy. I have tried it and often end up putting on a free “show.” Surfing in a bikini in waves of decent size means getting worked on the inside while you try frantically to adjust your bottoms back into place.

One memorable time, if it wasn’t for my surf leash, I would have lost my bottoms completely, as they were all the way down past my ankle dangling around my leash.

Sure, give it a try but the suit of choice for comfort and style is the long sleeve one piece. One piece means no bare buns in the lineup! For winter, a 1mm is very nice as the water temps hover around 78 degrees. Guys, board shorts and a good long sleeve rash guard or 1mm surf vest are excellent. Colors are nice, but to avoid standing out in the lineup – black is best.

4

Author Krista Houghton and fellow surfer, preparing to paddle out in Hanalei during a winter swell (Nicole Mattacola).

USE REEF SAFE SUNBLOCK:

Thankfully, in 2018 Hawaii

passed S.B. 2571 (aka the “ReefSafe Sunscreen” law) to protect the delicate reef ecosystems of Hawaii. The law bans the sale of sunscreen products that contain the chemicals Oxybenzone and Octinoxate in the state of Hawaii. It is convenient to pack your own tube of sunblock, as many coming to the island do, but make sure it is reef safe. The locals are watching and enforcing, as they have seen the toxic oil-like slick that lays on the ocean surface when hundreds of tourists every day flock to the beaches.

Think about it, that’s literally gallons of sunscreen washed off into the ocean daily.

Choose and use your sunblock wisely. The island is home to dozens of locally made, effective sunblock products. Support the local economy and pick up a tube when you rent your local board. The ocean will thank you!

5

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT SURFING: Yes, your main reason for

traveling to Hawaii is to surf, but don’t forget the islands have a lot more to offer than just surfing. Go to a farmers market, tour a botanical garden, take a hike to a waterfall, or go on a boat trip.

The islands are an amazing place, full of wonderful people, places and culture.

Learning about the history of the islands and exposing yourself to new experiences will enrich your stay. You will take home many more great memories than just the waves you caught.

6

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GIFT GIVING GUIDE

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earn your beer™ 14 ASJ — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020 14 ASJ—June/July

URSACK

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15

EPiC: Environmental Partnership Campaign

1Climb Kevin Jorgeson’s Non-Profit Aims to Introduce 100,000 Kids to Climbing

By Leonie Sherman A single climb can change the trajectory of a person’s life.

After Kevin Jorgeson climbed the Dawn Wall, the hardest free climb on El Capitan, he realized he might not have another epic historical climb in him. But he did have the drive to give back. “I always kind of wondered, what would it take to introduce a million kids to climbing, what would need to be in place to do that?” Jorgeson explains. So he started a nonprofit called 1Climb.

Climb quickly realized that introducing a million incorporated in 2017 and have opened two more walls in kids to climbing was beyond the reach of a new St. Louis and LA. “Our most recent grand opening in LA last year was non-profit. They changed the number but not their goal. “Our core mission is to introduce 100,000 kids to amazing,” explains Baum. “We created a moving video climbing,” says 1Climb Executive Director Tim Baum. “We showing the impact we can have on communities.” One do this by building climbing walls in Boys and Girls Clubs and of Jorgeson’s sponsors, Adidas, saw the video and loved it. connecting those clubs with local climbing gyms. We’re not They decided to donate one million dollars, enough to build just building climbing walls, we are building communities.” 10 more walls.

Companies like La Sportiva, So Ill Climbing Holds and Head “So we have a wall opening in Santa Rosa on December 4th, Rush Technologies have donated equipment, celebrity another wall opening in Denver in December, three more supporters like Jason Momoa have lent star power, and walls going up in LA around February, one in Portland OR in 1Climb has introduced 8,000 young people to climbing since the works, four in New York City’s Madison Square Boys and their first wall opened in Sonoma in 2010. They officially Girls Club opening in June of 2020 …” Baum laughs. “We are

1

Above: 1Climb introduces kids from the Boys and Girls club to the healthy sport of climbing during a climbing wall opening in Los Angeles. (Photos courtesy of 1Climb.)

going from three walls to about 14 in two years!”

That growth is partly thanks to Jorgeson’s hard work, partly thanks to corporate generosity and largely due to a sturdy well thoughtout system that can be scaled up. “Our model is very simple and very specific,” explains Jorgeson. “If the city doesn’t have a Boys and Girls club with a gymnasium, with space, with a local climbing gym willing to partner within 15 minutes, we just don’t do it.”

The commitment of local climbing gyms is critical to 1Climb’s success. “When we partnered with 1Climb and the Boyle Heights Boys and Girls Club, we knew this was going to be a partnership for life,” explains Mailee Hung, Director of Outreach and Communications for LA partner

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16 — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020 16 ASJ ASJ—June/July

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Clockwise from top left : The ribbon cutting in LA; Kevin Jorgeson shares his love for climbing with a 1Climb participant; Aquaman star Jason Momoa lends a hand during a wall opening.

Touchstone Climbing. “We’re bridging the gap between the club and the gym, and we’re excited to see our communities come even closer together.”

The results are undeniable. Jorgeson says, “When it’s convenient for our partner climbing gym community to go over and mentor and climb with folks at the Boys and Girls Club they do it. In Santa Rosa, I can literally walk a block from my house to the club and climb with the kids whenever I want. They are going to get sick of me.”

They’re not sick of him yet. The grand opening was postponed until December 4th due to fire, but kids have already tested out the new wall and formed a climbing club.

“So far they’ve climbed on it about four times and they love it, they absolutely love it!” gushes Amber Heidtke, the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Santa Rosa. “I’ve seen amazing transformations in kids with behavioral issues, kids who aren’t usually engaged or who are having trouble, they just take to the wall like a fish to water.”

“I think problem solving is an amazing part of climbing,” she says after a pause to reflect. “I didn’t know that before. But they have to figure out how to work a problem, anticipate the next move and understand the consequences. They have to conquer their fears. They are taking on a challenge, something entirely new, and facing it head on. If kids can take that and apply it to their lives, it’s the best possible outcome.” Heidtke’s enthusiasm is contagious. “I’ve been ED for four years and this is absolutely, without a doubt, the most significant growth tool we’ve seen. It’s the best program we have been able to add, it’s already had the biggest impact — and we haven’t even officially opened it yet!”

Heidtke is just seeing what climbers have known all along. “What makes climbing so special is stuff that’s baked into its DNA, it doesn’t need to be taught or manufactured.

Just by getting out there and trying to climb, kids will get it,” says Jorgeson. “Climbing teaches you the lessons you need to be taught without having to design it into someone’s experience. You can’t predict what they need or what their home life is like. The sport is going to show you what you need just by the nature of doing it. If they’re looking to build confidence they will find it, if they’re looking for a challenge they

can find it. We take a pretty soft, hands-off approach.”

But they take a hands-on approach when it comes to route setting and optimizing wall design for auto-belays. “We set walls up so most kids will be able to taste success on the first time, but there will be stuff that can challenge any kid that tries. We are providing the opportunity for kids to have whatever experience they are looking for,” explains Jorgeson. “I’m not a fan of deciding for people how they should experience climbing. We could set all 5.10s and just be like ‘Yeah climbing’s hard, life is hard, get over it.’ But I don’t want kids to be intimidated, I want them to feel inspired and encouraged.”

Mostly he wants more kids to get out there and climb. “It’s no secret that climbing is a sport rooted in privilege,” says Jorgeson.

They are changing that, one wall at a time.

“We are not really focused on a specific demographic,” he continues. “I didn’t want to try and attract kids, I wanted to take a more proactive approach and put climbing where kids are hanging out. The Boys and Girls Club serves four and a half million kids every year, so that seemed like a good place to start. The demographics of their membership are extremely diverse, so as a by-product of partnering with them we reach a really diverse group of kids. If we can move the needle just a little bit, if we can make climbing just a little bit more accessible and inclusive, that’s a win.”

