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.
Andrew McLean's Latest Posts
Skiing “The Tube”
I’m off to the Sawtooths for a few days, but in the meantime, here’s an aft-facing helmet cam clip from skiing “The Tube” with Miles and Matt last Saturday. ___________________ Help support StraightChuter.com and get the best prices on the best gear at Backcountry.com! Click the Golden Gear Goat below:
First Go at a Real Helmet Cam
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 […]
Blame it on Christmas
The snowpack is at its maximum depth, the snow stability is excellent, the days are long, the skiing is great, and… there is nobody out skiing. Not that I’m complaining, I think that it is excellent and as it should be, but I have to wonder. About three weeks ago the Wasatch Mountains had a warm […]
Friends of Flagstaff Letter Writing Suggestions
From the Friends of Flagstaff organization (www.friendsofflagstaff.com) Please take a moment to write Mayor Pollard (tjp@townofalta.com) expressing your opposition to construction of this lift. A simple statement stating you are opposed to this lift is fine, but more detail would be very helpful. Listed below are some useful talking points. 1. Skier compaction […]
Good Snow Hunting – Elevation
To go high, low or somewhere in between? That is the elevation question. Many of the backcountry huts I’ve been to are located right at tree line, which is ideal for keeping your elevation options open. If conditions are good, you can go up. If not, you have the option of skiing down in the […]
Good Snow Hunting – Angle
After forming a thesis on what kind of snow should be best for the given day and then deciding which aspect might have it, the next consideration is what slope angle to look for. Choosing the right slope angle is often a trade-off between optimum snow quality and safety. Steep, north facing slopes might have […]
Good Snow Hunting – Aspect
Before I started backcountry skiing, I would have been hard pressed to correctly identify which direction on the compass the sun came up on. There are four main options – north, south, east and west, so I probably would have gotten it eventually, but with backcountry skiing and good snow hunting, knowing your aspects (which direction […]
Good Snow Hunting – Part II Conditions Du Jour
Part of the reason I don’t care very much about a ski’s crud-busting characteristics is that I seldom ski crud. This could be because I live in Utah, the fluff-bunny capital of the snow world, but we have plenty of crud here as well if you really want it. Most people don’t. The hunt for […]
Good Snow Hunting – Part I
The best bit of backcountry skiing insight I’ve ever gotten came from a friend who I don’t think has backcountry skied a day in his life. Chris “GroFo” Grover is the Grand PoohBah of Sales at Black Diamond Equipment and has been quitting smoking for the last 15 years, which makes him wonderfully terse. The topic came about as […]
Extreme Taxation
I have the same thought every year when I get to line 37 on my 1040 tax form (adjusted gross income) — I need a new job. Ski Mountaineering has its ups and downs (haha..) but it is not a career you get into for the money. I started my “business” about ten years ago […]
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