7 Summits - Brandon and Kristine Chalk

Crystal Peak

by Brandon Chalk | Jun 4, 2013 | Ski-mountaineering

Despite having played around extensively in the Tenmile Range from summits to traverses, we had never ventured up the centennial (one of Colorado’s highest 100 peaks), Crystal Peak. Actually, Rainier & Kona had been up Crystal before back in May 2010 while we were on Everest with friends J Weingast, Andy Dionne, and Derek Drechsel when they all skied the steeper north face.

Rainier making a high-speed descent of Crystal’s steep north face in May 2010. Photo by Derek Drechsel

I had always thought the east face would make a really fun ski and so with the plentiful amount of late spring snow and one of the very few weekends we had available for a ski-mountaineering adventure, we headed over to Breckenridge early Sunday morning and started hiking from the Spruce Creek trailhead at 10,400′ around 6:45am with the skis on our backs for about a mile until we could start skinning on continuous snow. We soon broke through tree line and entered the lower Crystal Creek basin and the upper east face of Crystal Peak came into view.

Me & Crystal Peak in the distance

Kristine skinning up the lower portion of the Crystal Creek drainage

After some mellow skinning across the basin to the frozen lower Crystal Lake, we climbed the steep chute into the upper Crystal Creek basin. Kristine & I were able to skin this though Mikey packed his skis on his pack and booted up. Mike had only skinned a few times and skinning on really steep terrain takes alot of practice no doubt.

Me & Kona skinning up the steep chute to the upper basin

Mike skinning into the upper portion of Crystal Basin

Once we reached the frozen upper Crystal Lake, we took a right and skinned to the saddle between Crystal Peak and Peak 10. From that point, it was a simple bootpack up the east ridge to the summit. It was great to be up high again, especially on such a beautiful Colorado day.

Kristine & Kona skinning up Crystal’s east ridge to the summit

Kristine making her way to Crystal’s summit with Peak 10 behind

Mikey topping out on his 1st ski-mountaineering adventure

Pacific Peak (13,950′) and its awesome north couloir from Crystal’s summit. 14ers La Plata Peak & further to the right, Mt. Elbert, can both be seen on the right side of the picture

Crystal Peak summit (13,852′)

I think if we had skied the face maybe 45 minutes to an hour earlier, conditions would have been optimal. Spring corn skiing is all about timing. Too early in the day, the snow is still too frozen. Too late in the day, the snow has turned to wet slop making wet slab avalanches more likely. Ideally, you want to ski when the top inch or two has softened up with the sun allowing for your skis to hold a good edge. As it was, it was still pretty good corn skiing, though the lower part of the face was a bit mushy and grabby. We topped out around 10:45am and started skiing by 11am or shortly afterwards. We hall had a really fun time with the ski.

Kristine skiing the really fun east face of Crystal Peak

Kristine dropping the knee in good form

Kristine & Kona enjoying the sun and snow

Crystal’s east face is a really fun ski

Me enjoying some nice corn

The steep chute into the lower Crystal Creek basin had really thawed out and I let some sluff go skiing the chute, but it was still safe and some fun turns.

Me skiing down the steeper gully to the lower Crystal Creek drainage

We eventually made our way back to below tree line, put the skis on our packs again and hiked the remaining mile back to my truck arriving around 1pm. This east face route is around 9.5 miles roundtrip with 3,500′ of elevation gain from the Spruce Creek trailhead. It was great to get out again on a ski-mountaineering adventure with Kristine and introduce Mike to the world of ski-mountaineering. I think he really enjoyed the trip. Lastly, it was fun to check out a new centennial peak for all of us. Only regret is not having Rainier with us, but she was having fun hiking in Vail. At 10 1/2 years old, Rainier doesn’t need to be trying to keep up with us anymore on the descent while we are on skis.Though our schedule is so busy with travel the next few weeks, here’s to hoping we can get out for another ski-mountaineering adventure before the snow completely melts out in the high country.

Goodbye, sweet Bailey

by Brandon Chalk | May 30, 2013 | Miscellaneous

May 29, 2013 was a very sad day for my sister, Logan, and the entire Chalk family. Logan had to do one of the hardest things imaginable – say goodbye to her loving companion of 10 years, Bailey.

Bailey goofing around at Chalk Hill during Thanksgiving 2011

I hesitated to post anything on our blog here about Bailey and her passing, but I figured it would be a great way to honor her with a few words and some pictures of the wonderful times we all had with her, especially my sister.

Kristine, me, Harper, Logan, & Bailey at Chalk Hill duing Thanksgiving 2011

Bailey and her family at Chalk Hill during Thanksgiving 2011

In the end, it was a tumor around Bailey’s heart that was shutting down her organs and weakening her heart. There was really nothing to be done and Logan made the right call in putting Bailey to sleep in order to save her from further pain. Bailey was the sweetest, most beautiful, most loving & lovable, and most loyal companion a dog owner could ever ask for. She was a distant relative of my golden retriever, Rainier, and I remember the first day Rainier, Logan, my mom, & I went out to visit Bailey. We figured if Rainier approved, she was a keeper. Bailey was a show girl, aka show dog, the first year of her life, and so entering the real world of everyday life (getting in and out of cars, going on hikes, etc) was a bit of a transition for her.

Me, Bailey, & Logan atop Crowder’s Mountain, NC, on a beautiful winter day in 2007 with our family

Logan & Bailey on Crowder’s Mountain, NC

Bailey really was the sweetest dog I have ever known – well, maybe equal with Rainier. She never, ever left my sister’s side – a testament to her loyalty.

Bailey never left my sister’s side

She seemed to be always looking out for my sister and her family.

