02 Gear
Enlightenment – Step 2
Ahhh, I can feel the pounds falling away. Tomorrow is my first day out with my lighter set-up and I can’t wait/weight. As mentioned in the last post, I am keeping my heavier Safety Pack and assembling a light one as well. Things that got the outright chop: Goggles – I use wide sun glasses […]
Enlightenment – Step 1
The process of reducing my total backcountry skiing equipment weight is harder than it seems. First, there are times when I definitely DO want the full-monty of safety gear and creature comforts, but it is hard to say exactly when that is. For instance, during the past few days the avalanche danger in the Wasatch […]
A Frame vs. Diagonal Ski Carry
Few topics get the fur flying among backcountry skiers more than discussing the merits of A-frame vs. diagonal ski carrying modes on backpacks. Blood will be spilled.
Warm & Blister-free Boot Fitting
I’m happy to say that I haven’t had a ski boot related blister for years and the last one I did get came from trying to mold my own liners. Some things are better left to the pros. Here’s the not-so secrets to my blister free success… 1) Go with boots that fit your feet. […]
Bolted Rap Anchors for Skiing
Establishing rappel anchors on a ski descent is a labor of love and an art form. On a first descent, you may have no idea what the route will require, so you bring along a selection of nuts, slings, cams & pitons and hope for the best. Most skiing lines which require a rappel aren’t […]
My Cook Kit
Here is a blow-by-blow description of my cook kit. I’ve developed this over many years and it is definitely geared towards melting lots of snow and cooking simple meals which don’t require simmering.
Tuning Bench Tie-Down
Trying to clamp down the latest generation of wide skis for a tune-up is like wrestling an eel in a vat of Crisco. Forget it. Because they are so wide, yet have a thin cross section and rounded topsheets, traditional tuning clamps will hold skis only long enough to look secure, yet the first time […]
Dynafit Brake Modification
As a crusading Dynafit Evangelist, I’m loathe to say anything bad about them, but will admit that many times the brakes hang up and don’t deploy. This happens often enough that some of my Dynafit buddies skip the brakes altogether as “they never work anyway.” It seems that this is more common with skis that […]
Power Assisted Skin Ripping
Super sticky skin glue can be a mixed blessing – it is great for adhering to your bases, but can nearly impossible to pull apart. The little center strip of non-glued material definitely helps with this as do the nylon mesh skin savers, although I personally just throw the mesh in the trash right after […]
New Addition to Glacier Kit
Much to the dismay of my partners, I am a minimalist when it comes to the amount of gear I bring for performing a crevasse rescue. I bring a snow pickett for an anchor, waist and foot prussick loops, a 20′ cordelette, about six Oz carabiners, a screwgate locking carabiner and 2-3 full-length Dynex runners. […]
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