If you haven’t seen the evidence, you’ve heard about it. It’s happening out there. The ten-eleven season has begun. There’s bound to be a dry spell soon, with more snow on the way, but not just yet. Some of us haven’t gotten out yet, and probably won’t until there’s enough depth to protect our skis and knees. The guys down at The Back Country in Truckee had good reports around Donner Pass and my cousin at the Alpenglow in Tahoe City posted some sweet looking tracks from Hourglass, near Mt. Rose. If you’re careful about where you go, there’s enough snow. I’ve heard stories of 3 foot drifts and a foot of fluffy base. Take your rock skis or you may be disappointed with an edge shot at least, but there are turns to be had in the Tahoe area.
Nov 12 2010
Teaser Shot
Nov 01 2010
TR: August skiing in Alaska
There aren’t very many places that beckon skiers to the “Call of the Wild” in late summer like Alaska.
A big view from the air of Alaska's Wrangell St. Elias mountains. St. Elias dominates.
I still have vivid memories of a movie adventurer who was dropped off by a bush pilot in a remote area of Alaska when it sunk in to him just how much of a commitment he made as he began to eat his first mouse. Well, Cory and I weren’t planning any varmit dinners as there weren’t any mice on the Frasier Glacier. It’s in the Wrangell Mountains at least 120 air miles from the closest road – however, we were committed for at least a week and a half to deal with whatever weather and adventures Alaska was going to dole out to us. After the bush pilot tipped his wings at us in a fly-by “salute” we realized we were totally reliant on good weather for him to be able to pick us up in about ten days.
Keep making backcountry turns
Oct 26 2010
Telemark Skier Magazine #15
The first thing you should notice is the cover. It’s illustrated, a choice that isn’t used very often in the world of print. It certainly creates a fresh look and this cover goes a long way towards shedding the vestiges of the past and demonstrating the pride of the young telemarkers schooling pinheads from the barkside. ‘cept the illustration appeals to both tree huggers and the hoods from the park.
Keep making backcountry turns
Oct 24 2010
2010/11 Season Begins?
by Craig Dostie
24oct2010
It’s looking like the 2010-11 ski season is about to begin. We’ve had a couple of decent rains in the Sierra over the past six weeks. That tends to elevate expectations for a good ski season. Two weeks ago the mountains around Lake Tahoe had accumulations of over two feet on the leeward side of ridges, but most of it melted within a week.
For the past 24 hours it has been raining steadily in Truckee (elevation ~ 6,000′). After 15 years I’ve come to learn that an inch of rain in town translates to a foot of powder up high. How high depends on how warm or cold the storm is. Weathermen on the local TV stations are saying this storm will produce up to three inches of rain. Here at 5850′, it’s been raining steadily for about 12 hours so I’m betting there’s already two-feet above 9,000′. Snow-Forecast is more conservative, predicting up to 10 inches of snow above 9,000′. Between the two sources and my own estimation I think this will be enough for a lot of backcountry skiers to play hooky Monday morning and make first tracks of the season. If you go, I’ll bet a shot like this would not be an uncommon condition.
Be safe. Don’t forget to wear your avy eyes.
Oct 20 2010
Ortovox wins patent lawsuit against Mammut
by Craig Dostie
18oct2010
Ortovox released a press release today announcing a favorable decision by a higher court in Dusseldorf, Germany that Barryvox had infringed on their patent of a compass function in an avalanche transceiver. The decision comes on appeal to an earlier decision against Ortovox and the rationale for the change in the courts position has yet to be published.
According to Ortovox, Mammut, the distributor of Barryvox avalanche transceivers, is obliged to take back all Barryvox Pulse transceivers at German retailers and refund their money or change the software program to ensure that the compass function is no longer available on the Barryvox Pulse as described in the patent.
The Mammut Sports Group has announced that they will wait for the release of the official ruling before determining how to respond, emphasizing that they will “will work to find a lasting solution for the German market that does not affect the future safety of our customers.”
In layman’s terms the patent applies to the use of internal magnetic sensors in an avalanche transceiver to detect the orientation of the flux lines in combination with the earth’s magnetic field. According to Franz Kroell, product manager at Ortovox, this helps their S1 transceiver to determine the relative positions of multiple signals in relation to the earth’s magnetic fields. In effect, the patent uses the earth’s magnetic field as a reference to help distinguish the orientation of the flux lines of a victim’s beacon.
The patent protects using the earth’s magnetic field in combination with the flux lines of target beacon. Therefore this will not affect the ability of Pulse transceivers to detect the signal from a buried avalanche beacon, but it may force a change in the processing algorithms that utilize the earth’s magnetic field as a point of reference for determining direction to the flux line.
This ruling may be used as a precedent to pursue a similar infringement lawsuit against Mammut in other countries as well. According to Mammut, the valid Ortovox patent is significantly different in Germany from other countries and the Barryvox Pulse does not infringe on these other patents.
Bottom Line:
As a precautionary measure, if I were a Pulse owner living outside Germany, I’d get my Pulse upgraded to the latest firmware version before it is changed to eliminate the relevant compass function.
Oct 17 2010
Hippies, Punx & Misfits
Vid Review
by Craig Dostie
16oct2010
There is little doubt I’m one of the worst folks to ask about whether I like a ski video or not. That love affair ended after I was invited to a special screening of a Warren Miller movie. At the time, skiing was my purpose, and though I loved Warren’s stuff, the special screening was a let down. In terms of attending, that was a personal thrill. This particular time, however, it really struck me how formulaic Warren had become. I already knew when he was going to say “want your ski? Go get it.” It was funny even in the second Miller flick I saw it in but the third time he played that card it was a let down.
Keep making backcountry turns
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