EarnYourTurns

Madsen buys Telemark Skier Magazine

Dostie — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:32:27 +0000

TSM goes Digital for International Appeal

Josh Madsen takes the torch for Telemark Skier Magazine

When Height of Land Publications announced the sale of Telemark Skier last January (2012) to its editor, Josh Madsen, it sounded like a good fit but the move immediately raised questions about the future of the magazine.

Was this just a way for them to quietly divest themselves of an albatross title for a sport that had gone from being in the limelight to the butt of backcountry jokes? Nothing of the sort. According to Adam Howard, executive editor for HOL Publications, “It had become Josh’s magazine already anyway and him officially taking it over was just the inevitable next step.”

Josh Madsen wasted no time in solidifying the crew he had assembled for the last two print issues of Telemark Skier Magazine while announcing the publication would cease printing and transform itself into an e-zine with six issues using Zinio as the digital rendering engine.

First illustrated cover
for TSM.

Madsen says the elimination of print was a necessary evil because of the high costs associated with print, from printing costs and postage for delivery to missed editorial opportunities in competing with the web. It was apparent there was only enough advertising support for two issues per year, but that barely scratched the surface of what he believed was necessary to give telemark its due.

Asked what his goals are for the title and his first response was to “get more people to see telemark skiing and try telemark skiing so they will become telemark skiers.” Madsen’s trademark enthusiasm for all things tele is evident in the simplicity of the statement, a sort of “build it and they will come” mentality which begs the question of how to do that.

The Zinio digital interface for Telemark Skier Mag

The only specifics Madsen would share of his plan are to increase the number of issues from two print to six digital per season for the same low price of ten bucks. There will still be a website with timely news of all things telemark, but then there will be six digital issues using the Zinio publishing engine that can be downloaded and viewed on whatever device you have, whenever you want it. These digital issues will have issue specific themes and have a more timeless than timely nature.

Equally important as the digital distribution format will be shifting the editorial focus from being US centric to having an international appeal. It is evident that the support necessary for a telemark specific title from North America is insufficient on its own. But when geopolitical borders are eliminated, which the web can do, it becomes a more realizable goal.

Those two shifts in strategy might not be enough in themselves, but Madsen appears to recognize that, and is also quick to point out that so far, telemark has typically been defined in relation to other disciplines and always within the context of backcountry skiing.

The TSM crew (L-R): Kjell Ellefson, Cody Smith,
J.T. Robinson, Josh Madsen, Tony Gill

In the next phase of Telemark Skier Madsen intends to celebrate telemark for telemark’s sake. For those who embraced telemark as a way to experience the backcountry it sounds like promoting the lesser of two features but Madsen simply sees it as approaching the sport from a different direction where earning your turns is but one aspect of telemark, the mechanics of the turn another, the equipment that makes it possible yet another, but the aspects he is most excited to explore and promote are the ones old school pinners have taken for granted, the ones new converts inevitably will revel in and Madsen intends to extol — like marching to a different beat, a rebellious spirit and the free thinking that follow a free heel.

Mark Tieszen holds form to grace the cover of the 3rd issue of TSM

In a digital format Telemark Skier won’t be limited to words and still shots, the new brand will be a multimedia experience whose boundaries will only be limited by what the rapidly changing landscape of digital technology allows.

According to Madsen the focus will be on attracting new converts to the world of telemark, which will undoubtedly result in a youth oriented publication. However, he is quick to point out that one of the qualities of telemark and part of why he is such a rabid promoter of the sport is because “it is one of the few sports where there is a common thread that ties all ages together.”

TR: Shasta’s West Face

Dostie — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:37:24 +0000

Even though it was a meager season, Eleven-12 has served up some delicious ski days. Rather than let the season fizzle with a wimper, BergBryce put out a call to rally for a trip to Mt. Shasta. Inspired by Jibmaster’s photos of Shasta’s north side, I responded and the trip was inked.

Mt. Shasta (14,179') from Hwy. 44 view-point (near intersection w/Hwy. 89)
click to enlarge all photos

We headed up Friday afternoon – from South Lake Tahoe to Truckee to Reno to Susanville to Mt. Shasta City.

A group of chargers blows by us around 8,000' in Avalanche Gulch.

