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This year I turned 70 and to celebrate this rather questionable milestone I have been on a year long quest to get in shape . Riding skiboards and especially riding and climbing with skiboards in the backcountry has kept me young but the years have been catching up with me and I have definitely noticed a drop off in my stamina and my ability to keep up with my 28 year old son on our backcountry adventures . So this year, blessed with being retired I have been mountain biking daily in our local singletrack trails for about 2 1/2 hours daily (We are blessed with a climate that allows mountain biking year round). The trail loop I do involves a lot of climbing which helps build up the stamina . I have also been doing a regimen of daily sit ups and push ups and martial art forms. I have been cooking for the family and making healthy meals and lost alot of unwanted extra weight . Yesterday I put it all to the test in following my son on an all day climbing and skiing adventure at Lassen Volcanic National Park. I am happy to say I survived and actually had fun and I did not die of a heart attack or fall down the steep mountain and came out in one piece , albeit defintely a bit tired at the end !
Normally we do Lassen by climbing from the car up to the peak and then skiing back down to our car on the moderate south slope of the mountain . This time the plan is do a much more difficult and strenous route . We are planning a shuttle trip . We have left an e bike at the bottom of the North east side of the volcano . Drove 12 miles up the road to the summit parking lot . We plan to climb 2000 vertical to the summit on the south side and then drop into the very steep 35 to 40 degree slopes on the Northeast face until the snow runs out and then hike out back overland to the parking lot where we have left our bike . This trip will involve 2000 vertical of ascent , 4000 vertical of descent (combined skiing and hiking out ) over a total of about 7.5 miles . Lassen summit is at about 10,400 feet and our bike is at 6400 feet elevation . The plan is for my son to use the e bike to get back to our car at the summit trail head at 8400 feet elevation while I wait with our ski gear at the bottom of our descent.
I'd like to take you along with some photos.
The first part of our ascent involves skinning on our skis and skiboards over flat and moderate snowy slopes and then transitioning to boot crampons to climb up the final steep section . It is easier to climb up with crampons in the snow rather then in the slippery shale on the sun exposed area of the slope. If you look carefully at this picture you will see me bent over at the edge of the snow getting my boot crampons out of my pack.
IMG_0510 (1) by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
Here I am climbing up the trail to the summit carrying my Condors on my pack.
We finally hit the exposed regular trail after skinning and then using boot crampons to climb the snow covered section.
IMG_0517 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
My son at the summit.
IMG_0528 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
Me on the steep face .
FireShot Capture 134 - (5) Facebook - www.facebook.com by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
And a little further down
IMG_0537 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
Having fun on the less steep lower slopes . I love my Condors!
IMG_0556 Copy by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
Looking back up the hill . The slope actively tends to slide with wet snow avalanches which you can see going down on both sides of the main ski route down the middle with the ski tracks . You can also see where we cut across across the slope to get away from the narrow chutes where the wet snow slough tends to flow.
IMG_0552_2 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
Looking back as we are hiking out overland down toward where we left the bike. You can see where we descended in the center of the picture and how far it is to walk from where the snow ends ! My son did have pity on me at this point and carried my skis as well as his on his pack !
IMG_0552 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
When we got back to our bike we had the great fortune to meet up with a couple of skiers who were doing a car shuttle back to the summit parking lot and my son hitched a ride with them back to get our car instead of having to e bike the 12 miles back up the hill to the summit trailhead. I enjoyed resting in my folding chair I had left locked up with my unused e bike as I waited for him to get back with the car.
It was a nice end to a great adventure and a great way to ring in my 7 th decade , ha ha .
Normally we do Lassen by climbing from the car up to the peak and then skiing back down to our car on the moderate south slope of the mountain . This time the plan is do a much more difficult and strenous route . We are planning a shuttle trip . We have left an e bike at the bottom of the North east side of the volcano . Drove 12 miles up the road to the summit parking lot . We plan to climb 2000 vertical to the summit on the south side and then drop into the very steep 35 to 40 degree slopes on the Northeast face until the snow runs out and then hike out back overland to the parking lot where we have left our bike . This trip will involve 2000 vertical of ascent , 4000 vertical of descent (combined skiing and hiking out ) over a total of about 7.5 miles . Lassen summit is at about 10,400 feet and our bike is at 6400 feet elevation . The plan is for my son to use the e bike to get back to our car at the summit trail head at 8400 feet elevation while I wait with our ski gear at the bottom of our descent.
I'd like to take you along with some photos.
The first part of our ascent involves skinning on our skis and skiboards over flat and moderate snowy slopes and then transitioning to boot crampons to climb up the final steep section . It is easier to climb up with crampons in the snow rather then in the slippery shale on the sun exposed area of the slope. If you look carefully at this picture you will see me bent over at the edge of the snow getting my boot crampons out of my pack.
IMG_0510 (1) by Jack Jue Jr, on FlickrHere I am climbing up the trail to the summit carrying my Condors on my pack.
We finally hit the exposed regular trail after skinning and then using boot crampons to climb the snow covered section.
IMG_0517 by Jack Jue Jr, on FlickrMy son at the summit.
IMG_0528 by Jack Jue Jr, on FlickrMe on the steep face .
FireShot Capture 134 - (5) Facebook - www.facebook.com by Jack Jue Jr, on FlickrAnd a little further down
IMG_0537 by Jack Jue Jr, on FlickrHaving fun on the less steep lower slopes . I love my Condors!
IMG_0556 Copy by Jack Jue Jr, on FlickrLooking back up the hill . The slope actively tends to slide with wet snow avalanches which you can see going down on both sides of the main ski route down the middle with the ski tracks . You can also see where we cut across across the slope to get away from the narrow chutes where the wet snow slough tends to flow.
IMG_0552_2 by Jack Jue Jr, on FlickrLooking back as we are hiking out overland down toward where we left the bike. You can see where we descended in the center of the picture and how far it is to walk from where the snow ends ! My son did have pity on me at this point and carried my skis as well as his on his pack !
IMG_0552 by Jack Jue Jr, on FlickrWhen we got back to our bike we had the great fortune to meet up with a couple of skiers who were doing a car shuttle back to the summit parking lot and my son hitched a ride with them back to get our car instead of having to e bike the 12 miles back up the hill to the summit trailhead. I enjoyed resting in my folding chair I had left locked up with my unused e bike as I waited for him to get back with the car.
It was a nice end to a great adventure and a great way to ring in my 7 th decade , ha ha .
An epic adventure.
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