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Per the skier norm, July preserved the problematic goggle tan. After two weeks in Whistler and a week in Hood, I giddily took off with Adam Clark on a short road trip to the top of some northwestern volcanoes.
June 27, 2012: I am in the top bunk at a Whistler condo in British Columbia. I can hear David Wise, X Games gold medalist snoring.
Jeremy Jones has been making fun of me on camera, and I like it. I just found out that Seb Toots and David Wise each won X Games medals this year, and I can see them both from my bed. Seb has a pile of new Red Bull hats for a pillow and his pro-model jackets for blankets. Jeremy Jones doesn’t make PB&J’s for lunch … so I’m never making PB&J’s for lunch ever again. #BeLikeJer
X Games gold medalist Seb Toots and Brody Leven discuss the intricacies of Jeremy Jones' lunch at the Camp of Champions Compound in Whistler, British Columbia during the O'Neill Experience. Photo: O’Neill Snow.
July 7, 2012: I am in the top bunk at a Whistler condo in British Columbia. I can hear Canadian Olympic snowboarder Antoine Truchon snoring.
Campers don't get as excited for free stickers as I did at 13. The big jump line has more wu-tang and the sound systems have more Wu-Tang. Are these kids all training for the Olympics? Maybe Whistler is less rainy in the winter. My skins are lonely. Riding out of bounds with Jeremy and Iris has highlighted my trip.
Iris Lazz, Brody Leven, and Jeremy Jones rack up during the O’Neill Experience at Whistler Blackcomb British Columbia. Photo: O’Neill Snow.
July 11, 2012: I am in my tent at Windell's Guest Pro House back porch in Oregon. I can hear AK skier Landis Tanaka snoring.
What an ideal day for my first Mt. Hood summit. Photographers Jay Eichhorst and Adam Clark were awesome partners for some summer snow climbing. It was strange rescuing that guy from the headwall. He didn’t belong there. While I’m happy I was able to ski 7,000 feet from the summit to the parking lot, it’s more important that we had enough climbing gear to lower him safely down the mountain. I’m now obsessed with skiing volcanoes. Good thing it’s only July.
Brody Leven skis the headwall on Mount Hood in Oregon. Photo: Jason Eichhorst.
Brody Leven and Adam Clark hike up Mount Hood with the next objective looming. Photo by Jason Eichhorst.
July 13, 2012: I am in my tent at 5,453 feet on Mt. Jefferson in Oregon. I can hear photographer Adam Clark snoring.
Two huge bergschrunds are blocking the normal route. It's July — shouldn't boyfriends and one-pieces be the only things blocking me? The only shoes I’ve worn in 3 weeks are ski boots. Tomorrow is another 5,000 feet on top of the 5-plus miles we hiked to this bivy spot. Perhaps our 3 a.m. start will mask some of the guaranteed misery.
Brody Leven stands hours, miles, and thousands of feet from the summit of Mount Jefferson. Photo by Adam Clark.
Can we ski now? Photo: Adam Clark.
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July 15, 2012: I am in photographer Adam Clark's tent at the Smith Rock bivy site in Oregon. I can hear him snoring.
Mellow rock climbing makes the ideal rest day and Smith Rock caters perfectly. Jefferson ended up being a big push yesterday, a 14.5-hour summit day. It didn’t even involve that much skiing, since we stashed our skis at the 9,000-foot ridge. My favorite climbing was beyond that, en route to the summit. Carrying a second ice axe and rope allowed me to be confident travelling through the ice, snow, and rock. The lightening, hail, thunder, and rain added some tension and often kept me moving when I should have been removing crampons on more difficult rock pitches. The constant scraping of crampon-clad ski boots on fifth-class rock both scars the mountain and is frighteningly unnerving. But even more unsettling are buzzing ropes, humming GoPros, and vibrating snow pickets when you’re the highest person in the state during a storm. #humanlighteningrod
Brody Leven chilling at Smith Rock between skiing volcanoes in Oregon. Photo: Adam Clark.
July 17, 2012: I am in photographer Adam Clark's tent at Mount Shasta’s Brewer Creek Trailhead in California. I can hear him snoring.
Two a.m. alarms should get us to the summit by 10 a.m., 7,000 feet from car to summit. Jefferson was far, at 6,000 feet, but its summit also sits at a much lower elevation. I haven’t been over 14,000 feet in almost two years. Hood was easy. Jefferson was technical. Shasta looks straightforward with minimal crevasses.
Brody Leven climbs the rime to the summit of Mount Shasta. Photo: Adam Clark.
Brody Leven near the summit of California’s Mt. Shasta, the second highest volcano in the United States. Photo: Adam Clark.
July 18, 2012: I am in Adam’s tent at a random Forest Service Road in California. I can hear him snoring.
Why did Shasta feel so huge? Was it the elevation? Why did it appear so small from the road? Was it the dearth of nearby mountains? I’m tired. Today was another 12-hour summit day. Three volcano summits this week. Skied from the only two with snow on them. Skiing in July is as good as ever.
Brody Leven will sleep when he's dead. Until then, he will ski. Photo: Adam Clark.
