[Stephanie Stefanski]

Hey everyone!

Creating this topic for everyone in the May 2022 mountaineering group to introduce themselves and share any goals / trips you are planning for, as well as where everyone is based.

I’m Stephanie, a consultant based in Washington DC (I find 1’000+ ft elevation gains where I can) and I spend my time running, hiking, and climbing, all as part of my training for bigger adventures in the mountains. I recently summited Aconcagua in Feb 2022, and Mt. Rainier last July 2021, but want to continue to build my endurance and strength to tackle other mountains more comfortably (e.g., being able to carry more weight – I’m fairly petite so I’m always fighting against my height/size factor). Happy to talk about any of those experiences. I’ve also done some mountaineering in Ecuador, and backpacking / hiking all over Patagonia, where I used to do research on sustainable development and the intersection of conservation, tourism, and other industries.

My current adventure plans/goals:
May 21: Half marathon with 1,000′ elevation gain
June 22-29: Yosemite hiking (and maybe climbing?) – looking for others to join on some full day hikes!
July 30-Aug. 9: Kilimanjaro expedition, potential to tack on Mt. Kenya
Oct. 30: Marine marathon – will be my first!
Dec 2022 (TBD): Cotopaxi/Chimborazo or another Andean climb in Peru. Currently scoping out options and would love any suggestions.
Jan. 1: Mt Washington, NH

Let me know if anyone wants to join for some hikes in Yosemite, or out here on the East coast!

Topic

[Maria Coryell-Martin]

Maria Coryell-Martin on May 13, 2022 at 5:11 pm #67139

Hi everyone!

My name is Maria and I live in Port Townsend, WA where my family and I run a small adventure art supply company (Art Toolkit if you’re interested in checking it out).

My brother Carl invited me to do this course with him- though we live in different cities, we’ve done a lot of virtual running together (love wireless headphones!) and we’re both interested in building up more base fitness and strength.

I also love the high alpine and am hoping for some family adventures this summer in the Olympics and North Cascades. Years ago I had more glacier mountaineering experiences working with some cool program (the Juneau Icefield Research program and Inspiring Girls Expeditions on Mt Baker), but it’s been a while!

These days I regularly open water swim, run, and bike around town. Last summer I had a blast doing my first triathlon in about 15 years.

I’ve had some past struggles with overuse injuries think the strength and base training here will be great for me.

I’m really looking forward to the support and structure of this program and am glad to be here with all of you!

[Mariner_9]

Mariner_9 on May 14, 2022 at 9:21 am #67162

My name’s Mike. I live in southeast BC, between the Purcells and Rockies.

My goals are all enchainments of local peaks.

Here to learn and I hope to be able to contribute. Been using TFNA since it came out in 2014. Made lots of mistakes along the way and perhaps I can help others avoid some of those. 🙂

[lapotka]

lapotka on May 14, 2022 at 1:31 pm #67167

I’m James, from north of Missoula Montana.
I’ve been an Uphill Athlete fanboy since the fist book came out but have never done any structured training. I’m a 41 year old overweight dad with a stress full job, I climb a few 14ers every year and some other regional class 2,3 or 4 mountains each season (Borah, Hood, random less known local stuff that similar) and I inbound splitboard a few laps every weekend while my kids do ski lessons. I “trained” for a 1/2 marathon this January to make myself run enough that I can hopefully eventually jog with a low enough heart rate to apply TFTNA principles while doing an hour trail run a few times a week. I’d like to climb 4-5 14ers in a long week in August and not be miserable and just generally get some of the heart rate training dialed in better.

Good to meet you all!

[Ben Cox]

Ben Cox on May 15, 2022 at 6:48 am #67178

Hi everyone
My name is Ben
I am from Australia
I have had a burning desire to get into mountaineering for a number of years that will not recede
I tried before but suffered an injury just before my trip that took a long time to heal.
I find myself recovered and once again am drawn to this
Iinitially I just want to gain enough fitness to participate in a basic week long mountaineering course in New Zealand.
?

