Thirty, Sixty, Ninety.

Finished up a four day level two AIARE course on Tuesday.  Bill the instructor from Alpine Skills International was really solid and put a great practical spin on the science behind the snowpack.  Here are some videos from the course.

I’ve always felt that I think more clearly in the wilderness but the research aggregated in the following article speaks to why I might have felt that way.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/01/04/how_the_city_hurts_your_brain/

I’ve been climbing trad more than bouldering lately but it was a real treat the other day to go for a quick bouldering session with my old buddy Mason at Boat Rock in Atlanta while I was passing through.  Here are a few photos of him on a really cool crack.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

I hate training for doing outdoor sports, unless it means actually getting out and doing them. But I have a full time job and sometimes I have to sneak into the gym for a workout in preparation to get outside.  In general gyms are fairly depressing to me, but I lately I’ve been able to channel my energy to get after it in the gym because I know that a long season of skiing is ahead.  It’s snowing in the mountains and I’m getting fired up.

Below is the workout I’ve been doing.  The key is to not stop once you’ve started the workout.  If I really push myself I can keep my heart rate above 150 with spurts above 180.  Would love to hear any feedback or opinions on the workout.

The 360 Workout

• 10 min high intensity on bike, treadmill, stairs or eliptical (must stay over 200 watts)
• 15 pull ups
• 20 squats at 100 lbs
• 30 sit ups
• 40 box jumps at 24 inches or 40 lunges
• 15 min high intensity on bike, treadmill, stairs or eliptical (must stay over 200 watts)
• 15 pull ups or 15 pull downs at 150 lbs
• 20 squats at 100 lbs
• 30 sit ups
• 40 box jumps at 24 inches or 40 lunges
• 20 min high intensity on bike, treadmill, stairs or eliptical (must stay over 200 watts)
• 15 pull ups or 15 pull downs at 150 lbs
• 20 squats at 100 lbs
• 30 sit ups
• 40 box jumps at 24 inches or 40 lunges

It started as most great things do, during a delirious conversation over cold beer, after a long day outside.  In theory, it’s pretty simple - in 2009 I plan to:

• Ski 30 days.
• Climb 60 days.
• Surf 90 days.

As with most hair-brained conquests, the tough part will be getting it done. But it’s time to get outside and do the things that I love and by my calculations there’s no better time than now.  Along the way I plan to shoot some video and post it to the blog and YouTube.  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and getting out there with a few of you.

Cheers,

Lane