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Mega Stoveboard Revelation

Mega Stoveboard Revelation

| May 16, 2013 | 4 Comments

I’m almost embarrassed to think of how long it took me to realize the significance of using a huge stove board for heavy winter camping, but now that I’ve been enlightened, camping will never be the same. There are many different styles of winter camping and ski mountaineering expeditions, but for those which involve flying […]

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Ultra Heavy Backpacking

Ultra Heavy Backpacking

| August 20, 2009 | 13 Comments

Ray Jardine would be spinning in his grave if he saw this, except for the fact that he is still very much alive and hiking.  Ray is a leading proponent of Ultralight Backpacking and often covers up to forty miles a day while carrying an eight-pound pack.  At the other end of the spectrum, I […]

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Expeditions – Food Treats

Expeditions – Food Treats

| May 21, 2009 | 2 Comments

In the process of perusing Costco,  Emergency Essentials, WalMart and Southeast Supermarket, I came across a few little treat that I know Fred, Kip and Courtney will love… Tea specifically for that slack-tart Courtney, who needs all the male vitality he can get: And, for day three in the snow cave…   I have no […]

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Expeditions – Stove Set-Up

Expeditions – Stove Set-Up

| May 20, 2009 | 16 Comments

Stoves are the heart of any expedition, as without them, you are not going to be melting snow for drinking water or cooking food – at least not very fast.  No food & no water equals no movement. Within the grand stove category, there is really only one that matters, the Mountain Safety Research (MSR) […]

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Expeditions – Hanging Scale

Expeditions – Hanging Scale

| May 18, 2009 | 2 Comments

If I had to pick one of the most important pieces of pre-expedition equipment I’ve ever bought, without a doubt it would have to be a hanging scale.  I use this thing on an almost daily basis for weighing all sorts of items and it goes into overtime when prepping for a trip. For instant weighing, I’ve […]

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Expeditions – Wands

Expeditions – Wands

| May 15, 2009 | 12 Comments

Placing wands in the mountains is a bit of an art.  On one hand, you only have a limited number of them, so you don’t want to over-place them, and if it is clear and sunny, there is a temptation to skip placing them as the way up and back is obvious.  Because of this, I’ve […]

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Expeditions – Food Drier

Expeditions – Food Drier

| May 14, 2009 | 9 Comments

I’ve tried a variety of different foods for expeditions ranging from Himalayan style where you just hire a cook and they take care of it all to dumping hot water in a bag of freeze dried food.  My current, and favorite technique is to eat as much “normal” food as possible as I think it is […]

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Expeditions – The Proposal

Expeditions – The Proposal

| May 12, 2009 | 5 Comments

A written proposal acts as the statement-of-intent for an expedition and a formal starting point. I got into writing proposals after filling out a few grant applications, and whether I won the grant or not, I liked the way that it forced me to think way ahead of time in terms of trip logistics, dates, costs, partners […]

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Expeditions – The Beginning

Expeditions – The Beginning

| May 7, 2009 | 5 Comments

John Ryan from “The Lonely Planet” describes the travel cycle as “dream, plan, book, go, come back,”  This covers it, but it is easier said than done.  To me, the “plan” part is the most important, but before that, you have to have a dream of where you want to go skiing. I get my expedition […]

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Expedition Season

Expedition Season

| May 6, 2009 | 4 Comments

To me, expedition skiing is what it is all about.  I love the idea of using skis to explore remote areas, the sense of commitment, the fun of travel, the great partners, meeting new people along the way, hopefully ticking off some challenges and more than likely adding a few more to the To Do […]

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