Much to the dismay of my partners, I am a minimalist when it comes to the amount of gear I bring for performing a crevasse rescue. I bring a snow pickett for an anchor, waist and foot prussick loops, a 20′ cordelette, about six Oz carabiners, a screwgate locking carabiner and 2-3 full-length Dynex runners. It may be less than ideal, but I hate having a ton of extraneous clanking gear clipped to my harness, plus, the best way to avoid taking a screamer crevasse fall is to make sure your rope is taut in the first place. Continue reading ‘New Addition to Glacier Kit’
Archive for the '02 Gear' Category
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I’d heard about PackRafts from a few adventurously inclined people, but didn’t really get the full picture until I was up in Alaska last spring and had a chance to see a real, live version at the AMH store. In short, PackRafts are very compact, high quality, lightweight personal rafts made out of durable raft fabric (Hypalon?). When collapsed, they are about the size of a single wall, two person tent, weigh 4.5 pounds, and when inflated, they can carry all sorts of stuff, including skis, bikes, or if you are a real Alaskan, a meat bag.
The "Miracle" on her maiden voyage.
Updated links? I know – pretty damn exciting. :)
When I first started StraightChuter.com, I took my gear lists for day backcountry ski trips, ski expeditions and technical ski descents and put them on the Gear & Food tab (located about an inch directly above here). Over the last year, the links have all become outdated or broken, so since it is still about 487 degrees in Utah, I have updated them.
The lists can be printed out and used as checklists by themselves, or you can click on the actual item to see what I use, or a close approximation. That said, I’m an “All About the Up” guy, so the gear I like may not have mass appeal. Take it with a grain of salt. StraightChuter is a viewer supported blog, so any gear purchases made through these links will be greatly appreciated!
Ski Mountaineering Expeditions
Let the gear orgy begin... Sorting gear at the TAT bunkhouse, Talkeetna, AK
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In general, tents are only as secure as their anchors. In the past, I’ve used all sorts of tent stakes including a crop of sawed off ski pole tips, ice axe shafts and sections of tomato stakes. While skis, poles and pickets make great anchors, when you pull them up to use them for the day, there’s nothing left holding the tent down. Bummer.
After accidentally leaving some of the doily little 6″ aluminum stakes in my tent one time, I discovered that while they don’t work at all when they are pounded in like nails, they work really well when clove or girth hitched and buried as mini deadman. The stakes are attached to the tent via a loop of thin accessory cord, which unlike buried stuff sacks or fabric deadmen, can take a direct hit with a shovel. After a few hours of setting up, these little units become VERY solid in the snowpack, especially if they are set when it is warm, and then the temps drop. Fer’get it – they aren’t going anywhere. By attaching the accessory cord to the tent with a Trucker’s Hitch, you can keep tensioning the tent as it settles.
Straightchuter.com is 100% viewer supported and this video is an experiment with the “Pause & Buy” program through Backcountry.com.
About a month ago, perhaps because I wrote an article on how to make your own $2.00 helmet cam, Chris Dickey from VIO helmet cams sent me a demo VIO 1.5 helmet cam to try out, which was most likely a ploy as he knew that I’m a techno geek and once I tried it, I would want to keep it. The cam part is a forgone conclusion – I tend to like cameras. The helmet part however is another story. I wear helmets for ice climbing, downhill racing, mountain unicycling and bass fishing, but never for backcountry skiing. For one they are too hot on the uphills, they don’t carry well in, or on packs and I think they encourage me to take chances I probably wouldn’t without one. I realize this is Old Skool thinking, but if a helmet serves as both a tripod AND head protection, I might change my evil ways.
Part of the reason it took me a month to actually try out the new VIO cam was that I needed the right helmet for it. My Alpine skiing helmets are too heavy for BC skiing and my climbing helmets don’t work well with goggles, so I needed yet another helmet to add to my collection of ten or so helmets which I own but never use. I was able to pick up a K2 Edge helmet, which is not only lightweight, but seems pretty comfy. It looks like it would offer up some nice crash protection, but by the time I’m done misdrilling all of the mounting holes six times over, it is so Swiss Cheesed that protection is now secondary to camera location.
One of the cool things about the VIO system is that it has a very forgiving wide angle lens. Still, if the angle is off, you end up getting a stiff neck watching the videos as you are constantly craning your neck to try to see the top of the frame, which just isn’t there. Getting the camera angle just right is a big part of making a helmet cam work, otherwise the results are more annoying than fun.
My first mounting attempt did a good job at capturing “task” details, like getting into bindings, stripping skins, etc., but didn’t look far enough ahead to work well for skiing. More helmet holes are needed. But, the aft looking position worked pretty well and I almost like that angle better as it makes plinky-dink skiing look more dramatic.
The above video is my backyard stomping ground and is a run I’ve skied at least 200 times. It’s not “world class” but it is quick, easy, safe and you can bring your dogs, so it has been getting increasing traffic over the years. The snow tint looks off, but it is actually from a dust storm which blew in from Moab and made all the snow red.
After trying screws and Velcro, I have now settled on the burly little magnets for attaching the camera to the helmet. I like this as the camera snaps into position by itself and has a sort of release feature if I crater, which I hope will help save the camera. And who knows… it might even save my skull.
