A full day up on Franconia Ridge.
- Thread starter skiguy
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Cool video, although that conifer sapling appeared to be a bit sketchy for rapping into Lincoln’s Throat. 
Totally Agree…that did look a bit sketchy!Cool video, although that conifer sapling appeared to be a bit sketchy for rapping into Lincoln’s Throat.
sierra
Well-known member
It's funny, I was thinking rapping wearing ski's was the sketchy part, lol.Cool video, although that conifer sapling appeared to be a bit sketchy for rapping into Lincoln’s Throat.
Depends on the situation. Skis can be very hard to put on in steep terrain. Sometimes having them on is easier than having to find a spot to put them on at the end of a rap. Especially if you don’t know what is below you.
sierra
Well-known member
That makes sense, when you put it that way. Not being a skier, these techniques are out of my skillset for sure.
Like Dr. “D” said… a very Sketchy Anchor. Hopefully they could have been able to prusik back up if it came down to it which they did look prepared for. No pun intended… abseiling is always the scariest part of climbing or skiing IMO. Dropping in from the top these days is more balls than I have. They pulled it off.
Many of my mentors in the AMC huts served in the Tenth Mountain Division during WWII and the Korean conflict where rappelling with skis on was commonplace, and the ski troops carried heavy packs with a rifle and lots of ammo, trained at Fort Drum in Upstate New York.
cool video! he has another from the Whites:
White Mountain Slides - Skiing Osceola, Arrow and Landslide Gully
White Mountain Slides - Skiing Osceola, Arrow and Landslide Gully
I googled the dude in the videos shared by Skiguy and then me. He's Ryan Delena, and has another on Washington too. He also has an interesting story, and in March he put out a book, a joint memoir written with his father.
below is from: Without Restraint: How Skiing Saved My Son's Life
Without Restraint
How Skiing Saved My Son's Life
ROBERT C. DELENA AND RYAN C. DELENA
As a child Ryan DeLena had difficulty controlling his emotional outbursts. This led to placement in therapeutic schools that relied on detrimental methods of behavior modification such as physical restraints.
Nothing helped from a team of doctors to heavy medication. Then in 2010, Ryan was voluntarily committed to a mental hospital for further evaluation. His parents Rob and Mary Beth were counseled to place him in a group home. They refused.
Two years earlier, after an impulsive decision Rob had to take Ryan skiing, he discovered a different child than the version experts were so sure about. By his second day of skiing, Ryan was executing advanced runs, and with each conquest in the winters that followed, Rob began to question the path laid for his son by the professionals paid to judge him. He later convinced Mary Beth to fight the medical and educational complexes over Ryan’s care and school placement, and together they fostered the freedom Ryan needed to pursue his dream of becoming a professional ski mountaineer.
Written in two voices, Without Restraint is a joint father-son memoir told with both pain and levity, struggle and strength, adventure and heart. It is the story of a misunderstood boy, a father’s growth, and a shared love of the outdoors that formed their unbreakable bond.
Author
Robert C. DeLena was raised in Revere, MA, and is a graduate of The Governor’s Academy, Trinity College, and Northeastern University School of Law. After practicing law unhappily, he founded a small recruiting company called Legal Staffing Solutions, and for over twenty years has advised law firms, lawyers, and law students on legal hiring. Rob lives in Sudbury, MA with his wife, Mary Beth, and their daughter, Abigail, who currently attends Hamilton College. He spends time skiing with his son Ryan and the great friends he’s made during his journey from beginner to reluctant adventurer. Rob has skied all over the United States, internationally in Canada, Chile and Argentina, and even survived a backcountry expedition in Antarctica.
Ryan C. DeLena is currently a junior at Northern Vermont University studying Outdoor Education. He is widely known in the outdoor community through his social media presence as “Extreme Ryan.” He was pictured on the cover of Backcountry Ski Maps (2020) and has conquered many of the world’s signature ski runs including Super-C Couloir in Chile, Little Couloir in Montana, and Tuckerman Ravine in New Hampshire. Ryan has climbed and skied additional peaks in Oregon, Washington, Utah, California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Antarctica. He is an enthusiastic rock climber, ice climber, and avid hiker, summiting the Grand Teton twice and has recently completed the “Hundred Highest” hiking peaks in New England. Ryan has earned advanced certifications from the American Mountain Guides Association and the Professional Ski Instructors of America.
below is from: Without Restraint: How Skiing Saved My Son's Life
Without Restraint
How Skiing Saved My Son's Life
ROBERT C. DELENA AND RYAN C. DELENA
As a child Ryan DeLena had difficulty controlling his emotional outbursts. This led to placement in therapeutic schools that relied on detrimental methods of behavior modification such as physical restraints.
