K2 Base Camp, Pakistan – After arriving in Islamabad on 30 May, Fredrik Ericsson and Trey Cook were told of unusually deep snow conditions on the Baltoro glacier. The team changed their plan and decided to approach the peak via the Gondoro-la with an attempt on Laila Peak which would enable them to acclimatize and allow the deep snow to consolidate.
Photo: www.FredrikEricsson.com
Ericsson and Cook travelled from Islamabad to Hushe via Skardu where the trek into Laila Peak base camp began. As reported the team found the deepest snow in the Gondogoro valley in at least 15 years. The team attempted a ski descent of Laila Peak but were turned back 300 meters from the summit by deep, unstable snow. However, Ericsson did enjoy a 1000 vertical meter descent on Laila’s pristine, 45-degree northwest face.
Following their attempt to ski Laila Peak, Ericsson and Cook and 18 porters took three days to cross the Gondogoro-la pass, swing through Concordia and arrive at K2 base camp.
Photo: www.FredrikEricsson.com
The team reports that conditions on K2 are favorable and will be heading up the Cesen Route tomorrow to Camp 1 for an early round of acclimatizion and to scope the route.
To learn more of the team’s adventure check out their Ski K2 blog at www.FredrikEricsson.com or Facebook site Fredrik Ericsson – Ski Mountaineering.
Homeboy Ski Blog
Here are my dos and don’ts. Add yours in the comments.
Do accept responsibility for your preparation
I was told I was a level 3 skier, but only on level 2 terrain, so I spent a lot of time on the road training at mountains up north. A friend of mine was not a book learner, so he recruited friends to repeatedly quiz him and talk through all the material in the books. It’s no one’s job but your own to get the training you need. Don’t wait for it to be given to you.
Do your homework
You should have a good understanding of all the material in Core Concepts for Snowsports Instructors, Alpine Technical Manual: Skiing and Teaching Skills and the Children’s Instruction Manual.
Do have a plan
Here is mine for this season.
Do choose your coaches
Everyone and their brother will try to give you feedback and advice on your training. I only listen to a few select people (the divas are included). I nod and smile when anyone else offers feedback. Part of your learning process is figuring out who to listen to and why they are valuable resources. The exception is teaching tricks and drills, I take them from everyone.
Do support others
I’ve been incredibly lucky to train and take exams with some great people. It’s your job to be a cheerleader for others, they’re going to have plenty of people coaching them. Avoid being “that guy/girl” who monopolizes attention or brings bad energy into group activities.
Do avoid mental quicksand
When I was training for my first marathon I learned to let go of my bad workouts, cherish the good ones and focus the majority of workouts left. If you have a bad run, just let it go.
Do take breaks from training
Even the most coachable exam candidate will get cranky if they get too much coaching or feedback. Take breaks where you can ski and teach without the pressure of performing.
Do simulate exam conditions and tasks
You can find level 2 skiing and teaching tasks and level 3 skiing and teaching tasks on this blog. Find a coach to give you a task and debrief after you’ve done it. Get your coach to do their best examiner impression.
Do answer Ned’s questions
My friend Ned has three questions he asks people considering taking an exam:
1. Will you blame PSIA and the examiners if you fail?
2. Will you blame your mountain’s trainers and training program?
3. Can you afford it?
If the answers are no, no, and yes then Neddy says you should go for it.
Do recruit an exam chaperone
D2 is a great chaperone and she’s written the definitive guide on how to do it.
Do pay it forward
Once you’ve got your new shiny pin, it’s time to help out the others that supported you. Other instructors have worked so that I can train. When I’m a level 3, it’s time for me to work so they can train and pass on all that I’ve learned.
Don’t obsess
No one wants to be around someone who is all exam, all the time. Apre ski some of us would like to gossip and decompress, constant exam talk doesn’t help this. Also remember that there are others prepping for an exam as well. Don’t be the candidate who is bitter that another group got to train with an examiner that morning– and ‘my exam is this week.’
Don’t try to do too much at once
Having five focuses when you’re skiing will make your skiing suck. Trying to cover every aspect of teaching in your introduction will make your teaching suck. One thing at a time.
Diva Ski Tips
The Icon Snowskates Team announced that they are heading out on their 2010 snowskating trip today. You can follow the teams progress on Retrospect Films’ twitter right here: http://twitter.com/retrospectfilms/. Also Mr. Plays shows us how to correctly wax our board with block and paste wax, enjoy and get riding!
iSnowskate.com
http://www.PinPinFilms.com/
http://www.minimumwageentertainment.com/
is where you can go to see these snowboard movies and more for ZERO DOLLARS..
The PinPin snowboard team ( based out of Breckenridge ) combine fun features and ideas with snowboarding all over Colorado and the US and the world in 2007 for PinPin’s new snowboard video “PinPin Crazee 8’s”. You may have read [...]
Snowboard And Ski Gear
William Van Treuren and Than Hedman, part of the CU debate team, are celebrating their first national title.
Van Treuren, a 21-year-old junior math and MCD biology double major and one half of the debate team from CU-Boulder that won the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence, said he never expected to win nationals.
“I didn’t think we were nearly prepared,” Van Treuren said. “We did not expect to do that well.”
