Now - Off

Transcription

Now - Off

Chic Scott
Kamchatka
Avalanche Account
Climbing Skin Review
Foreign Travel Medicine
Issue XVII
March 2003
II N
Off-Piste
iste
N S
S II D
D E
E Off-P
Volume V - Issue XVII
M
arch is here; the sun is higher in the sky and the days grow longer. For many, the
return of spring marks the time to uncover the kayak or ready the bike. Well, I am
here to remind you that spring can make for some of the finest ski touring of the season.
My early forays into backcountry skiing were in the spring. I recall hiking into a basin in the
Rockies with three ski partners. I was the lone telemarker as my companions all had
alpine gear. I was comfortable and happy as we hiked through forest to reach our ski
destination as my skis were lighter and boots more comfortable than my friends’ alpine
gear. They were all accomplished skiers with years of alpine ski experience behind them. I
was a young, eager, reformed Nordic racer with very little alpine experience and limited
telemark skills.
We boot packed up a large bowl toward a gap in a heavily corniced ridge. It was at this
point that I began to both question what I was doing here and realize I had found an
activity that spoke to me. I questioned what I was doing because my seasoned alpine
skier friends moved confidently up the face kicking steps into the corned up snow with
their stiff plastic alpine boots. I, on the other hand, struggled for a footing in my soft
leather telemark boots and wondered how I would ever ski down the face I was
ascending. The energy of the day and the beauty of the undeveloped mountains spoke to
me though. I assured myself I was strong enough and skilled enough to get back down; it
may not be a graceful descent, but I knew I could do it.
We crested the ridge, squeezed over an area where the cornice tapered off and walked
the length of the ridge while my friends debated the merits of jumping the cornice from
one angle or another. There was no need for me to join the debate as I well knew I would
enter the bowl via the same humble route I had climbed. My head filled with views of
mountains in all directions and made the connection that spring in the mountains was as
magical a time as any.
We chose our respective descent routes and I watched in awe as my friends expertly
launched themselves from the cornice. I managed to side slip down the upper bowl until I
was confident I could begin to turn. The mountains offered each of us what we needed
and we celebrated our day in the alpine before heading down to the trailhead.
Spring is a great time to be in the mountains; travel is fast, the temperature forgiving, and
the snow gods can offer everything from powder to corn. March is historically the highest
snowfall month of the year for the Rocky Mountains, while April and May are ideal times
for a Sierra Tour or NW Volcano descent. That said, don’t put that ski gear away yet, start
planning a spring adventure and enjoy the mag.
Cheers, Dave
Cover
Skier: Bryce Phillips
Location: Schilthorn, Swizterland
Photographer: Chase Jarvis
Contents Skier: Jeff Schuh & Yahtse
Location: Three Sisters, OR
(above) Photographer: Karen Holt
Contents Rider: Uni Chris
Location: Hood River, OR
(top right) Photographer: D. Waag
Warning: Backcountry skiing, boarding, and climbing are inherently dangerous. People die
in the backcountry. The information in Off-Piste is no substitute for experience or sound
judgement. Respect the mountain environment, travel with care, and be kind to others.
The opinions in Off-Piste do not necessarily represent those of the publisher or
editorial staff. Closed minds are dangerous. No part of Off-Piste may be reproduced
in any form without prior written consent from Free Heel Press.
Publisher/Editor
Free Heel Press/David Waag
Contributing Editors
Hans Adomeit, Roger Alfred,
Karen Holt, Jeff Schuh
Contributing Writers
Andy Dappen, Darren Davidson, Scott Johnston, Brian Ladd,
Nils Larsen, Molly Loomis, Paul Nicolazzo, David Waag
Contributing Photographers/Artists
Melis Coady, Andy Dappen, Tony Daffern, Don Gardner,
Vance Hanna, Karen Holt, Chase Jarvis, Jason Laramie,
Molly Loomis, Carl Skoog, David Waag
Web Slave
Karen Holt
Printing & Distribution
Oregon Litho, McMinnville, OR
Off-Piste - PO Box 1626
Hood River, OR 97031
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Issue XVII Off-Piste 3
FIRST
F E AT U R E S
T
TR
RAC
ACK
KS
S
SHANGRA-LA: KAMCHATKA BOUND
6
AN ALL WOMENS EXPEDITION TO RUSSIA’S KAMCHATKA REGION - MOLLY LOOMIS
DIRTBAG DEMI-GOD 8
A CONVERSATION WITH CHIC SCOTT - DARREN DAVIDSON
LIGHTWEIGHT SKI GEAR 10
TECHNIQUE VS TECHNOLOGY - NILS LARSEN
DIET FOR A PACK
20
LEARNING TO SHED PACK WEIGHT - ANDY DAPPEN
D E P A R T M E N T S
WHAT’S UP
4
NEWS, EVENTS, ISSUES
LETTERS
5
READER INPUT
GALLERY
12
WORDS & IMAGES
GEAR TALK 14
CLIMBING SKIN REVIEW BY SCOTT JOHNSTON
AVY 101 16
A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT BY BRIAN LADD
BACKCOUNTRY MEDIC
18
FOREIGN TRAVEL MEDICINE BY PAUL NICOLAZZO
CALENDAR
SHOP DIRECTORY
4 Off-Piste March 2003
23
23
SILVERTON MOUNTAIN, CO
talk and gear check to ensure everyone was
outfitted with a beacon, shovel, and probe (all are
available for rent); we suited up and headed out to
ski. Despite healthy early season snows, by mid
January the San Juans had not seen snow in nearly a
month. Although the conditions were not exactly pristine
powder, John, our guide for the day, served up a wide
variety of snow and terrain and by day’s end our group
experienced a little of everything, much like a day in the
backcountry would offer.
Terrain wise, Silverton offers just about anything you could wish for
except for gentle beginner terrain. Each of our runs involved a
short boot hike or some sort of traverse but all of the terrain we
skied was easily accessed by all types of equipment (alpine, tele,
snowboard).
Approaching the top of the Silverton lift.
F
ollowing a strong early season snowfall, Silverton Mountain
Ski Area, located in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains reports
steady skier traffic this season. With a permit to allow guided
skiing for 40 users each day, Silverton Mountain, the newest ski
area in the US, offers a blend of lift access and backcountry terrain.
This blend is achieved by using a single chair that rises 1,900
vertical feet from the base area to serve 1,600 acres of private and
public (BLM) land. The ski terrain, although controlled for
avalanche hazard, is not groomed or cut into ski runs. Skiers
disperse with their respective groups from the top of the chair to a
variety of aspects and terrain. Each run takes skiers down to the
base area or to a shuttle stop for a short ride back to the base
area.
I had the opportunity to experience Silverton Mountain first hand
this winter. Our guided crew included three alpine skiers, three tele
skiers, one lead guide and one tail guide. Following an initial safety
Although actual backcountry touring is not part of a typical day at
Silverton Mountain, Aaron Brill, founder of the operation, said that if
a group of skiers was interested in a more touring based
experience, they are prepared to offer that too. Next season,
Silverton will most likely offer the same program as this season
with a limit of 40 skiers per day on a guided basis. Brill suggested
that by spring it may be possible to allow non-guided skiers but
that in the name
of cooperating
with the BLM,
they must wait
until the details
are finalized.
As far as what
the future holds
for
Silverton
Mountain, San
Juan
County
permitted growth
in 3 phases. The
initial
phase
Continued on Page 22
A short boot hike leads to our next run.
EXPRESS
YOURSELF
just finished reading
my first Off-Piste
ever (January ’03) and
really enjoyed it. I like
your mix of pix, avalanche
awareness, hut dinners,
gear reviews and the
article by Eric Burr (A
Naturalist View of the
Backcountry). I’ve been
free-heeling for 20 years
and it brought me back
to the days of Kazama
Mountain High and Epoke
Skis, and Asolo Snowfield
boots. I’m making it a
point to get out, use and
enjoy the “classics”.
Please sign me up for a
subscription and a Tshirt!
Thanks,
John Ligas - MT
I
had never heard of
Off-Piste until this
winter and now I have seen
copies in three different
states! I enjoy your low
gloss approach to the
sport of backcountry
skiing. You offer a good
mix of content and I
enjoyed the pack review.
I know hiking for turns
is all the rage these days
and I spend my fair share
of time in pursuit of
downhill turns but how
I
about some information on
lighter touring gear.
Todd Heber – ID
- Todd I hope you enjoy the
article on light gear by Nils
Larsen in this issue
. . . Ed.
ot your recent issue
in the mail; congrats
on another good one. I echo
those folks who have been
asking for more feature
articles, more width to
the mag. Off-Piste is
always so good, and
refreshing compared to
Couloir or Backcountry or
Powder or the new offshoots (which aren’t even
worth mentioning they’re
so bad) that I think many
of us are left wishing for
more. Do what you can, but
if
I
can
make
one
suggestion it’d be to
limit gear reviews in
place of even more
stories, articles, fiction
or poetry. I think, and
maybe I’m wrong, that the
skiing community is really
about quite a bit more than
just skiing and that the
intelligent, creative
voices speak out in many
forms, and have different
outlets. I personally
G
never read more than a few
words of any gear review.
I really just don’t care
because I value my own
judgment of a product and
it’s functionality towards
what I need much higher
than anyone else’s. And,
I’m poor, so I just don’t
buy much gear. All the
glossy mags are riddled
with these reviews, and
in my opinion it would be
great to see a mag that
is devoid of them, and
dedicated to the story
telling, the culture of
living in the mountains.
I’d love to see creative
mountain fiction writing,
good poetry, even artwork.
There is a wonderful
element of varied energy
among mountain folks,
which had a vast outlet
in the journal called
Mountainfreak, but that
magazine has gone under,
and I think that niche in
the magazine world needs
to be explored more often.
But regardless, Off-Piste
is great, the black and
white newspaper style
layout is sweet, and I
prefer reading it to just
about any other ski
journal out there.
David Heubner - CA
SUBSCRIPTION PROMO
We are pleased to
announce that Greg
Ferguson of Middleton,
Wisconson won the Black
Diamond O2 telemark
bindings in our December
subscription promotion.
As of press time we had
not drawn the winners
for the Black Diamond
AvaLung f r o m the
January promotion. If
you
have
yet
to
subscribe, you have one
more chance this season
to win gear. This issue,
in conjunction with
Black Diamond, we are
offering two pairs of
GlideLite Skins in a
drawing for new and
renewing subscribers.
Subscribe or renew by
April 10th and you will
be entered into the
drawing. See the ad on
page 2 2 or visit
www.offpistemag.com for
more details.