[Carl Coryell-Martin]

Carl Coryell-Martin on May 15, 2022 at 1:11 pm #67186

Hello folks,

I’m Carl Coryell-Martin, 46, older brother of Maria above. I’m based out of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I read Training for the New Alpinism in 2018 and was entranced by Mark Twight’s description of the alpinist as en engine that can run forever and produce explosive force on demand. I spent time on big mountains in college and after graduating, however since moving to Singapore in 2008 and having a daughter in 2014 I’ve lost important fitness, time for climbing, and skills.

My climbing goal right now is to return to the Olympics with my sister and complete the full Bailey Traverse from north to south.

I’m doing a startup right now, and I’m honest with myself that I likely won’t have time for big mountains for a few more years. At the same time, the training is vital to keeping me sane and healthy and I’m enjoying the feeling of continual progress to the larger goals.

I’m very excited to rebuild that base and find the idea above thread of being strong enough to casually join local climbing expenditions appealing. In the mean time, I’m here to build strength (doing pull-ups again) and aerobic endurance.

As, Maria mentioned above, we started running together ‘virtually’ on the phone during the pandemic and found it a rewarding way to stay connected. The 1 hour of running around the track measuring our AeT was much more fun having a running partner’s voice in our ears the whole way.

I’m looking forward to spending the next 12 weeks with you all.

[MARTY OSTERMILLER]

MARTY OSTERMILLER on May 15, 2022 at 6:23 pm #67203

Wow, what an accomplished team! Fun to be included in this adventure.

My family and I live in Salt Lake City as well – Matthew/Kevin, I look forward to connecting in person to train. My cell is 385-251-0871.

I read Uphill Athlete about a year ago and it changed the way I think about training. I think I spent my whole life leading up to reading it in zones 3 and up… more and harder is better, was my approach. My current goals don’t include scaling any huge mountains like so many of you. At this point, I am just trying my best to keep up with my very fit 15 and 16 year old boys – both of whom just qualified for the national skimo team.. and the older of the two is, as of May 15, on Day 6 of the Appalachian Trail (Nobo), hoping to finish by the end of August. I join them for their skimo and mountain bike practices.. and hope to remain a junior member of the FADDY group (Fit Daddies, as my boys call my group of friends). I would also love to be able to join my boys for a skimo competition or two in Europe if they are lucky enough to qualify (and they happen to have an O.G./Masters path for me to join in on the fun).

[MARTY OSTERMILLER]

MARTY OSTERMILLER on May 15, 2022 at 6:24 pm #67204

Wow, what an accomplished group! Fun to be included in this adventure.

My family and I live in Salt Lake City as well – Matthew/Kevin, I look forward to connecting in person to train. My cell is 385-251-0871.

I read Uphill Athlete about a year ago and it changed the way I think about training. I think I spent my whole life leading up to reading it in zones 3 and up… more and harder is better, was my approach. My current goals don’t include scaling any huge mountains like so many of you.. though my ancient history includes hiking Illimani in Bolivia and a lifetime of living actively in the mountains.

At this point, I am just trying my best to keep up with my very fit 15 and 16 year old boys – both of whom just qualified for the national skimo team.. and the older of the two is, as of May 15, on Day 6 of the Appalachian Trail (Nobo), hoping to finish by the end of August. I join them for their skimo and mountain bike practices.. and hope to remain a junior member of the FADDY group (Fit Daddies, as my boys call my group of friends). I would also love to be able to join my boys for a skimo competition or two in Europe if they are lucky enough to qualify (and they happen to have an O.G./Masters path for me to join in on the fun).

