C2N Goes to Graz
I am very pleased to announce that my short film, The Couloir to Nowhere, is an official selection of the 2011 Internationales Berg & Abenteuer Filmfestival in Graz, Austria. While the tone of this post may seem rather dry and reserved, I am in fact quite over the moon with excitement and desperately trying to avoid using multiple exclamation points (more…)
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SMS Annual Potluck This Saturday
Yes it’s time again for the storied Sierra Club Ski Mountaineer’s Section Annual Potluck Dinner, this Saturday, October 15, at 5:30pm in La Canada. Trip planning for the 2011-2012 season, gear swap, board meetings, and of course some chow. New members or interested parties I’m sure are welcome to drop in. This is a fantastic resource for SoCal backcountry skiers, especially anyone interested in finding like-minded partners for the local mountains and beyond. More info and RSVP at the SMS site.
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Heroic Efforts…Likely to Fail
Wednesday, 7:30 pm Pacific Time. There are currently two competing narratives regarding the nuclear crisis unfolding at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. The first is that we are all looking at a huge success story—nature has thrown her worst at us, and our technology has survived with minimal loss of life or environmental consequences expected.
The second is a much darker, uncertainty-laced narrative that speaks to our deepest fears. Gregory Jaczko, Chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, now believes that many of the spent fuel rods stored at Fukushima are completely uncovered and actively spewing deadly radiation (more…)
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Fukushima
Or, How I learned to Stop Start Worrying and Love Hate Nuclear Power.
The fear, initially, was that public reaction to the reactor accidents at Fukushima might scuttle the ‘Nuclear Renaissance’ blossoming across the globe as a necessary component in battling the threat of Global Warming. Could Fukushima’s ultimate legacy be vast environmental damage caused not by radiation, but rather by turning public opinion against nuclear power generation (more…)
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C2N Tonight at SIA Denver 5pm
Reminder here in Denver that my film “The Couloir to Nowhere” is playing tonight, Saturday Jan 29 at 5pm in Theater 2, in the Colorado Convention Center as part of the Ski Channel Film Festival, downstairs from the main floor of the SIA show. SIA attendees get free admittance with your show badge, otherwise tickets are $10 at the box office. If you’re at SIA or in Denver, please stop by and say hello. Running time is a speedy 29 minutes, and I think I can promise it’ll be one of the more unusual skiing films you ever see.
Posted in Events, Film & Television | 2 Comments
A SoCal Rando Race
Local climber and so-so skier Hamik Mukelyan is organizing an informal ski mountaineering race Sunday, February 21 (weather-depending), at Mount Baldy’s southeast bowl. Meet time is 10 a.m. at the ski hut. Course details are slim, but the route will be marked with wands, and Hamik expects 10-15 competitors. No sign up necessary: just appear on time at the hut, and you’re in. Prizes are limited to the personal satisfaction of crushing your competitors, or whatever other metric you choose. This sounds like a lot of a fun. I’ll be away on ski safari that week, but otherwise I’d definitely give it a go…though my current toddler-based training regimen leaves something to be desired. 
Posted in Events, Skiing | 0 Comments
It’s a Girl!!!
Our little girl is here! Roxanne and I are so happy to announce the birth of our daughter, Alice Rose Lewicky, who arrived a little early last night but safe and sound and very healthy. Mom and baby are together and doing great. I am having a lot of spontaneous tears of joy as I sit here thinking of how lucky we are to have a tiny miracle in our home—and thinking of all the wonderful times ahead. Owen is eager to meet his baby sister…he’s grabbing my hand and pulling me to the door. I’ll post some more photos later today. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers and support! It’s a girl!
Posted in Events, People | 11 Comments
T-24hrs: Uncontrolled Pacing
I’m not panicking, I’m not panicking, I’m not panicking…
I’M PANICKING!!! I’M PANICKING!!! I’M PANICKING!!!
Posted in Events, People | 3 Comments
San Antonio Ski Hut Work Party
I’ve got to hand it to the folks who manage the San Antonio Ski Hut: not only have they rebranded work as fun, but they actually get you to pay them while you do it. Tom Sawyer would be proud.
Yes, it’s time again for the ambiguously-annual San Antonio Ski Hut Work “Party”, in which you the willing participant get to enjoy the privilege of carrying heavy awkward objects back and forth up the Ski Hut Trail during your weekend break. Festivities occur on June 13 and 14, and you must RSVP no later than May 30 (reservations are required).
You can choose to work Saturday, Sunday, or both. Fees vary from $10-20. For your efforts, you’ll be treated to lunch, happy hour, and dinner (for those working both days). Note that work party participants get the inside track on becoming Hut hosts, as well as contributing to a good cause and maybe even having a little bit of fun. For more info, see the San Antonio Ski Hut website.
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Annual SMS Potluck this Sat
The Ski Mountaineer’s Section of the Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter is holding its annual potluck get together this Saturday, October 25th at 5 p.m.
If you’ve never heard of the SMS, it was founded way back in 1934(!) — compelling evidence that Los Angeles and the Southern California mountains have a rich tradition of backcountry sking. The SMS remains active today (though perhaps not so much as in its glory days), organizing regular meetings and ski trips into the local backcountry, as well as throughout the Sierra.
SMS also offers leadership courses, in case you’re interested in organizing trips of your own. I’ve found the group to be informal and friendly—and they do get out there when it comes to skiing. If you’re in SoCal and you’re interested in finding mentors, or just partners to ski with, this is a great resource (I’d join myself, if I wasn’t a reclusive exhausted grinch).
For more information on the potluck and this year’s events calendar, see the Ski Mountaineer’s Website.
