Aug 08 2012

News: Ski FREE at Eagles Nest, UT

 

Located in Utah’s Tushar Mountains, Eagles Nest resort gives access to some awfully sweet terrain. The view from the top of Mt. Holly, back when it was called Elk Meadows.

When I first heard the term “free skiing” it was over a decade ago from the VP of marketing at Atomic, telling me free skiing was the term they would be using in the future to promote their brand. His manipulation of the English language was a classic example of contrived “marketing speak.” I thought he was a kook.

My reply was, “that’s what Couloir magazine is about, skiing for free.” He thought I was a kook for promoting skiing without chairlifts. In the meantime free skiing has become the popular term used to promote the rad, bad, and hip aspect of resort skiing. Witness the growth of Free Skiing competitions. And backcountry skiing has grown phenomenally since then.
Keep making backcountry turns

Aug 06 2012

News: Outdoor Retailer Summer 2012 report

 

Main entrance to the Summer Market Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City.

As ever, the Outdoor Retailer show was an excellent time to meet with manufacturers and see what they have brewing for the future. Since it was the summer show there wasn’t a whole lot of product visible that related to snow and skiing, but there were a lot of cool electronic gadgets to check out.

Regular readers know I’m usually slow to adopt technology. When it comes to telemark bindings I’m on the bleeding edge, but otherwise, I’m slow to adopt. This is especially true in the electronics realm. It isn’t that I don’t know the conveniences and power of electronic devices in our lives, but the number of options they provide quickly becomes overwhelming. More than anything the speed at which new technology replaces recent or old technology makes me wary because it replaces skills with convenience. The result is a loss in the depth of understanding in many subjects that often is woven through history which is summarily replaced by mesmerizing gadgetry.
Keep making backcountry turns

Aug 03 2012

TR: Skiing the Wickersham Wall – Pt. V

© 1994

May 24, Summit Day
Departing the all–too–familiar fester dome at 12:30 p.m. we were stalled by howling winds and an upper peak lenticular. Three hours later we loaded up and set off in calm winds with the lightest packs we’d carried. Cramponing up the final 2900 feet unroped on firm saastrugi was a pleasant, low-energy change. From the summit plateau we feasted our eyes on tasty views of Foraker’s Sultana Ridge, Pink Panther, and Northwest Face lines. Hunter’s disparate summits peaked out, and the Kahiltna Glacier and Little Switzerland’s jagged peaks provided the background.

The upper half of the Canadian Route of Denali’s Wickersham Wall.


Keep making backcountry turns

Aug 01 2012

Review: TTS v2.0 w/Scarpa F1s

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I was finally able to demo the TTS binding on a recent ski trip to Mt. Shasta in June.  Craig kindly set me up with the system (utilizing La Sportiva’s RT Tech toe pieces) mounted on 177 La Sportiva GT skis (123/89/111, R=22M, 6lb/pair).  I don’t know what the weight was for the binding and skis together, but it felt very airy for a mid-fat setup, especially so when paired with my Scarpa F1 bellowed AT boots.

The Telemark Tech System v2 w/ La Sportiva RT Tech Toe, G3 springs.
The heel lever, climbing post, cable bar and posts are TTS unique.

It took just a few strides for me to become fully enamored with the uphill capabilities of the binding system.  Having never used Dynafits before, I was instantly smitten.  I have been using free-pivoting telemark bindings for many years now for nearly all my backcountry tours (aside from those taken on low, light boots and 3-pins).  I know well the benefits of resistance-free boot rotation for climbing. Somehow this system was different, and better.  For reference, I typically tour on Scarpa T1s and Voile Switchbacks, and I have also logged many miles in Scarpa T2X and Garmont SynerG boots.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jul 30 2012

BC News: Resort skiing Down, Tele Up.

 
SIA has released their annual survey results and the numbers are what you would expect, if you know how to interpret them. Any way you slice it, the number of people skiing was down for the 11/12 season compared to the 10/11 season. Considering last season got off to a late start, and the snowfall totals were well below average except in the Pacific Northwest, this is not an unexpected result.

Participation levels as determined by SIA (Snowsports Industries of America).
Image courtesy SIA & SkiingBusiness.com


Keep making backcountry turns

Jul 27 2012

Skiing the Wickersham Wall – Pt. IV

© 1994

1994, May 17, Day V on the Wall

One more perfect day followed before a cloud bank appeared and we narrowly escaped a whiteout on the descent from 14,500′ to the serac camp at 11,000′. Skins worked well on the ascent to 12,800′, where the Canadian Route becomes a knife–edge ridge dropping away at 60° into the Basin from Hell. This exposed, but relatively low–angle, ice climb led to the upper Wickersham Wall. After crossing an avy-prone corridor we cached under the marginal shelter of a single ’schrund at 14,500′.

Official view from the NPS of Denali from the NE, looking up the Muldrow Glacier.
South Peak on the left, North Peak on the right.


The descent back began on 30° pitches of bluish saastrugi with breakable or ridable crust in between. At 14,000′ it rolled over to 40° and we laid down tasty, fall–line arcs to the narrows at 12,800′ while a cloud bank moved in.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jul 25 2012

Review: REI’s Shuksan Jacket

 

Staying warm and dry with REI’s Shuksan
made with eVent fabric.

For years I’ve been hearing about how much more breathable eVent™ is compared to Goretex™. As luck would have it, the samples that floated through the Couloir office always ended up covering another editors’ body. Frankly I was perfectly satisfied with my Schoeller™ jacket for most days since it was clearly more breathable than Gore, and in the sunny Sierra the necessity of allowing sweat to escape is more common than preventing moisture coming in. By virtue of its comparison with Goretex™ I assumed that even if eVent™ were more breathable, it would be a marginal improvement.

You can drop that myth in the round file.
Keep making backcountry turns