The lure of the skiing in the backcountry is unmistakable. The thought of endless fresh lines, earning your turns and getting away from the crowds is enticing to more and more athletes. I am one of those athletes. Earn your turns is a mantra that not only makes for fun times in Utah's mountains, but makes for great exercise and instant adventure. Not to mention the money saved on lift tickets.
But the draw of the backcountry should never overshadow the real dangers that exist out there. People die in avalanches. Experienced and novice alike take too much risk and end up at the bottom of a slide. But even the most careful BC travelers can get caught. Its just the nature of being out there. While the risks of BC skiing can be mitigated, its important to understand the risk of avalanche is never 100% gone.
When I started BC skiing about 7 years ago, one of the first things I did was go to an avy awareness class. These classes are usually free and cover the basics of BC travel. There are plenty of opportunites to get more advanced training as well. In Utah, the best resource for any and all of this info is the Utah Avalanche Center. Even though I only make it out skiing 10 times a year or so, I usually check the avy forecast daily. It gives me a great history and background of the conditions and I'm able to take note of the season's trends.
For anyone going out into avalanche terrain, whether its snowshoeing, snowmobiling or skiing, don't go without 4 crucial and bare minimum pieces of equipment: shovel, beacon, probe and a partner. The real key is knowing how to use those things as well.
Julbo Down Snow Goggles - Black/Fire (Google Affiliate Ad)
I've taken some time to test my beacon at beacon parks at the local resorts. If I have a friend buried, I really don't want to be fooling around with equipment I'm not familiar with. The practice ans training in my opinion is part of the joy of being out there.
You also have to be prepared to not ski. I've been out before where we skied less than exciting terrain, simply because we felt conditions were too dangerous.
Local TV station KSL actually has a good piece this week about BC travel. Check it out below. Not only does it feature my favorite weather lady Jodi Saelan, but its a great starting point for anyone wanting to go out of bounds.
There's so much to explore out there. Keep it wild and keep it safe.
Showing posts with label AT gear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AT gear. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Marker Baron 13 AT Bindings
Today's installment of "what I use and why" I'm reviewing the Marker Baron 13 AT Binding.
In my years long build-up to purchasing my own alpine touring set up, I had the opportunity to demo and read about every binding out there. 5 years ago, their wasn't really a resort worthy, burly AT binding available. The Fritschi Freeride was available as well as some options from now defunt Naxo. But in the last few years, the options for AT skiers have exploded with offerings from Salomom, Atomic, Tyrolia and the company that started it all, Marker.
Backcountry Skiing Utah (2nd Edition) by Bradley, Tyson [Paperback] (Google Affiliate Ad)
When Marker came out with the Duke it really lit a fire under the industry. Suddenly, people who worried about durability in their bindings or who didn't really want a lightweight set up, could free their heels for short tours and skin tracks. While the model has its drawbacks, there really is no compromise in downhill performance and toughness. In fact, the new binding outperformed many traditional alpine bindings. The unique toe piece design has found its way into most of Marker's lineup. The Duke was hefty, functional and expensive. It came with a DIN of 16(!) to make sure the huck masters of the world blew their knees before losing their skies.
When it came time for my own purchase, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. I've had a few days on Fritschi Freerides and while they toured great, their durability was lacking. Twice I rented Fritschi's and had them fall apart during my backcountry trips. They're made to be light and they tour quite well, but having them break was disappointing. I like the new offerings from Salomon and Atomic but budget constraints meant those were out of the picture. I don't trust used bindings so my quest led me to the Marker Baron. The Duke's I found in my price range were white, but in my experience white plastic isn't white for very long and I hate yellowing stuff that was supposed to be white.
The Baron is built very much the same as the Duke but with more plastic and less metal. This lightens the set up by about a 1/4 pound for a weight of 2480 grams for my large binder size. The Baron also has a DIN of 13, which is plenty for me and my weight. I actually have them set on 9 so I have plenty in the binding.
Downhill Performance
When first stepping into the Baron, there's a solid, confidence building click. More like a thud really. You know your attached to the ski. The stack height of 34mm is a taller than a traditional binding but that creates some leverage for turning. The huck masters prefers something closer to the ski, but I appreciate the extra leverage. With my Rossignol Bandit B94's and Salomon Quest 12 boots, there really is no sacrifice in downhill performance. My set up is just as burly as any big mountain, high performance rig out there. I can turn in any condition of snow, feel confident in moderate drops and I know they'll last with some resort abuse as well.
Uphill Performance
Just as with my Quest 12 boots, uphill is where the compromises come into play with the bindings. While not as heavy as the Duke's, the Barons are still heavy. If you're carrying your skis, its definitely noticeable. The skin up also takes a bit more energy. This may not be the rig for a week long tour, but my goals aren't really week long tours. If I ever do that, I'll go rent some lightweight gear at REI.
