SKI TRAIL MAINTENANCE DAYS

Help with ski trail work! The Adirondack Ski Touring Council in conjunction with the DEC will be conducting trail maintenance on the Mt. Marcy ski trail on September 26-27 and the Wright Peak ski trail on October 3. Meet at the High Peaks Info Center (Adirondack Loj) at 8am if you are able to help.

Great Adirondack Trail Run 2009

Yesterday was the 5th Annual Great Adirondack Trail Run.

As always fun was had by all and it's a great way to kick off the summer.

Up and Over Hopkins Mountain

The finish line for some crazy 3.5 milers!

Obviously he can't read the sign!

"My dad said he would disown me if i didn't beat Nick Yardley... so I did!"


The GATR is a benefit event for the Ausable and Boquet River Associations.

Wet conditions prevailed on both courses but the racers persevered! The 11.5 mile mountain course was altered this year with a additional climb over Spread Eagle Mountain.
Mens overall 11.5 mile winner was once again George Adams
Womens overall 11.5 mile winner was Serena Wilcox
3.5 mile mens winner was Peter Muessig and the womens was Mel Frazer.

Races "rehydrating" at the post race festivities

It's a family affair... yes all six of them ran the 3.5 miler!

11.5 mile mens winner George Adams hoisting the trophy

Racers picking out prizes

RESULTS

ALONG THE AUSABLE BLOG POST

THE "GARAGE SALE" GRAND OPENING!

Today is the grand opening of "The Mountaineer Garage Sale"!
Just down the road from our retail store is a old renovated gas station across from the Valley Hardware.


We have turned "The Garage" into our own little outlet store!

We have all of our sale merchandise and more down there for sale at 30% off the regular marked price!

Come on down and shop big discounts on Patagonia, The North Face, Marmot, Outdoor Research, Mountain Hardware and much, much more...

11th Annual Adirondack International Mountainfest - 2007

Mountainfest 2007 brought Canadian alpine legend Barry Blanchard back to Keene Valley. If you don't know who "Bubba" is then wake up and git with it! Along with guest instructing he gave a retrospective slideshow about his life in alpinism. We also had New Hampshire hard man Freddie Wilkinson spend the weekend teaching and entertaining with a slideshow as well.

Barry and some of the Mountaineer drones

Did you take picture at 2007's Mountainfest? If so email them to The Mountaineer and we will add them to the blog.

Chuck's Party

Chuck!

This Saturday The Mountaineer's friends and family gathered for a surprise party for longtime employee Chuck Bruha. If you don't know Chuck he is the elder salesman of the team. He is recognizable by his pepper colored hair (ie. grey), moustache, eyeglass's and arms that have a mind of there own. Chuck has been at The Mountaineer for 25 years this year! Anyone who has worked in the outdoor retail business knows that that's impressive. 

We managed to trick/lure him after work down to The Trail's Inn where many people were gathered for a big "SURPRISE!" Like with any party there was plenty eatin, drinkin, and laughin.

Gray grilling, Vinny blabbering and Pelkey doing quality control!

Vinny serving up the ribs...YUM!

Matt the human garbage disposal.

Then time came for a little "Roasting" of Chuck, stories, fan mail, and photos brought many laughs. 

Vinny, George and Shirley reminiscing about Chuck.

A good sport that Chuck is...

Chuck ready for the next 25 Years!

Congrats!

12th Annual Adirondack International Mountainfest - 2008

The weather for Mountainfest 2008 was miserable to say the least. Warm temperatures and rain preceded the weekend and continued throughout the event. For the first time in the history of our humble festival we had to cancel clinics due to dangerous and lack of ice to teach on. The advanced clinics were all cancelled but the mountaineering, beginner and avalanche clinics were held. 

As always we were fortunate to have some great guest climbers for this weekend. International climbing legend Doug Scott traveled from England to give a amazing slideshow spanning his career in alpinism, amazing! The tales of his Ogre "epic", descending thousands of feet with 2 broken ankles were grizzly to say the least. Saturday night featured a Newfoundland slideshow for regional hotshot Joe Terravecchia. Making everyone "oohh" and "aahh" with picture after picture of remote big ice across the border in Northeast Canada

Doug Scott and company after his slideshow.

Mountaineering/Slide Climbing Clinic participants learning the ropes.

One happy Adirondack climber.

