The Endless Season of alpine skiing just passed 359 months

[Endlessseason]

Got 'er done. 360 months.

"Just completed 30 yrs of non-stop, monthly, alpine skiing. Traveled to Mt Hood, Oregon last week with my ski bud Jay from PA. Hiked to the snowfield below the broken caldera on the south side of the dormant Mt Hood volcano and skied for about a mile. The weather was perfect with deep blue skies all day.
Thankfully, other than a couple summers in the 1930s, there has always been some amount of snow on that south face year-round. This trip marked a significant milestone in the world's longest, continuous, purely downhill ski streak.

[pics/vid by Jay Cooperman (Crash55 on TGR) and a million thanks to Phil & Lisa Way for being so incredible]😃"

Plus this short vid clip:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/162771...1211683425977/

[PB]

Outstanding!!

[waveshello]

Well done! I'm in awe of this achievement!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Vinman]

Congratulations!

Someplace in that 30 years we skied at the bird together for a day. Maybe someplace around 2002-3 ish.

[Jonathan S.]

[...] This trip marked a significant milestone in the world's longest, continuous, purely downhill ski streak. [...]

Congrats, and certainly impressive!
But definitely not the longest such streak, although might still be on the podium.

Back on September 1, same location, we met Gordon Garlock, whose monthly streak is now at more than four decades.
He lives nearby, and is even a ski instructor here, so a relatively easy streak.
Although after I told him how I'd heard some streakers schedule medical procedures for the second day of the month, and before that ski the first day of the month, so they'd then have almost two entire months to recover for the next mandatory monthly ski day, he topped that with his own story of skiing only a few weeks after chemo. (Yes, he's apparently just fine now.)

We all thought that first place is held by Tom Szwedko, of Leadville CO.

[Jonathan S.]

Wow, I was impressed already but that injury list...nice work.

Yipes, same here -- I hadn't noticed that list previously.
This is definitely the most impressive monthly ski streak ever, regardless of length!

[Jonathan S.]

[...] It's always sad to watch the decline of a once successful company or product..

Judging by their capital investment, sure seems to be the other way around: through the 1992 ski season, only fixed-gripped lifts, but now half-a-dozen high-speed detachable lifts, with a gondola on its way, all of that serving 4,540' vertical.
Granted, most of that vertical is rather tame, especially down low, but the linkage to Government Camp is largely to gain more parking, whose frequent over-capacity at Timberline Lodge is another indicator that the place isn't in decline.

[andy m]

Congrats Endlessseason! Unfortunately, I don't think you're even on the podium, as Jonathan suggested above. I know of a bunch of folks with streaks longer than 30 years. One of them is Tomski from Leadville (also mentioned by Jonathan). I haven't run into Tomski in a few years, but if he's still skiing, his streak is close to 40 years. My recollection is that his streak is about 10 years longer than mine, and I am now at 335 months, just a month shy of 28 years.

Good luck on your streak! I'll keep mine up as long as I can. I haven't had near the injuries you have had, but I did have a couple of surgeries (ankle and back) where I did the strategic scheduling mentioned above.

[Endlessseason]

Congratulations!
Someplace in that 30 years we skied at the bird together for a day. Maybe someplace around 2002-3 ish.

Vinman, yep I remember that day. I'd actually be able to tell you the exact date, conditions, number of runs, vertical, who else was there, etc. when I someday have all my paper dayplanner notes transcribed to digital heh.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Way to go!

[Endlessseason]

Jonathan S and Andy M-
It's possible you guys are too young to know this 😉 but the finer points of streaks were discussed, deliberated and resolved more than 20 years ago on the old PowderMag site; the largest ski forum in existence at the time. No one in the world has a longer alpine ski streak than mine.
It started out as a weekly endeavor in October of 1992. I switched to monthly in late 1994. I've always taken lots of time-stamped photos, but by that second year my little venture was also documented in a couple of the major ski magazines.
I always knew that however long this personal challenge turned out to be, two critical factors would differentiate it from anyone else attempting the same thing: meticulous documentation from day one and committing to only alpine skiing. Alpine was invented less than a hundred years ago for only one purpose and is the skiing the world recognizes from the Olympics.
As I was telling the esteemed Mr. Garlock when we met at Hood the other day.. I had a nagging thought from the very first time I threw skis over my shoulder and hiked to the top of a Park City run in October of 1992. I didn't want to become fully invested in this undertaking only to maybe find out someday that there's a guy in Norway who's been telemarking to deliver mail every week for 50 years. Because 'telemark' is simply a means of travel or touring on snow. It's the way humans have utilized two sliding platforms to walk and glide across large expanses of snow for thousands of years. Which explains why it's never been an Olympic sport. So, committing to only alpine skiing would ensure that scenario would never matter for me.
There are reportedly at least three active, year-round, telemark streaks of more than 30 years. What those guys decide as far as documentation, or whether to accept dryland telemark on plastic mats, indoor skiing in a building, or whatever, is for them to work out and thankfully has no impact on me or my venture. All 360 months of my record have been exclusively alpine/downhill skiing. Always on mountain snow.