The change between downhill and uphill mode can also be a pain. The lever to switch from tour to ski mode is underneath the boot. While this ensures a secure latching of the mechanism, it makes it so you have to remove your skis to get into downhill mode. This is a time consumer more than anything as you touring pals may have other bindings that can be swtiched with the skis still on. The Fritschi, Salomon and Atomic bindings all have that feature, just as lighter tech style binding do as well. With those you can remove your skins without removing your skis. Again, not the biggest deal but if you're racing for lines, this could be an issue. It could also be an issue if your somwhere where removing your skis for the downhill would be dangerous. In my experience though, those kinds of areas would have to be hiked to anyway, with your skis removed already. The lever must also be cleaned of snow and ice before switching to ski mode. While the system does have its drawbacks, the one big thing it has going for it is that there is no chance of the binding switching to tour mode while skiing. That's something I have experienced on the Fritschi and it wasn't fun.
The binding also features a 3 position climbing bar for 0, 7 and 15 degrees of lift. The bar can be moved with your pole ends but not as easily as the Fritschi.
The walking movement of the binding is smooth and natural. The binding actually moves aft a few mm's when in touring mode for a better stride. To me, while heavier, it felt smoother than the Fritschi in the skin track.
So, in short, this binding is awesome for going downhill. You really give up nothing in skiing performance. You do compromise for the uphill but durability is awesome. For most all mountain skiers who like the resorts but still want some BC adventure, this binding rocks. If you're heavier or like to huck your meat, the Duke may be better for you, but the cost goes up about $100. I haven't skied the Sally's, Atomics or Tyrolias. but they claim to have addresses some of the drawbacks of the Markers. You may start finding some deals on those this spring and summer however. If its the uphill your concerned about, the Fritschi Freeride may be your speed but again, good luck finding a deal. Its also good to note that the Dukes and Fritschis require wider skies whereas the Barons require a ski of at least 78mm wide at the waist.
My advice is to demo all you can before you purchase. REI and most college rental programs now have the Markers and Fritschis in their line-ups. You may be able to demo the other brands at your local shop as well. If a touring set up is what you want though, there are plenty of options!
In my years long build-up to purchasing my own alpine touring set up, I had the opportunity to demo and read about every binding out there. 5 years ago, their wasn't really a resort worthy, burly AT binding available. The Fritschi Freeride was available as well as some options from now defunt Naxo. But in the last few years, the options for AT skiers have exploded with offerings from Salomom, Atomic, Tyrolia and the company that started it all, Marker.
Backcountry Skiing Utah (2nd Edition) by Bradley, Tyson [Paperback] (Google Affiliate Ad)
When Marker came out with the Duke it really lit a fire under the industry. Suddenly, people who worried about durability in their bindings or who didn't really want a lightweight set up, could free their heels for short tours and skin tracks. While the model has its drawbacks, there really is no compromise in downhill performance and toughness. In fact, the new binding outperformed many traditional alpine bindings. The unique toe piece design has found its way into most of Marker's lineup. The Duke was hefty, functional and expensive. It came with a DIN of 16(!) to make sure the huck masters of the world blew their knees before losing their skies.
The Baron is built very much the same as the Duke but with more plastic and less metal. This lightens the set up by about a 1/4 pound for a weight of 2480 grams for my large binder size. The Baron also has a DIN of 13, which is plenty for me and my weight. I actually have them set on 9 so I have plenty in the binding.
Downhill Performance
Uphill Performance
Just as with my Quest 12 boots, uphill is where the compromises come into play with the bindings. While not as heavy as the Duke's, the Barons are still heavy. If you're carrying your skis, its definitely noticeable. The skin up also takes a bit more energy. This may not be the rig for a week long tour, but my goals aren't really week long tours. If I ever do that, I'll go rent some lightweight gear at REI.
The change between downhill and uphill mode can also be a pain. The lever to switch from tour to ski mode is underneath the boot. While this ensures a secure latching of the mechanism, it makes it so you have to remove your skis to get into downhill mode. This is a time consumer more than anything as you touring pals may have other bindings that can be swtiched with the skis still on. The Fritschi, Salomon and Atomic bindings all have that feature, just as lighter tech style binding do as well. With those you can remove your skins without removing your skis. Again, not the biggest deal but if you're racing for lines, this could be an issue. It could also be an issue if your somwhere where removing your skis for the downhill would be dangerous. In my experience though, those kinds of areas would have to be hiked to anyway, with your skis removed already. The lever must also be cleaned of snow and ice before switching to ski mode. While the system does have its drawbacks, the one big thing it has going for it is that there is no chance of the binding switching to tour mode while skiing. That's something I have experienced on the Fritschi and it wasn't fun.
The binding also features a 3 position climbing bar for 0, 7 and 15 degrees of lift. The bar can be moved with your pole ends but not as easily as the Fritschi.
The walking movement of the binding is smooth and natural. The binding actually moves aft a few mm's when in touring mode for a better stride. To me, while heavier, it felt smoother than the Fritschi in the skin track.
