G3 Alpinist LT Climbing Skins Review We spend many an hour working our way uphill while backcountry skiing and our choice of climbing skins can make a big difference in our efforts on the skin track. Think lightweight and good glide. The lightweight part is obvious, but the good glide part is often overlooked in favor of grip. Today’s wide skis translate… Read More
Backcountry Ski JacketsShell Jacket 101 Hardshell – We define a hardshell as any waterproof / breathable jacket that features waterproof membrane construction like GORE-TEX®. It’s essentially a sandwich featuring an outer face material, a waterproof/breathable membrane and a backer material. Hardshell materials have come a long way in recent years to offer softer, less hardshell feeling materials. High-end three-layer hardshells… Read More
Cascade volcano skiing season is going to be a bit shorter than normal this season due to the low Pacific Northwest snowpack this winter, but the access is opening up earlier than normal. Most access roads are snow-free, but a couple primary ones remain gated as of this week. I’d think this should change soon. In the meantime, you can… Read More
2016 backcountry skis – Ski testing part II In keeping with the first ski testing post’s focus on 2016 backcountry skis with 90-99 mm waists, here are a few thoughts on skis with waist widths in the 90’s. Generally speaking, for West Coast backcountry skiers, a mid-90’s waist on a backcountry ski is considered on the narrow side and remains a quiver… Read More
The deepest snowpack in the Northwest this winter is in Washington’s North Cascades. I was lucky enough to catch a few bluebird days ski touring with North Cascade Heli and North Cascades Mountain Guides this month. We found some good snow hiding in the north-facing alpine reaches of the Washington Pass area. NC Heli offers a touring option where they… Read More
Continuing with our side project to visit and highlight local and regional ski related businesses, I recently made a trip to backpack maker, CiloGear, located in Portland, Oregon. The small, independent pack company is named after the Cilo Mountains, a remote range in southeast Turkey where Graham Williams, owner and founder, actually spent time climbing while living and working in… Read More
SKI STORAGE RACKS The pile in the corner of the gear room has grown larger over the last few years. My own ski quiver was substantial enough but adding my two teenage children’s collections has tipped the pile toward entropy modeled after storms in the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve dabbled with a couple of cobbled, home-spun ski racks made from… Read More
Scarpa Freedom SL Ski Boot If you are in search of one boot to serve your resort and backcountry ski needs, you’ll be stoked to see the new boots coming from K2, BD and Scarpa. The past couple of seasons have offered a great selection of lightweight three- and four-buckle boots for dedicated touring and this upcoming season looks… Read More
Off-Piste the backcountry skier’s magazine, Issue 59 December 2013, ski pack reviews, ski cutting, Zed part II, Breathe
Issue 45 March 2010 off-piste magazine, Sylvain Saudan, Ski Packs, The Jet Stream, Handmade Skis, Ski Mountaineering and more
Skin Tracks, The Skiing Life, Ski Packs, Ski Flicks
Raise the Bar on Backcountry Communication with Rocky Talkie 5-Watt Radios Good communication makes for a good day and safe travel protocol in the backcountry. On the most basic level, good communication is about staying in touch with your ski partner(s) while climbing and skiing. When the terrain splits your group or different paces cause separation, two-way radios let you… Read More
Insulated Puffy Jackets – Down v. Synthetic A warm, puffy jacket is required equipment for backcountry skiing (read our backcountry ski packing list). It’s your ticket to comfortable transitions, warm summit breaks and lightweight insurance for staying warm in the case of an emergency. I usually carry two insulated jackets in my backcountry ski pack—one light-to-midweight synthetic puffy jacket (that… Read More
Headlamps for Backcountry Skiing Have you ever tried to finish a ski tour in the dark or found yourself chasing daylight through the woods? Darkness takes on new meaning in the forest far from trailhead or home without a headlamp to light the way. Ounce for ounce, a few pieces of gear can get you out of a jam with… Read More
Avalanche Rescue and Snow Pits – The BCA Dozer 2H Shovel Does It All Avalanche shovels are the kind of gear we hope to never really use for their intended purpose of recovering a buried ski partner. But the shovels we all carry have many other uses, primary being to dig snow pits in search of weak layers and to… Read More
