There aren’t many runs that Anna Frost hasn’t done. As the two-time champ of the Hardrock 100 in Colorado, the New Zealand native has run all over the world. When presented with the new challenge of attempting what was coined as the world’s most difficult trail, Frosty was in. The Snowman Trek is 189 miles total and 48,000 feet of elevation gain through the Himalayan mountains in Bhutan. The trek crosses 11 high mountain passes over 16,000 feet, with four of those higher than 17,000 feet.
For those brave enough to attempt the heinous adventure, the trek generally takes about a month. Frosty and her crew finished in 15 days, the fastest time on record. Read Frosty’s recap below and watch the full documentary on the historic run: http://geni.us/SnowmanTrek
Q: What was the hardest part of the trip?
A: The worst part was Chris getting sick. It was the most frightened I have ever been. It was such a relief when the helicopter arrived, knowing he would finally be all right. Other than that, we had terrible weather the entire trip. It was so muddy, so right from the first day, the first step our feet were soaking wet and covered in mud up to our knees. The rain persisted and up high that turned to snow. We didn't have many views, which made the days long.
Q: What did your preparation look like for the trip?
A: I was doing a lot of long training days in the high mountains of Colorado. But nothing can really prepare you for altitudes above 5000m other than being up there to acclimatize.
Q: Did you wear Feetures for the trip? If so, which pair?
A: Yes, I wore them the entire time. I used the Merino Cushion Quarter during the days and changed into clean(ish) Merino Cushion Crew for the evenings and bed time.
Q: What inspired you to do this trip? Where did the idea come from?
A: I had visited Bhutan the year before and had hiked/ran the first part of the Snowman Trek. I loved it so wanted to back and do the whole thing faster. I would still like to return to have another go, as we ran into some frustrations with the (slow) pace of the horses and camping necessities.
Q: You also have your own business now that leads a trip to Bhutan, what inspired that business?
A: My husband and I love to adventure new and exciting places and we have been lucky to have had amazing experiences. We love to be able to share that experience with others. So Trail Run Adventures has been an extremely rewarding business for us to start. We have trips in Colorado, Ecuador, Greece and looking to develop more.
The Snowman Trek with Anna Frost
