[pct-l] Snow training Dec. Schedule

Sun Nov 8 21:49:59 CST 2009

Mountain Education's Snow Courses for December will be (provided there is enough snow...):

December 4,5,6 
December 18,19,20

Keep in mind there will be two each month through May and April is jammed as hikers coordinate their snow skills training right before they leave for the Mexican border. (Some schedule their training earlier, start from the border way before the KO, then hitch back to take in its festivities, then hitch back to continue north).

So far, January's weekends are the 16,17,18 (Martin Luther King, Jr.) and the 29, 30, 31st..
Depending on demand, every weekend in March and April may have Courses running as well. Stay tuned!

Remember, these 3-day weekend trips are free. Email us for a Course Description if you are interested. It opens up a whole new season of hiking and camping (bug and dirt-free!) for you (and great pictures, too!).

Mtnned & Lady J
Mountain Education
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jim & Jane Moody 
  To: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com 
  Sent: Sunday, November 08, 2009 10:41 AM
  Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snow training

  Hi, Ned,

  Mango here.  I'm still looking forward to snow school in Dec.  After checking airline prices with my travel agent, it appears that the longer I wait to book, the more expensive it gets.  Who da thunk it?

  Any word on when you plan to do the Dec school?  I know this sounds like I'm nagging, but I couldn't come up with any better way to phrase it.  I apologize in advance.

  Thanks,

  Jim Moody / Mango

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com
  To: moodyjj at comcast.net
  Sent: Friday, September 4, 2009 8:03:07 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
  Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snow training

  Hi, Jim! 

  Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Yes, Tahoe is the nearest airport, but you'll want to fly into Reno, rent a car and drive up to the Snow Park Parking Lot on Echo Pass (hwy 50) instead. I don't believe you can rent a car at the little Tahoe airport.

  The Snow Course Description best lays out what you'll need to bring, what's expected, what you'll be doing, and what you'll be taught. Do you have it? There's a copy of it on postholer.com (somewhere), otherwise I'll send you one. If you have any questions thereafter, we're happy to help you get ready. That's why we do this.

  I'll schedule the two of you for a Course in December. Soon I should have out the tentative schedule of courses, but the dates are flexible so everyone can make it. We do a lot of communication prior to each class, so don't worry about being prepared enough.

  To your specific questions, 

  You'll sleep warmer in a tent, so bring what you'd hike with. Two summer-weight pads per person is required for sleeping comfortably on the snow. Bags need to be rated for 5-degrees above or below zero, depending on how you sleep, warm or cold. You won't regret bringing a stove and having hot food! You don't want to get cold. Having the ability to warm up with hot food, inside your tent, in your sleeping bag is priceless. From our point of view, if you bring cold meals, we'll leave you in the parking lot. (just kidding, but bring lots of hot food as you'll be burning up the calories).

  You'll need to bring an ice axe and snowshoes, the former for the self-arrest class, demo, and practice and the latter for all moving around. You can rent them from an outdoor shop here (South Lake Tahoe) or where you're from if you can't buy them. For future winter-spring hiking you're going to need them. An ice axe is not as important a tool for the hiker as is something similarly designed, the Black Diamond Whippet pole. Consider this design instead of the axe. It is what we use.

  You're on the list for December. We'll keep you posted. Any more questions?

  Ned
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: moodyjj at comcast.net 
    To: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com 
    Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 11:02 AM
    Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snow training

    Hi, Ned,

    Thanks for responding to my emails.  You're right - Roan Mtn. is good for cold weather and snow camping, and it's only an hour away.  However, it is not comparable to the conditions one encounters in the Sierra, and besides I don't know of a qualified instructor with sufficient gear to do training.

    So, I want to take your course.  I will fly out and back - is Tahoe the nearest airport?

    What do I bring?  My winter clothes, of course, but what about tent?  sleeping bag and pad?  cook gear and food?  I don't have an ice ax or snowshoes; are those provided?  available for rent?

    My choice would be to do it in December if possible.  Let me know your schedule and also anything else that I need to know but didn't ask about.

    Thanks very much.

    Jim Moody / Mango

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com
    To: moodyjj at comcast.net
    Cc: "PCT MailingList" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
    Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 9:26:40 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
    Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snow training

    Jim,

    I'd say that you have a good mountain to train on near where you live, Mt. Roan. However, after living in upstate New York I've found the type of snow you have is far different than the softer and deeper stuff we have out here. So, I would encourage you to schedule a training trip in the Sierra just before you depart from Mexico. If that is not in the books, practice where you are and check into the local school's and outdoor store's winter training classes.