Shangri-la (def.); An unexplored
land of conical volcanoes, moderate
slope angles, solid snow pack, and
bubbling hot springs.
I
t feels appropriate that our journey to
paradise is not an easy one. Four weeks
till take off and Magadan, the Soviet
airline, still doesn’t know the flight
schedule; we’ll have to wait another week
to buy tickets. Two weeks and counting, we
receive the maps, scale 1:500,000 and graphically
inaccurate and altered for security reasons. One
week to go, a large earthquake strikes Kamchatka
and our fourth travel visa hasn’t yet arrived. The
day before departure, a cyclone hits Kamchatka,
paralyzing our destination city, PetropavlovskKamchatski. We wonder if this trip will happen.
Finally at four o’clock, the last Friday in March, we
board the plane. We soar high over the Alaska
Range, past the Denali, Foraker, the Kitchatka
spires, and skirt northward along the coast until
clouds hide the sea from view. Just three hours
later, Kamchatka appears on the horizon; similar
to the familiar Alaskan landscape with immense
valleys, broad sweeping ridges, big mountains,
expansive drainages, few indicators of human
presence, all wrapped in a heavy blanket of snow.
Now, the volcanoes come into view; this is what
we have planned and traveled so far for - skiing
the moderate slopes of the beautiful Kamchatka
volcanoes, and exploring the remote hot springs
hidden in their snowy flanks.
The volcanoes are textbook in appearance; like a
child’s drawing, perfectly conical mountains
covered in snow with plumes of smoke billowing
into the sky. No roads crisscross the range. No
patchwork pattern of fields. The landscape seems
ancient, as if we are passing through a time warp,
traveling back to an age when the Earth was
younger and the continental plates were ornery
and moving. It is many twists of fate and
coincidence that bring this journey to be. Melis
and her new flame Matt shared the dream of
traveling to Kamchatka, an unlikely coincidence in
a world full of snowy mountain ranges. We’d
started planning the expedition in August - with
team members Melis, Matt, and Molly. Then Matt
died, suddenly, unexpectedly, in a car crash
outside of Whitehorse en route to the lower 48 for
a fall climbing trip. Melis and Matt’s relationship
was full of promise. It was a time of “could have
beens” that would never be answered. A week
later while friends and family gathered for Matt’s
memorial, fellow Talkeetnen Scott Shaw, was
busy retrieving a stuck rap line while descending
off Wolf’s Head in the Wind River Range. A rock
pulled loose and cut the rope a foot off Scott’s
harness. He fell to his death. Keri and Scott had
just begun an amazing relationship. It was more
“could have beens” that were now certain to
never be. Melis felt it was good and necessary
that we continue with our Kamchatka plans. Keri
and Aubrey would join us in Kamchatka; an
expedition dedicated to celebrating Matt, his
passion for climbing and wild, mountainous
places, as well as a space for Keri and Melis to
grieve as much or as little as they needed.
Four hours later and 21 time zones away we arrive
in Petropavlosk and wait nervously in customs.
Will the officials find our avalanche beacons, drug
supply, or numerous pounds of white powders
suspicious? They question us in short, terse
tones, never smiling. Our bags are ex-rayed once
then twice. We finally move into the bustling
reception room and meet Martha Madsen, of
“Explore Kamchatka”, the expedition liaison
required by the Russian government. The town is
still in disarray from the cyclone. Driving through
the streets of Petropavlosk toward Martha’s bed
and breakfast in Yelzova, piles of cemented snow
10 feet high line the streets. Our departure into
the mountains, a trailhead 45 minutes outside of
Yelzova will be delayed another day.
Three days later, a bumpy drive delivers us to our
trailhead. We strap sleds around our waists,
packs on our backs, skis on our feet and begin
our adventure. Travel is tedious. We slog up to
our knees through thick, wet, snow. A dense
layer of fog reduces visibility, hiding what we can
only imagine hangs above us. The map, altered
for security reasons, is not a reliable indicator. We
continuously scan the fog for a glimpse of
Pinechevo Pass, which will drop us into
Nalycheva Valley, the Shangri-La of hot springs
and volcanoes on the other side. For four days
we make our way up valley, winding through
gray-yellow forests of tangled Stone Birch, Alder,
and Aspen.
A rainbow halos the sun and lenticular clouds
grow larger all day. The barometer on my watch
drops steadily. It is late afternoon and we sit
gnawing on cured fish from the market in Yelzova.
It is a long push up and over the pass, not to
mention the deep wet snow and the poor
visibility. We decide to dig in for the night. A fierce
storm blows in that night and lasts for the next 4
days. The wind howls and snow blows sideways.
Two cyclones hit in succession.
On the fifth morning, the wind subsides. Joyous
for the break we scramble to explore. We head up
a long incline, carved out like a road between two
steep slopes, towards Pinechevo Pass. The snow
is rock hard and our skis flex and bend over the
large waves of stastrugi that rise everywhere in
frozen undulations. From the pass we see
nothing. The clouds melt from white to gray and
tease us with a patch of light blue high above. We
dig a bench and sit, hopeful that patience will
give us a glimpse of what lies beyond the pass.
Soon enough we make out a steep rocky
ridgeline, a white plain opens below. The saddle
where we stand is the low point between two
aesthetic ridgelines. Skins are pulled out and
layers anxiously shed. We choose the southern
ridge, which leads to the top of large appealing
peak, a sub summit of the volcano Aag.
Enthusiasm fuels us and we make good time
ascending. At the top of a possible descent, we
switch to ice axes and continued towards the
summit.
At the top we stand silent for a moment. It is
beautiful. Mountain ranges stack up against one
another as far as we can see. Three volcanoes
reign over the land and tower high above
horizon. Except for the
sounds of the spring it
is silent. Not too hot,
not too cold; this one is
just right; the missing
piece to our Shangri-La.
everything
else.
Nowhere is there
evidence of civilization
imposing; no roads, no
smoke signals spewing
from
refineries,
campsites, or even
climber trails. We agree
that few summits upon
which any of us have
stood have provided the
same sense of isolation.
It is a clear, windless,
perfect day.
By the time we return to
our skis the snow has
softened. We dig pits,
run snow stability tests,
and ski down. One by
one we ski the 35 degree
slope pausing every so
often to regroup,
whoop, holler, and relish
in the overflow of
excitement
and
happiness spilling forth.
Finally, 2,700 feet and
countless turns later, we
land in the Pinechevo Valley and
pull climbing skins out of our
jackets for the return to camp. No
one can stop smiling.
We ski as much as possible the
remaining week and a half. When
the weather is good we head out
on long tours, explored the infinite
possibilities of the surrounding
valleys, and ski down whatever
looks appealing.
When the stormy weather returns
we stay closer to base camp,
skiing laps on more protected
ridgelines and peaks. We struggle
with how far to push the envelope,
operating under the unspoken
sensation that Matt and Scott are
near, keeping us safe, while at the
same time not ready to risk too
much; the pain and reality of loss
is still present. Melis wonders what
lines Matt would be skiing. We
imagine what they would think of
this place.
The snow quality varies but we
enjoy ourselves. Our fun lies in the
ability to head in any direction and
have our breath stolen away by the
amazing terrain that we discover.
Chutes, bowls, steeps, and long
meandering joy rides, something
lies beyond each ridge.
For days now we have followed a
wolverine track. It descends
Pinechevo Pass, circles our camp
several times, and then heads east.
I remember one summer Scott
telling me of his fascination with
wolverines - he’d stumbled upon
them mating once and been
captivated ever since. Early one
morning, Keri sits outside alone
and catches something from the
corner of her eye, she watches for
a while. She is the only one to ever
see the wolverine.
Today we decide it is time to seek
out the hot springs. With light
packs we start off towards the
Nalycheva Valley, ten, eleven miles
pushing through the wet, sloppy
snow. The maps are of minimal
help and our destination, general at
best. But ten-minutes before our
A custom exists among
adventurers in Russia.
The word for it is “sidyet
na dorogv”. It means,
“to sit for the road”.
Prior to departing for a
journey, a circle is made
and a moment of
silence is observed. The
silence serves as a
moment to reflect upon
what could have
possibly been left
behind- a reflection,
which gives one the
opportunity to travel
onward into the journey
free of worry and fully
present. Before leaving
Martha’s to begin our
Photo: Molly Loomis
expedition we stood in a
circle: Martha, her
appointed turn around time, we
husband
Yuri,
and the four of us,
spot steam billowing up on the
to observe that moment of quiet.
snowy horizon; we have found the
fabled hot springs of Nalycheva.
We unload in an abandoned
quarters underground. Our
attempts at conversing in Russian
with the ranger end in a gesture
down valley to the river, and a nod
in the other direction. We hurry
away, anxious to find the pools
before the sun sets. Steam rises
from the river at the site of the hot
spring, a large pool built up with
river stones. We sink into the algae
filled bottom trying to cover as
much of our bodies as possible
with the shallow flow. It is too cold.
We follow a steaming trickle, and a
half-mile away from the river find
the second pool; a cauldron of
iridescent green-blue-orange water,
bubbling up right out of the Earth.
Much too hot. Finally, following the
steamy stream back towards the
river, we find a third spot. Fingers
dip in; feels good. We quickly
undress in the cold night air, and
sink. Two planets rise on the
On the evening of April 17th we
leave our camp up high in the
basin. We are reluctant to return
but if we stay any longer the meltout, just beginning down valley will
make travel very difficult. Magadan
flies once a week, just Fridays.
Work obligations await us.
At the end of our final run, we stop
and repeat the custom of silence
with which we began the
expedition but this time we think
about not just what we’d left
behind, but also what we have
found.
Thanks to Garmont and Go-Lite for
their generous sponsorships and
Martha Madsen at Explore
Kamchatka. We are grateful to the
American Alpine Club for awarding
Molly Loomis and Melis Coady with
Mountaineering Fellowship Grants
and the NOLS Instructor
Development Fund for also
providing support.
DIRTBAG DEMIGOD
A conversation with Chic Scott, one of Canada’s
mountain adventure legends, on the boom in the
backcountry, evading death at 25,000 feet and
living — really living — on a bum’s budget
by darren davidson
Photo: Tony Dafern
F
or Chic Scott, the credo ‘live it,
learn it’ most certainly applies.
While by no means a household name
amongst
U.S.
backcountry
aficionados, north of the border Scott
is regarded as one of Canada’s
foremost mountaineers and ski
tourers.
The 57-year-old, who has devoted the next 15
years to the pursuit of prime-time backcountry
skiing, has climbed all over the world for almost
four decades. You get altitude sickness just
looking at his resume. What’s more, despite his
lofty achievements as both a climber, ski tourer
and author, he finds steadfast pride in the fact he
still lives the life of “a liberal dirtbag.” (An
interesting aside: In all his touring experience he
has never telemarked, and today skis on alpinestyle fats.)
