Profiles

Mammoth Lakes Ski Randonee Racer

The Lone Randoer

“How do ya’ like that rando stuff? Does it work as good as telemark?”, inquired a stranger at the neighboring table after eyeing Jon’s carbon Dynafit rando race boots.
Perfect I thought, the perfect introduction to this story. Jon’s response would be key.
“I think it’s better”, he said.

Jon Crowley skiing on the Mammoth Crest

Mammoth’s Stellar Brew was packed with skiers; lift skiers, snowboarders, tele skiers, nordic skiers, backcountry skiers but only one local ski rando racer, 29 year old Jon Crowley.

In a town known for athletes, such as Olympic stars Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor, it is greatly lacking in ski randonee racers. In fact it isn’t just Mammoth Lakes coming up short, there are probably as many rando racers in California as there are toes on your feet. For Mammoth, Jon is the only show in town.

Early this morning I joined him for a training session on the Mammoth Crest so we could discuss what it’s like to be driven and focused on a sport that virtually no one knows about. No one that is, unless you go to Europe or parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
In Europe the sport is nothing short of massive with numerous full time athletes, TV time, its own magazines, and in some races hundreds lining up to start. In fact where we live in Italy it is likely one can race about four days a week throughout the winter. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, the only local race was cancelled due to a lack of interest.

While Jon is frustrated with the less than enthusiastic support of the sport, he does see interest growing.
“I think the gear is going to be what gets people’s attention. It doesn’t matter if you race or not. The gear has a perfect application for the Sierra Nevada where spring conditions would allow skiers to do massive tours. The history of Sierra skiing includes huge spring tours done on nordic gear. This new race stuff is not much heavier and all of a sudden you can really ski corn with a pack on, that while moving really efficiently and quickly.”

Boot packing up a couloir for training

Training for transitions

My own experience in California talking about Euro rando racing has met with some laughs. The very idea has been quickly put into the category of elitist mountain competition, something I am pretty sure turns the stomachs of most backcountry skiers. I asked Jon of his experience.

“I probably get laughed at by 50% of the backcountry skiers, and not in a friendly way. But the other 50% are totally interested and want to know about it. I think many Mammoth skiers succumb to the ski industry marketing hype of bigger, fatter and heavier is better. This idea does not make sense for every skier. Also, Americans have some aversion to sports with lycra.”

“But at the same time, I go to races out in Colorado and Wyoming and only about 1/3 of the people are on real race gear, the rest are using standard backcountry gear. Still, they are having a ton of fun and becoming very interested in what the sport is all about. If they can have fun on the heavy gear, think if they upgrade. And they are, places like Jackson and Crested Butte have already sizeable, and growing, populations of ski rando racers.”

Jon Crowley skiing on the Mammoth Crest

Dan: “I compare the scene with American road racing as I was racing in the US through the early Lance Armstrong years. Pre-Lance, road biking was a bit too Euro as well; lycra, bright colors, and skinny little people made for a sketchy sport. It took a bad ass lycra wearing Texan to change all that and make it mainstream. Now it is mostly acceptable to march into an Eastern Sierra cafe clad in spandex. But a lycra ski suit for the backcountry? Not so sure. Perhaps America needs a hero figure to kick some Euro butt and justify its existence. Or perhaps America can skip the BS this time around and accept what may well be a truly pure mountain sport.”

Jon: “The backcountry is sacred here. The local attitude seems to be that anything having to do with competition in the mountains is wrong. Why? I love the fact that Pete Swenson, the multiple US National Champion is 42 years old and still crushing people. Totally inspiring. It is a great sport for older endurance athletes. For the ski industry, the racing scene has introduced a lot of innovation that trickles down to traditional backcountry skiing.”

Dan: “What are your goals?”

Jon: “To make the US National Team and race in Europe. It would be a treat to race where it all started and to feel the enthusiasm. Ultimately, I want to share my own enthusiasm for the sport and help build a race community right here in Mammoth. My vision is to introduce the sport to people, get a training group going, maybe a weeknight race and even a Junior team like they have for nordic skiing”.

Simple, Light, Effective

Dan: “How do you stay motivated to train when you are all alone?”

Jon: “The potential for both me personally and to grow the sport. Also, I have changed from being a goal oriented skier – let’s go ski that – to focusing more on every aspect of the experience of backcountry skiing.”

Dan: “What is the best way to introduce the sport?”

