Hardwear Sessions

By Dawn Glanc

My ice-climbing season in Colorado was just about over for the year. The ice in Ouray had begun to melt. The days were growing longer and the daytime temperatures continually soared well above freezing. The ice was starting to fall down or become very sun affected and turning to a snow cone. I however, was not ready to have my season end. So, I set my sights to far off lands that were still frozen. I looked toward Norway.

Rjukan Ice Climbing

I connected with good friends who live in Oslo. Seth Hobby and Maren Bistrup welcomed me to come over and climb. Seth said the conditions were great and that he would have two weeks time to climb with me. He also mentioned that he had a sweet four wheel drive van, so that I would not have to rent a car. It all seemed to fall into place naturally. I bought a cheap ticket and flew over to the frozen lands a week later. The trip quickly came together, with all the elements of a great trip in line. I was more than elated to go and explore and have a crazy Norwegian adventure.

When I arrived In Oslo, the weather was grey and cloudy. Naturally I wanted a bluebird forecast, but the cold weather and overcast skies were much more conducive for our ice climbing objectives. I spent one night in Oslo at Seth and Maren's apartment to settle in, and to recover from the long hours of travel. The following morning after a proper Norwegian breakfast, Seth and I made our game plan for the days to come.

Bridal Veil Falls is the highest cascade waterfall in Colorado with water falling 365 feet. For the first time in decades, the falls opened this winter for expert only ice climbing this winter. Mountain Hardwear athlete, Ben Clark couldn't be stopped from making the climb. Check it out on Plumtv.com.

View more Mountain Hardwear athlete videos here.

*Gift with Purchase: The gift offer is valid only on single in-store purchase at the Mountain Hardwear store in Portland. Limit one gift per person per day while supplies last. Offers may not be applied to prior purchases or gift certificates, combined with any other offer or discount, or redeemed by store employees. Mountain Hardwear reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time. Le Hoody Royale valid only on 4/9/2009 - 4/11/2009. ©2009 Mountain Hardwear, Inc. All rights reserved.

By Marc Hoffmeister, Team Leader, Operation Denali

Sponsorship through Mountain Hardwear's Expedition Sponsorship Program is a dream come true for a group of guys who didn't think climbing Denali was even possible a few years ago. The mission of Operation Denali is to enable four warriors wounded in the Global War on Terror to overcome our devastating combat injuries and successfully summit 20,320 ft Denali, the highest mountain in North America. The climb symbolizes the strength of our Nation and those who defend it. Specific details about the climb are online at VeteransCoalition.org.

I've always loved the outdoors. I used to spend all of my free time climbing in the back country or dreaming about climbing the big peaks. I stopped dreaming the day the enemy got lucky and I earned a purple heart. In 2007, while conducting combat operations in Iraq, a roadside bomb ripped through my HMMWV. The explosively formed penetrator tore through all of us in the truck. We survived because the rest of my men did everything right, but I lost effective use of my left arm and hand to my injuries. Despite our survival, life has changed for us all, in both mind and body. We became casualties of war. I bear this title proudly. I have no regrets and I have no anger at the enemy or frustration with the war. I know we've made a difference and I accept my sacrifices.

Marc Hoffmeister earned a Purple Heart.
Photo Courtesy of Marc Hoffmeister

Mountain Hardwear Headquarters, located at historic Ford Point
Photo Credit: Billy Hustace Photography

Mountain Hardwear today was named to Outside magazine's (www.outsideonline.com) second annual "Best Places to Work" list. Mountain Hardwear was ranked No. 19 out of 30 selected companies. The full list and related story will be published in the May issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands April 14, 2009.

Mountain Hardwear, a leading manufacturer of outdoor equipment and apparel, is honored to be among the few to receive this great distinction. "Mountain Hardwear's commitment to making top-end products has employees getting outside and testing gear in real mountains," say Outside Magazine executive editor Michael Roberts. "Plus, their solar-powered headquarters in Richmond has loaner bikes so the staff can roll to lunch spots and it will soon offer a kayak launch into the San Francisco Bay. It's an ideal environment for balancing hard work with a fun, active lifestyle."

"I think we have to give Mike Wallenfels a lot of credit. Many companies may try to mandate a company culture, but if the top of the pyramid isn't participating, it's meaningless - employees are hesitant. But Mike is leading by example. He's the cornerstone to the culture here. Some days he has his dogs in his office and he's almost always up for a lunchtime mountain bike ride," says Ted Ganio, Director of Merchandising.

CNN.com follows climber Ben Clark, a Mountain Hardwear Athlete, and friends on their adventure across the globe to ski down the Himalayas. CNN interviews will be posted to the blog at www.skithehimalayas.com.

By Jon Bowermaster, Mountain Hardwear Adventure Journalist

The last time I was in the island nation of the Maldives - nearly 400,000 people scattered among 1,200 tiny islands running south for a thousand miles off the tips of Sri Lanka and India - the place was on edge. It was early in 2005 and the tsunami waves had rushed over the islands just a few weeks before. Fortunately for the Maldives a combination of deep channels running between islands and the sizable coral reefs that surround many of them prevented the giant wave from sweeping its entire population into the sea. Only about 100 people were killed, far fewer than drowned on the coast of Somalia hundreds of miles further west.

