Sports
Trip Report
Report from August 31, 2025
The forecast was all over the place here in El Chalten, Argentina, for my Cerro Electrico ascent.
I stayed up too late poring over it and found my brain clogged with doubt at 4 a.m.
Windy and cloudy on some models—sunny and windless in others…
At 4:09 a.m, I decided, “Screw it, I’m going.”
- Summit: 7,162 feet
- Car: 1,469 feet
- Vertical From Car: 5,693 feet
- Vertical skied: 3,401 feet
- Max Pitch: 40?º
- Average Pitch: 38?º
- Aspect: East
- Distance: 10 miles round trip
- Hiking Time From Car to Summit: 7 hours & 4 minutes
- Car to Car Time: 10 hours & 55 minutes
- Recommended Equipment: camping gear, crampons, ice axe, skins (ropes and crevasse rescue kit if you plan to go onto the glacier)
Up at 4 a.m.
Out at 5:09 a.m.
Drove past an ambulance and a cop with flashing lights at 5:22 am (intensely rare occurrence on this dirt road in the middle of nowhere).
I almost turned around, startled by the bad omen.
That ambulance could only be one thing: a seriously injured climber/skier/trekker.
Was I about to be next?
Was this the right day for this?
Should I be doing this alone?
Hiking by 5:49 a.m.
Solo.
30 minutes of flat led to a gradual uphill that gives way to damn near vertical bushwhacking and 4th class climbing—all in the dark.
This wasn’t my first time here.
Most of that ice and snow has melted out now.
I wasn’t taking any chances, though, and put my ski boots and crampons on early.
I tromped my way up the final no-fall-zone ice trail and scampered happily into the chute.
The snow in the chute was soft—it was a warm day already.
I scampered up the chute quickly and took the early exit, left into the bushes.
I’d rather post-hole these bushes than continue up the consequential chute, I thought.
3 hours and 3 minutes into the climb, I was finally on snow.
With skins on, the travel became simple, mechanical, flowy.
The first headwall, around 4,400 feet, found me with skis over my shoulder, bootpacking up.
Back to skins quickly and up.
The wind was making its presence known at this point and the clouds hadn’t parted as hoped.
My good buddy Todd Offenbacher always says, “Don’t turn around until you get turned around.”
It was windy, but it wasn’t turn around wind yet.
I continue skyward.
As I climbed, the weather improved.
Sunlight splashed the summit in sporadic bucketfuls at first.
Then sunshine remained for minutes at a time.
Electrico was in some sort of donut hole, as I could see clouds streaming and obscuring the peaks to our north and south.
Wind was blowing so hard at times down off the big peaks west of Vespignani that the snow was flying off the summits for miles and simply sublimating into the air column.
I ventured on, encouraged by the light wind and sun-kissed summit dome.
The final pitch was steeper yet soft.
My skins were glopping terribly, so I switched to crampons.
Mistake.
The post-holing was horrendous and the crampons glopped worse than the skins.
Back to skins, I made progress and tested my hip flexors with 30-pound snow slathered skis.
The snow thinned as the glacier poked out and I was forced back to booting for the final stint.
I showed up on top in 7 hours, 5,700 vertical feet, and 5 miles after leaving the car.
I lingered not.
I ate and drank without relish.
I soaked in the views of the cloud-blasted towers, deep blue glaciers, and the impossibly distant valley that I’d come from below.
Skis on, boots buckled, I dropped in expecting putrid snow.
It was hot pow!
I’m from California and I know and love hot pow.
Well, maybe it was hot wind buff?
Either way, it was hot and stable and ripable.
You had to be careful not to catch an edge, so I went as weightless as possible each transition.
The steepness of the summit dome helped.
Lower down on the open glacier, the snow was a bit tougher, so I made huge arcing downhill turns.
The icy lower cirque massaged fear into my brainstem as I’d climbed it.
By my calculations, the wind and cloud should have kept it firm all day.
I was wrong, the sun-kissed melt/freeze surface was corning up nicely.
At the base of the cirque, things got a touch sticky as I opted skier’s right into a small chute.
The chute wasn’t sticky somehow and skied well.
From there, it was an easy flat glide to where I’d first put skis on so long ago.
I took a break, loaded up my skis, put on my crampons, enjoyed some cookies, and started the tricky downclimb into the chute.
The chute was soft.
I was able to stomp down it, facing downhill most of the way.