Bailey standing guard over young Harper

Every time I traveled back home to Charlotte, a highlight of my trip was seeing Bailey and spending time with her. I think Logan & my only wish was that Rainier and Bailey were not separated by 2000 miles and we could have gotten them together more. Bailey loved going to Bald Head Island, NC and playing on the beach and in the surf.

Logan & Bailey at Bald Head Island, NC

Bailey the sand crab at Bald Head Island, NC

I think Bailey & Rainier both really taught my sister & I how to care for and love something much more than ourselves. They were both our first loves and will always hold a special place inside our hearts. We all will miss you so much, Bailey, especially my sister, but know you are in a wonderful doggie-heaven waiting for the rest of us. You are truly the best of all of us and while we tear up at not having you physically beside us anymore, we know you are always with us in spirit and looking down upon us. Its truly a time now to celebrate your wonderful 10 years of life. You will always be the best dog and canine companion my sister has ever and will ever have by her side. We all love you so much. Rest in peace, sweet Bailey, and we will see you again.

Logan & her best friend

Love you, Bailey!!!

Mt. Arkansas – North Ridge Direct

by Brandon Chalk | May 13, 2013 | Colorado 13ers

The 13er Mt. Arkansas (13,795’) had been on my radar for some time, especially the northeast couloir, for a spring climb/ski. However, with so much recent snow and avalanche accidents in the central and northern mountains of Colorado in previous weeks, I decided to hold off on this couloir and climb the north ridge, which looked like a fun challenge with some exciting scramble moves thrown in for extra credit. Arkansas is easily accessible from Highway 91 just south of Fremont Pass between Copper Mountain & Leadville and its north ridge offers a really fun climb in only about 5-6 miles roundtrip and under 3,000’ of vertical elevation gain. The final few hundred vertical feet to the summit has some fun scrambling as well, which goes at class 4, although these crux gendarmes can be bypassed on the ridge’s west side most of the time. For us, however, with the amount of snow and avalanche potential, it was much safer (though more exposed) to stay on the ridge proper up and over the gendarmes. Kristine, good friend Reid Jennings, and the dogs attempted this ridge a week ago only to be stopped short at the false summit primarily because we all didn’t think the dogs would be able to safely complete the ridge to the summit. The summit was still a ways off from where we turned around, though only a few hundred vertical feet. It was a little disappointing, but was a fun day nonetheless and good to get up high again with Kristine, Reid, Rainier, & Kona. Rainier is now 10 ½ years old, but still does so well.

Rainier on Arkansas’ north ridge with the west face of Mt. Democrat behind on May 5

Little did we know that the high peaks in the central & northern mountains of Colorado would get feet of snow a few days later, which made planning a reattempt a little discouraging. However, the weather looked good for the next Saturday morning, May 11, with clouds/snow coming in after 1pm and we’d be mostly on a ridge decreasing any exposure to avalanche terrain. I knew there would be a lot of new snow up high, but didn’t think the breaking trail would be as extensive, especially on the upper north ridge, as it was. If you got to break trail, I always think “well, we all just get a better workout”. Plus, J & I had a birthday party in Blackhawk that evening so combining this Arkansas climb with Blackhawk and some granite crack climbing at South Platte the next day sounded like the right weekend recipe.

Fellow engineering co-workers and friends Mike Santoro and Zac Wurth joined us on the adventure as well. We started snowshoeing/skinning around 8:30am from Highway 91 with J being the only one on AT skis. In retrospect, it would have been nice to bring the skis as well. C’est la vie. We attained the north ridge head on after making our way through nice tree glades that would make for fun low-angled ski terrain.

Mikey & Zac climb the steep section to gain the north ridge proper

J skinning the north ridge

We met two very nice ski-mountaineering fellows, Ed & Bryan, after we climbed the steeper snow and rocks to directly attain the north ridge. There was significant new snow all around and was some legitimate trail breaking up to the saddle where the north and northeast ridges intersect to form the north ridge to the summit. It was a nice day thus far and was fun making our way up the easy north ridge admiring the view.

Me breaking trail up the north ridge while Ed breaks a skin track

J skinning with Ed & Bryan, fellow mountaineers we met on the north ridge

Mikey climbing the north ridge

At this point, we traded our snowshoes and skis for ice axes and crampons for the ridge climb to the summit even though we would have liked some flotation for the deep snow. However, the ridge was too steep and dicey for snowshoes and skis/skins and so we left them at the saddle. Bryan & Ed then clicked into their skis and skied the wonderful north chute down into the north bowl separating the north & northeast ridges. The north ridge up to the false summit where we had turned around 5 days earlier was some really deep snow.

Reid & Kristine on the north ridge below the false summit on May 5

Me at the same spot on the north ridge below the false summit 5 days later on May 11. Notice how much more snow there is

However, beyond the false summit, the trail breaking let up a bit as I’d sink in only 12” and not 24”. I went ahead to scope out the crux moves up and down the gendarme and it proved to be very doable with some exciting moves and exposure. Zac & J followed me while Mikey remained on the false summit observing our progress from a great perch in the sky as he thought he would be too slow with the incoming weather. The mountain will always be there.

Me topping out on the gendarme on the north ridge proper

Once at the false summit, the real fun began on the class 4 crux as the ridge narrows. Here, Zac negotiates this class 4 crux as seen from the top of the gendarme

The final slog up to the summit after downclimbing the gendarme was a slog in the fresh new snow. We could see snow showers in the distance and clouds were building yet it was still decent weather over Arkansas. We made the summit around noon and after about 20 minutes started the descent, which was much easier now that we had a bootpack.

