Epic Adventures

7/24/12

An epic realization has struck me: the two most awe inspiring, badass things I’ve ever done in the mountains occurred in 2012, within 3 months of each other, in what most would call “the off season."

My first dream trip occurred on the famous Vallee Blanche ski tour in Chamonix - Mt. Blanc in May. Chamonixskiguide’s definition: The greatest descent in the Alps: the Valley Blanche is not a piste, but a high mountain route with unprepared snow on the glaciers, the itinerary is 22 kilometers (13 mi) long and the vertical descent is higher than 2800 meters (1.7 mi/9,186 ft).

I used crampons on my ski boots and ski crampons under my skis, roped to my partner, nearing the closest I’ve ever come to death but for one false move during that tour. I felt humbled sitting atop that glacier, soaking in the scene around me and what was promised for my descent. Knowing that many ski and mountain enthusiasts can only dream of checking off Mt. Blanc and The Vallee Blanche, many of which will never get there. Luckily my best friend lives in Les Contamines – Montjoie and I was able to enjoy an epic trip on a seriously low budget. It pays to have friends in high places!! Quite literally… 

Atop the Aguille du Midi

Crampons, check. Skis, check. Rope, check. Away we go down the knife's edge ridge to start our ski.

Soaking in the view with hot chocolate and jambon beurre - tres bon!

My second most amazing mountain adventure happened in July on Mt. Hood. Two friends and I hiked up above crater rock, up the hog’s back (~10,600 ft) on all fours because it was so treacherous and windy, post holing through the snow each step up the ridge. We clicked in from the massive crevasse above the hogback's neck, traversed across and skied an amazingly steep corn snow pitch (over 1,000 vertical feet of steep!), then traversed to Illumination rock and skied another glorious wide open corn snow field back in bounds to Palmer. We gained roughly 2,500+ vert and skied down over 2 miles back to the parking lot. Best Sunday-Funday ever! July 22, 2012

Palmer Glacier, climbing/ski route. July 22, 2012. 

Looking back at Crater Rock from Hogsback ridge. 

Hiking Hogsback, almost to where we finally put skis on! 

A few common threads loop through my mind dreaming of these mountain ascents.  The first and most evident being certain death or dismemberment if anything had gone wrong. So, apparently my definition of epic, amazing, hardcore mountain adventures involves an incredibly high risk of death. I believe most people’s definition would, by default, include a serious risk of death or injury when considering high mountain activities. Its a common thread that binds why many ski and mountain enthusiasts do what they do. Its all for the adrenaline rush… the natural unabated high.

Although its involved, I don’t necessarily enjoy being fearful of death when I'm skiing. But many of the activities I do enjoy, and will continue to pursue, include death as a consequence if anything went wrong. Perhaps it is not the intimate knowledge that I could die out there, but with that knowledge, that I’ve never felt more alive.

Holding exclusive domain over the mountain heights, if only for an hour or an afternoon, also makes me feel incredibly alive and at peace. Most people don’t get to experience mountains the way I do or the way I strive to one day. That the masses do not share this experience with me lets it become something special for me, and a select group of people on the same vibration. 

Ski touring, to me, goes beyond a feeling of peace, greater than the physical accomplishment of hiking your ass off to get to an exclusive place. Maybe it’s the promise of getting to go ski something beautiful and untouched… All I know is that I’ve never been happier or more filled with joy than at those moments*. I do not want to be anywhere else at that moment. I feel pure satisfaction in both what I’ve just done and what I am about to do – ski some of the purest snow conditions, untracked, for miles and miles.

To me, this lifestyle in no way conjures the word “bum,” and I want to prove that the lifestyle I've chosen is just real and validated as any other job. I work hard, outside, everyday and must, in order to make ends meet. I feel fortunate to have found what I truly love early on and the courage to go after my passion whole-heartedly. Isn't the "American Dream" to go out and find what you love and figure out how to make money doing it? In this period of my life, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing and nothing else I feel I should be doing except more skiing, bigger skiing, and better skiing, for a lifetime. 

Life's Good at Mt. Hood

I’ve finally settled in after a wild welcome back week in Govy. I’ve felt like the days were getting away from me almost immediately upon my arrival just running around with friends, staying up late, not getting enough sleep and getting to the mountain late. I didn’t have much control or independence, which made me feel icky. Now that I’ve gotten my routine down on the hill and at the shop, the ickyness has receded.

Trillium Lake - one of most picturesque spots I've ever been

A typical day in the life of Lyndsay Strange at Mt. Hood goes as follows:

6:30 alarm goes off

~6:55 roll out of bed

7:15 head up the hill

7:30 load the lift

7:30-11:45ish promote Bomber Skis and get athletes to test skis while I ski around with them, schmooze with the groups around the mountain, do some training myself (getting pumped for the Mt. Hood Summer Fun Nationals masters race in a week!!),

11:45 make my way down the glacier, down time/lunch before I open the shop

1:00 open Reliable Racing

6:00 close Reliable Racing

6-? tune skis, dinner, relax, post up at Charlie’s Bar, adventures in the Hoodland, etc.

