Archive for February, 2012
Crossing the Cardiac Rubicon
Forget avalanches, tree wells, blinding snow storms or helicopters dropping bombs on you – one of the scariest parts of skiing in Cardiac Bowl (upper Mill D drainage) is coming across the enraged snowmobilers. But you say, I thought this entire area was non motorized, except of course for helicopters? It is, at least for […]
Wasatch Prepares for Beheading
Utah politics has positioned the Wasatch backcountry for its final death blow. Currently there is not one, not two, not even three, but NINE ski area expansions in the works. In the past these expansionist fantasies were thwarted by factors such as public input (90 plus percent are opposed), NEPA regulations, drinking water concerns, local […]
10 – The Common Cure
The tenth and last of my personal avalanche avoidance theories. There’s a joke among sailors concerning seasickness that’s usually told as the victim is puking over the railing: Q: Do you know the only proven cure for seasickness? A: Lie down in the shade of a palm tree. The point of the joke is that […]
9 – Beyond Bros
Part 9 in 10 of my personal avalanche avoidance theories. Bro’ing down in the mountains with your buddies is a big part of what makes backcountry skiing so fun. There’s an intensity that comes from trusting your friends to rescue you if things go wrong (and vice versa) that leads to strong relationships, which may, […]
8 – Redefine Challenge
Part 8 in 10 of my personal avalanche avoidance theories… In 2010 I was involved in a round table discussion where participants were asked to describe the “most challenging thing they had done in their respective sports over the last year.” I went first and it was a no brainer – “Due to a persistently […]
7 – Hedge Fund Skiing
Part 7 of 10 in a series of personal avalanche avoidance theories. After going on a financial disaster reading bender for the last three years, I started noticing a lot of similarities between investors and skiers: Risk versus Reward Smart people getting whacked Dumb people getting lucky Greed Herd instinct Competition Tons of underlying information […]
6 – Trust Your Instincts
Part 6 in 10 of my personal avalanche avoidance theories.. Deciding to ski an avalanche slope based on gut instincts alone is a bad habit to get into, but there is one occasion when you definitely should trust your avalanche instincts: when they are telling you NOT to do it. This is akin to Spiderman’s […]
Burning Pow
After a bunch of unmounting, binding shuffling, a few misdrilled holes (damn) and some gear swapping, I finally had a chance to take out my lightweight setup last Saturday. I could still shave a few ounces, or maybe even a pound, out of it, but the skis, boots, bindings and skins are currently weighing in […]
Norway in May?
Ice Axe Expeditions is gearing up for two more ski & sail trip to Spitsbergen (Svalbard) off of the northwest coast of Norway this spring. These trips will be similar to the inaugural voyages they put together last year and will feature skiing way above the Arctic Circle at almost 80 degrees north in one […]
5 – Staying High with Athey
Part 5 in 10 of my personal avalanche avoidance theories… If you’ve spent time skiing in the Wasatch Mountains, you’ve most likely crossed tracks with Bob Athey, aka The Wizard of the Wasatch. Bob has excellent snow science skills and observations, but more than that he is the grand master of avalanche avoidance through terrain […]
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