Jon: “I think it is through the gear. Look what Dynafit is doing with all their products; high performance, superlight, well made gear, all of which can be applied to standard backcountry skiing. People like gear and this sport has some seriously cool, hi-tech gear. For many types of ski touring, light gear equals more skiing.”

And what more can we ask for? Skiing… lots of it. Regardless of whether or not you want to try ski mountaineering races, the sport has both gear and an open minded attitude that benefits the user. Maybe it’s worth a look.

Jon Crowley

Are you interested in Ski Rando Racing and live in the Eastern Sierra Nevada? Mammoth, Crowley, Lee Vining, June Lake, Bishop?

Jon Crowley would love to connect and introduce his developing East Side Ski Running Group.
Jon can be reached at Mammoth Mountaineering where he works on the sales floor and ski shop: 888.395-3951

or email jon@mammothgear.com

Many thanks to the following companies for the support they have offered.

Rating: 4.3/5 (4 votes cast)

“Walk the Sky” | The John Muir Trail by John Dittli

Dec 7th, 2009

by dolomitesport.

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Good things are found in the woodwork.
Or in this case, in the straw-bale.
John Dittli, together with his wife Leslie Goethals, are good things.

This morning, as I watched John cartwheel down Lower Rock Creek’s single track mountain bike trail, I decided he would make a great profile.

John in his element skiing Austria's Silvretta Tour

We first started hearing about John Dittli in 2001 when we moved to California’s Eastern Sierra. He is an outdoor photographer, passionate about the Sierra Nevada, and he gets after backcountry skiing with the enthusiasm of Tiger Woods traveling to Las Vegas. Certainly, he was someone we would have to meet.
It did not take long to cross paths with John and his wife Leslie. Now, nearly ten years later, we are all great friends and beginning to be able to look back on our own collection of experiences.

At 52, John can still drop the fittest of the fit in the mountains. With some fine Swiss mountain blood coursing through his veins, he puts it to good use in the summer months hiking throughout the Sierra, and in the winter, skiing peaks literally everyday. His chiseled features are softened by the broad smile he often wears.

The Dittli house; strawbale, recycled, solar, green, quality

He and Leslie spent 7 years hand building what is likely the Eastern Sierra’s most beautiful home, with the best view, and in the ideal location from which to walk out the door to play. They have mastered a balanced, healthy life as mountain people. Details are not skimped on, it shows in their house and it shows in their work.

John and Leslie have just published their first coffee table photo book following up Ansel Adam’s 1938 book visually showing the John Muir Trail. Walk the Sky is now the definitive photo essay of the entire John Muir Trail, which John has now completed twice on foot and once on skis and always with a camera.

John sampling Italian cuisine

John’s style of play in the mountains is legendary amongst his close friends. We know how hard he charges but you won’t hear it from John, we’ll have to do some storytelling for him. He prefers to roam wild areas, ski lines others don’t know about and to photograph the natural landscape with a unique, loving eye for the mountains and their infinite details.

Last year John came to ski with us in the Dolomites. I was a bit nervous about how he would fare in the more crowded mountains of Europe. For his first day in the backcountry we chose a popular peak with a safe glacier descent for bad weather days, which it was – atrocious in fact. We arrived to a bustling parking lot, so much so that John asked, “I thought we were backcountry skiing”.
“Uh ya, this is backcountry skiing Euro style.”
“Oh come on, all these people are going into the backcountry!”
Once in the up track, John stayed silent for only so long. With 70 something’s charging by in lycra suits and groups of skiers with every body shape and clothing color combo known to man, all of whom proving too fast to pass – John, in his element but completely baffled by the “scene”, had to speak up.
“This is insane!”
I convinced myself that he liked it, he just didn’t know it yet.

John Dittli, Silvretta Tour, Austria

Hours later at the hut, with a beer in hand and smiling ear to ear after a perfect 1000 meter powder run, John admitted to now “getting it”.
All those people, like him, were having a great time.
It was great seeing John go from shock to enjoying the added component of a social life in the mountains.

Now that we are back in his territory it has been rewarding seeing his new book realized. Throughout the years I know he has worked long and hard to create a book worthy of representing the experience that is one of the world’s finest treks, the Sierra Nevada’s John Muir Trail.

In part 2 of this profile, John himself will explain the process of visually documenting the 220 mile John Muir Trail, show his favorite photos and tell a humorous tale or two.