Born in 1945 a few hours drive from the towering
massifs of Alberta’s Continental Divide, the
former teenage golfing sensation was the first
Canadian climber to tackle the Himalayas,
conquering some of the most demanding routes
both there and in Europe. He was the first
Canadian to guide in Europe at Dougal Haston’s
renown International School of Mountaineering,
where he helped out on perilous climbing scenes
for Clint Eastwood’s The Eiger Sanction.
But it was a North American first that entrenched
him in the world’s ski mountaineering record
books. In 1967, Scott was the first man to
complete the 350-kilometer (218 mile) Rocky
Mountain ski traverse from Jasper to Lake Louise,
today considered one of the world’s premier skitouring routes. The trip was completed in 21
grueling days. He also bagged the first alpinestyle ascent of Mt. Logan, which at 19,550 feet is
Canada’s highest peak.
Scotland’s Cairn Gorams, during a few days off
from his three-month slide show tour of the U.K.
Off-Piste: Backcountry skiing’s popularity is
exploding — is that good or bad, and why?
Chic Scott: I think it’s great that more and more
people are getting out in the back country.
Writing the guidebook Summits and Icefields, I
see myself as a door-opener for pilgrims to the
mountains.
OP: What about the commercialization of the
international climbing scene. Are you concerned
by it — and is the transition being handled
responsibly?
CS: I’m concerned primarily with the
fascination the public has with Mt. Everest, as
the only mountain on earth. It’s not the hardest
mountain. The hardest is K2 — and you hardly
ever read about K2, although it’s far and away
the most difficult. And it’s not the most
beautiful mountain in the world. The public
doesn’t seem to understand that there are
many beautiful and challenging mountains all
over the world.
OP: Is that a misconception the rest of the
international mountaineering crowd would be
happy to proliferate? Wouldn’t it leave all the
rest of the peaks to the experts?
CS: (Laughing) To some extent they might be.
The rest can go and crowd Everest. It’s a great
achievement to climb. But it all depends on
style. And that’s were you can bring Canada’s
Tim Rippel in. (Rippel, who lives in Nelson
British Columbia, has attempted Everest five
times — once solo — and runs climbing tours
in the Himalayas— ed). He’s trying to do it with
good style, in fact, the best style possible,
considering there’s so many other people on
the mountain at the same time. Tim’s trying to
give the mountain all the advantages, and make
it a real difficult climb for himself. Whereas the
people who go up there use all the Sherpas,
use oxygen and some of them almost get
dragged up to the top, they’re just doing it as a
trophy, so the picture can hang on the wall.
And that’s unfortunate, because climbing
mountains has always been about overcoming
your ego and about humility in the face of the
great power of nature.
OP: Were you surprised by the Everest disaster
in ‘96, the one that led to the Into Thin Air
novel?
CS: No. I don’t think I was surprised. When you
get high on a big mountain, even a big
mountain in Canada like Mt. Robson or Mt.
Logan, nobody’s in charge of the weather. The
wind starts to blow and the temperature starts
to drop — it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re
just a piece of fluff being blown around,
buffeted by the wind. The strongest
mountaineers in the world get killed quite
easily. So when you’re taking these
inexperienced mountaineers up into these
zones, sooner or later, the weather’s going to
catch somebody, and that’s what happened.
Then it doesn’t matter who your guide is. The
guide is struggling just to keep from freezing to
death, just like you are.
OP: Back to your skiing career. Thirty years
ago, when you first started skiing touring into
remote wilderness, there were few people doing
Two years ago, in his most arduous nonmountaineering effort, Scott compiled a history
of Canada’s little-known 200-year mountaineering
history entitled Pushing the Limits (Rocky
Mountain Books), which took five years to
complete. He collected over 400,000 pages of text
and 800 pictures.
“I lived on a budget that would make a student
choke,” Scott laughs. At one point during his
research, he ran out of cash and was forced to
sleep in his tent. Scott has also authored two
vital guidebooks: Summits and Icefields and Ski
Trails of the Canadian Rockies.
Off-Piste contributor Darren Davidson has
interviewed the gregarious climbing legend on a
number of occasions, most recently in January
from London, England, shortly after the
indomitable adventurer had scrambled about
Chic Scott skiing in the Waddington Range
Photo: Vamce Hanna
it. What did people think of your
endeavors?
CS: Very few people knew what
we were doing. There were no
magazines and the newspapers
didn’t take much interest. We did
however inspire a younger
generation of back country skiers
who continued doing the big
traverses, folks like Steve Smith,
Mel Hines, Bob Saunders and
Errol Smith.
OP: You’ve traveled the world and
skied in all sorts of exotic places.
Recount the details of one of
your most memorable day on
downhill skis.
CS: Actually I haven’t skied the
world. I have climbed around the
world. My big dream project right
now is to spend the next 10-15
years back country skiing around
the world then do a big coffee
table book on it.
OP: Fair enough. Still with
regards to your skiing career, is it
true you failed your Association
of Canadian Mountain Guide
(ACMG) course because the
Association felt your skiing skills
weren’t good enough? What do
they think of that decision now?
Don Gardner, Chic Scott, Neil Liske, and Charlie Locke at the Castleguard River - 1967.
CS: That’s right. I think they made a mistake —
but it was their loss. I think I could have made a
positive contribution to the ACMG but they
turned me away. So I wrote Summits and
Icefields as a response to being failed as a ski
guide… and that really launched my career as a
mountain writer, which has been a wonderful
success.
OP:Do you consider your skis means to an end
– or tools of hedonistic pleasure?
CS My skis are the tools that take me through
the great winter paradise of the Canadian
mountains.
OP: In all your mountain adventure experiences
you must have, on numerous occasions, come
close to meeting your maker.
CS: There’s been lots of little close calls.
OP: What was the closest?
CS: The closest? The expedition to the
Himalayas, a British expedition to Dhaulagiri IV,
in 1973, it was a 25,000 foot mountain. I was
invited to go. It was really hard work. I’m
pleased I just lived through it. In the end, two of
our team members were killed — one in a fall
high on the mountain, he fell a couple thousand
feet to his death. And another fellow was killed
in an avalanche. That was the one expedition
where it really got out of control. I just felt like I
was on the battlefield. I was happy to just get
home alive.
OP: Do you intend to die a self-admitted liberal
dirtbag ski bum, or will Chic Scott one day
evolve into a wealthy, conservative statesman of
the great outdoors?
CS: I’ll always remain a dirt bag. I prize my
freedom more than anything else. I would always
rather lose for the right reasons than win for the
wrong reasons. However I can pass between the
different cultures. I have plenty of friends who are
Photo: Don Gardner
wealthy lawyers and doctors and we get along
very well. Just the other night I was dressed up in
a tie giving a slide show here in London to the
Alpine Club and I felt completely at home. It’s not
what you wear – it’s how you think.
OP: Last question. The obvious one. Why climb
— or ski — a mountain?
CS: I did 90 interviews for Pushing The Limits,
and I asked all the climbers why they climbed.
It’s not an unfathomable question, they all climb
for the same five or six reasons. Why do I climb?
While my intellectual and spiritual body are
climbing intellectual and spiritual mountains, my
physical body climbs physical mountains. It’s
very uplifting. We can sit, veg out and watch TV
and let the world go by, or we can make life the
great adventure and the great experience that it
should be.
Darren Davidson is a skier, father, and freeleance
writer based in Nelson, BC.
T
he last few years have
seen a resurgence of
lighter, more touring
friendly backcountry gear.
There
are
some
great
functional reasons for this
trend, not the least being that
modern tele gear has gotten
heavier,
stiffer,
and
commensurately more difficult
to really tour on. The evolution
towards heavier tele gear has
opened up a large space in its
wake, which, quite naturally, is
being filled with lighter, looser,
backcountry gear.
This lighter gear however, is
nothing new. A good case can
be made that the whole rebirth
of the tele movement was
about going with lighter,
simpler gear. One could say
that the original tele gear, light
and loose by even today’s
standards of what’s light, has
suffered a death by 1000 wellintentioned “upgrades”. A
constant desire to increase
power/control has led to
incremental changes in skis,
boots, and bindings. This
evolution has transformed
modern tele gear into a
powerful but restrictive way of
skiing, paralleling the evolution
of alpine skiing from the 1930s
when lifts were first introduced.
Skiing lighter gear (my choice
being a metal edged no-wax
ski, a 3pin binding, and a light
backcountry boot) calls for a
different attitude from the one
we take to our beefier modern
tele gear. A voluntary reduction
of power is the trade off for a
lighter, looser feeling on the
snow.
This
freedom
of
movement translates into a
different kind of backcountry
skiing. The difference can be
viewed as “touring for turns” as
apposed to “climbing for
turns”. Going light is not better
or worse than what we do on
our bigger tele gear. In fact,
skiing light gear should be
considered
a
strong
complement to skiing on the
more powerful gear we
generally use.
. . . skiing light gear for the practical reasons of
self-improvement is a little like saving wilderness
for its economic benefits. The real value comes
from the experience. There is a feeling of
freedom on light gear - from both in its lightness
and its lack of restraint - that is unmatched by our
standard tele gear.
Skiing on light gear develops
skills that enhance our skiing
on full tele gear. Making turns
on light gear is pretty much the
same as on full tele, but it
requires more precision and
finesse. With light touring gear,
you are very aware when you
are not in the middle of your
skis and you don’t have to
wonder if you are weighting the
back foot in a tele turn – you
know. Backseat skiing, too
wide a stance, and weighting
only the front foot are bad
habits that can, to some
degree, be overcome by big
modern gear. However, the
limitations of such bad habits
are quickly discovered on light
gear given that you have so
much more feel. With softer
boots, you can quickly adjust
and feel what it’s like to be in
the “right” position. Though it’s
harder to learn to tele (or
Going light is not better or
worse than what we do on our
bigger tele gear. In fact, skiing
light gear should be considered
a strong complement to skiing
on the more powerful gear we
generally use.
parallel) on lighter gear, once you have
learned on your heavy gear it’s quite easy
to take those skills back to light gear and
refine them. Adding finesse and precision
to the power of our standard tele gear will
greatly improve our skiing.
Light gear can also teach us a lot about the
ascent. Without the power of skins, we
have to pay more attention to the terrain,
and reading terrain is arguably the most
crucial skill in backcountry travel. Touring
with no-wax skis makes it essential to read
the nuances of terrain and seek out the
various invisible lines that can take us up a
mountain. Grip is not a given and the
technique developed when climbing with
no-wax skis will increase our climbing skills
when using skins. As with the downhill
mode, light gear can be described as “self
centering”. You quickly discover the sweet
spot for all kinds of maneuvers, from
climbing to kick turns.
