Summer in Williamstown

The shortage of news from Williamstown this summer is a testament to the amount of events occuring (both training and otherwise). For those skiers that chose to remain on campus during the summer months the weekends provided great opportunities for training. From triathlons, to long runs, to rollerskis, to biathlon races, to biking over 100miles, they seem to have done it all, while also furthering some sort of academically important aspect: chemistry research (Mark), psychology research (Robby), math research--SMALL--(Hannah), selling Williams to prospective students (Casey), alumni relation office and psychology research (Maddy), and geology research (Ian). So, as a short tribute to the happenings in the purple valley over the past few months here is a short recap of some of the above average adventures...

One of the most gratifying and unifying athletic events this summer turned out to be sprint triathlons. All of those on campus this summer participated in at least one triathlon, while some are up to five and still counting. Most notably Mark, Hannah, and Robby made the trek up to Lake Dunmore twice for the Vermont Sun Triathlon Series and had personal best finishes of 6th, 13th (76th overall), and 19th, respectively. Hannah and Mark won their age classes both times (sorry Robby, Mark isn't actually that old). Other triathlon races this summer included a low key, but very competitive, monthly triathlon at Stockbridge Bowl in conjunction with the Berkshire Nordic Team. Every Williams skier that started at Stockbridge had some impressive performances... even Casey.

(Mark at in the transition in Stockbridge chasing

after Maddy, who swam a good 20secs faster...)

(Robby, Hannah, and Mark at the first Vermont Sun Sprint Triathlon)

Moving on... biking 100miles is no easy feat especially when it includes Mt. Greylock, the hairpin climb up to Florida, and even more climbing in the Savoy area. Then add about 3 inches of rain and it becomes nearly life-threatening... well maybe not, but you get the point. For some odd reason Robby and Mark (Hannah planned on participating but woke up sick the morning of) decided, after 45mins of sitting and contemplating the meaning of life in the car, to start out on the Mount Greylock Century ride. They made it, but were feeling it afterwords...



As a kind of throwback into the long lost art of biathlon, Mark made an appearance at the North American Summer Biathlon Championships in Burlington, VT. Without touching a rifle since January, he managed to hit 80% of the targets and placed 3rd in the Sprint and 4th in the Pursuit. The races also proved educational thanks to the opportunity of skiing and racing with Jean Philippe Leguellec, a Canadian biathlete who placed in the top ten in Vancouver.

(Bill Bowler, Mark, and Jean-Philippe)

And finally, we can't forget the many long runs (Berlin, Greylock, Taconic Crest, and elsewhere-- a new post is likely to come soon from Casey, Ian and Phil), rollerskis, and weight room sessions that got us through the summer.

Dude, Where's the Railroad?

You would think that the second traverse of the summer would go more smoothly than the first. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. After some frenzied back and forth conversations over the phone with Phil, Ian and I decided that we would meet Phil and Paco somewhere along the Kancamangus on Saturday afternoon. Ian and I then decided to make a weekend out of the trip, and drove up Friday afternoon to visit my cousin Wade at Dartmouth, who was on campus for his sophomore summer. The stay was all business, and as ambassadors from the Purple Valley, we set about getting a feel for Dartmouth's campus and its students. Along the way we met up with Sam Tarling, and he introduced us to the rest of the skiers on campus.
We left Hanover the next morning feeling refreshed, and we drove up to North Conway with the intention of meeting my brother at the Swift River for his day off of work. Unfortunately, neither Ian or I had charged our phones in the previous forty-eight hours, so a two hour jaunt over the Kancamangus turned into a four hour sight seeing tour of Conway and the surrounding areas. Highlights included an hour rest stop in an army surplus store while Ian covertly used a wall socket to charge his phone. Eventually, we found Benji at the Swift, and soaked our legs in anticipation of the next day. That night we decided to get creative and scout out our own campsite on an abandoned dirt road right outside of of a spa in Lincoln, and we woke up the next morning in time to start hiking at seven. We summited Flume, Liberty, Lincoln, and Lafayette before stopping for a short lunch break, and then descended down to climb Garfield and Galehead.
Phil was adamant that we hike the loop with all its extensions, so after we climbed South Twin, we headed over to North Twin, where we found a group having a private wine tasting. Unfortunately for us, we still had miles to go before we were done, so we powered through Guyot, Bond, West Bond, and Bondcliff before we reached the descent back into the valley.
We had a minor mutiny when we found out that instead of 2.5 miles to the railroad, we had 5.25 miles before we hit the flat section, but tempers were settled when we relieved Phil of map duty. We finally hit the railroad, and Phil and I decided to race back to the trailhead. We finished the day twelve hours and thirty six miles after we started, and in desperate need of some nutrition. We quickly found the nearest golden arches watering hole, and consumed about 12,000 calories of deliciousness between the four of us. The four hour drive back home was not exactly pleasant for Ian and I, but luckily Ian knew how to drive a stickshift and needless to say, the trip was well worth it.
End of the day on Bondcliff.Looking back over the twins

Ian looking pensive
Phil getting his tan on.


Some sweet cliffs

Franconia Ridge

Top of Flume

The Loop

Pics from Colorado

Peeing on the continental divide:

Keith

Evan

Evan, an ounce or two lighter.

Some majestic portraits

g

Agony in the back of the truck.
The country's best on display in the national park.

Professor Dave Dethier

Professor Will Ouimet (Williams '01)

A soil pit.

Rollerskiing on the peak to peak.

Somehow I let Evan out of the cabin in this completely red outfit.

Marmots. Rather than run away, this marmot
flattened itself until it was nearly invisible.

Video by Will Ouimet '01 (available here in stunning 720p HD):

Coaches on Vacation

The Coaches on Vacay (It took some cajoling to get this pic, but Bud finally agreed to humor us)

Hello from Coach A! I was lucky enough to spend four days with the Fisher-Kourajians at their cabin in Maine. Gorgeous weather and great sailing! Plus, get this coincidence: got to meet - at seperate times in the same day - the only two women from the Williams ski team that have achieved All-American status at the NCAA's : Lindley van der Linde and Ellen Chandler. Fantastic women. Fun fact: Ellen is training for the masters, and still gets on her rollerskis about 3 times a week! So to all you slackers who don't like to bother with boots and wheels: learn from a lady that knows how to ski fast and get out there!!

Bud and Lindley