[byates1]

Incredible.

[Jonathan S.]

Jonathan S and Andy M-
It's possible you guys are too young to know this 😉 but the finer points of streaks were discussed, deliberated and resolved more than 20 years ago on the old PowderMag site; the largest ski forum in existence at the time.

Sigh, if only I were too young to remember the PowderMag site, as well as too wise to have wasted so much time posting there.

And yes, the topic was discussed and deliberated (to the extent that the latter of those two words could accurately characterize that or any on-line forum), but definitely not resolved.

As was discussed at the time, your monthly ski streak is one of the most impressive monthly ski streaks ever, and arguably the most impressive streak when accounting for geographical location and medical adversities.

But it is not the longest alpine ski streak on mountain snow. Not even close. (Yet. Although perhaps someday it will be. I sincerely wish you the best in continuing this streak for many more years, even decades. And let’s hope for no further medical adversities along the way!)

As for skiing history, the ancient origins of downhill turning techniques are of course entirely unknown, but both telemark turns and parallel turns were popularized in Norway in the 19th century.

As for the Olympics, as dumb as I think the Olympics are in many ways, telemarking is even dumber, so let’s all hope that modern telemark racing never makes it into the Olympics. However, the military patrol competition in the 1924 Olympiad (with three subsequent appearances as a demonstration sport) might have included telemark turning by many participants.

And for anyone who remembers my AT proselytizing from PowderMag, and the earlier years here, this thread has now forced me into the awkward position of defending telemarking – no, stop, not going to do it! Let’s make that … clarifying telemarking instead.

“Because 'telemark' is simply a means of travel or touring on snow. It's the way humans have utilized two sliding platforms to walk and glide across large expanses of snow for thousands of years.”
This seems to be confusing the telemark turn technique with nordic skiing. Telemark is a turning technique allowed with any type of free-heel gear. Seeing a telemark turn performed with nordic race gear is always an interesting sight. And of course purpose-built telemark boots and bindings are available, fortunately far less available than previously. (Am I sufficiently insulting yet to any telemarkers reading this thread? If not, I can try harder!)

More to the point, Gordon Garlock is on fixed-heel gear, not telemark gear. The vast majority of his streak years entailed riding the Timberline lifts (when the Mile and Palmer operated year-round save for the middle of September). So same as you, he resorts to ascending under his own power for turns only when necessary.

Other monthly streakers are more self-propelled oriented, or entirely eschew lifts, or have changed their mix over the years. But the website that previously documented their monthly ski streaks is called Turns All Year – as in, turns down a mountain. On snow. Not nordic. I’m not aware of any TAY’ers counting skiing on the dry slope areas of the UK, or indoor ski areas in Europe (or NJ, or the former Japanese area, or the current Dubai area). Nor would that make much sense given the PNW concentration (i.e., with its low-hanging fruit of the Palmer Snowfield and other easily accessed year-round snow patches). I am aware though of one TAY’er who counts sand dune skiing, which we all should be able to agree is obviously BS.

As for the TAY’ers who ski down mountain snow with dedicated telemark gear making telemark turns, I sincerely wish that they would see the folly of their ways and finally upgrade to the gear that is more efficient on the up, more effective on the down, and also safer all-around, and has been so since the arrival of the modern Dynafit binding in the mid 1990s. But our misguided telemark brethren are – just like you on alpine downhill gear, and me on skimo race gear – skiing down on mountain snow. Just doing so in a far more difficult (and even unsafe) manner.

As for documentation, all of this is of course on the honor system. Cheating in such a zero-stakes endeavor would be surprising, but then again, others have cheated on equally worthless FKT attempts, so who knows. I certainly trust your record keeping, but I also trust other TAY’ers who are years ahead of you. (And the sand skier ever posted a picture revealing that, so no secrets there.)