These are all great reasons to ski on light
gear and in the age of reason I suppose
that’s important. But skiing light gear for the
practical reasons of self-improvement is a
little like saving wilderness for its economic
benefits. The real value comes from the
experience. There is a feeling of freedom
on light gear - from both its lightness and
its lack of restraint - that is unmatched by
our standard tele gear.
On a fine spring day when the sun warms
the snow and creeks bulge with runoff, I
will set out with a light pack and a goal of
simply being out, exploring a snowy world
and getting some great turns to boot. This
is truly spontaneous skiing. All terrain
seems accessible as the ups and downs
merge together in a seamless blend of
wandering and wondering, wild skiing in
wild mountains.
Nils Larsen is a regular contributor to OffPiste and is equally at home on lightweight
touring gear as he is on beefier telemark
equipment. He runs telemark and
backcountry workshops around the country.
www.freeheels.com
Skiers: Dave , Fred , Lisa , and CD the dog
Location: Kenai Mountains., AK
Photographer: Michael G. Halle
The mountains reserve their choicest gifts for
those who stand upon their summits.
- Sir Francis Younghusband
Skier: Dean Collins
Location: North Cascades, WA
Photographer: Carl Skoog
Skier: Eric Gabrielson
Location: Mt. Hood, OR
Photographer: Greg Lawler
To be nobody-but-yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night
and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest
battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
- E. E. Cummings
Skier: Dean Collins
Location: Chugach, AK
Photographer: Carl Skoog
ven the staunchest backcountry
Luddites have to admit that the
latest generation of wider skis
makes ski touring easier and more
enjoyable.
E
The least crucial of these is the climbing ability.
This may seem heretical, given that the reason
we’re putting the skins on our skis is to climb
uphill, however, these modern skins, in such a
wide width, generally impart more than enough
traction to get you up any reasonable skin track.
There is, however, a catch with upgrading to
wider skis. Those old skins, you know the ones
you’ve been recycling to each new ski since
your old Europa 99s that you sold in 1987?
Well, they won’t work on your new Mega
Bangs. That’s right; we have moved to a new
meaning of wide these days, and the only way
you’ll ever get up any hill on this generation of
fat skis is to go for wall to wall carpeting. Why,
you ask? Simple fizziks, my dear Watson. Your
old Karhu XCDs had less surface area. This
smaller area results in a higher pressure
(pounds per sq. inch) on the snow which,
when there is a skin attached, makes the skin
grip well. The larger surface area of your new
skis, which helps them float to the surface in
the mank, also means lower pressure (same
pounds but spread over a much larger area) on
the snow. This lower pressure implies the need
for more gripping area and so the skins need to
be wider. The upgrade you made in skis means
you must also upgrade skins or be left behind
in the up-track as you wallow in frustration and
give your arms and shoulders a real beating.
Lack of glide, on the other hand, can make for a
tiring day. This, too, may seem contrary to your
notions. Consider that on a typical touring day
you will travel using skins 3 or 4 times as long as
you do without them. Any extra friction as you
slide them along uphill or the extra inch or so of
glide on the flats and rolling terrain that your
friends are getting at each stride will mean you
are using substantially more energy over the
course of the day.
Unlike the days of yore when a nice set of
Coltex 65mm skins would set you back a
whopping $35; nowadays these wide skins
represent a sizable investment; almost like the
last time you carpeted your house. We picked
out the cream of the crop and tried them out in
all sorts of winter conditions.
Now we, North Cascades Mountain Guides in
our tiny berg of Mazama, log a fairly impressive
number of days in the backcountry, skiing and
skinning from November till June. We have a
collective experience on the subject of skins
that would rate as a pretty fair test in its own
right. But are we going to subject you, dear
reader, to a mere anecdotal relating of personal
favorites? No way. In order to give you the
straight skinny, we assembled all the latest
offerings and put them to a head to head test.
We will, of course, interject our own biases
based on miles of experience. In the end, we
hope this information will help you make an
intelligent choice when you purchase your next
set of skins. Just stay away from the avocado
shag. It didn’t look good in 1973 and it hasn’t
aged well.
TEST PROCEDURE
Skin functionality in an everyday setting, relies on
several factors:
Climbing ability of the skin
Glide of the skin on the snow
Grip of the skin to the ski
Mechanical attachment of skin
Water absorption by the skin
Weight and packability
to ski
Nothing impacts the functionality of skins more
than their ability to adhere to the ski in real world
use. The primary attachment for all these skins to
the ski is by glue; by and large these modern
glues work extremely well and have an amazing
ability to repeatedly attach and detach from the
ski, all the while maintaining their stickiness
rather than imparting their glue to the ski bottom.
That said, there are some differences in the
durability and function of the various glues, and
we understand it must be a chemist’s nightmare
to get the glue formulation correct, as several very
well intentioned efforts by skin manufacturers
have resulted in bad glue batches.
All the skins we tested came with mechanical
attachments. While these might seem redundant,
they offer a very handy backup system to the
glue, as well as aiding in the adhesion process.
Some of these offer better engineering solutions
than others. We definitely prefer skins with both
the tip and tail attachments as we’ve seen too
many tip only attached skins come loose on the
last climb of a full day tour.
While the skin makers have chosen the
materials for their skins carefully to
minimize water absorption, the
inescapable fact remains that we
are skiing on frozen water, and
even on the coldest days, you will
need to dry your skins at the end
of the day. Water absorption
becomes a real problem in the
following scenario: imagine a
perfect bluebird day, 20 degrees F
and eight inches of cold dry
powder. That sweet powder stash
just on the north side of the ridge
requires that you skin up the
sunny south side. The trees
Ascension
under which you’re traveling
ClipFix
begin to rain down wet masses of
Skins
snow as the sun warms them.
Each time you ski through the
wet tree bombs and out into the powder, your
wet skins begin to pick up snow. In very short
order, you’re walking on 6 inch stilts of cold
powder stuck to the bottom of your skins. All of
the skins absorb water to some extent, despite
the hydrophobic hype. While some are better
than others, the best mitigation for icing is to
carry a small block of glide wax or proprietary
skin goo.
Weight isn’t a big factor in this group, since they
all weigh about the same. Packability, however, is
a different matter, because it impacts the space
the skins take up in your jacket or pack; this is
substantial with some of the stiffer skins.
Although we conducted head to head
comparisons from brand to brand in the same
snow conditions, the variability of snow
conditions from day to day makes the use of
charts and numbers meaningless. Our
comparisons are more qualitative than
quantitative.
THE SKINS
ASCENSION
Recently acquired and now distributed by Black
Diamond; these skins have rightly become the
standard by which skin performance is
measured. Developed long ago in Ridgway,
Colorado by gnomes who nailed the glue formula
right, these skins have, over the years, developed
a passionate following among backcountry
skiers. Their purple color makes these nylon
skins instantly recognizable. In the past they were
offered with two attachment methods; a bent wire
loop for the tip/nothing at the tail and the popular
“Euro Fix” method with a bright green stretchy
rubber tip attachment and metal tail hook. The
rubber tips were prone to being knocked off if
you bumped your tips together but otherwise
were a super secure system. BD has changed
these two older attachments to a sewn in bent
wire loop with nothing on the tail and a bent wire
loop with a stainless camming lever at the tail
(called ClipFix). The latter is what we tested. The
marketing propaganda says that the ClipFix lever
provides tension by stretching
the skin. In practice however,
when the skin is glued to the ski
there is no way to stretch more
than the last few inches with the
lever. The result is that the lever
ends up being either super tight
and risks tearing out the rivets
holding it to the skin or the lever
is too loose and falls open. This
has happened with several other
sets of these skins used by folks
we know. If the glue should fail
due to wetness or ice the length
of the skin will have to be
adjusted in order to re-tension
the skin enough to have it stay
on with the lever only. The nicely
made stainless steel lever is up to
the task but its width make it
susceptible to coming unclipped
by dragging in the snow/crust,
having dogs step on it, or a friend ski over it. The
older system was better and should have been
left alone. BD does offer the optional GlideLite tip
and tail fitting kit, which is much better and worth
the $20 extra (more on this later). The climb of
these skins was equal to the best in test. The
glide was second best of the test to the GlideLite
by about 20% on average. Cold/wet reglue-ability
was the best in the group and unless you drag
them in the snow you can install/remove them
multiple times in a day without a hitch. Glue
durability has been proven over the years to be at
the top of the heap, but should you need a
reglue (in my experience this will come after 100+
days use) they sell easily applied home glue.
These were by far the stiffest and hence bulkiest
skins to pack and also the heaviest at 20 oz. (for
my 184 Atomic TM EX) which may largely be due
to the heavy stainless tail cam lever. These skins
would have received an A+ but for the cam lever;
the glue saved them from a B rating. Overall A(personal bias note: I have been using Ascension
skins since the early 90s when the first came to
market and have covered many hundreds of
miles on them and they are still my favorites, but
I did try my best to be open minded in this test).
BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS (BCA)
BCA is apparently having their skins made by
Montana, which is one of Europe’s oldest names
in skins. This is a smart move, as they can be
assured of supplying a quality product that has
already had a lot of testing. They are sold with
the moniker “Low Fat” but I’m not really
sure why, since they weighed
in at same 18oz as the
rest of the group
(other than the
Ascensions). They
are
remarkably
pliable and pack
well. These too
used a nylon pile,
this time in a nice
BC Access
bright yellow. The
Low FatSkins
grip was equal to
the
Ascension,
GlideLite and G3.
The glide was the next to worst of the lot,
bettering only the sluggish Life-Links. The
attachment uses the tried and tested, popular
Euro system of a tail hook and an elastic rubber
tip with a bent wire loop. A clever extra bend in
the wire loop on the front makes these much
more secure, especially on skis fitted with those
foolish plastic tips (what’s up with those things
anyway? And how about the low “Hermanator”
racing tips on several skis these days!!?? Give me
a break! Have you ever broken trail in deep snow
with these submarines? Don’t get me started).
Right out of the box the glue on these pups will
give you fits as it is just too darn sticky. Unless
you are very strong, the first several times that
you use them you will need a friend to help peel
the skins apart. One of our testers who has used
his BCA skins for over a season says that they
become much more manageable after a several
uses. This was comforting to hear as my eyes
and biceps were bulging from the exertion of
peeling them apart. Overall, the
BCA Low Fats receive high
praise, nothing cute here
just a good workman
like product. They
are soft enough to GlideLite
Skins
make them pack
very well. Held back
by glide and slightly
sub par glue. Overall
A-/B+.
anyone of many rectangular slots (like holes in a
belt) so it is easy to adjust the length and
tension. These slots, with their square corners,
may prove to be a failure point over time if the
rubber “clutch belt” becomes more brittle but in 2
months of heavy use they have held up well. My
2 cents worth: BD would be wise to fit this as
standard to the Ascension skins as it is a far
better attachment system than the “ClipFix”.
