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
Two All-Time Favorite SnowKiting Videos
This video of three Norwegian punks shredding Greenland is one of my all time favorite kiting videos and also one of all time favorite expeditions for that matter. These guys did a vast amount of research on the project beforehand and are excellent skiers and kiters. In the end, they annihilated the old crossing record by […]
Sunday Photo – Midnight Kiting in Sam Ford Fjord
Expeditions can be a ton of hard work and heavy hauling. A friend once described this as “the blue-collar” part of the sport, which I often think about when I’m crushed with a heavy load. Full-speed ahead in the Sam Ford Fjord area of Baffin Island, right near Swiss Bay. This photo was taken during […]
Photo Gallery – 2002 Baffin Island
I’m slowly organizing my photo galleries and just got around to adding one of my all time favorite trips to StraightChuter.com – Baffin Island 2002. This was a great trip in a lot of ways. For one, we had no idea what to expect for skiing, and it turned out to be some of the […]
Powered Up – Build Your Own NASA Wing Kite
Few topics on earth get people more fired than debating which snow kite is the best. I should know, as for years I was NASA wing evangelist and still am to a large degree. DEATH BEFORE FOIL KITES. Yeah, well, then I tried an Ozone foil, and, uhmmm, well, it was totally bitchin’. And so […]
The Theory of Relativity & Safety
A Dawn Patrol trip up the South Ridge of Mt. Superior this morning reminded me of an sobering lesson from 2002. The first time I ventured up this ridge, I read about it in the local guidebook and brought along a rope and rock climbing equipment. The ridge turned out to be so straightforward and […]
Chuting Spree Contest. Clue #1 for K2 Telemark/AT Skis
Follow five weekly clues and be the first to correctly identify where the skis are hidden to win a pair of K2 Telemark/AT skis of your choice. Click here for the contest rules. Clue #1 Q: Although the true high point of this CONTINENT is 16,024 feet, it is seldom if ever skied. Sept 2nd – Identify a State, Country or […]
Speed is Safety – Part II
Continued from last Friday… The best way to lighten your pack is to start with a small one, then leave things out of it. Assume the best, and be ready to improvise if worse comes to worst. Choose appropriate terrain and objectives. Lightweight speed outings are best done on easier or familiar terrain. The downside […]
Sunday Photo – Patagonia
Not a skiing photo, but taken in a great skiing zone. Ben Ditto hiking in Patagonia. I’m not into trekking for trekking’s sake, but the trails in Patagonia are an exception as they are so naturally beautiful, well laid-out and have stunning scenery. In this photo, Ben and I were taking a remedial hike up […]
Chuting Spree Contest – Rules
Being the excellent company they are, Mike Hattrup and K2 Telemark Skis have donated a pair (any model, any size) of skis to the winner of the first-ever Chuting Spree Contest! The Basics Five weekly clues lead to a location of the skis. Be the first person to correctly identify where the skis are… and […]
Click & Chute – The Perils of Web Based Skiing
When I published “The Chuting Gallery – A Guide to Steep Skiing in the Wasatch Mountains” in 1998, I was told by a few well meaning Pros that I was going to have the blood of countless sixteen year-old kids on my hands as they all rushed out to try skiing steep lines and died […]
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