Author: charles.miske

  • Ouray Ice Fest 2012 Overview Recap

    Had a great time attending the Ouray Ice Fest 2012. I had originally planned on not attending, but Angie convinced me otherwise, and I was able to get a day off work (Friday). I checked online and found two clinics open that met my ability level well enough – Intermediate Ice with First Ascent Athlete…

  • Book Review: Die Trying

    Die Trying: One Man’s Quest to Conquer the Seven Summits By Bo Parfet with Richard Buskin Bo Parfet “retired” as an investment banker at a pretty young age, and managing his savings carefully by taking shortcuts and going somewhat around the system, managed to complete the 7 summits (actually 8, hedging his bets on the…

  • Discussion with my daughter

    Discussion with my daughter

    My daughter just turned 5 not that long ago, and I was driving her home from our day at the office, and suddenly she turned to me: “Dad, has anyone climbed to the top of Everest?” “Yes, lots of people.” “I want to do that when I’m like 6 or 8.” “I think  you should…

  • Review: Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow : The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure

    Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow : The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure by Maria Coffey As you get deeper and deeper into the Seven Summits Quest, eventually it will hit you. People die doing this. People with spouses, children, parents, siblings. They leave behind families and friends, some of whom never ever recover from…

  • Orizaba or Bust

    Nearly four years ago I did a test of my solo big mountain skills by attempting Orizaba. At the time I thought I was in much better shape than I actually was, and after a rushed, poorly executed acclimatization plan, I ended up unable to breath at 17,300′ (my high point at the time), and…