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Lassen 2022- Skiboard Mountaineering at age 70

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  • Lassen 2022- Skiboard Mountaineering at age 70

    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 .
    Boards :
    Blunt Xl, DLP, Spliff, Condor, Rockered Condor , Slingshot, Sherpa, Icelantic Shaman
    Boots
    K2 BFC 100 Grip walk sole , Dynafit CR Radical AT boot, Ride Insano Snowboard boots
    Bindings:
    Zero Pro Non release Binding
    Modified Receptor Backcountry Bindings (Bill Version and Slow Version)
    Spruce Riser with Attack 14 GW /AT binding
    Custom Risers with Fritschi Backcountry Bindings (Jeff Singer version 1, Bill version)
    Rocker and Sbol Soft Boot Bindings.

  • #2
    My Hero!
    rickylink

    ~ KTP ~ Revolts (mucho) ~ ALP/DLP ~ BCP ~ RC's ~ Blunt~ Blunt XL~ Spliff ~ Sticky ii~ Spruce LE /Osprey~ Crossbow ~ Bomber E2 Bindings / RVL8 Receptors
    ~ Full Tilt Boots

    ~ Your 1 ply guy



    Big or Small I Ride them All !

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    • #3
      Originally posted by jjue View Post
      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 .
      If it would be only that and it would already be fantastic and inspiring !

      This time the plan is do a much more difficult and strenous route.....
      It was a nice end to a great adventure and a great way to ring in my 7 th decade , ha ha .
      Doing this at 70 is just amazing, big congrats and thanks for sharing !

      Myself: RVL8 2011 KTP, Spruce 125 LE, RVL8 "Drooling Clouds" RCs, Spruce 2016 Osprey
      Daughter: Twoowt Pirania 95cm; RVL8 2015 Blunt XL; RVL8 2021 SII; Spruce Crossbows
      Past: RVL8 2010 Revolt Trees, RVL8 2014 Condor, RVL8 2009 ALPdors, Spruce 120 Yellow/Red

      Comment


      • #4
        Super Jack!
        Boards/Bindings:
        2013 Spruce Sherpas w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
        2023 Spruce Stingers w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
        2015 RVL8 Blunt XLs w/Tyrolia Attack 13s
        2020 RVL8 Sticky Icky Ickys w/Tyrolia SX 10s


        Boots:
        Salomon X-Pro 80

        Past boards: Salomon Snowblades, Line MNPs 89 & 98 cm, Five-Os, Bullets, Jedis, Spruce 120s, LE 125s, Ospreys, Crossbows
        Summit 110s, Nomads, Jades, RVL8 ALPs, BWPs, KTPs, Tanshos, Rockets, DLPs, Blunts, Condors, RCs, Revolts, Spliffs

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        • #5
          DUUUUUUUUDE, you're amazing!
          Sticky Icky Ickys (I think I'm in love )
          Spruce 120's (they served me well)
          Trikke Skki

          Comment


          • #6
            Wow! You an inspiration Jack.


            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
            sigpic


            Osprey, Sherpa, Custom Coda 120WT, Custom DS110, Condor (Green), Spliff

            Custom Twist Out duck foot bindings, Bombers (custom duck foot base plate and 3 pads), releasable S810ti on custom duck foot riser

            Nordica N3 NXT ski boots (best so far)


            Wife: 104 SII & 100 Blunt XL with S810ti bindings on custom "adjustable duck foot" risers

            Loaners: 125LE, 105 EMP, 101 KTP, 100 Blunt XL, 98 Slapdash, 88 Blunts

            Comment


            • #7
              Well done Jack. An epic adventure.
              Spruce Crossbow 115 "Ski Track" skiboards - My Go To skiboards
              Tyrolia Attack2 13 GW release bindings on Spruce Risers
              Nordica HF110 ski boots

              Comment


              • #8
                Ha ha, what are you THINKING old friend! I have been following much the same regime myself, cycling every day, though it gets challenging thru the British winter. My target is 5000 miles a year which I am achieving, but at 73 it's getting harder. Never mind, off to Bologna in 2 weeks for some Italian R and R. European ski resorts were only partially open this year due to COVID and prices have been frightening so my beloved Crossbows have missed out....
                Crossbow (go to dream board)
                Most everything else over time.
                Go Android

                Comment


                • #9
                  Amazing journey, Jack! Glad to know I can aspire to a few more decades of epic skiboarding.

                  Mom and Dad are marking their 70th birthdays this year, and still kicking butt on their bikes (neither has kept up on downhill riding, though). Mom has had her best and most confident year of mountain biking yet (and she's been at it for a couple of decades) and tackled an epic ride called Beowulf this year for the first time - passing a pack of male riders in their mid-thirties in the process.

                  What a cool way to mark your birthday!
                  BOARDSLAYER
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                  Cores Snapped X X X

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