Other than the easily mitigated icing problem this
is an outstanding product. Overall A+/A
GLIDELITE
Developed by a
small and innovative
company
that
probably owes its survival to having been
swallowed up by Black Diamond, these skins
have some very well thought out features. First
the skin material; it’s nylon like most of the rest
but when viewed under our handy 10x loop from
the avy pit kit it is obvious that the hairs are a bit
thinner in diameter and longer than the others.
This gives the skin a much softer feel and may be
what contributed to its “best of the bunch” glide
performance which was significant (about 20%
better than 2nd place Ascension). There is one
apparent drawback to this
longer finer fur. The
GlideLites iced up worse
than the other models
(on one tour they were
the only skins that iced
that day and they had
to be waxed; after
which they were fine).
They also seemed to take
longer to dry out. My hunch
is that the longer, finer hairs
hold more water. They weigh in at
the same 18oz. and pack very nicely due
to their softness. The climbing ability was equal
to the other skins. One of our fellow guides who
uses his GlideLites daily has nothing but praise
for the glue as the skins can be reapplied several
times in a day with no problems. The most
innovative part of these skins in my mind is the
very clever and handy attachment system. It uses
a cable loop at the tip (which
is the lowest profile and
most secure of this style)
and an adjustable stretchy
plastic strap called “clutch
straps” (who dreams up
these names?) at the tail
with a clever camming
hook. This little hook is
light, low profile and super
secure. The stretch and
G3
tension come from the
Skins
stretchy strap and not the
skin. The cam hook fits into
LIFE-LINK
The Life-Link crew has chosen a similar route as
BCA in that they are using an trusted European
name to supply their skins. This time it is Coltex,
who, along with Montana pretty much own the
European skin market and for years were all that
we ever saw in this country. Coltex uses a nylon /
mohair mixture (Mothetic) and these skins
certainly do look different than the rest under the
magnifier. The fuzz is much shorter and less
unidirectional. Ascension used to make mohair
skins, claiming extra glide, and from my little
experience I would say they achieved that goal
but their mohair didn’t climb as well as their
nylon skins. So there was a trade-off available,
mohair for glide, nylon for stick.
Well, somehow the Life-Link
skins with their mixture seem to
Life-Link
have gotten the short ends of
Mothetic
both materials. They were the
Skins
slowest in the glide test and
they just didn’t have the bite of
the nylon skins. However, the
lack of bite was not much of a
problem and 90% of the time
they went up any up track that
was reasonable. They just won’t
hold as well on the steepest lines or
on a polished, well skied up-track. The
glue is very good, almost as good as Ascension
and about on par with the GlideLite. The
attachments are the same basic Euro style with
tail hook and rubber tip with a bent wire loop.
The attachment system is low profile for its style,
works well, and I was never able knock them
loose even though I’ve got those silly plastic tips
on my skis.
G3
This group of diehard tourers from Canada
have been making real strides at becoming a
force in the Backcountry ski world. I used a
pair of their skins for a month last spring and
was pretty impressed. The seemed on par with
the best of what I had used before. Toward the
end of the ski season I did begin to notice
some glue problems and began to hear about
others with similar issues. When contacted, G3
was totally up front about it but said that their
chemist gnomes were working on it and they’d
continued on page 21
O
n November 10th, I was caught,
buried, and suffocated into
unconsciousness
by
an
avalanche. Fortunately, friends dug me out
quickly and no harm was done. Looking
back, I don’t feel fear or regret, but rather
embarrassment.
I hadn’t thought much about changing our route;
there was only a small section near the top where
the slope rolls over that would be sensitive enough
to trigger. Looking down this north-facing slope
from above, it is steeper to the left (toward the
ridge/cornice area) and mellower to the right, the
When avalanches start they
move slowly, but only for a
second or two - after that they
quickly accelerate. If you’re
caught in one, the idea is to
instantly identify which side of
the thing is closer and point
your skis diagonally that way in
order to ski off the slab while it
still has some cohesion, before
it can really accelerate and get
violently chaotic. But in the
white-out, I couldn’t see the
edge of the slide and therefore
didn’t know which way to try to
escape. However, because I
could discern a couple of trees
off to my left, I pointed my skis
that way. But the snow quickly
pushed me down, or maybe my
skis snagged on something
below.
I’ve lived in Jackson Hole for ten
years and have skied many
hundreds of days in the
backcountry. I’ve taken several
avalanche classes over the years
and people tell me that I have a
reputation as a safe backcountry
traveler. In fact, back at the parking
lot after the accident, someone
pointed out that I had commented
on exactly how the avalanche
would occur just moments before
it buried me.
And yet I still chose to ski that
slope. Why did I make that
choice? The answer lies in the
human tendency to see only what
we want to see, ignoring objective
facts.
That Sunday, our group of eight
climbed to the summit of Grand
Targhee. The ski area hadn’t
opened yet, but I like to ski there
in the early season because the
slopes are relatively free of rocks
and logs. That day, we were in the
midst of a major storm, with about
18 inches of snow having fallen at
upper elevations since Friday. This
new snow lay atop a layer of older
snow 10 to 12 inches thick (those
of you who are experienced
backcountry skiers should already
have your antennae up). Fearful of
unseen obstacles hidden by
unconsolidated snow, we planned
to ski a route that would take us
up a ridge (Headwall Traverse) in
the center of the ski area, then
down through some slopes where
the snow would be as deep as
possible (Chief Joseph Bowl,
uphill from the cornice area on the ridge).
As we skinned up the ridge, I noticed obvious
signs of instability: The snow settled fairly regularly
with a “whoomph” noise, there was some
cracking in the snow around me, and I could feel
with my ski pole that the old snow at the base of
the snowpack was less dense than the newer
snow. Meanwhile, the weather remained stormy –
heavy snowfall with light but steady winds, and
fog contributed to very low visibility.
When I reached the ridge top and waited for the
party to reassemble, I was certainly concerned
about the snow stability, and felt edgy. But I was
more immediately worried about keeping our
group together in the white-out—most of them
were unfamiliar with the area. Telling myself that
the snow was not yet deep enough to worry about
slides, and without giving the matter much
discussion, I led the way toward the Bowl.
One of my friends skied down to a small tree a
short way below the top, just above where the
slope angle steepens to about 32-33 degrees. I
skied down to her, told her to watch me carefully
through the questionable rollover, then headed off.
But after just two or three turns, I saw the snow
fracturing on both sides of me.
Either way, I went down and
started tumbling as the snow
accelerated. I dropped my poles
and one of my skis came off.
Soon after, I came up to the
surface and started “treading
water” furiously as snow heaved
and rushed all around me, a
sensation not unlike swimming
through rapids in a river. Finally,
it started to slow down. I
actually thought for a split
second that I had managed to
get through it – but then
another wave came crashing
down from above and rolled me
down the slope and beneath
the snow again. This time, I
didn’t come up.
edge of which is the eastern ski area boundary.
Beyond the boundary, a large cliff runs
perpendicular to the slope. If visibility had been
better, I would have led the group along this
boundary and around the steeper part of the
slope. But in the white-out—and knowing that the
closed ski area had probably not yet roped off the
boundary—it would be easy to ski off the edge of
the cornice that overhangs the cliff. I didn’t want
to get anywhere near that. Though it sounds pretty
hairy in these weather conditions, hundreds of
tourists ski through this area every day when the
resort is open.
So I decided to ski the middle of the slope. I told
the group that even though it shouldn’t be heavily
loaded enough to slide, the top could be a little
dangerous, so be sure to ski one at a time, keep
an eye on each other, and just ski down to the
trees at the bottom to regroup.
Just a few seconds later I felt it
slow down and stop. I managed to get one hand
in front of my face and, while I packed out a little
breathing space, I desperately thrust the other
toward what I thought might be the surface (it
turned out that I had stretched out parallel to the
slope). I felt more and more snow piling up and a
sensation of being squeezed all over. Thankfully,
the pressure only increased for a few seconds.
Then, everything got quiet and dark, and I couldn’t
move at all.
With utter disbelief I realized that I was actually
totally buried. My heart pounded and a surge of
real fear shot through me – up until then I had
been fighting too hard to be scared – but I
immediately told myself to calm down, knowing
that if I got excited I’d just use up all my oxygen
quicker. Surprisingly, that worked. I relaxed,
actually feeling rather cozy, and idly wondered
whether some part of me was still protruding from
the snow, or if they’d have to do a transceiver
search to find me. And that’s the last
thing I remember.
It’s hard to guess, since stress can
warp perception of time, but I can’t
imagine that I was buried for more
than 30-45 seconds before I passed
out. Next thing I knew, shapes were
cartwheeling through the sky above
me and voices were babbling all
around me. I felt as if I’d been
yanked out of bed in the midst of the
deepest sleep imaginable, and
thrown into the middle of a snowy
yard party. I had no idea what was
going on. People were yelling at me
to talk to them, asking if I was OK. I
wanted to answer but somehow
couldn’t. Someone sat me up
against a wall of snow. Slowly, faces
came into focus, beyond them faint
trees and blowing snow. Sounds,
voices and wind that had been
muffled and hazy became clearer. It
was very difficult to move. I felt
completely exhausted.
Then, so suddenly that it made me
feel sick to my stomach, I realized
what had happened. I began to be
able to talk, and soon after to move
around a little, then walk. I felt
overwhelmingly grateful to the
people around me, some of whom
are close friends and some of whom
I had just met that day. There’s no
doubt that they saved my life – I was
able to ski away from the scene
about 30 minutes later.
It’s hard to estimate because of the
poor visibility, but we guessed that
the slide was about 30 yards wide
with a 2 to 3 foot crown, and
probably didn’t run more than 40 or
50 yards. It triggered very easily,
basically as soon as I touched an
area steep enough. I was skiing very
lightly, didn’t hit it hard at all – just
my weight on the slope was enough
to trigger it. After fracturing around
me, the slab pulled out above,
actually knocking my friend who had
waited by the tree near the top of the
slope off her feet. She was left sitting
on the bed surface just below the
fracture line.
My partners did not need to use
transceivers to locate me because
the tail of my remaining ski stuck
above the surface. My friend who
had been knocked off her feet
immediately skied down the bed
surface to look for such clues while
another assembled a shovel and a
third prepared to transceiver search.