From there, it was a bit of scrambling on and around icy trails to a flat spot where my feet happily shed their plastic covers for canvas ones.
Shoes felt great.
From here, I’d anticipated a simple, 3-hour grind back to Malvadisco, our trusty steed.
The wind had other ideas…
After 14 seasons in the howling southern winds of Bariloche, Argentina, I thought I knew the Patagonian wind.
Wrong again.
A wind came up from the valley floor like I’ve never experienced before.
Right where I had to do some 3rd and 4th class downclimbing, the wind made itself be known.
My skis acted like a sail as I made critical no-fall-zone maneuvers.
I was scared and frustrated.
I’d wait for a lull, move quickly, detect the sound of an F-16 fighter jet, then pin myself to the wall and hold on for dear life.
Not fun.
I’d avoided objective danger all day, only to fall directly into this trap.
I took my time and fearfully worked through the zone with great difficulty.
Once past the cliff, the bushwhacky gully felt lovely.
The wind wasn’t quite done with me yet.
I was thrown to the ground 6 times.
Once so hard it blew off the ski strap on my skis and popped open a buckle on my pack holding my skis.
Dayum…
As Electrico’s angle mellowed, so did my anxiety.
The flat walk across the valley floor felt like a fairyland.
You understand now why you came this way.” – Crosby, Stills, & Nash. image: snowbrains
Wizard of Oz forest, sparkling rivers, friendly photons.
My pack was the lightest it had been all day, and my mind glided into cruise control.
Thoughts of media lunas, egg sandwiches, and toast with butter and honey back home flooded my senses.
Ski day #7.
Gracias, Patagonia.
LEXINGTON, KY. – The Wofford volleyball team was defeated by the No. 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 on Thursday night inside of Historic Memorial Coliseum in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers close the season 17-14 with a 10-6 record in conference action. Kentucky will take on UCLA tomorrow night.
“Our mindset was to come out and leave it out there,” said head coach Lynze Roos. “I feel like we competed in some really good points. They got some separation and that was tough, but I’m really proud of the way that these women competed in the season that we had.”
Wofford totaled 27 kills on 26 assists throughout the match. On defense, the team posted 54 digs and four blocks. The Wildcats finished the match with 45 kills on 44 assists. Kentucky also posted 56 digs and four blocks.
Leading Wofford was Bradley Brown who had 10 kills on a .259 hitting percentage. Brown also led the team with three blocks. Following behind was Chloe Smith with six kills. Maddy Frazier dished out a team-high 13 assists, while Taylor Pecht had 10. Laney Klika recorded a team-high 13 digs, along with 10 from Caroline Przystup. Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold tallied one block apiece.
“We talk a lot about playing relentless defense and going for every single ball. We knew that tonight was going to be a tough task, but you never really know unless you go for it,” said Laney Klika.
“We talked a lot before the game about playing how we play and not letting their offense or defense change the way that we like to play,” added Annemarie Rakoski.
“It was amazing just to be able to have some family and friends that I don’t get to see very much anymore come watch me play. It was super cool to just have that support,” said Chloe Smith.
Kentucky grabbed the first two points of set one, but Wofford responded with a solo block by Annemarie Rakoski. Another solo block from Bradley Brown kept the Kentucky lead within one point. With the Wildcats leading 13-8, Kentucky would add four unanswered points to bring the Wofford deficit to nine points. The Terriers could not overcome the Kentucky lead, losing set one 25-11.
The teams were back-and-forth to start set two, as the Terriers would take an early 5-4 lead. Wofford took its biggest advantage – a 15-13 lead – after a pair of Kentucky attacking errors. The Wildcats fought back to take a 20-19 lead, and the team scored the final five points of the stanza to take set two 25-19. Bradley Brown totaled eight kills and one block in the second set alone.
Wofford jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the third set of the match by way of a Bradley Brown kill. Kentucky responded with a 7-1 run, however, to regain the lead. The Wildcats would eventually take a 13-4 advantage. Wofford cut the deficit to six points a few rallies later, but the team would lose set three and ultimately the match.
Wofford concludes the season 17-14 with a 10-6 mark in Southern Conference play. The team entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated both No. 6 Samford and No. 2 Furman to reach the championship match. The Terriers took down No. 1 ETSU to win their third-straight conference championship and earn another bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Seren Rodgers secured a third place finish in the pentathlon, totaling 3,771 points. With the result, the Taunton, England, native now sits sixth all-time in program history in the women’s indoor pentathlon.
