Bittersweet

/in /by

Chicks guides and participants digging a snow pit during a recent avalanche training course.


Chicks guides and participants digging a snow pit during a recent avalanche training course.

Hello friends, old and new!

It’s the middle of March and I’m in Park City, Utah, in the middle of teaching an avalanche course.

I went for a walk this evening and spring filled the air. I walked without a hat or a jacket and I had to slow down and adjust to the warmth step by step. The sun, lingering low in the evening sky, had been strong all day. Earlier in the day, the snow under our skis and shovel blades turned to slush as the solar radiation pushed its way through the surface of the snowpack.

As guides, we at Chicks spend all year in the mountains and each season has its own emotional meaning. For me, winter is especially meaningful because of my love for skiing.

From the weightless bouncing through powder snow, to peaceful walks in snowy woods, to the gratifying effort of climbing a peak on skis and skins, skiing is dear to my heart. I enjoy nothing more than exploring the winter landscape on skis.

For this reason, over the last few years, we’ve expanded our ski program. Our goal, as always, is to share our love of mountain adventures with women, AND support the learning and skills for inspired women to get on the sharp end, to break their own trails.

Our ski program has been an amazing journey. Backcountry hut trips, far-off ski adventures in La Grave, France and Japan, and our avalanche education programs have been really special.

Traveling in the mountains is not easy. Traveling in winter in the mountains is even harder. Sub-zero temps threaten to freeze your fingers solid; fierce winds whip your face; fiery hot sun suddenly puts everything and everyone around you into melt-down mode; deep powder, that’s too deep; and windblown hard sheets of snow.

Winter mountain travel—Backcountry Skiing—has it all.

But here’s what’s really special and amazing: we learn to overcome these challenges together. We persevere in solidarity, keeping our fingers and toes intact, smiling even as we drown in deep powder snow, laughing as we sprint for the shade of the northern aspect. Learning together we stomp right past the fleeting, transitory, and way-too-easy feelings, to find instead a state of satisfaction and contentment. As much as the beautiful mountains teach us, as fun as skiing is, without connection, without face-to-face sharing, without trading our smiles and tears, we’d fall short, yearning for something more.

This is what is truly amazing and special about the Chicks experience: the strong bond that forms in our groups. When the trip ends, we part ways as friends, knowing that we are together, even as we head back home, alone.

So say goodbye to winter, and hello to spring.

It’s still a great time to ski if you’re willing to earn your turns. Read Angela’s Top Tips for Spring Skiing.

And, of course, spring is time for rock climbing! We’re off to Joshua Tree, CA in a few weeks and Indian Creek, UT soon after that.

As much as I’ll miss the lessons of the snow, I look forward to getting schooled in the rules of rock climbing pegmatite dikes and splitter sandstone.

I hope you’ll join us!

Karen Bockel, co-owner Chicks Climbing and Skiing, IFMGA Mountain Guide

Spring is in the Air and I’m Dreaming of Winter

/in /by
Dawn Glanc, co-owner Chicks Climbing and Skiing, ice-climbing, Second Gully, Silverton, Co

Dawn Glanc, co-owner Chicks Climbing and Skiing, on the prowl for spring-time ice with a wild-child smile, Second Gully, Silverton, Co. ©Pat Ormond

March is my favourite month.

It’s still winter. The skiing and ice climbing are at their best. My desire to get out and play is childlike and wild.

Yet, I feel winter slipping away. The stronger sun is trying to help spring arrive.

Ice climbing season is ending in front of my eyes.

As the ice melts, I continue to feel the need to climb it. The sun warms my face, and I also feel the need for spring.

It is a weird dichotomy. Some call it March Madness. I want my first love, which is ice. I also want the ease of sport climbing—to be comfortable in only one layer of long underwear. A tank top would be too much, too fast.

They say March “comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb.”

For me, this means it’s the month to hunt down and tackle the last of winter, then gambol about on some sunny, spring rock.

I urge you to take on the last of winter. Roar and rope up, or click in, before the magical winter wonderland melts away.