They are already winning. During the grand opening in St. Louis, Jorgeson and donor Dan Chancellor, the co-founder of So Ill climbing holds, were standing back, watching the action. “This kid comes up and tugs on my sleeve and says ‘Are you going to take it down now?’” Jorgeson pauses as he recalls the moment. “And we were like, ‘No, this is yours now, you get to experience this in whatever way you want, whenever you want, from now on.’ We both kind of teared up and it strengthened our resolve to scale this thing up as much as we could.”

Adidas’ support has already snowballed into more corporate interest in sponsorship.

“I think we will continue to grow,” says Jorgeson. “Once we’ve reached our goal of introducing 100,000 kids to climbing, we’ll start working on the next 100,000. We’re just getting warmed up. This is only the beginning.”

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17

The Last Days of Bob Swift:

Climbing Legend, Himalayan Mountaineer and Ocean Adventurer

By Chris Van Leuven

1930 — 2019 18 ASJ—June/July 2012

He left his mark on Yosemite during the Golden Age, and was a member of the only American party to climb the first ascent of an 8,000-meter peak, Gasherbrum I. Then he took that experience to the sea.

“I

was born at an early age,” Bob Swift said through a muffled phone from his friend’s house at Moss Beach located halfway between Santa Cruz and San Francisco. With Jan Tiura and her husband Joe Brennan by his bedside, the 89 year old climbing legend told me his story for the last time. Instead of fighting lymphoma or leukemia, he was giving in, he said, choosing to end the final chapter of life on his terms. He died by choice two days after we spoke. A legend of American climbing and the world’s highest peaks, his tales weaved from first ascents in Yosemite in the 1950s, to visits to the Himalaya, to multi-month ocean outings.

Swift was born in 1930 in Tsingtao, China, where his father worked for Standard Oil and his mother was a grade-school teacher. When he was one year old and to avoid the coming war in Asia, he and his family uprooted from Tsingtao and moved to Alameda, California.

At age nine, Swift discovered climbing through books at his local library. The great adventure stories within those pages

sparked his lifelong interest in world travel and climbing to the highest points on earth. In 1945 he joined the Boy Scouts, and with them, he began his wanderings in the Sierra Nevada. “I’m not sure if they turned me on to hike in the Sierra, or I learned to hike in the Sierra to spite them,” he said with a snicker. “Most of their hiking was with awkward weight and large groups of kids with stuff tied onto the outside of their packs. I went out with the older boys and we traveled fast and light. With them, I could see what the Sierra was really like by not following on the heels of a ninny.”

Swift’s visits to Yosemite began at the tail end of the 1940s when, as a teen, he joined the Sierra Club and took up climbing. Back then few climbs existed in Yosemite, where teams used a twisted rope called Goldline and soft iron pitons to ascend the rock. This period was the start of Yosemite’s Golden Age, a time where pioneers forged their own equipment. On one Yosemite trip, young and enthusiastic, he jumped at the chance to help Oscar Cook finish off a new scrappy route on Middle Cathedral called Harris’s Hangover. “It was a very simple dirt-filled chimney with overhanging

Opposite page: Bob Swift tops atop Yosemite Point Buttress (Allen Steck). This page, top left: Swift prusiks on El Cap Tree (Allen Steck). Right column, top to bottom: Swift taking a sun sighting aboard the Tyche (Jan Tiura); Swift, John Fischer, and Smoke Blanchard: Palisade School of Mountaineering 1972, past and future directors thereof (Jan Tiura); Swift and Steck last year at Steck’s house in Berkeley (Jan Tiura).

chockstones and mud,” Swift said. “It was very nice of him to include me in that.”

During that climb, they spied another first ascent, Phantom Pinnacle, which he and Cook and partner Bill Dunmire did next.

Cook and Dunmire became his frequent climbing partners, as did Frank Tarver, and through them, Swift met Warren Harding (who made the first ascent of El Capitan in 1958). “He was easy going at first,” he

says of Harding. “A party animal who liked drinking and had a Jaguar that was very popular with the women.”

Swift also climbed in the Bay Area, where the local scene revolved around Berkeley’s Cragmont and Indian Rock. In college, Swift studied geology at UC Berkeley. For work, he drove the campus mail truck with author Allen Steck riding shotgun, whom he called his all-time

www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

19

This page, top to bottom: Warren Harding belaying on Lost Arrow Chimney 1952 (Bob Swift); Steck high on Yosemite Point Buttress in 1952 (Bob Swift). Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Frank Tarver and Harding just prior to the second ascent of the Lost Arrow chimney in Yosemite in the early 1950s (Bob Swift); Setting up a Tyrolean Traverse at Devil’s Slide near San Francisco (Bob Swift); Swift resting at home in between adventures (Jan Tiura).

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favorite climbing partner. He also climbed with environmentalist David Brower and environmentalist/lawyer Dick Leonard.

Both of them were 10th Mountain Division veterans who had done some of Yosemite’s first roped ascents in the 1930s. Swift often went to Brower’s house after climbing for spaghetti and cheap wine.

In 1952 Swift and Allen Steck made the first ascent of Yosemite Point Buttress (YPB), a 2,000- foot route rated 5.9+. It became Swift’s favorite route in the park.

Swift, who always had his camera on hand, captured photos on YPB and many others in the Yosemite High Country. In 1954, over four days, Harding, Tarver and Swift made the second ascent of the Lost Arrow Chimney, then one of the most challenging routes in Yosemite. Today many of his images are archived with the Yosemite Climbing Association.

“I liked doing the standard routes like Washington Column to Lunch Ledge, the Brothers, Royal Arches,” Swift said. “Routes that are mainly fourth class but not too technical. That became my favorite way

of climbing in the Valley.” He also did the first ascent of El Cap Tree, a five-pitch route that was the first foray by climbers onto the enormous wall. Mostly though, he liked roaming the High Sierra. “The Sierra was my first love and the greatest range I ever climbed in.”

After college Swift became a high school teacher in Half Moon Bay, where he taught his lifelong friend of 55 years, Jan Tiura, whom he met when she was a freshman in high school.

In the late 1960s, he also owned and operated Mountaineering Guide Service, the first commercial climbing school in California, later renamed Palisade School of Mountaineering. Climbing legends Chuck Pratt and Doug Robinson worked there.

Robinson had begun guiding under Swift at 21. “Bob was a real mentor to me when I started guiding,” he recalls. “I could try my wings by leading a second rope behind Swift on Mt. Sill and North Pal. His quiet confidence and offhanded advice set a perfect tone that encouraged me as much as the clients. Afterward, Bob’s droll sense

In 1972 Swift applied his mountaineering skills to adventures on the ocean. That year he set sail under the Golden Gate Bridge in a 34' yawl made of fiberglass over plywood named Tyche (the Greek goddess of luck). of humor sparkled around the campfire.” Tiura credits Swift with inspiring her to pursue a career in photography. He also introduced her to climbing and she became a guide at the Palisades School.

Though he loved the Sierra, he dreamed of climbing much bigger mountains. Swift’s first expedition, in 1956, was to 25,551-foot Rakaposhi in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan but he failed to summit. “We got higher than any other team, but we ran out of time and weather at 23,000 feet. At that point that monsoon came in. The snow was melting. There was a lot of lightning too.”

Undeterred, Swift returned to the Himalaya and in 1958, he partnered with a team of eight Americans to make the first ascent of 26,509-foot Gasherbrum 1. “We got two people on top and we all came down alive,” he said. “We made the climbing journals and all that. It was the only 8,000-meter peak first climbed by Americans. It made a big splash.” Once back in the States, Swift continued to climb in the Sierra.

In 1972 Swift applied his mountaineering skills to adventures on the ocean. That year he set sail under the Golden Gate Bridge in a 34’ yawl made of fiberglass over plywood named Tyche (the Greek goddess of luck). His travels took him from Sausalito to the Galapagos Islands which straddle the Equator west of Ecuador on a voyage which took four months. His crew was Tiura and Joe Brennan, to whom Swift also taught physics in high school.

Swift said about the voyage, “It stretched the capabilities of the boat and crew. We got back to Sausalito over a 51-day return trip.” He wrote about the trip in Sail Magazine.