Overall, Rodgers recorded three podium finishes during the competition, including a pair of runner up results in the long jump, where she recorded a jump of 10.32 meters, and the 800m, crossing the line in 2:19.62. Rodgers also claimed third place in the 60m hurdles after clocking a time of 8.86 seconds.
Meanwhile, freshman Julia Aere also competed in the pentathlon, securing eighth place with 3,462 points in her collegiate debut. The Delray Beach, Fla., native placed inside the top-10 in all five events, highlighted by a third place finish in the shot put after recording a distance of 11.13 meters, as well as a fifth place result in the 800m after recording a time of 2:27.34.
Notable Finishes
Pentathlon
2025-26 Indoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in School History
From the Staff
“I’m really pleased with how the competition progressed today. Julia and Seren competed well and this meet was a great measure of how hard we have worked throughout the fall semester. It gave us a chance to get out, perform at a high level and still recognize that we left some points on the table, which is exciting. We are in a great place heading into the holiday break and this will keep us motivated and hungry. These two ladies set the tone early for the team and we are eager for the rest of the team to compete this weekend.” – Assistant Coach Ryan Grinnell
Up Next
The Demon Deacons return to action on Saturday with a pair of meets. One group of Wake Forest athletes will travel to Boston to compete in the 5K race at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Meanwhile, several Deacs will compete at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off at the JDL Fast Track.
After the Lopes dominant WAC indoor run of 14 conference titles between the men’s and women’s teams, GCU will compete in its first season as a Mountain West member.
“This schedule and competition should prepare both our men’s and women’s teams to make a lot of noise at our inaugural Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, as well as send a lot of our athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships,” GCU head coach Tom Flood said.Grand Canyon’s indoor schedule will feature meets in trips to Flagstaff, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Reno, Nevada.
“Again, we are really excited about our indoor schedule,” Flood said. “We will again be competing at some of the finest indoor facilities in the country and against some of the best track and field programs in the country.”
The 2025-26 season begins Thursday as the Lopes travel to Reno, Nevada, before taking a break until the new year. From there, they will travel to Flagstaff and Albuquerque before heading back to Reno for the Mountain West Indoor Championships.
GCU aims to represent at the NCAA Indoor Championships, which will be held March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
For the full indoor schedule, click here.
A new era in Hope College track and field begins today with the first indoor meet of the 2026 season.
Beginning at noon, the Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are competing at the Grand Valley State University Holiday Open under the leadership of first-year head coach Jordan Bartolazzi, the 11th women’s head coach in program history and the 13th men’s coach.
Bartolazzi, who built his alma mater, Elmhurst University (Illinois), into a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin power before coming to Hope, is thrilled with the progress both teams made during preseason workouts.
“There was a lot of good stuff going on here to build on,” Bartolazzi said. “Our focus, with every practice, has been preparing to compete, whether we’re an All-American or trying to crack the conference lineup. We have a lot of student-athletes working really hard. We’ve been having a ball. There has been really good energy. I think it’s been a good start for us.”
The Flying Dutch, who finished third in the MIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, feature a roster of 73, with 17 seniors, 17 juniors, 14 sophomores and 25 freshmen.
The Flying Dutchmen, who also tookl thjird in the MIAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, have a roster of 64, with 18 seniors, nine juniors, 17 sophomores and 20 freshmen.
Coaching Staff
Head coach: Jordan Bartolazzi, first season
Distance coach: Mark Northuis
Distance assistant coaches: Dan Campbell, Mike Northuis
Throws coach: Paul Markel
Jumps coach: Addy Gerig
Pole vault coaches: Jon Lunderberg, Ben Turner
Women’s Roster
Senior Sara Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) is Hope’s top returner after claiming All-America honors in four events for the second consecutive season in 2025: indoor and outdoor 200 meters and indoor and outdoor 400 meters.
The exercise science major swept MIAA Most Valuable Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete honors as a junior and earned MIAA Most Valuable Indoor Track Athlete accolades in back-to-back seasons. She became the first sprinter in league history to win titles in the 60, 200 and 400 at the same meet.
Schermerhorn set MIAA records in the indoor 200 and 400 meters last season. She also ran on the MIAA champion 4×400 relay, which returns two other sprinters: senior Frances Cozzens (Lyman, New Hampshire / Saint Johnsbury Academy) and sophomore Sofia Fisher (Lombard, Illinois / Montini Catholic).