Get to know John & Leslie before part 2 of this post, visit John Dittli.com

Also, join the Walk the Sky Facebook Fanpage

John Dittli and Leslie Goethals

Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

Dean Karnazes

Oct 12th, 2009

by dolomitesport.

2 comments

Dean Karnazes: Looks mean doesn't he? Not true. Voted great guy by PatitucciPhoto

Two trail runners in the Italian Dolomites

Calves of Karnazes

Dean Karnazes Ultramarathon Man

I remember seeing Dean Karnazes for the first time. It was at the Rucky Chucky river crossing during the Western States 100 Mile Race. He stuck in my memory because he was the only guy who came through looking like he had just started. Or maybe it was the calves. Or, maybe it was the smile and cheery nature which he always seems to have, whether it be at mile 3 or mile 300. The guy can run. And he can motivate others to run.
These are the traits I like about Dean. He has an energy that fuels others, whether it be meeting him in person, running alongside him, reading his international best selling book Ultramarathon Man, or watching him on Letterman. Dean looks like he could be your pal. The reality is, he can be. He’s that kind of guy.

Dean Karnazes in California, 2004

As a standalone piece, Dean’s personal resume reads like a bestseller. 50 marathons in 50 days in all 50 US States. 350 miles in one go… A TIME Magazine poll declared Dean in the “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World”. All of this yet still I have seen Dean criticized from some within the running community. A minority believes he isn’t what he is made out to be. The arguments… If he is so great, why hasn’t he won more races? And why all the hype? Why the attention and money that goes along with it? Real trail runners don’t seek media attention, they seek the experience and the joy of running.

These comments have always irritated me. Never have I seen Dean claim to be anything other than a really psyched guy. That, as well as happy, motivated, and genuinely in love with running and helping others. Dean has done more to motivate people to try running than probably any other human. He has raised money for charity and he has made a lot of friends along the way. I don’t see Dean so focused on winning races, I see Dean wanting to enjoy races.

Janine and I are fortunate to call Dean a friend and to have spent a fair bit of time with him, both for photos and for fun. I recently asked him about how he felt hearing this criticism, his answer was very Dean.

“It used to depress me to read this stuff, but 99% of the comments I get are positive, so to hell with those who criticize others. I just came off winning the 4 Deserts Championship (which TIME magazine called “The world’s toughest multiday endurance event”) and finishing runner-up at the Canadian Death Race, so I guess you’ll never please all of the people.”

And the charity figures he has raised? “I have raised over a million dollars for kids charities across the globe, including help to save the lives of three young children awaiting critical organ transplants.”

Getting to do what you love each and everyday, being healthy, happily married, a father, a responsible role model and contributing to both society and to targeted charities… I call this success.

Dean Karnazes encountering sheep on trail

Dean trying to converse with some Italian locals

In 2004 we did a mountain trail running endurance photoshoot for The North Face in Cortina d’Ampezzo, right in the heart of the Italian Dolomites. I vividly remember it was August 1st, and there was about 8 cm of fresh snow on the ground for a 4 a.m. departure at the car. It was a summer shoot and we were all bundled up in little more than shorts and long sleeve shirts. Luckily the sun came out, the skies turned blue and we could resume the action. Poor Dean was asked to wear some very Euro shorts, a bit tighter and shorter than he would have liked, but that would be a compliment to his calves. Dean, always in good spirits, obliged.

After this, we saw Dean several more times, once in California for a photoshoot for his book, and then several more times in Europe.
Dean Karnazes’s longtime partner in crime, and our mutual friend, Topher Gaylord, was living in the Italian Dolomites with his wife Kim. Dean would come over and join them for some long days trail running in the area around Cortina. I wanted to get Dean’s take on the Dolomites and to find out what one thing stood out as unique about his time running in the region. His response comes as no surprise.

Thanks to Dean for writing this up as he was recovering from his Chicago Double Marathon yesterday. I actually Twittered him while he was running to remind him about this piece being due, and he got right on it today – again, the kind of guy he is…

Dean Karnazes and Topher Gaylord trail running in the Dolomites

Dean on the Lagazoui's Hut deck, Viva Italia

“My good friend, Topher Gaylord, was living in Italy and managing The North Face European office. He and his wife, Kim, had a little weekend pad in Cortina they’d dash up to almost every weekend. Topher used to rave at how fantastic the trail running was in the Dolomites, about theses incredible hut-to-hut overnight runs he would do.
Now, I was a bit skeptical. Having raced and competed on all 7 of the earth’s continents, I had seen some remarkable places. The thought of schlepping from one grungy hut to another, miserable and cold, didn’t sound all that appealing. I’d crashed in mountain huts before, and there was nothing glamorous about it.
What I learned on my eventual visit to the Dolomites is that the Italians use the word “hut” very loosely. After running through what turned out to be some of the most spectacular mountains I have ever seen, I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to a cold night on the floor of a hut, pouch of dehydrated food partially cooked, surrounded by other smelly hikers runners. Wow…was I wrong.