From Sausalito, he moved to San Diego and took up running. “Of course, I overdid everything as always,” Swift said. “I ran some 20 something marathons and blew out my left knee. I’m fortunate I still have a left knee at this stage in life.” While running, in 1973, he met and married Karen Van Winkle-Swift, a middle school science teacher and

later a professor who earned her Ph.D. in Zoology at Duke University. The couple kept a Nordic Tug boat in Anacortes and explored the Pacific Northwest for more than 20 years.

From San Diego, the two moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, and lived there for 25 years. She taught at Northern Arizona University (NAU), and Swift worked as an adjunct professor at NAU and on several Native American reservations with support from the National Science Foundation. He had a trailer full of computer stations and telescopes that he’d take to the reservations and rural schools. At night he’d have star parties. He also enjoyed mountain biking, which he did into his early 80s. In his mid-80s, because of balance concerns, he bought a three-wheeled recumbent bike, clocking over 3,800 miles the last four years of his life.

Accompanied by friends and family, he took his last ride three days before his death.

At this time, he discovered that the thin mountain air in Flagstaff at 6,900 feet became too much for him, so he moved back to California while Van Winkle-Swift stayed behind. Tiura picked up Swift and moved him into her home in Moss Beach. He would go on to live out his last years there on the central coast with Tiura and Brennan.

He let out a cough and told me why climbing grabbed him.

“It is all-encompassing. I think that the kinesthetic feeling of climbing on rock fills that depth for me, the muscular part of it. It can be social too,” he said. “Rock climbing ratified different social needs and there’s a joy of moving smoothly over steep rock. Those were real incentives.”

He borrowed the old climbers’ adage, “There are old climbers and there are bold climbers, but there are no old, bold climbers.”

“But you’re one,” I returned.

“I was,” he said, as he released a small laugh, before adding his conclusion, “That’s the story of Bob Swift. I’m ready. It’s been a long-time philosophy of mine to live as I

have. I want to skip that part of chemo and radiation. I’m gonna have a green burial right here on the coast.”

Swift passed the receiver to Tiura. She said, “he’s tired and needs to rest.” I inquired with her about a follow-up call for the story and she sprang the news that Swift was scheduled to die later that week. We’re sorry to put you in this,” she said, before adding with lightness, “Bob knew of a historic graveyard that was taking volunteers.”

She continued, “Tomorrow, we’re cleaning up and getting our act together, and then we’re having a party.” She said singer/songwriter Joan Baez came by and dropped off a painting for Swift and sang for him. Tiura knew Baez from the time they shared a jail cell in 1967 from doing a sitin at the Oakland Army Induction Center. She signed the artwork, “To Bob, much love on your journey home. Joan Baez.”

On the morning of October 25, the life-ending drugs kicked in, and Swift took his last breath. Tiura wrapped him in her white linen tablecloth and buried him next to two rocks that he picked up while returning from Gasherbrum I. In his final resting place sat an old Raffi Bedayn carabiner and some Goldline. “The end was perfect,” she said. www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

21

Skiing Among Giants

Crane Flat in Winter

By Leonie Sherman

The last time I tried to hike to the Tuolumne Grove, one of Yosemite National Park’s three groves of giant sequoias, I had to turn back.

There was no injury or emergency, there were just too many people.

I’m glad they are stalking selfies with sequoias instead of hunting for bargains at the mall, but I cannot contemplate the splendor of the largest living things on the planet in a chattering crowd.

S

o I returned on a frosty afternoon in the dead of winter. Light was fading already at 3:30. I hastily threw some food, water and a headlamp into a daypack, bundled up and stepped into my skis. Packed snow and a firmly broken trail revealed others had come before me, but I saw only one other person. I passed him within a hundred yards of the parking lot, heading back from his own private audience with the trees. The only sounds as I proceeded on my pilgrimage were my squeaky bindings groaning as I sped down the icy steep trail through a forest of snow laden sugar pines and white fir. The first sequoiadendron giganteum appear about a mile down the trail.

In another quarter of a mile I stopped, alone, in one of the last 75 groves of giant sequoias. They are one of the rarest American trees, occurring in a narrow band, 260 miles long, only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada between five and seven thousand feet. Their trunks, furrowed with age, scarred by millennia of hard living, blackened by fire, shimmered in the evening light against sparkling snow.

North Crane Creek burbled in the narrow ravine. No birds sang. Their massive branches were flocked with heavy snow, reaching up to the brilliant blue sky. The stillness of the winter afternoon magnified their immensity and my breath hung heavy in the air as I craned my neck.

The tiny human mind struggles to grasp the scale of their splendor with only visual cues. A dozen adults with their arms stretched wide could not encircle the base of these massive trees. The roof of a ten story building would not touch their first

branches. Two dozen couples could dance on a floor made from a cross section of a single tree. In pioneer days a man on horseback rode through the hollowed trunk of a downed tree in Calaveras Grove without having to bend his head. A single tree may contain more wood than several acres of old-growth Pacific Northwest timber. Loggers struggled for days with cross cut saws and axes to bring them to the ground. In the late 1800s, a team of four needed 22 days to topple one of the largest trees.

When that giant thundered to the ground, the earth shook and the roar echoed a mile away. After the dust settled, most of the trunk lay shattered and worthless. Their wood is weak, brittle and light. Its extreme resistance to rot made the largest tree on the planet valuable for fenceposts and shingles. Naturalist John Muir, who helped sway public opinion towards preservation, reckoned the heartwood of these giants was almost impervious to decay.

I skied a half mile around the grove. Each of the behemoths I was marveling at began life as a seed the size of a pinhead, with a one in a billion chance at growing into a colossus. And while their coastal redwood cousins, the tallest trees on earth, start making seeds after only five or ten years, sequoiadendron giganteum don’t begin producing cones for two centuries. Each cone can take over a decade to mature.

Hyperactive chickarees speed up seed dispersal- they eat the fleshy scales of up to 10,000 sequoia cones a year, leaving the tiny seeds behind. But the seeds need to land on bare mineral soil in order to germinate. A century of fire suppression has

When that giant thundered to the ground, the earth shook and the roar echoed a mile away. After the dust settled, most of the trunk lay shattered and worthless.

22 — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020 22 ASJ ASJ—June/July

Top to bottom: Sequoiadendron giganteum, commonly called the giant sequoia or the Sierra redwood, is the world’s most massive tree; The author with a big grin from a morning jaunt on skis while soaking in the sights and sounds of a cold Sierra morning.

brought dense undergrowth to historically open park-like stands. And while sequoia may resist millennia of natural fires, the intensity of climate change driven flames threatens to decimate our last remaining treasures.

Tuolumne Grove in winter filled me with wonder, but strolling on skis among snowladen titans, as light fades and the mercury plummets is an invitation to hypothermia.

Long after I began shivering but before my teeth started chattering I said my farewells and began the climb back to the car. My adventure was only beginning.

Tuolumne Grove is just one of the wonders of cross country skiing in the Crane Flat area.

In summer it’s the last gas station before entering the high country. In winter it’s the end of the plowed road and the start of a cross-country skiing wonderland. Without the grooming or crowds of Badger Pass and the Glacier Point Road, Crane Flat is perfect for skiers of any ability and inclination who don’t mind breaking trail. Located roughly half an hour drive from Yosemite Valley, El Portal and Hogdon Meadow Campground, accommodation options are almost as varied as the terrain.

The next morning I rolled out to the Clark Range Vista, following an old logging road along a mild grade with very little elevation change. The Merced Canyon came into view to the south as I passed through stands of

large incense cedar, oaks and manzanita.

The trail ends on a windswept ridge with great views of Mt. Clark, Mt. Starr King and Merced Peak. The terminus is about two-miles from the snow play area where I parked, just across from the gas station. I took a relaxing lunch break and was back at the car around three hours later.

In the afternoon I skied out to the Crane Flat Lookout, which I didn’t even know existed before I visited it blanketed in snowy splendor. The trail travels uphill on rolling terrain for two miles before the final climb to a windswept knob with panoramic 360 degree views of the park. In summer and fall the exposed hill is perfect for spotting fires. On winter afternoon it’s perfect for practicing turns and I enjoyed several laps.

