24 Hours of Bolton

Images provided by RJ Thompson

What could be more fun than a 12-hour sufferfest on skis? A 24-hour sufferfest on skis! If the suffering part leaves a little to be desired, invite your friends and make it a team sport. Or go it alone – at your own pace - without any thought to racing.

On March 19-20, 2016, Vermont’s own Bolton Valley is hosting the 24 Hours of Bolton, New England’s first 24-hour backcountry event. Those fond of sleeping can opt for the shortened, 12-hour version. We at Ibex LOVE these endurance-o-ramas. They’re challenging, but wicked fun, at least as defined by endorphin junkies. Plus, if Merino wool were to design its ultimate event, a massive endurance race with temperatures ping ponging all over the place would be it.

There’s no getting around the fact that a 12- or 24-hour endurance race is going to kick your butt. The drooling, lactic acid fueled, muscle burning, lung-wrenching element is an ode to what the human mind and body can endure. There’s a perverse poetry to the grit. Pure genius.

“The beauty of this race is that it’s the most challenging winter race in New England this year,” says RJ Thompson, the founder and event director. “It’s going to bring together hardcore athletes who are focused and dedicated to their sport, with folks who are simply trying to see what their body is capable of, and to have a blast and enjoy a community event.”

RJ is a longtime friend of Ibex. We humbly refer to him as an endurance god, which he didn't know…until now. (Hi, RJ.) He’s also the man behind Native Endurance, his guiding and coaching company that is producing the race.

Here’s the lowdown of the event:

There is a daylight course and a nighttime course, because backcountry skiing in tree glades in the dark doesn’t constitute a wise decision. The 2-mile night loop is on the ski area at Bolton Valley. 

The daylight course is a 3.5-mile backcountry loop through thick stands of trees and wide open, Green Mountain vistas. 

You can go solo for 12 or 24 hours, or you can join your best buddy for a team of two, or three compadres for a team of four. 

Your sweat can be put toward a good cause. Every registrant is automatically set up with an account, plus all the tools, to orchestrate a fundraising effort to benefit Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. It’s not mandatory to participate in this, but why not shoot out a few emails to raise money for a good cause? One hundred percent of the monies raised through the fundraising effort go to Vermont Adaptive.

Right now, all of New England may be dreaming of snow to slide down, let alone skin up. Not to worry: the 24 Hours of Bolton has a contingency plan in place should the course lack snow or be deemed unsafe (presumably due to too much snow). Choose your team now or build a killer playlist for long, solo hours. We may as well take advantage of this mild training weather while we wait on the white stuff. Happy trails.

What is merino wool, you ask? Only a weather-regulating, all-season, sustainable, do-it-all, soft as a kitten, sophisticated yet easy-going, non-wrinkling(ish), badass ninja of a fabric. That’s what.

Where does it come from? Merino wool comes, not surprisingly, from the Merino breed of sheep. Hailing originally from Turkey and Spain, the breed is now globally widespread and highly valued for the quality of its wool. Here at Ibex, we work with ranchers in New Zealand, Uruguay and the good ol’ USA. Our American ranchers raise Rambouillet sheep, which are also known as French Merino. The lineage dates back to Louis the XVI, when he embarked on some royal co-mingling with his Spanish royal cousin’s Merino flock.

What makes merino wool better than regular old wool? Two things rise to the top when assessing wool quality: crimping and microns. Each strand of Merino wool is highly crimped and handles the weaving process extremely well. The many crimped bends of each strand capture air, thereby bolstering the legendary thermal regulation of Merino wool. Micron measurements indicate the thickness of an individual strand of wool, and are the key indicator of softness. The finest Merinos will measure between 17 - 24 microns. The lower the number, the softer the final fabric.

Are all merino wools the same? You could see that was “set up” from a mile away, right? Because the answer is no, nada, and nyet. Most Merino wool will measure under 25 microns, which is an ideal mid- or outer-layer. At Ibex, we believe that next-to-skin pieces and summerweight merinos should clock in between 17.5 - 18.5 microns through and through. Some companies will blend a percentage of soft, low-micron Merino with a less expensive, thicker wool, and slap a “Merino” label on it. It may be technically accurate, but the quality and softness can vary. Not so with Ibex. We’re transparent with our microns on every Ibex piece, and you can be sure that measurement is consistent through the piece.

How does this all make a difference to my life, say on a bike ride, run or backpacking? We could talk your ears off about the shape-shifting, ninja-ized awesomeness of merino. Give us a call and we will (...only if you want us too, of course). For now, trust us that there are science-y reasons backing up nearly every point on the following list. Ibex Merino performance and fashion apparel is: ultra-soft, machine washable, naturally odor-resistant, excellent at wicking moisture, offers off the charts temperature control all year-round, and provides warmth even when wet. 

Is it also true that Ibex is saving the planet? Hmm… we’re pretty committed to locally grown food, craft beer, recycling, and the emotional uplift of animals. So while we’re doing our best to make our little corner of the world a better place, claiming to save the planet may push into hyperbole. But here’s a little something to chew on: Wool is a natural and sustainable fiber. Most performance fabrics today are raised between an oil derrick and a lab. Our sheep are raised on open grasslands by ranchers who manage their flocks for longevity. As to the end of its usable life, which could be decades, wool is a natural fiber and decomposes readily. Suffice to say polypro decomposition usually includes a hefty number after “half life.”

Speaking to Pete Nelson on the phone is what I imagine it would have been like to talk to Walt Disney in 1955 (the year before Disneyland opened) or Steve Jobs in 1976. You can’t help but get caught up in the enthusiasm. There’s a purity in the way he speaks that tritely could be compared to a child’s vision of a dream world. But at the heart of Nelson’s expanding empire isn’t a saccharine, Peter Pan utopia, it’s a man with a biting sense of humor and a sincere passion for looking at the world from a different and aesthetically gorgeous point of view.

