Ski stuff for the Republic of Georgia

While sorting through gear to start off the winter or after Christmas, if there's anything ski-related you want to donate to mountain communities in the Republic of Georgia, shoot me a line at benski123 at gmail dot com and I'll cover shipping so I can bring it to Svaneti and Kazbegi regions in March. Not too keen on covering shipping on skis but if you're in New England we can figure something out. I'm still getting pictures of Williams' old test skis ripping around the mountains, and will certainly pass on any photos I get of your old gear... they're looking forward to almost anything that will help them play in the mountain... poly pro layers, skis, poles, nordic and AT boots, skins, running shoes, waterproof gloves and jackets....

Love winter

That should be enough. Just love it while it lasts. You never know when the snow will go away. 

Passions: keeping people warm and fed

At thanksgiving, one of those things that always comes up is how to better help those in need.
My grandparents have taught me to always be generous, and lead by example, giving away copious amounts of produce from their gardens. For their 50th wedding anniversary, when I was away in Central Asia, I brought a few dozen pounds of cherries, watermelons, and the gas to bring them up to a settlement at 3500-4000 meters ASL.
It was just one of those spur of the moment ideas, that even if I can't solve world hunger, I can make some kids' lives a lot better with a little colorful. Not that its the most nutritious, but its fun, foreign, and something that makes life more pleasant. When my grandfather talks about growing up during the war in occupied Europe, he always mentions the scarcity of food, and the joy he got from simple pleasures of butter and oranges. I feel the same when I bite into a fresh Washington apple when returning home.
Warmth is the other thing that becomes necessary to share. I probably wouldn't be an avid skier if I didn't have a warm house to return to, a roaring fire, a puffy jacket, fuzzy slippers. And yet while we notice having a warm coat, we often don't remember the scarfs, buffs, gloves and hats we are wearing that prevent creeping cold from getting in, or the warm long underwear we have underneath. When I was in the Republic of Georgia last time, I brought over a duffel of warm clothes that stay warm when wet (unlike cotton), and am collecting donations to bring over another bag this spring. When I see pictures of kids wearing somewhat ridiculous western hats something is sad inside that they aren't wearing lovingly hand-knit garments, but I know they are warm.
Despite almost always wearing shorts, this idea of sharing warmth remains through the summer. When brainstorming with Sounders FC about possible collaborations between Sounders and my then-employer PEMCO insurance, I decided to push for a scarf drive. Uniting PEMCO's passion for caring for neighbors and soccer fans' passion for scarves seemed perfect. Others pushed for school competitions, cute kids playing soccer... but somehow I convinced higher ups of the power of scarves. And now, the donations are at 8000+ pieces of warm clothing for Seattle's homeless. The only mistake: collecting scarves before the game, rather than after. 

Giving thanks for snow at Craftsbury

I admit, I am a pessimist. Global warming is probably real, and it messes with one of my favorite things in the world: snow.

So when Craftsbury got a good dose of fresh snow, I was pleasantly surprised. And thankful for all those surprises. None of us thought we would have spectacular skiing off the manmade course when we showed up to a not-quite-white, root-and-gravel infested 1.5 km loop. But mother nature gave us a little dose of change, which turned into a little taste of real winter.

Not that I don't like a nicely-prepared, pisten bully groomed track, but the freedom to rip around trails, get lost in the woods, and let your thoughts flow free is priceless. 

Modeling Ebola

I've been following the Ebola outbreak since last spring, when news first hit of a West African outbreak. In both math modeling and microbiology courses, I got a good primer of some of the dynamics and infection stages of such diseases, and their unique incubation, infective, hospitalized, and recovered stages. Initially, it appeared that this Ebola outbreak was just another normal outbreak, as seen in prior decades in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

At Williams, there is a requirement for a colloquium by all senior math majors. Given the hype around Ebola virus, my interest in math modeling, and the idea of doing something current rather than presenting mathematical proofs from the 1800s, I decided to design a presentation around Ebola.
A few days later, I sat on the plane next to a woman whose husband had just returned from the front lines of the disease in Liberia (I had to ask very quietly when she said her husband worked for the government in Atlanta). He was not under official quarantine as a CDC employee, but there was definitely that what-if factor that could have thrown someone on a packed 737 into panic mode. Needless to say, our conversation about Ebola left out the story for the rest of the plane ride. And though 21 days later, I show no symptoms of the disease, it presents an interesting case for modeling-- how to best model contacts and communication networks, especially given that Ebola is generally spread by direct contact with an infected person or body. Having an outbreak reach into West Africa is arguably the more interesting problem, and presents a difficult vector-based modeling problem.

Interestingly, the current Ebola virus strain does not appear much different from past strains. And Bayesian and other models of the disease based on past outbreaks place the current outbreak size within a reasonable 99% confidence interval of what could be expected. The lack of foreign mobilization behind Ebola in West Africa makes it difficult to confirm or deny statistics about the current situation as well, presenting difficulties and significant variability in estimating R0 and other infection and mortality rates. This complicates modeling of when the outbreak may end and how large it can get. Then we can add another element of virus research and gene modeling, especially given that primates were successfully cured of closely-related Marburg virus in the last few months.

All of this is really just to get you to think about Ebola, what shortcomings we have in current data, and how those shortcomings may be reflected in actual care and the future of the outbreak. If you care, consider a donation to Medicins Sans Frontieres or another organization with a verified field presence, and perhaps write a quick letter petitioning your legislators to allow US healthcare personnel to travel to West Africa and return home without excessive criticism. 

