The North Face Speaker Series - Karina Hollekim

Made it to Wednesday night's North Face Speaker Series at the Armory.  It featured professional skier and BASE-jumper Karina Hollekim of Banff Film Festival fame.  She talked about her career as an adrenaline junkie, how it almost ended very badly for her on a blown jump, and how she made it through a three-and-a-half year recovery learning to walk again and just recently, skiing.

Last year was the first year the Speaker Series was brought through town, when climbers Conrad Anker and Jimmy Chin shared photos and video of a recent Himalayan climb with thanks to sponsors Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works, Outside Magazine, The North Face, and Gore-Tex.  If you missed that presentation then you missed out, because it was badass.

This year's presentation was interesting because Ms. Hollekim's Banff role, for those who might have seen it a couple years ago, ended with a failed parachute and near fatal injuries.  What would this person do now that their career and lifestyle are effectively no longer an option?  She's still around obviously, and doesn't otherwise appear to have recently been consigned by doctors to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.  A pretty remarkable story, and it was disorienting to watch short video presentations of the person standing before us casually stepping off cliffs the size of El Cap.  The event had a really good turnout too with the auditorium about 3/4 full. A big thanks to Sangre de Cristo and Outside for bringing this to town once again.

Parts of the presentation showed some incredible skiing footage from the steeps of Scandinavia or somewhere.  Well, it got me pretty psyched about the winter.  Not coincidentally, I received a friendly e-mail yesterday with a link to the new Pow-cam up at Crested Butte which was showing loads of fresh snow.  26" since Monday apparently.  I'll need to update this post with a relevant photo since it was a sight to behold.  Time to strap on the freaking boards already.

Update:  At left is a screen-shot of Crested Butte's snow conditions as of last Thursday night.  Apparently, Wolf Creek opened part of its mountain for the weekend because of the snowfall, with $31 adult tickets through early season. Crested Butte opens 11/19 11/24.

Santa Fe Rail Trail - Trestle Loop

Trestle Loop -
Santa Fe Rail Trail
Terrain:  Urban bike trail, hardpack, and sections of sand
Distance:  5 mi roundtrip

***

Getting colder around here, and the Sangres are showing snow up near their peaks.  For this reason I imagine, I didn't see a soul out on the Rail Trail last night.  It was beautiful nonetheless.

Urban poetry - 'We let the others Follow'

Rail crossing with sunset

Rail trestle

Arroyo Hondo valley

Chamisa, hills, and sky

Adjacent Trails:
  -  Arroyo Hondo Open Space
  -  La Tierra Trails
  -  Spur Trail Out-and-Back



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The Dale Ball Buster - Santa Fe, NM

Batman - followed by Herman and Chad Thompson

Sunday morning's Dale Ball Buster rumbled through the trails east of town free of incident.  The route circled the north Dale Ball Loop, then south on the east Dale Ball leg to the reservoirs, then up the north side of Picacho, up-and-over both Picacho and Atalaya mtns, and descending down to the St. John's arroyo. Distance of about 12.5 miles, the front group finished in about 2hr 15min although I don't know how hard they were hammering considering the cookie and gatorade stop along the way. 

Katie and Steve provide some last minute logistics

The New Balance crew was there with demo models - Gretel, Steve, & Craig

A cross-section of our somewhat costumed field

Thanks again to Steve and Katie for putting on the run and hosting the after-party.  Altogether we had a few missing faces but otherwise a regular who's-who of the local distance community.  The weather cooperated just long enough for the crowd to mill about and scarf down burgers and dogs provided by the Striders.  Prizes were given out by Wild Earth Guardians.

Our camera crapped-out at the finish line so with the exception of photos from the bbq, here's what we've got.

Photos:
 - Photo Album 1 - K. Brennan
 - Hadji Corona has a large photo album up here 
 - Jacob has a run report over at the Santa Fe Trail Runner here.

Related Posts:
  - Big Tesuque Trail Run - Race Report (10/2)
  - Pajarito Trail Fest - Jaguar XC Races
  - Pike's Peak Ascent - Race Report


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Moonlight Run - Santa Fe Foothills

Every recent evening run has become a night run. This week there's a moon and light and it's easy to spook-out on thoughts of Halloween and the ghosts of northern NM.

I cannot run past the Folk Art Museum in October without thinking that La Llorona is roaming the bosque for her children around the next bend of the arroyo. This definitely makes the run that much more awesome.

Wed. p.m. - Zia Rd. trailhead to the St. John's turnaround - 10mi.r/t
Footing: Almost entirely sand
Traffic:  Zero (of the living kind)
Lighting:  Full moon, handlight for creepy Halloween bridge underpasses
Spooky apparitions:  Far too many to count


Related Posts:
  - Dorothy Stewart Ridgeline Trail
  - Las Campanas - Cycling
  - Rail Trestle Loop

Abbreviated map below - Arroyo Chamiso Eight Miler


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Museum Hill and Dale Ball Trail - On the Bike

An abdomen injury has kept me off the running trails of late - but as fortune would have it, running trails make great biking trails.  Daylight is a bit scarce after work, so I've been racing up Museum Hill way, past St. John's, and up and around the west Dale Ball loop.  The route has single-track, speed, solitude, and gorgeous sunsets.  And yes, all of this comes standard on any run, bike, or hike in NM, but it's something that really never gets old.

Museum Hill

When running this way I usually take the Arroyo Chamiso east towards Atalaya.  Arroyos are a lot less fun on two wheels so I rode east up Zia to the relatively new trailhead at Calle de Leon, (left on Conejo from E. Zia Rd.). From here there's a great network of footpaths and single-track that wind around and through the arroyo just south of the Museums.  Lots of cactus-sabotage on the narrow sections of these trails - not as noticeable or dangerous when on foot.   Rock some bike-control and you can admire the pinks and purples of an evening sky in the foothills free of incident.

 Continue east towards St. Johns or cut north when the paths thin out, and climb up to Santa Fe Trail on a path behind the NM state lands building.  Up Camino Cruz Blanca to the west Dale Ball loop which is just as awesome on wheels as on foot.  Fantastic single-track, no cactus.

The sky from Camino Cabra

Round trip from the RailTrail trailhead at Zia Rd. is about 14mi and takes just over an hour if you're hammering.  Variations include the Dorothy Stewart trail, Atalaya mtn., or the Barbaria Rd. linkup.  Finish with a Sierra Nevada and playoff baseball game. 

Sweet-ass ride.



A click-able map of the Museum Hill trailhead below.


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