The original plan was to retrace Jibmasters route and drive to 7,000 feet on the north side, then climb and ski the Bolam Glacier. Either that or climb Shastina and either ski Diller Canyon, or the NW face and then traverse around back to the base of Diller.

After talking to TeleWoman and Don at the Mt. Shasta Ranger station we concluded that BergBryce’s Subaru would get beat up too much for either trailhead. That left us with the standard approach up Avalanche Gulch from Bunny Flat. It did not sound that appealing since we wanted to do something different, not the standard trade route.

Our route.

Brewer Creek was out, as was Clear Creek since the road’s were covered with snow more than a mile back. So we decided to ski the West Face.

The standard approach for the West Face is to camp at Hidden Valley but that meant camping overnight and this was going to be a wham-bam one-day affair. BergBryce was concerned that Bunny Flat would be a zoo, but I assured him the only real negative was following an established trail full of foot prints instead of a smooth, clean, untracked slope of snow.

bergbryce refuels at Lake Helen.

We started skinning from Bunny Flat about 6am and considered following avalanche gulch part way up, then crossing over to the west face via one of the windows in the red rocks defining Casaval Ridge. However, it looked like that would mean some mixed climbing and a sizeable traverse across the West Face to get to continuous snow. We opted to stick to the standard route up Avalanche Gulch to The Thumb, then continue above Red Banks to the plateau below Misery Hill. From there we could cross over a couple hundred yards to the top of the West Face.

bergbryce harvesting corn.

This proved to be a superb strategy, although we were certainly questioning it as we cramponed up from Lake Helen to the Red Banks. Moving past the Heart seemed to take forever and it nearly broke my resolve to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The crunchy, still frozen surface did not feel like it would soften for a good descent and it was already 11am.

Coming up to Lake Helen there was a superb staircase of well spaced steps carved into the slope. In the steep pitch next to the Heart the existing steps had zero discernible rhythm and every time I tried to take advantage of the security those steps provided, the random, inconsistent spacing only magnified my discouragement at how interminably long this pitch felt. Thankfully the snow was crunchy and easy to grip with crampons and slow, steady switchbacks eventually paid off.

Looking E from West Face entrance to Shasta's summit and Misery Hill.

During our food break at tent city by Lake Helen I suggested that since BergBryce was climbing faster, if he wanted should move at his own pace, bag the summit, and meet me at the top of Red Banks before traversing over to the West Face. However, when I arrived at the top of Red Banks he was waiting, having run out of water and experiencing cramping in his legs. He had gone through more than two liters already and I still had two left. I give him a liter of water, plus a good slash of coconut water rich in electrolytes and we shared an orange. Then I took the lead and set a series of switchbacks at a tortoise pace and we made the crest of Avalanche Gulch in 15 minutes.

Dostie cutting corn.

It was a short traverse across the top of Avalanche Gulch to the top of the West Face, but the snow was pretty heinous – refrozen wind blasted sastrugi with edges made of iced teeth. We were afraid our first turns down the West Face would consist of this junk. In fact, as we stood on the roll over facing south towards Casaval Ridge that is what the snow looked like. But when we looked behind us, towards Shastina, the snow had been protected from the wind and it rolled over with a smooth creamy surface of corn. The wind was gone, it was 2pm, and the slope beckoned.

What followed was nearly 4,000 vertical feet of 100% ego corn, perfectly ripened, never over done, all the way down to Hidden Valley at a pitch that varied from 35° at the top to 25° near the bottom with a nice mini-couloir connecting the ramp we were on to Hidden Valley below with a few turns in the 40° range. Ordinarily Shasta serves up a nice slice of corn in between an upper pitch of firm snow and a bottom pitch of mush. Somehow we managed to hit the magic hour and the entire West Face was excellent corn from top to bottom.

bergbryce enjoying turns beside Shastina

...and more turns...

...and more...

From the bottom at Hidden Valley we turned left and held a high traverse around the fanned out based of Casaval Ridge. In a mere 15 minutes we were back to the standard, pock-marked trail up Avalanche Gulch and the snow was still in good corn condition.

Turns from the top to the bottom, every one in Shasta corn.

By 4:30pm we were back at the car, and headed for Mexican food in Mt. Shasta city. Round trip time on the mountain – about 10 hours.

