Dan Mariotti

Day 5 through …? in Suisse

admin — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:41:33 +0000

And so we begin the “work” portion of our journey to Switzerland. My sister-in-law started work again, the permanant babysitter can’t start till mid-August, so that’s why we’re here. Taking care of young Mattia (9 months on July 30th) has been a delight. In addition to babysitting, we spent our first full [...]

Day 4 in Suisse

admin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:30:46 +0000

Aren't we just adorable?

July 16th, 2011 – On a beautiful Saturday morning, after a lovely breakfast of croissant with strawberry rhubarb jam and coffee, we drove to the opposite side of the Rhône valley and began our hike to peaceful meadows in Vallée du Rèche. The hike began uphill along a dirt road and [...]

Day 3 in Suisse

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:01:44 +0000

What happened to day 2? Ask my wife, at your own risk.

En route to Montreux

We jumped in the car around 3pm and headed west towards Montreux to visit the annual “Jazz” festival; the tickets to see Liza Minnelli didn’t pan out. I use the word “Jazz” in quotes because this festival has [...]

Day 1 in Suisse

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:57:49 +0000

Arrived in Zurich, Switzerland at ~0830 local time. Hopped the train to Sierre where Kirstin and Matia picked us up. Showered and napped during a tame thunderstorm, then took a tour of the garden’s new vegetables. Took a walk to the next town over, and now we’re watching Harry Potter in preperation [...]

Mt Elbert

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:20:48 +0000

Road through Aspen forest

Please visit 14ers.com for a complete route description including maps and pictures.

July 3rd, 2011 – After meeting in Minutrn at a timely 5am, we drove south through Leadville to Hwy 82 and the Twin Lakes trailhead. The “4×4″ road from the lower trailhead to the upper has been [...]

Exercising at Work

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 06:39:09 +0000

In an attempt to hit the ground running this summer’s climbing season, instead of going to the gym I’ve started exercising while at work. And no one even notices. What do I do? Climb stairs. Sounds simple enough, right? It is.

For me, the hardest part of stair climbing was breaking the habit of using the [...]

Ice Mountain

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:08:50 +0000

Ice Mountain – 13,950′ – CO’s 61st highest – Contiguous US’s 78th highest

Getting a late start after car-camping, we set fourth on the trailhead to Apostle basin, just south of Winfield, CO. The trailhead was packed but we managed to find a parking spot. We began hiking at [...]

Pacific Peak

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 07:34:07 +0000

The east ridge of Pacific Peak is directly north of Quandary Peak in the Ten Mile Range near Breckenridge, CO. The first four pictures are from August 7th, 2009; the rest are from a week later, August 13th.

Begin near the end of McCullough Gulch Rd. Head uphill. After some brief bushwhacking you will end [...]

Colorado Front Range Avalanche Courses

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:43:08 +0000

So I’ve done a bit of research on the various organizations in the Colorado Front Range area who offer AIARE Level One avalanche courses. Here’s what I’ve found.

Course Provider Location Avalanche Intro cost AIARE Lvl 1 cost Rental equipment included? Format Alpine World Ascents Boulder $145 $315 no 2 nights + 2 full days Boulder Outdoor Center Boulder $119 $269 yes +$20-$40 1 night + 2 full days Total Climbing Estes Park $200 $315 yes 3 days Eldora [...]

Longs Peak

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:56:13 +0000

Longs Peak and Mt Lady Washington

Longs Peak trail, 330am

River crossing, pre-dawn

Already above timberline, sunrise, looking east

First view of Sol

Trail, at sunrise, looking north(ish)

Longs Peak and a huge heard of Elk

Closer view of the Elk

Jesse and the boulderfield campground