More Mountainfest pictures on NEICE.COM

Did you take picture at 2008's Mountainfest? If so email them to The Mountaineer and we will add them to the blog. 

13th Annual Adirondack International Mountainfest - 2009

This years Mountainfest had excellent weather and great ice conditions.

Our guest climbers came from near and far. Conrad Anker and Jennifer Lowe-Anker along with sons Sam and Issac visited from Bozeman. Conrad tought two clinics as well as partnering with Jennifer for a moving presentation of there lives and that of Jennifer's late husband Alex Lowe.

LP Menard from Quebec came down to teach two clinics as well. Janet Bergman traveled over from New Hampshire to teach clinics and give a slideshow presentation.

Olof Soot displaying his new book "Alpine Americas".

Conrad Anker/Black Diamond outfitting a clinic participant.

Gearing up before clinics at Rock and River.

Conrad Anker belaying at Sundays Beginner/Intermediate Ice Climbing Class.

A happy clinic participant.

Steeeeeeep Ice Clinic.

Demo ice wall at Rock and River.

Hot Tubing!

Getting Pumped!

The Mountainfest lifestyle!

Additional Photo Report from Doug Millen @ NEICE.COM
Photos by Mike Lynch @ Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Did you takes pictures at this years Mountainfest?
If so email them into The Mountaineer and we will add them to the blog!

SKIFEST 2009! A GREAT TIME !

In sunny spring weather our 7th Annual Adirondack Backcountry Ski Festival this past weekend. Here are many photos from the event. Email any photos to the Mountaineer that you took this Skifest and we'll include them.

Saturday morning at the shop attendees arriving for guided tours and demos.

"Advanced Tour" getting aquanted before their trip to Wright Peaks Angel Slides.

"Karhu Traverse Tour" departing on their 13 mile scenic tour.

At the nearby Otis Mountain ski demo.

Riding the ropetow at Otis Mountain.

Karhu/Dynafit Sales Rep Kaz "working" hard at Otis Mountain!

Lots of gear to test... for FREE!

A nice sunny saturday.

Saturday's Intermediate tour enjoying a break on the trail.

"Karhu Traverse Tour" article by Mike Lynch of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise

2009 ADIRONDACK BACKCOUNTRY SKI FESTIVAL

This weekend is our 7th Annual Adirondack Backcountry Ski Festival!

The Mountaineer in Keene Valley, NY will be hosting the seventh annual Adirondack Backcountry Skifest the weekend of March 7 & 8, 2009. The Backcountry Skifest celebrates the ski experience both here in our own backcountry and in the greater ranges of the world. Backcountry skiing means skiing on natural snow in natural terrain, and combines all of the elements of touring, climbing and downhill skiing into a real winter mountaineering experience.

Local backcountry gurus and Cloudsplitter Mountain Guides in Keene Valley will lead guided tours for all ability levels on Saturday and Sunday. Backcountry Magazine will host a dinner at the Keene Valley Lodge and two or three backcountry ski films after dinner at the Mountaineer on Saturday night.

New for this year, demos and mini clinics will be held at Otis Mountain in Elizabethtown on Saturday. Otis is a private ski area that offers a great venue for testing out the latest skis and boots as well as clinics on skinning, beacon search and more. Mini-clinics and demos will be free of charge!

‘We are incredibly lucky to have such a great group of local and guest guides for this event who are willing to come out and share their depth of experience and knowledge with other skiers,’ says the Mountaineer’s Vinny McClelland. Intermediate nordic skiers can traverse the High Peaks through Avalanche Pass with David Thomas-Train and Tony Goodwin, while intermediate downhill skiers will head for a favorite glade or backcountry trail with Colin Loher and Bill Dodd or Emilie Drinkwater and Jim Sausville. Experienced backcountry skiers can join a tour of one of the High Peaks' challenging slides with Jesse Williams and Jeremy Haas.

Major sponsors for this year’s event include Primaloft and Backcountry magazine. Garmont, Scarpa, Voile, Dynafit, Black Diamond and Karhu have generously provided the latest demo equipment for event participants. Additional sponsors include Mammut, G3, Ortovox and Marmot. The Skifest is a benefit event, with proceeds supporting the New York State Ski Education Foundation’s Nordic racing programs and the Adirondack Ski Touring Council, stewards of the Adirondack Park’s backcountry ski trail system, including the famous Jackrabbit Trail.

VIDEO FROM INTERMEDIATE TOUR 2008