The Route on Google Topo Map

Prepping skis for summer storage

Gary Schmidt — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:05:22 +0000

Wax for speed, and wax for storage too, to prevent oxidation of your ski bases.

When the season ends, the ideal treatment for ski bases is to iron a layer of wax onto the glide surfaces and then leave this thin layer on the bases all summer. Waxable diagonal stride skis should have any kick wax or klister cleaned off, then 2 or 3 layers of either green kick wax or binder wax applied to the kick zone. A paste wax (like F4 from Swix) should be applied to the kick zones (“fishscale” area) of no-wax skis. Ideally, the skis should also kept in a cool location.
The purpose of summer waxing is to prevent the plastic bases of the skis from “oxidizing” and drying out.

Technically what happens is the compounds that make your p-tex base a plastic evaporate from an unprotected base. A good illustration of this is the plastic dash of a car. As the dash oxidizes, the plasticizers become volatile, dissipate into the air (often forming a film on the inside of the windshield), leaving behind a surface that looks dull, even powdery.

Ski bases have been developed to be very hard, yet at the same time very porous. These pores are actually a network of open areas in and around very fine strands of plastic. When skis are glide waxed, the hot molten wax drops into the pores of the ski base. By simply changing the type of wax in the pores of a ski base, the ski can give optimum glide in a variety of snow conditions. When the surface layer of the base becomes oxidized, not only does the plastic become less slippery, but it also becomes harder for wax to penetrate into the ski. The net effect is the ski does not glide as well and the application of wax will probably yield little improvement because the wax simply isn’t going into the base.

The ideal world and the real world are seldom in sync. Most skis seldom get a coat of summer wax. They probably also don’t get waxed often enough during the ski season and in general could use at least an annual overhaul. As a general rule, unless skis have been protected during the summer with a layer of wax, they will need to have the bases re-prepared. During ski season, skis that are periodically waxed probably do not need any additional care except for waxing.

Note: This article was originally written for nordic skis. But P-Tex is P-Tex, whether on an alpine or a nordic ski so the same principles apply.

BC Techniques: Step-Down Kick Turn

Dostie — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:05:57 +0000

How you change direction on a skin track is largely a matter of personal preference – provided you have a quiver of options. Most skiers only know one or two kick turns which can sometimes put them in a precarious position and make switchbacks a moment of anxiety that is avoided at all costs. It need not be so.

Just as it is important to be able to make more than one style of turn while skiing downhill, it is equally valuable to have an assortment of switchback tricks available when you need them for the uphill leg. The uphill snap-kick turn is a super valuable technique to learn, but some folks simply cannot do it because it requires more range of motion across the hips than their body allows. If that resembles your perspective on the snap kick-turn, let me suggest a move I’m calling the Step-Down kick turn.

Rather than try to pivot your uphill ski around above the skin track, pivot it around while stepping down, below the skin track. This requires less stretching across the hips and typically only costs you a foot of elevation at each turn which can be easily made up for in the next few steps.

If you have limited range of motion give this a try and let me know how it works for you. I wouldn’t have bothered showing it if I didn’t have a friend with this very problem give it a whirl. He simply could not do the uphill snap-kick turn but had no problem with this variation.

Related Posts:
Snap Kick Turn on Steep Terrain
Meanderthal Skin Track
Keep ‘er Steeper

Review: Rab Stretch NeoShell® Jacket

Dostie — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:04:35 +0000

Skinning up while wrapped in weather.

Skinning up in a storm has always been a special treat – especially in the trees while the wind is howling above and the flakes fall thick on the shoulders of your pack while you stoke the fires of warmth with the energy of climbing, cloaked beneath the wet in a weatherproof shell.

On a recent storm day that shell was courtesy of Rab, made of Polartec’s NeoShell®. The Neoshell® claim is waterproofness equal with that popular 3-layer teflon laminate but more breathable.

What is NeoShell® and what makes it different from other 3-layer PTFE laminates? NeoShell® uses diffusion and convection to move moisture through a fabric that has been laminated with polyurethane. It is made from electrostatically spun polyurethane. Because PU is oleophobic (resistant to oils) there is no need apply multiple layers of other materials to protect the polyurethane from breaking down. By comparison, ePTFE can be broken down by body oils, thus requiring a protective polyurethane coating that can clog some pores, reducing breathability.