J & Zac making their way up the north ridge

J almost to the summit

Mt. Arkansas summit (13,795′)

View south to Mt. Sherman from the summit

Looking back down the north ridge with our tracks visible from Arkansas’ summit

Heading back down to the notch

J & Zac climbing back up to the top of the gendarme on our return

Me climbing back up the gendarme on our descent

Me negotiaing the class 4 crux on the way back down

Me on the class 4 crux

Left to right: Mike, J, Zac

Looking back up to Mt. Arkansas from the false summit

Soon enough we were back on the false summit with Mikey and then back down to where we stashed our snowshoes and skis. J & I turned our beacons on and I observed him skiing down the north chute from the north ridge. He later said that those were some really fun turns as they sure looked like fun from above.

J skiing the north facing chute

The three of us on snowshoes reached the cars around 2:30pm with J obviously reaching them much earlier. It was a great 6 hrs up on Arkansas and I was happy to have reached the summit this time around in some pretty tough conditions. One thing I did notice was that how much the snowpack is settling, even with the recent snow, which makes me more optimistic in terms of avalanche safety in the upcoming weeks for some ski-mountaineering trips.

Ski tracks down the north chute into the north bowl from J, Ed, & Bryan

J & I then set off for Golden and then late night fun in Blackhawk for the 35^th birthday of our good climbing friend, Matt Reigner. After an evening of rooftop hot tubbing and craps playing, where everyone just about broke even (I just observed and enjoyed cocktails), we met our good friends Jesse Hill & Derek Drechsel in the South Platte area for some granite crack climbing in preparation for J & Jesse’s upcoming trip to Yosemite – a trip I wish I were going on. Next year for sure. All in all, a fun-filled weekend. J & I were glad to sandwich the Blackhawk night with two outdoor-related adventures. I honestly just feel better about spending a night in Blackhawk being able to combine it with some outdoor activities. But, that’s just me 🙂

Milk Creek Cragging & Independence Monument

by Brandon Chalk | Apr 29, 2013 | Rock Climbing

Well, springtime finally seems to be here! With the avalanche conditions still not quite within our comfort level (we cancelled our annual Mt. Sopris ski mountaineering trip because of not so ideal snow conditions), we continue to hit the rock climbing hard. Several fellow co-workers joined the dogs & I for an afternoon in the sun down at Milk Creek in Wolcott, my new favorite local climbing crag. It has lots of varied crack climbs to practice our desert traditional climbing as well as a few really hard sport routes. A few pics from Friday:

Mike leading a nice 5.7 trad route

Nicki on her 1st rock climb ever with me 40′ above her finishing off one of my favorite 5.9 trad leads

Me coming over to give Nicki a little rock climbing instruction

Me trying to give Nicki ideas on where to move her feet and hands – she did so well!

Eric Aden on his 1st 5.8 dihedral layback crack climb

Eric on the 5.8 dihedral (left) while Zac loads up for the 5.9 layback crack (right)

Zac laying back the really cool 5.9 crack

Kristine, the dogs, & myself then packed up the car Saturday afternoon and headed west for some warm desert sun, car camping, and rock climbing. We met our friends Sarah & Keith Webber as well as Lauren & Steve at the Rabbit Valley free car-camping area just two miles from the Colorado/Utah state line. It was a fun night of campfires, horseshoes, burritos, s’mores, and stories. Kristine & I got up around 6am, made breakfast, left the dogs with Sarah & Keith to sleep in for a few more hours, and drove to Colorado National Monument with the intent of climbing the historic Otto’s Route up Independence Monument. I had climbed this route last November with my good friend Jesse Hill and absolutely loved it! Check out my first climb & description of Otto’s Route up Independence Monument here. I knew Kristine would feel the same way and she wanted to climb it. In four fairly short pitches, except for the 140′ Pitch 1, you can stand on the summit of this awesome desert tower. There are two cruxes in most people’s opinion: the 5.8+ off-width chimney of Pitch 2 and the final few 5.9- mantle moves of the final Pitch 4. Kristine did awesome on these cruxes. She climbed the cruxes clean never needing to rest on the rope. Add to the fact that we were the only climbers on the tower all day long and it was a really good day. I really enjoy leading this route and we brought along a second 60m rope for the rappel down that I trailed behind me on lead. I think we began hiking the 2.5 miles to the base of the tower around 8am, summitted the tower around 11:30am, and were back at the car after a hot hike out around 2pm. The two double rope rappels down the tower are exhilerating for sure. I know we are both really looking forward to more climbing in Colorado National Monument in the future as towers such as the Kissing Couple and the numerous single pitch crack climbs are hard to resist. Pics from our climb up Independence Monument are as follows:

At the Monument Canyon trailhead

Kristine & Independence Monument on the hike to the base of the tower

Me leading the 5.8+ Pitch 2 of Otto’s Route up the obvious off-width chimney

Kristine in the Time Tunnel to the base of Pitch 3

Me leading the fun 5.7 Pitch 3

Me about to pull the crux 5.9- moves on the final Pitch 4

On top of Pitch 4

Kristine on top of Independence Monument after climbing the historical Otto’s Route

A gorgeous day to be on top of a desert tower

The Chalks on the summit of Independence Monument

Summit panorama #1

Summit panorama #2

A really fun climb with Kristine, which she thoroughly enjoyed

Me on the first double rope rappel off the summit down to the Time Tunnel

Kristine on the second double rope rappel to the ground

Me trying hard to pull the ropes through to the ground after the rappel – quite the arm workout!

Independence Monument

Parting shot before the hot hike out

The Minturn Couloir

by Brandon Chalk | Apr 16, 2013 | Miscellaneous

This past Saturday, J & I did a little fun adventuring up a couloir near Minturn that we had been wanting to get on for some time now. It’s the prominent “S” shaped couloir up the center of a fairly steep face at the “S” bend in Highway 24 just south of Minturn.

The widest part of the couloir can be seen here from Minturn

The Minturn Couloir

Its always fun for us to head out into something we really don’t know much about (or anything at all) and hope for the best in that we get to the top or find a way through. Ice axes & crampons were definitely a necessity as was my 30m rope, harnesses, and a few cams, but in hindsight we should have brought the ice tools and a few ice screws. There are three near vertical pitches or cruxes in the lower half of the couloir that really justify roped technical climbing.