At the same time I urge you to get ready for rock climbing. Go to the gym during the week and follow the Chicks: 8-Week Rock Climbing Training Program outlined below.

Bluebird rock climbing days will be here soon enough and if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself dreaming of winter.

If you’re not like me, and, instead you think I’m mad for wanting winter to stick around, the good news is, it won’t. Spring is in the air!

I hope to see you all on the rock this season!

Ski Mountaineering is “The Goods!”

/in /by

 

Angela Hawse ski mountaineering in Antarctica

Angela Hawse ski mountaineering in Antarctica

There’s an illicit and secret connotation in the expression, “The Goods.” It’s as if anything that is really good must somehow be too good to be true, in other words, wrong.

Winter has finally arrived and my backyard, Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, is ripe for getting “The Goods.” There’s nothing better, nothing more complete, and nothing more right, than ski mountaineering.

I learned how to ski when I was 17, straight off the YMCA bus, schooled in hard knocks and anything goes.

Free-heeling was the rage; and for years I got more face shots from falling on my face than I got from powder turns.

It wasn’t until I was in my mid 40’s and serious about guide certification that I finally fixed my heel, thus fixed my face-plant problem, and found my calling.

I love climbing mountains but non-technical descents are not very enjoyable.

I’ve found with skiing, I can dance with gravity on the descent, linking turns with the wind in my face. And, cut the time down in less than half!

Ski mountaineering makes what was already fun, more fun, and in large part adds a degree of safety. I’m more nimble. I can move through terrain faster and more efficiently. This broadens my scope of possibility and minimizes my exposure to hazards.

But what I love most about skiing is that that it requires digging deeply. From just getting started, all the way to ski mountaineering, backcountry skiing encompasses big picture stuff like weather, avalanche hazard, communication, and technical skill. It requires homework. You don’t just show up when you go skiing.

Which is why I couldn’t be more stoked that Chicks has rounded out its mountain sports collective with backcountry ski basics, avalanche courses and ski mountaineering for a full line up the mountain and more fun on the way back down.

 See ya on the slopes!

 

Angela Hawse, Co-owner Chicks Climbing and Skiing, IFMGA Mountain Guide

Hey! I Didn’t Die.

/in /by
Total Bitch. Dawn Glanc wrestling with the first log, 2013 Ouray Ice Festival Competition ©Marcus Garcia

Total Bitch. Dawn Glanc wrestling with the first log, 2013 Ouray Ice Festival Competition ©Marcus Garcia

Many women who take Chicks Climbing and Skiing clinics are not athletic—I mean, they did not grow up being active. Women in their fifties and early sixties (we’ve even had seventy-year-olds) come who’ve had no sports opportunities in their entire lives. Chicks is their first athletic experience, ever.

When I’m teaching a clinic, I’ll often watch a woman realize that there’s another world, an athletic, active one, and all they have to do to live in that world is to step into it.

They wrestle with the contradiction, the shifting mental model, “Hey! I didn’t freeze to death. I didn’t die? I climbed a vertical wall of ice!”

As their guide it’s easy for me to see that what they really did was conquer themselves. They conquered their fear, their fear of heights, of failure, lack of skill, the belief that they are weak. In an ice climb, they grew strong as they pushed themselves out and over their comfort zone.

And, the best part? It was fun!

Two weeks ago, I competed in the Ouray Ice Festival Competition. I’ve competed in this competition 10 times now and each time it’s been a different experience.

At first I was just stoked to be in the finals, competing against the best climbers in the world. I felt like the luckiest person alive.

Then, I wanted to win.

Mixed climbing and ice climbing were my every thought. I trained uber hard phsically AND mentally—visualizing my success. For four years, 2009 – 2012, this dedication paid off with podium spots and cash prizes. I was on cloud nine and felt invincible.

Then, in 2013, I did not meet my competition goal and I became a total bitch.

It turns out my competitive nature is my biggest downfall. In 2014 and 2015 disappointment plagued my entire winter season. I decided to give up competition until I could learn to be a better sport.