Photo Credit: Jon Bowermaster

I came to report on the post-tsunami impacts for the New York Times and as I wandered among the homes badly cracked by the wave and saw decades-old garbage dumps swept into the sea by waters that rushed over the islands - which rise less than six feet above sea level - everyone was talking about the possibility of another such incident. "What can we do to prevent the next wave from taking us all," was the collective concern. "What if there is a second wave coming?"

Photo Credit: Jon Bowermaster

Today I'm back for a couple weeks of scouting - we'll shoot a documentary film here later in the year - and the subject has changed. No one is talking about tsunami waves, but everyone is talking about rising sea levels. Both are obviously legitimate concerns in a place where all of life lives just a couple feet above the sea. Talk is heightened by a variety of recent reports that sea level rise around the globe is now anticipated to come faster, reach higher ... and the fact that the Maldives new president, Mohamed Nasheen, is talking louder than any elected official in the world about the need to do anything we can to slow the seas from rising. He obviously has a vested interest.

Erik Weihenmayer 's memoir, Touch the Top of the World, was made into a feature film and recently released on DVD. For an indepth look at the film go to A&ETV.

Blindsight follows six Tibetan teenagers who set out to climb the 23,000 foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest. A dangerous journey soon becomes a seemingly impossible challenge made all the more remarkable by the fact that the teenagers are blind.

"Just because you lose your sight, doesn't mean you lose your vision."
- Blind climber Erik Weihenmayer

Read Erik Weihenmayer 's Athlete bio on MountainHardwear.com

By Pat Deavoll, Mountain Hardwear Athlete

Organising this expedition, a recipient of the Mountain Hardwear Expedition Grant, has been an organic process- more so than any other trip I've put together. The problem seems to be the country! Pakistan is in the news more often than some climbers feel comfortable with; that plus the fact the New Zealand Batura Glacier Expedition intends to travel, and climb, within a stones throw of the Afghan border.

Kampire Dior Photo by Bruce Norman

Having climbed in Pakistan in 2007 and 2008, I'm not that worried. I figure what I'm there to do, climb a 7000m peak, puts me at greater risk than being caught up in any Al Quaeda activity. I figure if we make our stay in Islamabad short and keep our heads down travelling through Swat (on the way up the Karakoram Highway) once we get to liberal, tourist-orientated Hunza, we'll be fine. And no self-respecting member of the Taliban is going to want to trek 65km up the Batura Glacier to check us out.

But six weeks out from leaving New Zealand, two of the team are wavering, un-nerved by the latest bombing that killed 19 people at a popular Islamabad mosque last weekend. And a rumour has come through from our outfitter that some parts of the NW may be put off limits to climbers, including the Upper Batura Glacier. Choose another objective, they say.

What to do?

By Mountain Hardwear Athlete, Micah Dash

Jonny and I leave for Asia in just ten days and our spring training is in full effect. Since breaking my heel last summer, and spending three months on crutches followed by another three months walking at an ants pace, I wasn't sure how to get back into shape. Keeping up with Jonny in the mountains is no easy feat. He is a cardio machine and since our objective in Asia will be more of a mixed alpine route than a big wall rock climb I decided I needed to train a bit differently.

Time for some spring training! Photo Credit Micah Dash

Thanks to Connie Sciolino and the Mountain Athlete program www.mtnathlete.com from Jackson Hole, but now also in Boulder, I found just what I was looking for. Mountain Athlete, similar to Cross Fit, is a hardcore, ass kicking one hour workout session. Its leg crushing, heart pumping, back burning, barf on the floor marathon.

This kind of training won't necessarily make you a better climber, you need to climb to do that, but what it will do is make you hard to kill in the alpine. Mountain Machines like Bean Bowers, Stephen Koch, Ben Gilmore, and Kevin Mahoney have been this training method for some time. In combination with climbing fulltime I think it will be a huge asset to climbing in the Himalaya this spring. If nothing else, I feel like it is bringing me closer to where I was prior to getting injured.

If you find yourself in Boulder and cranking on the rocks doesn't seem to be doing the trick, stop in and check it out. You can contact Connie at sciolino@q.com.

From the Office of Ueli Steck

Ueli Steck and Simon Anthamatten have been awarded with one of 3 "Piolets d'Or 2009."

On Saturday night, the annual "Piolet" event that brought together mountaineers from all four corners of the earth came to an end, with 3 Piolets awarded for first ascents, and one Piolet given for career achievement.

Ueli Steck und Simon Anthamatten have been awarded with a "Piolet d'Or 2009" for their great first ascent in the alpine style of Tengkampoche Northface (6500m), Khumbu Valley, Nepal. Ueli Steck has already been nominated for a previous Piolets d'Or: in 2005 for his Khumbu-Express (Nepal): Solo first ascent of Cholatse Northface (6640m), and in solo first ascent of east face of Tawoche (6505m) and north-west-face of Ama Dablam (break off at 5900m, due to bad weather).