As some you may know I had my second ACL reconstruction done
last February.However, it was not
the same knee as my first.Both of
my grafts healed strong and I was back to playing sports as soon as possible
and skiing well again after about 8 months after the first one.
This second time around has been even faster, which they say
is common for the second go around with knee surgery.I do not mean to go against anything your Physician or
Physical Therapist tells you, their words matter the most.However, I can share with you the little
routine I developed for the 2-5 month range of exercises that can be done in
your bed or living room.As you
get stronger you can add ankle weights or do more reps.
Here is the routine, it may take some time to work up to it:
50 Body-Weight Squats
100 Sit-ups, half normal, half alternating right hand over
left knee and visa versa
100 Double Leg Bridges or 50 single leg bridges for each leg
50 Leg Extensions (add 5 lb ankle weight when ready)
15 Dead Leg Lifts, with a medicine ball when ready
50 Push-Ups
3 min Wall Sits
This is a great, quick routine that can dramatically
increase your leg and core strength when done everyday.If you have a knee injury or surgery
doing as much of this as possible will greatly speed your recovery, especially
when combined with normal physical therapy.I found that acupuncture and massage also greatly speed the
process.
The Hostel in Jackson Hole is truly an exceptional establishment when it comes to North American, especially lower 48, ski lodging. Offering year round accommodations for travelers on a budget, it fills a niche in the otherwise exorbitantly priced Teton Village and has done so since the 1950's. The Hostel is not, however, owned or affiliated with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and sits on private property. This offers guests and the staff the chance to have a bit more freedom from the resorts' regulations, although open containers are allowed on resort property. I spent a summer season, from about March 25 to September 15 working and living at the Hostel, and it was one of the most unique experiences of my life. These are my thoughts on the Hostel based on my experiences.
The Entrance to The Hostel and Front Yard
The Building: The Hostel is an old wooden building and has a smell that mountain people will find inviting and perhaps even intoxicating. It is cozy and has a great mountain feel, but I would take care lighting a match anywhere near it. The lobby is set up with comfortable chairs where you might catch the employees lounging while they harass the manager. Below the lobby is the basement which has multiple couches, chairs, televisions, board games, bathrooms, a ping pong table, and retro ski posters. This summer they also installed several large metal-framed gear drying shelves for the coming Winter season. They also have converted a back room to be gear lockers that can be rented by anyone, guest or not, for the Winter season.
The building has 50 rooms spread over four floors. All of the rooms have a bathroom with a shower and either one king bed or four bunk style beds. Both rooms with king beds and "quad" beds cots $99 per night. Several of the rooms are true Hostel bunk rooms where travelers can pay for just their bunk and share the rooms with strangers for about $30 a night. There is an all male bunk, an all female, and a co-ed bunk room. If you have never stayed in a Hostel bunk room, or if you are on a strict budget, the bunk rooms could be a valuable experience. There are discounts for long term stays (for all rooms) with some people living in rooms or even just a bunk for months at a time. You can call the Hostel to get a quote on these rates.
Looking up at Rendezvous Mountain and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort from the front yard
The Exterior: The Hostel grounds are some of its biggest attributes, especially during the Summer. The front yard of the Hostel is nicely shaded, with a mowed lawn, a grill for you to use, horseshoes, and several sets of lawn chairs and tables. There is also a bike rack right next to the parking lot. Both the staff and guests spend a lot of time mingling on the lawn on Summer days and you will find people to usually be quite approachable. The front yard of the Hostel is one of the best places in the Valley in my opinion, it truly is a blessing from God that no one has paved over that sacred place.
The staff mingles with tourists at the top of the Tram.
