Monday, June 7, 2010
Fat Otter RAID: more to WI than the Frozen Tundra
Along with the plethora of Wood Ticks, the Fat Otter RAID delivered Team Gore-Tex a satisfying win and a surprisingly fun adventure. I have to admit, before we arrived on site, my Wisconsin adventure-factor expectations were low. My wife having grown up in Green Bay, I had visited the flat, featureless Frozen Tundra over several holidays. During each visit, I was denied any real adventures, but not for lack of trying. My closest encounter with an epic adventure was when I tried to cross-country ski along the Fox River through a windchill of about 60-below; most locals were on the couch eating Brats and drinking Tom&Jerry's, with TV's poised and ready for the next Packers game.
Luckily, the Raid took place on the WESTERN side of Wisconsin, far away from that frigid escarpment of Green Bay that I had anticipated. The western WI landscape, having been carved up by glaciers, is a conglomeration of wild rivers, lakes and curious hills called "mounds". The race director, Rod, did a great job of linking a series of these mounds like sausages, strung together over 300+ miles with a mix of forested trails, country roads and waterways.
For me, the highlights of the race were reaching a checkpoint on top of a new mound, each one as unique as a bag of cheese curds: climbing the pinnacles of Castle Mound; rappelling off the cliffs of Wildcat Mound; riding epic single track surrounding Levis Mounds; navigating the bluffs and ravines of Bruce Mound.
Our team found a comfortable rhythm right from the start of the race, and we transitioned from stage-to-stage, from day-to-night with seamless efficiency. The map preparation and route execution by our new navigator, Brad, was flawless. The leadership of our fearless captain, Julie, always came at just the right time. Our engine, Peter, assumed the pointy-end of the tow line early and often.
And I did my part for the team by eating early and often, providing vivid descriptions of my hallucinations, and singing polka songs off-key (on purpose, of course, for effect).
Submitted by Mike Dawson
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Fat Otter RAID and racing against our biggest foe, EVER!
Tick, tick, tick, tick... I know what your thinking. Yes, covering 300+ miles of remote Wisconsin backcountry under your own power in 3 days is a race against time. The clock is often your biggest foe in an expedition length race, fighting time cut-offs during the latter part of a race is common.
But this is not about the clock, but about a small insect that shares its name with the sound the clock makes to let you know the seconds are passing...
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Ups and Downs of Wasatch Powder Keg 2010
"IT'S ALL ABOUT THE UP!" exclaims the tag line for the annual Wasatch Powder Keg ski mountaineering race. With 5000 feet of skinning and booting up and over elevations exceeding 10,000 feet, they have a valid point. Serious racers invest heavily in "unleaded, premium grade" equipment to lighten the load for the way up. Some racers take it a step further by drilling holes in boot cuffs, shaving plastic off the soles and replacing buckles with bungee straps.
I knew I would have a serious disadvantage on the ascents against the guys with the Anorexic kits. After all, my bulky 24 pound telemark set-up was no match for their wispy four pound kits. For those that measure weight in terms of 16oz water bottles, that's a difference of 20 water bottles. For those with basic Physics background, that's 100,000 foot-pounds more work, or a thousand extra 100-pound squats,Ｉwould have to produce to get through the climbs.
If the race ended at the top of the climb, it would be perfect for the lightweight freaks. Fact is, however, that half the race descends the same 5000 feet previously climbed. And much of the downhill sections comprised a mix of steep rocky chutes, wind slabs, frozen chicken heads and moguls resembling VWs in size, shape and texture.
It was astronomer Galileo that discovered on the Leaning Tower of Pisa that, balls accelerate in free fall at the same rate, regardless of their size and weight. Maybe so, but it was Mohawked Extreme Skier Glen Plake that discovered that there is no substitute for beefy equipment set-up for staying upright in steeps, bumps and crud!
Galileo can keep playing with his....objects! I'm going with Plake on this one! Because, for me, its all about the up...and the DOWN!!
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