Sep 19 2014
We exited our jeep taxi at the end of cleared snow about a third of the way towards the pass. The Indian Army’s road crew had begun the multi-month task of clearing snow off the road over Rohtang Pass, a critical connector north to the contested state of Kashmir. The road is a remarkable …
May 26 2014
Let’s just call him Joe, for the sake of obscurity. Joseph Robertson if you must know his full name. Friends call him Joe Bob for short. He’s a trouble maker from way back. One time he managed to rally over a 100 snowboarders to the top of some peaklet in the Cascades and the …
Apr 22 2014
Petzl’s new incarnation of the Tikka headlamp, the R+, keeps the same low profile and light weight, with a powerful 170 lumen high beam and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It’s great for use around the house, walking the dog, camping, or dawn patrols. Gone is the ability to flip a fresnel lens over the …
Jan 29 2014
Now here’s a thread with a pleasing mix of photo stoke and nerdy snowpack analysis. We did get results at 1930m on a NNW aspect in a full pit. CTE (5) down 18 SP; CTM (11) down 62 SP; and CTM 14 down 119!!! SC. On an extended column test at the same pit, we …
Jan 28 2014
When you need to move a lot of snow fast, like when you need to evacuate a buried avalanche victim, nothing beats a diesel powered back hoe. The next best thing is the human powered snow hoe. Where the Evac promises an improvement in the classic snow hoe design is by rounding the connection from a 90° angle at the connection, to one that combines two 45° bends for greater strength under stress.
Feb 21 2013
Some of you may have read my review of the Exped Downmat UL7 with some interest, then dismissed it because it is simply too expensive. While it may be more expensive than many competitive products, the old adage that “you get what you pay for” comes to mind. Quality is rarely cheap, but usually …
Aug 23 2010
Last fall Exped’s US marketing manager Kaj Bune sent me an email with a YouTube link. I’m a big fan of Exped’s down sleeping mats, but not a big fan of YouTube links and recommendations in emails, especially when there is a known marketing message involved. So I decided to call and harass him for …
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