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
Worthwhile Avalanche Video
One positive aspect of being a GoPro nation is that not only are avalanche accidents being documented as they happen, but often times from a variety of camera angles as well. This video does an excellent job showing the reality of being buried alive and the horror or realizing that the victim isn’t wearing a […]
Wasatch PowderKeg – March 10
Cough, gasp, wheeze, groan. Yes, it’s time for the annual Wasatch PowderKeg ski race which is taking place at Brighton next Saturday, March 10. And, not only is it on the 10th, but it is also the 10th annual! I’m psyched to see the tradition live on and the race just seems to get better […]
Fun Weekend
The Pacific Northwest deserves a big round of thanks for sending down such a nice storm last week. Our snowstake showed 2′ of additional base which is settling fast, but definitely helped.
AK Family show – SLC, 3/15
In 1994 I attended a slideshow on climbing Denali at the Black Diamond Equipment shop in Salt Lake City. The show was put on by Conrad Anker and I was there with my good buddy Mark Holbrook, a coworker at BD. One of Conrad’s photos was of the Messner Couloir in all of its glory, […]
Crossing the Cardiac Rubicon
Forget avalanches, tree wells, blinding snow storms or helicopters dropping bombs on you – one of the scariest parts of skiing in Cardiac Bowl (upper Mill D drainage) is coming across the enraged snowmobilers. But you say, I thought this entire area was non motorized, except of course for helicopters? It is, at least for […]
Wasatch Prepares for Beheading
Utah politics has positioned the Wasatch backcountry for its final death blow. Currently there is not one, not two, not even three, but NINE ski area expansions in the works. In the past these expansionist fantasies were thwarted by factors such as public input (90 plus percent are opposed), NEPA regulations, drinking water concerns, local […]
10 – The Common Cure
The tenth and last of my personal avalanche avoidance theories. There’s a joke among sailors concerning seasickness that’s usually told as the victim is puking over the railing: Q: Do you know the only proven cure for seasickness? A: Lie down in the shade of a palm tree. The point of the joke is that […]
9 – Beyond Bros
Part 9 in 10 of my personal avalanche avoidance theories. Bro’ing down in the mountains with your buddies is a big part of what makes backcountry skiing so fun. There’s an intensity that comes from trusting your friends to rescue you if things go wrong (and vice versa) that leads to strong relationships, which may, […]
8 – Redefine Challenge
Part 8 in 10 of my personal avalanche avoidance theories… In 2010 I was involved in a round table discussion where participants were asked to describe the “most challenging thing they had done in their respective sports over the last year.” I went first and it was a no brainer – “Due to a persistently […]
7 – Hedge Fund Skiing
Part 7 of 10 in a series of personal avalanche avoidance theories. After going on a financial disaster reading bender for the last three years, I started noticing a lot of similarities between investors and skiers: Risk versus Reward Smart people getting whacked Dumb people getting lucky Greed Herd instinct Competition Tons of underlying information […]
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