Although if anything were riding on this, then those other TAY’ers should be asked whether they have ever relied on a nordic outing that was exclusively strides or skates sans downhill turns on mountain snow. Since that would still count as a monthly ski streak, but not a monthly streak of skiing down mountain snow making turns.

[PB]

Well, that escalated ...... weirdly.

Let's just pretend telemarking was never mentioned.

[Jong Lafitte]

Amazeballs. Gg ES!!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Norseman]

Well, that escalated ...... weirdly.

Sure did.

As Jonathan S and others have noted... the OP's 360 months is not the longest streak, not by a mile. Sorry, bro. Still a great achievement of course.

Szwedko passed 500 months in 2021.


https://www.skyhinews.com/news/leadv...-streak-going/

https://www.5280.com/2022/01/meet-th...past-42-years/

https://turns-all-year.com/trip-repo...h-month-of-tay

[raisingarizona13]

Sigh, if only I were too young to remember the PowderMag site, as well as too wise to have wasted so much time posting there.

And yes, the topic was discussed and deliberated (to the extent that the latter of those two words could accurately characterize that or any on-line forum), but definitely not resolved.

As was discussed at the time, your monthly ski streak is one of the most impressive monthly ski streaks ever, and arguably the most impressive streak when accounting for geographical location and medical adversities.

But it is not the longest alpine ski streak on mountain snow. Not even close. (Yet. Although perhaps someday it will be. I sincerely wish you the best in continuing this streak for many more years, even decades. And let’s hope for no further medical adversities along the way!)

As for skiing history, the ancient origins of downhill turning techniques are of course entirely unknown, but both telemark turns and parallel turns were popularized in Norway in the 19th century.

As for the Olympics, as dumb as I think the Olympics are in many ways, telemarking is even dumber, so let’s all hope that modern telemark racing never makes it into the Olympics. However, the military patrol competition in the 1924 Olympiad (with three subsequent appearances as a demonstration sport) might have included telemark turning by many participants.

And for anyone who remembers my AT proselytizing from PowderMag, and the earlier years here, this thread has now forced me into the awkward position of defending telemarking – no, stop, not going to do it! Let’s make that … clarifying telemarking instead.

“Because 'telemark' is simply a means of travel or touring on snow. It's the way humans have utilized two sliding platforms to walk and glide across large expanses of snow for thousands of years.”
This seems to be confusing the telemark turn technique with nordic skiing. Telemark is a turning technique allowed with any type of free-heel gear. Seeing a telemark turn performed with nordic race gear is always an interesting sight. And of course purpose-built telemark boots and bindings are available, fortunately far less available than previously. (Am I sufficiently insulting yet to any telemarkers reading this thread? If not, I can try harder!)

More to the point, Gordon Garlock is on fixed-heel gear, not telemark gear. The vast majority of his streak years entailed riding the Timberline lifts (when the Mile and Palmer operated year-round save for the middle of September). So same as you, he resorts to ascending under his own power for turns only when necessary.

Other monthly streakers are more self-propelled oriented, or entirely eschew lifts, or have changed their mix over the years. But the website that previously documented their monthly ski streaks is called Turns All Year – as in, turns down a mountain. On snow. Not nordic. I’m not aware of any TAY’ers counting skiing on the dry slope areas of the UK, or indoor ski areas in Europe (or NJ, or the former Japanese area, or the current Dubai area). Nor would that make much sense given the PNW concentration (i.e., with its low-hanging fruit of the Palmer Snowfield and other easily accessed year-round snow patches). I am aware though of one TAY’er who counts sand dune skiing, which we all should be able to agree is obviously BS.

As for the TAY’ers who ski down mountain snow with dedicated telemark gear making telemark turns, I sincerely wish that they would see the folly of their ways and finally upgrade to the gear that is more efficient on the up, more effective on the down, and also safer all-around, and has been so since the arrival of the modern Dynafit binding in the mid 1990s. But our misguided telemark brethren are – just like you on alpine downhill gear, and me on skimo race gear – skiing down on mountain snow. Just doing so in a far more difficult (and even unsafe) manner.

As for documentation, all of this is of course on the honor system. Cheating in such a zero-stakes endeavor would be surprising, but then again, others have cheated on equally worthless FKT attempts, so who knows. I certainly trust your record keeping, but I also trust other TAY’ers who are years ahead of you. (And the sand skier ever posted a picture revealing that, so no secrets there.)

Although if anything were riding on this, then those other TAY’ers should be asked whether they have ever relied on a nordic outing that was exclusively strides or skates sans downhill turns on mountain snow. Since that would still count as a monthly ski streak, but not a monthly streak of skiing down mountain snow making turns.

