Monthly Archive for September, 2008

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Ditch the Plastic Shovel

Published on September 11, 2008 in 02 Gear. 5 Comments Tags: , .

By the numbers, plastic shovels are supposedly as strong (or stronger) than steel and able to withstand incredibly low temperatures.  Their big selling points are that they are lighter and cheaper than metal.  The weight claims are a bit suspect as plastic shovels tend to be on the small side, which naturally makes them lighter, but also less functional.  When it comes to cost, there is no denying they are less expensive, but is $30 really worth it?

A plastic shovel which shattered catastrophically while digging a tent out. The tent survived, but a buried partner probably would not have.
A plastic shovel which shattered catastrophically while digging a tent out. The tent survived, but a buried partner may not have.

The biggest issue with plastic shovels is that they fail catastrophically without warning.  A metal blade on the other hand usually gives you some warning (if you are paying attention) in the form of bending or cracking, and can be nursed through an expedition and/or replaced before they have a chance to fail in the field.

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Freezer Bag Cooking

Published on September 10, 2008 in 14 Travel. 7 Comments Tags: .

I saw a reference to “Freezer Bag Cooking” on a Divas Gone Arctic trip report by Kellie Okonek and checked it out as I’m always looking for new expedition food ideas.  The concept is pretty simple; combine a bunch of ingredients into a freezer bag, use a beefy marker to describe what it is, then when you are ready to eat, dump boiling water into the bag, let it sit, then eat it.  I’ve been doing a variation on this for a few years, but usually end up cooking it in a pot instead of a bag as things like undercooked pasta will rip your guts apart.

Partially rehydrated freeze-dried food and one-piece ski suits lead to couloir names like Intestinal Fortitude.
Partially rehydrated freeze-dried food and one-piece ski suits lead to couloir names like “Intestinal Fortitude.”

The cool thing about Freezer Bag Cooking is that it is both a website and a book with tons of recipes, which is the crux for most male ski mountaineers where the default is Top Ramen and bloatmeal.  The book, Freezer Bag Cooking – Trail Food Made Simple” by Sarah Svien Kirkconnell, has recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as drinks and snacks.  I like the idea of making and bringing my own food on trips as you know what you are going to get, it is cheaper, you know how big the portions are, and by breaking it down into separate meals or days, you can easily see how much you have left, or pull a package out for a summit attempt.

http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/fbcstore.htm
So simple even a bachelor could do it…

For winter camping, I like to tuck the warming pouch (or pot in my case) into a sleeping bag or zip it up next to me inside a down jacket to help conserve the warmth.

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Chuting Spree Clue #3 – Win K2 Tele/AT Skis

Published on September 9, 2008 in Chuting Spree Contest. 16 Comments Tags: .

Follow five weekly clues and be the first to correctly identify where the skis are hidden to win a pair (any size, any model) of K2 Telemark/AT skis of your choice!

Clue #3 of 5

Q: Before being killed and having his flesh roasted from his bones by angry Hawaiians, Captain James Cook named this MOUNTAIN RANGE.

Click here for the contest rules.

 

Clues:
Aug 26th – Identify the Continent
Sept 2nd – Identify a State, Country or Province on this continent.
Sept 9th – Identify a Mountain Range, Zone or City
Sept 16th – Identify a specific Mountain
Sept 23rd (SUPER CLUESDAY!) Identify the exact spot where the skis are located and send in your answer.

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Featured K2 Ski Shuksans (available at Backcountry.com – click photo below for details)

Developed in conjunction with Swiss Guide and Pro Guiding Service owner Martin Volken as a high-performance ski mountaineering ski, the Shuksan returns as the staple of the AT line. It still incorporates two sheets of metal, a stout flex, and versatile 16.0 sidecut, but we’ve updated the tip for better edge hold and quicker initiation. Light enough for mutli-day tours; its overriding quality is confidence instilling performance when conditions or terrain won’t forgive a mistake.

Antarctic Peninsula Photo Gallery

Published on September 9, 2008 in Trip Reports. 2 Comments Tags: .

