Jul 06 2012

TR (’94): Skiing the Wickersham Wall – Part I

© 1994
 
It felt nakedly brazen to be linking turns on the Wickersham Wall, a slope whose name is synonymous with avalanches. A slide now, while skiing in the center of the upper face, would carry me over 10,000-feet over cliffs and icefalls to a frozen, broken death. But we were confident in the results of our snow stability tests and I was having the run of my life, the culmination of every moment I’ve ever spent in the mountains. The higher power, grinning from ear-to-ear, had given us the nod. We got away with it!

Denali's North Face, The Wickersham Wall, first climbed in 1963.

Keep making backcountry turns

Jul 05 2012

Review: Westcomb’s Cruiser Jacket

 

Westcomb's Cruiser jacket provides a windbreak while climbing Mt. Shasta.

When first introduced to the brand Westcomb my ears were only half listening until I heard the term “ex-pat from Arcteryx.” Now that I have your attention as well, Westcomb is a new apparel brand out of Canada that gained serious experience as the factory building many of Arcteryx’s garments.

Here’s a quick look at their Cruiser shell jacket. Made with eVent®, the Cruiser is a simple, back to basics shell that provides the core pieces of functionality that I’ve come to demand for backcountry skiing, without adding any unnecessary frills. Since then the Cruiser has become my new jacket of choice, accompanying me to Mt. Shasta to deflect its notorious winds.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jul 03 2012

Review: Kelty Carport

 

The ultimate base camp.


 
Car camping is great because you can bring all kinds of lifes conveniences, yet still get away from it all. Even so, if it starts to rain, or the desert sun is taking it’s toll it would sure be nice to have an extra room off your van, or camper shell, without having to buy a Winnebago.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jul 02 2012

New Comment System at EarnYourTurns.com

 
Okay, it’s time to forge ahead and deal with the fallout as it becomes evident. After a few weeks of waffling and checking things out elsewhere it was time to get ‘er done. With that caveat, a new comment system has been activated here at EarnYourTurns.com. There are still a few bugs and wrinkles that will need to be worked out, most importantly a tighter link to Farcebook. If you have experience with creating FB apps and are interested in helping out please contact me via the contact form on the About page (here). Otherwise, I hope you approve and like this new system.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jun 29 2012

Rerun: The Backside of Beyond

 
Steve McQueen said, “I’d rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth.” Edward Abbey referred to the urban scene as “syphilization.” We read between the lines and suspect a cure for the most subtle of modern maladies, the condition caused by the strained nervous sense of urgency that seems to define life in the city.

Bardini in the 'man cave', escaping 'syphilization.'

In my job as a backcountry ski guide I see people arrive at my door step from almost incomprehensible busy lives in the city, ready to leave all the stress and schedules and meetings and freeway traffic alone for awhile. They need time to recreate, to recharge the old batteries, to think of nothing and reflect on everything, indeed to put life into perspective. Mostly they need to go skiing on the high and distant horizons. But skiing and mountains are only the medium for this revitalization, not the message. The message we receive is the importance of a quiet mind and a satisfied soul.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jun 27 2012

Technique: Steep Skinning

 

Keepin' 'er steeper - Scott Sady skins straight up.

As much as I lobby for people to wake up to the advantages of setting a low angle skin track, the fact of the matter is most people prefer to set and/or follow a steep track. By steep I mean in the neighborhood of 20°.

Without actually measuring it, how do you know you’re on a steep track? While it isn’t a guarantee, odds are better than even that if you’re using a climbing peg, even the lowest one at your disposal, and you’re feeling a bit of incline but are comfortable in your ascent angle you’re climbing close to 20°. If you’re on your high climbing post, you’re ascending steeper than 20°, probably more like 25°.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jun 24 2012

Review: Jet Boil stove system

 

Jet Boil - efficient, lightweight, compact.

One of the hardest things to do in reviewing products is simply keeping your mind open to new possibilities. It doesn’t take long to adopt a particular product or mindset and stick with it. Even though change can be good, change is disruptive and familiarity is one of the comforts we all prefer to enjoy.

Thus it took me a few years to transition to the new paradigm that Jet Boil represented to the world of backcountry stoves. Actually, it only took one meal, but that resistance to embrace change prevented me from even trying out a Jet Boil stove for at least two seasons and umpteen excuses. Just to try the stove out meant rethinking and completely revising my established cooking patterns. Woe to me for being so stubbornly silly.
Keep making backcountry turns