Nothing helped from a team of doctors to heavy medication. Then in 2010, Ryan was voluntarily committed to a mental hospital for further evaluation. His parents Rob and Mary Beth were counseled to place him in a group home. They refused.
Two years earlier, after an impulsive decision Rob had to take Ryan skiing, he discovered a different child than the version experts were so sure about. By his second day of skiing, Ryan was executing advanced runs, and with each conquest in the winters that followed, Rob began to question the path laid for his son by the professionals paid to judge him. He later convinced Mary Beth to fight the medical and educational complexes over Ryan’s care and school placement, and together they fostered the freedom Ryan needed to pursue his dream of becoming a professional ski mountaineer.
Written in two voices, Without Restraint is a joint father-son memoir told with both pain and levity, struggle and strength, adventure and heart. It is the story of a misunderstood boy, a father’s growth, and a shared love of the outdoors that formed their unbreakable bond.
Author
Robert C. DeLena was raised in Revere, MA, and is a graduate of The Governor’s Academy, Trinity College, and Northeastern University School of Law. After practicing law unhappily, he founded a small recruiting company called Legal Staffing Solutions, and for over twenty years has advised law firms, lawyers, and law students on legal hiring. Rob lives in Sudbury, MA with his wife, Mary Beth, and their daughter, Abigail, who currently attends Hamilton College. He spends time skiing with his son Ryan and the great friends he’s made during his journey from beginner to reluctant adventurer. Rob has skied all over the United States, internationally in Canada, Chile and Argentina, and even survived a backcountry expedition in Antarctica.
Ryan C. DeLena is currently a junior at Northern Vermont University studying Outdoor Education. He is widely known in the outdoor community through his social media presence as “Extreme Ryan.” He was pictured on the cover of Backcountry Ski Maps (2020) and has conquered many of the world’s signature ski runs including Super-C Couloir in Chile, Little Couloir in Montana, and Tuckerman Ravine in New Hampshire. Ryan has climbed and skied additional peaks in Oregon, Washington, Utah, California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Antarctica. He is an enthusiastic rock climber, ice climber, and avid hiker, summiting the Grand Teton twice and has recently completed the “Hundred Highest” hiking peaks in New England. Ryan has earned advanced certifications from the American Mountain Guides Association and the Professional Ski Instructors of America.
Thanks for posting this article. I have friends in Jackson who know well Ryan’s folks and had tipped me off on this book, which is now on order.
Great info. Nice to see someone whom found themselves in the outdoors. I worked with special needs adolescents dating back to the late 70's in an Outdoor Education setting before it was formally recognized as Outdoor Education. It is very rewarding for the student and for the teacher to see an individual emerge from the fog due to time in the outdoors. I remember when UNH was one of the first Colleges to actually provide a degree in Outdoor Education. It was quite a novel concept at that point in time which has now evolved into a life style that is both beneficial cognitively, physically and financially. I know more than one individual that claims Outdoor sports saved their lives. Well done Ryan!
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Beckie and Prema
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Nothing like the outdoors for neurodiversity as well!
Downloaded this book and found it a good read. Thoase that have worked with challenged young kids and adults would find it an interesting book.
Another impressive run.
Cool. You have moved this book up in my to read stack.
Impressive run, and a fine video. When I climbed Damnation gully several times in the 1970s, I never imagined that it would be eventually skiable. Central gully, yes, but not Damnation and Pinnacle.
ChrisB
Well-known member
Great video of Damnation for sure. These kids are good!Impressive run, and a fine video. When I climbed Damnation gully several times in the 1970s, I never imagined that it would be eventually skiable. Central gully, yes, but not Damnation and Pinnacle.
Q: How did the second skier do the rap without leaving gear?
They probably left it. They only had one rap to do.
