Just saw this and thought it was interesting. I kinda take it with a grain of salt except for what Brad Holmes said about the “fast” part. I agree with that. In my experience, speed + big tele boots +Hammerheads with the six-screw toe + Volkl Explosivs with a metal topsheet = Bad News Bears. A trip to the operating room and some percocet for the trouble. YEE HAWWWWW!!!

Full report

The blogger makes some very good points.

I’m going to start putting up more interesting water news.

For best results, watch in HD:

I <3 my Gamma MX.

I need a new hardshell though, just to vary it up.

Lucky schmuck.

I had my follow-up appointment with the podiatrist today and had the pin (which I, of course, and much to the chagrin of my beloved, saved) pulled out of my big toe. I watched. Damn thing was like two inches long. Anyway, the conversation with the boss went like this.

Me: “So when can I get back to being active?”
Podiatrist: “Today.”

And like that, I was happy.

The range of motion in my ankle sucks right now, but I’m going to try to get it flexible enough to get into a boot next week because the five day QPF looks like this:

And it should look even better by Saturday.

Game on.

This blog should start to see more activity now.

1. I wanted a releasable binding.
2. I didn’t want to deal with fitting new boots a la NTN.
3. I’m a pretty decent tele skier if compared to half the flailers I see at various Tahoe-area resorts, but I still felt a bit held back by the equipment. If I wasn’t a weekend warrior, things might be different.
4. I wanted Dynafits, and I couldn’t afford to swing two pairs of boots.

I sold my leg-breaking equipment in the spring and purchased several new pieces of equipment. These included: Black Diamond Factors with both sets of soles, Movement Goliath Sluffs, and Marker Dukes.

The months slowly crawled by.

In the fall, jondrums on TGR opened up the list for his DynaDuke swap plates. I was first on the list for two pairs.

They were delivered in December. They are beautiful.

I purchased mounting supplies.

I ordered Dynafits. I got the white ones just for kicks because they were the same price and I had the option.

This is the result:

Mounting the plates was super easy. These were my first mounts, other than an XC mount or two in high school, and they went very smoothly. The only issues I ran into were conflicts with previous mounts.

In advertising the plates, Jon mentioned that the wider mount pattern wouldn’t interfere with previous mounts… although I’m pretty sure he had only checked common alpine/AT bindings. However, my Sluffs were previously mounted for Look demos and there was a conflict. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry when I was initially drilling those so I didn’t notice the conflict until I’d already drilled a couple. I had to core out the problem holes and put inserts in. No big deal once I figured out what I wanted to do. On the Praxis, I previously had 22Designs Hammerheads (tele bindings) mounted at 101. I wanted to remount at 102, but there was a conflict, so I stayed at 101 to get the desired spacing. These were minor issues, but I wanted to note them.

All-in-all, I am super satisfied with these things. They made my switchover from tele much easier, and made me learn how to mount things myself, which will save me a bunch of cash in the long run. Mounting skis also provided some much-needed therapy when I still can’t ski in the midst of what is turning into an epic El Nino year in Tahoe.

Buy them here.

If you buy a set or two my advice would be to get a larger bottle of Loctite, and a nicer long-shafted hex tool.

This review will be followed-up with a short ski review (in April?) when I can actually get my left foot in a boot. I don’t anticipate having any problems though because it seems Jon has really done a bang-up job and I haven’t seen any complaints from the hardcore (at least on the internet ) skiers of TGR.

I put these roughly in the order I think one should own them, with the first book being a “must-own,” and so on…

Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (Various authors)

This is “the Bible” of mountaineering. FOTH includes basically all one needs to know about eating, sleeping, travelling, working, recreating, and staying alive in the mountains.  From what clothing to wear to how to make certain climbing moves and set anchors in rock, snow, or ice to avalanche avoidance to predicting mountain weather to group dynamics and expedition planning, this book has it all in at least a basic level of detail.  Now in its seventh addition, this book should be on every mountain person’s shelf.

Secrets of the Snow (LaChapelle)

Written by perhaps the most important North American contributor to the field of avalanche forecasting, Secrets of the Snow is not a tome of secret knowledge or a thick textbook.  It’s an unassuming little book of 101 pages, but it’s easily my favorite book on snow conditions, avalanches, and the visual and sensory clues that one may use to keep oneself safe in the backcountry.  It’s almost more photos than text and provides simple illustrations of the effects of wind, rain, temperature fluctuation, and other environmental factors on varying snowpacks.  Great toilet reading.

