The Wednesday Wellness threads are meant to encourage users to ask for and provide advice and motivation to improve their lives. It isn't intended as a 'containment thread' and any content which could go here could instead be posted in its own thread. You could post:
-
Requests for advice and / or encouragement. On basically any topic and for any scale of problem.
-
Updates to let us know how you are doing. This provides valuable feedback on past advice / encouragement and will hopefully make people feel a little more motivated to follow through. If you want to be reminded to post your update, see the post titled 'update reminders', below.
-
Advice. This can be in response to a request for advice or just something that you think could be generally useful for many people here.
-
Encouragement. Probably best directed at specific users, but if you feel like just encouraging people in general I don't think anyone is going to object. I don't think I really need to say this, but just to be clear; encouragement should have a generally positive tone and not shame people (if people feel that shame might be an effective tool for motivating people, please discuss this so we can form a group consensus on how to use it rather than just trying it).
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Base building for my Alaskan journey is going...okay. Still disappointingly unfit; my 5-minute power is a puny 200 watts at a body weight of 70 kilos. I can deadlift 275 and squat 245, though, so I have that going for me. Plan to get a used bike trainer and a rear wheel for it so I can do 1-2 hour steady distance rides. Hiking up mountains, too, on weekends...that should help build base fitness as well. Shit is boring and requires discipline. Valuable life lessons here. Seems like any badass shit runs off of a long-ass logistics tail to support the teeth. Lots of unglamorous prep work and grinding away at either low intensity stuff like 45 minute slow runs at a turtle-like 15 minute mile pace or figuring out how to line ski mountaineering boots that are three sizes too large with insulation both inside and out so I don't get frostbite. I could be deluding myself here, but I feel like I'm becoming a better or at least more capable person as a result of this training process. It at least seems cool. This whole Alaska crap might be dumb as all hell, but at least I'll be a fit dumbass...
Is this the "Hock" I've been hearing about for years? I have not been able to get anyone to explain to me what it is.
I don't know how that's possible, since he brings it up several times per week, but yes, this is the hock he's talking about.
I hadn't seen it discussed here, just on Discord.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
as it turns out, youtube has warped what is realistically feasible for men
YouTube my left foot: there's a boatload of local cyclists that can hand me my ass on any given hill without even trying all that hard.
More options
Context Copy link
I know several guys putting out half again that much power IRL. Not hard to find - just find your local cycling group; the strongest riders will be at that level. Just like finding a guy that can deadlift 500 pounds isn't terribly hard - just hang out at your nearest commercial gym for a month or two. Six hundred...now that's getting up there.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
Hey if you're enjoying the journey, that’s great, most important thing. That’s one of your problems imo, you’re too focussed on the goal, whether it be in alaska or between the legs of a woman. Your other problem is that you have a completely distorted view of your chances, which makes a dangerous voyage that much more dangerous.
Too optimistic about my survival chances, or too pessimistic? I think that my chances of being in a relationship with an average American woman are roughly equal to those of surviving the Hock.
Your chances of being in a relationship with an average american woman. But forget about that, it’s been discussed too much already, it’s just that I don’t trust your other evaluations as a result.
Is your plan still to parachute in the middle of alaska with just a knife? Is there any way I can convince you to adopt a less suicidal plan? You can perform a great feat without a great death risk. I feel like you’re going to splatter and it will be a millionth my fault because I didn’t suggest you build a cabin or do an iron man or something instead. I’m sure if we get our heads together we can find a better bucket list item for you to cross, one that isn't the last.
No, it's to attempt a cross country trip across the Brooks Range with a shit ton of gear.
Still sounds suicidal, although I admittedly have no idea how realistic that is. Can you attempt a (series of) less ambitious treks first?
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
"Ski mountaineering boots" can mean different things to different people, but usually they are pretty downhill oriented these days. Even older leather/hybrid things that might get called that are absolutely not what one would want if one were shuffling around the wilderness in Alaska. (Unless one planned to bag some peaks and ski down them while one was there, I guess)
Since you seem to be proposing trackless wilderness, skis are probably not a great idea at all -- snowshoes and giant Sorels (or similar) is pretty much what trappers and such have been rocking since forever in situations where skidoos won't work -- this is not because they don't know what they are doing.
The ski mountaineering boots in question are these, three sizes too large. I've added a beefy liner plus homemade sheepskin insoles scavenged from a thrift-store coat. I'll be knitting some...outer liner linings? to take up even more of the volume. I should be left with a boot that is much warmer than stock, slightly sloppy (I know, not great for ski performance, but many explorers use cross country skiing gear and this should be burlier and safer than XC gear) and theoretically usable for my Alaskan adventure. People climb and ski on Denali with setups like this or lighter; the 'using oversize boots and stuffing them' is a not terribly recommended technique that should be at least theoretically usable. The Scarpa Nero liners I bought for $50 on eBay are around 5mm thicker than the stock liners. Size 9 shoes are 25mm shorter than size 12 ones; with this beefy liner I've already eaten up 10mm and so have 15mm to go. I'm a decent knitter and should be able to fashion a decent outer liner for my existing boot liners that'll eat up the rest of the space and keep my feet warm enough. Over the top of the boot are going to go homemade sheepskin overboots; Forty Below has some good overboots but at $250/pair they're almost as expensive as my ski boots. I think I should be able to make something serviceable.