The “hut” was more like a fully stocked palace! The beds (yes, beds!) were warm and comfortable, and the food, prepared on-site by a top chef, was amazing! I couldn’t believe my eyes. How they possibly got all of this stuff to this remote mountain location was anyone’s guess. Not that I cared!

We toasted our run with a glass of fine Italian wine as we watched the distant sunset from the 180 degree view from the patio of the hut. In my wildest dreams, I never could have imagined such luxury. All I can say is Viva Italia!

To learn more about Dean, be sure to visit his impressive site: Ultramarathon Man – better yet, read his book, it is fantastic.

Dean Karnazes trail running in the Italian Dolomites

Karnazes in the Dolomites near the Falzarego Pass

Dean Karnazes trail running in the Italian Dolomites

Dean Karnazes is also part of The North Face Endurance Team, more info can be found at The North Face

Rating: 5.0/5 (6 votes cast)

Backpacker Magazine profiles DolomiteSport

Jun 17th, 2009

by dolomitesport.

1 comment

PatitucciPhoto and DolomiteSport profiled by Backpacker Magazine

Exciting news for DolomiteSport, Backpacker Magazine profiles us and our work on their website: Backpacker Magazine

This is ahead of their August issue sporting another of our photos from the Dolomites on the cover. We are super happy to be noticed by these guys!

DolomiteSport profiled by Backpacker Magazine

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Telemark skier Susie Sutphin

Apr 13th, 2009

by dolomitesport.

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Skiing corn beneath the Tre Cime di Lavaredo

The Elegant Telemark Queen Susie Sutphin

A good friend of our’s from the US, Susie Sutphin, just stayed two weeks with us here in the Italian Dolomites. Together we pushed the limits of our legs and motivation, managing to ski every single day of her visit, 2 weeks solid. Included was Austria’s Silvretta Tour, a few days in the Zillertal Group, numerous days in the Dolomites, including three doubles where we skied during the day, finished at a hut, and then maximized our ski time by skiing out under fullmoon with a slight grappa buzz. The weather was at its absolute best behavior, favoring long days and lots of mileage.

Susie making tracks upward

Susie is the former Patagonia Athlete/Ambassador Coordinator from where we came to know her years ago, but now lives and works in Truckee, California for the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. She is, simply put, one of the best telemark skiers around. Where people just should not be dropping their knee, she does, with grace and power at the same time. More than a few Austrians are likely singing songs about her right now. Susie’s primary goal in skiing is one thing, skiing steep, narrow, and mightily long couloirs.

This was Susie’s first visit to the Dolomites, I asked her some questions about the skiing.

I know what is coming, but what are your thoughts on the Dolomites?You have expectations from places, from the media, videos, etc… then what a place really is becomes focused when you arrive. The Dolomites are like the Eastern Sierra times 10. Turn everything up 10 notches and it is the skiing here. There are so many visible lines, so many things I look at and know I can go ski, the Dolomites are raining couloirs.

Here it is GO TIME. My telemark skiing really improved in two weeks because the terrain required me to improve. Back home we have training grounds, then the Dolomites are the olympics. The Dolomites make you show what you’ve got.

And it is just so beautiful, the scale is massive, to be up high in the mountains at night and see the tiny villages shimmering below – fantastic.

Why the love of couloirs?
You always hear climbers describing being a part of nature when they climb. For me, being in a couloir, I feel connected to something so big, to actually be inside a mountain where not everyone can go is a great experience. And to stand on the top, looking in, seeing your ski tips sticking out above the drop, feels so good.

Explain the quote of the trip, “I love Europe”.

And not just for skiing, for everything. This trip was special, spending all my time with people who live here and not being just a tourist made it feel even better. Seeing how people live here, seeing my friends living here and how to make it happen, I love this.

What is your perception of Europe’s Mountain Culture?