I started commentating which came naturally: I knew the rules; I had first-hand experience; I know the competitors; I provided comic anecdotes. However, inside I suffered. I had a serious case of FOMO.

So, I decided to compete again.

Instead of winning, my goal was to be the first elected official to compete in the Ouray Ice Festival. (I was elected to town council in 2016.)

All I had to do was show up, tie in and climb.

I felt I could manage this goal and still feel successful. With this new attitude, I felt free and had fun competing for the first time ever.

Am I back? No. I’m still a terrible sport; I don’t deal well with poor performance. I’m hyper-critical of myself. Competition brings out the worst in me.

However, I met my goal. I feel really good about my climb. Instead of falling, I timed out. And, I stopped along the way to wave at the crowd. This is how I honour the competition that has taught me so much about myself, an event that I will always hold close to my heart.

See you in the Ouray Ice Park next year for some serious learning and some serious fun,

Dawn Glanc, co-owner Chicks Climbing and Skiing, AMGA Rock and Alpine Guide, Mixtress

Are You Avalanche Aware?

/in /by

Avalanche ClassI’m so excited. It’s snowing.

As I watch the flakes come down, I feel a wave of joy. I want to run and shout, build a snowman, throw a covert snowball, and GO SKIING!

When I was a kid I dreamed of being a downhill ski racer, flying down mountain slopes. I was fearless and strong. Gravity was my best friend.

I chased my ski-racing dreams from North Carolina to the University of Vermont, home of many ski Olympians. But after a few years of over-crowded ski areas, I escaped to the backcountry where I found ice and alpine climbing. That’s when I discovered the pure joys of winter, where I feel the most at home in this world. I finished university six months early (so I could get on to what was really important!), moved into “Camp Subaru” and headed West.

A few weeks later I found myself with my newfound mentor, Lyle Dean.

Lyle and I were on skis approaching Liberty Ridge on Mt. Rainer when a thick fog rolled in and Lyle said, “We need to stop.”

I said, “Why?” We weren’t near our intended camp.

“It’s dangerous to travel in a whiteout.”

Suddenly, there was a loud BOOM—and I was falling.

Everything went white and silent.

I remembered from the avalanche class I’d taken from Rob Newcomb, that I should

SWIM. And, once the snow started to settle I should
MAKE A SPACE FOR YOUR FACE, and
RAISE YOUR OTHER ARM so it might stick out of the snow.

I kicked my skis off, let go of my poles, and swam hard.

Finally, everything stopped. Both Lyle and I ended up OK and on top of the cement-hard snow.

It turns out that we’d been standing on a cornice. The cornice gave way under our weight, and the force of us hitting the slope below started an avalanche.

They say that failure offers an enormous opportunity for learning and that good judgment comes from surviving mistakes. While that may be true (as long as you get back in one piece!), I’ve learned many things from mentors, partners and the courses and classes I’ve taken over the years.

So, I want you to do two things:

1) Click the link (Know Before You Go), watch the video, and share with all your backcountry partners
2) Take an avalanche course

Take a Chicks Avalanche course!

Chicks and the Silverton Avalanche School have partnered to create all-women’s avalanche courses taught by the most bad-ass, knowledgeable and expert women in the industry.

In December 2018, despite no snow, the partnership launched with three super successful one-day Avalanche Rescue Courses. Check out Angela’s trip report Can You Dig | Chicks Joins Force with Silverton Avalanche School to find out more and how in the heck you practice Avalanche Rescue with NO SNOW?

Also, Chicks is offering an AIARE Recreational Level 2 course.

If you want to spend a day learning backcountry ski skills or making the transition from downhill to backcountry, join us on our Intro to Backcountry Skiing Skills course.

If you want to combine turns with avalanche education while staying in a ski hut (so much fun!), we would love to have you on our Intro to Backcountry Skiing and Riding Hut Clinic.

Hope to see you soon—and look out for snowballs!