TUNE IN AT 10:00am MST TODAY FOR THE CLUESDAY CLUE-OF-THE-WEEK TO WIN A FREE PAIR OF K2 SKIS!

In 2003, I had the good fortune of getting invited along for a trip to the Antarctic Peninsula to try and ski the Bull Ridge on Mt. Francis on Anvers Island.  We didn’t make it very far due to extended bad weather, but it was still one of my all time favorite trips in terms of adventure, scenery and wildlife.  My partner for the trip was Doug Stoup, aka “Mr. Antarctica” who is putting together an entire cruise ship to return to the peninsula this Oct/Nov for a two week ski mountaineering trip.  I’ll be going along and there are a few more berths available.  Check out SkiCruise2008.com for more info.

2003 Antarctic Peninsula

2003 Antarctic Peninsula

34 Photos

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A Shovel Named Desire

Published on September 8, 2008 in 02 Gear. 0 Comments Tags: .
Avalanches shovels are a matter of personal choice and with so many out there, it is hard to go wrong.  The most important thing is to carry one – after that, if it works good, it is good.  I consider a well-made shovel to be a quality tool and am very particular about what I look for in them.  Probably the biggest mistake a skier can make with shovels to get a small, cheap one in order to save weight and cost.  Save weight in your ski/boot/binding set-up and think of a shovel’s price in terms of what your friend’s life is worth.  An extra $40 is well worth it and a good shovel will last a long time.

What I look for:

- A good sized METAL blade with high sides
- The joint between the blade and the handle should be precise – no wobbling
- I prefer a “D” handle as you can use it with mittens and clip it to your pack.

A shovel is only as good as its individual parts.
A shovel is only as good as its individual parts.
A flat back on the blade helps prevent scalloping when digging pit walls.
A squarish, flatter top edge to the blade gives a better boot contact surface. Rounded shapes are sexier, but your boot glaces off of them.

An extendable shaft is a back-saver for big excavating jobs. Being able to use it with or with out the extension is a nice feature.

 
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Sunday Photo – AK Rager

Published on September 7, 2008 in Sunday Photo. 0 Comments Tags: .
Enduring a raging storm in a remote mountain range can be fun if you are prepared for it.
Fun & Games - Ben Ditto and Lorne Glick enjoying the scenery (or lack of it) on the Bagley Icefield. April 2008
Fun & Games – Ben Ditto and Lorne Glick enjoying the scenery (or lack of it) on the Bagley Icefield. April 2008

After flying around the Wrangell-St.Elias Mountain Range the year before, it seemed like there was excellent potential to do a combination kiting/skiing trip in the area as there is no shortage of peaks and icefields.  Our plan was to use kites to move down the Bagley Icefield, then tick off ski descents along the way.  It kind of worked, but there was either no wind, or it was a howling blizzard like in the photo above.

Alaska storms, especially in the areas right near the ocean, can dump prodigious amounts of snow in a short time and are the stuff of mountaineering legend.  This was a short but intense storm with 45mph winds for a twelve hour period – enough to bury the tents and stop us for the day, but nothing very serious in the big picture of Alaska ragers.

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2008-2009 ISMF Racing Schedule

Published on September 6, 2008 in Racing. 0 Comments Tags: .

Hot off the LCD monitor, here’s the International Ski Mountaineering Federation 08/09 race schedule.  These are all the ISMF sanctioned races, including World Cups and National Championships.  Most of the races are in Europe, but there is one in Korea and another up in Whistler, BC if you happen to be traveling that way this winter.

2008-2009 International Ski Mountaineering Federation Racing Calendar

Go dog go! The Swiss Pairs teams pulling into a checkpoint in Cuneo, Italy.
Go dog go! The Swiss Pairs team pulling into a checkpoint in Cuneo, Italy.

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Airfare Paradox of Choice

Published on September 6, 2008 in 14 Travel. 0 Comments Tags: .
One of the most influential books I’ve read in the last five years has been “The Paradox of Choice” by Barry Schwartz.  This isn’t to say it is a rip-roaring good read, but I think about it almost every day, especially when faced with the endless morass of choices while trying to find the best deal on an airline ticket. 