So, in short, this binding is awesome for going downhill. You really give up nothing in skiing performance. You do compromise for the uphill but durability is awesome. For most all mountain skiers who like the resorts but still want some BC adventure, this binding rocks. If you're heavier or like to huck your meat, the Duke may be better for you, but the cost goes up about $100. I haven't skied the Sally's, Atomics or Tyrolias. but they claim to have addresses some of the drawbacks of the Markers. You may start finding some deals on those this spring and summer however. If its the uphill your concerned about, the Fritschi Freeride may be your speed but again, good luck finding a deal. Its also good to note that the Dukes and Fritschis require wider skies whereas the Barons require a ski of at least 78mm wide at the waist.
My advice is to demo all you can before you purchase. REI and most college rental programs now have the Markers and Fritschis in their line-ups. You may be able to demo the other brands at your local shop as well. If a touring set up is what you want though, there are plenty of options!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Salomon Quest 12 Boots
I scored a huge deal on some never used Rossignol Bandit B94's so that allowed me some extra money for boots and bindings. I don't trust used bindings and the boots I found we also NIB, leftover from last year's stock. Today we'll discuss my boot purchase.
With a little extra money I discovered used boots were not much cheaper than buying "new" 2012 boots. But that also depended heavily on the brand. The best AT boots I've demo'ed were from Scarpa. I loved the Tornado Pro's and Typhoons but I couldn't find Typhoons for less than $400 and the deals I found on Tornados were cosmetic 2nds. The cosmetic 2nds wouldn't be such a big deal but the issue was yellowing of the white parts of the boot. My last set of Rossi boots had a huge piece of white plastic that yellowed over time and I hated the way it looked. I know, trivial, but I had waited this long to buy my AT gear and wanted to get it just right. I also felt that while the Tornados were just a bit too "touring" focused and not "alpine" enough. The Typhoons would have fit the bill, but again, no luck on price. I've demo'd Gamont's as well, but they really did not agree with my feet. I never had a pair feel quite right and I always had pain in various parts of my feet and shins. I never had a chance to wear anything from Black Diamond.
So that led me to the more traditional alpine brands that are now carrying alpine boots with grippy soles and a walk function. The formula is simple, providing stiff, bomber freeride boots with just enough functionality to tour. These types of boots are much heavier than offerings from Scarpa, Garmont and Black Diamond, but you really give up no downhill performance.
I narrowed my search to Lange Blaster Pro's and Salomon's Quest 12. The Lange's because I've had Lange before and they fit well and the Sally's because they have a big local Ogden presence and a good reputation. The other good thing about the Sally's is that the 2013 Quest offerings aren't much different than the 2012 boots and I could try a few on before settling on a size. I really, really wanted the Quest Pro Pebax, with its lighter weight and rockered sole, but missed out on my size waiting to decide.
With a few trips to Alpine Sports in Ogden, I narrowed in on a size, 27.5, and found a deal that was $100 better than any Lange's I found so I went with the Quest 12's.
The Ride
 |
| "ski mode" |
The Quest's come with 3 buckles and and huge power strap that really serves as the 4th buckle. I assume this design is to save weight. I think they should just go one step further and get rid of the small first buckle on the the forefoot as well. I've never skied a pair of boots, AT or otherwise, where that small buckle really made much difference. I think a single oversized buckle across the foot would do just fine and save a few ozs. There's a super grippy rubber sole on the bottom with the requisite slick DIN part for compatibility with alpine bindings. The liner has a nice Boa type lacing system which keeps the liner snug even when the boots are loosened a bit for hiking and touring. The rest of the boot is solid traditional overlap construction.
My first outing on my new boots began with the skin uphill. So my first assessment is of the tourablility of the boots. I knew they were going to be heavy so there was no surprise there. While the walk function is simple (flip the lever up to walk, down to ski) I am disappointed with the range of motion in walk mode. Its hard to tell if the boot is actually canting forward and back or if I'm just flexing the boot or moving a but with the buckles loosened.
 |
| "walk mode" |
2012 vs. 2013
Why am I reviewing last year's gear? Well, as I said before, there's no real difference between the 2012 Quest 12 and 2013 Quest 120 other than the color. Both are rated at a 120 flex. Also, if you're like me and looking for a deal, its nice to know someone has used the gear you might be looking for.
There is a Quest 120 Max, which comes with a heat moldable shell, not just a moldable liner.
Now, there is some bad press out there about Sally's AT offerings, but those issues had to do with the Dynafit compatible soles of earlier offerings, NOT the traditional soled AT boots that I have. Salomon has been building boots a long time and I trust them. While their early foray into tech fittings was bad, their AT product looks like it will serve me well.
Conclusion
While the Quest 12's are on the heavy side for touring and the walk function could be improved overall I'm happy with my boots. I care more about the down than the up and with my traditional alpine skis, I wanted a boot that would drive my skis without issue. I tend to get into some rowdy terrain and I want a bomber set up that will get me home safely. It looks like there's still some deals on Quest 12's out there but the new Quest 120's and Max's look like an awesome set up as well. When buying boots however, I believe fit is the number one concern, so go try some on or hit your local resort's demo days. If you're willing to forgo the "newest and latest" there are deals to be found everywhere. Just be sure to give your local shop some love when it comes time to mounting and servicing your gear!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Mega Monday!