Fall running... New England version

In high school, my runs consisted of Garfield Freestyle Running style runs through Seattle's Central District. Sometimes going til dark along the water, on wet streets, up and down urban stairs, across pavement strewn with moss and leaves...

Last week, a running time trial loved by many at Williams was canceled because of guess what, wet trails. I find it hard to believe that college students can't run within their own bounds and race on wet terrain. Isn't that part of what ski racing is about? Shedding speed at the right times, maintaining balance through ice sections, not running into trees? What happened to athleticism, technical prowess?

Yes, New England trails are wet and can turn into streams, the trails eroded by years of rain. But a little caution goes a long way. Sunday mornings running in the rain or on wet trails are a treat, a time to focus on something other than a computer screen or a book. 

Join me in Georgia: A photo tour and invitation for Spring 2015

I'm heading back to Svaneti and other parts of the Republic of Georgia in March and April. Hoping to share some of my knowledge and love for adventure, so if any of the delicious food, wine, or powder sparks desire, get in touch in comments or check about me section of the blog. A good handful were lucky enough to join me last spring break, and now you have a chance to... 

Lots of spring skiing, beautiful mountains, and rich food awaits...

Making sorghum molasses at the farm

Last weekend lots of us gathered at the farm in Butler County, Kansas outside of Wichita for the annual sorghum festival with family and friends. Following the cutting of cane with machetes and pressing with a vintage press from Tennessee powered by the internals of a very sad looking car, we set off to boil. Hours later, a gooey, sweet substance emerged.

Here are a few GoPro pictures of the farm, where the sorghum cane is grown. More on the molasses making coming soon.

A contest: #corwinistan

I'm running a little social media contest. Get ready for fun...
The details: As I look beyond the Purple Bubble (aka Williams College), I sometimes struggle envisioning where I will travel to next... over the summer break, on a vacation in a year, on a random weekend in five years. I want you to share some of your best shots of countries, cities, and buildings where you have been, and where I should think about exploring too.

Please help me out-- and let me maybe help you out with some sweet schwag- by posting your own original series of three images matching these time-specific versions of #corwinistan.
Here's an example:

 #corwinistan #khorogstateuniversity #summer2015 @benerco

 #corwinistan #tbilisi #sakartvelo #fall2015

#corwinistan #boston #nicerrestaurant #weekend2019

The basic rules:

• All photos must be original content produced by the poster, and poster will retain original rights but give @benerco non-exclusive rights to distribute images as part of the #corwinistan campaign. 
• All content must be age-appropriate to my 13-year-old sister and my grandmother. 
• One entry per person, per week. An entry consists of three photos (summer 2015, October 2015, random weekend in 2019) uploaded on Instagram and tagged with #corwinistan. Feel free to tag and follow @benerco in your photos, but this step is not required. 
• Photos can be shared via twitter, facebook, etc with the #corwinistan tag. This may or may not increase chances of winning.
• Schwag will be determined by me, bcor. There will be between one and three prize packages depending on number of entries, shipping included in the lower 48. Each package will include various cool things from my travels and probably some sweet adventure clothing... 
• Contest opens 10/14/2014 11:25am EST, and closes 12/01/2014 11:25 EST. 
• Winners will be notified via Instagram comment by 12/14/2014. 

New England fall starts

Where to next? Help meeeee

All-

I am exploring what to do after graduating Williams College. I have some ideas about what I want to do and where I want to be, and have received excellent mentoring from a number of people in a number of industries, but I have yet to find the perfect fit. You think you know my next home, complete with a job? Preferably with one of the landscapes shown below somewhere nearby?

Let me know: benski123 at gmail dot com. 

Thanks

Ben

 Option 1: Snow and alpine peaks

 Option 2: An ocean. Or a big lake. Or just water. 

 Option 3: A dope urban landscape. 

Option 4: Rolling hills and rangeland with wildlife. 

Option 5: Rocks. 

A NNW summer

I was back living back in Seattle for the summer, climbing and skiing glaciers, rollerskiing on sub-par streets and overcrowded bike and walking paths, and working full-time + at a mutual company. Said company is probably the right fit, as 'we are a lot like you, a little different.'
But on weekends Seattle is a bit too small, so I was out every weekend and some weekdays to go skiing, trail running, or climbing in our mountains. Here are a few pics from three recent ski trips, runs, and rollerskis, ranging from skinning out of the parking lot in the sun to hiking uphill in boots to ski a 4.5k vertical foot run in corn to skiing fresh snow in the rain in a whiteout at 10.5k vertical feet on Rainier. Still no reason to put the skis away... 

The craft special tights make a brief appearance before the freezing rain/ snow started again. 

Lots of tents on Rainier

The Cold Springs fire burned through Mt. Adams area in 2012. 

Sunset from 9500 feet on Adams. The Bend crew will be up in a few weeks and should be giving an update as well. 

Camp on the other side of Rainier (there's a lot climbing and skiing to be had)

Traffic jam

I tried to get a tan. Not sure if it worked or not. 

Awesome long trail run in Robson, BC without a camera, so I came back the next day with one. 

Remarkably undercrowded day rollerskiing around Greenlake. Pretty sure I'm the only one left rollerskiing Monday evenings.

A few photos from the big mountain

To give you some fashion ideas and such for Mount Rainier. A couple ski trips to/ around Camp Muir and a Summit Climb via Emmons Glacier route in July bring you these stunning images. It looks like pink Julbo Monterosa glasses and see-through Craft ski tights are the new style on the mountain this year.