Repeat.

Setting up skis for test flights!

Photo: Anabelle McLean -> follow her on instagram @anabellemclean @abdoesdesign

The shop is closed on Sundays, which is the day I try to do more traditional summer activities like hiking, swimming, and visiting Portland/Hood River instead of ski. 

This Sunday I’m heading to the Oregon Country Fair. It is the weirdest, best festival I have ever been to. It’s a fairyland in the middle of the woods with naked people running around, the crunchiest hippies, amazing unique crafts, vendors and food, theater, poetry and music spread throughout the grounds. This will be the second summer I’ve been to the fair and I look forward to seeing March Fourth Marching Band play. They are the most unique and fun band I’ve ever seen – pure entertainment. M4 is like a circus of stimulation with band members on stilts marching through the crowd getting people pumped up, everyone dressed in these ornate circusy burlesque costumes that play the funkiest music I’ve ever heard. 

Oregon Country Fair 2011

S'later Bachelor, Hello Hood!

2 weeks of ski camp is over, now on to my next destination, Government Camp. This is my second summer running the Reliable Racing shop in Govy. It’s a welcome change of pace from coaching for Ski Club as I am totally on my own program; just me in the shop with my own apartment in town. I ski in the mornings representing Bomber Ski Company, bringing skis on the hill for athletes to demo and hopefully buy, if not spark their interest.

Rep’ing for Bomber has been exciting since it’s a new company that many people have never even seen before or vaguely heard of. It’s a grassroots movement to get people on these custom handmade world cup quality race, mogul and freeride skis. Having the skis on my feet sparks interest in the lift line, on the chairlift and around the mountain.

"What are those skis?"people ask, and the conversation begins. 

The average ski that a racer buys in a ski shop is a factory made, cookie cutter, “McDonalds” ski from any of the brands like Rossi, Fischer, Atomic, Head, etc. What sets Bomber apart from the average ski is that each pair is handmade by a craftsman that made the exclusive Rossignol World Cup skis for decades. The average ski racer now has access to exclusive quality skis once only reserved for the world’s best. We believe that is something that can make a difference in an athlete’s performance or enhance the experience of the all mountain skier.

Ok, sales pitch over.

Being back at Hood has been amazing. It holds an incredibly special place in my heart. The place never really changes and mostly the same people come back year after year. As it’s my second consecutive year here in several years, all the familiar faces are back as if we never left. My Govy crew is back in action and lets just say I didn’t do much skiing the first weekend I arrived…

It’s been super variable here throughout the entire month of June with rain, high winds, some snow and generally crappy conditions. Many teams and camps have been forced to cancel training or only get a few runs in due to poor visibility. That is definitely where Mt. Bachelor came out on top. Since we were skiing within the tree-line (instead of above the trees at Hood), the visibility was not really a problem. Lucky for me, my first day skiing on the Timberline glacier, July 1 was warm and sunny! The snow is summer glacier snow – firm in the mornings and softens up to a slushy mess by about 10 am or sooner if its hot and didn’t freeze the night before. Countless salt bags are needed to suck out the moisture and firm up the snow for race training and throughout the parks. Freeriders like the snow softer, but if they didn’t salt the parks at all, they’d be swimming during the prime time of their training sessions, between 10:30 and 2pm.

The Timberline lift line in summer is one of the most unique sights to be seen. As I explain to many people who ask about Mt. Hood in summer, ask yourself, who skis in the summer? Who would think to go skiing in July? Only the hardcore. Only the ones who will do anything to get better at their sport. Elite ski racers and elite park riders trying to maximize their time on snow. The Timberline lift line includes those park riders at the cusp of the sport’s style, clad in tall T’s, tall jerseys, baggy pants and ski boots with the tongues on the outside. It also includes racers in only speed suits and padded training shorts and tops. Two extreme ends of the sport’s spectrum. Its difficult to describe and should really only be experienced in real life, but when I say Govy/Mt. Hood is the weirdest place on earth, those who’ve been there will agree.

Diversity in the Magic Mile lift line

The skiing that’s open to the public is definitely not as widespread as what’s accessible to the private camps. There is a public lane for free skiing that extends for about 1,500 vertical feet. All the freeriders lap the public park even if they have access to their own camp’s parks like Windell’s and High Cascade. So it is worth it for the novelty of skiing in the summer to get a ticket and ride Timberline without being a part of a private camp. I would recommend doing a bit of both as an adult in order to fully experience it all. For kids, without a doubt, sign up for camp! Windell’s isn’t lying when they claim it’s the “funnest place on earth”...