LOCALadk Magazine

Johannsen's Last Call By Bill Frazer + J L C LOCALadk 24 Johannsen's Last Call: Not for the faint of heart The whole idea behind the JLC was inspired by another "Do it yourself" (DIY) Adirondack mountain bike challenge called the "Overeasy" that covers over 90 miles of rugged terrain from Lake Placid to Eliza- bethtown. I thought it would be cool to create a ski route connecting our unique old school ski trails in the High Peaks to challenge any skier, from the nordic race specialist, to skimo speedsters, to that humble flannel wearing backwoods tourer that spends more time on their skis each day than the average teenager does on their phone. With that said, this route is not for a beginner skier. It is a challenge that should only be attempted by a well-prepared skier who knows the trouble they are getting into and knows how to deal with any trouble they may find during the 30 -mile route. The route includes the summits of Wright Peak and Marcy as well a quick detour to one of the most popular ski destinations in the Adirondacks, Avalanche Lake. For many skiers, any one section of the route can turn out to be a full day outing. I think this challenge is best summed up by the words of JLC finisher Matt McNamara: "It's an all-you- can-eat buffet of classic ADK High Peaks ski touring, so pace yourself." At its roots, the JLC is not a true race but, rather, a personal challenge for each person to decide for themselves what they will make of the challenge, whether that challenge be simply to complete it, to ski it as fast as possible, or maybe just skiing it for the sake of skiing it and being present in the moment. In March 2022, as I strided up Mount Marcy with a broken ski pole about halfway into the Johannsen Last Call (JLC) backcountry ski challenge, I had a split-second thought of throwing in the towel, returning to the start, and becoming another DNF casualty of this classic Adirondack ski route. But instead, I asked myself, "What would Jackrabbit do? " He would keep skiing of course, so I continued on at the fastest pace I could sustain and embraced the uncomfortableness that comes with any endurance challenge. In a world of instant-everything, we need more of a balance of pain and pleasure. It's ok to be uncomfortable, and I think this is the reason why people look for challenges like the JLC. It's not so much about your finish time but the experiences of the challenges. As Dr. Anna Lembke says, "With prolonged and repeated exposure to pleasurable stimuli, our capacity to tolerate pain decreases, and our threshold for experiencing pleasure increases." Being uncomfortable is a pleasure of mine, and I like to think that is a common thread I share with the leg- endary man often credited for introducing XC skiing to North America. Who is this man? Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, a man that lived to the ripe old age of 111 and still strapped skis to his feet in his final years. Jackrabbit is famous for his local adventures such as skiing to the summit of Mount Marcy from town and then returning to town before sundown. Still an impressive feat today but just imagine doing it with skis from 1925.

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