Latest
Patagonia Descensionist 32L Ski Pack
Patagonia Descensionist 32L Ski Pack A good ski pack keeps a low profile. It needs to store our avalanche safety gear and essential day trip supplies. But its presence should be subtle and fade away as we skin our way up or turn our way down the hill. The ideal ski pack size varies for everyone, but generally speaking, 30-40 liters is considered the norm for most day-touring needs. The newest pack to make its way on to our backs is the Patagonia Descensionist 32L Ski Pack. The Descensionist The Patagonia Descensionist ski pack is a mostly traditional top-loading daypack with a decidedly straightforward design with a couple of features that set it apart from the crowd. In the big picture, it has one large…
Gear
Climbing Skins – G3 Alpinist+ Glide
We’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; climbing skins are one of the most underrated pieces of gear we use. Yet without skins, we can’t do what we do, climb up to ski down. Having used nearly every type of skin available over the years, I have a strong preference for momix skins – skins that use a… Read More
Softshell Ski Pants for Backcountry Skiing
Backcountry Ski Pants Patagonia Snow Guide and Arc’teryx Rush FL You gotta get up to get down, and skinning uphill requires breathability in your outerwear. It’s easy enough to shed your ski shell when breaking trail, but your ski pants are a different story. As a result, backcountry ski pants need to vent, or better yet, be truly breathable. Waterproof-breathable… Read More
Arc’teryx Proton LT Hoody – Lightweight, Breathable Warmth
Arc’teryx Proton LT Hoody – Active Insulation If you have not experienced the modern world of “active insulation,” it’s more than just marketing hype. It refers to an insulated jacket that maintains air permeability. In other words, it’s breathable. The idea behind active insulation is warmth across a wider spectrum of aerobic activity than a more traditional, less breathable jacket… Read More
La Sportiva Synchro AT Ski Boot
La Sportiva Synchro AT Ski Boot It’s no secret that we spend more time climbing uphill than we do skiing down when backcountry skiing. Nonetheless, downhill performance remains high on the AT ski boot requirement list for most backcountry skiers. As a result, our boots need to walk the line between being lightweight and uphill-friendly while maintaining the ability to… Read More
Outdoor Research Deviator Hoodie – Breathable Warmth
Outdoor Research Deviator Hoodie – Breathable Warmth Balancing warmth, breathability and wind protection on the uptrack is easier to say than it is to do. Everyday presents its own weather conditions and demands, but the Outdoor Research Deviator Hoodie handles the job of climate control on the uptrack well by effectively wicking moisture and breathing to keep you dry, warm and… Read More
Leather Ski Gloves
Leather Ski Gloves Put your skins on. Take your skins off. Buckle your boots. Loosen your boots. Fuss with your bindings. Open your pack. Eat a snack. Take a photo. A typical day in the backcountry asks a lot of our gloved hands – far more than a day at the resort. Good gloves for backcountry skiing need to be… Read More
Features
DIY Ski Waxing for the Backcountry
Ski Waxing for the Backcountry Backcountry skiing is a far cry from ski racing, but freshly waxed skis are still important to keep you sliding and slashing through the pow with ease. And the good news is that ski waxing for the backcountry is not rocket science. In fact, it’s down right simple. You just need a few basic tools… Read More
Ski Waxing and Tuning Bench
Ski Waxing and Tuning Bench If you want to spend anytime doing your own ski maintenance, a solid ski waxing and tuning bench is important. Between keeping my skis ready to roll, setting up test gear and working on friends’ gear, my ski bench sees use multiple times per week. Ski widths exceeded the width of my traditional ski vices years ago, and… Read More
Essential Backcountry Ski Gear – What Do You Really Need
Essential Backcountry Ski Gear – What Do You Really Need Boots, skis, poles, skins, shovel, probe, beacon – these are the non-negotiable gear items for a day of backcountry skiing. Of course, you’ve got your basic baselayers and outerwear, too. But what about all the other stuff – the gear that spends more time in our packs than in use…. Read More
Avalanche Transceiver – Chest Harness or Pants Pocket?
Avalanche Transceiver – Chest Harness or Pants Pocket Standard protocol for wearing an avalanche transceiver has long been strapped to your chest in it’s harness. In the last handful of years, more and more skiers are moving to storing their beacons in a pant pocket. Using a pant pocket makes for convenient access when doing morning transceiver checks, can help… Read More
Avalanche Safety
Avalanche Safety – Communication in the Backcountry
Avalanche Safety – Communication in the Backcountry The freezing levels in the Northwest have been on their typical fall rollercoaster ride and, with the ride, the snow has come and gone and come again. Early season skiing has its attraction, but I like to remind myself that there is no rush. That said, plenty of skiers have seized the moment… Read More
Avy 101 – Weak Layers – A low tech approach to identifying common avalanche culprits
Weak Layers A low-tech approach to identifying common avalanche culprits – by Larry Goldie Believe it or not, regardless of what triggers an avalanche, every avalanche has one thing in common: they all fail on a weak layer of snow. Personally, I would much rather be out skiing than standing around in snowpits looking at snow crystals and analyzing weak layers…. Read More
Movies
DPS Shadow Campaign – Wallmapu
It’s never too early to inspire your spring and summer volcano ski objectives. The DPS film crew travelled to Chile in search of mountain culture and skiing to brings us WALLMAPU. The Pehuenche people of present-day Chile speak Mapudungun: ‘the language of the land.’ This land, their universe, is known as Wallmapu. Two skiers enter into a breathtaking creation of… Read More
Children of the Columbia – Full Length Ski Movie
Sherpas Cinema – Children of the Columbia – Full Feature Children of the Columbia Join big mountain skiers Dane Tudor and Christina Lustenberger as they travel up the waterway that shaped them, the Columbia River. The mighty Columbia River grows out of some of the best skiing in the world. From Trail to Revelstoke and on to Kinbasket Lake the… Read More
The Vault
The Art of the Uptrack
The Art of the Uptrack Larry Goldie – Owner, Lead Guide at North Cascade Mountain Guides First, there was the epiphany. It was a deep day, sixteen inches of new and still snowing. The hookup began as many do, spontaneously meeting at the trailhead with the same objective in mind. I was with my two most regular ski partners. Our… Read More
Dream Job – Avalanche Forecaster
Dream Job – Avalanche Forecaster An Interview with ChugachNational Forest Avalanche Center Forecaster Wendy Wagner by David Waag We all appreciate the value of our regional avalanche forecast centers and, let’s be honest, who hasn’t dreamed of working as an avalanche professional. It’s all face shots, field observations and free gear right? Well, it turns out there’s a lot more… Read More