What a week it has been! Utah was graced with some deep snow and sunny skies for the Christmas holiday. Add to that the fact that my wife took a week off of work and you have a recipe for some great days in the backcountry.
On Wednesday the 26th, I headed up to meet some friends for another trip up Grizzly Gulch but they bailed on me with the snow coming down hard. I was already half way there, so I decided to go anyway and try to meet up with someone in the parking lot. Sure, enough, there was another guy there who came up solo and was looking for a touring partner. I'm still not that familiar with the area and neither was he so we took it easy. Visibility was poor as well so we trekked only to areas we could actually see. For us that day, that meant Patsy Marley, a mellow peak (on its north face at least) that we could get to realitively easily.
We skinned our way to the ridge and topped out at the summit, but the north side of Patsy's is short if you want to ski the fall line. We had some fresh tracks for the first pitch then made our way through the trees for some nice shots and back down the cattrack. We skied one more 300 foot line down into the creek that leads back to the parking lot.
The guy I skied with was visiting from Rhode Island. He had been to the Wasatch before and was never disappointed. What a cool thing to be able to just show up and have some companions to tour with.
The snow kept coming down and ended up dropping about 18 inches in the Cottonwoods from Wednesday to Friday. With the greenlight from the fam to take in another day I met some buds once again at Grizzly Gulch on Saturday. With avy danger hovering on the Moderate side, we felt a little more adventurous. We crested at the Solitude resort boundary and decided on some 500 foot lines into the Twin Lakes area wedged between Solitude and Brighton. While we weren't the only ones there, there were plenty of fresh tracks to be made. We skied one lap then had one in our party have to head home. So with 2 of us left, we skinned a bit higher and found a steeper, longer line of untouched. There were some dudes building a kicker just above us so we hugged the trees to keep their landing area pristine. They were appreciative and I hope it earned us some good BC karma.
The skin out of Twin Lakes was steep and we contemplated our last run. We had thought about heading up to Patsy's but on our way found an incredible, even steeper and deeper chute to lay some tracks on. It was run where I wish I had my GoPro. It was truly a hero run, with the kind of snow and pitch that dreams are made...snow blasting up against your chest, effortless turns and just the sounds of the wind blowing through your helmet and soft, light and fluffy flakes battering your body.
It was too good to last however. Our final skin out was hampered by frozen skins. I had made the rookie mistake of getting snow on my skins before putting them in my backpack and they wouldn't stick to my skies. Then, in a effort to clean them, I lost the metal clip for the back strap. So, I tried boot packing with my skis on my pack but that effort was futile. The skin track wasn't near packed enough to boot it. So at the suggestion of a passerby, I put my skins in my shirt to thaw then out. While it made for some cold, wet minutes, it did the trick. My skins stuck and we made it out just fine.
Our last run of the day was back to the parking lot but we manged to find some fresh shots in the trees on the way.
Our day began at 9:30 and ended at 3:30. It was an amazing day that left us with about 2000 feet of skiing, all fresh lines. We could see some of the runs in the resorts, all of which were tracked out and already filled with moguls. I felt lucky to be out in the BC and earning turns. While I didn't get in as many runs as I would at a resort, each run I had was quality. Even with a crowded day in one of the most popular BC spots in the Wasatch, I never skied over anyone else's tracks. I would much rather so that than spend $70+ at a resort skiing moguls and fighting for fresh-ish lines.
Part of my enjoyment as well is the workout you get touring. You gotta love the up as much as the down if you're heading out into the BC. You also have to be ready to call it quits or ski mellow terrain if avy danger is too high. So you may end up skinning alot and not even ski! Regardless, its about being out in the sun and snow and having a great time with your friends.
With 3 days now on my new equipment, I've got some things to say about for sure. Tomorrow will talk nutrition and then Wednesday I'll review some of the equipment I'm using in hopes it will help your next gear purchase.
Until then, Happy New Year!!
On Wednesday the 26th, I headed up to meet some friends for another trip up Grizzly Gulch but they bailed on me with the snow coming down hard. I was already half way there, so I decided to go anyway and try to meet up with someone in the parking lot. Sure, enough, there was another guy there who came up solo and was looking for a touring partner. I'm still not that familiar with the area and neither was he so we took it easy. Visibility was poor as well so we trekked only to areas we could actually see. For us that day, that meant Patsy Marley, a mellow peak (on its north face at least) that we could get to realitively easily.
We skinned our way to the ridge and topped out at the summit, but the north side of Patsy's is short if you want to ski the fall line. We had some fresh tracks for the first pitch then made our way through the trees for some nice shots and back down the cattrack. We skied one more 300 foot line down into the creek that leads back to the parking lot.