There was even a climbing wall silhouetted against the splendid crests and peaks, but I didn’t feel like soloing in my tele boots.

The next day I set off up the snow-covered Tioga Rd. The long drive back to the coast beckoned so I only had time to ski about three miles up the road to Gin Flat Meadow and Tamarack campground. The return trip involved some climbing and a screaming descent back to my car. I vowed to come back and ski the 40 miles to Tuolumne Meadows. I was still grinning when I got back to the coast six hours later, already plotting my return to Crane Flat.

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Picture Perfect

TIPS FOR YOUR BEST DAY ON THE MOUNTAIN

W

By Taylor Luckenbach

inter is here and we’re eager to hit the slopes! It’s time to dig out the gear, wax the skis or board, and make plans to carve some turns. For this winter season, ASJ reached out to our favorite California resorts to find out what makes each winter destination unique. From Mammoth and Big Bear in SoCal to Tahoe and Shasta up north, we discovered the best views, iconic runs, and “don’t miss” experiences from each resort. For those looking to explore a new winter destination or simply planning the perfect snow day at a favorite resort, here are some tips that will help guide your adventure and make it a “picture perfect” day. Be sure to tag the resort and #adventuresportsjournal in your social posts!

BADGER PASS SKI AREA Yosemite National Park BEST VIEW The views from the top of the Eagle Lift are spectacular.

ICONIC RUN Eagle.

DON’T MISS Enjoying a drink or meal on the sun deck of the Day Lodge. travelyosemite.com/winter/badger-pass-ski-area #badgerpass #travelyosemite #skiyosemite

BEAR MOUNTAIN Big Bear Lake

Homewood

ASJ—June/July 24 ASJ — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020

BEST VIEW Top of Chair 9 has breathtaking views of Big Bear Valley and surrounding San Bernardino Mountains.

ICONIC RUN Experience SoCal’s highest lift-served peak (8,805’), then enjoy the 1.5-mile run back to the base area.

DON’T MISS The Red Bull Plaza terrain park or the newly renovated sun deck expanded from 13,000 square feet to 26,000 square feet. bigbearmountainresort.com #bearmountain #bearbuilt

Bear Valley

Dodge Ridge

BEAR VALLEY RESORT Bear Valley

DODGE RIDGE SKI RESORT Pinecrest

BEST VIEW Expansive views of the Mokelumne River Canyon Wilderness from the top of Monte Wolfe and National ski runs.

ICONIC RUN Grizzly Bowl main gate; 1100 vertical feet of adventurous ungroomed alpine terrain awaits!

DON’T MISS Making laps on the frontside bowl via the high speed six pack chair — the “Mokelumne Express.” bearvalley.com #bearvalley #puremountainfun

BEST VIEW Looking east toward Sonora Pass from Shots trail.

ICONIC RUN The wide open expert terrain of Granite Bowl allows one’s imagination to go off in endless directions, creating some of the most remarkable lines on the mountain.

DON’T MISS The best rates. Dodge Ridge has the lowest day pass prices among comparably sized Sierra resorts. dodgeridge.com #dodgeridge

Boreal

DONNER SKI RANCH Norden BEST VIEW Sweeping views of Donner Lake at the top of Chair 1.

ICONIC RUN One of the oldest resorts in the west best known for The Face run.

DON’T MISS The homemade pie at the Old 40 Bar and Grill — it is made fresh daily. donnerskiranch.com #donnerskiranch

BOREAL MOUNTAIN RESORT Soda Springs

HEAVENLY South Lake Tahoe / Stateline NV

BEST VIEW Open nightly until 9pm, capture an incredible summit sunset from the top of Boreal’s Accelerator chair lift.

ICONIC RUN Take a long lap on the Sunset Boulevard ridgeline.

DON’T MISS The only night skiing and riding in Tahoe; the Woodward Tahoe Bunker, a 33,000 square foot action sports facility. rideboreal.com #BorealMagic #WoodwardTahoe

BEST VIEW Enjoy the views on California Trail on your way down to Tamarack Lodge.

ICONIC RUN Ridge Run is a longer run with amazing lake views and Mott’s Canyon is an expert run with Tahoe’s highest angle chutes.

DON’T MISS Après Ski at Tamarack Lodge with daily happy hours from 3 – 5pm and the Send-It Band will be playing throughout the season! skiheavenly.com #SkiHeavenly #TahoeTrifecta

CHINA PEAK Lakeshore BEST VIEW This resort overlooks Huntington Lake so the top of Chairs 1, 5 and 2 all offer spectacular lake views.

ICONIC RUN Exhibition run, right under the new Quad, is groomed wall to wall and is a real ripper.

DON’T MISS The place to see and be seen, Buckhorn deck, bottom of the new Quad, view of the lake, live music on weekends.

Have Tristan make you the best Bloody Mary in skiing. skichinapeak.com #OwnWinter #SkiChinaPeak #GoodTimes

DIAMOND PEAK SKI RESORT Incline Village BEST VIEW Crystal Ridge and Snowflake Lodge offer epic lake views.

ICONIC RUN Crystal Ridge made the “100 Best Ski Runs in the World” list by CNN Travel.

DON’T MISS Snowflake Lodge for lunch or a drink. Snowflake even offers an early happy hour that starts at 2pm. diamondpeak.com #diamondpeak

Homewood

HOMEWOOD Homewood BEST VIEW Take a cruise down the 2-mile beginner run, Rainbow Ridge, and experience the best panoramic lake views in Lake Tahoe.

ICONIC RUN Rainbow Ridge is their signature run, but some other favorites include Bechtle’s Bonanza and Quail Face.

DON’T MISS The view at mid-mountain Big Blue View Bar can’t be beat. Enjoy the latest and greatest menu. There will be live DJs outside every Saturday afternoon this winter. skihomewood.com #peaktoshore

OWN WINTER. Four hours from the Bay Area.

No traffic, no lines, no hassles.

Just good skiing.

SKICHINAPEAK.COM www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

25

Mt. Shasta Ski Park

Kirkwood

KIRKWOOD Kirkwood BEST VIEW Go to Wagon Wheel Ridge for sunrise and sunset! Looking back from High Whiskey run get a view of the Cirque, Thimble Peak, and Wagon Wheel Bowl.

ICONIC RUN The Wall.

DON’T MISS Expedition:Kirkwood offers backcountry specialty clinics, private guides and avalanche awareness offerings within resort boundaries. Grab a drink at the Wall Bar, and watch your crew shred down the mountain. kirkwood.com #KirkwoodDeep #TahoeTrifecta

MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN Mammoth Lakes JUNE MOUNTAIN June Lake BEST VIEW There isn’t a poor view on this mountain – June is known as having some of the best views on earth. However, the view from the Chalet is an absolute stunner. It’s a view not to be missed.

ICONIC RUN Carson’s requires a bit of work to get to but once on top of the run it’s easy to see why it’s worth it. 1,200 feet of steep fall line awaits and if that’s not enough, one of the most scenic backdrops on earth (see “Best View” above) looms in your peripheral.

DON’T MISS Family vibes. As one of the most kid friendly resorts in North America don’t leave the little ones at home! junemountain.com #junemountain

COME SPEND YOUR WINTER VACATION ON THE PRISTINE SHORE OF TAHOE Come Spend Your Winter 2017-2018 Vacation With us on The Pristine Shores of Lake Tahoe There isn’t a more beautiful, peaceful place to come “home” to after an amazing day on the slopes or on the lake.

BEST VIEW From the top of the mountain at 11,053 feet, neighboring mountains Ritter, Banner and the Minaret range look close enough to touch.

ICONIC RUN Cornice Bowl, a black diamond run peeling off of the top of the mountain.

DON’T MISS The Melthouse is one of the newer on-hill dining spots with tasty food and beautiful scenery. mammothmountain.com #mammothstories

Plan your vacation with us today ...

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR GROUPS, FAMILIES & INDIVIDUALS l TRANSPORTATION TO & FROM THE AIRPORT SHUTTLE Plan your 2017-2018 DROP-OFF LOCATION l MEAL OPTIONS l GROUP SPACE l ENJOY winter vacation with us today!