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In regards to balanced gear diets, here are my current favorites:
Superlight (15% of the time)
Skis – 160cm K2 Sahale (68mm waist)
Bindings – Dynafit TLT’s without brakes
Boots – Scarpa F1
Comments: In the right conditions, I love this set-up as it tours effortlessly. Because it is so light, you don’t have to be going very fast to feel like you’re haulin’ ass, so the thrill is the same as mach-schnelling downhill with a much heavier set-up. The disadvantage is that it gets knocked around in anything less than ideal (corn/powder) conditions.
Medium Light (45% of the time)
Skis – 167cm K2 Backouts (Euro skis similar to Chugoris/Summits – 72mm waist)
Bindings – Dynafit ST Verticals with brakes
Boots – Scarpa F3
Comments: I prefer this set-up whenever possible as I can ski powder, chutes, meadow skipping, etc. and it has it covered. It tours very well but is a challenge when the snow gets tricky. For expeditions, I take this set-up with the Scarpa Spirit 3 boots as the F3′s can get overpowered with a heavy pack or wind-jacked snow.
Medium Heavy (35% of the time)
Skis – 167cm K2 Mt Baker Superlights (88mm waist)
Bindings – Dynafit Comforts (no brakes)
Boots – Scarpa Spirit 3
Comments: I use this set-up for powder, shorter tours or when I’m going out with a semi heavy-metal crowd. I love the way it skis (especially powder), but there’s a weight penalty for longer tours.
Heavy Metal Thunder (5% of the time)
Skis – 167cm K2 Kung Fujas (twin tip alpine skis – 94mm waist)
Bindings – Marker Dukes
Boots – Scarpa Typhoons
Comments: I use this set-up for kiting as I get yanked around and land backwards (twin-tips help), as well as resort skiing. I like the Marker Dukes for this as they have excellent return-to-center abilities, a clean, predictable release and are brainless to step into. Weight isn’t an issue as I’m probably not carrying them more than 100′. Tourability is almost more of an insurance policy – it would be better than post holing.
An embarrasment of riches? Yes, but it is a job and somebody has to do it. :)
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Help support StraightChuter.com and cover some ground with a pair of Scarpa F3 Alpine Touring Boots on sale now at Backcountry.com. Click on the photo below…
Individually, skis, boots and bindings are important, but a far more significant concept is how they all work together. I was reminded of this the other day when a friend mentioned that he didn’t think his new boots were stiff enough, which may have been the case, but then again, the 125mm waisted skis he was on may have just been too much for them as well.
Light is right... for long and/or fast outings.
Even if you buy all top-of-the-line gear, it can still seem “off” if it isn’t matched carefully. A quiver of skis is nice, but a quiver of skis/boots/bindings is even better. For backcountry skiing, I alternate between three set-up; superlight racing, lightweight all-purpose and the heavy-metal monsters. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite as they all serve such differnt purposes, and in their respective catagories, I think they all ski really well. On rare occassions I’ll use a heavier boot on a lighter ski, which can be fun as you can drive the ski like a nail and make it come around REALLY fast.
Mid weight, all around. Hard to go wrong, except if you are going really far, or really fast.
When I look at a new skis, boots or bindings, the catagory they are in (light, medium, heavy) is more important than the individual product. For example, Dynafit TLT bindings (light), Scarpa Spirit 3 boots (medium), and K2 Coomba skis (heavy) are all great products, but would be a horrendous combination. Conversely, when properly matched, the sum of an assembly of mediocre gear can be magical.
Heavy metal thunder (although not really a touring set-up).
That said, if it skis good, it is good. Your mileage may vary.
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I found out about BeaconReviews.com through an odd coincidence – the webmaster, Steve Achelis, is a mountain unicycle rider and was suppose to go out on a ride with us today, but couldn’t as he was reviewing beacons. I’ve never met Steve, but the website is excellent.
I’ll probably get sued for saying this (like I almost did for my last beacon review…), but the top brands of modern beacons are all pretty good and as much as anything, it is a matter of personal preference. In the right hands and with enough practice, people can get very speedy with any beacon in a search. That said, I was psyched to see that Steve also thought my current beacon of choice was one of the top contenders.
A great thing about BeaconReviews.com is that as much as anything, it is a labor of love for Steve. He is a software entrepreneur and presents everything you’d ever want to know about how beacons work, current reviews, known issues, history and tons of links. It is like Consumer Reports for beacon buyers – straight up facts coupled with ratings which are unbiased by manufacturer’s advertising.
Hopefully I’ll get out MUni riding with Steve sometime soon (or better yet, skiing) as it would be fun to discuss this in person with him. Until then, check it out.
http://beaconreviews.com/transceivers/
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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 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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Duct tape doesn’t work very well for the cold, wet environs of ski mountaineering, but it hardly matters as there is something way better – Voile straps. In terms of classic designs, these are right up near the top and incredibly useful for almost anything, including holding your skis together. I prefer the Old Skool versions with the metal buckles as they are lightweight, simple and never break.
- Voile straps – the world would fall apart without them.
I’m not sure where this design came from, but I first saw it used for skiing purposes by Mark W. at Voile, thus they are commonly called “Voile Straps.” They can be used to clamp boots if a buckle breaks, hold a blown skin onto a ski, help split a broken leg, field-repair a binding, strap crap onto a pack, hold together a cook kit and just about anything else you can think of.
- Great on their own, or you can chain them together for added length.
The longer the better, although beggars can’t be choosers and any length will do. I assume you can buy these things, but more often than not, they are handed out for free at skiing events where I always try to grab more than my fair share.
- Strapping up in Iran – Greg VonDoersten photo.
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