The guy I skied with was visiting from Rhode Island. He had been to the Wasatch before and was never disappointed. What a cool thing to be able to just show up and have some companions to tour with.
The snow kept coming down and ended up dropping about 18 inches in the Cottonwoods from Wednesday to Friday. With the greenlight from the fam to take in another day I met some buds once again at Grizzly Gulch on Saturday. With avy danger hovering on the Moderate side, we felt a little more adventurous. We crested at the Solitude resort boundary and decided on some 500 foot lines into the Twin Lakes area wedged between Solitude and Brighton. While we weren't the only ones there, there were plenty of fresh tracks to be made. We skied one lap then had one in our party have to head home. So with 2 of us left, we skinned a bit higher and found a steeper, longer line of untouched. There were some dudes building a kicker just above us so we hugged the trees to keep their landing area pristine. They were appreciative and I hope it earned us some good BC karma.
The skin out of Twin Lakes was steep and we contemplated our last run. We had thought about heading up to Patsy's but on our way found an incredible, even steeper and deeper chute to lay some tracks on. It was run where I wish I had my GoPro. It was truly a hero run, with the kind of snow and pitch that dreams are made...snow blasting up against your chest, effortless turns and just the sounds of the wind blowing through your helmet and soft, light and fluffy flakes battering your body.
It was too good to last however. Our final skin out was hampered by frozen skins. I had made the rookie mistake of getting snow on my skins before putting them in my backpack and they wouldn't stick to my skies. Then, in a effort to clean them, I lost the metal clip for the back strap. So, I tried boot packing with my skis on my pack but that effort was futile. The skin track wasn't near packed enough to boot it. So at the suggestion of a passerby, I put my skins in my shirt to thaw then out. While it made for some cold, wet minutes, it did the trick. My skins stuck and we made it out just fine.
Our last run of the day was back to the parking lot but we manged to find some fresh shots in the trees on the way.
Our day began at 9:30 and ended at 3:30. It was an amazing day that left us with about 2000 feet of skiing, all fresh lines. We could see some of the runs in the resorts, all of which were tracked out and already filled with moguls. I felt lucky to be out in the BC and earning turns. While I didn't get in as many runs as I would at a resort, each run I had was quality. Even with a crowded day in one of the most popular BC spots in the Wasatch, I never skied over anyone else's tracks. I would much rather so that than spend $70+ at a resort skiing moguls and fighting for fresh-ish lines.
Part of my enjoyment as well is the workout you get touring. You gotta love the up as much as the down if you're heading out into the BC. You also have to be ready to call it quits or ski mellow terrain if avy danger is too high. So you may end up skinning alot and not even ski! Regardless, its about being out in the sun and snow and having a great time with your friends.
With 3 days now on my new equipment, I've got some things to say about for sure. Tomorrow will talk nutrition and then Wednesday I'll review some of the equipment I'm using in hopes it will help your next gear purchase.
Until then, Happy New Year!!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Wild Wednesday
Its been a snowy couple of days here in Utah and for once, we got more up here near Ogden than the SLC area mountains got. There's about 8 inches outside my house at 4500 feet and 20 inches reported in the mountains. We had snow Christmas Eve which made for postcard snowy pictures on Christmas Day. I would post some, but I have yet to figure out how to download photos from my new phone. Evidently smart phones are smarter than me!
I've been able to take advantage of the new snow with some short morning tours in Little Cottonwood Canyon outside of SLC and get used to my new equipment.
My day out was Saturday. It had been a few days since a storm so I didn't expect much, I just really wanted to get out. I also had a 3 hr bike ride planned for later that morning, so Saturday's tour was really just to get into the snow. The skin up Gizzly Gulch was tame. There's a groomed catrack to the top of an area called Michigan City. So there was no trail to break, just a nice, mellow skin. Because of time, we had to start our descent but with the windblown conditions the snow was super hard and very tough to get a decent turn in. It was more work going down than going up. Hero snow it was not, but again, I was just glad to be out there.
We scrambled back to town and to the meeting point for the group ride with the Plan 7 group in Midvale. With a 2 hour warm up in the mountains I was a little fried for a 3 hour ride, but it worked out well. Especially for my weight loss goals! I burned abour 2600 calories in that 5 hours of exercise.
With a big storm rolling in for Christmas Eve however, I was anxious to get out in better conditions. So yesterday I set out in the falling snow for another a.m. tour in the same area. I didn't have a partner however, but I thought I would just hook up with someone else in the parking lot. Sure enough, a dude named Tom from Rhode Island was there solo as well. So we headed out for a few turns.
The snow snow was falling quickly but visibility was still good. We headed up to a peak called Patsy Marley, named for a mining era madame from the area. Well, this madame was dishing up some nice turns yesterday where we landed fresh tracks on Patsy's north side. The east face of Patsy's in where the rowdier terrain lies, but we didn't have time to head that direction and neither of us was very familiar with the area. But we got in some great powder turns.
In total it was a 2.5 hour tour burning more than 1200 calories in the process.