OUR PRIVATE BEACH l HIKING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR GROUPS, FAMILIES TRAILS, SKI| TRANSPORTATION RESORTS AND AND INDIVIDUALS TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT SHUTTLE DOZENS OF WINTER ACTIVITIES DROP-OFF LOCATION | MEAL OPTIONS | WITHIN MINUTES GROUP SPACE | SKI RESORT AND DOZENS OF WINTER ACTIVITIES WITHIN MINUTES

Welook look forward to having We forward to having hereas as our youyou here ourguest! guest!

Extensive footage of our property is available online.

Visit zephyrpoint.org and click “Watch Videos” on the bottom right section of the home page.

Extensive footage of our property is available online.

Visit zephyrpoint.org and click “Watch Videos” (bottom right section of the home page).

Zephyr Point is a come, PC(USA) Affiliate zephyrpoint.org Shuttle is first and must be pre-scheduled.

775-588-6759 PLEASE VISIT ZEPHYRPOINT.ORG OR CALL 775-588-6759 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

PLEASE VISIT ZEPHYRPOINT.ORG OR CALL 775-588-6759 FOR MORE INFORMATION. 26 ASJ ASJ—June/July — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020

Mt. Rose

TAHOE’S

BEST XC

MT. ROSE Reno, NV

Sierra-at-Tahoe

BEST VIEW Blue View off Upper Ramsey’s, overlooking Lake Tahoe!

ICONIC RUN The Chutes — 1000+ vertical feet of north-facing slopes with pitches from 40-55 degrees!

DON’T MISS The great local beer selection at Timbers Bar and Sky Bar. skirose.com #skirose #8260

MT. SHASTA SKI PARK Mount Shasta / McCloud BEST VIEW From the Lodge right at the Base looking at Mt. Shasta.

ICONIC RUN Highland “Groomer’s Choice.”

DON’T MISS The Back-Country Program, tours, open terrain, overnight stays, and panoramic views! skipark.com #mtshastaskipark #EmbraceYourInnerMountain

Northstar California

TAHOE DONNER CROSS COUNTRY SKI CENTER

SIERRA-AT-TAHOE Twin Bridges BEST VIEW At the top of 360 Smokehouse BBQ, featuring snowy Huckleberry Canyon and views of Lake Tahoe.

ICONIC RUN Not a specific run, but Sierra is renowned for its world-class and steep tree skiing.

DON’T MISS Keep it fresh and tasty with the new poke bar at Solstice Eatery.

CONSISTENTLY VOTED ONE OF NORTH AMERICA’S

BEST XC SKI AREAS

BY USA TODAY

Over 100km of groomed trails across 2,800 acres of terrain

Professional ski school offering lessons, programs and clinics

Pristine grooming for skating and classic skiing

State-of-the-art lodge including cafe and bar

VISIT TAHOEDONNER.COM/XC FOR MORE INFO

sierraattahoe.com #SierraatTahoe #WherePlayReignsFree

SNOW SUMMIT Big Bear Lake BEST VIEW Mt. San Gorgonio from Chair 1.

ICONIC RUN Westridge run is a mix of downhill and park terrain.

DON’T MISS SoCal’s only groomed night sessions, Grizzly Ridge Tube Park, or 55th annual NYE Torchlight Parade. bigbearmountainresort.com #snowsummit

If you’re going to Ski Tahoe You should really See Tahoe

SQUAW VALLEY | ALPINE MEADOWS Squaw Valley & Alpine Meadows

NORTHSTAR CALIFORNIA Truckee BEST VIEW Head to East Ridge on The Backside of Northstar for sweeping blue views from up high of Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America.

ICONIC RUN Ax Handle is a great wideopen run, which is fun to hit first thing in the morning to experience freshlygroomed corduroy.

DON’T MISS Michael Mina’s Bourbon Pub Northstar, which opens its doors this winter, will bring unconventional pub fare to the heart of the Village, located right next to the Big Springs Express Gondola. northstarcalifornia.com #NorthstarCalifornia #TahoeTrifecta

BEST VIEW The top of the Lakeview Chair at Alpine Meadows has the best Big Blue view of Lake Tahoe at either mountain.

ICONIC RUN KT-22 is where to find Squaw Valley’s most iconic terrain: Chute 75, Moseley’s and Nose to Fingers, to name a few.

DON’T MISS The brand new Treeline Cirque Chairlift at Alpine Meadows, and the new Tram Car Bar at Squaw Valley — kick back with a cocktail in a refurbished ‘70s era tram cabin! squawalpine.com #MySquawAlpine

SUGAR BOWL RESORT Norden BEST VIEW Lake View run has great views overlooking beautiful Donner Lake.

ICONIC RUN The Palisades.

DON’T MISS The Mac ‘N Cheese Bar in the newly remodeled Mid Mountain Lodge. sugarbowl.com #sugarbowl #looknofurther

ADULTs (24-64)

$84

starting at kids 6 & under ski free Purchase online: DiamondPeak.com www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

27

Adrian Ballinger The journey from Tahoe to K2 is filled with suffering and joy

By Dierdre Wolownick

Suffering is rarely considered a positive motivator. But if you ask Adrian Ballinger about why he summited both Everest and K2 without supplemental oxygen, his comments often wander off into the terrain of how much suffering was involved.

An Eddie Bauer mountaineer, CEO and guide for Alpenglow Expeditions, Ballinger summited Everest without oxygen in 2017. This year he went back to Pakistan to tackle K2, the second-highest peak in the world which climbers call “Savage Mountain” because of its wild technical difficulty.

I asked him the obvious first question: Why?

“I

know I can summit with oxygen,” he says simply. “I wanted to be challenged by the unknown outcome. That pushes you to a different level, a different mindset.

“These tallest peaks in the world,” he muses, his mind clearly back in the Himalaya, “they’re the pinnacle of challenge. While I was guiding on Everest in 2008, I found that the whole reason to go to these mountains is … they push you so far, and the outcome is unknown. I’ve always loved that, the not knowing. It challenges us to think about what we’re capable of.”

The list of peaks worldwide that Ballinger has summited or guided is impressive. But his climb of Everest without the benefit of supplemental oxygen, in 2017, did not lead immediately to his idea of attempting the same kind of challenge on K2. It took two years for that dream to coalesce.

“If I was going to continue summiting peaks without oxygen,” he explains, “I needed to know why. I kind of consciously kept the idea at bay.

“Then over that time (the two intervening years), I started to feel a need of that edge again … another peak where I could do something similar, go in stronger, train harder. I love technical climbing, and ice, so having something technically beautiful, more interesting began to sound like the right challenge. I was hanging out at Aconcagua (the 22,841 ft. peak in Argentina) with some of my closest friends, when Carla (Perez, a renowned mountaineer from Ecuador) mentioned, “I’m going to K2 ...”

28 ASJ—June/July 28 ASJ — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020

“That was it. The right team, the right people to try it with. I jumped in immediately. ‘Can I join?’” he asked her.

And it became a goal.

It turned out it wasn’t a good season for it. By the time Ballinger and his team got to base camp, where everyone waits for the right conditions in order to summit, enough snow had fallen to convince all the other teams to head back down to safety.

According to Ballinger, the snow was ‘chestdeep.’ Fighting that to the top, when they were already exhausted, was unthinkable.

So they waited.

Was this the ‘calculated risk’ he’d mentioned during our interview?

“Most importantly,” he clarified, “it felt like we just hadn’t suffered that hard yet! Usually these big mountains take two months. We weren’t even ready for a summit pitch yet. The others had been up there for quite a while, so they turned around; we were just up there watching, but hadn’t even had a chance to give it a go yet. So we came back down to base camp, knowing we had time. I persuaded our Pakistani officials to stay. We may not go anywhere higher, I told them, but we’re staying.”

Their patience paid off. Overnight, a ferocious 40-mile-an-hour wind picked up.

It blew all night, ripping some of their tents out of the ice. By morning, it had cleared away almost all the snow, exposing the blue ice up on the traverse, the avalanche slope they had to cross. Their way up had been cleared.