Van Treuren and Hedman, a 21-year-old junior chemistry major, competed against 64 of the nation’s best debating teams on March 30 in Los Angeles for the title, according to a news release. They beat out the University of Oregon to win the first national title for CU debaters.
Van Treuren said the way he and Hedman prepared for the competition was by reading the news, discussing things with each other and writing arguments out.
“The questions get changed in every round in the type of debate we do,” Van Treuren said. “So preparation is limited to news, knowing what’s going on [in] world affairs and having prepared positions.”
According to the release, each round lasts approximately 50 minutes with each team alternating between arguments and rebuttals. Although the debate team is a student group and therefore doesn’t have official faculty sponsors or advisers, they did have a volunteer coach, Nathan Jeffries, a 23-year-old CU alum.
“We met every Tuesday,” Jeffries said. “We do practice debates and talk about the strategies used.”
Jeffries said he also helped Hedman and Van Treuren develop strategies during the 20 minute preparation time in between rounds.
“Will and Than are really good,” Jeffries said. “We all knew they had a very good shot at winning a national championship. You have to beat so many good teams, but it’s always kind of a surprise.”
Van Treuren said that they frequently have to debate supreme court cases. Their winning round resolution was: “The United States Supreme Court should eliminate the ‘plain view exception’ for searches of personal computers,” according to the news release.
“So the affirmative had to defend that the plain view did not exist,” Van Treuren said. “We agreed with them for the most part but said the plain view exception should not exist for child pornography. Most good debate teams will anticipate what the argument would be.”
The other team, Van Treuren said, argued that the plain view exception created a tyranny that allowed the government to create all sorts of unwarranted seizures.
“But we only read two arguments, which is very small,” Van Treuren said.
Van Treuren said that it was a combination of several factors that helped him and Hedman win.
“We hit teams that we knew that we could beat,” Van Treuren said. “We had very good judging. We had good questions. And I feel like the arguments just went our way. It was a confluence of circumstances that helped us.”
The team had to qualify for nationals, Van Treuren said. Points were earned throughout the six tournaments the team went to during the year and the top 64 were invited to nationals.
“Our teachers have been very understanding,” Van Treuren said about having to miss class for competitions. “The school has done a lot for us. But it would be nice if we could get out of classes easier. It would also be nice to put all our trophies somewhere.”
Van Treuren said he definitely plans on continuing to debate during the rest of his time at CU.
“Once you become a debater, its kind of hard to leave,” Van Treuren said. “There aren’t a lot of activities that are as intellectually stimulating. When knowledge is competitive, people are really forced to listen to you. If they don’t listen to you, they lose.”
Contact CU Independent News Budget Editor Sheila V Kumar at Sheila.kumar@colorado.edu.
CU Independent
this is a compilation of some highlights from snowboard videos I had on my HDD
music: The Beta Band – It’s Not Too Beautiful, Jape – Floating, taken from Adam Freeland’s excellent Back To Mine mix.
Duration : 0:9:19
addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fsnowboardandskigear.com%2Fsnowboard-videos%2Fsnowboarding-compilation’;
addthis_title = ‘snowboarding+compilation’;
addthis_pub [...]
Snowboard And Ski Gear
Update – 4:26 p.m.: From the Boulder County website – Crews continue to remove debris from underneath the damaged Red Lion Inn bridge and will start an effort soon to slowly dismantle the bridge. According to officials, the hope is that by removing the bridge in a systematic, controlled way, crews can prevent a complete structural failure and minimize the amount of water that could surge downstream. Hydrologists have advised that this is a good time of day for this effort as stream flows will be at their lowest points over the next few hours. Community members along the creek can expect to see a transitory increase in water flow and may see some debris coming down Boulder Creek. Flooding, if any, is expected to be limited to bike paths and the banks of the creek themselves. The paths remain closed, and community members are urged to stay away until this emergency is resolved. Dive teams continue to stand by in the event any rescues are necessary.
Update – 3:06 p.m.:Hwy. 119 has been closed westbound from Sugarloaf Road to Barker Reservoir because of wide equiment that is headed to the bridge site, according to Boulder County officials.
City of Boulder officials are urging Boulder residents to stay aware of potential flash flooding from Boulder Creek.
CU and Boulder police are taking actions to clear pedestrians and bikers from the bike and walking paths along Boulder Creek.
A culvert-style bridge partially washed out Monday night near the Red Lion Restaurant in Boulder Canyon, according to a Boulder County news release. The debris plugged up the culvert and water is backing up behind the bridge. Officials say they are concerned that 2 feet of water could build up and be washed down the creek, potentially flooding the Boulder Creek Path.
According to information from Boulder County, Boulder Creek is currently running with 3.6 feet of water. If it reaches 4 feet, the creek will flood. Crews are currently working to release the debris build-up.
Emergency notifications have been sent out to businesses and residents along the creek corridor via text messages. Boulder County is posting frequent updates on its website.
The CU Independent will update this story throughout the day.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Kate Spencer at Katherine.a.spencer@colorado.edu.
CU Independent
I didn’t make this video for youtube I made a compilation video from some of my favorite scenes as a short promotional video to get people to sign up for a ski/board trip to Colorado. And I wanted it to look like a movie trailer.
Because people keep asking…this is not me!
It is excerpts from [...]
Snowboard And Ski Gear
