It looks like we will be skiing with a crew of 4 this year. Fritz, Zack, James and myself. James and I go back to Montana – before Hyalite was the ice mecca it is today. Zack and Fritz are frends and co-workers of James.
I’m not certain about Zack but the rest of us have, or do, make our living sitting behind a sewing machine. More than just post-modern sweatshop operator new age sensitive males, we have pieced together a lifestyle that balances a good amount of recreation with a decent living.
Zach Holtzman – Zach has lead a life dedicated to skiing in two colors – black and red. When not long-boarding through Boulder, he designs t-shirts and sells gear at the local mountain shop. He claims to have been James’s protege in the Collegiate Range but I have yet to see him cook. Having the youngest knees in the crew I have high hopes to see him in the front often. I think he may have a tough time hanging with the rest of us when we talk sewing. This traverse was Zach’s idea….
Fritz Howard – Fritz is the tallest. He also is an accomplished dog sled, ski jouring athlete. We may have to have an arm wrestling showdown on this claim but he has the most experience in these hills. He posesses a unique level of skiing that comes from years of being pulled behind strong/ fast sled dogs – maybe best likened to turbo water skiing meets nordic skiing, without the exhaust. When not running his dogs through the mountains around Leadville, he runs his own outdoor clothing company – Melanzana – https://www.melanzana.com .
James Healy – James is so gungho on skiing lack of snow doesn’t faze him. In addition to his great backcountry cooking skills he has a cool little company that makes padded covers for crutches – Crutch Buddies – https://www.crutchbuddies.com/ . He’s living in Michigan now and has recently discovered kite skiing. Watch out! Skiing skills + sewing skills + big frozen lakes + wind…..
David Schipper – I’m fortunate to have this crew to ski with me! When I’m not carrying small packs through easy terrain I run an outdoor gear design/development company out of sunny Moab, UT – Outdoor Labs – https://www.outdoorlabs.com/ . It’s a puzzler to be gearing up for a winter trip in flip flops and shorts.
In addition to our skiing crew, Trey Cook, my long time climbing and skiing partner will be managing all of our live updates through his social marketing portal in Chamonix, France. We’ll email text and photos to him and he will load it into blog form. He has a great blog out of Cham – https://chamonixinsider.com/ .
Sweet skis Trey – Remember when you couldn’t ski!!
Each day is a gift. Be kind to one more person than usual and take a minute to try to understand a view other than your own. Enjoy the weather and smile.
Monarch to Leadville, Colorado
March 28 – April 12, 2010
130 Miles
40k’ Uphill
Fourteen 14,000 Peaks