Clockwise from top: Cory Richards departing North Col camp on Everest (Adrian Ballinger); Ballinger leading a trek in the Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru (Christian Pondella); Ballinger climbing the ridge from Camp 1 to 2 at 24,500 feet on Mt Everest (Cory Richards).

“Patience was our only skill,” he summed up with a short laugh.

Surely not, but a lot of it was definitely required. K2 demands more technical climbing skill than many other 8000 meter peaks. But climbing skill alone will not get you up there. He explained the difference.

“Mountaineering hasn’t changed over the years, hasn’t progressed like rock climbing, where they’ve made amazing advances in the shoes and the gear. That changes what’s possible. But in mountaineering, it’s almost purely based on how well you suffer. And I suffer really well! When I was 17, I was in Ecuador hanging out at Mount Chimborazo (20,703 ft). I found out I’m good at managing pain.”

So, on the day before conditions cleared up, as most of the other mountaineers headed back down, Ballinger’s team settled in to suffer and wait. As it turned out, they only had to wait one day — but the suffering would last a lot longer.

Besides the wear and tear on their bodies from lack of oxygen, of sleep, of rest, the hardest part for their minds still lay ahead.

The Bottleneck is a long couloir (corridor)

Clockwise from top: Ballinger high above the clouds climbing the final summit slope on K2 (Esteban “Topo” Mena/Eddie Bauer Collection); Ballinger and his Sherpa climbing partner Palden Namgye on top of K2 (Esteban “Topo” Mena/Eddie Bauer Collection); Ballinger confirming the summit altitude on top of K2 (Adrian Ballinger).

“I lost 20 lbs, all muscle loss. There’s just a consistent breakdown of body and brain.”

— Adrian Ballinger

between tall walls, whose entire upper section is a massive serac, or ice cliff. But ice moves. Melts. Falls. Refrigerator-size chunks of ice can come hurtling past you — or at you — at any moment.

The Bottleneck is the only way up. You can’t summit from the side of the mountain they were on without fighting your way through it, in both directions. There’s no getting away from it.

Which, of course, led to the obvious questions: Is it worth it? How does one keep such fear at bay, under a serac of that size and volatility? Are all the final goodbyes said before leaving the States?

“Em (Emily Harrington, Ballinger’s life partner and world-renowned climber) and I do talk about risk,” he explains. “It’s a reality we both accept at a certain level.

She challenged me about why K2 was worth it. I felt it was worth it to at least go up and take a look.”

So, as everyone else headed back down to safety, Ballinger’s team waited — and awoke to a brilliant, sunny day of blue ice and looming seracs. He ‘took a look.’

“I went through some cycles up there.

Seeing the huge debris field underneath the Bottleneck, seeing the couloir, with no way to get away from it. All that getting ready, the suffering, the pain, the people ... It became worth it. Worth the risk of dying.”

Maybe on one level. But on another ...

“If you have oxygen,” he adds, “you can get through the Bottleneck in about two hours. I spent six hours under it. It felt so ... random. Normally, I do everything I can to avoid randomness. To mitigate risk. This, though, felt so random. I’m willing to take on risk when I understand how to manage that risk” “When I came back down through the Bottleneck again (after summiting),” I stopped to shoot some photos — and I burst into tears! It was so intense! Six hours of thinking about dying … from completely random stupidity!”

Why six hours? What’s the big difference between having the supplemental oxygen or not? Those of us who have never been deprived of it have trouble imagining.

“It’s like comparing baseball to basketball,” he explains. “Both play out on the mountain, but they’re so, so different!

It’s not just harder without oxygen; to me, it feels completely different. You suffer from nausea. An inability to sleep. To think.

My brain just turns to complete mush. I can’t think of words, the simplest things.

I lost 20 lbs, all muscle loss. There’s just a consistent breakdown of body and brain.”

He referred to the process as ‘a game of attrition.’ Climbers have only so many days until they’re too weak and too confused to continue. “You’re trying to find that

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29

As he hinted several times during our conversation, suffering, or struggle, is an integral part of the extreme summit experience.

Top to bottom: Ballinger arriving into Camp 3, 27,000 feet, on Mt Everest without supplemental oxygen (Cory Richards); The entire K2 summit team back safely in Base Camp after a successful summit (Esteban “Topo” Mena/Eddie Bauer Collection).

balance, while you still have enough red blood cells.”

If that doesn’t sound daunting enough, there’s the last part, too; a climb isn’t over until you’re back on the ground. Or at least, on safer ground.

After losing 20lbs of his muscle mass and braving the nausea and brain mush to reach the summit, after agonizing through six hours — in both directions — of expecting house-size chunks of ice to come crashing down on him — he then had to hike 60 miles to get back to safe ground. I wondered how anyone musters enough of whatever it takes to keep going.

“For me,” he said, “it was dreaming about burgers. Ice cream. Whisky! Things you just can’t have. When we got back (to base camp), the local cook brought in two goats and butchered them. They were gone in a day and a half!”

As he hinted several times during our conversation, suffering, or struggle, is an integral part of the extreme summit experience; ironically, or maybe logically, it’s also a mechanism that fosters happiness. The struggle is intensely personal — but no one goes up there alone. Teamwork got him down off Everest when his first attempt to summit without oxygen failed.

“I’d never really needed help before,” he recalls, “but everyone around me knew I needed help. I was very lucky to have good people around me. Ultimately it’s about these relationships, friendships, teammates, up there and beyond the mountains.”

An expedition of this type requires an enormous amount of support. I asked him whether his family and friends encouraged his attempt, or tried to talk him out of it.

“Em fully supported me, over time. She’s a climber, she understands these risks and passions. But she asked me challenging questions, to be sure. My ‘community,’ other friends, professional athletes — they understand chasing these wild dreams.

My Dad, though, just thinks it’s stupid. He loves me, but he just doesn’t get it.”

As a mom, I get that. As a climber, I can’t help wonder about that suffering, those side effects. It seemed like a terrible thing to do to one’s body. Are the effects permanent — or does one just resume normal functioning, once back to sea level?

“My body bounces back,” he said, “as long as I work hard at it. Taking six months off from the big stuff (major climbs), focusing on the gym (instead of the outdoors), eating well.

“My memory loss, though ...” He trails off in thought as he remembers. “I’m pretty conscious of it. I think there is some longterm stuff. I’m afraid that altitude makes it worse. So I’m just not planning the next trip yet.”

Yet. Ballinger still has a long list of dream ascents, like Kanchenjunga (third highest in the world at 28,169ft.) or Makalu (fifth highest, at 27,825ft.), both in the Himalayas. Maybe with oxygen, maybe without. Maybe even on skis ...

Just don’t tell Dad.

guaranteed you have more fun when warm New insulated jackets from The Mother of Comfort

Walker Mackey at camp during a Christmas Day ascent of 14,259’ Longs Peak, Colorado. Photo: Max Seigal

30 ASJ ASJ—June/July — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020

The Mother of Comfort bigagnes.com

EARN YOUR BEER

McGurk Meadow to Dewey Point Hike Words and photo by James Murren

M

ore and more beer companies are making special brews to support regional non-profits and events. This year Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company made two beers in partnership with one of ASJ’s favorite nonprofits and events — Yosemite Facelift. What better place to earn the Batch 2000 brew than Dewey Point in Yosemite National Park.

— THE EARNING — HIKING DEWEY POINT

W

ithin the first ten minutes of hiking down the trail to McGurk Meadow, I saw a running coyote put on the brakes, stirring up dust as s/he turned tail and scampered back up the trail before turning into the forest. I walked a couple of steps and spotted three coyotes, all thick with winter’s-approaching fur. Such a site, along with chattering bird songs, had me stepping with pep.

At the meadow, my first time there, I paused and took it in, the golden grasses, the evergreens, the blue sky all merging in a Yosemite dream. A few small fishes lazily fluttered about in their water world below the little wooden foot bridge. Nip was still in the air, though the yips from the coyotes earlier on were already long gone.

I turned left at the first trail junction, Dewey Point being my destination. A few late springs ago, I snowshoed to the point from Badger Pass Ski Area via the Ridge Trail. My memory of the view from the trail’s end had me wanting to get back to see it again, with a little less sweat on my brow.