The experience: Although I was not in Jackson for the Winter season I have stayed in many foreign hostels and I will say that The Hostel in Jackson certainly stands out from the rest. The smell of the mountains pours out of the Hostel, and if that is something that interests you then you will have an exceptional stay at the Hostel. If that is not the case for you, then you should go stay at the Hostel in order to push yourself out of your comfort zone. The staff are quite friendly, approachable, and eager to help. However, questions of the sort that you could just as quickly find the answer yourself, and complaints about things which they have no control over, will get you nowhere with them. Bring your own shampoo because all they will provide you with is towels and soap. If you need more than that feel free to walk over to the Mangy Moose and buy them or stay somewhere else. However, there is no where else in Jackson and perhaps the entire Rocky Mountains that will provide you with the same experience as The Hostel. Ultimately the Hostel is great for everyone with the right attitude whether they be families on a budget, bums looking for a place to stay for a length of time (and go skiing), or true nomads. -Colin Griffith The Hostel Website: http://www.thehostel.us/
Silverton Mountain. With the Grande Couloir on the left, and the Gnar Couloir on the right
Photo taken with:
Journey to the San Juans:
When I was but a lad, I did not appreciate being able to drive to some of the raddest ski areas in the Northern Rockies in less than a day. When I left for school in Denver, I was excited to see more of what the Rocky Mountains had in store for me to explore. While there are many things about the Front Range that I eventually would learn to love, I developed an early fascination with the Southern Rockies on my first ever DU Alpine Club trip to Silverton Mountain when I was 18. The San Juans were rugged, steep, and beautiful. I knew instantly that I wanted to spend as much of my time in Colorado as I could exploring this isolated landscape. Wolf Creek, Pagosa Springs, Telluride, Durango, Silverton (but not C.B. so far), the towns and the mountains seemed like an entirely different Colorado from anything near Denver, Boulder, Aspen or Vail.
The Iconic Billboard from the top of Rope Dee 1 (already a 30 min hike from the lift)
So, I went on every DUAC trip to the San Juans that I could, including getting tickets to Silverton via a lottery every year of college. My sophomore year I completely tore my ACL going to fast for the conditions on the Silverton trip. I was back on the trip exactly one year later, and was rewarded for a difficult year of rehab with over 4' of blower pow (+5' at Wolf Creek the following day).
have you passed the log-test?
My senior year I, along with 2 other club members, dropped the extra $ for our first helicopter rides. Skylar Holgate, Silverton's Head Heli-Guide, was our guide for the drop. Skylar was also my group's guide 4 years prior when I was a young college freshmen. That day will always be one of the most influential days of skiing ever for me.
stoked out of my mind
The ride alone was worth the money and was one of the radder experiences of my life up to that point. Before you knew it we were standing on top of Pyramid, one of the most popular zones for heli-skiing at Silverton. Our adrenaline had already skyrocketed from the rush of getting ourselves and the gear safely out of the chopper with the rotors thundering overhead. Snow conditions were difficult to say the least, but they were all over the state in 2012, so it was still one of the best days of the season.
With his GoPro Red-Light On, Cody drops into his run on Pyramid Peak with Silverton Heli-Skiing...
Dirtbag Tips for Silverton:
Season Pass:
In August of 2012, I purchased my 2012/2013 Unguided Season Pass to Silverton Mountain for $400. This pass gets you the unguided season which normally runs from Dec. 1 to Mid-January until opening up again in April. This may sound like a raw deal, but the pass comes with 5 free ski-days at each of Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, and Monarch ski areas. Unguided pass holders can also purchase standby guided tickets and heli-drops for almost 50% off during the guided season, which is also a great deal. So anyone living in Colorado can find a way to make this pass worth it, as long as your goal is to ski some of the only gnar that CO has to offer! Not too mention $2 drafts at the Yurt! Check outUnguided Skiing at Silverton Mountain
Where to Stay/Where to Go In Town:
I have only ever stayed in hotels in Silverton when I used to go down there with the Alpine Club. We usually stayed at the Grand Imperial Hotel, which was very nice, but I have no idea what the actual room charge was. This hotel is very old, probably haunted with the ghosts of miners and prostitutes, and seems like it should be the set of a Scooby-Doo episode.
Certainly the cheapest places in Silverton would be the Silverton Inn and Hostel, or The Triangle Motel (Powder Mag's Choice for 'the only place' to stay in Silverton). If you had 2 or 3 people to split aroom I would try the Triangle Motel.
For a beer head to Miner's Tavern (1069 Greene Street, Silverton, CO 81433) or Montanya Distillersaka 'The Rum Bar' for a variety of specialty rum cocktails.
The Stash to Ride:
Dope Chute:
I won't give you photos or a map, but here's a few hints. Drop into Rope Dee #4, a 30 min hike from the lift, and start to traverse to skier's right as soon as you are able. Stay high and traverse over the raised rockband, some side-stepping is necessary. Keep going and traverse skiers right across the next open face. On the other side is a narrow chute, drop in and enjoy. The runs accessed from the Rope Dee Gates are some of the first high alpine runs to open and the winds consistently load those aspects, keeping Rope Dee fresh for days after a storm.
