Vertical Man

[tt431]

Great article about Killington's Scott Howard from Powder Magazine.
https://www.powder.com/stories/intervie ... ical-feet/

[madhatter]

this , among other things...

Five to seven times a year, Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire stays open for 18 hours, from 9 in the morning to the following 3 o'clock in the morning, and this year I was invited to do a vertical challenge. The record there was 111 runs of the 850-foot hill. When it was all said and done, I had 143 runs for 130,900 vertical feet.

[RustyK]

http://mountaintimes.info/local-tries-s ... eet-world/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Met him at the campsite last week. Very interesting.



Local tries to ski most vertical feet in the world
By Katy Savage

BRIDGEWATER—Scott Howard has skied more than 6 million vertical feet so far, this season alone.

On a good day, he can get 60 runs on Killington every day.

Howard has skied more (unofficially) than anyone else in the world. Howard is trying to make it official by being named in the Guinness Book of World Records for most vertical feet skied in one year.

Submitted Scott Howard, right, at the FIS Women’s World Cup in Killington, is trying to ski the most vertical feet.
Submitted
Scott Howard, right, at the FIS Women’s World Cup in Killington, is trying to ski the most vertical feet.

“It’s a seven-day commitment, 8-9 hours a day,” Howard, 65, of Bridgewater said.

Howard keeps track of his vertical feet with his iPhone app called Trace.

Trace tracks and automatically detects a person’s lifts and trails. It also lets users see total airtime, max jump height and vertical distance. Trace reports over half a million users skied 22.5 billion vertical feet this past year.

Howard wants to ski 6.4 million vertical feet before the official end of the season—May 31.

It hasn’t been easy, he admits. He has learned to be efficient.

He leaves his house an hour before the mountain opens every morning. He saves time once he gets there by putting on his ski boots in the parking lot and heading straight to the lift.

“It wastes time when you go to the lodge,” he said.

Howard brings a backpack with food and liquids. He takes one quick hot chocolate break and one 15-to-20-minute lunch break. Other than that, he’s on the mountain all day.

“The guy is insane,” said friend and regular Killington skier Cathy Soderquist.

Howard has occasionally bribed the chair-lift attendants with a sandwich to stay open an extra 10 minutes to get a few extra vertical miles. He buys five sandwiches –three for the lift attendants at the bottom of the mountain and two for the attendants at the top.

“You get to know them a little bit,” he said. “Do you know how much it changes them? If you’re going to do maximum runs in one day, you have to have the liftees on your side.”

Howard skis in r*in, sleet and snow. He’s out there on blue-bird days and when it’s minus 20 degrees.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “It’s a bit addicting,” though he admitted it’s “intense.”

“It takes a toll. I’m probably not going do it but not to this extent,” he said.

Howard retired for his sales job about two years ago.

Larry Straus, another regular at Killington, who often skis with Howard, is No. 17 in the world on the Trace app for skiing 2.8 million vertical feet so far this year, most of it at Killington.

“Quite small numbers compared to Scott,” said Strauss, a friend of Howard’s.

“He’s put in some very hard days,” Straus said of Howard’s achievements.

Straus, 66, of Rochester, drives 35 minutes to the mountain every day. He skied 153 days at Killington so far this year.

Now that the season is winding down, Howard has started to play golf and ski in the same day. He plays 18 holes of golf in the morning, goes for a run in the afternoon, and then does 18 runs on the slope.

Howard has also skied at Stowe and has made his way to resorts in the West, but Killington is an ideal place to log vertical feet. The mountain has more than 3,000 vertical feet—the most in the East.

Howard is hoping the mountain stays open until early June.

“If you know how to ski, you know the accomplishment he’s doing,” said Dick Solderquist, “In can be 10 or 20 below zero and he’s out there pounding the vertical.”

[hillbangin]

I was going to say he's crazy until I read this - very cool

He buys five sandwiches –three for the lift attendants at the bottom of the mountain and two for the attendants at the top.

My family thinks I have a skiing problem - but this guy takes the cake.

He could do 200K a day if he moved to Jackson and used the Gondi.

[madhatter]

I was going to say he's crazy until I read this - very cool

He buys five sandwiches –three for the lift attendants at the bottom of the mountain and two for the attendants at the top.

My family thinks I have a skiing problem - but this guy takes the cake.

He could do 200K a day if he moved to Jackson and used the Gondi.

oh he's crazy all right...

[RENO]

this , among other things...

Five to seven times a year, Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire stays open for 18 hours, from 9 in the morning to the following 3 o'clock in the morning, and this year I was invited to do a vertical challenge. The record there was 111 runs of the 850-foot hill. When it was all said and done, I had 143 runs for 130,900 vertical feet.

Does this count as a ski day?

[Stormchaser]

this , among other things...

Five to seven times a year, Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire stays open for 18 hours, from 9 in the morning to the following 3 o'clock in the morning, and this year I was invited to do a vertical challenge. The record there was 111 runs of the 850-foot hill. When it was all said and done, I had 143 runs for 130,900 vertical feet.

Does this count as a ski day?

9 am one day to 3 am the next day. I think that's two days, no?

[madhatter]

this , among other things...

Five to seven times a year, Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire stays open for 18 hours, from 9 in the morning to the following 3 o'clock in the morning, and this year I was invited to do a vertical challenge. The record there was 111 runs of the 850-foot hill. When it was all said and done, I had 143 runs for 130,900 vertical feet.

Does this count as a ski day?

9 am one day to 3 am the next day. I think that's two days, no?

pretty sure he finished at 12:01 am I saw him the next day at bear and he was telling me of his adventure......

[tyrolean_skier]

I hope he gets the record that he is striving for. It's amazing to me that he lasts all day every day he's on the hill.

[RENO]

It's an amazing thing to accomplish, but this seems more like torture to me then actual enjoyment. To each his own I guess...

[madhatter]

It's an amazing thing to accomplish, but this seems more like torture to me then actual enjoyment. To each his own I guess...

I agree w that assessment...like competing in an ironman or something...but to be honest I think he actually does enjoy it...

[buckethead]

wow that's over 25 vertical miles!

if it was really torturous for him his body would say no.

he's blessed with the physical makeup to go with his desire for the record. wishing scott much success.

[hillbangin]

It's an amazing thing to accomplish, but this seems more like torture to me then actual enjoyment. To each his own I guess...

I agree w that assessment...like competing in an ironman or something...but to be honest I think he actually does enjoy it...

Same mentality as the 100 mile trail people - I think they are nuts - I'm sure they wash their hands exactly the same way every time kind of crazy - harmless - but crazy.

[RENO]

I like to enjoy the outdoors. I'll do some fast runs, slow runs, trees, bumps, etc... I'll stop for a break every now and then, ride and joke with friends, breathe in the fresh mountain air, have a beer at the top and check out the views, eat, make a snow angel, fart and piss in the woods, hit highwaystar in the head with a snowball, etc... This is too robotic for me and more like OCD.

[madhatter]

I like to enjoy the outdoors. I'll do some fast runs, slow runs, trees, bumps, etc... I'll stop for a break every now and then, ride and joke with friends, breathe in the fresh mountain air, have a beer at the top and check out the views, eat, make a snow angel, fart and piss in the woods, hit highwaystar in the head with a snowball, etc... This is too robotic for me and more like OCD.

so what just let him have his thing...it's pretty amazing no matter what the driver...believe me likes to have fun...lots of it...he spends plenty of time laughing and joking w friends having beers etc...I've made a few runs w him this year when our paths crossed...he rides the lift, chews yer ear off makes a run or two w ya and he's off to the next part of his adventure...it's like skiing 5 days in one...