Inspiring Women Meet the first person to ski the seven summits

/in /by
Kit DeslauriersKit Deslauriers is the first person to ski the seven summits, a The North Face athlete, and amazing ski mountaineer. I caught up with her the other day and here is what she had to say.
1) Tell us a bit about yourself: Where you’ve been, what you’ve done, what life is like now, what’s important to you?
I’m a skier, and really a mountain lover of all sorts, with a deep love for backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. I’ve been a member of The North Face athlete team since 2005 (?!) and lived in Teton Village, WY since 2000.  In 2006 I skied off the top of Mt. Everest which was the last mountain in my project to be the first person to ski the Seven Summits but I’ve also skied from some much more obscure peaks, like Mt. Aspiring in New Zealand and Mt. Belukha in Siberia which was where I met my husband, Rob.  Now we [sic] are raising our two daughters to have a profound (we hope!) appreciation for the natural world while also letting them be their own unique selves.  It’s important to me that kids these days have a sense of feeling comfortable and welcome in the outdoor world, this should always feel like their home.
2) It’s November, and there is already a couple feet of snow on the ground in the Tetons.  After so many winters and summers of skiing, do you still get excited for skiing when the snow starts to fly?
I LOVE TO SKI!  Although I will say that my approach to early season skiing was tempered many years ago by snapping a ski pole on a buried tree in the steep woods above my former home in Ophir, CO which made me realize that it just as easily could have been my tib/fib at no fault of my own.  So in the early month or so of late autumn skiing, I tend to focus on ski fitness, elk hunting, and even a family trip to the beach where I keep up on my beginning intermediate surf skills. Then I hit the skiing with passion around the 1st of December and I’m reminded how much I love skiing more than anything else!  I keep this feeling straight through mid-June as I love climbing and skiing the high peaks in spring conditions as much as I love powder skiing.
3) How do you prepare for the ski season? Do you use a gear checklist for your first outings?
A physical checklist for my first ski outings of the season would be a good idea, but these days I just have it in my head. My habit of packing the night before does help though. I never go out without a first aid kit and part of my every other year preparation is to recertify my Wilderness First Responder in October or November so I did that about a month ago.  It’s my strong belief that we should all be able to step up in the case of an emergency.  I also practice with my beacon and even if I didn’t ski during the first storms of the season, I was diligently studying the snowpack and making observations that I’ll be able to recall throughout the year.
4) What are your strategies for skiing early season?
My strategies for early season skiing revolve around safety and conservative decision making. It honestly takes me a bit to get re-familiarized with my comfort level in the risk assessment process of backcountry skiing so I will head out for low hanging fruit first to get my systems back in place. Also, I don’t hold back on training just because it’s ski season.  Since I’m cautious early on, I’m usually not throwing myself into long days so I need to keep upping my fitness level until I get into that full on winter mode when it largely takes care of itself.  Core fitness is my personal love lately, as I’ve been learning to go uphill from my glutes and abs which takes fatigue off from quads and hip flexors.  Some of these tricks we have to figure out as we get older!
5) How do you stay sharp and make good decisions in avalanche terrain?
I literally make notes to myself in my calendar to study my snow science since otherwise I wouldn’t do it. One of the things I love most about making decisions in avalanche terrain is how it puts me in touch with honest, open communication and reminds me of my humility. I get scared of wind, for instance, as I’ve had a bad experience with how it can quickly form a slab avalanche so I pay careful attention to the recent direction of wind, amount of wind, and am comfortable backing away from that hazard when I see it. Last spring I was up and out the door at 3 am many mornings, but we didn’t have great freezing temps overnight in the Tetons so the snowpack didn’t have the stability I wanted and I often just went back to bed. It’s important to know your comfort level and then have metrics to gauge it against.  Of course, it’s also important not to give in to the ‘monkey mind’ if it’s not a realistic concern. That translates to going for big objectives whenever they line up!
 
6) What advise do you have for women skiers and riders new to the backcountry?
Get training and experience and then be compassionate with yourself as it’s a process.  If you really love it like I do, then the backcountry is a lifelong friend and you should treat it as such.  Sometimes you and that friend will go on a really long expedition together, but more often than not it’s a quick lunch date or coffee break and those moments nurture your relationship, too.  We all have the ability to become really good at the things we love.