The Minturn Couloir with the three cruxes identified

The 1st crux is probably 20 vertical feet tall and consists of some near vertical ice and snow-covered rock on both sides. The ice would have been fun to climb if we had our ice tools and a screw or two. C’est la vie. We found a rock/dirt scrambling alternative to looker’s left around this crux and entered the snow-filled couloir again above it.

The lower section of the couloir – avalanche debris everywhere

The 1st crux – we bypassed this section to the left via rock ledges

The 2^nd crux is a vertical icefall with a rock climbing alternative to looker’s right of the icefall. Its probably only about 15 vertical feet and we chose the rock climbing option because again we did not bring our ice gear. J got up on a small ledge and we both then realized we should rope up for the 5.4 or so traverse across the small ledge and back into the couloir above the icefall. I handed J my rack and we both harnessed up. J placed a few cams, made the traverse moves in his crampons, and set up an anchor once back in the couloir and brought me up. It was a fun little pitch of technical climbing.

J with the 2nd & 3rd cruxes visible ahead

Looking down the couloir to the 1st crux below

J on the 5th class rock to the right of the icefall at the 2nd crux

J leading the 2nd crux rock band

J rounding the corner back into the couloir at the 2nd crux

The 3^rd crux is just above the 2^nd crux and involves about 35’ of technical ice, though not completely vertical. It would have been a fun lead for sure on good waterfall ice with 2-3 ice screws. However, we ventured on steep ground to our left around on a steep ledge and did some exposed 4^th class rock scrambling up and around the icefall. We re-entered the couloir above the 3^rd crux after some fairly exposed moves on a snow-covered ledge system with decent hand holds on rock.

The icefall of the 3rd crux was the largest – maybe 35′ in height.

Looking down at the 2nd crux from exposed ledges

J working his way back into the couloir proper above the 3rd crux

The next 800’ or so was great snow-filled couloir climbing. The angle probably never exceeded 40 degrees until we got to the top 200’ or so where the couloir choked and got steeper, likely 45-50 degrees or so. A second axe could have been useful in a few really steep spots but the snow was soft enough where J & I could just put a fist in the snow for support and stability. When the very narrow couloir seemed to peter out, we traversed to the right around a cliff wall and then climbed steep snow straight up for about 50 vertical feet to level ground and the top of the couloir.

J doing some fine couloir climbing above the 3rd crux

Looking down the couloir and Highway 24

J in the Minturn Couloir

Steep snow climbing ensued as the couloir constricted towards the top

The couloir petering out towards the top at which point we traversed to the right

J finishing off the Minturn Couloir with more steep snow climbing

The 2nd & 3rd cruxes as well as the upper narrow portion of the couloir can be seen here

We eventually topped out, drank a bit of water, and ventured through the trees for a hundred yards or so to pick up an old snow-covered road bed originally constructed for the natural gas pipeline serving the town of Red Cliff from Minturn. After 30 minutes of walking down the road sans snowshoes and a bit of post-holing, we came to an alcove where the road hugged the edge of the steeper northwest facing wall in which the couloir was inset. This point was where we thought we could climb down dirt and rock ledges back to the car for about 1,000’. We could have taken the road all the way to the Two Elk trailhead and Minturn rifle range but that would have put us a ways from my truck at the “S” turn on Highway 24. The descent worked out well and we were back at my car about 3 hours after leaving it.

All in all, a really fun few hours with J in a neat little couloir that involves some pretty cool climbing. It would be fun to go back and climb the two ice pitches we bypassed to the left. I’m happy we finally got in this couloir, which we have dubbed the Minturn Couloir, since J’s Active Energies office is in Minturn and he looks up at it about every day. We got this climb in just in the nick of time before the Vail Valley received 13” of new snow that evening for Sunday’s closing day at Vail & Beaver Creek plus an additional 24” on Monday! J’s wife, Megan, the dogs, & I skinned up Arrowhead Monday evening for the deepest run down Arrowhead I’ve ever had in the heaviest of snow conditions I’ve ever experienced. I have never straight-lined that ski run before, but did so Monday night. It took all my effort to lean back as far as possible in order to keep my ski tips up on the surface. Thankfully, this huge storm will help with Colorado’s water supply and decrease the potential for forest fire outbreaks this summer.

Mt. Lincoln

by Brandon Chalk | Apr 8, 2013 | Colorado 14ers

Our good friends Jamie Buckley & Eileen Clerig came to visit us this past weekend from Chicago. It was an absolute treat for Kristine & I to host these two and its always a special bonus when you find couples that you so enjoy hanging out and adventuring with both halves of the couple. Jamie is a fraternity brother and pledge brother of mine from W&L and has been a long time great friend. Jamie also climbed Kilimanjaro with Kristine, myself, and others in 2011 and I believe has a newfound interest in this whole mountain climbing bit. Jamie had climbed a few Colorado 14ers in preparation for the climb of Kilimanjaro and he definitely wanted to attempt another one on this short but sweet trip back to Colorado. As always, Kristine & I are up for any kind of adventure and I thought the nearby Mt. Lincoln would be a good 14er for all of us to attempt as it is relatively short (5 miles or so roundtrip with less than 3,000′ vertical gain). We have come to know Eileen well over the past two years and we absolutely love this gal! She is so upbeat and positive and has a glowing personality. She and Buckley make a wonderful couple – so wonderful in fact that they are engaged and are getting married in Florida this June 15! I truly cannot wait to attend the festivities and I believe most of my fraternity brothers feel the same way.

