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Running and climbing in Bernal

2009-07-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

Sunday was another fun & crazy day. Sergio, Odi and I went to Bernal, where around 9:30 a.m. Sergio and I participated at the 1er Circuito Peña de Bernal, a 15 km race organized by the Solo Para Salvajes running circuit.

The race became a little bit of a disaster, most of the runners ran only 7 km of the 2-loop course due to bad marking of the route. Nevertheless, the challenge was good enough and we had tons of fun as always :)

We had a good breakfast after the race and headed to the monolith, we wanted to do a multi-pitch climb of it. Bernalina (5.8, 5 pitches) was totally crowded so we opted to go for Filo Sureste, which is a little bit harder (5.10a, 4 pitches) but good enough to pass the crowds and get to the summit before the day ended.

This was Odi's 2nd climb in Bernal but the 1st time she got to the summit. She did an excellent job following every pitch with Sergio by her side, we used half-ropes so they could climb together. After 2 and a half hours we reached the summit, everyone was happy, the weather had been really good despite the clouds. After fooling around and shooting some pics, we rappelled off the cliff and went back to the car.

We met Gil, Caro and the kids at the parking lot, then headed downtown to celebrate with the traditional giant micheladas. After the beers, we drove back to Tequisquiapan to have dinner in the street market at the central plaza. We had lots of food and fun before coming back to the city. It was another great Sunday in the countryside :)

Rest of the photos can be seen here.

Spitzer Winner Completes Stunning Baffin Solo

2009-07-09T18:04:00.001-05:00

Dave Turner, winner of a 2009 Lyman Spitzer Cutting-Edge Award from the AAC, soloed a major new route in Baffin Island during a 65-day expedition this spring. Turner climbed the 1,400-meter north arête and face of Broad Peak (ca 1,800m) in a remarkable lightweight, single-push effort...

Inclined: Spitzer Winner Completes Stunning Baffin Solo

Feels like home

2009-07-09T09:16:00.003-05:00

Heard this at My Sister's Keeper movie last night. A beautiful song that says it all...

edwina hayes - feels like home

somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself
makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms
there's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life

if you knew how lonely my life has been
and how long i've been so alone
and if you knew how i wanted someone to come along
and change my life the way you've done

it feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
it feels like i'm all the way back where i come from
it feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
it feels like i'm all the way back where i belong

a window breaks, down a long, dark street
and a siren wails in the night
but i'm alright, 'cause i have you here with me
and i can almost see, through the dark there is light

well, if you knew how much this moment means to me
and how long i've waited for your touch
and if you knew how happy you are making me
i never thought that i'd love anyone so much

it feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
it feels like i'm all the way the back where i come from
it feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
it feels like i'm all the way back where i belong
it feels like i'm all the way back where i belong...

Intense weekend

2009-07-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

Saturday was a beautiful day, in which we enjoyed a crystal-clear sky above Mexico City. We could see every mountain in its surroundings as well as my beloved volcanoes. Odi and I went for 2 hours of climbing at the University wall. It was her first time there and she enjoyed it a lot.

By the very first hours of Sunday, Luis, Edith and I started an un-assisted, self-supported run of the Prueba de los 3 días 2009 116 km course.

After a bit more than 5 hours of running and despite the heavy mist in the Ajusco area, we made very good progress and arrived to El Zarco by 8:30 a.m. We refilled our water bladders at La Marquesa and continued towards Presa Iturbide.

10 kilometers after that, I developed a strong pain on the right side of my chest, apparently due to a floating rib that I got injured some years ago. We made another stop when we arrived to La Glorieta (near Villa Alpina), so I could have some rest and to see if the pain would cease. It didn't happen, so we opted to bail from the run, after 56 kilometers.

We rode a bus back to the city but promised to come back another weekend to finish the run (after me going to the doctor). In spite of that, we had an amazing time running together from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. :)

Once in the city, we celebrated life and friendship with some well-deserved beers and tacos, then each of us went home. I had a shower at my parents place and went to see Odi, we had a very important talk pending...

Around 8 p.m. and under a bright and almost full moon we decided to finally become a couple, after 3 beautiful months of dating. It was definitely the best finish for such an intense weekend! <3

John Bachar 1957-2009

2009-07-06T11:04:00.001-05:00

One of the greatest has gone...

