Monthly Archive for October, 2008

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How to Win Those BD Boots…

Published on October 20, 2008 in Chuting Spree Contest - BD Boots. 0 Comments

Yes indeedy – tomorrow is SUPER CLUESDAY which means the final clue will be given to win a pair (any size, any model) of the new Black Diamond ski boots.  I’d like to send a big ol’ shout out to BD and thank them for helping to support straightchuter.com by offering up such an excellent prize.

Some details:
- the final clue will be given at 10:00 Utah time
- only answers submitted after the final clue is given will count

The final answer (the location within one meter) is what really matters, but for clarity and fairness, the format is:

Continent – (your answer)
Zone/Region – (your answer)
Mountain Range – (your answer)
Specific Peak – (your answer)
Specific Location – (your answer)

If you know the answers to the first four clues, it helps to pretype them for speedy delivery.

You can enter as many times as your speedy fingers can type, but it is the first person with the correct format and answer who wins.

For reference, the final clue is more of a skiing story-problem, which of course includes some of my personal quirky ideas of fun.  You might think about where and how you would travel from this peak.  The answers to all the clues can be found on the internet and are real places.

Clues:
September 30th – Continent
October 7th – Country or Region
October 12th – Specific mountain range or zone 
October 14th – Specific peak or town
October 21st 10:00am – SUPER CLUESDAY! Exact location. Send in your answer NOW!

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Help support StraightChuter.com and get an appropriate boot-hunting suit, the Mountain Hardwear Absolute Zero One Piece Suit from Backcountry.com! Click on the photo below…

Sunday Photo – East Side of the Vinson Massif, Antarctica

Published on October 19, 2008 in Sunday Photo. 1 Comment

This is a photo from a 2000/01 trip to the interior of Antarctica to climb the continent’s high point, the Vinson Massif.

Flags over the Flower Hills “landing strip.” Rat-a-tat-tat, hang on to your hat!

A big component of this trip (actually, the main component of this trip) was to make a film for NOVA while hopefully completing a first ascent of the mountain.  To do this, we had to find a new landing spot on the east side of the range and see if the pilot could pull it off.   We flew in two Turbine Otter’s (nicknamed “Twotters”) so that we could film one from the other.  I was in the film plane with the sound and camera guys and they had removed the door and fixed a tripod so they could get clear shots.  This meant we were wearing harnesses and staying clipped-in while flying as the door was just a gapping hole.

As we flew around, we found the approximate area where we wanted to land and the pilot, a very quiet Inuit man, made a first pass over the zone coming within about ten feet of the snow, which was a an endless field of rough 12 – 18″ tall frozen sustrugi.  I assumed he’d circle around to find a smoother spot, so I was surprised a moment later when he circled around and told us to hang on tight.  It suddenly dawned on me that he was actually going to try and land there.  !!!  At the end of the slightly uphill facing sustrugi field was a big rock, and beyond that, an even much bigger cliff.  I was fairly gripped about the next 60 seconds of my life.

As the plane came in for the landing, we could see the snow getting closer and closer through the open door, until suddenly…. WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM!  I couldn’t believe the violence of the landing, but he pulled it together and we survived, although I was sure the plane was going to be somehow damaged (it wasn’t).  We jumped out and did a round of high fives, but the pilot wasn’t saying much.  He ended up radioing the other pilot to tell him that it was a really rough landing and he should try an area a few hundred yards away, which they did, for a nice smooth landing.  After about ten minutes, our pilot finally spoke and said “The was the second roughest landing I’ve ever had, and I crashed on my first roughest.”  Yikes!  We asked him why he chose to land there and he said it was because that was the spot we had pointed out on the map the day before.  Seeing how we were about to walk, ski and climb 30ish miles, a few hundred feet one way or another would have been fine. 

But, all’s well that ends well.

Behind me (I took this photo), the nearest “town” is the South Pole, which is roughly 500 miles away.

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Help support StraightChuter.com and get a monster load-hauling Mountain Hardwear South Col Backpack from Backcountry.com! Click on the photo below…

Bloggus Interuptus

Published on October 17, 2008 in Announcements. 1 Comment

Apologies for being the straightchuter.com slacktart over the last few days.  We have been fighting off a neighbor who is trying to slip a duplex in next door and I’ve had a bunch of emergency design work to do.  I hate it when these things get in the way of skiing related activities.

