Farewell 2025

Some personal highlights from the year!

Jan - Ski instructing at Whiteface Mountain and many uphill skinning adventures with early morning exercise buddies. 🎿

Feb - Saranac Lake’s Winter Carnival is always a blast and ice palace spectacular! This year we got to share it with my mother-in-law. ❄️

Mar - Multi-sport weekend with Mike — climbing in the Gunks and skiing at Whiteface. 🧗

Apr - A trip down to Florida, with a visit to Bok Tower with Aunt Sally and Grandma Beck — a cherished memory as we would lose Grandma later in the year. ❤️

May - Backpacking with Jo and Phin. We hadn’t done one together in a while, and it was wonderful to hit the trail as a family again. 🏕️

June - Rock climbing season kicked into high gear with many trips up the slab, including this memorable one with friends from @adkclimb.club in which Taka did a few barefoot pitches. 🤣

July - Perhaps the highlight of the year, a trip to Wyoming to climb Gannett Peak for Matt’s 48th state high point and my personal tallest climb. The stunning cirque rekindled my desire for bigger objectives. 🏔️

Aug - Heartbreak as we said goodbye to our beloved Ollivander after 10 years in our little family. I can finally start looking back at photos of him with fondness instead of sadness. He was the greatest furry friend. ❤️‍🩹

Sept - The month for love for us, as Jo and I celebrated the wedding of dear friends, Tyler and Lauren, and attended the balloon festival. And then celebrated our own (7th!) anniversary the next weekend. 💍

Oct - Or Rocktober! The fall is my favorite time of year in the ADK, and I got to tick off a bunch of spectacular climbs among the beautiful fall foliage, including a few here on the Upper Washbowl with Brian. 🍁

Nov - Snow and ice season arrived blessedly early and in full force! Got in some great pitches of climbing and backcountry skiing in deep snow before Thanksgiving — take that, west coast! 😉

Dec - I couldn’t choose between family time at the holidays and our current adventure with Dan and Sarah in Las Vegas for New Year’s, so I didn’t! Both have been wonderful. 🎉

I’m so lucky to live in a place I love, have a career sharing my favorite activities, and be surrounded by wonderful friends, family, and community.

Four skiers ascend a snowy slope using poles surrounded by snow-covered trees during sunrise with a mountainous landscape in the background. Text reads January. Three people in winter clothing are smiling in front of colorful illuminated ice structures at night. Text in the image reads February. Two people wearing helmets and outdoor gear are preparing climbing ropes on a rocky surface amidst a forest of leafless trees. Text at the bottom right reads March. A person sitting in a wheelchair is surrounded by three people crouching and smiling in front of a pink flower display outdoors near a tiled roof building Text April A person roasts marshmallows over a campfire surrounded by stones in a wooded area while a dog lies on a mat nearby. Red camping gear is visible. Text May. A climber wearing a bright green helmet holds a rope while sitting on a rocky surface with a forested backdrop. Another climber approaches in the distance. The text reads June. A person stands on rocky terrain wearing a jacket and yellow pants smiling against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and a partly cloudy sky. Text reads July. A fluffy cat lies on a cat tree batting a hanging toy inside a home environment. Text reading August is at the bottom corner. Two people smile at a hot air balloon festival. Various colorful balloons, including a penguin and owl, rise behind them. Many attendees gather on a grassy field. Text reads September. A person wearing climbing gear and a green helmet stands smiling on a rocky ledge with a scenic view of a forested valley in autumn. Text: October A climber ascends an icy cliff face using ice axes and ropes surrounded by snow. The text November is written at the bottom. Family gathering children and adults pose together smiling indoors. Another scene features a man in a glittery jacket with friends. A Christmas tree and decorative lighting are present. December is written.

We love helping dreams come to life! @haojjiang and Junlin had backpacked together before, but never in the winter and never in Adirondacks. Their goal was to test their skills in a winter mountaineering excursion. Gothics Mountain provided sub-zero temps and waist-deep snow for the challenge, and they crushed it! We ate, slept, laughed, and awed in nature’s stunning beauty. In short, we thrived. Can’t wait to get out with these two again!

Book your dream adventure today!

🆕📝 2025 & 2026 Fitness Goals

What I wanted to do. What I did. What I’m gonna do next year.