John Bachar, 51, was found dead at the base of the Dike Wall, not far from his home, near Mammoth Lakes, California on July 5th, 2009. He was climbing alone and presumed to be free soloing. John leaves behind his son, Tyrus...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

Mountain Summer

2009-06-29T18:42:00.000-05:00

Summer is here, as well as the rain, so everything is getting pretty again after a long (Winter & Spring) dry season. Yesterday I did another speed solo ascent of Iztaccíhuatl via the Ayoloco route. I didn't break my personal record from April but logged a great time of 3:40:17, from car to summit, and 5:58:50 roundtrip!

Originally, my idea was to do a double ascent of the mountain as a hills/endurance training for the upcoming Leadville Trail 100-miler in August, but weather didn't look promising while I was coming down from the 1st lap, so I opted to leave it for another day. Hopefully in a couple of weeks...

Rest of the pictures are here.

Americans Free Climb Big Wall in Namibia, Africa

2009-06-20T13:04:00.000-05:00

Majka Burhardt, Peter Doucette, and Kate Rutherford have climbed two new big wall routes: Southern Crossing (V 5.11+) and Painted Giraffe (V 5.9+), on the 1300-foot Orabeskopf Wall in Southeastern Africa. The massive golden, granite wall is located on the Brandberg, Namibia's highest peak, with a summit just over 7,000 feet.

But that’s only part of the story. There’s also a 2,000+ year-old painted giraffe, 108-degree temperatures, eight days at 15km/hour over washboard roads, scorpions, laser sharp granite cracks, crumbling granite faces, cobras, realized conservation, weathered maps, and rugged mountain passes...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

2 days of aweinspiring trails

2009-06-18T16:25:00.010-05:00

As you may remember, last week I wrote a post about the 1st stage of Prueba de los 3 Días, a 3-day 116 km stage ultramarathon organized by the Solo para Salvajes running circuit.

This weekend we ran its 2nd & 3rd stages to complete the race. It was totally awesome! The full 3-day (116 km) course is shown in the image below (click on it to see a detailed report w/ charts):

The 2nd stage was run on Saturday and it consisted of a 38 km course from El Zarco to Presa Iturbide. A strenuous run but not as much as the 45 km from the 1st stage. I completed it in 5:22:51 and had lots of fun with folks along the course. The scenery started to get more inspiring, as we entered less populated rural areas in the Western Mexico City Sierra.

In the afternoon I came back to the city. Gerardo was in town and invited us to his parents' place to celebrate his success on Mt. Everest. Lots of fun with the good old mountaineering friends :D

The 3rd and final stage started at 9 a.m. on Sunday. It was the most beautiful course from the 3-day race, a 33 km (mostly single track) route from Presa Iturbide to Villa del Carbón. Most of the course was downhill so it was easy for everyone to do a speedy run. I logged a time of 4:19:56 and enjoyed every bit of the trail. It had an amazing scenery!

I arrived to Villa del Carbón totally exhausted but with a giant grin on my face. The mission was accomplished, the 3-day race came to its end. I couldn't help but think in the next edition of it for 2010, which will take place in the Sierra Tarahumara!

After a big lunch with fellow runners, I took a car back to Mexico City. I had a shower at home, did a little maintenance on my feet and drove my way to Odina's place for a big dinner with her family. Another amazing weekend to talk about :D

Photos from Saturday are here and from Sunday are here.

Another busy Sunday

2009-06-09T16:51:00.003-05:00

Sunday morning was about running, but running long. I ran the 1st stage of Prueba de los 3 Días, a 3-day 116 km stage ultramarathon organized by the Solo para Salvajes running circuit.

This is the 2nd edition of the race and its 1st stage consisted of a 45 km trail run from Fierro del Toro to El Zarco. I felt good during the run, taking it easy for most of the course and logging a total time of 6:10:58 for the strenuous mountain trails that are above 3,000 meters.

Stages 2 & 3 (38 & 33 km respectively) will take place the next weekend and I'm looking forward to run them as well. They will be something really fun, just like this one :)

Race photos can be seen here.

In the evening after the race, Odi and I went to Metallica's concert at Foro Sol. Despite of being a short gig (2 hours), we greatly enjoyed it. We sang, yelled, banged our heads and jumped like teenagers full of energy. It was a memorable time for us together. The setlist for the gig was the following:

Alaska Vets Climb Superb New Routes

2009-06-03T23:02:00.000-05:00

Jay Smith and Jack Tackle, longtime veterans of Alaskan climbing, enjoyed a remarkable two and a half weeks in the Alaska Range in May, climbing four new routes. Tackle, who has done 28 climbing trips to the 49th state, called it “maybe my best trip ever to Alaska since I started going in 1976.”

