Andrew McLean

Andrew McLean lives in Park City, Utah and is a gear designer, writer, photographer, ski mountaineer, climber, Mountain Unicycle rider and father of two very loud little girls.

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Andrew McLean's Latest Posts

Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop

Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop

| October 19, 2009 | 7 Comments

I know – I’ve been a slack-tart on updating StraightChuter.com and apologize profusely. We had family in town last week, plus I’ve been working on a cool little website addition that has to remain top secret until our Antarctica trip. But, on to more important items. Taking a cue from the ISSW, the Friends of […]

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Insoles

Insoles

| October 9, 2009 | 15 Comments

When I was into Alpine Racing, one sign of how serious you were about the sport was if you went to the trouble and expense of getting custom made orthopedic footbeds. The idea was that you wanted your foot perfectly supported, but more importantly, totally flat so you weren’t inadvertently riding an edge. We were […]

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Thunder Skin

Thunder Skin

| October 8, 2009 | 6 Comments

Another favorite image from my two day scanathon, which is now thankfully complete.  From where I now sit I will scan no more forever.

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Fred Becky’s Hands

Fred Becky’s Hands

| October 7, 2009 | 6 Comments

In the process of scanning 80+ photos today, the two that really stood out for me were photos I took of Fred Becky’s hands in 2003 at the West Rib Grill in Talkeetna, AK.  We had just skied Mt. Hunter via a line that Fred had pioneered 48 years earlier and Fred seemed to remember […]

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First Day of the 2009/10 Season

First Day of the 2009/10 Season

| October 6, 2009 | 14 Comments

I know, a few days ago I said I wasn’t in a rush to get out, but then it continued to dump snow and Polly reminded me that we missed out on the early turns last year and then had to wait another four weeks until it snowed again.  One of the hardest parts about […]

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512 Expedition Journal

512 Expedition Journal

| October 5, 2009 | 3 Comments

I tend to get excited about small things and in that regard, I’m downright giddy about the #512 Expedition Journal from  Rite in the Rain (RITR).  I’ve always been a list, sketchbook and notebook kind of guy and really came out of the closet when I saw that some of the best expedition leaders I’d […]

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Beginning of the season?

Beginning of the season?

| October 1, 2009 | 9 Comments

It snowed at 7,100′ in Park City today! Alta supposedly got 10+ inches and I’d imagine some of their tilled slopes will be skiable tomorrow. The first snow of the year is one of many landmark seasonal skiing events.  I prefer to wait until there is some solid coverage before I start going out as […]

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The McClean Turn

The McClean Turn

| September 28, 2009 | 34 Comments

STOKAGE! Scot Schmidt has the Schmear Turn, the Eagen Brothers are credited with the “1-2-3 Turn” and Sylvan Sudan is synonymous with the Pedal Hop Turn, but until recently, all I had was a stupid website with a hard to spell url.  But no more.  In a bit of a backhanded compliment, the McClean Turn […]

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Slideshow in Alaska & California

Slideshow in Alaska & California

| September 22, 2009 | 9 Comments

If you happen live in Anchorage or Tahoe, I have two dates set for a slideshow presentation on skiing the Alaska Family Trio – Papa Denali, Mama Sultana and Mt. Hunter, the wild child.  The Anchorage show is on Oct 22nd (geez… I should really start putting this show together!) and the Tahoe show is […]

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Tour Du Suds – Park City

Tour Du Suds – Park City

| September 21, 2009 | 6 Comments

The annual Tour Du Suds (TDS) bike race in Park City is the highlight of my summer unicycle season as it gives me a chance to ride with a few hundred other people who are equally silly looking.  The TDS is a fundraiser for the Mountain Trails Foundation and although some people take it seriously, […]

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