Upon finding that I was still attached
to the ski, they quickly dug me out.
I was face down under one to two
feet of snow and unconscious, but
apparently still breathing – or else
resumed breathing on my own upon
being dug out. I had only been
buried for two or three minutes. I
began to regain consciousness
immediately but took a little while to
get oriented. My only injuries were a
chewed-up tongue and a bloody
nose.
People have asked me whether this
experience has affected my attitude
toward backcountry skiing. It has
not. I’ve often thought about the
possibility of this happening and
accepted it long ago. I choose to
ski in avalanche country. There are
many steps we can take to
minimize our exposure to risk, but
if we make the fundamental choice
to ski in avalanche country we
must accept that all risk cannot be
eliminated. And all humans
sometimes make errors in
judgment. When they make such
errors in avalanche country, they
often get away with it, but
occasionally they pay dearly. As
time goes by, more than anything
else, I am thankful that no one else
paid for my error in judgment.
Close calls such as this are really a
gift - an opportunity to learn a
powerful lesson and maybe gain a
little more appreciation for the
world. I know I’ve been enjoying
the feeling of sucking in a big
lungful of fresh air more than I ever
did before. I also learned that, had
no one been there to dig me out
and I had died that day, I know that
I would not have suffered a painful
death. It’s strange to think that
those few moments before the
blankness of unconsciousness
could have been my last: The End.
Oddly, my last feelings were of
relaxation and comfort, almost
coziness. I have known two people
who died in slides, and while, of
course, it does not lessen the loss
to friends and families, perhaps it
will bring some comfort to think
that they might not have suffered
any more than I did.
oreign Travel is
becoming more and
more accessible and
common among residents
of first world countries.
F
With foreign travel comes the risk
of contracting an infectious
disease. The risk is greater in
tropical climates (vs. Nordic
environments), at elevations
less than 6,000 feet, in
developing countries, and in
densely populated urban areas
with poor sanitation. If as a skier
you avoid these areas, you will
be reasonably safe. However,
for some of us, the allure of a
side trip to the tropics after a
few weeks in the snow often
proves too difficult to resist. Not
to mention that access to the
mountains often requires first
traveling through urban centers
and lowlands.
In all cases, prevention is
preferable to contracting a
disease. In most cases a
combination of avoidance,
vaccines, and drug prophylaxis
is effective. Choosing your level
of acceptable risk requires a
basic understanding of disease
transmission. Research is also
important since many vaccines
must be given three to six
months prior to your arrival and
some
cannot
be
given
concurrently. If possible, plan
your trip eight to twelve months
in advance, especially if you
plan to enter areas of higher
risk. The purpose of this article
is to acquaint you with the ways
infectious
diseases
are
transmitted and where to go for
specific information related to
you trip.
Infectious
Diseases
are
caused by viruses, bacteria,
parasites, or funguses. They are
transmitted through direct
contact with infected body fluids,
through animal or insect
vectors, or via contaminated
food and water. There are no
reliable field treatments for any
infectious disease. Patients
exhibiting the signs and
symptoms of an infectious
disease should be evacuated to
the nearest medical facility for
accurate
diagnosis
and
treatment. Check the following
sources for information about
prevention, vaccines, drug
prophylaxis, and treatment:
•Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) www.cdc.gov 404-639-3311
•Department
of
State
www.travel.state.gov 1-888-4074747
•World Health Organization
(WHO) www.who.int
•International Association of
Medical Assistance to Travelers
(IAMAT)www.iamat.org 716-7544883
•Global Medical Systems:
www.globalmd.net
offers
physician advice with a 24 hour/
7 days a week call in/fee-forservice via phone, radio, e-mail,
or fax.
Body Fluids - blood, mucus,
genital secretions, saliva, feces,
urine, sputum, and respiratory
droplets - Avoid contact via
Body Substance Isolation (BSI):
gloves, masks, glasses, and
clothing may act as a physical
barrier and offer protection when
treating a suspect person/
patient. Use blue “trauma”
gloves. Store them inside
marked film canisters. Multiple
pairs of gloves (and film
canisters) should be carried by
all potential care givers. Wash
immediately after a suspected
exposure with soap & water.
Washing greatly reduces the
risk of disease transmission.
Animal
Bites
Avoid
dangerous animals; become
familiar with specific animal
habitat and behaviors. Once
bitten the wound should be
treated as a high risk wound.
Thorough wound cleansing
significantly reduces the risk of
disease transmission.
Insect Bites - Common
carriers are fleas, mosquitoes,
and ticks. Wear protective
clothing and insect repellent.
Use DEET in concentrations
<35%; a single application lasts
about 4-6 hours. Soak clothing
and nets in permethrinrepellent; a single application is
good for several weeks.
Mosquitoes tend to live below
6,000 feet and are rare in alpine
and winter environments.
Water - Clarification removes
suspended particulate matter
(and many microorganisms).
Purification ideally renders the
H20 free from all infectious
microorganisms. Clarify cloudy
H 2 O prior to purification. For a
detailed
look
at
water
purification see Off-Piste XI
(December 2001).
Contaminated Food - Note
that daily use of Grapefruit Seed
Extract (GSE) at 25-30 drops
per day may prevent most minor
travel related gastrointestinal
illnesses.
Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) recommendations:
•Assume any raw food found in
areas of poor sanitation to be
contaminated.
•Raw food that has been
thoroughly washed with soap
and rinsed in potable water is
SAFE.
•Peeled vegetables and fruit
are SAFE
•Food that is still HOT is
considered reasonably SAFE.
•Unpasteurized milk, milk
products, raw meat, and
shellfish are NOT SAFE.
•Tropical fish are NOT SAFE
even when cooked due to toxins
in their flesh.
•Ice made from contaminated
water is NOT SAFE.
General
Assessment
•While there are tens of
thousands
of
infectious
diseases, the most common
diseases experienced by
wilderness travelers are listed in
the accompanying chart.
Remember to research specific
diseases and their prophylaxis,
signs and symptoms, and
treatment prior to leaving for
your trip.
•Most infectious diseases have
an incubation period of days to
weeks before the onset of signs
and symptoms. Exposure
history is critical to accurate
diagnosis and treatment.
•Most
initial
signs
and
symptoms are generic and flulike.
•A lowered or decreasing level
of consciousness (Verbal, Pain,
or Unresponsive patient) usually
indicates a severe infection and
a poor prognosis.
•Specific diagnosis usually
requires a detailed exposure
history and a blood serum test
for antibodies or a culture.
Supportive
Treatment
•Provide bed rest and assist
thermoregulation.
•Replace and force fluids and
electrolytes. Monitor urine
output and color.
•Herbs that stimulate the
immune system and have
strong antimicrobial properties
include:
Echinacea
and
goldenseal in combination,
ginseng and astragalus in
combination, and hyssop.
• In most cases vomiting is selflimiting and should be permitted
to run its course. Control
persistent vomiting (more than
12 hours) with promethazine.
Give 25mg every 6-8 hours by
mouth or 12.5-25mg by
suppository every 12 hours.
Alternately, you can use 50mg
of diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
given by mouth every six hours
for four doses.
•In most cases diarrhea is
self-limiting and should be
permitted to run its course.
Control only if patient is in
danger
of
becoming
dehydrated. Mild diarrhea may
be controlled with teas made
from five finger grass or the
inner bark of slippery elm.
Control severe diarrhea with
loperamide (Imodium ™). Give
4-8mg by mouth per day DO
NOT exceed 16mg in 24 hours.
Begin with the lowest dosage
possible and repeat after each
loose
bowel
movement.
Constipation and abdominal
cramps are possible.
•Consider using 50mg of
diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
every 6 hours to provide relief
from the itching associated
with rashes.
•Control fevers >102 F with
acetaminophen
(Tylenol).
Yarrow tea is also a strong
antipyretic (fever reducer).
•Evacuate
all
patients
suspected of contracting an
infectious disease to a major
hospital for definitive diagnosis
and treatment.
With good research and
planning you should be able to
avoid contracting any serious
disease. Please remember that
if you find yourself sick days,
weeks, or even months AFTER
you return home, you should
suspect an infectious disease
contracted during your trip. It is
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that
you share your travel and
exposure history and any
suspicions you might have with
your physician. Good luck and
happy travels.
Paul Nicolazzo is the director of the
Wilderness Medicine Training Center.
www.WildMedCenter.com
lbs, size 27, $460) or the Dynafit-compatible, fourbuckle, performance-oriented MegaRide from Garmont
(7.1 lbs, size 27.5, $529)
PA C K S
Buy small because what you carry expands to fill the
space available. Ultralight packs with a total capacity
of 3500 to 4000 cubic-inches are perfect for weekend
and week-long spring tours. They are also three to
four pounds lighter than the monsters most skiers
employ. Traveling light means you don’t need
sophisticated frames or suspension systems—your
sleeping pad can provide the needed suspension.
Granite Gear
Among the best ultralight packs I’ve tested are those
Vapor Trail
from Granite Gear, including the Virga (1.25 lbs, 3400
ci.., $95), Vapor Trail (2 lbs, 3600 cu in, $145) and Nimbus
Ozone (3 lbs, 3800 ci., $195). Also impressive in lightness, versatility, and
performance are the Kelty Haiku (2.2 lbs, 4250 ci, $180) and the Vaude Triton
(2.9 lbs, 3300 ci., $100).
W
e were 10 hours into Washington’s famed Ptarmigan Traverse.
Toting 25-pound packs, we had blitzed half of our route’s 38-mile
distance and bagged over 6000 vertical feet. Just before sunset, we
linked turns down the steep slopes confining White Rock Lakes and
intersected the team whose tracks we had been following much of the day.
Each of these skiers, hampered by the viscosity of the Cascadian snowpack
and bridled to the hilt with expedition packs, was body-planting their way
downhill. We stopped to exchange news and they eyed our lean packs and
clean tracks enviously. Before leaving, I popped the question. “How long you
been out?” “Three days. And you?”
When skiing the backcountry, carrying too much weight is, arguably, as
unsafe as toting too little. Extra weight impairs progress, increasing your
exposure time to objective hazards of a trip. Excess weight hinders balance,
making you far more likely to crash and sustain injuries. Finally, too much
weight shatters the sheer kinesthetic pleasure of skinning efficiently up hill or
carving smoothly downhill - which is why I maintain that doubling pack
weight, say from 25 to 50 pounds, quarters your skiing pleasure.
So how do you pare unnecessary weight? Where’s the balance point between
being comfortable in camp and comfortable on the trail? How do you pack
enough to be safe yet not so much as to be unsafe?