But, winter is on its way and the Wasatch had a nice little storm the other day to let us know it is coming soon.

A little Wasatch Mountain stormlette, Oct 12 2008.

As a little photographic aside, I’ve found that using a flash to shoot snowstorms helps pump up the visual snow volume as it captures the snowflakes in the immediate foreground and leaves a bit of streaking. Without a flash, all you see are a few individual flakes.

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Help support StraightChuter.com and get a quick access Mountainsmith Cyber II Camera Case (on sale now) from Backcountry.com! Click on the photo below…

Chuting Spree Clue #4 – Black Diamond Ski Boots!

Published on October 14, 2008 in Chuting Spree Contest - BD Boots. 31 Comments Tags: .

Follow five semi-weekly clues and be the first to correctly identify where the boots are hidden to win a pair (any size, any model) of Black Diamond Ski Boots!

Clue #4: On 2 Jan 1998, a well-known American Alpinist teamed up with a legendary French extreme skier to ski the west face of a subpeak of this MOUNTAIN.

 

The American Alpinist (in blue) on the Reticent Wall, Yosemite.
The French extreme skier who was there from the very start.

The French extreme skier who was there from the very start.

Know the Mountain? Don’t answer now – save it for Super Cluesday.

Click here for the Chuting Spree – Black Diamond boots contest rules.

Clue Schedule:
September 30th – Continent
October 7th – Country or Region
October 12th – Specific mountain range or zone 
October 14th – Specific peak or town
October 21st – SUPER CLUESDAY! Exact location. Send in your answer NOW!

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Featured Black Diamond Ski Boot – Stiletto Telemark Boot. Click on the image below to check’em out at Backcountry.com!

Black Diamond’s top-of-the-line freeheeler, the Women’s Stiletto Telemark Ski Boot combines a female-specific fit and killer performance for hardcore she-rippers. The 100-flex Pebax shell provides plenty of torsional stiffness, while the alpine-style overlap design and MidStiff bellows create a responsive yet forgiving forward flex. Black Diamond tailored this boot’s cuff opening, rear spoiler, and liner specifically for a women’s foot but gave it an aggressive stance angle for girls who charge. The Stiletto’s mechanically integrated ski/walk mode doubles as the customizable forward lean adjustment, offering three settings covering eight degrees to suit a variety of ski styles.

Bottom Line: For freeheeling shred-bunnies who walk the walk.

Chuting Spree Clue #3 – Black Diamond Ski Boots!

Published on October 13, 2008 in Chuting Spree Contest - BD Boots. 17 Comments Tags: .

Follow five semi-weekly clues and be the first to correctly identify where the boots are hidden to win a pair (any size, any model) of Black Diamond Ski Boots!

Clue #3: This MOUNTAIN RANGE is named after an American pilot who also has the first undisputed sighting of the Geographic North Pole.

 

This American pilot/explorer was funded in part by his father, who made a fortune in coal.

Know the Mountain Range? Don’t answer now – save it for Super Cluesday.

Click here for the Chuting Spree – Black Diamond boots contest rules.

Clue Schedule:
September 30th – Continent
October 7th – Country or Region
October 12th – Specific mountain range or zone (note – not on a Tuesday)
October 14th – Specific peak or town
October 21st – SUPER CLUESDAY! Exact location. Send in your answer NOW!

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Featured Black Diamond Ski Boot – Seeker Telemark. Click on the image below to check’em out at Backcountry.com!

Black Diamond designed the 100 flex Men’s Seeker Telemark Ski Boot for backcountry powder hunters who want a lightweight, easy touring boot that delivers responsive, efficient power transmission when tackling untracked descents. This boot begins with a Pebax Triax-Tour frame that offers an ideal balance of stiff support and forgiving flex. The Seeker’s three buckle design and MidStiff bellows provide uphill efficiency without sacrificing high-performance downhill capabilities. Black Diamond gave this boot a mechanically integrated ski/walk mode and three setting covering eight degrees of forward lean to suit your skiing style and stance. The thermo-moldable, high performance Strobel liner features the Boa closure system for increased fit and on the fly adjustability. Use this boot with both 75mm and three-pin tele binders.