The premise is simple: you would think that with more choices, people would be happier, but it is just the opposite.  As a case study, when a jelly company offered three sample flavors, people tried one or two, and then ended up buying one.  When they offered twenty-four samples, instead of trying and buying more, people were so overwhelmed with choices that they blew off the entire sampling and bought nothing.

This is where expedition airfare purchases come in.  There’s an overwhelming amount of choices to be had with endless mixtures of schedules, arrival and departure times, cost, duration, discounts, penalties, etc..  Personally, I hate it, as it is hard to know if you are really getting a good deal, especially when your cheap airline carrier charges extra for each bag, then loses them.

Mike Libecki paying the airfare paradox of choice layover penalty somewhere in
Lost in America. Mike Libecki paying the cheap airfare penalty in somewhere in the midwest.

As the “Paradox of Choice” outlines, people tend to be Optimizers or Satisfiers.  Optimizers will spend an inordinate amount of time making sure they got the absolute best deal, and then be crushed if they find something even slightly better afterwards.  Satisfiers on the other hand spend a set amount of time shopping for an item, make a purchase and then don’t look back.  This is what I try to do with airline tickets – dedicate an hour to it, make a choice, then move-on.org and don’t worry about it.  It’s the price of having fun.

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Love’m… and Leave’m Behind

Published on September 5, 2008 in 02 Gear. 10 Comments Tags: , .
Thermos’, goggles, ski crampons and helmets – these are a few of my least favorite things, at least in terms of backcountry skiing day trips.  I’m a less-is-more kind of guy and if I’ve carried something in my daypack for more than a few trips without using it, it gets the chop.  If I find that I really need/miss some item, I’ll bring it back, but more often than not backpacks suffer from gear-creep, as witnessed by my wife’s pack.  Everytime I pick it up I ask her “What do you have in here..?!”

Goggles – I like them for resort skiing, but wish I could get back all hours in life I’ve spent waiting for people to clear their gogg’s, only to have them instantly fog up again.  I prefer well-vented sunglasses and case-hardened corneas.

Thermos’ – Great for saving fuel on expeditions, but pack-hogging dead-weight anchors for day trips. 

Ski Crampons – Backcountry crutches.  Learn to skin and you’ll be way better off in the long run.

Helmets – I like them for technical skiing, resorts, kiting or alpine climbing, but not general BC skiing.  If anything, I think they instill a false sense of confidence.

Skiing with elephants - Jordy Margid (the man behind plastic teleboots in the US) shows how NOT to do it.
Skiing with elephants – Jordy Margid (the man behind plastic teleboots in the U.S.) shows how NOT to do it.

Other items that must go:

  • - water purifiers
  • - ice axes, especially those with classic picks.
  • - big lunches.

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Probes – Leave Home Without Them?

Published on September 4, 2008 in 02 Gear. 33 Comments Tags: .

I hardly ever carry a probe for day backcountry ski trips. I know this makes me a bad person and I’ll burn in hell for it, but I have my reasons.

    1) Cheap lightweight probes are a disservice to humanity. They bend, break and don’t have the heft to punch through solid avalanche debris. If you are going to carry a probe, make it a good one (same thing with a shovel).
    2) A good sturdy probe is bulky and weighs too much.
    3) In the few avalanche burials I’ve been involved in, the victim was either partially exposed, or we were able to probe for him by turning a ski pole grip over and plunging it grip first, which worked.
    4) I like to ski with small groups (two is preferred, four is the max) and if there is a burial, I’d rather spend the precious few moments searching with a beacon and digging.
    5) If by chance I am part of a larger group, it’s a good bet that someone else has a probe.
An Italian Mountain Rescue team probing for bodies (none were found) with nice, big, beefy probes.
An Italian Mountain Rescue team probing for bodies (none were found) with nice, big, beefy probes.

This is an unpopular practice, but in my defense, I carried a probe for years before deciding to leave it out of my pack and still take one on all expeditions, or if I’m with a bigger group. For me, a probe is right on the cusp of “optional” equipment – somewhere between a shovel (required) and a helmet (personal choice). Your mileage may vary.

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Click on the photo below…