Opening Up

/in /by

Funny how the Thanksgiving season is followed by Christmas. During Thanksgiving we are to take notice of all that we are to be thankful for and one of the greatest gifts we have is each other.  So on Christmas, we demonstrate that appreciation and love with gifts.  This is a reaffirming occasion since much of the time we can become focused on protecting ourselves.  In our busy lives we tend to concentrate on what we need to do to make sure we get done what we need to do by a certain time.  Others either help us or they hinder us. The ego gets fed and the journey is forgotten.  At least that’s what happens to me, as I wrote in my blog for Subaru, “Dropping the Ego”

Arno Ilgner, in his book, The Warriors Way, discusses how ego gets in the way of the climbing experience.  “For most of us, when it comes to meeting challenges, our own worst enemy is ourselves.  Our self-image and our self-worth are far too wrapped up in achievements.  Ego controls much of our behavior.  We constantly act out of fear and avoidance, rather than out of the love of challenge or of climbing itself.  Our mental habits raise unnecessary barriers and often, unconsciously, drain the vitality from our performances.”

At Chicks, we recognize the importance of awareness in climbing and skiing and believe that our women’s environment is a place that is supportive, yet asks each participant to push their comfort zones rather than protect the ego.  I think one of the greatest gifts that climbing continuously gives me is the humbling experience that it often is – and at the same time I gain confidence.  Sharing this with my belayer or teammate, where I have to open up and let down my guard, or ego, is an experience that I rarely get in my every day life.

Growth Through Training and Education

/in /by

Chicks Continuing EducationLife is an adventure and we never know where it will take us.

I was afraid of heights when I was a teenager, but by the time I finished college, all I wanted to do was to learn more about alpine climbing in ranges throughout the world.  I knew that I could only afford to do so by becoming a guide or a sponsored climber.  I never dreamed I could become a sponsored climber so I chose to become a guide and worked for the American Alpine Institute in Alaska, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Nepal.  Along the way, I did some personal climbs that attracted attention and eventually I did become a sponsored climber. As Chicks Co-Owner Karen Bockel states in her story of becoming a Certified IFMGA Guide, we all reach a fork in our path. When I was offered sponsorship opportunities, I chose that path over becoming a certified guide. I was doing what I loved, getting paid to travel the world and climb.

Why is it important to hire a certified guide?

I think Chicks Co-Owner Angela Hawse sums it up best. In this excerpt from her blog she explains why you should seek out certified guides:

AMGA Certified Guides come from many different backgrounds and have a variety of talents and ambitions but one thing unites them all: the desire to rise to their full potential, excel at what they do, and become the best mountain guide they can be. AMGA training allows mountain guides to realize these desires. As a U.S. member of the IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Association), our certified guides have undergone rigorous training and examination that meets and exceeds international standards.

Building a relationship and getting involved with an AMGA Certified Guide or Accredited Program is a great way to gain mastery of climbing and skiing technical skills or reach the summit of your heart’s desire. AMGA guides bring a unique set of characteristics to the mountains. With a combination of great personality, a focus on maximizing client reward, excellent teaching ability, and emphasis on safety, our guides are sure to improve your mountain experiences.

At Chicks, we believe that certified guides represent the best guide training there is – and that is why we only hire certified guides.  Amongst our ownership team, Angela Hawse and Karen Bockel are both IFMGA Certified, meaning they have passed rigorous exams in Rock, Alpine, and Ski disciplines… they pretty much have a Ph.D. in guiding. Dawn Glanc is Certified in both Rock and Alpine disciplines, and Elaina Arenz is a Certified Rock Guide and Apprentice Alpine Guide. Besides certification, we value education and improving oneself. Personally, I am looking forward to taking pro level avalanche courses this winter.

So here’s to those who dare to follow their dreams.