Through the forest I went, poling and stepping my way up and down the landscape, crossing over a few streams along the way. No other humans were on the trail. Autumn was putting on her magic show, leaves bedecked in yellows and golds, as well as a few cloaks of deep russets, fall’s seasonal reds and almost purples made for a kaleidoscope infused journey.

It was not much longer before the trail turned from deep forest to more like a Sierra ridge top trail, where decomposed granite was the surface and the sight lines opened up to where I could see the Sierra Nevada mountains march north and south across the way. Dewey Point was up ahead; I saw only three people there.

There are many grand views in Yosemite, I thought. Dewey Point, with the effort required to get there, keeps the throngs

of people away. I decided in that moment in time ... in that space ... there could not have been a “better” experience for understanding the definition of grandeur.

A sense of stillness nearly blocked out the breeziness of the air.

I put my trekking poles down to snap some photos, which immediately led me to think of my Uncle Joe because I was using his poles — ones that he bought while training to walk the Camino de Santiago.

Sadly, that trip never came to be due to physical challenges that someone in their late 70s/early 80s might face in their life.

I turned to my fellow hikers and asked if they would snap a quick photo of me so that I could send it to Uncle Joe. They did. I smiled.

A bit peculiar, isn’t it, how out there in that seeming wildness, I zapped a photo across the stars and into a phone, eliciting more smiles.

Disconnect.

Connect.

Sustainable apparel & accessories made with 100% recycled materials.

— THE BEER — TIOGA SEQUOIA BREWING

A

few weeks after the annual cleanup event, the little grocery store in Curry Village still had cans of Facelift beers brewed by Fresno’s Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company for this year’s Yosemite Facelift. I carried a can of Batch 2000, a 5.5% ABV Hazy Pale Ale, to Dewey Point.

The can, adorned with beautiful artwork

by Rhiannon Klee, enjoyed the ride from inside an OR winter water bottle parka that was sitting in the bottom of my pack.

With El Capitan as a backdrop one way and a long vista of Half Dome and the High Sierra the other way, and after a brisk 4-mile hike to the point, the beer tasted like golden impossible dreams were wrapped in pineapple and citrus orchestral notes of gratitude and thanks. A trumpet shot of pine pierced the palate out of nowhere, putting me in a balanced state of mind.

I savored every sip.

Custom branded designs and prints.

Rethink with Recover.

LEARN MORE - recoverbran ds.com

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31

Event Profiles // Featured Upcoming Events

Cycling Race Series Plan your season around the exciting events in these popular race series.

Photo: Scott Rokis

WOMEN’S ADVENTURE FILM TOUR

ALPENGLOW MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL

This short film festival is a celebration of the inspiring women around us who are doing extraordinary things in the name of adventure.

This year’s lineup features an all-star cast of global athletes, business women, mothers and storytellers, including cliff diver Rhiannan Iffland, climber/yoga instructor Kira Brazinski, long distance hiker Jennifer Pharr-Davis, and many more including women in snow sports, mountaineering and mountain biking.

As Australia’s original women’s adventure film tour — created by Adventure Entertainment in partnership with She Went Wild — Women’s Adventure Film Tour was launched to a sell-out crowd in Sydney in May 2017 and has grown to become a success throughout the world. The 2019/2020 tour benefits Naretoi, a nonprofit organization supporting girls’ education, women’s empowerment, local economic efforts and cultural exchange in Maasailand, Kenya.

The tour tailors the films to suit each audience and showcase the area. Adventure Sports Journal is proud to sponsor the Santa Cruz screening at the Rio Theatre.

Learn more at riotheatre.com.

The seventh iteration of the Alpenglow Mountain Festival — presented by The North Face— takes place across North Lake Tahoe and showcases over 75 individual events, most of which are entirely free. The nine-day festival is a celebration of human-powered mountain sports with a heavy focus on backcountry and Nordic skiing. The event is geared specifically for the beginner to intermediate winter recreationalist.

A diverse mix of local residents and regional visitors come to the festival which draws 3,000 attendees from across the globe. Some of the best activities Lake Tahoe has to offer are showcased: backcountry skiing and splitboarding, nordic skiing, snowshoeing, natural history, yoga, films, educational seminars, social gatherings and more. Marquee athletes include Jim Morrison, Hilaree Nelson, Hadley Hammer, Daron Rahlves and more.

Space is limited and participants are encouraged to register online to secure spots. Registration for most events require a deposit that is refunded upon participation.

Learn more at alpenglowsports.com.

January 25, Santa Cruz

February 15-23, North Lake Tahoe

GRASSHOPPER ADVENTURE SERIES

Ride the best adventure courses in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties.

• Jan 25 – Low Gap • Feb 29 – Super Sweetwater • Mar 28 – Lake Sonoma MTB • Apr 11 – Huffmaster Hopper • May 9 – Jackson Forest • May 24 – Skaggs & Super Skaggs • June 20 – King Ridge Dirt Supreme Plus these special events: June 24-30 Girona Spain; Sept 12-13 Mendo Hopper; Oct 17 Usal Lost Coast.

Learn more at grasshopperadventureseries.com.

Photo:Mike Oitzman

CA DIRT MTB SERIES

BUFFALO BANKED SLALOM

SEA OTTER CLASSIC

Honoring Mt. Shasta Ski Park’s love for snowboarding, the Buffalo Banked Slalom celebrates the first snowboards on the park’s slopes. The event is unique in that it uses a natural gully (called Buffalo Gulch) while most banked slalom courses consist of man-made berms on open ski slopes. The course descends over approximately 1,000 feet from the top of Coyote Butte to its base.

Mt. Shasta Ski Park was established off the southern face of northern California’s iconic volcano in 1985. Bill Buffalo, a legendary Mt. Shasta local, was one of the first men to bring a snowboard to Mt. Shasta during its conception years, giving Buffalo Gulch its name.

During this time period when snowboarding was not allowed on the public runs of most ski resorts, Mt. Shasta Ski Park became a place where snowboarders and skiers alike could embrace their inner mountain.

In honor of the park’s founders and the snow sports industry, Mt. Shasta Ski Park welcomes everyone to enjoy winter together by participating in the Buffalo Banked Slalom Race. The event is open to men and women, skiers and snowboarders of all ages.

Learn more at skipark.com.

Registration is now open for the 30th annual Sea Otter Classic passes, races, and lodging. Spend four spectacular days with 70,000 cycling fans, 9,800 athletes, 8,500 campers, over 1,000 corporate brands and 370 international media all celebrating all things CYCLING. The world-renowned family-friendly cycling festival takes place in Monterey — one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Revel in the festival atmosphere and participate in some of cycling’s most enduring events.

The event boasts mountain bike cross country, downhill, dual slalom and short track racing. A new timed gravel race is also on the schedule, and road cyclists can compete in circuit and road racing. Non-competitive tours are also offered, such as Gran Fondos and recreational events for riders of all ages.

The Expo features 900+ vendors who launch new products, distribute free samples, and offer terrific deals. Stroll through the food court and then enjoy entertainment, stunt shows, and carnival activities for children.

Learn more at seaotterclassic.com.

Use discount code ADVENTURE for 20% off entry fee.

March (date TBD by weather conditions), Mt. Shasta

3232ASJ — Dec 2019 / 2012 Jan 2020 ASJ—June/July

April 16-19, Monterey

This fundraiser for YBONC also benefits Nevada County school bike clubs and trail projects.

• Apr 19 – Sea Otter Classic MTB XC, Monterey • May 23 – Rid’in High at the Ranch, Susanville • May 31 – Osborne Hill, Grass Valley • June 13 – Pioneer/Hoot/Dascombe, Nevada City Learn more at ybonc.org.

Photo:Kasey Carames

CALIFORNIA ENDURO SERIES

Amateur and pro riders alike will enjoy these world class enduro races. eMTB categories at select venues.

• May 23 – Toro Enduro (+eMTB) • June 13 – Mammoth Bar Enduro • June 27 – China Peak Enduro (+eMTB) • July 18 – Mt. Shasta Enduro (+eMTB) • Aug 22-23 – Northstar Enduro (+eMTB) • Oct 3 – Ashland Mountain Challenge Learn more at californiaenduroseries.com.