[Todd Hatfield]

Todd Hatfield on May 16, 2022 at 10:10 am #67242

Hey it’s Todd from Central Kentucky. I’ve always been hooked on mountains but for many years I kept it “casual” (car camping, hiking, etc). The hardest things I had done were Yosemite Falls and Half Dome / Clouds Rest trails, many years ago. Then in 2013 some friends asked me to join in on some adventure travel, biking in Tuscany. I needed to get in better shape! Since I don’t care too much for road biking (Tuscany’s different) I started mountain biking. The next year we chose to hike the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu – my first 15K+ complete with an out of season blizzard. One thing kept leading to another and then in 2019 I hooked up with Exum Guides to do the Grand. In 2020 we did the Cirque of the Towers (Pingora / Wolf’s Head – I’m glad I didn’t know what I was getting talked into until I was fully committed), and then last year Mt Moran (highly recommended!) and Disappointment Peak. This year we’re going to Titcomb Basin for Gannett, Mt Helen, and Ellingwood. My thoughts keep wandering to Western Europe, especially the Matterhorn, but other than that I don’t have specific objectives. I think Colorado and especially Wyoming could keep me content for a long time. I’ve done fine on those peaks that I’ve attempted, but I’d like to be much effective with my time spent training. So here I am …

[Herb Lustberg]

Herb Lustberg on May 16, 2022 at 5:16 pm #67277

Hi everybody. Herb here from Connecticut. Nice to meet all of you! I started hiking, running and cycling a few years ago and progressed to larger Mountaineering objectives.

History includes:
Mount Washington many times in summer and winter
Mount Rainier 2018
Denali Prep course in Mount Baker wilderness January 2019
Ixta and Orizaba (Mexican volcanos) November 2019
24 week Expedition Mountaineering Uphill Athlete program January 2020-May 2021 (Mark Postle and Scott Johnston coached)
Denali trip postponed from May 2020 to May 2021 due to pandemic
Mount Moran August 2020
Gran Teton Sept 2020
Longs Peak October 2020 (shoulder injury)
Surgery December 2020
Denali summit May 2021 (shoulder reinjury)
Surgery September 2021
Mount Wilson (Red Rock NV) March 2022

So my objective is to regain some lost mountain fitness from my time off due to injury. Hopefully I can get back to where I was and continue my rock and ice climbing progression and get ready to head west next September for Rockies or Tetons or Wind River or other objective.

Two things are for sure, this method works and Mark and Steve are masters at coaching! Thank you for providing such amazing guidance and education!

[Eric Burrell]

Eric Burrell on May 16, 2022 at 6:47 pm #67280

Howdy everyone, Eric here. Total newbie to this training group! I just moved out to Sandy, UT from Saint Paul, MN for my first job out of college and I’m eager to get after some bigger stuff in the mountains this Summer. I ran and skied competitively in high school and part of college but tapered back on that to pursue more rock/ice/mixed climbing goals. Lately I’ve been structuring my training based off TFTNA but I craved a bit more structure.

My big goals right now are the Cirque of the Towers traverse in the Winds, the Grand Traverse in the Tetons, and some other traverses and linkups in the Wasatch. Also the Wind River High Route, which my dad and I attempted last summer. Next Winter I’d like to get more into ski mountaineering and pursue some more remote ice/mixed routes in the lower 48 and Canada. Further off in the future I’d like to get to Patagonia, Alaska, and the Karakoram.

I’m stoked to get after it!

[Joe Reigle]

Joe Reigle on May 16, 2022 at 7:48 pm #67282

Hi everbody. Joe from Hershey, PA. Nice to meet everyone! I’ve been hiking backpacking since I was a kid. I enjoy rock, ice and mixed climbing (biggest focus is ice climbing)

Ive done numerous winter summits in New Hampshire, to include Mt. Washington. In the North Cascades I’ve done Mt Baker, Shuksan, Sahale peak and Black peak.

Upcoming goals:
Vermont long trail
winter presidential traverse
winter pemi loop
winter Mt Katahdin
Denali

Always looking for climbing partners as well. Lately I’ve been spending my weekends in the Gunks or Virginia. Over the winter my go to ice climbing is New Hampshire or the Catskills.