I quite like MG Siegler’s theory that Pluribus is commentary on AI (spoilers!):

To wit: All of humanity’s knowledge is involuntarily uploaded to the collective “cloud”, as it were. With this, any of the beings on Earth – aside from a handful that the virus couldn’t infect for unknown reasons  – have access to all of this information in real time. And any of the “unenlightened”, when they ask any question of these connected beings, they get back a seemingly factually true, but often bland response in real time.

The consensus view, quite literally.

Artemis, the calm web reader, is thoughtfully designed to be both efficient and privacy-preserving. For instance, it logs only the last month you used it:

This is why “approximately” is something of a feature: I don’t know what day a user opened their feed last on. I don’t need to in order to fulfill my goal of not retrieving feeds for users who haven’t been active for a while. Not only that, I don’t want to know the last day a user logged in to Artemis, for that would mean I would have the necessary telemetry to easily calculate “daily active users” and such.

— James G, Designing for inactive users

Part of the fun is making the most of what Mother Nature hands us. If that’s -15°F wind chill, we bundle up, fill the thermos with hot chocolate, and keep climbing! Thanks, Liz and Nate, for bringing extra warmth with your smiles and stoke today!

Person ice climbing on a frozen waterfall gripping a rope and ice tools while ascending. Review overlay reads Elizabeth Schmidt 1 review 2 hours ago Jarrod was awesome We had a really cold day but he picked a great spot and he made sure we stayed warm

North Face of Pitchoff was in excellent shape today! The hard freeze overnight (and continuing today) made for great climbing. Liz and Nate excelled despite the frigid wind chill and climbed all over Harlot. Can’t wait to get out with them again!

Two people wearing winter gear and snowshoes stand together smiling in front of a large frozen waterfall. A snow-covered landscape features a forested hillside and scattered trees in a wintry setting. A person is ice climbing up a frozen waterfall using crampons and an ice axe. A person is ice climbing up a frozen waterfall using a rope and wearing winter gear. A person wearing a helmet and an orange jacket climbs an icy slope using an ice pick surrounded by snow-covered trees. Three people wearing helmets smile and pose in a snowy environment. One person is in front, while the other two stand in the background near icy formations.

A mega fine day spent in the mountains guiding Todd’s 27th and 28th winter 46er high peaks! Clear skies and warm temps kept smiles on our faces! 😁

Had to kick things into gear this month (114 miles in December), but through sickness and health, before and after work, on treadmills and through bitter cold, I got it done! 😁

A colorful progress circle displays 100 percent completion for a running goal with text showing achievement of 365 miles between 1/1/25 and 12/31/25 on a black background.

It’s happened again. I went searching for an obscure web editor for Blot that I used to use, but couldn’t remember the name. Guess what. My own blog post about it was the top link. 😅

Watched: Pluribus 📺

As Robb Knight put it, it’s “the most boring show I can’t stop watching.” I love the mystery and “what ifs” but wish there was more happening. A promising first two episodes turned into a slow burn that I’m nonetheless looking forward to coming back. 👍

Finished reading: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer 📚

A harrowing tale… that nonetheless stoked my passion for the mountains — despite their inherent dangers. 👍

Rama Duwaji is a talented artist who is set to become the youngest First Lady of NYC when her husband, Zohran Mamdani, becomes mayor on Jan 1. You’ve gotta check out her website! I love how you can interact with the animated GIFs on the animation page.

(Via Jason Kottke)

Amazing.

Good morning! Just wanted to let you all know that Rian Johnson subtly rickrolled us with a scene in Wake Up Dead Man.

— Jason Kottke

I’m incredibly proud of Hao and Junlin for taking on a new challenge in a little Christmas Eve ice climbing! It was Hao’s first time on ice, and Junlin’s first time climbing ever. They crushed it on Pitchoff Right, dialing in technique quickly and having a grand time despite the cold and wind.

Hope they’re resting up tonight as we are venturing into Adirondack wilderness tomorrow for another new adventure for them: winter camping and mountaineering. 🏔️

A person in climbing gear ascends a frozen waterfall using ice axes surrounded by a snowy forest with bare trees. A person climbs a frozen waterfall using a bright green rope in a snowy landscape surrounded by bare trees under an overcast sky. A climber ascends a snow-covered ice wall using ropes and ice axes surrounded by bare winter trees. A person climbs a frozen waterfall using a bright green rope surrounded by bare trees against a cloudy winter sky. A person sits and smiles on snow wearing climbing gear including a helmet with “Edelrid” and “Outdoor Research” logos beside an ice-covered cliff and colorful mat. Two people dressed in winter gear pose cheerfully with hiking poles near a large formation of frozen icicles. Snow covers the ground and bare trees surround the icy backdrop. Three people wearing helmets and winter gear smile and pose with a snowy mountain backdrop featuring large icicles. Two of them have helmets labeled Pro-Tec Mountain.

