January 1st 6:30 am, alarm sounds and it is time to wake up and start the new year, off to the ski hill. What are great way to ring in the new year, skiing with my wife on the mountain I grew up on. The best thing about skiing on new years day is that there are not many people out. Most people are at home nursing hangovers and recovering from a late night out. Although this does sound fun, I for one, am not a fan of the associated headache especially when it is a sunny bluebird day. Don't get me wrong I do like a good party but sometimes it is better to go skiing!
We got to Whistler by 8 am and were on the hill skiing by 8:30. The place was empty, compared to the norm which was expected. Skiing on to every lift at Whistler is very sweet. The sun was shinning and the snow was great, what a great way to spend quality time with my beautiful wife!
January 2nd, time to climb! The sun was still out, rare in Squamish this time of year. One must take every opportunity to get outside and climb when it is sunny in Squamish.
The best place to climb in the winter is in the Smoke Bluffs due to the aspect to the sun, it drys super fast. Any given sunny day in Squamish if you head into the Smoke Bluffs you will find many of the dedicated locals out trying to get a few pitches in before the weather deteriorates. Today was no exception. It was great to see so many people out braving the frigid temperatures and enjoying the excellent friction.
I have been spending a lot of time in the gym training for this up coming season and being able to climb outside puts the training to the test. I think it is very important to keep things in perspective when training indoors and to remember what it is all for. In some peoples case it is competition climbing that drives their respective training, some they only climb inside but for me it is the true outdoors. The thrill of climbing challenging routes that nature has created is what drives my hours of training. Today was a great reminder and confirmation.
We got to Whistler by 8 am and were on the hill skiing by 8:30. The place was empty, compared to the norm which was expected. Skiing on to every lift at Whistler is very sweet. The sun was shinning and the snow was great, what a great way to spend quality time with my beautiful wife!
January 2nd, time to climb! The sun was still out, rare in Squamish this time of year. One must take every opportunity to get outside and climb when it is sunny in Squamish.
The best place to climb in the winter is in the Smoke Bluffs due to the aspect to the sun, it drys super fast. Any given sunny day in Squamish if you head into the Smoke Bluffs you will find many of the dedicated locals out trying to get a few pitches in before the weather deteriorates. Today was no exception. It was great to see so many people out braving the frigid temperatures and enjoying the excellent friction.
I have been spending a lot of time in the gym training for this up coming season and being able to climb outside puts the training to the test. I think it is very important to keep things in perspective when training indoors and to remember what it is all for. In some peoples case it is competition climbing that drives their respective training, some they only climb inside but for me it is the true outdoors. The thrill of climbing challenging routes that nature has created is what drives my hours of training. Today was a great reminder and confirmation.
