Decisions

The Tuckerman Inferno is just one week away, and it's decision time. What equipment should I use? This will be my third Inferno, and already I have upgraded over my first two Infernos. For those two -- run in 2010 and 2009 -- I rode a 25-year-old bike that weighed 40-plus pounds and had a newspaper rack and a kickstand up the 18-mile hill climb. Besides that, I used a too-tight, mouse-chewed, 20-plus year-old wetsuit for the kayak portion. When I bought a bike last year, I said, boy, I really ought to give the Inferno another go now that I have a half-decent ride. When I received an NRS drysuit for Christmas, the decision was made. "That's it," I said. "I'm doing it!"

But what about the rest of my kit? What boat should I paddle? What skis should I carry? And how much stuff should I haul up to Tuckerman Ravine? One thing that will be different this year will be the transitions. Alot of time can be lost or gained (mostly lost) in these transitions. I should know; you're talking to the guy who took 8 minutes at the bike/run tranny at last year's Pumpkinman Triathlon! (Note: for those that don't know a triathlon tranny from a Ford tranny, most real triathletes take like 2 minutes in transition areas.) Anyway, for me, just running, kayaking, and biking in the same triathlon shorts is going to make a huge difference -- all possible because of the drysuit. As for what boat to use, I will also point out another difference-maker for this year: I actually trained (!!) for the 2012 event. I've been running all winter, I have been out several times on my bike, I ferried skis up Mount Mansfield last week to see how they felt on my pack (I usually much prefer skinning!), I've been skiing of course all winter (including yesterday), and -- biggest of all -- I boated the kayak stretch two days ago.

What an advantage that will be! For one, I won't boat the entire 6 miles stressing that I'm going to die during the race. Instead, I did that already on Tuesday! And I tried a new boat -- Ali's flatwater boat. Terrible for a whitewater stretch, this stretch of the Saco is mostly flat. And the water level is so low right now, that any whitewater areas are more like rockgardens. If I can pick my way through a handful of tricky sections, I should be fine. So if the water level stays mostly the same throughout the week, I plan to use this flatwater boat that cuts through water and goes straight.

The last big question is backpack and ski equipment. In 2009, a team of Sherpas could have divvied up all the gear I had in my backpack. I was ready for any and all weather that Mount Washington could have possibly thrown at me. And I carried my telemark gear. This year, I'm carrying skis, boots, and that's it. How bad can hypothermia be? In 2010, I carried less stuff but still tele-ed. I skied well in 2010, but I would have been way faster on alpine gear. And hiking up Left Gully is way more stable in stiff plastic Langes than in my softer telemark boots. Where I lose is in weight going up: Black Diamond tele boots: 8 pounds. Big, heavy Langes: 11.5. Black Diamond Kilawatt skis with lightweight telemark bindings: 13 pounds. Dynastar Outland Pros with alpine bindings: 17. Seventeen pounds, are you serious???

As you can see, I have some big decisions facing me. But considering that I never even thought about these things until I was actually in the race, obviously I'm way ahead this year. And one more advantage. After this year, I'll never have to worry about doing this insane event again.

[Note: The Tuckerman Inferno is an 8-mile run (hilly), a 6.2 mile paddle (that's 10K), a straight-uphill 18-mile bike to Pinkham Notch from North Conway, a hike carrying ski equipment up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, and a ski down Left Gully at Tuck's. Not something you want to do without some prepwork!]