[Vic Sheldon]

Vic Sheldon on May 16, 2022 at 9:23 pm #67284

Hello All, Vic Sheldon here – great to connect with you all. This is my first UA Mountaineering Group experience. Thanks to Stephanie for setting this thread up – very cool and inspiring to see everyone’s motivations and goals/aspirations.

I am also Washington, D.C. based, but soon (this summer during the program) transitioning to San Diego, CA. I’m married – 3 kids, and a 23 year U.S. Navy vet – still going. I’m a previous collegiate level swimmer, and triathlete, so understand periodized training and base building, but looking for a better understanding of training plan methodology and construction. I previously lived in Seattle and have climbed Rainier 3x, Baker, Shuksan, and others, and have been dabbling in rock and ice climbing for 20+ years.

Main goal with this program is to accurately assess my fitness, improve my aerobic base and strength with a focus on mountain specific movement with a Denali goal in the next 3-5 years. This summer, I’m planning a Presidential Traverse (NH), a trip to CO for a 14er or three with the family and maybe a trip to Mt. Hood and or an attempt at the Ptarmigan traverse in the North Cascades.

Looking forward to training and learning with you all.

[Tamara Kidd]

Tamara Kidd on May 16, 2022 at 11:57 pm #67290

So excited to train and learn with everyone on here!

My name is Tamara. I’ve been mountaineering for about 7 years now and rock climbing for about five, as well as some ice climbing (although I’m still a total gumby on ice). I live and bartend in San Diego, CA so I drive to the Eastern Sierra any chance I get to climb. I have also climbed in the Tetons and Pico de Orizaba. This is my first time doing an interactive course with Uphill Athlete, but I am familiar with a lot of the training principles and can’t wait to learn more. The book Training for the New Alpinism and the Alpine Training Programs helped me to climb one of my all-time dream climbs in 2020; the Palisade Traverse. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

I have some big dreams of climbing Denali and in the Himalaya when I can afford to. For now, I really want to get in good enough shape so I can go every other weekend to the Eastern Sierra and have the endurance to climb fast. This summer I would love to climb Temple Crag, The Incredible Hulk, and the East Face route up Mt Whitney. My biggest challenge tends to be my speed. It has been the main reason for most of my failures. I am fortunate I never have issues getting sick from the altitude, even going straight from sea level to 14ers, but I start moving so slow, or just bonking, and I end up needing to call it and turn around in order to have a safe descent.

I have some trouble finding climbing partners because most of my friends that actually enjoy Alpine Climbing are way out of my rock climbing league. So if anyone on here enjoys some 10a or below multipitch and wants to climb in the Sierra at all this year let me know 🙂 Cheers!

[Eric im Bayern]

Eric im Bayern on May 17, 2022 at 3:54 am #67293

Servus!

Eric here. I’m based out of Munich, Germany and try to spend as much time possible in the Alps (they are one hour away). I primarily hike, ski tour and do the occasional via ferrata. This summer I’m planning a few tours in the Dolomites, the Stubaier Alpen and a glacial mountaineering class on the Wildspitze.

I started training two years ago with an aerobic base plan from the Uphill Athlete. I’ve had major increases in fitness doing this, but I felt like I hit a plateau, so I signed up for this group. My goals are to increase my ascent speed, move in lower HR zones with a heavy pack and ultimately do a hut-to-hut ski tour in spring 2023.

[Timothy Henr]

Timothy Henr on May 18, 2022 at 4:24 pm #67344

Hey everyone,

I’m a Denver based moderate rock and ice climber looking to get back into the high mountain both on rock, ice and snow this summer after a bit of a hiatus the past 24 months. A few ideas/goals that I would love to tackle this summer:

– Mount Baker
– Mount Rainier
– Mount Shuksan
– The Grand in a day [car to car…ideally]