As far as the snowshoes and Sorels: I considered it, but snowshoes are slower, I have significant downhill skiing experience as a former high school racer, and Northern peoples have been using skis for millennia.
So you're planning on cross-country skiing for much of it and then when that doesn't work, carrying skis and boots? This is a really really bad idea. I wouldn't bring anything you don't need. Snowshoes are the way to go. They're much lighter.
Also, I would strongly recommend against wearing boots that don't fit. Just find boots that are designed for the weather. They exist. There are a number of things that can wrong if your boots don't fit and the last thing you want is to not be able to walk. Don't be cheap and die. What you are planning to do is extremely dangerous and you shouldn't cut corners.
There do not exist ski mountaineering boots that are designed for extreme cold, as far as I know. If my search missed something, let me know.
Why would you be wearing ski mountaineering boots? Have you done anything remotely like this before?
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
These are indeed what I would call ski mountaineering boots, and they are a terrible choice for flatland travel -- they are nice enough boots, but they are designed to do two things well:
They will absolutely suck for breaking trail in the woods.
You are right that skis can be faster than snowshoes in some conditions; just that 'cold dry interior forest' is not one of those conditions -- you won't be able to stay on the surface and do anything like gliding unless you luck into a melt-crust or something, you will be shuffling at roughly snowshoe pace anyways. (and your rigid boots would make this hellish, especially since they don't fit)
If you are serious about using skis for this I would not worry about your feet being cold -- you will be working hard enough that it won't be a problem, regular touring boots would be fine. You probably want to not carry extra boots for when you aren't skiing though, so something like this would be great: https://www.baffin.com/products/3pinm003
I actually do something along these lines in the winter (not in Alaska) -- I've taken gear tips from this forum in the past: https://telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3112
That link is an interesting thread, with some actual Alaskans involved -- I do use something like the NATO skis mentioned for breaking trail around my place -- which is worth it if you are planning to revisit the trail. Otherwise unless there are significant downhill parts on your route, the snowshoes will be faster and more energy efficient. Also some interesting input from a Finnish dude -- I think you will not be able to find his 300cm 'forest skis' on ebay though. (and I'd think their utility would depend a lot on the density of the forest in question)
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
Wouldn't it make more sense to get a cross trainer if you're training for a hike? In my mind a heavy backpack and a basic step would offer better training if a cross trainer isn't practical. Park it in front of the TV and put on a film. Pour some ice in your boots for added realism. I cycle more than I walk and I notice that a comparatively short walk will leave my legs stiff where doing a longer distance on a bike would have no effect.
Re insulation, I'd guess you'll want multiple layers of natural fibre socks that range from tight-woven silk as a base through to merino outer socks, maybe with cashmere inbetween for extra insulation. Sounds extravagant but it beats losing your toes. Not sure that insulating the outside is wise as they'll get bulky and awkward to manoeuvre, presumably the priority there ought to be making them waterproof. I don't know anything about arctic hiking though, just working from basic principles. IIRC from watching Ray Mears the ultimate footwear for traversing ice and snow is the trad snowshoe with real fur moccasins.
Speaking of pouring ice in your boots it might be worth getting used to taking cold showers too.
Out of interest how much hiking and camping experience do you have?
I don't want to encourage more posts about the 'Hock,' but yes specificity is an important principle of training. Even an elliptical isn't optimal for training for serious hiking or mountaineering, IMO. If you have to train indoors I would say incline treadmill or StairMaster would be superior. Loaded with a vest or ruck for that matter. Actual training runs, under similar conditions and with full gear, would also be expected for someone seriously preparing for an expedition.
I hate to admit it, but I think I've read enough of these posts to gather what's being proposed is actually some sort of xcountry skiing or ski mountaineering trip. I'm not even sure where I would start for that if you don't have local ski trails open to you. I would say finding a gym with a skierg, but I'm pretty sure that simulates skate-skiing more than classic.
More options
Context Copy link
Yeah, likewise and conversely, I'm a pretty good runner, but garbage on the bike. When I trained a bit, I got better at cycling rapidly, but the baseline from being a runner really only helps to the extent that I can keep spinning with a redlining heart rate for a lot longer than someone that's untrained. My muscular fitness for cycling still sucks. Sure, you can get aerobic fitness from either one, but the sport-specific muscular power and endurance ain't gonna build itself.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link