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Outdoors

by Ben Clark

Ice Fest 2010 033 Flying into Marquette, MI late on a Thursday night in February was about as exotic as my life could get. I'm a climber from Colorado and heard there was ice here, in the cold and windswept upper peninsula. Not just normal ice of course, ice that had drawn climbers to the region for a climbing festival running into its 26th year. Really???

For all the promise of cold, it was the warmth of the locals that made the trip so worthwhile. Heading out to Sand Point on Friday with Rep Bryan Kuhn and his friends, I was treated to thunker swings in a savory pillar of steep waterfall ice. We shared it with several locals, looking to experience the privacy that makes ice climbing so cherished in this region about to be inundated by weekend festivities. I was psyched to be there and happy to be surrounded by such nice people.

22 February, 2010 /

Did you see them on the mountain in Telluride? Athletes with disabilities, some of them wounded vets, people with impaired vision, skiers in sit-down equipment. They were all over the mountain this week, on the Meadows, on Gold Hill, in Logpile, notching great times...

04 February, 2010 /

Telluride local Ben Clark takes Telluride on the road every spring, doing what Telluriders often do: Get out there on the edge. This is the second post in a series linking to Ben's adventures in the Himalayas. View the website and check out the video...

02 February, 2010 /

January full moon (plus 1 day) in Telluride. Jackie Greene was playing at the Opera House, but for many locals, the place to be was the Valley Floor for moonlight cross country skiing. To sweeten the deal there were stations for hot cider, soup,...

31 January, 2010 /

With so much variety in Telluride, it's easy to forget how much there is to do within a few hours' drive in any direction. Saturday, January 23, Damon Demas and I took an overnight trip to Moab and Arches National Park to show...

27 January, 2010 /

Telluride, after the storm Friday, January 22, was a long-awaited powder day in Telluride. After a few runs on open terrain, I decided to check out "Captain Jack's". Renamed and with some...

26 January, 2010 /
The Telluride Nordic Association: Fun Tour and Ski Race on the Valley Floor, Sunday, January 24.

File The 15km “Flat and Fast Race” starts at noon, Sunday. A team race also starts at noon: two skiers are invited to pair up and each ski one 7.5km loop. The “Flat and Fun Tour” begins immediately after those two races. The course is 7.5km.

The Fun Tour is a new addition to Telluride Nordic Challenge Race Series. The event is for skiers who want to enjoy a relaxed day skiing and socializing with other free-heelers without the pressure of a race. As TNA’s Nordic Director Midnite Scholtes explains:

 “I’ve had a lot of people over the years tell me they want to come out and race, but are intimidated by the idea of racing. Lots of communities have Fun Tours in which people can ski at their own pace and not worry too much about a race result. We hope the Tour will appeal to all of the region’s Nordic lovers, and become social, community event. At the same time, Flat and Fast is a great way for skiers to challenge themselves and compete. I know we’ll have racers in Telluride from out of town, so the competition should be strong.”
23 January, 2010 /
P1110009 When the January freeze is over and done, Telluriders tend to store our down jackets and grab for our soft shells.

" Softshell jackets combine the hard-wearing aspects of a Gore-Tex jacket with the mobility, breathability and feel of a much softer fabric," explains Erik Dalton of Jagged Edge. "Though they won’t replace your rain jacket come summertime, these softshell jackets are perfectly suited for our cold and dry conditions in the mountains of Colorado, and for the ups-and-downs of backcountry skiing, hiking, and ski mountaineering."

Erik's pick: Cloudveil's Rayzar, a jacket that offers protection from the fiercest storms and coldest chair rides, while keeping the wearer cool when it comes time to move.
22 January, 2010 /
[click "Play" to listen to Ben Clark's conversation with Susan]

Benbioshotlr This is day-in-the-life-stuff for Telluriders.

Backcountry turns? Sure. Ice climbing? Ditto. Bouldering and climbing in the desert? But of course. Long runs in the high country? What do you think. But Telluride local Ben Clark is not just any Telluride jock.

Clark is a successful filmmaker/enterpreneur and alpinist blessed – cursed? – with an unusually high level of the enzyme monamine oxidase (MAO) and the hormone testosterone, both of which are associated with thrill seeking. In other words, the guy is biochemically suited to the extreme endeavors such as his annual pioneering expeditions in the Himalaya. (And for flying without a net in the world of business.)
21 January, 2010 /

IMG_8277 The valley floor in Telluride: it's not just for prairie dogs anymore. The Telluride Nordic Association now grooms and maintains an elaborate trail system on the valley floor, including seasonal river crossings at various points to access the western end of the valley near Lawson Hill.

28 December, 2009 /