Mt. Lincoln (14,286′) from Colorado Highway 9

My only other Colorado fraternity & pledge brother, Chris Sutton, who is a good friend and lawyer in Colorado Springs joined us as well with his girlfriend, Alison. Additionally, our good friend and partner in crime, Lauren McKeone, who teaches with Kristine in Vail, expressed interest in coming along with her German Shepherd, Scout. Last but not least, of course, Rainie & Kona rounded out the crew.

Bucks, Sutton, & Alison snowshoeing Lincoln’s lower slopes

Buckley climbing the first steep snow slope

Kristine, Rainie, Kona, & I had been up Lincoln a few times and its always good to go back. This time we started the climb from the eastern Quartzville trailhead as the more standard and higher (in elevation) Kite Lake trailhead from the west was likely not accessible via car because of the snowpack. The last half mile to the Quartzville 4WD trailhead parking was deep snow so we had to park on the road, which added a bit more length to the hike but completely manageable. Kristine & I went sans snowshoes and besides the initial half mile up the road, there was very little post-holing as most of the east ridge route was firm snow or barren rock/grass. The weather forecast, however, was far from ideal. With a 40% chance of snow, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But, with only one day for a 14er attempt for Buckley & Eileen, we had to at least give it an attempt. The snow really never came, which was absolutely fine with us. But what did come was the wind and lots of it! The forecast had only called for 15-20mph winds, but I estimated the winds were likely 40mph up higher on the east ridge with gusts perhaps at even higher wind speeds. Fortunately, the air temperature was fairly warm, which made the wind chill temperature manageable.

Lauren & Scout in good form at about 12,800′ on the east ridge

Definitely a scewed picture I took here of Lauren & Scout, but sort of cool in a strange way

We really didn’t start snowshoeing/hiking until about 9:45am because of the slow drive over from Vail on icy/snowy roads. The sun kept poking through the intermittent clouds, which was definitely a reprieve from the high winds. Eileen let all of us know early on that she was really just wanting to have a nice, leisurely day in the Colorado high country but she knew that Buckley really wanted to summit if at all possible. Kristine then remained with Eileen and they both proceeded at Eileen’s pace and enjoyed the day. It actually worked out for the best as Kristine & Eileen got to have some great “gal time” together. Sutton & Alison made it to about 13,000’ on the east ridge before turning around due to the high winds. At that point, Buckley, Lauren, the dogs, & I had reached the base of the final summit cone at about 13,800’. Now, I never want to push my friends to do anything they are uncomfortable with or do not want to do. I kept turning around and asking Lauren & Buckley if they would like to continue. Their perseverance & resolve were incredible. They always wanted to forge ahead despite the very taxing high winds. We were never in a dangerous situation, though I know it likely felt a bit dangerous to them because of the high winds. I then broke trail up the final summit cone in hopes that the footsteps would help Buckley & Lauren.

Lauren & Scout climbing the final summit cone to Lincoln’s summit

It was a hard fought battle, but Bucks persevered

Buckley reaching Lincoln’s summit

I like this one of Buckley reaching Lincoln’s summit

We all topped out around 1pm, I believe, and enjoyed a good 20 minutes on the summit taking in the views and snapping pictures. Amazingly, the winds up top were not nearly as strong as the winds hammering us pretty much the entire ascent. My hat is off to Buckley on really staying strong to the end, as he normally does, and pushing through to the summit, especially since he had just come from Chicago (elevation 579’) two days before! He’s one tough son of a gun. And, Lauren did so fantastic in putting aside any doubt and disbelief to make a successful 14er ascent in tough conditions. Lauren has really been getting out with Kristine & myself on our backcountry and mountain climbing excursions and her efforts are really paying off! Chalk up another 14er summit for Buckley & Lauren and a new one at that!

Lauren & Scout on Mt. Lincoln’s summit (14,286′)

Me, Rainie, & Kona on Lincoln’s summit

Jamie Buckley on Mt. Lincoln’s summit (14,286′)

Pikes on another summit together

Group summit shot on Mt. Lincoln (14,286′)

I cleaned the ice and snow out of the dogs’ paws, but they were really cold, especially Kona with blowing ice freezing to her fur, so we descended pretty fast.

Lauren, Scout, & Buckley descending Lincoln’s summit cone

Buckley on the descent

The almost Buckleys back at the car with Mt. Lincoln behind to top off an awesome day in the Colorado high country

We eventually made it back down to the basin far below and met up with Kristine & Eileen. We had learned that they had made it all the way to 13,500’ on the east ridge where they could see us climbing up the final snow summit cone. Eileen did such a stellar job and I think she really felt good about herself. Kristine is amazing at coaching friends along and setting minor goals along the way. They had had a great few hours together, which is what it was all about anyway. Sutton & Alison had descended back down to their car and the rest of us made it back down to the cars at around 3pm but not without some good ole spring post-holing on the half mile stretch of road down from the 4WD trailhead parking. But, what’s a spring 14er climb without some post-holing, right? We all headed to the Breckenridge Brewery for some beers, food, and NCAA Final Four basketball and toasted to a great day up on the mountain. I think Buckley & Eileen had a great visit back to Colorado, however short it was, and a wonderful breath of fresh air before heading back to the Windy City. Kristine & I truly loved having them. I think Eileen said it best when she said, “Ya Know, even though it was a short visit, I feel it was very rich & hearty with friendship and good times.” I couldn’t agree more.