Bottom Line: Seek and you shall find deep pow stashes.

Free Money! Mountain Hardwear Expedition Grant

Published on October 10, 2008 in Announcements. 2 Comments

One of the most common questions I’m asked at slideshows, either directly or implied, is “How much did this trip cost, and how did you pay for it?”  This is a fully legitimate question which I’ve often wondered myself while watching other shows.

To begin with, I try to go on trips that are relatively inexpensive, like in the sub $4,000 range.  Holy Crap you say, that’s not cheap!  Well, yes and no.  The average cost of week-long ski vacation for a family of four to Park City is over $10,000, so 4k to spend a month in Baffin Island, Alaska, or Patagonia is a screaming deal. First you have to have the dream, then you can figure out the details.  I always go into trips figuring that I will have to pay for them myself, then once I’m committed, try to figure out a way to raise cash to help defray the costs.

This is where grants come in.  I’ve been on both sides of the grant program, both asking for cash and deciding who gets it.  In general, if you have a good project and present it well, you have a very good chance of winning a grant.  Really.  Having reviewed grants, I’m first amazed at how few people apply for them, and then how off-base at least 50-70% them are.  If it is a skiing grant, the project should involve skiing, not ice climbing.  Duh.

Polar Star Couloir - one of the best runs of my life, courtesy of the Polartec Challenge Grant.
Polar Star Couloir – one of the best runs of my life, courtesy of the Polartec Challenge Grant.

Applying for grants has two hidden benefits; first it forces you to organize a trip (people, costs, details, logistics) way ahead of time, and second, if you are serious about the sport, it is a good stepping-stone towards eventual sponsorship.

It just so happens that my all time favorite gear company on earth, Mountain Hardwear, is offering an expedition sponsorship, with a deadline of November 15th.  It may not pay for first tracks on Mars, but you never know… 

Click here for details: Mountain Hardwear Expedition Sponsorship

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Help support StraightChuter.com and get a warm & toasty Mountain Hardwear Wraith -20 degree Down Sleeping Bag from Backcountry.com! Click on the photo below…

High Stakes Snow Anchors

Published on October 9, 2008 in 02 Gear. 4 Comments Tags: .

When it comes to dedicated snow anchors, nothing beats the simplicity, strength and versatility of the classic Snow Stake, also known as a Picket, Snow Fluke or Snow Pig.  They are the ultimate do-it-yourself piece of climbing equipment involving not much more than a length of angle aluminum, a drill, hacksaw and some beer. 

Placed correctly, pickets (as I call them) can be unbelievably strong and provide a secure anchor in the middle of a blank field of snow for belaying, hauling, rappelling or lowering.  The metal ones are usually retrieved, although skiers have been known to make bio-degradable versions out of stout wood if they anticipate leaving them for a rappel.

Broken pickets from Don Bogies excellent study.
Broken pickets from Don Bogie’s excellent study.

A few years ago I was attending an AMGA Ski Guides Course when the instructor made an off-hand comment about how his picket was so strong it could hold ten people.  We all immediately challenged the claim, and after whacking it in and clipping a rope on to it, we lined ten people up and pulled as hard as we could.  The rope almost broke, but the picket held strong.  Pickets can be so reliable that it is easy to take them for granted, which can lead to accidents.  In 2003, four climbers died on Mt. Tasman in New Zealand as a result of a failed picket, which lead Don Bogie to conduct an exhaustive study on how to build, place, clip and best use them in all sorts of snow.

Click here for the pdf link to Don Bogie’s paper on Snow Anchors.

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Help support StraightChuter.com and keep your liver intact & anchors stout with an MSR Coyote Snow Picket from Backcountry.com! Click on the photo below…

Trip Report – New Yorker Festival, NYC

Published on October 8, 2008 in Trip Reports. 6 Comments Tags: .

As a person who has accidentally made a half-assed career out of writing, I’m always in awe of the literary skills of the writers at The New Yorker magazine.  The sign of a good writer is when you can take a seemingly mundane subject (elevators, shoplifting, MapQuest, etc.) and turn it into a story that readers can’t put down.  In this regard, the New Yorker is the tops.  It is one of the few magazines I subscribe to and I read through almost every issue in hope that more than just the ink will rub off on me.

