Jun 24 2011

Review: Princeton Tec’s Apex Pro

Princeton Tec’s Apex Pro has been my headlamp of choice for the past five years. It hasn’t been an unblemished record, but the pros continue to outweigh the cons. Nary a day goes by that I don’t use it, whether taking the dog for a walk after dark, hunting for a dropped widget in the dark corners under a desk, adding illumination for a bit of repair work, or an early rise for a dawn patrol tour. For smaller tasks, like reading, cooking, a lighter weight headlamp could do the task but I like using a single tool for as many purposes as possible, especially when you want serious illumination power, which the Apex does like a pro.

Princeton Tec's Apex Pro. Not a lightweight, but a headlamp with substance, longevity, and power!

The Apex Pro is not a light weight headlamp, so it isn’t meant to be an emergency light that you stuff in your pack just in case. It isn’t a tank either, but that is a relative term as well. The Apex Pro fits in the heavy weight category because it doesn’t skimp on any of the features I look for in a headlamp which are: lots of light, adjustable intensity, long battery life, and a top strap. Durability is important too, but my experience dictates Princeton Tec only rates a B there (more on that below). I’m a heavy user, not a bruiser abuser.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jun 22 2011

Kiteboarding 101: Not sailing – FLYING!

If windsurfing is like sailing, then kiteboarding is like flying. Who can say they’ve never shared the dreams of Iccarus? To be sure, it isn’t really flying, but after finally taking lessons from Bruce Sheldon I found out in short order, the similarity is more true than not.

Is there reliable wind at the Delta?
Clue #1 - windmills dominate the horizon.

As a die-hard skier, windsurfing became my sport of choice when the snow melted and the warmth of the beach beckoned. It shares the adrenaline of speed with skiing, requires skill and balance, and harnesses natural elements. Unlike sailing a boat though, windsurfing is primal sailing, where your body is an integral part of the process, fulfilling the roles of shrouds and stays to hold the mast upright, your arms become human sheets to control the sail, and your legs steer the rudder. When the wind is up, it’s like being on trapeze all day while flying hull on a catamaran. It’s kind of like fun, only on steroids.

Over time reality has tempered my love affair with windsurfing, most notably by the lack of reliable wind. Unlike snow, which lingers after a storm and is thus relatively reliable, wind only occurs and lasts while conditions exist. One of the keys to sailing is to know where the wind is, or will be.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jun 15 2011

Summer arrives in Tahoe

Well it figures. As soon as I made a big deal about it still being winter in June, summer arrived.

Look familiar? From the best powder day of Ten-11. Aaron Brietbard demonstrates why tele rules.

It’s been sunny and warm for over a week now. There’s still lots of snow at Donner Pass and around Lake Tahoe, even on south facing slopes, but even Donner Ski Ranch is finally giving up the ghost. Old landmarks that had been buried so long I’d forgotten about them are sprouting up on the trade routes from this past season and there is still over ten feet of snow on north-facing slopes.

Not only is Mammoth planning to be open July 4th, so are Sugar Bowl and Squaw here in Tahoe. Given my druthers, I’d recommend Mammoth over anything in Tahoe at that time.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jun 08 2011

It’s Junuary (again)!

There are a lot of amazing things about the winter of Ten-11 and we’re still getting over it. Like the obvious — it’s still here and it’s June already. I want to call it the month of Jane since we already had June in January so we can’t have the same month twice in the same year, right? Except that, so far, we are. So I’ll concede on the name and agree with my wife that it’s Junuary (again).

Runnels dominated the snowscape in the Tahoe area in late March/early April.

This time around it’s still January 7,000-feet above sea level where snow coats the slopes with a frozen blanket ranging from one to 20 feet deep depending on what side of the mountain you’re on. On the home front, just beneath the 6,000-foot level, the grass on the lawn reaches up to grasp the occasional showers of sun that break through the clouds to assure them it is indeed June and summer is only a few weeks away.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jun 02 2011

Quack: Making sunglasses with Duct Tape

You probably thought I meant, repairing sunglasses with duct tape when you read the headline, but you assumed something not stated. I really meant making a pair of sunglasses with duct tape.

Function is the only fashion. Oui! Love the mirrored look. So 70s Dude!

How do you make sunglasses with duct tape? First, you need to get to the root of the purpose of sunglasses, especially on snow. That would be: to restrict the amount of light your eyes are exposed to so they won’t get sunburned.

I remember a friend who thought she didn’t need sunglasses while skiing. She spent three days sequestered in the dark, her eyes ablaze in pain the first 24 hours and permanently shut with shades drawn to allow her sight to heal. Effectively blind for three days, which is why it’s called snow blindness. It was not a pretty sight.

So my buddy Gil had his buddies give him a lift to the Rock Creek trailhead. As the truck is pulling away he realizes his shades are in the truck, not his pack.
Keep making backcountry turns

Jun 02 2011

Review: Ortovox Patroller

Overview

Ortovox Patroller
Available in used market only • 2 AA batteries
Range: 60+m (best coupled) • 40m (worst coupled)

The discontinued Patroller combines the best elements of Ortovox’ steady but slow progress in beacons prior to their development of the S1. You get superb range due to analog detection, with digital processing to help with alignment with the flux line when you get close. In case you were wondering, yes, it’s really an X1 with three antennas, a translucent case, and all the bugs worked out.

Perfect for the budget conscious, especially in the used market. To be useful in panic mode regular practice is highly recommended.
Keep making backcountry turns

May 29 2011

TR: End of May Powder

It was the end of May, Memorial Day weekend, and yet another blast of snow had coated the neighborhood. A solid six inches fell early Saturday evening. Up on Donner Pass that translated to at least 8 inches of light, and if we hit it early enough, dry snow.

John Holleman making the last powder turns of the season. Maybe.

There wasn’t any reason to do a true dawn patrol, but it was also understood that if we lollygagged around the pow would turn to mush minutes after the sun hit it. So the key was to be early enough that the snow would still have the night’s cold before the sun could warm the day. As luck would have it, clouds continued to swirl around keeping the suns rays at bay. I set a meandering track up to the top of the ridge, we ripped skins and waited for a patch of sun to enhance photos.

First turns off the top of Judah were exactly as expected; smooth, untracked, and light. We cruised out flower ridge and then headed for the ASI chutes. A classic had beckoned on the drive up that neither John nor I had skied in awhile, so that was the line for the day.
Keep making backcountry turns