Silverton Mountain & the Ouray Ice Park

by Brandon Chalk | Mar 25, 2013 | Ice Climbing, Skiing

This past weekend just reminded me yet again for the thousandth time how much I love the San Juans. I had never skied the infamous Silverton Mountain before and when an invitation from our friend Gavin Chapman who works at the Trane Company in Denver asked a few of us engineers if we wanted to go this year, I, of course, had to go. I feel like we’re a pretty fun group of engineers and not your stereotypical, unpersonable engineer types. I think Gavin seems to think so and feel lucky that he invited us for a pretty cheap weekend as most everything was comped by the Trane Company. Silverton Mountain is my kind of ski mountain. One lift, no crowds, hike-to terrain, and steep powder runs in a backcountry ski setting. There are a few times during the season when you are allowed to go unguided, but for the most part everyone must go with a guide, which is absolutely fine as they really know the mountain like the back of their hand are are great folks. Fellow friends & engineers Jake Blevins, Zac Wurth, Mike Santoro, and our CAD wizard, Trevor Cochran, all joined in on the great weekend. Trevor doesn’t ski so he provided great moral support and drank enough beer for us while we were skiing on the mountain. Kristine also went as well after we all pitched in for her lift ticket on Saturday (Kristine & I have a hard time paying for lift serviced terrain, but this was a worthwhile exception). Gavin’s fiance, Kelly, also came with their lab puppy Bela and it was so awesome hanging out and skiing with such great people. Gavin really was the man of the weekend in hooking us all up with the lodging at the White Wolf Haus, the meals, and the lift tickets. Our guide was Josh “Bruce” Lee and a nice fellow named Yon from Ward, CO, rounded out our crew. I even ran into a fellow classmate of mine at W&L, Brannon Cook, at the Silverton Mountain warming tent whom I have not seen since our 10th year reunion in 2010 back in Lexington, VA. It was great to see him and hear that he and his wife are living it up as much as possible with trips to the Himalaya, a successful Kilimanjaro trek, and ski trips all over the country like this one to Silverton. We had a great time at Silverton Mountain and I cannot wait to go back someday when we have clearer weather for better views. Some pics of the day are as follows:

Left to right: Kelly, Jake, Kristine, & Gavin

Left to right: Mike, Yon, Zac, & Bruce Lee about to drop in

Bruce Lee heading out on our second run

Gavin about to drop in on our second run

Mikey loving life

Jake dropping the knee

Kelly in good tele form in the trees

The crew hiking in not so ideal conditions for our third run

Zac loving the alpine

Left to right: Gavin, Kelly, Zac, Kristine, & Jake on our third run

Jake getting low

Mikey effortlessley sliding downhill on our third run

Kristine, Gavin, Kelly, & I took the run directly below Mikey in this picture and enjoyed steep untracked powder for about 1,200′

Mikey in the white room on our fourth run

Mikey laying back

Sometimes I do wish I snowboarded for days like this as it is just a tad less work than telemarking in deep powder. Can you smell the sarcasm there?

Jake on our fourth run

Mikey’s snowboard wake

Kelly making some nice turns

Magnificient terrain

Kristine & I at the White Wolf Haus in Silverton, our awesome lodging for the weekend

After some eggs, biscuits & gravy, coffee, and NCAA Tournament basketball at the White Wolf Haus on Sunday morning, Mike, Kristine, Trevor, & I headed to the Ouray Ice Park for a little ice climbing while Gavin, Kelly, Jake, & Zac skied a second day at Silverton. I honestly was a bit envious of the ski crew as it was a bluebird day, but didn’t have the urge to pay $140 to ski the mountain again (we had one day of comped lift tickets) and we had planned on doing a little ice climbing and hitting up the Orvis Hot Springs anyway. Mike had never ice climbed before so this was a special day for him. I had yet to climb at the Ouray Ice Park this year, so it was great to get back on that awesome ice. Unfortunately, we forgot Kristine’s boot liners so she basked in the sun with Trevor and took some great pics of us. And, there isn’t much better than an hour dip at the Orvis Hot Springs in Ridgeway after some cold ice climbing to top off a great weekend. A few Ouray Ice pics are below (thanks to Trevor & Kristine):

Me starting up the fun ice climb I set up for myself & Mike

Me topping out

Mike on his first ice climb ever!

Mike belaying me up a a more vertical ice section for my second lap

I just love the Ouray ice

Me traversing to the more vertical ice pillar

Me topping out again

Me belaying Mike from above and talking to Trevor

A good few hours at the Ouray Ice Park followed by a good hippy dippin’ hour at the Orvis Hot Springs

Shelf Road Winter Cragging

by Brandon Chalk | Mar 19, 2013 | 7 Summits News, Rock Climbing

Kristine wanted to write the trip report for our 16 day Aconcagua climb this past December/January and so she went with it and I think she did a great job. Its a tad lengthy (mostly due to all the pics I added – I just love pics), but for those that do read it I hope you enjoy. The trip report is under our “Expeditions” tab on our site or just click Aconcagua 2013.

Now, onto last weekend’s activities. We spent a mid-March winter weekend down in the relative warmth of the high desert near Canon City at the rock climbing mecca that is known as Shelf Road. Good friends Mike Santoro, Kaitlin Preston, Reid & Tara Jennings, Nico & Celeste Cizik, Matt & Kari Reigner, and of course the one and only, Jesse Hill all joined in on the fun. Our usual dog pack accompanied us comprising Rainier, Kona, Piton, Sterling, Purna, & Snyder. Shelf offers world class sport climbing with a trad crack thrown in here and there with great camping and moderate winter temperatures. Saturday turned to be a mostly overcast and chilly climbing day while Sunday definitely warmed up. We did get about an hour of rain Saturday evening in which we all scurried for the mess tent, indiviual tents, and cars, but its nothing that a roaring campfire and Jesse’s awesome jambalaya couldn’t fix. All in all, it was a great weekend in which we pretty much completely spent ourselves, our forearms, and especially our fingers on the sharp limestone rock both days. I still feel like I was in an all day long bare-knuckle fight. I think we all do. A few pics of the fun are as follows:

Our crew at the Bank area on Saturday. Photo by Tara Jennings

Kona, Snyder, & Rainier are good belayers. Photo by Tara Jennings

Kristine & I checking out Jesse's sport route in which he made into a mixed sprt/trad route as is typical Jesse Hill fashion

