Climbing, Skiing, Patagonia, and Chris Geisler

Well, I am busy packing the full alpine arsenal on the floor of the humble cabin I share with my girlfriend Elise.  Various Arc'teryx jackets and pants cover almost the entire extent of the floor, and cams and spiky bits of ice climbing gear threaten to poke at us if we are not careful where we step.  I'm behind schedule in packing for my trip, and I will undoubtedly leave a hurricane for her to clean up in my wake... (sorry babe).

This year I applied for, and won, the John Lauchlan memorial grant for a trip to Patagonia with Chris Geisler.  John was a legendary Canadian climber who had a global impact on the sport of alpinism.  I am deeply honored to receive an award in his honor and am excited to perpetuate his spirit of adventure.

Out for a midwinter walk with Elise and Kafka the dog.

Midwinter in Squamish is feared by many residents, but I thoroughly enjoyed my short stint at a domestic life in the rain.  I find Squamish is a beautiful place to live year round, only if your happiness isn't dependent on the weather.  I haven't really climbed much in preparation for this trip, which is kinda how I like it.  Chris and I went out for a day with Jai Condon in search of elusive coastal ice to climb.  We ended up at the Suicide Bluffs just south of Pemberton, it was 0 degrees and threatening to rain.

Jia Condon photos

Geisler stemming hard on a very wet Psycho Pillar

The pillar was dripping wet, my Goretex was instantly wetted out.  In a word: miserable.  It reminded me what the very worst of coastal ice climbing feels like.  It's because of this that I prefer to go skiing whenever possible.  I believe ski touring to be some of the best cross-training possible for alpinism.  Skiing is almost always awesomely fun, it's usually hard work, and if you are scared, at least you are having fun.

Here is a video shot from footage on Tony Richardson's camera:

Rohr Shred w/ Tony Katja and Candace from Jason Kruk on Vimeo.

Check back from time to time, I will try and get some dispatches from our trip us!