Tailboarding.com: Blog Posts

North Face Endurance Challenge

Scott Waller

Well, I decided to challenge myself one last time before tackling Denali. On Saturday the 10th I ran a 10k trail race in the North Face Endurace Challenge. Grueling race in the backcountry on single track trails, steep climbs (some with ropes), and slippery downhill decents. Overall a fun adventure with Heather and Rebecca cheering along back at the Start/Finish line. I finished 40th in the 10K (6.2 miles) out of 112 and right in the middle in my age group and gender.

Mt Rainier Ski Touring

Scott Waller

Last weekend my friends Evan, Randy, and I headed up to Mt Rainier to do a little skiing and training for upcoming trips. On Friday Randy and I headed out from Paradise up to Camp Muir. We made camp just below Muir (to avoid the crowds). Saturday morning I skied back down to Paradise to meet up with Evan. From there Evan and I both skied back up to our camp where Randy was hanging out all day and making a really nice snow camp. Then on Sunday we all skied down to Paradise together. Great weather, great conditions, and an overall great time with friends. 8,000 ft of elevation for me with a 50lbs+ pack was great training for Denali.

Touring around Iron Mountain

Scott Waller

Randy and I headed out last Saturday in search of altitude and snow in the area around Mt Stuart. The approach was a little more than we liked so we ended up in the valley most of the day. The weather was great and the sun was out. We did throw on the crampons and head up a nice steep ridge before locking into our skis and having yet another epic run down a beautiful slope. In the end over 10 miles of touring over about 7 hours. Great training :)

Training climb up Hex Mountain

Scott Waller

What a great day in the mountains to do a little solo climbing. Yesterday I went out on a solo snowshoe/climbing trip up Hex Mountain. I got a little late start but ended up making amazing time and summited by 2pm! What a view and the weather couldn't have been any better. The clounds broke and I could see for miles. Hex Mountain overlooks Lake Cle Elum at about 5100 feet. The climb is via a pretty steep ridgeline which kept me out of any avalanche danger. There was nobody else up there except for a group of climbers taking a different route. It was good to chat with them for a few minutes as they were training for Denali as well. They will be up there a week before I fly onto the mountain. 7 miles and 2800 feet elevation gain in 4.5 hours. Not bad.

Diamond Head Backcountry Ski Touring

Scott Waller

Well, another beautiful day in the great northwest. Today Randy and I headed into the backcountry in search for the ultimate powder shots coming down from Diamond Head (5900 ft.). We did 8 hours of uphill travel on AT ski gear and boy was the climb worth it. Couldn't ask for better weather. Not a cloud in the sky, bright sun (warm), and brisk winds from the south west that felt much colder than the 16 degrees when we left at 6:30am from the trailhead. From the top it was all down hill and down it was. Great chutes of awesome powder, fast travel through the trees, only to find one more open slope to lean back and left the power fly. Great day! Check out the Photo Album for more pictures.