I discovered that I love touring, even short mornings like the last two. Being away from the resort is refreshing and much cheaper! I love our local resorts, but I just can't afford $70+ lift tickets. We'll save resort days for family days and super awesome conditions. I also find the uphill just as enjoyable as the down, if not more sometimes. Its a great workout for one, but it also makes the down that more more rewarding. I love searching out new terrain and lines that I've never seen before. I have my favorite shots at resorts, but the backcountry allows for so much more variety. While avy danger is always present (even in resorts) , there are correct ways to be safe. Simply taking an avy awareness course is beneficial and being properly equiped with a shovel, becon and probe, and knowing how to use the equipment, can make for a lifetime of awesome adventures in the backcountry.
In other adventurous news, the 2012 Rolex Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race is about to wrap up with line honours fav Wild Oats XI on track for a 6th line honors victory. The race for handicap winners is also alive with the smaller boats making a run for glory.
I've been able to take advantage of the new snow with some short morning tours in Little Cottonwood Canyon outside of SLC and get used to my new equipment.
My day out was Saturday. It had been a few days since a storm so I didn't expect much, I just really wanted to get out. I also had a 3 hr bike ride planned for later that morning, so Saturday's tour was really just to get into the snow. The skin up Gizzly Gulch was tame. There's a groomed catrack to the top of an area called Michigan City. So there was no trail to break, just a nice, mellow skin. Because of time, we had to start our descent but with the windblown conditions the snow was super hard and very tough to get a decent turn in. It was more work going down than going up. Hero snow it was not, but again, I was just glad to be out there.
We scrambled back to town and to the meeting point for the group ride with the Plan 7 group in Midvale. With a 2 hour warm up in the mountains I was a little fried for a 3 hour ride, but it worked out well. Especially for my weight loss goals! I burned abour 2600 calories in that 5 hours of exercise.
With a big storm rolling in for Christmas Eve however, I was anxious to get out in better conditions. So yesterday I set out in the falling snow for another a.m. tour in the same area. I didn't have a partner however, but I thought I would just hook up with someone else in the parking lot. Sure enough, a dude named Tom from Rhode Island was there solo as well. So we headed out for a few turns.
The snow snow was falling quickly but visibility was still good. We headed up to a peak called Patsy Marley, named for a mining era madame from the area. Well, this madame was dishing up some nice turns yesterday where we landed fresh tracks on Patsy's north side. The east face of Patsy's in where the rowdier terrain lies, but we didn't have time to head that direction and neither of us was very familiar with the area. But we got in some great powder turns.
In total it was a 2.5 hour tour burning more than 1200 calories in the process.
I discovered that I love touring, even short mornings like the last two. Being away from the resort is refreshing and much cheaper! I love our local resorts, but I just can't afford $70+ lift tickets. We'll save resort days for family days and super awesome conditions. I also find the uphill just as enjoyable as the down, if not more sometimes. Its a great workout for one, but it also makes the down that more more rewarding. I love searching out new terrain and lines that I've never seen before. I have my favorite shots at resorts, but the backcountry allows for so much more variety. While avy danger is always present (even in resorts) , there are correct ways to be safe. Simply taking an avy awareness course is beneficial and being properly equiped with a shovel, becon and probe, and knowing how to use the equipment, can make for a lifetime of awesome adventures in the backcountry.
In other adventurous news, the 2012 Rolex Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race is about to wrap up with line honours fav Wild Oats XI on track for a 6th line honors victory. The race for handicap winners is also alive with the smaller boats making a run for glory.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Mega Monday
Ok, maybe not so mega, but its still Monday.
With pro cycling in winter training camp mode, most of the news from my favorite pro sports is on the snow sliding type. Ted Ligety continued his giant slalom dominance while one of my all time favorite athletes, Lindsey Vonn, opened up about her battle with depression. This revelation was important on many fronts. A prominent and respected athlete coming out with this kind of struggle can help many others, including athletes who quite often don't like to admit when something is ever wrong, it sheds light on a even greater misunderstanding of mental health. With the horrific events in Connecticut on Friday, I believe more focus needs to be given to mental health and how it affects society. All the talk lately is how Americans' physical health (and the care thereof) affects our economy, our morale and our lifestyles but omits the major mental portion of our well being. With more dialogue about the mental health issues facing our nation, maybe, just maybe, we can avoid more tragedies like we saw this weekend.
I actually like Mondays. I see them being like the New Year. It gives us an opportunity to try again, make things better and work towards another great weekend.
This past weekend saw some much needed snow fall here in Utah and in my home state of New Mexico. I didn't get out to try my new AT set-up however as I couldn't find a partner. Most were waiting for the conditions to improve. With avy danger considerable today, we should see some nice and more stable conditions by the weekend. Anyone up for earning some turns?
Since I didn't ski and the roads were too wet and snowy for our normal winter training rides, I spent some QT with my indoor trainer and Coach Troy for some basement riding. I spent 80 minutes with the Spinervals 16.0 Aero Base Builder workout burning 712 calories making sticking to my 1782 net cals for the day quite a bit easier.
