Dynafit Titan
With skiers pushing more and more monstrous skis into the backcountry, weight-obsessed Italian backcountry ski company Dynafit rolled out the Titan, a boot stiff enough to shred inbounds everyday, yet sufficiently light (Tkpounds) enough to haul massive powderboards up a skin track. Exhibit 1: Titans come standard with interchangeable touring and alpine soles for the differing bindings (rubber backcountry soles, though great for scrambling over rocks, tend to be a bit thicker in the toe and heel tongues than standard alpine boots, which means there’s the chance they’ll release less readily in a crash). Just nine screws do the trick—a 3 minute job. The Titans shave weight with micro-adjustable magnesium buckles and a stiffening lace system, but stand apart from competitors by offering an unprecedented range of motion in walk mode for the boots stiffness.
($759, speedup.dynafit.us)

Sierra Designs Flex Down Jacket
The baffles that keep the 750-fill goose down insulation in place in the Flex parka are sewn with elastic thread, allowing the jacket to stretch and bend when you do– twisting your torso down the fall line, or just reaching down to pick up what rover left there in the snow. When at rest, the elasticity snugs the jacket against your body, eliminating heat-draining dead spots—a trick they’re borrowing from the sleeping bag line. Elastic cuffs further seal out drafts, and the Flex jacket’s 100 percent recycled rip-resistant nylon shell means body heat isn’t the only thing being conserved. [$225; Sierradesigns.com]

Backcountry Access Arsenal Shovel
In uncovering avalanche victims, survival can come down to seconds. Which is why Backcountry Access created the Arsenal Shovel, which stores a standard length (240-cm ) folding probe in the handle, reducing time fumbling for gear and making for a cleaner pack. The Arsenal’s aluminum oval-shaped shaft shaves ounces without compromising strength. Already have a probe? Check out the model with the snow saw built in.
($95, backcountryaccess.com)

Black Diamond Agent Avalung Pack
Loaded with features like an insulated sleeve for your hydration system hose and a stainless steel cable to lash your planks on for boot pack ascents, it’s actually the Avalung that makes this day pack an essential piece of backcountry gear. If you are buried in an avalanche, the snorkel-like device can provide an extra 45 minutes of breath by re-directing exhaled carbon dioxide away from your face, thus delaying the formation of a suffocating ice mask.
($200, blackdiamondequipment.com)

Fritschi Diamir Eagle Bindings
Swiss-made Fritschis are the top selling backcountry touring bindings because they function pretty much like regular alpine bindings. In fact, they’ll work just fine with your regular alpine boots. The Eagles improve on the pivot point of previous Fritschi models, making for smoother uphill travel, and at four ponds, seven ounces, they are light enough to ease the uphill slog yet beefy enough to shred inbounds at a mountain like Jackson Hole, cliff drops and all.
($420, diamir.com)

Gerber Strata Multi Tool

Gerber Strata
Multi-tools have come a long way in a short time. Gerber’s latest offering features sleek, plastic molded grips so you don’t mangle your hands while cranking on the spring-loaded pliers. Additionally, every one of the 13 stainless steel outboard components locks into place for safety. The lineup features all the usual suspects, including saw, scissors, bottle/can opener, and file, and one that’s a bit unusual—a clam package opening tool for shredding those god-awful plastic packages that many products now come in (including, ironically, the Strata itself). Of course, most importantly for backcountry skiers, it sports three different screwdrivers that would fix and adjust a myriad of boot and binding situations. Though, of course, since all the above gear is so bomber, the Strata will sit largely unused in your pack.
($104, gerbergear.com)

Getting ready to start the day at Snowmass Mountain

The secret of Snowmass is safely guarded by the 4 hour or so drive from the Denver/Boulder area, putting it on the threshold of how far bleary-eyed Front Rangers are willing to drive in a morning. Factor in many of those traveling to the area will be drawn in by the gravity of the Aspen suite of mountains. Even the turn-off for Snowmass Village is rather inconspicuous. By no means is it a private club but Snowmass is comfortable not being the center of attention.

It’s not like the resort is hiding in the shadows. With 3,132 acres it’s the second biggest ski area in Colorado – only Vail offers more terrain. And it is tops in Colorado with a 4,406 foot vertical rise from base to summit. The ridiculously fun intermediate run Long Shot is 3.5 miles of ungroomed trees and countless little hits, dropping over 3,400 vertical ft. and set to the backdrop of the snow-striped Elk Mountains.  Views of the scenic twin Maroon Bell peaks, towering over 14,000 ft., await from the 12,392 ft. summit of Highland Bowl.

At the start of Long Shot, one of the longest continous runs in Colorado.

