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

The Little Ship That Couldn’t

The Little Ship That Couldn’t

| April 3, 2009 | 29 Comments

Although I barely know Marla, I wanted to make her something special for her birthday party, and what backcountry skier wouldn’t be thrilled to have his or her own A-Star helicopter?!  Marla’s party happens to coincide with the annual Heli Free Wasatch party, which celebrates the end of the Wasatch Powderbird’s season of destruction in the […]

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On-line Flagstaff Lift Presentation – How it Would Negatively Impact the Wasatch Backcountry

On-line Flagstaff Lift Presentation – How it Would Negatively Impact the Wasatch Backcountry

| April 2, 2009 | 15 Comments

The photo gallery below is an on-line version of my presentation on how the Flagstaff lift would negatively impact the Wasatch backcountry. To see the photo captions, click on the photo, then click through the “Next” buttons. The maps are approximate and drawn from my memory. ___________________ Help support StraightChuter.com and get the best of […]

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Friends of Flagstaff Meeting Update

Friends of Flagstaff Meeting Update

| April 1, 2009 | 23 Comments

From a Wasatch backcountry skier’s perspective, putting a chairlift up Flagstaff Mountain would be the equivalent of having an Exxon Valdez oil spill there once a year.  It would be devastating beyond words and turn the Days/Silver/Mill D zone into extended slackcountry which would be completely undesirable from a touring point of view.  Currently, it is […]

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Heliskiing Everest and Friends of Flagstaff

Heliskiing Everest and Friends of Flagstaff

| March 31, 2009 | 9 Comments

Access to backcountry skiing seems to have been an issue for at least as long as the sport has been around, but for me, the entire discussion changed on May 14, 2005 when a helicopter landed on top of Mt. Everest.  Now the discussion is no longer if you could take a machine to anywhere […]

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BackCountry Magazine Ski Test

BackCountry Magazine Ski Test

| March 30, 2009 | 7 Comments

Although I suspect my invitation to the annual Backcountry Magazine ski test extravaganza was a clerical error, I took them up on it anyway as it was a good excuse to drink Adam “Howie” Howard’s beer and ski at Powder Mountain.  I’ve been involved with many ski tests over the years, but lately have been developing […]

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Steep Skinning – Mindset

Steep Skinning – Mindset

| March 27, 2009 | 7 Comments

Having the right mindset is almost as important as the right gear and technique when it comes to steep skinning.  You have to be into it.  I was out touring with a friend from Switzerland in the Wasatch Mountains a few years ago and he refused to follow any of the existing skin tracks, which […]

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Steep Skinning – Technique

Steep Skinning – Technique

| March 26, 2009 | 11 Comments

The technique for steep skinning is just the opposite of skiing, which makes sense as you are going up, not down. One of the harder things to get the hang of is the idea of leaning back, not forward.  Because touring bindings have a pivoting toe, it is hard, if not impossible to pressure the tip […]

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Steep Skinning – Gear Adjustment

Steep Skinning – Gear Adjustment

| March 25, 2009 | 5 Comments

You don’t need any special gear to lay down a steep skin track, but there are a few adjustments you can make to your existing set-up which will help. Heel lifters are absolutely essential and should be turned to their highest setting.  Don’t be bashful. Certified guides dislike heel lifters for their clients as they are […]

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Steep Skinning – Part 1

Steep Skinning – Part 1

| March 24, 2009 | 16 Comments

Spring is here and the time is right for skinning in your top pegs.  I don’t go out of my way to always pick the steepest skin line possible, but there are times, actually, a lot of times, where a steep skin track angle is much safer, faster and more efficient. Few things in backcountry skiing […]

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Indian Creek – Photo TR

Indian Creek – Photo TR

| March 20, 2009 | 13 Comments

Continuing an almost full week of trip reports, I went down to Indian Creek on Wednesday with my long time skiing and climbing buddy, Brad Barlage.  Brad is a sales rep for Black Diamond, which means he has the full-on pimp daddy ride (Ford Van), tons of gear, plenty of dogs and knows The Creek […]

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