spring is... coming

My eggs told me this was going to be a good weekend. Turns out my eggs were right - 100 km in two days makes for a very good weekend.

They weren't a quick 100k. It's still very much winter here and the trails are very icy. It even snowed a bit.

That ice-fast boat suggests wintery conditions will be here for awhile.


The migrants have begun arriving but I can't image what they're eating. There's still a half meter of snow on the ground.

This porcupine has it figure out. It wasn't so pleased that I was so close but, judging by the way it just looked at the ground, it wasn't concerned enough to jump. It soon went back to stripping the bark from the tree.

Destructive buggers.

microspikes

Look what I got...

Look at why I got them...

Of course, the glare ice became this...

Then this...

The winter I first moved to Edmonton I crash my bike on a patch of ice while zipping downhill into the river valley. By the time I saw the ice it was too late to do anything but hold on. Without studded tires I didn't stand a chance. I've got a floating chip of bone in my elbow to remind me that ice deserves a bit more respect.

I bought my first pair of studded tires shortly after that accident and they have performed very well. I wish I could say the same for the various running traction devices I've tried - they're great out of the box but they simply don't last. The microspikes certainly appear durable. Kahtoola must think they've got something pretty special because they come with a one year satisfaction guarantee, which is good because I've got a lot of miles to log and winter isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

ignorance is not bliss

Being the responsible adventurer that I am, I took an introductory avalanche training course (AST1) in 2008 to learn something about skiing safely in the back country. What I learned is that I knew nothing - avalanches are difficult to predict, potentially deadly, and the only safe option is to avoid avalanche terrain. Great. Avalanche terrain is pretty much everywhere in the mountains around here. I felt powerless and too paranoid to go anywhere. Now what.

I decided to join 10 fellow ski patrol members and take an advanced recreational avalanche training course (AST2). If the goal of AST1 was to teach me what I didn't know I hoped that AST2 would fill in some of those blanks.What a great course! I learned so much during four days of classroom and on-slope training. Now I feel empowered and excited to go touring!

The course began with a day of classroom training in Lake Louise. On day 2 we hit the snow at Crowfoot Glades on the Icefields Parkway. Appropriately, a class 2 loose snow avalanche came down Crowfoot Mountain (the now snow free section in the centre of the picture) while we were at the cars putting our gear on.

We began the day practicing beacon searches and companion rescues on flat terrain.

Honing in on a buried 'victim'.

From there we moved on to snow pack analysis. That pit is to ground so snow depth is under 2 meters.

The compression test and subsequent rutschblock did not produce any significant failures.

Day 3 and 4 were in Glacier National Park, aka, Roger's Pass. Our first tour was up Loop Brook to the Bonney Trees.

One of the biggest overhead hazards of the day was the outhouse.

Our guide, Mark, discussing overhead avalanche hazards on the up track. Once again, a class 2.5 loose snow avalanche appropriately fell from the slope above as we crossed through the runout zone. 

Looking back at Loop Brook while gaining elevation in Bonney Trees.

Lunch break on the lateral moraine flanking Bonney Trees on climbers left. Sapphire Col is in the upper left flanked by Mount Swanzy (right) and The Dome (left).

The final ascent to the top of Bonney Trees.

Our final tour was into the Illecillewaet Valley. Although the competition was stiff, today wins for the best weather and skiing. It was hot by the time we left the parking lot mid-morning. The tour begins on an old railway bed.

But the views quickly open up at the top of the valley. Perley Rock is the small feature on the right below Terminal Peak.

On the other side of the valley is Lookout Col to the right of the central peak (Youngs Peak).

Looking back down the Illecillewaet Valley. Our first set of turns were through the open trees to the left.

Looking back up the Illecillewaet Valley after our final run and the end of the course. Sweet!

elk island national park

Located less than an hour from Edmonton, Elk Island National Park is a perfect place for a winter run.

The main road is free of ice, sees very little traffic, has a shoulder when a car does pass, and the speed limit is 60km/hr. It's also 20km from the north gate to the south gate, so it's the perfect distance for ultra training.

