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In classic Junuary fashion, old man winter has been slow in leaving this year. June is often a little colder and wetter than it seems like it should be, but this year has been even cooler than normal. Given the unstable weather, I have not been too inspired to get out skiing, but as a member of the Hood River Crag Rats Search and Rescue group, I did participate in a local rescue operation here on Mt. Hood this week. It was full-on winter storm conditions in June. Check out the video of me pulling half of a two-piece cascade rescue sled. These conditions were not isolated. It was like this all day. Hard to believe it is June. Thanks to Reuben from Portland Mountain Rescue for recording the moment. Of course, as soon as it hits 85-degrees, I will complain that it is too hot.

Looks like the weather is finally going to cooperate with a little volcano climbing in the northwest, but now the avalanche center is flying the avalanche caution flag. I have not been out in the past 10 days, but it sounds like caution is advised. Curious how the snow conditions are holding up with all this record moisture.

If you have ever thought about climbing Mt Hood or have climbed it, check out our Mt. Hood Climbing Routes poster.

The poster shows all of the classic climbing routes on Mt. Hood, significant geographic feature names and lists the dates associated with first ascents. It is 18"x24" and is printed on high quality 100# card stock.

Professional aerial photographs lay out the entire mountain for your advenutre planning pleasure. The poster is $15 + $2 shipping. Order the Mt Hood Climbing Route poster here

K2's 2010 backcountry ski line-up has a few notable changes from the 2009 season. First, all of K2's Backside line feature their new p-tex top sheet material. The idea behind the p-tex is to keep snow from building up on the top sheets, a great way reduce uphill weight. Does it work? To be honest, we did not get to tour on the skis in conditions that would normally produce snow buildup. What we saw was good, but it was far from a true evaluation. Other changes include an all new Darkside and the addition of tip rocker to the Wayback (formerly the Mt Baker Superlight).

The new Darkside has loads more tip rocker than last year's and all new graphics.The 2010 Darkside (156-128-144) combines K2's most aggressive tip rocker with a traditional tail. The result is a super stable and fun ski, but it does weigh in at 10.4lbs a pair. But just think, hopefully you will be carrying less snow on the top sheet in the uptrack. No doubt, it is a fun ski, and it encouraged our testers to attempt setting new speed records at the ski hill, but it is leaning pretty far toward mechanized access.

Of more interest to dedicated touring skiers is the 2010 K2 Wayback. The addition of tip rocker to the Wayback makes for a very lively, yet predictable and modestly stable ski. The Baker Superlight of old and last year's Wayback were a fine boards, but they lacked the personality and lively feel of the 2010 Wayback. I will go out on a limb and call the new Wayback a significant improvement over an already good ski. It is not the lightest (6.8lbs/pair) in its class, or the fattest (124-88-108), but it held its own in a variety of snow conditions, and I was impressed.

The rest of the 2010 K2 Backside line remains the same aside from the new top sheet material and some new graphics (women's skis too).

 The K2 Darkside and the K2 Wayback are available for purchase at evo.com

Rooftop cargo boxes are a great way to haul skis and keep your gear out of your vehicle. I have a Yakima Rocketbox and I use it all winter long (and then some), but I have found that my ski edges often rust when I leave my skis in the box for multiple days. Basically, snowmelt from the skis pools in the base of the Rocketbox and the skis end up sitting in water and the edges rust. The problem is particulary noticable when I haul multiple pairs of skis - more skis equals more snow to melt. So, I came up with a quick fix to eliminate the problem. I drilled drain holes in the bottom of the box with a 1/4" drill bit. The holes allow the snowmelt to drain away and my skis no longer have to sit in puddles of water, problem solved. The water issue may be more pronounced in the Northwest where the temps in town are often near or above freezing, but the modification does not compromise the box and will help keep the inside of your ski box dryer, regardless of where you live.

I drilled my box while it was mounted on the roof of the car. This worked fine, but obviously you have to use a level of caution so you do not  put drain holes in the roof of your vehicle. If you do not trust yourself, pull your box off the car or create a stop on the drill bit with duct tape. I simply drilled holes in the low areas of the box (see photo). All told, I have about eight or ten holes. Happy drilling.