Group Intros!

Great Idea!

I am a Canadian living in Germany on the French border with my Swiss husband. Career wise, I am a hydrogeologist. In university (long ago), I was a varsity cross country runner, cross country skier and sport climber, so endurance and altitude was never something I really ever focussed on. And from flatland Canada (northern ontario), mountains were not a big part of my life until recently. 20 years later after a long pause and 2 kids, my husband and I started eyeing the Alps and aiming for easy treks/peaks. I have definitely noticed that my endurance going up needs a lot of work and that’s basically why I am here.

My goals are not very lofty at the moment, since I am really new to alpine sports, we would like to do at least one 4000 m in the alps this spring and see how that goes. Another goal is a multi-day cross country ski trip in the Black Forest (where we live). I am also interested in mountain running (i.e. Rosenlaui to Dossen) but one step at a time – I still need to build a lot more volume before I can even think about it.

Aside from that, i also love swimming, am on my local senior swim team and obsessively play tennis between everything else. When covid hit in Spring of 2020 and life pretty much halted in Europe, I started to really reflect on what made me the happiest – mountains, water and forest. So here I am!

My name is Meredyth. Hello everyone! Lauren – I lived in Yosemite for a year. I was actually there for the big flood (dating myself here). My hubby and I stayed on during the closure, he worked for park service and I worked for the concession. I currently live in WA, outside of Seattle in Snohomish. I am working my aerobic endurance. I was an avid climber, mountaineer, then triathlete, I took a detour and focused on my career for 10 years. During the detour I did crossfit and dabbled in mtn biking. I am realizing I ended up with aerobic deficiency (mentioned in the Uphill Athlete book and podcasts). Thus, I am on my path to get my endurance back while maintaining strength. I gooble up all the science that Uphill Athlete puts out on how to work on the aerobic base. I have always thought more intense the better, I am finding out the is just not true. Great to be part of the group!

Hello, all! I am Kate in Portland, Oregon and am so glad to be part of this group. Before kids, grad school, and several years focused on career and kids, one of whom has had some serious health issues the last few years, I lived in a mountain town in CO and did all the things – skiing (telemark), hiking, bouldering, hiking, mountain biking, trail running (although I didn’t even think to call it “trail running” at the time… and in more recent years have struggled to get into a good routine (and have somewhat lacked motivation) to do the things I so love to do. I have done some skiing and trail running but somewhat on and off. So here I am, to build back some solid endurance with guidance from the pros and to get motivated while surrounded (virtually at least) by other mountain-loving women. Training for a 15-mile “race” in May (the Smith Rock Ascent) and need to get a good routine going!

Hello, fellow mountain enthusiasts! I’m Melissa, and live in Seattle, WA, USA (where we have glaciers, deserts, rain forests, and coast lines all within two hours). Work in tech, no kids, but play in the mountains every chance I get. Last year I spent 111 days (backcountry/resort skiing, mountaineering, climbing, and some solo section hiking of the PCT). My goal is to be in decent enough shape to hold my own on whatever adventure awaits, whether it’s a fun ski tour with summit beers or climbing Rainier. As I get older, the risk of injury goes up, so I’m hoping to increase general strength to keep my body able. Looking forward to the structure this program provides. Hit me up if you live nearby and want to get together for fitness hikes in crappy weather or more Type I objectives.

Hi there! I’m Hayley- American expat living in Zurich. I would call myself a mountain lover, but in practice, a weekend warrior given that we’re about an hour drive from the feet of the alps. Primary sports are skiing (touring and what we call ‘freeriding’ in CH) in the winter, sport/multi-pitch climbing and gravel biking in the non-winter and hiking with the dog in between. I bridge through the weekdays with soccer practice, yoga, running, tennis and gym climbing.
I love sports of all kinds, and want to have the physical foundation to be able to pick up anything from a spikeball to crampons year round. I have always been an athlete but never truly trained at it (besides 1 half marathon a decade ago…). In reality, I am pretty solid when its downhill or flat ground and just struggle on the up, hence here I am. No specific goals in mind but would like to tick off a few 4000m peaks while we’re in Switzerland and, more generally, to be excited for lap 2 when out touring. Open to any suggestions of favorite swiss peaks/tours to tackle!

Hello! I’m Cecilia, and live in Southwest Washington. It’s so nice to read everyone’s bio. Pre pandemic, my focus was on indoor soccer, hiking and cycling. Over the past few years I have moved more to hiking mountaineering and trail running. I’ve done Mt Hood, Mt. Thielson and ran the Joshua Tree Half marathon last November. I work as a psychologist at a pain clinic, so have been dealing with burnout and low motivation. Looking forward to this group to help me get back on track to help combat the burnout. Also want to accomplish Mt Baker, Mt Adamas with the goal of either climbing in Mexico or South America at the end of the year. If any one form the PNW would like to train, I’d be open to that.

Hi everyon! My name is Natalie. I grew up in Michigan and currently live in Washington DC. Growing up, my family always said I was the kid that hated running and exercise – turns out I had asthma. I’m starting to get it under control and am really trying to get my fitness up so I can do all of the things I’ve always wanted to do.

My fiance is an ultra runner and snowboarder, and we learned to ice climb a few years ago together. I’ve always been in awe of what he is able to do. He got me back into skiing after a 4 year hiatus while playing high school hockey, and ever since I have wanted to keep going!

Lately, though, I have felt pretty de-motivated. I got myself up to running 4 miles without stopping in mid 2021, then had an asthma attack in August that really took it out of me. Now, I’m starting from basically zero. This course could not have come at a better time – we are planning an early honeymoon to Alaska to ski and climb in mid-March and my goal is to be able to go out, have fun, feel strong, and be safe.

I’m Sheila, in Seattle WA and also love splitboarding/touring. Let’s get a PNW group together! My email is sheila.loekito@gmail.com is 206-886-5212. You can also find me on FB/IG.