Staying indoors was actually a tough decision. I was trying to debate how slick the roads really were. There was something challenging about going out on the road bike with some snow coming down, but in the interest of safety over manlyness, I chose the basement. Training indoors can be quite boring, but at the same time, I believe the dedication builds mental toughness and the quality of the time spent can be greater than that of riding around town. Riding outside is filled with stoplights, traffic, coasting and interrupted intervals. I've heard you can count on a good indoor trainer session being worth about 1.5 times what you would do outside. Sounds good to me!
On tap for tomorrow is an in depth look at my current training plan and my great desire to crosstrain. Have a happy Monday!
With pro cycling in winter training camp mode, most of the news from my favorite pro sports is on the snow sliding type. Ted Ligety continued his giant slalom dominance while one of my all time favorite athletes, Lindsey Vonn, opened up about her battle with depression. This revelation was important on many fronts. A prominent and respected athlete coming out with this kind of struggle can help many others, including athletes who quite often don't like to admit when something is ever wrong, it sheds light on a even greater misunderstanding of mental health. With the horrific events in Connecticut on Friday, I believe more focus needs to be given to mental health and how it affects society. All the talk lately is how Americans' physical health (and the care thereof) affects our economy, our morale and our lifestyles but omits the major mental portion of our well being. With more dialogue about the mental health issues facing our nation, maybe, just maybe, we can avoid more tragedies like we saw this weekend.
I actually like Mondays. I see them being like the New Year. It gives us an opportunity to try again, make things better and work towards another great weekend.
This past weekend saw some much needed snow fall here in Utah and in my home state of New Mexico. I didn't get out to try my new AT set-up however as I couldn't find a partner. Most were waiting for the conditions to improve. With avy danger considerable today, we should see some nice and more stable conditions by the weekend. Anyone up for earning some turns?
Since I didn't ski and the roads were too wet and snowy for our normal winter training rides, I spent some QT with my indoor trainer and Coach Troy for some basement riding. I spent 80 minutes with the Spinervals 16.0 Aero Base Builder workout burning 712 calories making sticking to my 1782 net cals for the day quite a bit easier.
Staying indoors was actually a tough decision. I was trying to debate how slick the roads really were. There was something challenging about going out on the road bike with some snow coming down, but in the interest of safety over manlyness, I chose the basement. Training indoors can be quite boring, but at the same time, I believe the dedication builds mental toughness and the quality of the time spent can be greater than that of riding around town. Riding outside is filled with stoplights, traffic, coasting and interrupted intervals. I've heard you can count on a good indoor trainer session being worth about 1.5 times what you would do outside. Sounds good to me!
On tap for tomorrow is an in depth look at my current training plan and my great desire to crosstrain. Have a happy Monday!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
My first AT setup
I've been skiing since I was 9 years old. My parents divorced when I was 8 and skiing was one of the activities my dad got us into on our weekends with him. I didn't ski much in high school because of swimming but picked it up later in college. After moving to San Diego and sailing pretty much full time, the skis got hung up for a few years again. But in 2000, I met my wife, who's hometown is Bishop, CA, a short 30 minute drive to Mammoth Mountain, one the best places to ski on earth. I couldn't NOT start skiing again. So for the next few years, I just rented and demo'd skis to see what I had been missing. At the time, I had missed the whole shaped ski revolution so the new skis completely changed my experience. The new shapes made skiing so much easier and I found myself progressing back into the aggressive and bigger lines quite a bit quicker than I had expected. And at Mammoth Mountain, there's no shortage of steep, big lines.
I find myself however hiking more often than not, looking for the less tracked, more adventurous terrain. This quest for more and bigger stashes lead me to skiing more sidecountry and true backcountry lines, just as the trend for side country access and alpine touring gear was beginning to take off.
6 years ago, alpine touring gear was hard to come by. Most AT gear was lightweight and made more for mountaineers who were willing to trade ski-ability for lightweight. The only real option for traditional alpine type bindings that could tour was the venerable Fritschi Freeride binding and some boots from Scarpa and Garmont. I spent 2 years renting equipement from REI when my buddies and I wanted to spend some days in the backcountry, which was expensive and inconvenient. For the past 4 years, I've been dreaming of my perfect AT setup and this winter finally got the green light to invest in some real gear.
The real issue has always been finding the funds in the budget to pull the trigger. As you know, most of my recreation time is spent cycling, which is not a cheap sport. So my quest turned to putting together an AT setup for less than $600.
I'm happy to report, mission accomplished! It took some work however.
Skis can eat up quite a bit of the budget so I set out to find something in good shape but a few years old. After and thorough search I finally landed on a pair of Rossignol B94's that had been mounted once but never used. The real kicker? They were only $80! Sure, they're a few years old and I'm missing out on the whole rocker revolution, but they're plenty wide, have a wood core and are leaps and bounds an upgrade from my 12 year old 70 mm wide Rossignol Bandit X's. Those skis served me well so I think I'll get some good years out of the "new" B94's.