Other Ski Areas Along the Way:
When visiting Silverton from somewhere else in the state (talking to you 303 dwellers!) it makes the most sense to stop at another ski area along the way. The good options for ski areas en route to Silverton are obviously Monarch Mountain near Gunnison, or Wolf Creek Ski Area near Pagosa Springs. Monarch runs a noted cat-skiing operation in its side-country, while Wolf Creek Pass is known for CO's deepest pow days. Both are great options for low-key alternatives to the large Corporate Resorts that Colorado is so well known for. A third option is Purgatory (now Durango Mountain Resort) which is outside Durango on the highway to Silverton. Purgatory is more of a family oriented mountain, but it also has an urgent care clinic and on-slope bar both of which you may visit if you blow a knee at Silverton. Ski Monarch, Wolf Creek Ski Area, Durango Mountain Resort
Nearby Hot Springs:
On my most recent trip to Silverton for the end of the January unguided season in 2013, we were skiing at temperatures of -15 to -20 degrees Farenheit. After a few days of that you will be ready for a long hot dip in a 108 degree tub of sulfur water. If you are coming through Buena Vista or Wolf Creek the best option for hot springs will be in the town of Pagosa Springs, which has several small resorts with free spa visits for guests and also daily rates for those just passing through. The two main options are the Springs Resort and the Healing Waters Resort. The Springs costs roughly $25 for a one-time visit, although it is much larger with more pools and a bar. The Springs would be the best option if you were with a large co-ed group or were looking to be around more people. (The Springs Resort and Spa) For a quieter, more secluded (and cheaper!) experience you should look across the street to Healing Waters. They have a warm pool, hot tub, and separate male/female steam rooms. A one-time pass to Healing Waters costs only $10. (Healing Waters Resort and Spa)
If you are coming through Montrose or Gunnison, the closest hot springs to Silverton will be those in Ouray. If you cannot make it over Red Mountain Pass before dark you should consider staying in a hotel in Ouray which will most likely have their own tubs with water from the hot springs (Since I am on a tight budget I usually spend the night in the Walmart Parking Lot in Montrose). That's all for now foks! Much luck to all in 2013 -Colin
Scot Chrisman sends it in the early-season cold-smoke in December 2012 at Moonlight Basin. Scot competed on the Freeski World Tour in 2012 and is competing in the Freeride World Qualifier series 2013
December 2012 at Moonlight Basin, Montana
-Scot Chrisman
It’s been deep. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better preseason. I left from
Colorado in time to ski a week and a half long storm in Montana that left stashes
still to be found. Big Sky saw a lot of action early, big flips by the underground crew
including some huge back flips from Scottie, Blair, Colin and Jed. During a morning
photo session Jed sent a front flip superman would have been proud of and injured
his ankle. My thought’s and prayers for the King’s speedy recovery.
ladies? forget it, he's off the market currently
The last three days of the trip before heading home for Christmas lived up to the previous 13. A frigid drive through temperatures that were as cold as -24 f was just the start. Contemplating skipping the sesh and watching the hobbit turned into
an extremely fun photo and film session with some very talented people. Having met Charlie the day before and Gunnar that day I wasn’t sure how it would pan out… it
couldn’t have worked out better. Freezing, but scoring some sick shots, this was one of my best days of the season so far. Sick bird nom for Adrian Dingle; sending it 55+
that day with a creative and huge tree tap.
Apparently Scot found the Moonlight local's secret stashes
Unfortunately frostbite and losing a toenail forced me to take a relaxing day,
exploring the shacks of Big Sky. I don’t think you could find them all if you lived
there for twenty years. That night I went to Bozeman, spending the night partying
with Dylan Crossman, Mackenna Hansen, Axel Ax Man Hansen, and one of the
coolest people I’ve skied with; Kyle Taylor. Drinking late into the night and enjoying
a bonfire in the back yard, I couldn’t have felt more at home. We skied Saddle Peak
snow cold, fire warm
from Bridger bowl the next day and I hurried up to the broken spoke do DJ an end of
the world party.
This trip has been a culmination of my entire life. I could not appreciate my
friends, family and embodiment more. I never knew life on the road would make me
feel so human. I can’t wait to see where life takes me next.
This foreword is dedicated to the victims, including Greg Costa and Remy Lecluse, of the 2012 avalanche disaster on Mt. Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world. RIP
The winter of 2011/2012 was the most dangerous and difficult
avalanche season in a generation – it in fact was the worst in my
lifetime. This was at a time when
many renowned skiers and riders had perished in non-avalanche related
incidents, which has led to a great amount of reflection on websites and in
magazines by ‘industry insiders’ about the new wave of tragic accidents in
winter-sports. As a young skier of
the supposedly ‘new’ generation I think it is good to contribute a more
youthful voice to the discussion over how we use the backcountry in OUR future.
