Andrew McLean
Andrew McLean lives in Park City, Utah and is a gear designer, writer, photographer, ski mountaineer, climber and Mountain Unicycle rider. He and Polly Samuels McLean are the parents of two very loud little girls.
Andrew McLean's Latest Posts
Little Cottonwood Canyon Closed for Backcountry Skiing
It was only a matter of time before this happened. When I was working as an Avalanche Forecaster, I heard that closing the Little Cottonwood Road during one of the big three day weekends costs the ski resorts (Alta and Snowbird) over a million dollars a day. The road is controlled by artillery, which means […]
Ushuaia and Antarctica 2016 Trip Report
Twenty sixteen: The year of a relatively smooth Drake over (Beaufort 4-5), perfect weather, lots of ice which kept us from going too far south, skiing Deception Island, another great Black & White Party and a very smooth trip back across the Drake. One of the best and most consistent trips skiing-wise with lots of […]
Ski Mountaineering Course in Ushuaia, Argentina
Although it is a long ways to go for a two day course, if you happen to be in Ushuaia (perhaps on your way to Antarctica…), Ice Axe Expeditions is putting on basic and advanced ski mountaineering courses. The courses take place on November 4th & 5th and cover a wide variety of mountain skills. Taught […]
Comments Needed on Heliskiing and a Heliport in the Park City and Summit County Area
The Synderville Basin Planning Commission recently held a work session to discuss commercial helicopter use in Summit County and the Park City area. The Wasatch Powderbird Guides have been actively involved with the planning process, presumably to try and establish a heliport base somewhere in the Park City area. Comments can be sent to the Community Development […]
Svalbard 2016 Trip Report and Photo Album
Ice Axe Expeditions Arctic Circle Ski & Sail – Trip Report For more information on this trip, or similar skiing adventures in Antarctica, contact Ice Axe Expeditions out of Truckee, CA. www.iceaxe.tv Week One – May 15-22, 2016 May 15th – Set sail from LYR. Met with Stein/Helga and went over the general plan, which is to […]
XGK Stove Tips & Tricks
I like MSR XGK EX Multi-Fuel stoves for the same reason military types prefer certain weapons over others – they can be dragged through the mud, stepped on, abused and still reliably fire. There are lighter, more fuel efficient stoves out there, but the XGK is a proven snow melting blowtorch, especially at higher altitudes. The […]
Portable Emergency Sled for Backcountry Skiing
One of the more unglamorous aspects of being a ski mountaineering guide is carrying all of the emergency gear which adds considerable weight to your pack which you hope you will never have to use. At the top of the list is an emergency sled, which is generally expensive dead weight. I’ve owned a variety […]
Super Stove Board Construction
It only takes getting three liters of boiling hot water spilled in your lap once to realize the importance of a good stove board for heavy winter camping. Boiling water and melting snow are major pastimes of winter camping and the hot little camp stoves need all the help they can get to keep from spilling […]
Winter Camping – 2016 Improvements
On my first winter camping trip we brought a gallon jug of water, which quickly froze and left us with no water and 9 pounds of dead weight. Things have improved slightly since then, but I’m still learning little tricks of the winter base-camping trade which make life warmer, drier and better fed. Here are a […]
Svalbard 2016 – Spaces Available
Through some sort of lucky harmonic convergence, I’m going to be joining Todd Offenbacher as an Ice Axe Expeditions guide on two trips up to Svalbard this May. This is a very cool and unusual place, not to mention that it also has excellent skiing, sailing adventures and wildlife, including Ursus Maritimus, or polar bears. […]
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