Kristine & I checking out Jesse’s sport route in which he made into a mixed sport/trad route as is typical Jesse Hill fashion. Photo by Tara Jennings

Celeste in the thick of it on Ripped (5.10b), a trad crack in which Jesse & Matt led

Then, to the Cactus Cliff area in the sun on Sunday

Then, to the Cactus Cliff area on a sunny Sunday

Jesse leading the lower part of Red Eclipse (5.10c)

Jesse leading Red Eclipse (5.10c)

Kristine on Black Slabbeth (5.10a)

Kristine in the heat of the 5.9 delayered to her t-shirt

Kristine in the heat of Black Slabbeth (5.10a) delayered to her t-shirt

Mike on the fun arete called Beef Cake Formula (5.8)

Reid flying high on You Show Me Your Heavy Weapon, I’ll Show you Mine (5.7)

Me leading the really fun Candy for Big Kids (5.10d)

Me in the dihedral of Candy for Big Kids (5.10d)

Rainie relaxing

Me having pulled the mini-roof on Candy for Big Kids (5.10d)

Me at the anchors for Candy for Big Kids (5.10d)

Kristine at the crux of Red Eclipse (5.10c)

CCDS 2013 Cum Laude Induction Ceremony

by Brandon Chalk | Feb 19, 2013 | Miscellaneous

Last Friday, February 15, I had the privilege of being the guest speaker for the Cum Laude Induction ceremony at my high school in Charlotte, NC, Charlotte Country Day School. It was so fantastic to be back on campus again after 17 years and see new and familiar faces alike. Stephanie Harner (class of 1991, Upper School Latin Teacher, Varsity Girls Golf Coach) was instrumental in getting me back to CCDS for this wonderful ceremony and I cannot thank her enough. Special thanks to Jonsie Evans (class of 1995 and Director of Alumni Relations) for being very helpful to my family as well as showing us around campus after the ceremony. It was awesome to see Jonsie again after having gone to high school together. The new fine arts center and gymnasium complex are truly out of this world. CCDS definitely now reminds me of a small liberal arts college such as a W&L or a Davidson. Congratulations to all of the new Cum Laude inductees! Check out CCDS’ News on the Cum Laude Induction Ceremony here.

The 2013 Cum Laude Induction Ceremony at CCDS was short and sweet. I had never spoken in front of 600 students, family members, and faculty members before, but I think it went just fine. Whenever I am talking about mountains and goals, I always just seem to get fired up and enjoy the moment. Stephanie did a great introduction of me and I spoke for about 20 minutes. My presentation consisted of a brief slideshow of the 7 summits Kristine & I have climbed together thus far combined with lessons we have learned from these peaks and bringing it all together at the end by addressing the inductees to pursue their passion(s) and never give up on their goal(s). I think it went over well with everyone and believe it was a bit different than the normal guest speakers they typically hear and I remember hearing when I was being inducted into the CCDS Cum Laude Society back in 1996. It was absolutely fantastic having a big “movie-sized” screen for the pictures as I think it allowed the pictures to jump out at the audience a bit more than the other slideshows Kristine & I have done in the past. Mark Reed (Head of School) and Matt Less (Head of Upper School) then called the names of the 23 new inductees up to the podium to receive their certificates. A reception ensued after the ceremony outside where it was great to chat with students and their family members, faculty members, and my family about everything from engineering to mountains. Thanks to CCDS for having me back after all of these years. It was an honor to be the guest speaker for such a wonderful occasion! Below are a few pictures from the event (all photos courtesy of Jonsie Evans):

Left to right: Me, Mark Reed (CCDS Head of School), and my dad, John Chalk, in the theater before the presentation. A picture of Kristine on Everest is on the screen in the background

Me on the far right with the 2013 Cum Laude inductees after the ceremony

The Chalk Family after the ceremony. Left to right: Ann Chalk (my mom), Logan Foose (my sister), John Chalk (my dad), me, Chuck Wimbrow (my grandfather), and Jean Wimbrow (my grandmother)

My First Gold Medal

by Brandon Chalk | Feb 11, 2013 | Races

The Eddie Bauer Mountain Winter Games landed in Vail last weekend and was a great time as expected. Kristine & I always look forward to this weekend in the winter as well as its sister weekend in the summer, the Teva Mountain Summer Games. As a friend described to me, these games are in a way the “Hippy Olympics”. I thought that was hilarious. While these games are not riddled with dreadlocks and burlap shirts and shrouded in marijuana smoke much like a Widespread Panic show in Athens, GA, they are not your typical events. With events like ice climbing, telemark big air competitons, nordic skiing, and running/skinning up the ski mountain as fast as humanly possible, the games attract the heartiest and fittest athletes in the area. People who attend and compete in these events are all very fit and have a love for the outdoors and mountain sports. Though Teva is no longer the headlining sponsor for the summer games, GoPro stepped up and took the reigns. We entered the Vail Uphill race last year and did pretty well in the Heavy Metal category for our 30-39 age group, i.e. we both got 3rd and the bronze medals. The Vail Uphill essentially races straight up Vail Mountain mostly on the blue Simba ski run from the bottom of the gondola to the top of the gondola gaining 2,475 vertical feet in just over 2 miles.

