Mar 11 2012

First Look: H2OG’s Karen’cito, Kodiak & Tazlina

During the recent tradeshow circus some of the regulars in the outdoor writers circuit were invited to check out Dean Cumming’s boutique ski offerings under the name H2O Gear. If the snow gods agreed it would be epic, and if they continued withholding it would still be fun to ski at Alta for a day.

Fat skis on hard, thin snow - lovely. DC has his work cut out for him to convince these media hos his skis rule.

While we spent more time skiing than talking, with the skiing so tough conversation turned to one of Dean’s favorite subjects, safety. It was especially refreshing to hear some of his ideas on how to avoid getting caught in an avy. Like reading terrain and knowing when to hold the high ground on ridges, and when to follow the contours down low. That’s easy enough to say, but how do you know you’re in the right place?
Keep making backcountry turns

Mar 07 2012

Review: Fischer S-Bound 112

For years now my number one go to ski has been the Karhu Guide. But the bases are getting nicked and scratched so it ices up too easy. On tap to replace it is Fischer’s fattest S-Bound ski, the 112.

Fischer's S-Bound 112. Plenty of width for flotation, plenty of pattern for grip,
and a nice sidecut for easy turns.


Two years ago I replaced the pins with a Switchback and went with T2s just ‘cuz they fit better than Excursions. Mostly I used ’em to take the dog for a walk, so they get used like a classic cross-country ski more than shredders. If all that sounds heavy for a striding ski you’re thinking inside the anorexic nordic box.
Keep making backcountry turns

Mar 05 2012

Canadian Study reduces Avalanche Survival Time

An updated study of avalanche survival curve , spearheaded by Dr. Pascal Haegeli—an avalanche researcher in Vancouver, British Columbia—and published in relative obscurity in the Canadian Medical Association Journal last year indicate that completely buried avalanche victims die significantly more quickly than previously thought, at least in Canada compared to Switzerland.

Fig. 1 - Avalanche Survival Curves:
Canadian (blue) VS Swiss (blk)
Canadian dashed lines are for asphyxia only deaths.

For years avalanche educators have reasoned that the commonly accepted survival curve derived by Brugger and Falk’s study of Swiss avalanche incident data might not accurately reflect avalanche survival in North America. The rationale was simple; nearly all the Swiss data was based on incidents above treeline while in the US and Canada skiing among trees is more common than not. As noted in the CMAJ report, “the universal validity of the [Swiss] survival curve and recommendations derived from it [were] unknown.”
Keep making backcountry turns

Mar 04 2012

News: Avalanche takes out chairlift in France

A spontaneous, wet avalanche damaged a chairlift in France. People were on the chairlift when this occured. Miraculously no one was hurt.

View of the avalanche hitting the chairlift base area:


 
Perspective from viewers on the chairlift:
Keep making backcountry turns

Feb 29 2012

Time to retire your beacon?

While testing avalanche transceivers this year it has become more evident that older, analog type beacons should be retired. It isn’t because they don’t work. But the way they work can cause trouble in the dreaded multiple victim scenario. If you have more than one person buried in an avalanche the odds are at least one person will turn up dead. The odds of that increase if one of the victims has an old analog beacon.

Screen capture of the received signal from an analog beacon. Notice how the signal never fully turns off - and the extra wide pulse increases the chance of signals overlapping.

Analog beacons should be retired because they transmit with a continuous carrier signal which, when you are close, can confuse searchers by covering up the signals from other, more distant victims. With a continuous carrier signal the oscillator that creates the 457 kHz signal is always on. When the pulse is ON, it connects the signal to the antenna so it radiates in to space. When the pulse is OFF, the antenna is switched off, but the signal is still being generated and it leaks out from the circuit board of the transceiver.
Keep making backcountry turns

Feb 28 2012

Video: A Life Ascending released

DVD cover for A Life Ascending

Some of you may recall my review of the ski video “A Life Ascending” last year. It is not the usual hedonistic mix of epic powder runs and non-stop action, but rather a more sobering view on being a backcountry ski guide, specifically Reudi Beglinger.

To many, his name is synonymous with one of the more infamous fatal avalanche accidents in modern history. This, unfortunately stands in stark contrast to the reputation he has built among his clients for delivering untold millions of untracked vertical adventure without incident. But it only takes one to make a blemish.
Keep making backcountry turns

Feb 27 2012

Going superlight, Tele Lite!

Tele on lite gear, back in the day near Baldy Hut,
Mt. San Antonio (10,060'), California.

The original attractions of telemark skiing, 35 years ago, were the freedom of motion it promised with simple technical means, the comfort and hikeability of the boots, the ease of carrying the skis on typical Northwest routes in summer, or Southwest desert routes in winter, the relative safety provided by floppy boots and free heels, and, not least, the surprising skiing power in difficult snow (even by locked heel standards) provided by the telemark turn in its many variations.
Keep making backcountry turns