The benefit in waiting this past few years to invest in my own gear is that technology for AT gear has really progressed. I don't trust used bindings, so I found a killer deal online for a new pair of model year 2011 Marker Baron AT bindings. Marker really got the ball rolling with resort worthy AT bindings with the Duke about 5 years ago, but I don't need a DIN of 16, so I saved a few pesos going with the Baron, which tops out with a DIN of 13.
The final piece of the puzzle was boots. Just about every major boot maker now has a high end alpine boot with a walk function and gripy rubber soles, so I had a lot of options. I'm actually convinced all ski boots should have a walk function and traction soles, simply for getting through the parking lot!
With my previous resort setup, I was actually in boots that were way too big. I managed with thick socks and aftermarket insoles, but a loose fitting boot surely isn't ideal. I've been very satisfied with the Scarpa Typhoon and Tornados I've demo'd over the years but good luck finding a deal on Scarpas. So I narrowed my search to the Lange Blaster Pro and Salomon Quest 12 boots. I've owned Langes before, you know, the badass yellow ones from 20 years ago that made you at least look like you were legit? But I couldn't find a pair to try on in Ogden. There is an awesome Salomon dealer however close by, so I went in, tried on a few sizes and settled on the Quest 12. The guys at Alpine Sports were very gracious in letting me shop fully knowing my intention to go online. Salomon also has its NA headquaters here in Ogden, so its nice to support local companies. The pair I found online were new in box so I now I'm set!
I really prefer to support the local shops, but just couldn't do it on my budget. I did have Alpine Sports mount my ride and do my boot fit. I'm sure their margins are better on service anyway, so I made sure to share the love.
Now, I just need to use the stuff! I was dying watching my friends take in the first turns of the year on October and November before the resorts opened, but no longer! I have freed myself from the confines of lift tickets and ropes and look forward to many backcountry days. I'll review my gear once I get on it and hopefully will help someone else make their own freeing AT purchase this year.
I find myself however hiking more often than not, looking for the less tracked, more adventurous terrain. This quest for more and bigger stashes lead me to skiing more sidecountry and true backcountry lines, just as the trend for side country access and alpine touring gear was beginning to take off.
6 years ago, alpine touring gear was hard to come by. Most AT gear was lightweight and made more for mountaineers who were willing to trade ski-ability for lightweight. The only real option for traditional alpine type bindings that could tour was the venerable Fritschi Freeride binding and some boots from Scarpa and Garmont. I spent 2 years renting equipement from REI when my buddies and I wanted to spend some days in the backcountry, which was expensive and inconvenient. For the past 4 years, I've been dreaming of my perfect AT setup and this winter finally got the green light to invest in some real gear.
The real issue has always been finding the funds in the budget to pull the trigger. As you know, most of my recreation time is spent cycling, which is not a cheap sport. So my quest turned to putting together an AT setup for less than $600.
I'm happy to report, mission accomplished! It took some work however.
Skis can eat up quite a bit of the budget so I set out to find something in good shape but a few years old. After and thorough search I finally landed on a pair of Rossignol B94's that had been mounted once but never used. The real kicker? They were only $80! Sure, they're a few years old and I'm missing out on the whole rocker revolution, but they're plenty wide, have a wood core and are leaps and bounds an upgrade from my 12 year old 70 mm wide Rossignol Bandit X's. Those skis served me well so I think I'll get some good years out of the "new" B94's.
The final piece of the puzzle was boots. Just about every major boot maker now has a high end alpine boot with a walk function and gripy rubber soles, so I had a lot of options. I'm actually convinced all ski boots should have a walk function and traction soles, simply for getting through the parking lot!
With my previous resort setup, I was actually in boots that were way too big. I managed with thick socks and aftermarket insoles, but a loose fitting boot surely isn't ideal. I've been very satisfied with the Scarpa Typhoon and Tornados I've demo'd over the years but good luck finding a deal on Scarpas. So I narrowed my search to the Lange Blaster Pro and Salomon Quest 12 boots. I've owned Langes before, you know, the badass yellow ones from 20 years ago that made you at least look like you were legit? But I couldn't find a pair to try on in Ogden. There is an awesome Salomon dealer however close by, so I went in, tried on a few sizes and settled on the Quest 12. The guys at Alpine Sports were very gracious in letting me shop fully knowing my intention to go online. Salomon also has its NA headquaters here in Ogden, so its nice to support local companies. The pair I found online were new in box so I now I'm set!I really prefer to support the local shops, but just couldn't do it on my budget. I did have Alpine Sports mount my ride and do my boot fit. I'm sure their margins are better on service anyway, so I made sure to share the love.
Now, I just need to use the stuff! I was dying watching my friends take in the first turns of the year on October and November before the resorts opened, but no longer! I have freed myself from the confines of lift tickets and ropes and look forward to many backcountry days. I'll review my gear once I get on it and hopefully will help someone else make their own freeing AT purchase this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)