Telemark may be dumb but, ski-mo is neither.

[raisingarizona13]

Got 'er done. 360 months.

"Just completed 30 yrs of non-stop, monthly, alpine skiing. Traveled to Mt Hood, Oregon last week with my ski bud Jay from PA. Hiked to the snowfield below the broken caldera on the south side of the dormant Mt Hood volcano and skied for about a mile. The weather was perfect with deep blue skies all day.
Thankfully, other than a couple summers in the 1930s, there has always been some amount of snow on that south face year-round. This trip marked a significant milestone in the world's longest, continuous, purely downhill ski streak.

[pics/vid by Jay Cooperman (Crash55 on TGR) and a million thanks to Phil & Lisa Way for being so incredible]��"

Plus this short vid clip:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/162771...1211683425977/

Rad!

I'm totally in awe of your motivation and dedication. This is quite the achievement!

[Norseman]

It really is amazing.

I had a two-year streak about a dozen years ago, before deciding that boating and biking were more fun and less logistically demanding. It requires a complete dedication, a lifestyle choice. Kudos again to OP.

[Jonathan S.]

Telemark may be dumb but, ski-mo is neither.

Neither what nor what?
As anyone who has participated in my races already knows, skimo is definitely skiing.
As for whether skimo is ski mountaineering, it definitely requires many ski mountaineering skills, although admittedly it also omits many other ski mountaineering skills (with the inclusion highly dependent upon the particular course layout and also day-of-race conditions). So "skimo" is an apt abbreviation for ski mountaineering, both for convenience and for connotation.
(And yes, I'm familiar with the original source for the attempted put-down, but it still doesn't make any sense.)

[Core Shot]

Sure did.

As Jonathan S and others have noted... the OP's 360 months is not the longest streak, not by a mile. Sorry, bro. Still a great achievement of course.

Szwedko passed 500 months in 2021.


https://www.skyhinews.com/news/leadv...-streak-going/

https://www.5280.com/2022/01/meet-th...past-42-years/

https://turns-all-year.com/trip-repo...h-month-of-tay

Only twelve more years ES. You got this. Kinda.

[Jonathan S.]

Only twelve more years ES. You got this. Kinda.

Even more complicated than that, since it's a moving target.
With the exception of the famed Ron Jarvis:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldjarvis/
https://www.kentreporter.com/news/ke...aved-his-life/

... a really great guy (befriended me in the rainy parking at Rainier in August 1999 when I asked if I could tag along), I think all the longer streaks are still active.

[optics]

You guys are doing a fantastic job of taking someone's super-positive, stoke-generating, multi-decade accomplishment, and turning it into a piss-fest where your 'best case' outcome is that you make him feel bad, and like he didn't accomplish something amazing.

Endless: you have the undisputed MAG record. Which means more than those guys anyway...who would want to be a skier and not a maggot? What a wasted life.

[Norseman]

i didn't want to shit on the guy but i admit to getting annoyed when he doubled down on:

No one in the world has a longer alpine ski streak than mine.

i'm not gonna delete the posts which maybe shouldn't have been made, but sorry to the OP for picking nits... and congrats again on the huDge accomplishment

[Jonathan S.]

[...] As was discussed at the time, your monthly ski streak is one of the most impressive monthly ski streaks ever, and arguably the most impressive streak when accounting for geographical location and medical adversities.

But it is not the longest alpine ski streak on mountain snow. Not even close. (Yet. Although perhaps someday it will be. I sincerely wish you the best in continuing this streak for many more years, even decades. And let’s hope for no further medical adversities along the way!) [...]

You guys are doing a fantastic job of taking someone's super-positive, stoke-generating, multi-decade accomplishment, and turning it into a piss-fest where your 'best case' outcome is that you make him feel bad, and like he didn't accomplish something amazing. [...]

Sure seems like I've been praising his accomplishment.
(Insulting telemarkers though, that I've definitely been doing!)
Nobody here would be posting anything negative were it not for how the OP has continued over the years to negatively dismiss any monthly ski streaks longer than his as somehow not being monthly ski streaks down snow-covered mountains making turns (including the same recycled references to Norwegian mail delivery across flat expanses, even though the longer streaks at issue are skiers mainly in the PNW and CO, who, just like the OP, have ascended -- sometimes via lifts, sometimes under their own power -- snow-covered mountains, then skied down, making turns.)