After only a dozen days use so far the DWR appears to still be doing its job. Those dozen days of touring confirm the breathability claims of venting better than Gore-Tex®, but I’m not sure if it is better than Schoeller®. It feels darn close.

Rab's Stretch Neo Jacket in blue (they call it maya).

Perhaps the best testament to that is sweat tends to only build up on my back, sort of an inevitability because of a pack, but the lack of side zips is not noticeable from a moisture management point of view. Frankly, I’m happy they’re absent as they just add a lot of bulk that isn’t really necessary if the shell can breath well enough, which NeoShell® seems able to do.

Other nice features include a pair of vertically zippered chest pockets that are big enough for stashing my skins in without having to take my pack off to store ‘em. Love that feature. There’s also a pair of internal pockets as well, for your mp3 player, or a Tram Bar. Velcro cinch straps on the cuff are easy to grab, and hold well. The strap on the rear of the hood snugs it around the top of my noggin’, but I’m not able to cinch the side cords to hug my face satisfactorily although the jacket may be sized a tad large for me.

There’s a tab for rolling up the hood into a thick collar but I haven’t used it, preferring to just keep the hood at the ready. Nothing much else to this jacket which is part of what I like about it. Nice and simple so I need not concern myself with too many do-dads but can keep my attention on what’s in front of me now, whether turning aside to a gust of wind, bearing off the angle of the track I’m setting uphill, or blinking while laughing as snow billows up into my face, cold and exhilarating.

Rab
Stretch Neoshell
MSRP: $365
Sizes available: S—XXL (Men’s), XS—XL (Women’s)
Weight (Lg): 17 oz. (482 g)

Rab Who?

Hand-rolled, Mean Green Fat Skis

Dostie — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:30:15 +0000

It only took about 18 years but the light bulb finally went off for me about boutique skis. What did it was riding another pair of planks that, by outward evidence, were merely another pair of custom made skis that were undeniably beautiful to behold, but couldn’t possibly ski that well.

Roll your own boutique ski for the backcountry. The only thing really green is the binding.

Surprise, surprise, their bamboo topsheet, basted beneath a gleaming coat of polyurethane not only captivated the eye, but also lent a snappy rebound to this hefty pair of wood core planks. They tipped the scales at nine pounds per pair, which isn’t out of line with brand name skis in the same size range, nor should it be considered a lightweight backcountry ski. That weight was an indicator of the muscle they had to hold the line in funky snow, the wet and crusty variety. Truth be told, they cruised through that sort of junk. With a full 110mm waist floating in the soft is a foregone conclusion, as is their weakness on hard, icy slopes.

Brad shows off how well his home-rolled skis surf fresh pow.

That weakness on hard snow probably had less to do with ski performance as it did with an underpowered tele rig driving these otherwise superb skis. A pair of AXLs or NTN Freeride binders would be my first choice on a plank this big, but they came with O1s so I made due. With a fixed heel the lack of edge hold would undoubtedly disappear.

That’s all fine and good but you’re probably wondering exactly what boutique brand this is. Truly this is a one of a kind custom ski built by Brad “sustainable way” Rassler. When he first told me about them he referred to them as his “hand-rolled” pair of skis.

I figured he was just saying that to embellish his fondness for his skis but when we rendezvoused for a tour in the Carson Range I learned he wasn’t kidding, they really were done by hand, in fact, his own hands.

Reluctantly he admitted, “Well, yeah, I have a friend who has a ski press.”

Now it was starting to make sense. Not to deny that Brad picked the materials in an effort to minimize his toxic footprint in building them, did the layup himself, and then put it all together and finished them with real ski manufacturing tools. Indeed, he did “roll his own.”

Even more amazing, they skied pretty darn good too. Which still begs the question, why would you roll your own, or the next best thing, buy a pair of boutique skis with limited production numbers and a more customized look?

Wood top sheets always have a special allure.