On May 9, the two men flew to a small glacial basin at 8,300 feet, south of Mt. Huntington, that Tackle called his “Private Idaho,” and where pilot Paul Roderick had never landed before. The pair had hoped to attempt a new route on Huntington but quickly determined it was out of shape. Instead, two days after flying in, they warmed up with a rapid (16-hour) round trip on the Rooster Comb, a seldom-climbed 10,180-foot peak...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

Un viaje a la Patagonia

2009-05-31T11:12:00.002-05:00

Here's a bit more of my friend Jorge's climbing trip to Patagonia:

En enero, jorge Colín y Axel Ávila fueron a la Patagonia con la intención de subir el Fitz Roy, pero habían llegado justo cuando comenzaba la ventana de buen tiempo y solo llegaron a cien metros de la cumbre. Este es el reporte que escribe Jorge Colín...

Montañismo y Exploración: Un viaje a la Patagonia

Big New Routes Near Glacier Bay, Alaska

2009-05-29T14:32:00.003-05:00

In April and May, Paul Knott and Guy McKinnon from New Zealand visited the Johns Hopkins Glacier in southeast Alaska, and they came away with two major new routes, including the first ascent of an 8,599-foot summit. Knott, a Brit living in New Zealand, provided the following account of this remarkable short trip...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

A night of Anathema

2009-05-28T14:25:00.004-05:00

It's been 3 years since Anathema came to Mexico City. Last night Beto and I went to see them again at Circo Volador. All I can say is that the show was superb and very long (almost 3 hours!), we greatly enjoyed it. The setlist was as follows:

I'm looking forward to their new album so they come back soon for another awesome gig :)

Some photos from the concert can be seen here (not mine).

Otro mexicano en el Everest: Gerardo López

2009-05-23T08:43:00.001-05:00

El mexicano Gerardo López alcanzó la cumbre del Everest el pasado día 19 de mayo junto con sus compañeros de expedición, todos de diferentes nacionalidades, y diez sherpas.

Miembro de una expedición comercial, el mexicano residente en los Estados Unidos Gerardo López llegó a la cumbre del Everest el pasado 19 de mayo a las 9:00 hora local junto con todos los clientes de la empresa: Todd Lavigne (Canadá), Daniel Keren (Israel), Jan Pflugradt (Alemania)...

Montañismo y Exploración - Otro mexicano en el Everest: Gerardo López

First Ascent of the Ice Pyramid in Alaska

2009-05-22T10:54:00.000-05:00

Clint Helander and Seth Holden completed the first ascent of the Ice Pyramid (9,250') in the Revelation Mountains of Alaska. The two climbed the southwest ridge in a four-day round trip from base camp.

Helander, Holden, and Steve Sinor had attempted the Ice Pyramid in 2008, climbing 18 pitches on the southwest ridge before running out of time on the third day of their main attempt. They later made the first ascent of an 8,385-foot peak they called the Exodus...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

Oh-So-Close to El Cap Onsight

2009-05-21T16:03:00.000-05:00

Swiss climber Ueli Steck free-climbed Golden Gate (5.13b, 41 pitches) and fell on only a single pitch, onsighting the rest of the climb. And the one pitch that spoiled his onsight? It was the 5.11c crack off the top of El Cap Spire, just before Golden Gate heads right from the Salathé Wall. Steck slipped on wet rock on this relatively easy pitch, but onsighted the route’s five 5.12 and three 5.13 pitches...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

Brits Climb Two New Routes in Alaska’s Ruth Gorge

2009-05-21T16:02:00.000-05:00

Jon Bracey and Matt Helliker enjoyed a super-productive two-week trip to the Ruth Gorge in the Alaska Range, where stable weather and good ice conditions allowed them to climb two very hard new routes.

