Patagonia Report: 8 Days On, 1 Day Off, Still Wrecked on “Happy Shoulder”

Report from September 11, 2026

25 years since 9/11.

I was working for the Department of Health Services – Occupational Health Branch as a research associate I on the 18th floor of the state department building in Oakland, California, at the time.

Freshly out of University, I woke up in San Francisco, and as I was getting ready for a day in the cublicle, I had the news on, and it looked like they were playing an action-movie clip.

After a while I realized it was real and I got a call from work right then that all state buildings were closed for the day.

I sat down on the couch and just watched and watched in disbelief…

We’d just finished 8 ski mountaineering days in a row, then took a day off, then got back out there on 9/11/26.

I shoulda been in great shape after the rest, but I was destroyed…

As we hiked up “the valley of the shadow of death,” I was feeling it.

It was cold, the katabatic wind was sharp, and I was worked.

I didn’t wanna be in the mountains.

Happy Shoulder Stats:

• 2,000 vertical feet
• 3.38 miles round trip
• 1 hour and 51 minutes to top
• 3 hours and 19 minutes round trip

Skip charged well ahead and I tried to keep up, but I was struggling.

We eventually left the shadowy depths and climbed into the sunshine.

I needed that, but I was still dragging.

After climbing up a steep spine, we took a break before delving into the forest.

The forest wasn’t bad and we ended up right where we finished run #1 of our best powder day here, below the run we called Pepper Skip.

Another break here where I ate as much food as possible and greedily quaffed water.

I felt a bit better after that and we did an 800 vertical-foot push to the top of a happy shoulder zone that was getting good sun.

Not much was softening this day due to the cold, but this mini northeast aspect was doing real work towards corning up.

Another long break on top to let things soften and I dropped first.

A mini chute at the top gave the run some flavor.

After that, wide-open corn turns with speed felt nice.

Skip came down and he was feeling it as well.

We almost went for another lap, but we knew that another massive push of ski days lay ahead of us.

Just skiing down the creek crushed me.

I had nothing left.

I was exhausted and glycogen-depleted.

I went home and ate every carb I could find…

Gracias, Chile!