Started reading: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer 📚

Finished reading: Apple in China by Patrick McGee 📚

This book makes Apple’s acquiescence to Donald Trump’s authoritarianism make even more sense. It’s not their first game. They know the playbook well.

It’s an enlightening tomb. A little dry, but the second half really picks up. 👍

Watched: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery 🍿

Poster and review of “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” The poster features a group of people standing around a grave, with a church in the background. The text reads: “2025, Rian Johnson. Fun, engaging movie, if not as spectacular as the first two Knives Out films. Didn’t feel like we got to know each character as much as we should have. But the reveal, as always, was glorious. Would watch again!” Rater with one thumb up.

Watched: The Alpinist 🍿

I watch this documentary multiple times a year, and it’s still one of my all-time favorite films. 👍👍

Chouinard’s Gully. Crystal Ice Tower. Roaring Brook Falls. Great day to climb ice with @mikehazard__!

A person in a red jacket ascends a snowy mountain slope using ice tools. Surrounding are snow-covered trees and a misty valley backdrop with a frozen lake. A climber ascends a steep icy slope using ropes surrounded by snow-covered rocks and trees under a snowfall. A person ascends a snowy slope, using climbing gear and a rope, surrounded by snow-laden trees in a forested area. Climber ascends a vertical ice face in a wintry forest using crampons and a climbing rope, surrounded by bare trees and an overcast sky. A partially chewed tree trunk stands surrounded by snow while partially fallen. The tree is in a snowy forest. Climber ascends an icy cliff using a bright green rope surrounded by snow-covered rocks and sparse trees under a cloudy sky. Climber ascends an icy rock formation using ice axes surrounded by snow and icicles on a steep winter slope with trees visible above.

Fun day down in the canyon getting on a couple classic single pitch ice routes with @mudrat_mackenzie! Lions and Hot Shot were both awesome. Thick enough to not bottom out any screws. 👌

A person climbs a steep icy cliff using climbing gear surrounded by snow-covered rocks and trees under a cloudy sky. A climber ascends a steep, icy waterfall using ice axes and crampons, surrounded by snow-dusted rocks and trees. A safety rope is attached above. A climber ascends a snow-covered rocky ice wall using ropes amidst a winter landscape with trees at the top of the cliff. A climber ascends a frozen waterfall using ice climbing gear surrounded by snow-covered rocks in a mountainous environment.

Weather turned out to be perfect for @adkclimb.club! A nice, temperate evening after all the frigid days we’ve had (and will have again tomorrow!). Fun times working the steep routes at Pitchoff Quarry with friends!

A climber ascends an ice-covered wall using ice picks at night illuminated by headlamp light. Text Day 6 appears in the upper left corner against a dark sky. A person in a blue jacket stands holding a rope, surrounded by snow and ice, near a rocky cliff at night. A yellow backpack rests nearby on the snow-covered ground. A person climbs a towering ice wall using equipment in a snowy, dark environment with sparse, leafless branches visible above.

Nick Heer: ‘Fault and Responsibility’

While I am excited for the potential of a change in direction, I do not think this singlehandedly validates the perception of declining competence in Apple’s software design. It was [Alan] Dye’s responsibility, to be sure, but it was not necessarily his fault. I do not mean that as an excuse, though I wish I did. The taste of those in charge undoubtably shapes what is produced across the company. And, despite a tumultuous week at the top of Apple’s org chart, many of those people remain in charge.

I so appreciate Heer’s signature measured and clear thinking.

A new, classic @atpfm@mastodon.social moment is born! “How DARE you!?” 🤣 🎙️

Louie Mantia blogged about Alan Dye leaving Apple, pointing out a change in Apple’s design direction that happened without my conscious noticing:

Not to put too fine a point on it, but they started making products that appealed to themselves. Because since Steve Jobs died, Apple, its executives, and its corporate employees got significantly wealthier. It wasn’t just Jony who took an interest in luxury. The whole company did. Anyone with even a little bit of power in the company started to dress more expensively. They all look like they could walk right out of a fashion advertisement.