Pete Nelson is the founder of Nelson Treehouse and Supply, Treehouse Workshop and Treehouse Point Event Center and Retreat. He’s been the leading treehouse designer and builder in the nation for over 25 years. He’s written a handful of gorgeously photographed books on the art of the building in the trees. But it’s just been in the past six months that Pete’s name and niche has hit the mainstream.

Pete and his team are the mad geniuses behind the Animal Planet’s breakout summer hit, Treehouse Masters. We reached him by phone while he was on location in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania filming an episode for the second season.

In the midst of filming the show and fielding interviews with the New York Times, the Huffington Post and The Today Show, he gave me his full attention – giving no indication that the Ibex Buzz wasn’t on an equal level of journalism and influence for his growing empire. We’re fans of the show (the team often sports the Ibex gear we sent through our friendship with his daughter, Emily), so it wasn’t surprising to find his warmth and energy to be genuine. It was refreshing, though, to momentarily orbit in his palpable energy.

Bonbibi at Treehouse Point. Photo: Adam Crowley

Ibex Question (IQ): Thanks for taking the time to chat. What a year you’ve had! How’s the transition going – from niche treehouse guy to national television star?

Pete Nelson (PN): Well, I Iove the travels associated with filming. This week, we’re in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, north of Scranton. It’s really pretty. The great part is my wife gets to come along [on all the travels]. Between the business and the show, it’s a full family business. We feel like we’re doing really good work… and we feel like we’re looking snappy, too. The Ibex products are so good. Cotton kills! And we’re outside all the time, so we need [good gear].

IQ: We’re blushing. For the record, that was a completely unsolicited comment, but we’ll take it. Thanks for the compliments. We’re glad you’re digging the Merino and we agree you’re looking snappy, too! So, you’ve said you were 25-years old when you were re-introduced to the idea of treehouses. What happened at 25?

PN: A combination of two things. In high school, some friends and I had planned an amazing, fantasy treehouse. We had great imaginations, but no money and no skills. So it never happened. At 25, this book for kids by David Stiles [titled How to Build Treehouses, Huts and Forts] arrived from one of my old high school friends. I got that spark again.

[At the same time], there was a small, beautiful treehouse – well planned and well executed - four doors down. It was magical. In my backyard there was a cottonwood tree, and I suddenly imagined myself as a treehouse builder again. Why not be a treehouse guy? Being a visual guy, [I wanted to start with] a coffee table book for adult treehouses. It was 1987. Thankfully, there were no treehouse books at the bookstore. So I did the book [titled Treehouses: The Art and Craft of Living Out on a Limb] and that’s where it started.

IQ: When you’re designing a treehouse for someone else, do you prefer more or less direction?

PN: I like it both ways. If someone says, “We trust you, go for it,” along with a list of the basics they want - that’s great. We’re happy. But, what I prefer is when they’re involved and collaborating. When you put minds together, it can become so much more.

IQ: Have you ever been surprised by the ideas people come up with? 

PN: Kids always want bowling alleys and pools [laughs]. Adults get taken away with size. We need to balance the size with what the tree can hold. One of the neatest things is that treehouse people are pretty neat people. In nearly 25 years, I’ve only come across two or three a**holes. Everyone else has been truly remarkable and really wonderful. We work with a lot of dreamers. 

The people who make the final call to have [a treehouse] built are dreamers and are also doer types. [The cost of a treehouse] is never less than $60-80,000, and usually you break $100,000. So, they’re successful and it’s been very inspirational to me to work with them. What’s been amazing is how these clients are fascinating people and generous with their advice. 

IQ: I’m sure it’s like asking you to choose between your children, but do you have a favorite treehouse?

PN: There is a little shingle style in West Falmouth Massachusetts. It was one of the first styles of architecture I loved - the feeling of pure summer. I was in the backyard of this little shingle house and I felt a little pressure, because it was in the most idyllic place I’d ever been. [I suppose picking a ‘favorite’] boils down to what pushes it over the top, which is the people. You essentially live with them for a month of two. In West Falmouth, I fell in love with the whole family. One of them has turned out to be one of my best friends.

Temple of the Blue Moon at Treehouse Point. Photo: Pete Nelson.

IQ: Do you have a “white whale” of a treehouse or a tree or a place you’re still aching to build in? 

PN: I just love the possibilities that are out there. I have not been to Costa Rica yet, with those big tress down there. I’m sure that’s incredible. Oh! There is a tree called a monkeypod tree that I’d love to build in. Yeah, a big mature monkey…  [... interrupting himself with excitement] or a baobab tree, like in Africa. So, either Hawaii or Madagascar.

IQ: Is there anything you absolutely won’t build in a tree?

PN: Anything ultra heavy. Most things you can put in a house, you can put in a tree. Except a swimming pool or a basement. 

IQ: Do you have a treehouse? Or is it a case of the cobbler’s children having no shoes?

PN: Technically, we do, though not in our backyard. We own Treehouse Point Hotel with six rentals. We test them out every once in a while.

IQ: With the success of Treehouse Masters and the boom in treehouse popularity, is there anything you’d like to tell people who are eyeing that big maple in their backyard?

PN: What I always like to say is that these heavy-duty treehouses shouldn’t scare anyone away from doing it themselves. Treehouses are part of our culture – all around the world. If you’re considering doing it, just get out there and do it. It brings families together and gets them in the woods. It’s a perfect chance to bond with each other, with friends and with whole communities. Get out there and do it. You almost have to be careful, though, because you will become obsessed. It’s a nice obsession, though.