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Laura Hadar is a Spark Shred Fam Ambassador, business owner, and pretty prolific splitboarder. She was nice enough to chat with us for a moment to talk about her Colorado 14er project and how she prepares for the splitboard season.
Hi Laura, where are you posted up for the summer?
I live in Carbondale about 30 miles down valley from the great international town of Aspen Colorado, where even millionaires feel poor and the paychecks are good, but will never outbid the billionaires for a place to call home.
Colorado had a pretty good winter snow-wise last season. Overall, did you have a good winter?
Such a fun winter. Rather stable snow conditions which is rare for Colorado. Overall got out in a lot of new zones close to home and was super stoked on the level of pow riding.
Most winters, you spend quite a bit of time on your splitboard. Any highlights from last season?
My favorite tour last season was up to Mt. Daly with my husband Nicky and our friend Molly. It’s a long slog of a day, about fourteen miles round trip and everyone knows a long slog is always memorable! Mt. Daly is an iconic mountain that sits on the horizon just above Snowmass Village. I’ve stared at it for years, and when you look at something like a mountain above your hometown, the best thing you can do is go and hike it, and hopefully shred down.
Long day with over 5k ish of climbing on our way to Tabeguache Peak.
Coming down Tabeguache Peak.
For those not familiar, can you talk about what you’re doing with your 14er project and where your progress is at?
Oh, man. It feels like a million years since we started this project. The goal is to be the first woman to splitboard all of Colorado's fifty-four plus fourteen-thousand-foot peaks. Between bad winters, bad avy conditions, pandemics, and new careers we are now five years deep and two peaks away from completing the project. Our only peak worth mentioning left is Capitol, which ironically is in our backyard. I look at it every day on my commute to work. It's a hefty mountain with a shitty line. The standard route is basically a gnarly climb to a few committing no-fall turns to a goofy footer toe side traverse over insanely steep terrain above a three or four-hundred-foot cliff. I mean, I guess I’ve found other stuff to do…. In all seriousness, we’ve attempted the peak twice (It's twenty miles round trip). and because of how gnarly it is, I guess we just haven’t done it. Basically, there's not a ton to say about it, besides we have to get that shit done so we can move on with our lives.
I can’t believe I wasted so many summers not just working some badass hard freakin job! I work out at work! Paid to get Fit! Why wouldn’t you!?
Epic segue moment, splitboarding in Colorado at elevation is hard work. I don’t think you’re a big gym person, but are you doing anything that helps keep you in shape for the splitboard season?
When I was a professional snowboarder, fall was the time to hit the gym. I have a gardening company now and I have absolutely no need for a gym, although Yoga is a must! I can’t believe I wasted so many summers not just working some badass hard freakin job! I work out at work! Paid to get Fit! Why Wouldn’t you!? My favorite days are big install days at twelve thousand feet elevation: carrying fifty-pound bags of Mexican Pebble Stone from the truck to some mansion backyard, cleaning up downed trees, transporting two-hundred-pound flats of flowers, planting seven-gallon trees, hauling buckets of compost, and digging giant holes - you get it, it's hard work. The real key is to make sure you’re working twelve-hour days too, that's how you build the stamina. Then treat yourself to some hot yoga on Saturday, but make sure it's not the soft teacher but the one with all the abs cause he’s gonna get you some of those abs too! Ab workouts are the best thing I think you could probably ever do for your back so I’m obsessed with ab workouts.
Who needs a gym?
Once the busy summer is over, do you have any recreational activities that you’re looking forward to that help get you ready for the winter?
Once you’ve worked ten or twelve-hour days for two straight months you’ll be feeling like a freakin beast! You should have dropped some pounds from being so freakin worked and your muscles should be swole! Now you are ready to go play! I finally broke into the Moutain Bike Club, (one expensive ass sport to get into! Good thing you work a job instead of just working out). I've considered getting back into climbing again, (but I have a lot of excuses why I haven’t yet). I Love a good backpacking trip too. It's cool to see everyone getting into something we were raised doing. I love going back to places we went to when we were little, like Anderson Lake, where my brother was jumping on the small glaciers in the lake and almost floated into the middle of the half-frozen lake. My mom came down from the tents and saw him floating into the lake and screamed JUMMPPP !! SWIM BACK RIGHT NOW !!!!!
Nicky and I like hiking with way too much stuff, like say a cast iron, some champagne, a fishing pole, and a pack raft up to some secret lakes. Nothing like high elevation with heavy packs up nonexistent trails to help keep the gains from a hard summer of work.
Backpacking with a heavy pack is good cross-training.
Laura and Canyon foraging in the fall instead of working or working out.
The top of Snowmass Mountain
...nobody cares you work hard. So just keep working and keep walking. It pays off.
Any final thoughts on the upcoming winter or finishing the 14er project?
When we started this project I thought it would take a season maybe two. It's been more than five years, and I think that it was Karma for me claiming so hard. I don’t think I had ill intentions by claiming we'd do everything so quickly, but it's interesting to see how the landscape of my life has changed since those early years. It was a much bigger deal for me when I began this project. Now, when I look back I cannot believe what we accomplished. That is so much freaking walking! I have so much admiration for what we did. And it makes me think I really can do anything when it comes to walking. For a while, I had a bit of an edge when thinking about how we haven't finished, but as time goes by I care less, and so do people. I know we will shred that stupid ass mountain known as Capitol Peak, and it will be freaking crazy. I have more ideas about other big adventures but I’ve learned a great lesson, no need to claim. Also, nobody cares you work hard. So just keep working and keep walking. It pays off.