It seems to boil down to just being different. If all you want is a new pair of skis to romp in the mountains with then don’t waste your precious spare cash on anything other than the major brands. They’re all pretty good and as long as they have the shape you want and a weight you’re willing to live with, the preformance is pretty easy to predict. Stiffer and heavier does better in thick and hard snow. Lighter and flexier does better in soft snow. But if you can spare a few Franklins, you can define the ski that is right for you and the technology is mature enough these days that even if you chose to go all the way and roll your own, you probably won’t be disappointed.

Note: Brad is was pretty adamant about minimizing his toxic footprint while building his skis, and though he readily admits the process is hardly green with all the resins and glue, he suggests if we really want to be green in our skiing endeavors the best thing we can all do is car-pool to the slopes. Amen!

Related Posts:
The low down on how Brad built his own custom ski.

TR: Sick trip to Shasta’s N-side.

Brent Heffner — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:17:44 +0000

Mt. Shasta and Shastina's north sides beckon.

The summer ski season has started! Headed to the north side of Shasta. The North Gate TH is still blocked by snow drifts, but I had a different plan. Drove up Tuesday afternoon to camp overnight and ski the next day. I was looking for a more straight-forward approach.

I like the Brewer Creek TH for the skiing which follows the fall line right down to the vehicle. There is a way to do the same thing with the north side.

Drove up on Tuesday afternoon. The mountain looked good from the south.

The classic view of the Shasta's south side from the view point on I-5, just before Dunsmuir.

I drove up highway 97 to Military Pass Rd. One mile after the road goes under the railroad tracks, road 42N18 takes off to the right. You can’t miss this road, there is a large, white circular sign on the left.

42N18

There are several roads that branch off. Took the wrong turn on one of them and turned back after about half mile, but the main road is not too hard to follow.

At first the road condition is excellent — soft, smooth sand, but it got progressively worse (better for me!). The last 1.5 miles, I was glad I was driving a Jeep. Drove for 8 miles from Military Pass Rd, including my 1 mile wrong turn and parked at 7000′.

Nice views from road 42N18.

The north side of Mt. Shasta. Hotlum Glacier to the L, Bolam Glacier to the R.

The map I was using is shown below. The main route to the North Gate TH is penciled in from Military Pass Rd. I drove in on 42N18 to 42N33. Parked the Jeep at the ‘A’.

On the way back I took 42N34 to the main route. Drove up to the North Gate TH to scope out the road conditions.

Parked the Jeep at the 'A' - snow drifts block the road to the North Gate TH at the 'B'

I got to 7000′ in the Jeep just before dark. Attempted to drive over one drift, but was denied. Had to bust out the winch to get over the top. Only drove about one minute more and found the road completely covered with snow. Headed back to a small ridge between two drainages. The temperature was 35° at 8:30pm. I was too lazy to set up my tent, so spent the night sleeping under the stars. Woke up around midnight and found the temps had dropped to 15°. Plenty warm though, all wrapped up in my -30° Camp 7 down sleeping bag.

I awoke in the morning and prepared to get my jib on. I made some breakfast, which included some potatoes and yellow squash that I had pre-cooked. I diced them up and put them in a can of stew I had brought with me. About 20 minutes later, I started to feel ill. Next thing I knew, my breakfast came back up. Great… now I have no food in my stomach. Any nutrients I had and needed were now all over the manzanita. I sat in the Jeep for awhile and closed my eyes. After a 15 minute nap I felt better.

Not wanting to waste an 11 hour round trip drive, I decided to keep to the plan. I was hoping I could eat the two sandwiches that where in my pack later and see if I could keep them down.

I headed up through the woods and found skinnable snow in the first 15 minutes. The temps had warmed up to 22° by 6am, but not warm enough to use the scales on my Rossignal BC 110′s. I went to skins immediately. I was pretty slow. Feeling woozy and dizzy from the lack of nutrients, I jibbed on. The fact that this was only my 5th day of skiing since last summer didn’t help either. After about an hour, I needed to change some layers, so I took a break. I then lay down and took a nap. Woke up about an hour later feeling better and continued jibbing on up the mountain.

Right where I wanted to be.

Finally got to treeline and found I had nailed my line. Directly under the route to the upper mountain.

