Trout Lake, Washington

Perhaps its not surprising some of the best skiing in America can be found beside a volcano stretching 12,276 into the sky. What might be surprising, though, is this underground mecca for ski training is used near exclusively in the summer months, and, even though one can see hundreds of acres of terrain on the upper reaches of Mt. Adams, all the skiing is done on paved logging roads put in years ago to haul out the resident Ponderosa, White Pine and Doug Firs. All it takes to put a smile on this skier's face in the summer months is smooth pavement that meanders through the Cascade foothill. To have all this in a sleepy town that sparingly shares the road with fossil fueled BMW R75's and mid-nineties Chevy Silverados makes it even better.




We saw the hottest days of the summer yet at this camp. Fortunately swimming holes abound around Trout Lake, making the plunge into the icy waters running off Mt. Adam's glaciers an easy detour before rolling back to camp and filling up on Taco Stand inspired food.




The kids were working hard all week. I don't think they were too used to putting in two tough workouts a day, but I never heard the young'ens complain. I was pretty impressed, especially when we finished the last two days of camp off with a time trial, a max strength session and a fast trek to the top of Mt. Adams. It was pretty sweet to see this long thin line of raucous skiers blowing by these slow moving, overburdened climbers, puffing away in their full GoreTex kits, headlamps and ice axes in tow.

More adventures...

Three quarters of the MOD Squad was back together in the Methow last week. Scott returned from his travels in Europe and Erik got back from training it up with the Alaska squad. And I've been here, holding down the home fort. We reunited on Saturday with a track workout, incorporating the Methow juniors I've been coaching all summer in a fun mixture of speed and speed endurance, and culminating in the ever-popular "truck push".


Then yesterday we got out for a real Cascade-style training session. Beginning at 7:30am, Scott, Erik and I saddled up and rode the 12 miles and 2500 ft up Washington Pass to the hairpin under Spire Gully. Trading our bikes for running shoes and backpacks we then ski-strode up Spire Gully to the base of South Early Winters Spire. Erik and I roped up and Scott free-soloed next to us as I led the first few pitches of the climb, then we un-roped and all of us soloed up the remainder to the top, giving us a total vertical gain of 5660' for the day. We allowed ourselves a few short minutes to take in the view of the surrounding peaks before downclimbing to our rope and rappelling the last few pitches to the ground. Back in our running shoes we partook of the bitchin' foot-glissade down the Spire gully before re-mounting our bikes and blasting down the pass. Not bad for a six-hour workout.

Tomorrow I load up the van with juniors and head down to Trout Lake, WA to help coach the second PNSA junior camp of the summer. Scott will join myself, Husaby, Brenna and Janice Sibilia as coaches while Erik and Torin will join in as guest athlete-coaches. Should be a great training week and a great way to intermingle with the division's top athletes. Hopefully we'll have great weather on Sunday for our annual ascent of Mt. Adams and I'll get some good photos - more to come!

The whole crew during June's Methow PNSA camp, showing their gratitude for a generous donation of sport drink from MOD sponsor Hammer Nutrition

Tour de Northwest

It's July. And in the tradition of the 97th edition of the Tour de France, I've spent my last days out on the roads getting to know the Northwest as you only can when no two days are alike.


First, I left Bend for Portland; then the City of Roses gave way to the port town of Astoria, Oregon.


After Oregon came Washington. A wedding, nights by the waterfront of Lake Wenatchee, coastal sunsets, the obligatory celebrations of July fourth and rollerskiing in 102 degree heat.




My gypsy in arms came all the way from across the Atlantic to take in America, experience the 4th of July and to touch the Pacific for the first time. Forget Swatch watches or Swiss chocolate, this is the finest of Schweiz's imports.


Just as this tour came to end, so soon shall my time in Bend. Next week I load up the truck for good, leave the tenement aptly named the House of Fun solely in the hands of Carl Decker and Matt Lieto, and trade it in for some quality time up in the north country. Before arriving in Mazama I have one more stopover, though. I've been invited to lend a hand coaching the young up-and-comers at the PNSA ski camp at Trout Lake, Washington next week with Scott and Erik. To the best of times. And those that will be.

On the Italian Front: Coach Johnston reports on leave

Shirking my coaching duties and leaving the MOD athletes to train on their own I arrived in Europe a few days ago meeting Midge who had already been here a couple of weeks biking the big passes of the Italian Dolomites with a group of friends. Despite my being groggy with jet lag she started the flogging the very first day. We’ve been touring some of the popular via ferrata in the mountains around Cortina. The literal translation of “via ferrata” is “iron road”. The term comes from the ironwork installed on steep and what would otherwise be technically challenging climbing terrain. The Dolomites have no shortage of huge, steep mountains comprised of very sound limestone.

Barbed wire still litters the old front lines. Behind rises Tofane de Rossa up whose face goes a via ferrata.

During WWI the Italian alpine troops and the enemy Austrians dug intricate fortifications and tunnels into the jagged cliffs over looking all the important passes of the Dolomites. Actually, the tunneling began in the late 19^th century on what was already the border between the Austrio-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. Ostensibly allies, tensions ran high as the Italians feared the imperialistic designs the Austrians had on Venice as a seaport. To get to the unlikely gun emplacements perched high upon and inside the 2000’ high vertical cliffs a labyrinth of tunnels and caves was constructed inside these mountains and iron hardware was installed to allow access by the soldiers to these airy stances. Munitions and other supplies were carried into these positions on the backs of young men. Inside complete small camps and cities with barracks, mess halls and hospitals were carved from the solid rock.

Typical tunnel leading to gun emplacement 1000’ up a cliff face

Sometime after Europe recovered from the devastation of the war to end all wars the sport of climbing returned to the high mountains and climbers soon discovered the abandoned handiwork of the energetic Alpine soldiers and began exploring what had in most cases been forbiddingly steep terrain. Since then new via ferrate have cropped up in some non-war zones as well. Guide books lead the ferratisti like ourselves to the base of the routes and once there is it is a simple matter of following the iron road to the summit.

Midge in the remains of a machine gun pillbox, on a summit, guarding a pass. Access was by a tunnel just visible, below and to her left.

This is my first experience with via ferrate and while not climbing as I have known it, it is none the less an enjoyable way to get to some incredible places.

Today’s climb took us (unwittingly) up an Italian Alpine Troops training climb for 1500’. We got behind 38 Alpini as they thrutched their upward with full battle gear, including rifles and overnight packs while helicopters circled and dropped the occasional smoke bomb.

Here we had to wait on a ledge for Italy’s finest to be all they can be.

Tomorrow, another climb and exploration of a WWI tunnel system. The irony of these grim reminders of the years of bloody struggles that went on here is not lost on us as we traipse around this alpine wonderland.