On May 10, the Britons climbed a line of ice runnels through steep granite slabs on the north face of Mt. Grosvenor, then followed a beautiful gully to the east ridge, with a crux pitch of M6 on rotten ice and fragile volcanic rock. They reached the summit after 12 hours of climbing, descended the south face to the col between Grosvenor and Mt. Church, and then continued to the glacier, returning to camp 20 hours after leaving. The new route, Meltdown (1,300m, ED3 V M6 R), lies between Once Were Warriors (Walsh-Westman, 2005) and Warriors Way (Walsh-Westman, 2006)...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

Success on Mt. Everest

2009-05-19T12:04:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago, I mentioned in this post that my friend Gerardo was traveling to Nepal to attempt Mt. Everest. This morning we just got the great news that last night he was able to reach its summit after a month of continuous effort climbing and acclimatizing. Huge congratulations to him, who pursued his all life dream!! :D

Detailed info about his expedition can be read here.

Another viking night

2009-05-18T23:41:00.003-05:00

Last night, Odina and I attended Amon Amarth's gig at Circo Volador. Just like 2 years ago, the venue was almost crowded and full of viking death metal energy, the swedish band transformed the venue into hell. It was another memorable concert \m/

The setlist was the following:

Russian Duo Climbs Stunning High-Altitude Pillar

2009-05-18T12:41:00.000-05:00

Mikhail Mikhailov and Alexander Ruchkin completed the first ascent of a 6,134-meter peak in Sichuan, China, by a superb, 1,000-meter rock pillar. After continuous storms kept the two Russians off their planned route on the southeast face of 6,618-meter E. Gongga, they switched to the lower and steeper rock climb on Point 6,134m to the northwest...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

Into The Wild

2009-05-11T19:20:00.005-05:00

Been wanting to watch Into The Wild once again for a couple of months. I bought the book on a previous travel to Toronto but I haven't got the time to read it. I greatly admire and respect the story, even though it doesn't have the most happy ending. Seems like Odina and I will be enjoying it on Saturday...

eddie vedder - rise

such is the way of the world
you can never know
just where to put all your faith
and how will it grow

gonna rise up
burning black holes in dark memories
gonna rise up
turning mistakes into gold

such is the passage of time
too fast to fold
suddenly swallowed by signs
low and behold

gonna rise up
find my direction magnetically
gonna rise up
throw down my ace in the hole...

Just relax

2009-05-05T11:20:00.002-05:00

Spent a fun & relaxing weekend with most of the gang. We traveled to Morelia for camping at Beto's piece of land.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, set up the camp and had a big lunch with lots of beer. In the evening we went back to Morelia to walk around downtown and had coffee at a comfy restaurant. The night at the camp was really quiet, with a few stars but a very bright half moon.

We had another giant breakfast on Sunday, just before picking up the camp and heading back to Morelia for another tour around downtown. We started our way back home just before dusk, making fun of every minute available. It was a great opportunity to relax after such a difficult week...

All of the pictures are here.

Americans Bag Huge Unclimbed Peak in Nepal

2009-05-04T12:55:00.001-05:00

Americans David Gottlieb and Joe Puryear have completed the first ascent of Jobo Rinjang (6,778 meters) in Nepal, near Nangpa La on the border with Tibet. The two climbed a direct route up the 1,700-meter south face.

After acclimatizing by trekking and climbing 6,186-meter Kyajo Ri, the duo spent several days exploring the Lunag massif, of which Jobo Rinjang is a satellite summit. The highest peak in the group, Lunag I (6,895 meters), is likely the tallest unclimbed summit in Nepal for which permits are available, and Gottlieb and Puryear had hoped to climb it. However, after traversing the huge glaciers at the massif’s foot, they decided the only safe line to attempt was the south face of Jobo Rinjang...

Taken from: Climbing Magazine.

Children's play

2009-05-01T13:08:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated Children's Day with some kite flying fun at Chiluca. The afternoon was a beautiful one, with clear skies and lots of wind. It was great to play like children for a couple of hours, without worrying about adult life and its complications :)

Rest of the pictures are here.

An awful yesterday

2009-04-30T11:34:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a horrible day for us. In an effort to continue with its major reorganization, Yahoo! performed a massive layoff and one of the targets was the product and engineering teams at Yahoo! Canada.

Yeah, you read it right, both teams were completely dissolved, around 50+ individuals. Only a few engineers (myself included) were selected to form a "transitioning" team to hand-off product development to the global platform teams. We'll be in this role until September 30th (when our contract will expire), the rest of my colleagues had to leave the office during yesterday. Like most of the layoffs that I've witnessed before, it was an ugly experience. Obviously, in this occasion it was also painful :(

The time has come to think about future directions and to make new decisions. We'll see how things move during the following 5 months...