For my part, I do not think the statistics actually show new
dangerous trends amongst skiers and snowboarders in regards to avalanches. Backcountry recreation has been rising
for decades not five years and stupidity combined with hubris has been around a
lot longer. However, it does make
for a good media buzz to say that the new culture will kill us all. It used to be that people were more likely to die after
taking an Avalanche 1 course, but this is no longer the case. So despite the fact that merely taking a Level 1 Course is
NOT an acceptable amount of training for backcountry LEADERS, the reality is
that awareness & education campaigns have significantly lowered the number of deaths per 1,000 backcountry users, which is awesome.
Last year, the vast majority of backcountry travelers in Colorado
were properly scared by the conditions and only a few crazy souls were playing
on steep slopes, which had tragic endings for some. So much of the media buzz is actually a distraction from the real issue. Last year’s difficult avalanche cycle was the result of a
changing climate in the Rocky Mountains and is a serious environmental rather than a cultural problem.
I am not an avalanche expert. The following is information and analysis from my own research and field experience and is only intended to raise awareness of avalanche hazards and to encourage smart decision making by all backcountry travelers. There are many terrific books on these subjects which I will eventually provide a list of. Additionally, I recommend that you follow the link to WildSnow.Com and seek the wisdom of Lou Dawson, who is in my opinion the highest North American authority on all things related to backcountry skiing.
- Colin
Introduction to the Avalanche Threat and the D Scale for Danger:
Communication is key. SASS Guide Chris Coulter discusses line options in avalanche terrain with client Nick. Much discussion beforehand may have helped save Nick from a serious accident during the run when he took a wrong turn and triggered a small storm slab.
Avalanches are one of the most difficult things for the human brain to understand. The way I see it, the way avalanches work is the exact opposite of the way our minds work. Avalanches are actually simple and logical; they require only snow and steep enough terrain for it to slide. Despite the many books written on the science behind this natural phenomenon, it is the last part of the triangle, the ‘human factor’, that is the most complicated. In the backcountry you eventually learn the all-important lesson that negative thoughts, fears and desires are things that can in fact kill you, or worse, your partner(s).
I have been taught to treat avalanche hazard as
you would a dragon that dwells in the hills above town. It is rare that one will ever meet the
dragon face to face and survive. However, it is even more rare for the dragon to swoop down into the valley and destroy your town. This dragon is
so pwerful that it can kill the unprepared by using only a
fraction of its full destructive potential.
If you spend enough time in the backcountry you will feel the shock of its nearby footstep or even dodge the whip of its tail. This is why we work so hard to stay far
away from the dragon, because it will ruin your day.
The rest of this post discusses my personal
experiences with small slab (D2) avalanches. The first part
will focus on the threat posed by the smaller slab avalanches most commonly
triggered by skiers and snowboarders. This is the threat
from the dragon’s tail that catches the over-confident unaware, but that can
also be somewhat managed by those who treat it with enough respect. And at the bottom of the post is a short video from 2011 where a younger me triggered a small but deep slab on a steep slope to the SW of Loveland Pass and filmed it with a GoPro.
Later, I will post some discussion of the rare and deadly giant hard-slab monsters that killed
experts and non-experts in record numbers last year. The threat from these deep lurking monsters is often
overlooked in years where it doesn’t appear, but it was the major focus of my AIARE
Level 2 class with Alpine World Ascents last year because it was such a strikingly tangible threat.
Part 1: The threat of Smaller (D2-3) Avalanches
This post is dedicated to Jamie Pierre, a great skier who died from trauma in a early season avalanche that was not deep enough to bury him but carried him over rocks and cliffs. RIP
Nick stands in front of the debris from the wet-storm slab
he triggered in the Andes Backcountry outside Cerro Catedral, Argentina. Nick was traversing on his board at the middle of the crown wall when the slab broke off at his feet and to twenty feet either side of him. I watched from where he stands in the photo as hundreds of pounds of heavy wet snow threatened to take him off his feet and over the cliff below. Fortunately, Nick was not caught.
When we think of deadly avalanches, we often think of
massive clouds of snow capable of pummeling a whole village. These avalanches happen but with the likelihood
of natural disasters – which is what they really are. There are two scales by which we grade the sizes of avalanches,
but the one I will discuss here is the D(Danger) Scale.A D1 avalanche is too
small to injure a person. A D2
avalanche could injure or kill someone.
