Jun 29 2014
“It’s not every day that you get to ski with the Rued-man!” he said with an edge to his voice, an edge weighted with the resentment of being cheated. Instinctively I swallowed, trying to flush the guilt that welled in my throat. There was no denying that I was to blame for cutting short our …
Apr 27 2014
I’m schlepping a 65-pound pack up Symmes Creek Gorge, playing Sherman to David Beck’s Mr. Peabody, helping him escort seven clients on a ski tour of California’s Sierra High Route. We’re just an hour into the first day’s climb of 4,000 feet, and I’m stressed, spent, and wondering why I agreed to be Beck’s …
Aug 19 2013
Telemark may not be dead, but the forum that every fool free heeler used to hang out at, Mitch’s Bar, aka telemarktips.com, has pulled the plug. May it rest in peace. Born the brainchild of one Mitch Weber, Telemarktips burst on to the scene in 1998 to fulfill the hole created when another fledgling …
Jul 28 2013
Nansen embodied the “idraet” ideal of Norwegian skiing, an almost mystical belief that skiing perfected not just the physical body but the individual spirit as well. The mountains were filled with sun, energy and joy for Nansen, a shining nirvana far from the constraints and “corruptive frills” of society. A manic depressive given to intense moodiness, he felt release and joy in the mountains.
Jul 15 2013
What’s wrong with getting lost? It may be the best trip of your life. You can’t get lost in this world anyway! In the lower 48, the most remote spot is a little piece of land in the Teton Wilderness—between Jackson and Yellowstone, 23 miles from the nearest road. That is as remote as you can get.
So that means you are within a day’s walk of a road. You can’t get lost. In fact, you should get lost. You know, if you don’t stick your neck out, don’t leave the ten essentials behind, you’re never going to have an adventure. You’ll never have what I consider to be a great day.
Jun 28 2013
As if Gravity is become locally less important than Rapture. —Thomas Pynchon The Editor stopped eating; he leaned across the table with that expression. This was going to be a serious question. I read his magazine all the time. I know that he’s totally committed to imparting the soul of backcountry skiing with all its …
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