Hope returns three runners from the MIAA champion distance medley relay: senior Molly Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South), junior Amanda Markham (Hoffman Estates, Illinois / William Fremd) and sophomore Lily Sackrider (St. Johns, Michigan / St. Johns).
Durow is coming off an All-America cross country campaign this fall. The special education major finished 32nd at the Division III national championships and was runner-up at the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA Championships.
“We have great leadership,” Bartolazzi said. “Not only do we have some great upperclassmen, but we have some really wonderful seniors who have made an effort to welcome our freshmen and newcomers to the program. It’s a gift to have great senior leadership in year one.”
Men’s Roster
Hope returns senior sprinter Liam Danitz, the 2025 First Team All-MIAA honoree and MIAA Most Valuable Men’s Indoor Track Athlete.
Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights) set an MIAA record in the 200-meter dash (21.59), earned First Team All-America honors with a fifth-place national finish in the 200 (21.93), and took second in the 60-meter dash (6.83) for All-MIAA Second Team honors.
The exercise science major also contributed to an All-MIAA Second Team 4×400 relay alongside returning junior Dylan Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville).
Senior Erickson Kunzler (Marne, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) returns as the MIAA 800-meter champion after posting a winning time of 1:56.09.
Senior Carston Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) and junior Carter Dean (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) also return from last year’s All-MIAA First Team distance medley relay.
Cole recorded Hope’s top cross country finish at nationals this fall. The Flying Dutchmen placed 23rd in the nation as a team and made history with their first Great Lakes Regional title since 1980 and first MIAA crown since 1986.
Sophomore Logan Begeman (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) ran away with the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA individual championships.
“They’re hungry,” Bartolazzi said of the Flying Dutchmen. “Having that breakthrough season in cross country is such a gift. They felt like they were close and believed they could compete at the conference and national levels. They showed they could. That carries over to the track season.”
Schedule
The Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are scheduled to compete in 10 indoor meets and eight outdoor meets.
The MIAA Indoor Championships are Saturday, Feb. 28, at Trine University.
The NCAA Indoor Championships are Friday-Saturday, March 13-14, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Hope will host the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Friday-Saturday, April 30-May 1, at Brewer Track.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships are Thursday-Saturday, May 21-23, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“One thing I wanted to do this year was get our student-athletes on banked tracks a little more,” Bartolazzi said. “Nationals will be on a banked track, so I want them to know what that feels like. It’s a great thing in West Michigan — you don’t have to go far to race against really good people.”
Blue-Gold Invite
Loftus Sports Center – South Bend, Indiana
Friday, December 5, 2025
Live Results
McFerrin-12 Degree Invite
Fasken Indoor Track – College Station, Texas
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Live Results | Watch
Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener
BU Track & Tennis Center – Boston, Massachusetts
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Live Results | Watch
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DALLAS, Texas (SMU) — The Mustangs will open up their 2025-2026 track and field season across three different meets this weekend. The distance ponies will split between Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Invite and Boston University’s Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener. The rest of the team will travel to Texas A&M’s McFerrin-12 Degree Invite.
This meet will serve as a soft opener for the Mustangs with the remainder of the season beginning in mid-January. The distance athletes are coming off a successful cross country season, which concluded with an appearance at the national championship for Rose Mburu, but this will be the first competition for the sprints, jumps, and multis after fall training.
The action will begin on Friday at Notre Dame and continue at the other two meets on Saturday.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include a combination of field and sprint events.
Admission is free to fans. Live results from the OU Winter Field Fest can be found via TimingInc.
The Sooners are coming off their first season in the SEC, where they claimed seven individual conference titles.
OU Winter Field Fest Schedule of Events
Triple Jump (M) – 1:30 p.m.
Weight Throw (M) – 1:30 p.m.
High Jump (W) – 2:30 p.m.
Triple Jump (W) – 3 p.m.
Pole Vault (W) – 3 p.m.
Weight Throw (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (M) – 3:15 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (W) – 3:30 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (M) – 3:45 p.m.
Long Jump (M) – 4:30 p.m.
Shot Put (M) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (W) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (M) – 4:40 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (W) – 4:50 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (M) – 5 p.m.
Pole Vault (M) – 5:30 p.m.
Long Jump (W) – 6 p.m.
High Jump (M) – 6 p.m.
Shot Put (W) – 6 p.m.
For more information on Oklahoma Track & Field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.
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