I did not bring crampons or an ice axe. I figured that the steep, upper slopes where not going to soften enough to ski, so was more interested in checking out a different vehicle approach and skiing some of the lower slopes. Turns out, my plan seemed to all come together considering my condition. I was still not feeling very well. But the weather was co-operating. Like me, the corn window was taking it’s time – if it even happened at all. Just barely above freezing at treeline with rock hard snow. Hardly any wind. The weather report was calling for rain/snow by the end of the day and the sky was slowly being overtaken by high clouds.

Looking back just before treeline.

I made my way slowly up through the small trees and firm snow. I kept looking back to get a view of my return. I wasn’t even leaving tracks in the icy snow. It turns out I wasn’t the first person to be here this spring. Found some tracks that were made on a warmer day of some snowshoers and what looked to be some skinny touring skis crossing the slope at treeline heading east-west.

Skinned up the ice and into the bowl that leads to the base of The Step higher up on the mountain. I kept stopping to rest. I didn’t have an appetite for the sandwiches I had brought, so had nothing to eat all day. My goal was to get to the base of the steeps just above 9500′ which were too steep for skinning on this icy snow. Besides, I needed to turn around and ski during the heat of the day for the best snow. I was pushing for a noon turn-around, wherever I ended up by that time.

…continued on page 2.

Review: ABS Vario 25

Dostie — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:03:26 +0000

The ABS Vario25 - leading the charge.

Although other airbag packs have arguably equaled ABS, ABS is still the standard by which all other airbag packs are judged. To date no one has been able to say they have built an airbag system that works better than ABS. But the packs themselves have consistently received lackluster praise while competitors have clearly been able to design packs that fit the American’s backcountry mindset better.

However, that disparity in pack quality is about to be eliminated. In the wake of several high profile avalanche accidents in February 2012 demand for ABS packs stripped retailer shelves bare and they were forced to begin shipping next years models now. With that came the recognition that ABS finally has a solid hit with their Vario25. Maybe not a homer, but a triple or at least a double.

As the name implies it holds, not barely but easily, 25 liters of stuff. Room for a shovel, probe, repair kit, first aid kit, food, water, clothing, goggles, and an extra who-haw or two. It has two main compartments, one next to the frame with a U-shaped clam shell zipper giving easy access to everything when opened. Next compartment on the back of that is accessed from a clamshell zipper that only goes part way down, but is positioned so it opens up like a top lid giving access to the main compartment like a semi-top loader. Finally there is a stash pocket with zippered access on the top. All the zippers have nice, double pull tabs.

ABS Vario 25 from the side.

Daisy chained webbing adorns either side for strapping skis, a snowboard, ice axe or whatever else to the back, but you need to get creative on your own to make those attachments work well. Side straps to compress the pack when half loaded, or to carry skis A-frame style are unfortunately absent, a consequence of needing the side panel free from clutter so the airbags can inflate without interference. Another side effect of the airbags is the straps securing the pack to the frame at the top and bottom of the pack overlap the access zipper to the first compartment. Just put the zipper pulls on the side so you can still access it without undoing the straps.

Where ABS remains a clear winner is in the airbag department. A cylinder of compressed nitrogen is what drives the inflation of the airbags. These canisters are sealed and can only be discharged with the pyro-technic trigger that pierces the top, letting the compressed gas out. That trigger is easily disconnected so it can’t be accidentally discharged while traveling, and is held fast by a Velcro™ strap so you don’t accidentally pull it when you’re wearing it.

When activated, an airbag on either side of the pack is deployed and inflated, giving a redundancy to the system in case one should be punctured. It is even possible to add a radio controlled group trigger so that someone, like a guide, can remotely trigger your airbag should you be caught and unable to pull it yourself.

The guts of the ABS system in the Vario System frame.

Last but not least, if you want an airbag pack, maybe two different sized packs, the ABS Vario System will let you do that. One of the driving forces behind the decision for ABS to create their Vario line was to be able to have multiple airbag pack sizes without having to buy multiple airbag systems. With the Vario system the airbag plumbing and hardware is housed on a pack frame that various sized packs can be attached to via a circumferential zipper and a few reinforcing straps. The frame includes the shoulder straps, metal buckled waist belt, and leg loop. All the important stuff is there and well built. And in case you’re still not enamored with the packs ABS has designed to go with their Vario frame, Da Kine will be offering a series of packs that mate with the vario frame next fall.