The solution is partly in what you leave behind. Out of the pack go the camp
chairs, candle lanterns, down booties, espresso makers, Yuppie (but heavy)
foods, little-used camera lenses, plates, forks, extra pots, overblown repair
kits, expedition-sized first aid kits, and redundant layers of clothes.
Downsizing is also key because all the little tweaks to save ounces add up to
pounds. Clip the useless borders of maps. Carry small sample tubes of
toothpaste. Squirt needed sunscreen into a film canister. Pre-roll the amount
of TP needed for a trip. Eliminate the excess packaging surrounding food.
Limit food intake to 1.5 pounds/person/day. Replace heavy rations of
emergency food (for foul-weather days) with a small stash of energy bars.
Next, make your gear work double duty. Carry a three-quarter-length sleeping
pad and place your empty pack at your feet. Use an ice axe (if the trip
demands one) as your shovel handle. Sleep in your down parka and carry a
lighter sleeping bag. Use a watch with a built-in altimeter. Let a bandana
function as a shade for the face, a compress for wounds, a head band, a hot
pad, and as a towel. Let your sleeping pad double as splint material. And
double up with other group members: Does everyone need to carry
toothpaste, sunscreen, pocketknives, compasses, cameras?
All of these tricks get you halfway home. Eventually, however, you hit that wall
where additional weight savings will come from buying right - or, rather, from
buying light. There is a huge world of hardware and software that’s capable of
putting a serious divot in your pack weight, but it
can
also blow a hole in your wallet. Rather than
worrying about ounce savers like titanium
pots, miniature knives, and LED lights,
concentrate on the pound savers. Buy smart
in the following categories and you’ll take
significant strides toward halving your
Dynafit Tourlite Tech
load…and quadrupling your skiing pleasure.
SKI HARDWARE
U.S. Army treadmill tests calculating energy
expenditure, have found that moving an extra pound on
the foot demands the same energy output as moving
an extra 3.5 to 5.25 pounds on the torso. Foot weight
is different for skiers because we drag rather than lift
the foot. Any way you cut it, however, extra weight
stuck to the long lever of a leg is harder to move than
weight bound to the torso. For randonnee skiers, that
means the two to three pounds saved with Dynafit’s
Tourlite Tech binding (1.5 lbs, $260), the lightest and
most trouble-free binding on the market, is a big deal.
So are boots that eliminate extra pounds like Dynafit’s
distance-oriented TLT4 Pro with Thermoflex Liner (5.6
TENTS
The two-person Warmlite 2R (2.75 lbs, 42 sq ft, $500),
goes up fast, is absolutely waterproof, and has
withstood
hurricane-force
winds
on
mountaineering expeditions. Its materials and
features prove that products weighing half as much
can be stronger than normal equipage. Other
BD Megamid
lightweight tents are the Himalayan-worthy Eldorado
from Bibler (4.5 lbs, $575); and the floorless, three-person Megamid from
Black Diamond (3.5 lbs, $178).
STORMWEAR
Most storm coats, with their flashy patches and
pockets, offer backcountry skiers little more than
added weight. Well-designed coats stripping away
the overkill include the waterproof-breathable
Cloudveil Drizzle (13 oz, $235), using high-tech
waterproof zippers for all closures, and the
Marmot Precip Jacket (12oz, $99), using lowertech and less expensive zippers. Stormpants to
match these coats include the Drizzle Pants from
Cloudveil (10oz, $185), and the Precip Full-Zip
Pants from Marmot (10 oz, $89).
Cloudveil Drizzle Jacket
SLEEPING
CONSIDERATIONS
Carrying sleeping bags rated to match the minimum temperatures expected is
the product of heavy thinking. Light thinkers advocate sleeping in your dry
clothes and carrying a lighter bag. My 3-pound down bag has seen me
through winter ski traverses in the cold country of the Yukon Territories and
Canadian Rockies. On most of my weeklong tours in the Cascades, Sierras,
Selkirks, and Rockies, a high-quality two-pound down bag suffices. Get the
highest quality down (at least 700-fill), and a water-resistant outer shell. While
skiing, make sure your bag stays dry by packing it in something truly
waterproof like the Hydroseal stuff sacks made by Outdoor Research. Some
bags to consider: Feathered Friends Swallow (33 oz, 20-degree F rating,
$270+), Feathered Friends Snowbunting (44 oz, 0-degree F rating, $370+),
Kelty Quasar Light (34 oz, 25-degree rating, $220), Sierra Design Snowlight
(42 oz, 0-degree rating, $339). Meanwhile, a three-quarter-length UltraLite
Therm-a-Rest from Cascade Designs (18 oz, $60) is the best bang for the
burden among inflatable sleeping pads.
INSULATING LAYERS
The layering dogma pushed on skiers deserves reconsideration. Many
lightweight advocates recommend wearing light layers for movement (use
your stormwear as part of the mix here) and retiring into a thick, puffy coat at
camp. This eliminates some of the midweight clothing most skiers carry. By
relying on puffy coats insulated with down or
Polarguard, you pack considerably more
warmth per ounce than layering synthetic
shirts under pile coats. Lightweight, puffy
coats to consider include Feather Friends’
Helio (15oz, down, $175) Feathered Friend’s
Volant (22 oz, down, $235), GoLite’s Down
Sweater (19oz, $149) or GoLite’s Coal Parka
(21 oz, Polarguard 3D, $89).
Feathered Friends Helios
COOKING AND BEYOND
For two- to three-day tours with access to running water, eliminate several
pounds by shedding your pots, stove, and fuel. Cold pizza makes a caloric
lightweight meal. So do common foods such as: gorp, energy bars, granola,
breakfast drinks, salami, jerky, dried fruit, bagels, cream cheese, sugared
drinks... Bring a small metal pot as a bowl—in an emergency, you can heat
water or melt snow over a fire.
When stoves are needed, rely on quick-cook meals (pastas, couscous,
minute rice, potato flakes, instant cereals) to reduce fuel needs and convert to
a hanging stove like MSR’s Superfly Ascent System (9.5 oz, $109). Preparing
meals in the tent reduces both the clothing needed and calories wasted
cooking outside.
Beyond cooking adaptations, ski mountaineers have a few technical toys to
consider (ultralight axes, aluminum crampons, 7.8 mm glacier-travel ropes).
The average backcountry skier, however, should be totally slimmed down with
a pack that’s comfortable to live with and a joy to ski with.
Garmont MegaRide
- Andy Dappen spends his time between writing gigs counting ounces in the Cascades.
Skin Review
have a new product to test this
winter. They were true to their
word and did get a set of skins
for us to evaluate, unfortunately,
not in time for a full report and
include them in this test. I can tell
you what I found in the short time
I was able use them. First thing
you notice is that the cool and
distinctive red color is gone. The
new color is a pleasant if
subdued gray (but the glue side
is red) that would look very at
home in a Lexus interior. The
nylon pile looks very similar to the
old stuff under a 10x magnifier
and the old model had great
climbing ability coupled with
decent glide. G3 has assured us
that new glue has been tested
adnauseam and has proven 100%
durable. I’m willing to give them
the benefit of the doubt until we
have evidence showing otherwise.
I could only pull and re-pull the
glue as well as dig at it with my
fingernail. It certainly has a
distinct look and feel to it. It
didn’t seem to leave any residue
on the skis, which is more than
can be said for most other skins.
However, this could well be due
to the fact the skins had some
use before we received them as
all skins leave less and less
continued
residue as they age. Their
attachment system remains
unchanged and is just as slick as
the GlideLite. It also has a cable
toe bale making for a nice low
profile attachment. The tail is
similar to GlideLite in that it uses
a stretchy strap with round holes
in it to both tension and adjust
the length of the skin. The
primary difference being that the
metal hook is not a cam but a
simple and clever hook that the
strap slides through. This super
secure system works well but can
be hard to remove with the skis
still on you feet. This type of deskinning with its associated
acrobatics and potential for
whacking you partners with a cold
wet skin is all the rage in some
circles. You may need to practice
this a few times in the privacy of
your own study to avoid
embarrassment and potential loss
o f s t a t u s . T h e G 3 ’ s a r e also
flexible and pack well. Although
the test pair was narrower than
others tested and thus measured
weight was lower, their weight is
competitive with other models.
Assuming the glue problem is
behind them, it looks like G3 has
got a winner here.
WHAT’S UP
continued
allowed the current lift and the establishment of the Silverton
Mountain Learning Center. The second phase allows for 10
overnight cabins and a permanent lodge structure, while the third
phase would allow for 2 surface tows. Although there are no
pressing plans to immediately realize the next two phases, they
remain part of the big picture. More pertinent to the ski area’s future
is the growth of their educational programs. Currently, the Learning
Center offers avalanche, writing, and photography classes (with
potential for college credit) and hopes to develop more
environmental and philosophical programs in conjunction with
colleges and universities. The mountain’s priorities are to provide
an affordable and educational experience for skiers eager to
expand their horizons beyond the traditional skier area experience.
- D. Waag www.silvertonmountain.com
MT. HOOD / COOPER SPUR NEWS
T
he Mt. Hood Meadows’ Cooper Spur development story
continues to build. Following lawsuits contesting an initial land swap
deal between Hood River County and Meadows LLC, the Cooper Spur
development concept continues to
face opposition from Hood River
and Portland area citizen groups.
Although Meadows has yet to
announce an official development
plan, they have begun the steps
necessary to evaluate the viability of
a destination resort in the Cooper
Spur area based on Oregon land
use laws.
The Hood River County planning
commission held several public hearings in January and early February to
allow for input from community members regarding destination resort
development in the Cooper Spur area. The hearings were packed to capacity
with a strong show against the idea of further resort development anywhere
on Mt. Hood.
The area in question on Mt. Hood is adjacent to the Crystal Springs
watershed (water supply for the upper Hood River Valley) and is adjacent to
relatively undisturbed north side of Mt. Hood. Opponents of development
are united in their belief that Mt. Hood has already seen enough
development and should not be exploited further.
Opponents of the development include the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra
Club, the Mazamas, the Oregon Nordic Club, and Friends of Mt. Hood.
Meadows LLC has formed their own support group looking for prodevelopment support and calling themselves Friends of Cooper Spur.
Following the public comment process, which closed on Feb 19th, a seven
member appointed committee will read through and consider all comments
before forwarding a recommendation regarding the viability of a destination
resort in the Cooper Spur area to Hood River County for further review and
continued public comment. Visit www.cooperspur.org for updates and more
detailed information.