The Vail Uphill race course

There are two categories in terms of mode of transportation up the course – the Open category on foot (yaktrax, microspikes, or snowshoes) and the Heavy Metal category on skis (telemark, AT, or splitboard gear). Now, on foot is always faster since you have so much less weight on your feet. I’ve read that every additional pound on your feet is like an extra 5 lbs on your back. Meaning that if my telemark setup (boots, skis, & bindings) weighs 15 lbs overall and someone’s else’s AT race ski setup weighs 10 lbs, then that’s like me carrying an equivalent 25 lb pack on my back in addition. Now, that’s quite a difference. However, with more people entering the Open category last year, Kristine & I entered the Heavy Metal category with our backcountry telemark setups. As stated before, we placed 3rd in our respective male & female age divisions and were pleased with the results. However, the folks that beat us had the extreme lightweight randonee race AT setups, which are much lighter even than our telemark setups. I didn’t understand that the randonee race gear was in the “Heavy Metal” category, but it was. My understanding was that “Heavy Metal” meant a ski setup on which you would use in the resorts and in the backcountry. Not one on which you could barely ski down an inbounds resort ski run. However, the race folks didn’t see it my way. Cest la vie, I guess. Its all about personal satisfaction and knowing what you can do with what you got. I’m not about to invest in a randonee race AT setup just to do these uphill races.

My good friend Megan Gilman, wife of J, then asked me “Buddy, why not use the old Denali skis? Might as well make it a bit more even rather than having your setup so much heavier than others.” She had a great point. She’s one smart cookie. I don’t know why we all didn’t think of this option sooner. While its honestly not a huge deal to me whether I do well in a race in relation to others (for me, its just about doing well for myself and in relation to what I personally can do), it would be nice to have a lighter setup to be a bit more competitive with others. So, the old Denali setup came out of retirement. Its a combination of a lightweight K2 AT ski with an antique mid 1990s Silvretta 404 AT binding that can accommodate a mountaineering boot, specifically my Koflachs. We used these on Denali as our mode of transportation up to 14,000′ camp. While I can’t ski them downhill more than I can fly to the moon, they are light on the uphill and allow me to use my Koflach mountaineering boots, which are significantly lighter than my Scarpa T1 telemark boots. J can ski these skis with his Koflachs exceptionally well. In fact, he just skied this setup the weekend before on Culebra Peak. Then again, he is an exceptional skier and I am not. Skiing this setup in Koflach mountaineering boots is like skiing in tennis shoes – absolutely no calf support like a ski boot gives. Booster straps do help around the top of the mountaineering boots yet it is still very tough. J makes it look easy though. J still has and uses his old Denali K2 ski/Silvretta binding setup though I sold mine years ago, which was a Solomon Pocket Rocket ski with the same Silvretta 404 bindings.

Me leaving 7,200′ Denali Base Camp in June 2007 on my Solomon ski/Silvretta binding setup wearing my Koflach mountaineering boots

J leaving 7,200′ Denali Base Camp in June 2007 on his K2 ski/Silvretta binding setup wearing his Koflach mountaineering boots – the same setup I used for the 2013 Vail Uphill race

Kristine decided to enter the Open category on foot with her microspikes while my plan was to enter the Heavy Metal category with J’s old Denali setup. My good buddy Joel Gratz, owner and founder of the wonderful and very successful powder forecasting website called OpenSnow, sponsored me in a way by paying my entry fee. Joel joked that I was Open Snow’s 1st sponsored athlete. It was a gracious gesture on Joel’s part that I really appreciated. I tested J’s old Denali setup on Saturday evening with Kristine & the dogs up Arrowhead just to make sure I had the balance down on these skis since I had not been on them in 7 years. I did actually ski them down Arrowhead which was probably like watching a beginner skier on the bunny hill. I’m sure it was a bit humorous for Kristine and the dogs. The setup worked well and would be much lighter than my telemark boots and telemark skis, though not nearly as light as the randonee race AT setups on the market.

The Vail Uphill race started at 7am on Sunday morning in cold temperatures and a snowy atmosphere. We had other friends in the race as well all on foot in the Open category. The race went fast and the temperature felt good. I was sweating, but not too much as I do when its warmer. I knew there were a few Heavy Metal folks in front of me, all of whom had the lightweight randonee race AT setups complete with spandex speedsuits. Everytime I saw a racer with the spandex speedsuits, it made me compete harder. I just find it funny, that’s all, as does Kristine and most of our friends. J’s old Denali setup did allow me to go faster for sure. With less weight on my feet, my legs could move faster and my body exerted less energy in each stride. Our good friend Chuck Pratt, who was there cheering on his fiance, Jennifer Lowry, was there to run with me the last hundred yards to the finish line. I definitely felt that I was faster than last year’s time of 50-51 minutes and I ended up finishing in 46 minutes and 3 seconds. I was pretty pleased. This time landed me 1st place in the male age 30-39 Heavy Metal category. Better yet, I took home the gold (of the Hippy Olympics, that is), which, I believe, is my first gold medal ever. I guess its as close as I will get to receiving a real gold medal. There were a few really fast Heavy Metalers in front of me, however. One young guy in the age 20-29 division and two older fellows in the age 50-59 division all of whom were amazingly fast. Of course, the Open category had so many fast guys in the 32.5 minute to 40 minute range, which is incredible. Maybe next year, I will enter the Open foot category and see where things land. All in good fun, though. Kristine came in at a dazzling 48 minutes and 7 seconds, much faster than her 2012 time, and placed 5th in the tougher female age 30-39 Open category. We all drank hot chocolate and ate muffins during the awards ceremony and had a great morning. We ran into Joel on the way out with our other friends Jesse, Jenn, and Tania as they were all going to ski the mountain, and he was ecstatic with my gold medal. He even wanted pictures with me. Joel said “Well, let’s do it again next year and make it two in a row!” Ha. I told him that it sounded good to me and I will try. Maybe Kristine & I will do the coed ski-mountaineering competition as well. Kristine & I were back home at 11am to play with the dogs and enjoy a much needed nap. Anyway, not that Kristine and I are big race people at all, these races are fun to do with good swag bags and we both look forward to the GoPro Summer Games come June. A big thanks to Joel & OpenSnow!