Fitness 2014

[PDH]

Yes there is some monotony in cycling, but when at speed you also have to pay attention all the time, even on long straights.

Here in Wyoming there is a lot of wind, and unless it is a blessed tailwind there is almost never a time where the mind wanders.  Reacting to the changes of wind, the road, the altitude changes (another Wyoming thing), means that the only time I am in danger of my mind wandering is when I am too tired.  Then all bets are off and I might zigzag into traffic.

[alfred russel]

I made it to the top of Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso. 

[Maladict]

I made it to the top of Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso. 

Wow

[mongers]

I made it to the top of Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso. 

Good grief, that's some going.   

[mongers]

So can we effectively kick this thread into touch, until the need for a new one starts in 3 months during the post-festivities depressions?

[Darth Wagtaros]

My first 5k is in a week.

[Zanza]

I made it to the top of Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso. 

Excellent. Did you train in advance for technical skills like walking with crampons etc.?

[alfred russel]

I made it to the top of Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso. 

Excellent. Did you train in advance for technical skills like walking with crampons etc.?

I live in Atlanta, Georgia where we don't have mountains or snow so a lot of technical training was not possible. I've been in crampons a few times before, but that doesn't mean I'm very good. To get ready I did a lot of long hikes with elevation gain (1500-2000m) with some thought given to finding places with steep and broken ground (this meant doing the same short trails over and over in the same day). Basically I think I was generally well prepared in terms of fitness and general hiking, but not so much in technical skills. However, I didn't actually have to use a lot of technical skills, aside from the cramponing which was quite easy.

I was in a guided group that had 9 people (and 5 guides on Mont Blanc). The guides meant that I wouldn't have to make a lot of the technical decisions like assessing conditions in the grand couloir, assessing other risks on the mountain (including weather), leading a rope team, etc. The route finding was quite easy, and I don't think I would have struggled without a guide. Some of the people in the group had never been in crampons before. The guides wouldn't let one person in the group attempt the summit of Mont Blanc because they felt he wasn't ready, and had a discussion with one other person helping her make the decision not to attempt the summit. One of the guides confided to me he believed that a person who did make the summit should not have been allowed to continue (she was matched with another guide who felt differently).

[Zanza]

I spent my entire vacation this year on other great stuff, but I really would like to try that one day too. The German Alpine Society has good introductory courses in Austria etc.

[alfred russel]

Would you go with a guide or without?

What was shocking to me was that so many of the unguided groups appeared radically unprepared.

[mongers]

Would you go with a guide or without?

What was shocking to me was that so many of the unguided groups appeared radically unprepared.

These seems quite common on more challenging hiking and low level mountaineering activities. 

[Zanza]

Would you go with a guide or without?

What was shocking to me was that so many of the unguided groups appeared radically unprepared.

If I go with the German Alpine Society you can bet that they'll do everything by the rule book and will have a guide.

[Zanza]

After a short mountain bike trip during my vacation, I bought a 900 Euro 29er hardtail mountain bike today. Just came back from my first 18km trip with 400m height difference to get to know the bike. One of the parts had like 9.5% for about a mile. Really tough when you aren't used to that.

[Liep]

After a short mountain bike trip during my vacation, I bought a 900 Euro 29er hardtail mountain bike today. Just came back from my first 18km trip with 400m height difference to get to know the bike. One of the parts had like 9.5% for about a mile. Really tough when you aren't used to that.

Indeed, if that was single track it's very good going for a first ride.

[mongers]

After a short mountain bike trip during my vacation, I bought a 900 Euro 29er hardtail mountain bike today. Just came back from my first 18km trip with 400m height difference to get to know the bike. One of the parts had like 9.5% for about a mile. Really tough when you aren't used to that.

Excellent, sounds like a really sensible choice of bike, I was always put off by 26in MBs, these 29ers (700mm/622rim?) seem more suitable.
Quite like the idea of building a single speed 29er for off-road routes.

In part inspired by you're post, I shall now take my new modified flatbar hybrid, up the nearest hill here, though its only about a net 100m and about 8-10% for 10-20 yards in places.