As with every airbag pack, the extra weight of the safety hardware feels heavy when you lift the pack, but is easy to bear on your back.

It is hard to argue against the ABS Vario system. To date, the only serious complaints revolve around the quality of the packs available. That changes this year with the Vario25. It is large enough for a day pack, well suited for going hut-to-hut, and it packs simply and easily. It has two large compartments, one with a full clam shell zipper, and the larger of the two with a half-shell zipper, making it a semi-top loader. Plus a fast access utility pocket. And airbag hardware you can count on. Ah, but quality does come at a price. You’re worth it though, aren’t you?

ABS Vario system, pricey but
you're worth it, right?

Successful survival of avalanche with ABS pack.

Dealing with the TSA to fly with your ABS
(page 2)

ABS
Vario 25
Pricing: Vario base – $995,
Activation Unit (Canister + Trigger) – $150,
Vario25 Pack – $129,
Recharge canister – $30.
Weight (Vario base+Vario25 pack+canister):
7 lbs., 1 oz. (3.2 kg)

Tahoe Ski Resorts Close for 2012

Dostie — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:25:05 +0000

Keith Lindsay and PJ tracking up Sugar Bowl's backcountry.

Hats off to the Tahoe resorts that stayed open through this weekend. It has been a tough year and it costs money to run those lifts, but the late season snow has been good so they have damned the torpedoes and kept straight ahead. Even if the parking lots were only half full, at least they were half full.

Those who could make it were treated to a good 2-3 hour corn session this final weekend of the resort season. The conditions cooperated with a solid freeze overnight and a fresh coat of snow three days ago. When the lifts opened at 8:30am the runs were still hard and fast. Between ten and half past noon the corn was running and the grins were grinning under a blazing mountain blue sky. As gunky as the snow would get, during the corn hours it was as delightful as spring skiing can be. Silky smooth runs with just enough crème on top to make carving turns as easy as cutting butter and cold enough to still run fast. Pure ego snow and summer air temperatures so you can ski in your shorts if you chose.

In the backcountry the corn stayed good another hour and gave excellent purchase for climbs as steep as you cared to go, or dared to go. Climbing pegs weren’t just functional, they were fashionable and even yours truly was seen flashing the west fast of Judah in high heels. With snow that climbable, it was even fun to put in a few 4th class mixed climbing moves with skins, although I kept the heels flat for that section of the track.

With Tahoe resorts closing down and the snow going fast that leaves two options for the Granola coast, East Side or Shasta. Tahoe is still good, but higher is better which leads inevitably to the 14,162-foot Masta’, or the Eastern Sierra.

One last hurrah for Eleven-12?

Dostie — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:13:27 +0000

Now that it's Spring, Winter has arrived.

Figuring out whether to head out to grab a few turns Friday morning has been a colossal waste of internet time. My midday drive to get a workout in at the local pool told me more than perusing my fave local weather sites, including Tahoe Weather Discussion. I can hardly blame Bryan Allegretto, it is spring after all, the spring following an anemic winter in the Tahoe area and interest in spring skiing is at an all time low.

However, now that it’s spring the Tahoe area has seen more snow more regularly than we had while it was winter. So I’m relying on my gut and the fact that it was snowing a bit while driving to and fro in Truckee today to commit to heading out. Besides, I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet. Spring skiing always delivers some delightful surprises and I think this weekend is going to be another one of those.

There’s still a decent base of snow above 6500 feet around Tahoe and scattered snow showers are going to make it colder and leave a bit of frosting on the surface for tomorrow morning. More importantly, the cool temperatures and wind overnight should help the snowpack to set up solid for a change. Can you say dust on crust?

Many of you won’t be able to get away for Friday, but the weather looks promising for Saturday. There are still a few resorts planning to be open this weekend, including Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood and Sugar Bowl so get a few more licks in.

Best of all, there is a good chance the road up Tioga Pass, at least to the east entrance of Yosemite, might be open. The road has been cleared all the way to Olmstead Point, but is still gated a few miles west of the Hwy. 395 turnoff. If you go prepared you could at least head up the road on a bike. There are also reports of decent snow in high places like Virginia Lakes. The season is going fast so if you haven’t given up on winter yet, this promises to be a good weekend to make a few more turns before summer demands our attention.