The Avalanche Handbook (McClung and Schaerer)

This is basically a textbook, but having been in school for 22(?) of my 26 years, I’m used to, and sometimes enjoy, reading textbooks.  This book contains everything you ever wanted to know about avalanches–forecasting, avoidance, management, rescue, etc.  Well-written, with lots of great color illustrations of things like wind deposition, orographics, and snowpack layering.

Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering (Volken, Schell, and Wheeler)

Co-authored by three of America’s finest guides, this book is somewhat similar to FOTH, but geared specifically toward skiing.  It’s chock full of little things that even experienced backcountry skiers would benefit from.  “Guides tricks” if you will.  Something I like to pull out around this time of year as a refresher.

Backcountry Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra (Mingori and Greenberg)

An area-specific guidebook, this is really a must-own for the California backcountry skier.  Published less than a year ago, the book only covers from Tioga Pass to Bishop Creek, so it’s not a complete guide to the High Sierra (an area which I consider to extend roughly from the Twin Lakes area near Bridgeport, south to Mount Langley).  However, it covers much of the core ski terrain accessible in the well-traveled Highway 120/Mammoth/Bishop areas. The route descriptions are very detailed with specifics on approach, angle, hazards, and descent. It also includes beautiful color photos, often with ripping skiers/snowboarders (some of whom I know in person or online). I pull out this one when I’m looking for inspiration.

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain (Tremper)

One of the most popular and informative avalanche books on the market. Tons of easily accessible information.

Allen & Mike’s Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book (O’Bannon and Clelland)

A great “tips and tricks” book that covers many facets of backcountry skiing with humorous illustrations. Recently revised and updated. I have both editions around somewhere and the revisions were fairly extensive and helpful. Great toilet reading.

Wild Snow: 54 Classic Ski and Snowboard Descents of North America (Dawson)

Lou is one of the fathers of backcountry skiing as we know it today. A very influential figure, his book (and blog/website) is a great source of inspiration and trip ideas. Well-researched in terms of history and route description, the book offers select ski classics over the entirety of the continent.

Squallywood: A Guide to Squaw Valley’s Most Exposed Lines (Gaffney)

Dr. Robb’s seminal work. A must-own if you ski Squaw. Or even if you just appreciate steep skiing. Bonus Chapter: The Gnar Game by the late great Shane McConkey.

The Mount Shasta Book: A Guide to Hiking, Climbing, Skiing, and Exploring the Mountain and Surrounding Area (Selters and Zanger)

This is THE book on climbing and skiing Shasta. Gives details on all the numerous routes and approaches (some of which are very tricky), as well as other interesting stuff to do in the area (read: swimming and fishing). The book includes a pull-out topo map tucked into the back cover as well. Andy Selters also wrote The Mountaineers‘ Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue. I’ve yet to pick up a copy, but I’m sure I will at some point.

[/List] This is by no means exhaustive, but these are the basics I recommend. There are a couple of Tahoe-area guidebooks that I’ll throw up here at some point, but they’re a bit older than Mingori and Greenberg’s book, so I didn’t put them on this list.

“Backpanel access isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker for me, but it’s a major plus. To me it’s more helpful on smaller packs when I’m lapping something and not skinning for long periods of time without stopping.

Weight is important too. Dakine packs often have a great feature set, but they’re heavy as shit–redundant straps and material that’s needlessly heavy.

Fit is obviously important. That’s why I haven’t bought a BD Avalung pack. I don’t know if I’m too tall (and I’m really not that tall) or what. I have an Avalung II, so that’s a non-issue. I’d rather deal with the mild annoyance of having to pull it off when I change a layer than dealing with a pack that doesn’t fit.

I’m rocking a Frenzy 18 (an older BD pack that fits) for slackcountry/short day tours and an Osprey Exposure 50 for overnights/ski-mountaineering stuff (this has essentially all the features hemas [TTips poster] mentioned except the avy tools pocket, but it still has a good shovel-carry and the probe goes in the wand slot easily).

I’m thinking I want to buy a new full-day pack (i.e. volume in between the two above) and I’m looking at the Osprey (because I know they fit and I trust the brand) Kode 30/38 and the Variant 37. The issue is whether I’d rather compromise the features I like for skiing (backpanel access, hipbelt pockets, dedicated tool pocket, helmet-carrier, insulated shoulder strap hydration sleeve) vs. the features I like for climbing (less weight, two tool carriers, removable hipbelt, gear loops on the hipbelt, maybe a removable foam backpanel piece for insulation, crampon pouch, closer fit). I’m thinking Kode 38, but still undecided.

That’s my pack thought process.”
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