If all these numbers don’t mean much, consider this: Snowmass is huge. The lifts are fast, the runs are long and the mountain is so spread out that you’ll rarely run into crowds or lift lines. Restaurants and warming huts are strategically spread out on the mountain. And to borrow a cliché from every ski map you’ve ever read, Snowmass truly has something for everyone. You name it: trees, steeps, bumps, terrain parks, cruisers, bowls, hiking, Snowmass has it. And unlike Vail, you won’t spend half the day on lifts and catwalks getting to where you want to be.

Looking out at the Maroon Bells from Snowmass Mountain

The vibe of Snowmass and Snowmass Village is relaxed and, dare I say, less pretentious than other fancy-pants Colorado resorts. This is a world where snowboarder and skier co-exist with minimal snarkiness. The entire town is spread out and open and there is quality, reasonably priced slope side lodging. My favorite is the Silvertree Hotel, which has out-the-door skiing, good restaurants and dog friendly rooms. My border collie especially appreciated the moonlight romps on the slopes—and the cozy rooms to return to spend the night.

If it sounds like I’m a Snowmass cheerleader it’s the result of the mountain earning my respect. The full-price lift ticket is a bit pricey at $96.00 but get on the mountain as the first lifts open and you’ll get your money’s worth. Because Snowmass isn’t on any of the Front Range based season passes, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for deals (you can check in at www.snowmass.com for the latest and greatest). If you need an excuse to make the long drive, invite friends out – the mountain is a quintessential Colorado destination with breathtaking scenery and long, soul-liberating runs. The surrounding Elk Range peaks have been pushed up from a long lost inland sea, giving them a prehistoric alpine presence. Snowmass is removed enough from the hustle and bustle of Colorado’s big cities that the looming din of society is diluted by the pristine wilderness.

One last thought: don’t let the family friendly motif scare you away. The nightlife and après ski scene is fun, laid-back and tends to have a good international showing. Snowmass is all about huge terrain, big sky and epic runs. And don’t worry if you want to spread the word, Snowmass doesn’t mind a few more people being in on the secret.

(If you haven’t, read about it here: http://www.denverpost.com/extremes/ci_14169778.)

Given to hyperbole and with an innate sense of over-reaction, I thought to post a demonic diatribe regarding this young man. But should I?

I’ll put it out there–how dumb was/is this guy? Is he dumb at all? Could it have happened to me/you? I think not, but am I  just another guy being a smug jackass in the face of an honest mistake?

Do tell.

Ounces count and if you can actually increase performance while shaving some weight…all the better!

Big thanks to my amigo at CAMP USA, Jesse Matner. He knew I was headed to a long week of self-propelled ski touring in Canada and hooked me up with a 240cm carbon probe, made by CAMP (128g, 4.3 oz, $90, camp-usa.com). It remains to be seen if I get to keep this little gem…but I’m hoping the answer’s “yes”, as you’ll soon read why.

During my week north, at Whitecap Alpine hut in BC, I asked Canada’s foremost avalanche educator, Colin Zacharias, about carbon probes.

“What you don’t want with a probe is deflection,” answered Zacharias. “Carbon probes are stiffer, so you’re less likely to miss someone while probing.”

Deflection refers to the bend or flex in a probe when you drive it into the snow. Avy debris can be tremendously dense (upwards of 300kg/m3), so if your probe bends 40cm out of its trajectory, you could conceivably miss someone buried a couple meters down. Definitely undesirable.

I had been lugging around a 300cm probe made by another manufacturer and it tipped the scales at more than 11 ounces! Save a little weight on your pack, your skis, your bindings, and your probe and you can easily drop your tour weight by ten pounds or more.

Anything to avoid laying off the donuts, eh?

Well, count me a lazy man and willing to pare down wherever possible, apart from my ingested, bready fried delights. I’m loving my CAMP carbon probe. It’s light, stood up to a week of snow pits and tests with nary a scratch, and lightens my load considerably.

Now I just need to maneuver myself into keeping it…and I’m golden.

Snow forecast for the weekend…and I’m headed to Park City for a bachelor party. May the Wasatch deliver! Play safe and see you somewhere soon.

When I took this gig, I made efforts to establish firm, clear boundaries about the content of my blogs. In the end the Editors and I agreed upon “anything”, including a few activities and subjects specifically outlined in a detailed email. Said email I have saved for expected, upcoming legal proceedings.

Perhaps a few of you have followed my trip to Whitecap Alpine (WhitecapAlpine.ca) hut in Canada. It was a great week and I learned a ton from my tour-mates and our guide, Colin Zacharias. Colin may as well be the Yoda of ski-guiding, perhaps the Rain Man of the avalanche world. He may also be an examiner on future guide courses of mine…so I was careful to set an impeccable example this week and only conduct myself in a most professional manner.

That said, for one of our final runs I pulled out all the stops in an effort to really set the bar high for future guests and students at Whitecap. The following video snippet constitutes a first at Whitecap and a first with Colin. There are several minutes more, but I’ll only post one tiny segment. The contents should be self-evident. Anyone hoping to see the complete, unedited cut can email me or drop a comment.

