The Unstoppable Lena Rowat

I love finding off-the-radar stories like this one about a woman who makes many more famous "extreme" athletes look like pillow fighters. Lena Rowat isn't going to be doing Sharon Stone fashion shoots anytime soon but if I needed a partner to survive a winter backcountry adventure I can't think of anybody else I'd choose ahead of her. Among other things, Rowat has skied from Vancouver to the Yukon (over the top of 19,000' Mt Logan), most of it in a single push. Here's a good article on her adventures, which should help you enjoy winter so much more.

The Unstoppable Lena Rowat

Here's another great article about part of that adventure.

The Long White Line

“When I look back on this trip, what strikes me most is how low-key it was. There was no documentary, no magazine feature, no fanfare. It was exceptionally driven young people chipping away, kilometre after kilometre, day after day, month after month, at something so big, that if examined in its entirety, seems impossible. They were out there only for themselves, as if on a journey to explore their own backyard. It just happened that their backyard was the Coast Mountains. I think there’s something really pure to that. I feel to this day that the little section I spent skiing through those mountains with those guys on their epic journey is precious.”

No Ski Lift. No Ski Hill. No Problem.

Who needs Aspen, St. Moritz, any resort or even open space in order to shred? All that's required is ingenuity and a little psyche. And if your town happens to have public transport, consider it a bonus. This is basically the winter companion of this video. Happy holidays. Now get outside and play. Rock skis optional.

2 Mil Hill

2 Million With Greg Hill from FD Productions on Vimeo.

Throwing a little more Greg Hill love your way for the New Year. This is one of the coolest pedestrian challenges I’ve seen. Not that Hill is a pedestrian skier. He’s one of the best. But this challenge is more about sacrifice and commitment than talent. You don’t have to be an Olympian. Anyone could give this a whirl. But only someone special would have the will to see it through.

Many of the travails of big challenges are conveyed in this video. I’ve experienced a lot of these during my lesser objectives. I’ve always wanted to do a year-long challenge but the logistics have been too much. I’m a fairly energetic guy but a slacker compared to Hill. Maybe one of these years I’ll get it together. In the mean time, we can live vicariously through people like Greg, who show us that with enough motivation it’s always possible to raise the bar.