mmmmmountains

Had a great weekend in the mountains on our 2nd annual office ski trip. I completely forgot to grab my camera on too many occasions but trust me the weather was great and snow conditions were excellent.

We stayed at Castle Mountain hostel. The place is clean, comfortable, and halfway between Lake Louise and Sunshine. It's also next door to Castle Mountain Chalets for those that want a bit more luxury or that need to bring their dogs.

The forecast was for sun and warmth, which was to be a real treat compared to freeze we'd been stuck in for the past several weeks. Saturday morning did not disappoint. We headed to Lake Louise to enjoy the slopes and trails. The snow on the hill was thin where LL is always thin but once we got away from the high traffic areas there was plenty of untracked snow - hiking for turns with cmg.

Grinning in anticipation of the fresh tracks that are moments away.

Saturday night was potluck. There was a good mix of food and beverages to go around. Day 2 at Sunshine was also excellent. The forecast for a few inches of fresh snow was grossly underestimated and we enjoyed lift-served powder under variable skies. Weekends are far too short...

I am an Ultra Runner!

reposted from here

snowmageddon

I'm often asked what Edmonton winters are like. "Cold. But it doesn't snow very much", is my usual response, which is usually the case. Not this year. It's still cold enough to freeze your eyelids shut but now we have all this snow to trip over, too. We've more than doubled the monthly average and the month is barely half over. This has added an extra challenge to running.

Much of this month's snow fell during one night two weekends ago. My intent was to formally kick off this year's training with a long Sunday run in the river valley. I wasn't expecting 25 cm of fresh snow and a wind chill warning but sometimes the unexpected can be a positive, right? I tend to disregard the voice of reason (i.e., my wife) when it comes to such things but I wasn't about to let some snow and colder temperatures change my running plans. I like to think of myself as adventurous and persistent, which I see as admirable qualities, but I'm probably in the minority here.

After 3.5 hours I was dead tired and very cold. The new snow and poor footing required much more effort than I anticipated. A hard workout is always a good thing but perspiring that heavily in -30C was not anticipated. Thanks to some poor clothing choices, I literally froze my butt - my coat vented all the moisture out the bottom and a solid block of ice formed on my backside where my jacket met my pants. Ouch! Chalk that up as a learning experience.