Tips & Technique
Pick Your Poison – Methods of Ascent
For ski mountaineering, there are three main methods of traveling over snow; skinning, booting or snowshoeing. Of these three, skinning is by far and away the most efficient and versatile. Booting works well when there is an existing boot track, or when the going gets steep. Snowshoes are better than crawling, but not by much. […]
The Law of Luggage
The Law of Luggage states: “The amount of gear you carry will expand to fit your luggage.” This is closely related to the idiom that nature abhors a vacuum – if there is extra space in a pack, duffle bag or sled, it will be filled with extra gear whether you need it or not. […]
The Classic Diaper-Seat Harness
After years of looking, I still haven’t found a harness that works better for general ski mountaineering than the trusty “diaper-seat” design. This design is at least 25 years-old and its most famous incarnation is the Black Diamond Bod Harness, (named after Rod “The Bod” Johnson who designed it) although many other companies make them as […]
Ditch the Plastic Shovel
By the numbers, plastic shovels are supposedly as strong (or stronger) than steel and able to withstand incredibly low temperatures. Their big selling points are that they are lighter and cheaper than metal. The weight claims are a bit suspect as plastic shovels tend to be on the small side, which naturally makes them lighter, but […]
Freezer Bag Cooking
I saw a reference to “Freezer Bag Cooking” on a Divas Gone Arctic trip report by Kellie Okonek and checked it out as I’m always looking for new expedition food ideas. The concept is pretty simple; combine a bunch of ingredients into a freezer bag, use a beefy marker to describe what it is, then […]
A Shovel Named Desire
Avalanches shovels are a matter of personal choice and with so many out there, it is hard to go wrong. The most important thing is to carry one – after that, if it works good, it is good. I consider a well-made shovel to be a quality tool and am very particular about what I […]
Airfare Paradox of Choice
One of the most influential books I’ve read in the last five years has been “The Paradox of Choice” by Barry Schwartz. This isn’t to say it is a rip-roaring good read, but I think about it almost every day, especially when faced with the endless morass of choices while trying to find the best […]
Love’m… and Leave’m Behind
Thermos’, goggles, ski crampons and helmets – these are a few of my least favorite things, at least in terms of backcountry skiing day trips. I’m a less-is-more kind of guy and if I’ve carried something in my daypack for more than a few trips without using it, it gets the chop. If I find […]
Probes – Leave Home Without Them?
I hardly ever carry a probe for day backcountry ski trips. I know this makes me a bad person and I’ll burn in hell for it, but I have my reasons. 1) Cheap lightweight probes are a disservice to humanity. They bend, break and don’t have the heft to punch through solid avalanche debris. If […]
Cheap Thermal Insurance
My main strategy for staying warm while backcountry skiing is to adjust my pace to achieve a good operating temperature. If it is scorching hot, I slow down. If it’s really cold, I’ll speed up. I wear the same clothes almost every time I go out and use side zips or front zips to vent […]
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