Thanks to everyone at Whitecap, Backcountry Access (BackcountryAccess.com), my girl (Rebel!), and all my friends for the fun.

Enjoy.

The teaser…

Snow in the forecast and hopefully a bunch for Friday and early Saturday.

Today we toured for 7.5 hours, getting a bunch of good runs in a drainage just west of the hut. All week we’ve found two layers of buried surface hoar in the snowpack, which creates layers that are notoriously unstable. True to form, the stuff provided the perfect weak layers and we touched off numerous avalanches. They were small and shallow, but one knocked a buddy down and gave him a ride for 100 feet, kicking off both his skis off. Skis recovered, buddy OK, great turns thereafter.

Tonight we’ll sacrifice a virgin or two in the hopes the snow comes in hard and we ski the goods tomorrow.
Wood-fired sauna, lasagna for dinner, and now…bed!

Of all the huts, cabins, chalets, resorts, and stashes in Canada, why Whitecap (WhitecapAlpine.ca)?

Before we get started, let me assure you this is no sort of promotion sodden in the corruption of a comped trip. I paid full ticket to come up here and I’ll do the same again, I’m sure. No, my friends, we came to Whitecap because it’s one of the best places in BC and here’s why:

Terrain. Whitecap sits at 1870m, which is just below treeline in this part of the world. If the weather goes south–which it does quite frequently when you get 1000cm or more of snow each year–you’ve got trees to ski. Trees mean visibility and visibility means skiing when other lodges and heli-ski operations are shut down.

There’s a bit of glaciated terrain within reach, so that keeps things interesting, too. Above treeline there are bowls, chutes, couloirs, cliffs, and every other topographic feature imaginable. It’s also a no-fly zone, so no heli-skiers with which to compete.

Translation: you get to ski the goods, every day you’re here.

Elevation. Just down the road at Whistler, they get rain at least a few times during the winter. At 1870m (6150 feet), Whitecap is high enough the snow stays cold and rain events are thankfully rare. Treeline is just a few hundred feet above the hut, so in no time at all you’re ripping turns in wide-open bowls. Fun.

The gang. Ron, Karin, and Lars Andrews own Whitecap. Lars is an IFMGA guide (mountain god, raging skier, the works) and knows the terrain in and out. I’ve not met his mom, Karin, but judging by what a good guy Ron (dad) is, it’s a good bet she’s five-star. Ron hangs on long tours, knows the area as well as Lars, maintains the hut, and is the general go-to dude for all things. He’s also 66 and skies better than most of us guests!

Annemieke Smulders runs the kitchen. Uberskier, mountain minx, and wondrous chef, she dedicates herself to sending us home fatter than when we came. Annemieke toured with us today for six-plus hours, ripped skins when we got home, charged in the hut, and had hot pierogies, tea, and snacks ready to go within 15 minutes. She is from heaven.

Guides. We’re here with Colin Zacharias, IFMGA guide, technical consultant for the American Institute Avalanche of Research and Education, and examiner for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and American Mountain Guide Association. Colin teaches all the AIARE level-3 courses in the States, has been the safety director at the winter Olympic games (Calgary), and ski toured just about everywhere there are slopes covered with snow. Most important, he’s a good guy and likes red wine.

The hut. Running water (fresh, pure, out of the river), a wood-fired sauna, satellite internet, comfy bunks, and splendid food.

So basically we come here because we eat so well, the skiing’s epic, every night is a good night’s rest.

Tomorrow–long day up to Piebiter Peak and the glacier on the north slopes.

High pressure has us touring in t-shirts and ball caps here at Whitecap Alpine (WhitecapAlpine.ca), in southern British Columbia. The weather gurus say we’ll bake another day or two before the possibility of precip on Wednesday.

Today’s group tally: one heli flight, a practice rescue scenario, 2000 feet of up/down, a broken pole, and a broken binding. There are more than two meters of settled snow on the ground and some soft snow on the north aspects, with several layers of buried surface hoar lurking out of sight. We’re playing safe!

We triggered a small avalanche on a shady slope, which was big enough to knock one of our gang over as well as give us an up-close-and-personal look at a surface hoar layer 20cm down.

Back at the hut safely and dinner’s on the way…last year’s superchef, Annemieke, is in the kitchen and doing her magic. Early to bed and go bigger tomorrow.

How much did y’all get in Colorado?!

We’re headed beyond the Games and up to Whitecap Alpine (WhitecapAlpine.ca)…and hopefully deep, deep snow. It’s been a little too warm (freezing levels up to 2200m!), but maybe we’ll find some cold, shady snow on north faces.

Check back for pics…and for all of you down in Colorado, go get some turns!