A few years ago, Nick Paumgarten,  came out to Utah and wrote a profile called “Dangerous Game” on ski mountaineering for the New Yorker.  Nick is an excellent skier, we had a great time and the article was a classic New Yorker piece.  As part of the annual New Yorker Festival, Nick put together a panel to discuss “Extreme Sports” where he was the moderator and Greg Child (Alpinist), Lynne Cox (open water swimmer) and myself (ski mountaineering geek) were the guest speakers.

 

The talk was a blast and the hour-and-half seemed to go by in a flash. I’ve known Greg for years,  and it was a true honor to met Lynne, especially after reading the profile on her in The New Yorker and her book “Swimming to Antarctica” which was 21 years in the making.  A very cool thing about meeting Lynne was that even though I have zero interest in swimming, there were a striking amount of similarities between ski mountaineering trips and long distance swimming expeditions. 

Lynne started out with long distance swimming (The English Channel) and is now focusing on swims that connect different cultures, especially ones in cold regions.  She recently swam in Greenland where she completed a mile of open ocean in 28.8 degree water!  For reference, most people would barely survive five-minutes in water like that. When asked what the scariest part of a swim was, Lynne said that it was the first contact with the water (they/she jumps in – no easing) as there is a big risk of cardiac arrest when a nerve in the nose somehow shuts down.  It sounds incredibly painful and grueling to me, but I loved the chance to meet someone who was the personification of a sea mammal and was so good (and excited) at what she does.

We also got into other festival events including a talk by Malcom Gladwell (dangerously smart and sharp), cartoonists Lynda Barry and Matt Groening (oozing humor) and an “out of character” talk by Stephen Colbert.  The Colbert talk was packed, so they shuttled the free-loader festival “talent” off to a waiting room to make sure they had enough room for the paying guests.  While we were there, a very distinctive looking woman walked in with her “talent” pass on and we started talking.  She said she was an author and had been on a panel discussion earlier today.  Greg introduced himself and she said “Glad to meet you.  I’m Joyce Carol Oates.” It was probably the highlight of the show for me, although meeting David Remnick (editor at The New Yorker) and the fancy party at the Gramercy Park Hotel rooftop were right up there as well.

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Help support StraightChuter.com and keep your one and only sports coat from getting wrinked with a Eagle Creek Pakc-It Tri-Fold Garment Sleeve from Backcountry.com! Click on the photo below…

Chuting Spree Clue #2 – Black Diamond Ski Boots!

Published on October 7, 2008 in Chuting Spree Contest - BD Boots. 6 Comments Tags: .

Follow five semi-weekly clues and be the first to correctly identify where the boots are hidden to win a pair (any size, any model) of Black Diamond Ski Boots!

Clue:  Three countries have overlapping territorial claims to this ZONE. 

 

Now if we could only get there from here…

Know the zone? Don’t answer now – save it for Super Cluesday.

Click here for the Chuting Spree – Black Diamond boots contest rules.

Clue Schedule:
September 30th – Continent
October 7th – Country or Region
October 11th – Specific mountain range or zone (note – not on a Tuesday)
October 14th – Specific peak or town
October 21st – SUPER CLUESDAY! Exact location. Send in your answer NOW!

_____________________________________________________________
Featured Black Diamond Ski Boot – Custom Tele. Click on the image below to check’em out at Backcountry.com!

The Black Diamond Men’s Custom Telemark Boot caters to aggressive freeheel skiers who push the limits, in bounds and out. The 130 flex index and RidStiff bellows make the Custom Black Diamond’s stiffest Tele boot. The alpine overlap style Pebax shell features a mechanically integrated ski/walk modefor excellent tourability. The shell also boasts adjustable forward lean with three settings covering an eight degree range, providing maximum adjustability for your preferred skiing style. The Boa lacing system adds to the thermoformable liner’s glove-like fit and provides for easy, on-the-go adjustments.

Bottom Line: The Black Diamond Custom craves steep, hairball lines at face-melting speeds.

Clue coming soon – hold on for an hour.

Published on October 7, 2008 in Random. 1 Comment

I just returned from NYC late last night and will get the latest Chuting Spree clue up about an hour late today. It will be be posted at 11:00am instead of the 10:00am.

Thanks and happy turns,
Andrew