A D3 avalanche would flip you jeep. A D4 avalanche would bury or destroy
a ski lift or small building. A D5
avalanche could destroy a town. D5 Avalanches are barely even possible in North America, and
are mostly a concern only for Swiss Mountain Towns and the high Himalayas. D4 avalanches are possible in North
America only on certain years in the ranges with the largest mountains; Alaska,
B.C., the Cascades in Washington, or the San Juan Range or Aspen region in
Colorado.
A D1 wet avalanche
Generally speaking, the terrain where most backcountry
travelers are recreating in North America has the potential for D2 and D3
avalanches. Encountering a D3
avalanche is much less likely than a D2, but they account for many of the
fatalities. Even if you have a
beacon, ava-lung, and good partners it is difficult to survive an avalanche
large enough to destroy a truck. So don’t plan on surviving a D3 avalanche
(although you might) and hopefully you will never be too close to one.
However, you very likely will encounter D2 slides if you
spend enough time in the backcountry.
But by its very definition a D2 avalanche is large enough to kill you,
so you cannot be unafraid of them and if one occurs it is probably time to go
home ASAP. Acknowledge that
although the slide was not as large as it could have been, somewhere you did
not leave enough margin for error and the result was a close call with only
luck to save you. Use the
experience to learn and reflect on the things you and your party did right and
the things you did wrong.
The closer photo of the same avalanche debris. The slab broke off about 8-10 cm deep and 15 m wide, it ran almost 200 ft over a small cliff, a classic example of a small but still dangerous D2 slide.
Nick made a mistake when he traversed into the middle of the photo above. Coulter, our guide, had stationed himself as best he could in the middle of the run so that he could direct people towards the correct line. He had also spent much time discussing the line options with us while we observed the terrain from below and before riding it. In short, Coulter was doing everything he possibly could to help the group manage the difficult terrain, but a guide cannot prevent every mistake. Nor was Nick being especially inattentive. It is not difficult for someone unaccustomed to riding steep exposed lines to be affected by their fears and anxiety which can lead to confusion while riding or climbing. The lesson is that all it takes is a little bit of confusion and all of a sudden you are off line and not sure when to go, and it is exactly at that most chaotic moment that avalanches and other accidents tend to occur. So make sure you listen to your guide (or your own instincts), communicate with your group, observe the terrain, discuss options, and always KEEP YOUR COOL!!!
And the biggest fool is...
This next piece is a short bit of film from one day in March 2011, when I was 20 years old and skiing with my friend Sean Kelly at Loveland Pass, CO. That was my first season back from ACL surgery and I spent much of it seeking backcountry pow for that reason. While descending a steep slope a D2,R2 dry slab released at my ski tip. The slab was crown was almost 2 ft deep in places and was about 30 ft wide. The slide ran for almost 300 ft down a gully and alongside a cliff. A 2 ft slab is normally sufficient to bury a person but the slab released in a narrow gully and was not wide enough to catch me or trigger adjacent slopes. Narrow gullies can result in surprisingly deep burials if debris piles up, but fortunately this path released onto an open slope below.
While I do not think it would have completely buried me, the rocks/gully below meant that it still had the potential to seriously injure me. This slide on an isolated terrain feature was also a good sign that the slope was more unstable than we realized. In fact, we were probably fortunate that the slide ran where it did, with us nearing the exit of the slope. Had a larger slab broken off higher up, one or both of us could easily have been caught, carried over large cliffs, buried and almost certainly killed.
This is footage of one of the most important lessons I learned in college, and one that has stuck with me since. Sean and I had dug a pit on a similar slope and done compression tests, but our 'lab' technique was still very poor at the time and we did not get accurate results. Pay attention to the complexities of the slope where the snow releases and see how the crack started right at the top of a convexity in the slope (bulge) and ran into the concave gully. Slope Convexities and Concavities (bulges and dips) are some of the most common trigger points for slab avalanches because the shear strength of the snowpack is less at those points (basically the forces from the surrounding snow holding the slab in place are weaker at these spots and so are more likely to be overcome by the force of a descending snow rider).
About the author: Colin is a backcountry skier hailing from Spokane, WA and currently residing in Denver, CO. Colin received his AIARE Avalanche Level 2 Certification in March of 2012. Also, in June of 2012 Colin received his BA in Philosophy with minor in Physics from the University of Denver. He began the SurfaceHorde blog to tell his and his peers stories after returning from an August 2012 trip to Bariloche, Argentina with SGT's South America Snow Sessions (SASS). He hopes to attend CSU or CU for grad school and to one day take people skiing on the other side of the globe.
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