BBBC BLOG

June 24, 2022 – Next/ASAP BBBC events 

June 24, 2022 – Next/ASAP BBBC events 

With the summer heating up, and my endurance fitness ramping up (although I never feel like it's enough!) I was looking at the events of the BBBC and honestly feeling a bit intimidated! To say the least, I was a bit stressed about completing the events. I felt like...

Miami, Arizona, and Texas 

Miami, Arizona, and Texas 

I purposefully put in significant effort the previous week, because I knew I had some travels coming up and wouldn’t be able to put in the training I needed. I also knew that it would be helpful to rest a bit.   I travelled to Miami, Florida, for the Formula...

Saturday, September 3, 2022: Park City Point to Point Race 

Saturday, September 3, 2022: Park City Point to Point Race 

I was planning on doing the Park City Point to Point route, but not necessarily participating in the race, for the fifth Big Belt Buckle Challenge event. However, I could not figure out how to download the route, so I participated in the race the day of. I was able to...

Monday, August 1, 2022: Grand Teton Summit Attempt, Round 2 

Monday, August 1, 2022: Grand Teton Summit Attempt, Round 2 

We had a 3:00 a.m. start time. It was a four-hour hike to the lower saddle, plus another three hours to summit the Grand via the Upper Exum route, Golden Staircase, and Wall Street.    We summitted at 10 a.m. I had wanted to climb this mountain since the...

July 3, 2022: Climbing the Grand Teton in Jackson, Wyoming 

July 3, 2022: Climbing the Grand Teton in Jackson, Wyoming 

We woke up at 2:45 a.m. and arrived at the Grand Teton trailhead at 4:00 a.m. sharp to start the hike. It is a long one. I am not a huge planner; I go with a trail and a basic idea of the route, approach, and direction, etc., and just plan to grind it out! I thought I...

Big Belt Buckle Challenge Event #1: Mt. Shasta 

Big Belt Buckle Challenge Event #1: Mt. Shasta 

After an overnight nap, a lot of eating, and the nine-hour drive to Mt. Shasta, we were going to attempt to summit the 14,180’ glaciated volcano on April 3. When we arrived at the trailhead at Bunny Flats around 5 p.m., the weather was perfect and the atmosphere was...

Big Belt Buckle Challenge Event #1: Mt. Whitney 

Big Belt Buckle Challenge Event #1: Mt. Whitney 

Snowfall in the western United States for the 2021-2022 season was not great, and temperatures were staring to rise in the region. So, a great friend of mine, Tony Scarponi, and I made a last-minute decision to take on the first event of the BBBC ASAP. Our goal was to...

Big Cottonwood Canyon: Touring and Skiing in the Wasatch Backcountry

Big Cottonwood Canyon: Touring and Skiing in the Wasatch Backcountry

In order to complete the upcoming BIG mountains on the BBBC—Whitney and Shasta—I needed some more training, specifically skinning at elevation. Snow conditions were pretty solid at elevation in the Wasatch, and we were able to get out in Big Cottonwood Canyon on...