ADVENTURE EVENTS CALENDAR List your event for FREE!

AdventureSportsJournal.com/add-event Check with race producers to verify fees, times and events.

BIKING

15-16 — 2-Day Core Fundamentals / Palo Alto / 14 hours, set curriculum to master & improve your bike skills / ASingleTrackMind.com 29 — Super Sweetwater / Sonoma Cty. / GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com

December

5 — Tinsel-n-Tread / Santa Cruz / Girls Rock fundraiser / Food, drinks and fun; Live DJ; Sponsor booths; Xmas shopping; Silent Auction / GirlsRock-MTB.com 8 — Dirty 30 / Poway / QuicknDirtyMTB.com

January

12 — MTB Kickstart - XC MTB Race / Folsom Lake SRA / totalbodyfitness.com 18 — Wheel Lifts and Cornering / Woodside / Plus progressions of Core Fundamentals/ ASingleTrackMind.com 25 — Low Gap / Ukiah GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com

February

/

26 — MTB Classic / Folsom Lake SRA / TotalBodyFitness.com

March

28 — Lake Sonoma MTB / Sonoma Cty. / GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com 28-29 — Sagebrush Safari / Campo / XC & Kids Race on Sat; Gravel Race on Sun. / QuicknDirtyMTB.com

PADDLING

Kayak and SUP Rentals, Sales, Lessons & Tours / Santa Cruz & Elkhorn Slough / Convenient launch sites at both locations / See ad; page 5 / KayakConnection.com $25 Santa Cruz Harbor Rental / Santa Cruz / Santa Cruz / Soak up some sun on a quick harbor paddle / No wetsuit required! / KayakConnection.com.

Naturalist Lead Kayak Tours / Monterey and Beyond / Bioluminescence and full moon trips / Whales and wildlife / BlueWaterVentures.org

March

26 — 34th Annual Santa Cruz Paddlefest / Steamer Lane and Cowell Beach / Come race and surf at the best ocean playground on earth! / All crafts and ages / SantaCruzPaddlefest.com

RUNNING

SNOW

XC Skiing — A Slide on the Wild Side @ REI / Learn, explore & get inspired during presentations offered Jan-Feb in a location near you / BVadventures.com

February

8-9 — Bjornloppet XC Ski Race / Bear Valley / The oldest race in the West. 5K (new), 10K & 20K courses; skate & stride / BVadventures.com 15-23 — Alpenglow Mountain Festival / Lake Tahoe / A 9-day celebration of human powered sports / Guided backcountry tours, nordic skiing, films & revenue / AlpenGlowSports.com

March

December

7 — Death Valley Trail Marathon & Half Marathon / Death Valley / EnviroSports.com

TBD — Buffalo Banked Slalom / Mt. Shasta / Ski or ride in this race that honors Mt. Shasta Ski Park history / SkiPark.com

15 — Elf on the Run / San Francisco / 5k & 10k / San Francisco Bay Trail with gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge / ElfontheRun.com

MISC

February

8 — Escape from Folsom Trail Runs / Folsom Lake SRA / TotalBodyFitness.com

March

January

— Women’s Adventure Film Tour / Santa Cruz / Celebrating inspiring, adventurous women / RioTheatre.com 25

February

20-23 — Banff Centre Mountain Film

7 — Chanoko 50K, 31K, 5-Mile Trail Runs / Folsom Lake SRA / TotalBodyFitness.com

Festival World Tour / Santa Cruz / Exhilarating films from the 44th Banff Centre Mountain Film & Book Festival / RioTheatre.com

www. advent ur espor t sjour nal. com

33

MARKETPLACE

LOOKING AHEAD April 4 - Tom’s Classic XC 10K Race / Bear Valley / Last race of the season / BVadventures.com April 5 — Great Auburn Epic Race / Auburn SRA / TotalBodyFitness.com April 11 — Huffmaster Hopper / Maxwell / GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com April 16-19 — Sea Otter Classic / Monterey / SeaOtterClassic.com

ALASKA IS JUST A FLIGHT AWAY. MOUNTAIN BIKE WITH US!

e

s

A

dv

entur

SINGLETRACK HALF & FULL DAY GUIDED RIDES

May 9 — Folsom Lake Int’l Triathlon / Folsom Lake SRA / TotalBodyFitness.com May 16 — Groveland Grind/ Groveland / Facebook.com/GrovelandTrailHeads

OVERNIGHT BIKEPACKING GUIDED TRIPS FULL SUSPENSION BIKE, HELMET, SNACKS, PLANNED ROUTE & EXPERIENCED GUIDES

May 9 — Jackson Forest / Mendocino Cty. / GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com

ALASKABIKEADVENTURES.COM INFO@ALASKABIKEADVENTURES.COM (907) 903-9596

Bear Valley Adventure Co. Cross Country Skiing Snowshoeing Sledding & Tubing

May 23 — Rid’in High at the Ranch - CA Dirt MTB #2 / Susanville / YBONC.org May 23 — Toro Enduro - CES #1 / Salinas / CaliforniaEnduroSeries.com May 24 — Skaggs & Super Skaggs / Sonoma Cty. / GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com May 31 — Osborne Hill - CA Dirt MTB #3 / Grass Valley / YBONC.org June 7 — America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride / Lake Tahoe / BiketheWest.com June 13 — Pioneer/Hoot/Dascombe Trails - CA Dirt MTB #4 / Nevada City / YBONC.org June 13 — Mammoth Bar Enduro - CES #2 / Auburn / CaliforniaEnduroSeries.com June 20 — King Ridge Dirt Supreme / Sonoma Cty. / GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com June 27 — China Peak Enduro - CES #3 / Lakeshore / CaliforniaEnduroSeries.com

Community Owned & Operated

July 18 — Mt. Shasta Enduro - CES #4 / Lakeshore / CaliforniaEnduroSeries.com

Learn to Ski Special 209.753.2835 bvadventures.com

Aug 22-23 — Northstar Enduro - CES #5 / Truckee / CaliforniaEnduroSeries.com Sept 11-13 — Graniteman Challenge / June Lake, Mammoth Lakes, Lee Vining / HighSierraAthletics.com/graniteman Sept 12-13 — Mendo Hopper / Mendo.

Cty. / GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com Sept 13 — Tour de Tahoe / Lake Tahoe / BiketheWest.com Sept 27-Oct 3 — OATBRAN / Stateline to Baker NV / BiketheWest.com

Naturalist-Led Kayaking Trips BlueWaterVentures.org 831•459•8548 34 ASJ ASJ—June/July — Dec 20192012 / Jan 2020

Oct 3 — Ashland Mountain Challenge - CES Finale / Ashland OR / CaliforniaEnduroSeries.com Oct 17 — Usal Lost Coast / Mendo. Cty. / GrasshopperAdventureSeries.com

2020

aska Bike Al

April 19 — Sea Otter Classic MTB XC - CA Dirt MTB #1 / Monterey / YBONC.org

California

DIRT

MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES

State MTB XC Championship Series

X-C BIKE SERIES • ALL AGES & LEVELS • KIDS COURSE APR 19 Sea Otter Classic - MTB XC, Monterey MAY 23 Rid’in High at the Ranch, Susanville MAY 31 Osborne Hill, Grass Valley JUNE 13 Pioneer/Hoot/Dascombe Trails, Nevada City

RACES • MUSIC • RAFFLE • FOOD REGISTER & INFO: ybonc.org

Roadshow Tour LOOK FOR US AT YOUR FAVORITE EVENT.

Come by and see the latest news from our sponsors & enter to win great prizes.

Proceeds support Nevada County school bike clubs, trail projects, & YBONC

4 Days 300 Races 70,000 Enthusiasts

Years

APRIL 16-19 | 2020

seaotterclassic.com

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, USA

30

S E A OT T E R C L ASS I C

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35

One Place You Can’t Go In A Four Wheel Camper

The GALAXY Leader in Pop-Up Campers 36 ASJ—June/July 2012

www.fourwheelcampers.com

Photo courtesy of Travis Burke