May 13 2012

TR: Shasta’s West Face

 
Even though it was a meager season, Eleven-12 has served up some delicious ski days. Rather than let the season fizzle with a wimper, BergBryce put out a call to rally for a trip to Mt. Shasta. Inspired by Jibmaster’s photos of Shasta’s north side, I responded and the trip was inked.

Mt. Shasta (14,179') from Hwy. 44 view-point (near intersection w/Hwy. 89)
click to enlarge all photos


We headed up Friday afternoon – from South Lake Tahoe to Truckee to Reno to Susanville to Mt. Shasta City.
Keep making backcountry turns

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May 11 2012

Prepping skis for summer storage

 

Wax on...

Wax on…

When the season ends, the ideal treatment for ski bases is to iron a layer of wax onto the glide surfaces and then leave this thin layer on the bases all summer. Waxable diagonal stride skis should have any kick wax or klister cleaned off, then 2 or 3 layers of either green kick wax or binder wax applied to the kick zone. A paste wax (like F4 from Swix) should be applied to the kick zones (“fishscale” area) of no-wax skis. Ideally, the skis should also kept in a cool location.
The purpose of summer waxing is to prevent the plastic bases of the skis from “oxidizing” and drying out.

Technically what happens is the compounds that make your p-tex base a plastic evaporate from an unprotected base. A good illustration of this is the plastic dash of a car. As the dash oxidizes, the plasticizers become volatile, dissipate into the air (often forming a film on the inside of the windshield), leaving behind a surface that looks dull, even powdery.
Keep making backcountry turns

May 10 2012

BC Techniques: Step-Down Kick Turn

How you change direction on a skin track is largely a matter of personal preference – provided you have a quiver of options. Most skiers only know one or two kick turns which can sometimes put them in a precarious position and make switchbacks a moment of anxiety that is avoided at all costs. It need not be so.

Just as it is important to be able to make more than one style of turn while skiing downhill, it is equally valuable to have an assortment of switchback tricks available when you need them for the uphill leg. The uphill snap-kick turn is a super valuable technique to learn, but some folks simply cannot do it because it requires more range of motion across the hips than their body allows. If that resembles your perspective on the snap kick-turn, let me suggest a move I’m calling the Step-Down kick turn.
Keep making backcountry turns

May 08 2012

Review: Rab Stretch NeoShell® Jacket

 

Skinning up while wrapped in weather.

Skinning up in a storm has always been a special treat – especially in the trees while the wind is howling above and the flakes fall thick on the shoulders of your pack while you stoke the fires of warmth with the energy of climbing, cloaked beneath the wet in a weatherproof shell.

On a recent storm day that shell was courtesy of Rab, made of Polartec’s NeoShell®. The Neoshell® claim is waterproofness equal with that popular 3-layer teflon laminate but more breathable.
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May 06 2012

Hand-rolled, Mean Green Fat Skis

It only took about 18 years but the light bulb finally went off for me about boutique skis. What did it was riding another pair of planks that, by outward evidence, were merely another pair of custom made skis that were undeniably beautiful to behold, but couldn’t possibly ski that well.

The ultimate backcountry boutique ski - personally built, one-of-a-kind custom ski

Roll your own boutique ski for the backcountry. The only thing really green is the binding.


Keep making backcountry turns

May 03 2012

TR: Sick trip to Shasta’s N-side.

Mt. Shasta and Shastina's north sides beckon to backcountry skiers.

Mt. Shasta and Shastina's north sides beckon.


The summer ski season has started!  Headed to the north side of Shasta.  The North Gate TH is still blocked by snow drifts, but I had a different plan.  Drove up Tuesday afternoon to camp overnight and ski the next day.  I was looking for a more straight-forward approach.
Keep making backcountry turns

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May 01 2012

Review: ABS Vario 25

The ABS Vario25 - leading the charge.

Although other airbag packs have arguably equaled ABS, ABS is still the standard by which all other airbag packs are judged. To date no one has been able to say they have built an airbag system that works better than ABS. But the packs themselves have consistently received lackluster praise while competitors have clearly been able to design packs that fit the American’s backcountry mindset better.

However, that disparity in pack quality is about to be eliminated. In the wake of several high profile avalanche accidents in February 2012 demand for ABS packs stripped retailer shelves bare and they were forced to begin shipping next years models now. With that came the recognition that ABS finally has a solid hit with their Vario25. Maybe not a homer, but a triple or at least a double.
Keep making backcountry turns

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