Hi, my name is Brad, and I am addicted to mountains. I am not attempting to quit any time soon, even though this addiction may be growing unhealthy. It’s not like I get out very often, but the momentary relief from the rat race reality is worth the wait. Since the vast majority of my time is spent not in the mountains, but in front of a computer, I have in the meantime decided to document my exploits. A virtual reality escape to the mountains is not anywhere near the real thing–I always miss the thin air squeezing my lungs, the feel of granite beneath my fingertips, the snow crunching with each footstep–but alas, this will have to do for now.
To maintain my sanity and drive to explore, I have a short list of mountains that I would like to someday climb. Most of the mountains I have climbed or hiked so far have been in Colorado, so I have become partial to the idea of climbing the 100 highest mountains in that state. That will be an ongoing project for some time to come.
There are others on the list, but right now, Denali (AKA “Mount McKinley”) is my primary goal. I was just recently climbing in Alaska, receiving the initial training I will need for glacier travel and crevasse rescue, and Mount Rainier will be my next step in training for ‘The Great One’.
My old web site, dailyvillain.com, has fallen by the wayside to be replaced by bradsnider.com. I plan to use this blog to track my progress in preparation for Denali and any future climbs beyond that, so that hopefully I can provide others useful and entertaining information based on my experiences. While I’m at it, I need to put in a plug for summitpost.org, the perfect website for armchair mountaineers like myself. It is always good to know there are other mountain nerds and addicts out there.
I am not alone.