LIFE-LINK / DYNAFIT RANDONEE RALLY
T
he 2003 Life-Link/Dynafit Randonnee Rally series began in
Whistler, BC. Canadian Gregory Hill, of Revelstoke, pulled off an
amazing upset as he passed favorite Jeff Banks on the final downhill. Hill
finished with a time of one hour 30 minutes and fifteen seconds. Banks,
the 2002 Jackson Hole Champion, finished second, Brendan O’Neil, the
2001 Champion, came in third, while Andrew McClean, winner of the
2002 Alpental Race, came in fourth. Nancy Johnston, the women’s 2001
Jackson Hole Champion, placed first in the women’s race division with a
time of one hour 58 minutes and 15 seconds. Heather Paul finished
second and Polly Samules third.
”The Whistler Blackcomb venue was one of the more spectacular race
sites we have visited. The amount and variety of both in-bounds and out
of bounds terrain is truly amazing.” stated John Scott Executive VicePresident of Life-Link. “The Whistler Ski Patrol designed a dramatic race
course.” said course director Tim Kelley.
The ski-mountaineering race, which tests the endurance, equipment and
skiing skills of competitors, included 5,000 feet of uphill and a serious
descent. The first place winners took home over $1,000 in cash and
prizes and all competitors receive points towards the race series
championship, which will be decided after the fifth and final race in
Jackson Hole.
The race series continues with Alpental, Washington on February 23,
Stevens Pass, Washington on March 9, and culminates in the North
American Championships on March 22, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
(results for the Crested Butte and Alpental Races were not available as of
press time). www.life-link.com
FEE DEMO NEWS
The President’s 2004 budget calls for permanent authorization of recreation
user fees on federally managed public lands. It also requests authority to
expand public-private partnerships for the delivery of recreation and other
forest-related services.
Write your congressional representatives and let your voice be heard on the
Fee Demo issue. Do you want to see permanent fees to access our national
forests and public lands? Do you want to see increased privatization of our
public lands? Let your voice be heard! www.house.gov www.senate.gov
March
March
3/1-2 Mazama, WA Methow Valley Freeheel
festival 509-996-3194
3/1-3 Grand Targhee, WY Teton Telephoria
www.freeheels.com
3/8 Mt. Seymour, BC Vancouver Tele
Festival www.telemark.ca info@telemark.ca
3/9 Stevens Pass, WA Life-Link Randonee Rally
www.life-link.com
3/15 Alta, UT Black Diamond / Patagonia Powder
Keg Backcountry Race - www.bdel.com
3/15-16 Mad River, VT NATO Telemark Festival
www.telemarknato.com
3/20-24 Big Mountain, MT World
Championship Telemark Open 406-862-2900
3/22 Jackson, WY Life-Link Randonee Rally
www.life-link.com
April
4/12 Mt Shasta, CA Gaiter and Gorp
Tele Fest frozensally@earthlink.net
4/26 Mt. Shasta, CA Glisse Festival
530-926-3117
OFF-PISTE SHOP DIRECTORY
Rendezvous Sports
408 Main St.
Salmon, ID 83467
www.rendezvoussports.com
Mountain Tracks Ski and Board
Huckleberry Inn
Government Camp, OR 97028
www.mtntracks.com
Olympic Mountaineering
140 W. Front St.
Port Angeles, WA 98362
360.452.0240
World Cycle
180 N 8th St
Boise, ID 83702
www.worldcycleboise.com
Pine Mountain Sports
133 SW Century Drive
Bend, OR 97702
www.pinemountainsports.com
Pro Ski Service
8954 Aurora Ave N.
Seattle, WA 98103
proguiding.com
Nordicskiis.com
PO Box 969 313 Elk Ave
Crested Butte, CO 81224
www.nordicskiis.com
MAINE
Aardvark Outfitters
108 Fairbanks Road
Farmington, ME 04938
www.aardvarkoutfitters.com
Redpoint Climber’s Supply
639 NW Franklin
Bend, OR 97701
www.goclimbing.com
Second Ascent
5209 Ballard Avenue NW
Seattle, WA 98107
www.secondascent.com
Pine Needle Mountaineering
835 Main St. #112
Durango, CO 81301
800.607.0364
Allspeed Bicysle and Ski
1041 Washington Ave
Portland, ME 04103
www.allspeed.com
Storm Warning
112 Oak Street
www.stormwarning.biz
Summit Haus
PO Box W
Ashford, WA 98304
www.summithaus.com
Icebox Mountain Sports
505 Zerex
Fraser, CO 80442
970.722.7780
Mahoosuc Sports
PO Box 70 Rte 26
Locke Mills, ME 04255
www.teleskis.com
WASHINGTON
Backpackers Supply
5206 South Tacoma Way
Tacoma, WA 98409
www.marmotmountain.com
The North Face
1023 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98104
206.622.4111
Switchback Mountain Gear
468 Pagosa St.
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
970.264.2225
MONTANA
Barrel Mountaineering
240 East Main
Bozeman, MT 59715
800.779.7364
Cascade Crags
2820 Rucker Ave
Everett, WA 98201
www.cascadecrags.com
ALBERTA
Freewheel Jasper
618 Patricia st.
Jasper, AB T0E 1E0
www.freewheeljasper.com
COLORADO
Backcountry Experience
1205 Camino Del Rio
Durango, CO 81301
www.bcexp.com
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Patagonia Outlet Store
333 Baker Street
Nelson, BC
877.669.7225
Mountain Recreation Company
PO Box 864
Clark, CO 80428
www.mtnrec.com
Rivers Oceans And Mountains
579 Baker Street
Nelson, BC
877.271.7626
Rip Curl Factory Outlet
1365A Dalhousie Drive
Kamloops, BC V2C 5P6
250.377.8899
CALIFORNIA
The Backcountry
2 stores - Tahoe City &Truckee
888.625.8444
www.thebackcountry.net
Bear Valley Cross Country
#1 Bear Valley Road
Bear Valley, CA 95223
www.bearvalleyxc.com
The Fifth Season
300 N Mt. Shasta Blvd
Mt. Shasta, CA 96067
www.thefifthseason.com
Mammoth Mountaineering Supply
3189 Main Street
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
www.mammothgear.com
Marmot Mountain Works
3049 Adeline St.
Berkeley, CA 94703
Mountain Sports
176 E 3rd Street
Chico, CA 95928
530.345.5011
Sierra Nevada Adventure Co./SNAC
2293 Hwy 4 - Arnold, CA
173 S. Washington St., Sonora, CA
www.snacattack.com
Wolf Creek Wilderness
595 East Main Street
Grass Valley, CA 95945
www.wolfcreekwilderness.com
Trail Head
565 Sherman
Ridgway, CO 81432
970.626.5365
IDAHO
Alpine Designs Bike and Ski
312 Fifth Ave
SandPoint, ID 83864
208.263.9373
Backwoods Mountain Sports
711 N. Main St.
Ketchum, ID 83340
208.726.8818
Barries Ski and Sport
1800 Garret Way
Pocatello, ID 83201
Hyperbud Sports
907 S. First St. / 402 S. Main
Yakima, WA 98901 / Moscow, ID 83843
509.248.2093 / 208.883.1150
Idaho Mountain Touring
1310 Main Street
Boise, ID 83702
www.idahomountaintouring.com
The Trail Head
110 East Pine Street
Missoula, MT 59802
www.trailheadmontana.net
NEVADA
Reno Mountain Sports
155 E Moana Ln
Reno, NV 89502
www.renomountainsports.com
NEW MEXICO
Wild Mountain Outfitters
541 W. Cordova
Santa Fe, NM 87505
www.wildmountainoutfitters.com
OREGON
Doug Sports
101 Oak Street
hoodriverwindsurfing.com
Mountain Shop
628 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
www.mountainshop.net
Enumclaw Ski & Mountain Sports
240 Roosevelt E.
Enumclaw, WA 98022
www.snowways.com
WEST VIRGINIA
White Grass Touring Center
Canaan Valley, WV 26260
www.whitegrass.com
WYOMING
Skinny Skis
65 W. Deloney
Jackson, WY 83001
www.skinnyskis.com
Feathered Friends
119 Yale Ave N.
Seattle, WA 98109
www.featheredfriends.com
UTAH
Wasatch Mountain Touring
702 E. 100 S.
SLC, UT 84102
www.wasatchtouring.com
Marmot Mountain Works
827 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
Wild Rose
Mountain Goat Outfitters
915 W. Broadway
Spokane, WA 99201
www.mountaingoatoutfitters.com
Mountain High Sports
105 E. 4th
Ellensberg, WA 98926
509.925.4626
Northwest Snowboards
2805 Bridgeport Way
Tacoma, WA 98466
253.564.5974
702 Third Ave
SLC, UT 84108
AVALANCHE / WEATHER RESOURCES
General
www.avalanche.org
www.avalanche.ca
www.fsavalanche.org
nimbo.wrh.noaa.gov
www.winterwildlands.com
www.wildwilderness.org
Canada
www.weatheroffice.com
Vancouver 604-290-9333
Western Canada 800-667-1105
Rockies 403-243-7253 x7669
Banff 403-762-1460
Colorado
www.geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche
Alaska
www.fs.fed.us/r10/chugach/glacier/snow.html Boulder 303-275-5360
http://www.avalanche.org/~seaac/
Summit Cty 970-668-0600
Southern CO 970-247-8187
California
Durango - 970-247-8187
www.r5.fs.fed.us/tahoe/avalanche
Fort Collins - 970-482-0457
www.shastaavalanche.org
Vail - 970-827-5687
Mt. Shasta 530-926-9613
Aspen - 970-920-1664
Tahoe 530-587-2158
CO Springs 719-520-0020
Mammoth/Bishop 760-924-5500
Idaho
www.avalanche.org/~svavctr
Sun Valley 208-622-8027
Panhandle National Forest
www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/visit/conditions/backcountry/index.html
208-765-7323, 208-752-1221
Payette - 208-634-0409
www.fs.fed.us/r4/payette/main.html
Montana
www.mtavalanche.com
www.glacieravalanche.org
www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo/avalanche/advisory.htm
NW MT -406-257-8402 - 800-526-5329
Bozeman-406-587-6981
Cook City-406-838-2259
New Hampshire
www.tuckerman.org
Oregon
www.nwac.noaa.gov
Southern WA / Mt. Hood
503-808-2400
Utah
www.avalanche.org/~uac
Tri-Canyon 801-364-1581
Alta - 801-742-0830
Park City - 435-658-5512
Provo - 801-378-4333
Ogden - 801-626-8600
Logan - 435-797-4146
LaSal - 800-648-7433
Washington
www.nwac.noaa.gov
www.avalanchenw.org
Cascades 206-526-6677
Olympics 206-526-6677
Wyoming
www.jhavalanche.org
Bridger-Teton - 307-733-2664
Europe
www.lawine.org
New Zealand
www.avalanche.net.nz

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