Skier Walks Up 2 Million Feet, To Ski Down
Skier Walks Up 2 Million Feet, To Ski Down
Published : 26-Feb-2011 09:51
Greg Hill
A Canadian back country skier has set a new record for walking up mountains, then skiing down them. Revelstoke-based ski mountaineer Greg Hill has completed his quest to climb and ski 2,000,000 vertical feet (609,600 metres) within a calendar year with two days to spare.
Hill, sponsored by leading skiwear manufacturer Arc'teryx's had previously set a record from hiking up and skiing down 1,000,000 vertical feet in 2004/2005.
"Drawing on my previous experience, I was able to hone my training schedule in order to plan a 2,000,000 vertical foot year." Said Hill who said that although people might think hiking up was the toughest part, actually 'breaking trail' – which means ploughing a way through fresh powder was often as bi a part of the challenge.
Hill did much of his climbing and skiing in the rugged Selkirk Mountains in and around his Columbia Valley home, but also went on a four-month trip to South America in order to log enough vertical to reach his goal.
The achievement looked like it might be missed with one month to go and limited easy season snow at Revelstoke, with Hill needing to average 8,000 vertical feet (2,000 vertical metres) per day when daylight hours were also short.
"Those final days featured some serious trail breaking, but also really great powder skiing," Hill says. "I carried two high-power Petzl Ultra headlamps which enabled me to push on and do one or two more laps at the very end of the day. My touring buddies and I really enjoyed skiing deep powder with the headlamp; it really adds another dimension to backcountry skiing," Hill says.
Along the way, he tested several new Arc'teryx products including the award-winning Alpha SV glove, and a super lightweight and breathable Gore-tex® Active Shell jacket.
"Over the past year, I skied in a huge variety of conditions. Thanks to the technical properties of the Arc'teryx clothing I used, weather was never a limiting factor." said Hill in a reference to his sponsors.
Hill broke the two-million feet mark in cold, clear, powdery conditions, accompanied by friends and family on the mountain slopes of nearby Glacier National Park.
He drank champagne after his altimeter watch turned over 2,000,000 vertical feet, then descended into a powdery cloud.
"So often the only stories we hear about backcountry skiing in the mainstream media are negative ones that deal with avalanches, rescues, and deaths. I think that by skiing two million vertical feet – much of it solo – I can show that with the proper knowledge and equipment, people can safely enjoy the mountains in the winter. I'm gratified that people from all over the world have posted comments on my blog and that even non-skiers are inspired by my goal setting and achievement."
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