Compared to the city, Elk Island is Shangri-la. There is no traffic drone, no aggressive drivers, no planes and helicopters overhead, no oblivious pedestrians, and no off-leash dogs. You can actually hear birds and squirrels going about their business in the roadside brush. There is other wildlife, too. Today I saw a Ruffed Grouse in the top of a sapling, a coyote hiding in the bushes hoping that it wasn't seen, and several bison. This small individual was up to its elbows digging for forage.

The park was uncommonly quiet today, which is not surprising given the frigid temperature - it did get up to -13C at one point but the windchill kept the realized temperature in the -20 to -29C range.

I stopped at the south gate for a snack and a picture and my pants froze solid! I still had 7km back to the car. I bet I'm not smiling under that mask.

Still, it was a good run and a great day for a run. I know I'm smiling in this picture!

the best mitts ever

One of the hardest parts of winter training is dressing the part. Moisture management is key, particularly if you're out for hours at a time. I have yet to find anything better for my hands than felted wool mitts. Whether is -5C or -40C, my hands stay warm and dry. They're even fairly wind resistant.

This is what felted mitts look like after a 4-hour run when the windchill is -26C. Yes, that is frozen sweat on the right hand. That was my windward side for the last 2 hours. My mitts were by far my most comfortable piece of clothing by end of this run. Everything else was soaking wet or frozen solid.

These mitts were knit for me by the Mrs. and no, she is not going to make you a pair. I'm hoping she's going to be busy making me a one-piece suit to get me through the rest of this winter. Hey, a guy can dream!

Are we born to run?

Chris McDougall is a great storyteller who presents a compelling thesis about our running heritage. I like the notion that we were built for the long haul. McDougall loses my interest and support when he rails against the running shoe industry for being the Achilles' heel of runners. Professional runners don't blame their shoes when they get injured and they log more miles than anyone. When running injuries come up in conversation it's usually not two runners comparing war wounds. It's usually a non-runner recounting the story of an injured runner-friend to a runner in the subtext of 'runners are idiots'. I would bet dollars to donuts that the vast majority of running injuries are due to over-training whether you're a neophyte or a professional.

I do agree with McDougall that we as runners need to rediscover the joy of running. That does not mean throwing away your running shoes, as he suggests. Instead, throw away the mindset that running is penance for a poor diet, or that running is solely a remedy for some malady, or that you must constantly push your limits to get any benefit. Most importantly from an injury perspective, running needn't be so goal-oriented. Why can't we just run for fun?

I've been running, in running shoes, for >20 years without injury and I know I'm not alone. My running has goals, but these are very recent and they are not why I run. I run for the pleasure of running. I like to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine, and I like to experience the world I live in other than through a car window or on television. Every run is an adventure even if it's a regular route. In my opinion, that's the key to injury prevention.

Damn you La Nina and your deep powder snow!

I dream about skiing like teenage boys dream about girls. I've lost countless days of my life surfing bottomless powder in my mind. By October I'm stupid giddy with excitement to be skiing. By January my skiing spirit is usually crushed by thin snow and unstable avalanche conditions in the eastern Rockies. At this point I turn my energy to running and I try to look forward to summer activities.

Not this year. The snow just keeps falling and I'm forced to blow off another weekend of long runs to be in the mountains. Bummer! This past weekend it was Marmot Basin with pcf and cmg. Light flurries turned to full-on snow Friday night as we drove the 4.5 hours from Edmonton to Jasper. By Saturday morning 16cm of fresh snow had fallen at mid-mountain. It was going to be a great weekend.

Marmot rarely feels crowded, even when it's busy, and this weekend was no exception. Still, fresh snow is not the same when you put a few tracks through it and I was eager to ski some untracked powder. Normally I think hiking at a ski area is ridiculous. Why would I walk up a mountain when I paid $70 to be carried up? I'm glad I ignored myself. Hiking Marmot Peak with Awesome Bob.

Not only was the skiing amazing, the views were spectacular. Looking down the hiking ridge - Peak Run is the bowl on the left; Suzie's disappears to the right. The top of Knob Chair where the hike begins is in the bottom-right of the picture.The ridge across the valley is the backside of the Skyline Trail.

The Icefields Parkway from Marmot Peak.

Mt Robson, the highest point in the Canadian Rockies, is the distant pointy peak in the centre of the picture.

Tonquin Valley from Marmot Peak.

By the end of the weekend I'd hiked Peak twice and Cornice once. It's not running but it was a helluva workout.