Noah Dines just passed the 1 million vertical feet mark on skis on Sunday in just over 3 months when he started on January 1^st, 2024, putting him well above pace to break the current record held by another Stowe local Aaron Rice, which currently stands at 2.5 million vertical feet.  (Noah intends to break that record and continue on to hit the coveted 3 million mark)

What makes this record so special for us here at Mountain Ops is that Noah has very close ties to many of us here at the shop, both from a personal friendship level to actually working here part time last winter. Many of us are have skied, biked, hiked or just hung out with Noah along with sharing some of his favorite candy treats along the way.   We have asked for and gotten his input and feedback on tech bindings, lightweight skis and boots.  We have watched him train and plan for his 3-million-foot quest over the past year.

To break the 3 million vertical record, Noah has to average 10,000 vertical feet of climbing per day, (Which is like climbing the Nosedive Trail at Stowe 5 times from top to bottom) which is no easy task.  For some people just climbing this much vertical in one day would be a monumental achievement, but to do this day in and day out is a major undertaking that takes as much mental fortitude as it does having elite physical fitness levels and pre-ski season training to get ready for this potentially record-breaking year.

I checked in with Noah yesterday in Innsbruck, Austria where he is currently residing to see how he is holding up so far, how his body and mind are feeling as he looks forward to reaching his next million, and then another million after that. 

First and for most how are feeling both mentally and physically?  “I feel good and am still very motivated to excited ski each and every day.  Conditions here in Europe have been challenging to say the least, with low snow levels and super warm temperatures.  Especially in the past week with intense warm winds just hammering the snow pack.  My legs feel really good and as far as my feet go, I have only had only one blister to deal with so far and that came with skiing 15,000 feet in one day.  No injuries to speak of and have not had any bouts of cramping or dehydration.  Since starting this quest on the first day of January, I have taken a total of 3 days off.”

Tell us what a typical Dines day looks like, along with food intake, recovery and sleep schedule: “Each day I wake up at 6:30 or 7am, then I eat a few bananas and 3 to 5 eggs for breakfast along with some coffee.  Then its skiing from 9am till 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  During this time I drink water mixed with PLINK tablets and an expresso or two for an extra caffeine boost. I usually take a pastry with me for snacking and some of my favorite candies of choice, usually HARIBOS.  Once I get back home, I want to stay off my feet as much as possible and try to get horizontal to allow for good blood flow and rest. For dinner I’ll east some kind of bread product, another banana and some sort of protein like chicken or Tofu.  I also have fruit and vegetables, along with some more carbs, usually more bread or rice (The bread and pastries are soo good here!) Bed time is at 10pm.  I spend a lot of time on the phone talking or texting with friends as I ski. Part of each and every day has to involve a trip to the local grocery store to load up on food supplies.”

What has been your biggest challenge so far?  “Weather and conditions.  It’s been very hot since I have gotten here and has been over 50 degrees at 8,000 feet pretty consistently.  Being alone has been a challenge too.  I have spent some time with old and new friends that I have met along the skin track in Austria but most of the time I am alone. I spend a lot of my time talking on the phone with friends while skiing to keep me company and that provides me with encouragement, motivation and long-distance comradery.  When I’m on the phone, 1500 feet can go by really quickly when in conversation and it helps time pass by fast, many times without even noticing how much ground and vert I am covering.”

What are your next ski destinations over the course of the next 8 months?  My general plan is as follows. After being overseas for the past two months, I’m heading back to Vermont and will be in Stowe this coming Friday, April 5^th.  I plan on skiing there for the remainder of April.  For the month of May, it’s time to head out west to the Rockies depending on where the best snow is. From there, I’ll be making my way to Mt Hood and the Northwest.  Then likely South America for the summer and fall months.    Late fall is yet to be determined but I will finish up things were they all started, hopefully hitting 3 million back on Mt. Mansfield.” 

Any shouts out to sponsors, family or friends?

Fisher skis and boots, Moloja clothing and a special shout out to Maloja headquarters in Germany for hosting me when I visited and met the staff.  All of my Stowe friends and of course my family and to everybody that has reached out to me on line and via phone.  And to Robbie and the boot fitting team at Mountain Ops, because without them, this journey would be heinous.  Comfortable ski boots equal happy feet for Noah!”

On behalf of all us here at Mountain Ops and the greater Stowe community, we wanted to wish Noah nothing but the best on reaching his short- and long-term goals on this human powered journey, one stride at a time.

I will be checking back in with Noah on his quest to get to 3 million vertical feet on skis.  Stay tuned for another interview once he reaches 2 million, then a joint interview with Noah and current 2.5 million record holder Aaron Rice, then finally one last interview once he has reached the coveted 3 million mark.   Stay tuned.