Andrew McLean
Andrew McLean lives in Park City, Utah and is a gear designer, writer, photographer, ski mountaineer, climber and Mountain Unicycle rider. He and Polly Samuels McLean are the parents of two very loud little girls.
Andrew McLean's Latest Posts
The Feed
I’ve tried many eating strategies for backcountry skiing over the years. For a brief time, a friend turned me onto the 5 for $5 burgers from Arby’s, which was entertaining, but ultimately disgusting. When I first discovered GU, I liked the orange/chocolate flavor so much that I bought a case of it, only to throw most […]
Basic Workbench Design & Plans
This is a cheap & easy variation on a Fine Woodworking design and favors two of my favorite tools – a chop box and a cordless driver. It’s all about 90 degree cuts, shooting screws and avoiding notching as much as possible. The materials for this bench came to about $63 at HomeDepot (not including the […]
Petzl RAD System Review
The Petzl RAD System (Rescue and Descent) is designed for skiers to rapidly perform crevasse rescue, rappelling or roping up to travel in glaciated terrain. The system consists of three tried & true Petzl devices; a Micro Traxion Hauling Pulley, a Tibloc and screwgate carabiners, and also adds a 6mm x 30m RAD Line, which […]
Tiny Packs –
The Law of Luggage states: “The amount of stuff you carry will expand to fit whatever size backpack you have.” For this reason and a few others, I use a tiny little 15 liter pack for backcountry skiing in the Wasatch. Between racing packs and mechanized skiing packs, there are quite a few small packs […]
Mountain Accord Needs YOU!
I know… the title has the phrase “Mountain Accord” in it, but WAKE UP! A major milestone has been reached, and if you enjoy the Wasatch Mountains, now is the time to speak up for the future of them. After a year of negotiations with 21 stakeholders, the current Mountain Accord (MA) process is ready […]
Banned of Brothers
Historically, those with authority, guns and money tend to get their way, so when the Utah Department of Transportation starts hinting about closing areas in the Wasatch for backcountry skiing, it is probably worth listening to them. UDOT is responsible for keeping the Little Cottonwood Canyon road open and safe from avalanches, and one of their […]
2015 Winter OR Show Review
While there was an overwhelming amount of new stuff in store for 2015/16 at the Outdoor Retailer Show, I have to admit to having a weakness for hard goods, especially those made out of exotic steels, sexy plastics and carbon fiber. I was not disappointed. Odds and Pointy Ends Black Diamond Snaggletooth Crampon Since most crampons are asymmetrical anyways, […]
State of the Wasatch – Jan 11, 2015
In the comments from my last post I was called out as “an elitist blowhard,” so I’ll try to live up to that reputation by now kvetching about the Wasatch snowpack. It is okay… but we really need more snow, especially as this is going on the fourth sub par year in a row. We’ve been robbed. Even […]
Outdoor Alliance trip to Washington, DC
This was one of the more interested and unusual trips I’ve been on, and although it had everything to do with backcountry skiing, not a turn was had. We did however summit “The Hill” at 9:46am on December 10th with no supplemental oxygen or porters and by fair means. The trip was put together by […]
Top Ten Bad BC Ski Habits that Must Go for 2015
1) Half Lapping It is one thing to break trail up the side of a big beautiful bowl and look back to see multiple groups coming up behind you. It is a totally different story however to see people making it halfway up the climb, ripping their skins and snagging first half-tracks. Totally lame. Remedy: Public […]
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