The sports are just part of the culture, it is what you do. I heard a girl on the Silvretta Tour who was learning to ski in the mountains say, “I am from the Tirol, I must ski.”

And all the older people out?

Great, to be in the mountains, on a tour, arrive at a hut and there are 150 people inside of all ages, amazing. It is so inspiring and motivating. There is so much depth to the culture.

Would you return?

The question is “How do I come back forever?”

Finally, in your group of friends back in the US, is there an awareness of the Dolomites?
They think, “They’re somewhere in Italy, right?” That is it. They seem to be known for just climbing. For skiing, Chamonix and the Alps overshadow everything. But the Dolomites are the most varied, the location and proximity to other incredible areas, the Ortler, the Silvretta, Stubai, etc… And then the Dolomites themselves, if you love skiing couloirs and love just real skiing, go to the Dolomites.

Susie Sutphin dropping into the Holzer Couloir, note the ski line, straight down

Susie Super Psyched post Holzer Couloir

Skinning beneath the Tre Cime di Lavaredo

In the Silvretta

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Lou Dawson Interview

Apr 11th, 2009

by dolomitesport.

3 comments

Lou and Ted will have to explain this ritual of pre-ski, post breakfast breathing technique

Lou and Ted will have to explain this ritual of post ski breathing technique

Wild Snowman Lou Dawson

Lou Dawson is a legend in the American ski culture. Primarily known as the first person to ski all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks, he is also a pioneer of backcountry skiing, a leader who brought about awareness of ski touring ideas to the US and the daily manager and writer for the tremendously popular WildSnow.com.

We were lucky enough to run into Lou and his great, longtime friend Ted Karasote while we were all on Austria’s Silvretta Tour. Together we enjoyed dinner in the huts and had some time to chat about Euro ski touring vs. the American scene. I interviewed Lou and asked some questions regarding his thoughts after years of visits to Europe.

Lou (in red) enjoys a meal in the Wiesbadener Hut, Silvretta Tour

Lou (in green hat) enjoys a meal in the Wiesbadener Hut, Silvretta Tour

Lou, what is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Euro ski touring?

FOOD

Would huts like those found throughout Europe make it in the US?

YES, absolutely, they would have to be in just the right places. Eastern Colorado and the Pacific Northwest seem the logical spots. In the US they would have to be far enough in and with only moderate motorized access to keep out the trouble makers. But yes, they would work once people discovered the concept.

What is your ideal day skiing in Europe?

I have had these days where I have skied lower level stuff, not the big mountains or big tours, but smaller stuff which we have run laps on situated above small villages. At the end of the day we dropped back to the valley and stayed in small, local guesthouses where we have all these great experiences with people who belong to the mountain culture here. It is a wonderful way to experience the mountains of Europe.

Lou, you are 58, in the hut there are numerous others of the same age or even much older. In the US, it is not too common to see “older” skiers putting in 2000+ meter days day in and day out. Here it is completely normal. What do you think fosters this? Will America get to this point in it’s mountain sport culture?

We must have our eyes open to the possibilities in the US. Younger people are much more active and the older ones slow way down. In Europe there is a huge range of people involved with alpinism, in Europe it is no big deal, it’s just what you do. For Europeans, mountain sports are just part of the lifestyle, in America it is a “sport”. Americans are more concerned with “speed” and how much “vert”, this comes from our media. In Europe you would have to be like Messner to get noticed. It is the experience vs. the accomplishment idea. Europeans are more about the mountain experience. There are older role models in the European mountain culture, this has not yet come to the American scene with such a great base.

What is the next ski tour you want to do in Europe?

It’s time I do the Haute Route. I am especially interested in the historical component.

—-

For me it was a great pleasure to meet up with Lou and Ted and spend time laughing about the decadence of the European ski touring scene. His site WildSnow.com is a fantastic source of information for backcountry skiers and now has a full report of the Silvretta Tour for those interested in visiting Austria. Become a regular visitor and encourage Lou to visit the Haute Route for yet another trip report.

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Profiles

Mammoth Lakes Ski Randonee Racer

“Walk the Sky” | The John Muir Trail by John Dittli

Dean Karnazes

Dean Karnazes Ultramarathon Man

Backpacker Magazine profiles DolomiteSport

Telemark skier Susie Sutphin

The Elegant Telemark Queen Susie Sutphin

Lou Dawson Interview

Wild Snowman Lou Dawson

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