    We had a website for years, Mountain Education, but closed it down a couple years ago. You'll have to ask our previous students to speak up on the pct-L to get an idea of what we're all about. We begin offering free Snow Courses as soon as the snow flies, sometime after Thanksgiving. We come out with a schedule thereafter, but one 3-day weekend Course is offered each month until the PCT Kickoff at the end of April. If there is a lot of snow still left over at that point, we may offer one more Course in May.

    The Courses are intended to expose aspiring thru hikers to the worst of mountain weather, snow, and terrain conditions so that, with the guidance and instruction of the Course Leader, you will have much to learn about and gain confidence in snow travel, navigation, hidden hazards, hypothermia, dehydration, dealing with the "cold and wet," avalanche awareness and avoidance, ice axe use and self-arrest techniques, snow-cave building, snow-shoeing, snow-camping, winter sanitation decisions, how to safely get water from frozen lakes and streams, in-tent cooking, and more. There is a lot of pre-trip communication regarding preparation of all your "systems," clothing, food, equipment, and what really "works out there."

    The weekend trips head into South Lake Tahoe's Desolation Wilderness from Echo Summit's Highway 50 Snow Park parking lot. We travel about 7 miles the first day directly across and over frozen Echo Lake and on up to Tamarack Lake where we establish a base camp for the next two day's instruction. Day 2 is the day hike up, round-trip to Lake Aloha during which we teach navigation skills, avalanche assessment, and map sight-referencing. In the afternoon, if the weather is good, we teach the snow-caving clinic and many spend this night in their caves just to find out that they are warmer in them than in their tents! The last morning we all practice "falling down in the snow," or self-arrest techniques with ice axes or Whippet Poles (Black Diamond), then pack up and head out to the cars by mid-afternoon.

    Even if we get 4 or 5 feet of snow fall on us (as we did on one trip in April!), we all have a great time learning that the "White Season" doesn't stop us from backpacking and appreciating the fantastic Wilderness that is ours to enjoy year-round!

    If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to email us!

    Mtnned and Lady J

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: moodyjj at comcast.net 
      To: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com 
      Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2009 2:28 PM
      Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snow training

      mtnned,

      Thanks for replying to my inquiry.  I am interested in taking one of your courses, if travel cost, scheduling, and logistics can be worked out.  Do you have a website or a brochure?  When do you start?  Where are you located?  How much do you charge?  Et al.?

      FYI, I am a 62-year-old retired guy who is lucky to still have knees.  I thru'ed the AT in '06 and swore I'd never do that again, but it gets in your head, eh?  I live in Johnson City, TN, in northeast TN, in the mountains.  We're about 45 minutes from Roan Mt, which is above 6,000 ft. and on the AT.  

      Thanks in advance.

      Jim Moody / Mango 

      ----- Original Message -----
      From: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com
      To: "Keith Robertson" <surferkeith at sbcglobal.net>, pct-l at backcountry.net
      Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 3:12:17 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
      Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snow training

      Thanks Handtrock for the additional input regarding the Sierra elevation's 
      effect on the thru hiker, especially while hiking over snow. It takes a LOT 
      of energy and has its own hazards like post-holing that the easterner may 
      not be aware of.

      We have had students drive in from as far away as Portland, Oregon and San 
      Diego and fly in from LA and points in the Mid-west, but any local training 
      prospective students can obtain where they live is always good.

      Our point is this to all future long-distance hikers, be as aware as 
      possible of all the conditions you may encounter on your hike and expose 
      yourself (your gear, food, skills, knowledge base) to them BEFORE you begin 
      your long trip so there will be few surprises or hazards encountered along 
      the way, especially in the more remote High Sierra. Find out what works for 
      you regarding food, equipment, resupplies, and skills. Just because 
      something worked for someone else doesn't mean it will for you. Take many 
      test hikes to find out. Take an outdoor class from the local Junior College 
      or Backpacking store. Make a plan and expect it to change along the way. If 
      at all possible, train where you will be hiking.

      Mtnned
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: "Keith Robertson" <surferkeith at sbcglobal.net>
      To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
      Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 10:40 AM
      Subject: [pct-l] Snow training

      Mango,

      It would be best for you to plan a trip out here in the west for snow 
      training. An integral part of the issue is altitude as well as snow. You 
      folks on the east coast really don't have any altitude and it makes a huge 
      difference hiking at 13-14,000 feet with or without snow. Even in ideal 
      conditions, the altitude is a huge physical challenge and you really need to 
      experience it along with training in snow hiking.

      Handtrock
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