Haute Route Training
Mar 4th, 2014 by willmarks
On Friday, I leave for a 7-day trek across the famous Haute Route; described by Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, the guide company for my trip (I thank Eric G. for the recommendation) as “a dream for all touring skiers, this tour is a serious adventure, requiring a good experience of multi-day ski touring trips and good off-piste skiing skills.”
To address my guide’s requirements, I have a total of zero multi-day ski tours under my belt, and as for my off-piste skiing skills, I once ducked under the ropes to ski down from Squaw Valley to Alpine Meadows. Truthfully, I have been off-piste with guides a couple of times, but I had to obfuscate the truth in my Haute Route application when it came to describing my touring experience.
My training has been a different story. I have scared myself into getting into shape, with runs 3-4 days per week, walks up the hill behind Barcelona with a heavy backpack, stair climbs, jump rope, squats, and planks. The workouts started out as simply runs and a lot of stairs, but they progressed, as advice flowed in from more experienced trekkers. Brother Doug suggested squats, my friend J.P. insisted on jump roping, Peter pointed to heavy backpack usage, Lenny encouraged the planking, and Eric gave me confidence that I would have no problem functioning on touring skis. I think I am ready.
In fact, while my weight has been static for 20-25 years, a period when I never had any regular fitness routine, I have lost 10-15 pounds during the past few months; and, this does not count the temporary shrinkage experienced after bad food/altitude sickness in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
Unfortunately, I needed some everyday pants recently (I didn’t bring many to Barcelona), so the new thinner Will probably wasted some money. To make matters worse, I am trying to be cool and Spanish with a slightly tighter fitting pant; good luck with that when I stop working out….I will likely be leaving these purchases behind when we return to the states this summer.
Two or three mornings a week, I run along the Carretera de las Aguas, a gorgeous path that peers down at Barcelona and the Mediterranean.
In the middle of these runs along Carretera de las Aguas, there is a stairway heading upward, with 437 steps, called the Escaleras de la Font du Mont. Impossible (for me) to run, I walk up and down a few times.
How are those skinny pants treating you?
It is my goal to wear again someday my Macson suit, to fit into it and to dare to display a super slim tight fit.