Here’s to education, training, and experience to enable those dreams. As Albert Schweitzer said, “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives”. Carry on, Sisters and never stop learning.

Forging Self-Reliance

/in /by

One cold, windy day many years ago Jay Smith, Doug Hall, and I eagerly donned our packs and began post-holing up a gully to do a first ascent of an ice route that rarely comes in.  The new snow was not particularly deep, but the gully was steep so we took turns breaking trail.  We were nearing the base of the climb and the wind had begun to howl overhead. My partners had stopped to pull out the 7ml tag line and were looking for an anchor.  “What’s up?” I asked, knowing full well that they were roping up because they were afraid of the avalanche danger and hoped a belay would save their lives should an avalanche drop down on us from above.  “If it’s that bad, I am going down!” I exclaimed.  After a lengthy discussion, Jay and Doug packed up the rope and followed me down the gully.  Because of my taking a stand, we did not make the first ascent.  The slope above never avalanched, but we will never know if the gully would have slid with our weight on it.

Still, I wanted to know more.  Was I being too conservative?  Was my tolerance for risk below those of my partners?  Perhaps the rope and anchor (a scrawny tree) would have held in an avalanche.  I consulted with a local avalanche expert and he stated that if he were in my shoes, he would have expressed the same concerns as I and retreated.  I realized that both Jay and Doug had listened to my arguments intently that day and had not treated me any differently because I had a lower testosterone level.  Any thoughts of personal doubts were ones that I brought on myself.

When Kim Reynolds started Chicks Climbing and Skiing nineteen years ago, she noticed plenty of women, in the Ouray Ice Park, climbing with men.  What bothered her was the fact that they were not leading or setting up anchors. They relied on their more experienced partners. 

Since 1999, Chicks has been working to increase the skill and knowledge base in women in rock, ice, and alpine climbing and most recently – backcountry skiing.  Recently, my four Chicks partners and I were discussing our purpose.  We had to narrow it down to two words.  We settled upon Forging Self-Reliance.  Brilliant!

Iceland Sailboat Skiing

/in /by

iceland sailboat skiingI’ll never forget the moment I first laid eyes on the Aurora Arktika, Captain’s Siggi’s beautiful, modern but historic merchant Dutch style sailboat, anchored in the harbor of Isafjordur.  It’s two masts swayed gently above the wooden deck and the red and black painted hull.  Two small hatch doors were open to the area under deck and up came Captain Siggi to greet us and load our skis and gear onboard. 

We started by sailing across the waters to the Hornstandir Natural Reserve, a beautiful, remote mountain area where snow covered slopes lead directly to the fjords below.   Yearning to explore, we set anchor in a small fjord, caught a ride in the zodiac to shore and began to skin up perfect spring snow into the mountains.  We headed for a high pass that would connect to the basin on the far side, planning to meet the ship after Siggi would sail around the rugged coast to meet us.  Clouds had formed at that moment, and Siggi called us on the radio to make sure we were up for the adventure.  Of course we were, unable to resist the curiosity of wanting to see the other side of the mountains.  We gained the pass after a couple hours of skinning uphill, climbing over a few rocks near the top, and were greeted with stunning scenery and a long, winding ski run down a large alpine basin, carving turns past waterfalls and cliff bands.  Far below in the fjord, we could see the Aurora anchored.  Siggi picked us up from shore and once back on the sailboat we dug into a big dinner of fresh fish and stew.  Content and happy, we relaxed in the cozy dining area below deck.  The Aurora felt so welcoming and comfortable, that it did not take long to call the boat our home. 

For the next six days, we skied.  We explored anything from big open slopes to enticing couloirs, climbed up to high peaks and passes, and anchored in a different fjord each night.  Even during a couple days of mediocre weather, we were able to get out and enjoy good snow.  We took sea kayaks and paddle boards out on the water to watch seals play, we hunted for mussels, and we sat on deck with a glass of wine enjoying the purple midnight sky of the long Nordic spring days.  We felt like pioneers.  Sailboat skiing in Iceland was an unforgettable experience.