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Lou Dawson's Backcountry Skiing Weblog
August 31 -- 2005
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| Time to lick the pan? With Backpacker's Pantry the answer might be YES! |
What you see here are the remnants of an extreme combination. Open a package of Backpacker's Pantry cheese cake, prepare, add teenager -- stand back!
On all my overnight backcountry trips I use a combination of NOLS style cookery (bulk items) and freeze-dried (FD) meals. I've always liked FD because it makes meal planning so easy. Make a few at home to figure out how many people one dinner feeds, then throw in as many dinners as needed. Add breakfast items and snacks till total weight is up to 1.5 lbs per person per day, and you're good for up to about 10 days if you're eating fish (after that you may need a bit more food, at about 2 lbs per person per day).
Early days FD frequently tasted bad, and was hard to digest. Backpacker's Pantry foods are the opposite. Concocted by a certified gourmet chef, each item is seasoned to perfection -- all have unique textures and tastes so you don't feel like you're eating the same thing every evening. More, these are nutritious foods and we never had any problems with digestion. Check 'em out!
August 30 -- 2005
How Lightweight is your Backcountry Cooking Stove?
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| Home made alcohol stove is the ticket to lightweight travel! |
One of the best gear items we used for our Wind Rivers, Wyoming backpacking was a homebrew alcohol stove my son made from a Guinness beer can. The stove weighs .4 ounce! It's not quite as efficient as an MSR, but by our calcs it saves weight 'till you're out for more than about 8 days. More, no matter how many days you are out, it is a joy on that last day when you're marching (or skiing) 20 miles to the nearest trailhead and want the lightest pack possible. Here is the link for making one. Thanks goes to Scott Henderson for the design and excellent instructions.
I highly recommend this homebrew, but make sure you've got time to fiddle as the two can halves are tough to fit together (hint, we sandpapered one 'till it fit in the other -- you'll understand when you read the instructions.) The stove is more wind resistant than I thought it would be, and would work fine for backcountry skiing provided you used it in a windbreak and on some sort of stove pad so you could set it on the snow. Not only was this stove fun to make, but the can of Guinness tasted swell (thanks Louie)!
August 29 -- 2005 P.M Update
New Index for Dynafit Backcountry Binding Information
I added a link for our popular Dynafit info to the main left-hand menu bar. Enjoy friends! (You can also find all our Dynafit information by using the search box to the right, or going to the "Great Articles" menu).
August 29 -- 2005
Backcountry Automotive
We'll get back to blogging backcountry gear and adventure in a moment... Meanwhile, am moving all our automotive content to Code4x4.com to lower our bandwidth use and keep things more subject specific here and over at CODE. See http://code4x4.com/projects/index.html for all the beta on trailhead approach vehicles (TAVs), extreme Jeeps, cool tech stuff and more.
August 27 -- 2005
Trekking Ski Pole Fishnet Mods
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| Crossing the North Fork of the Popo, Wind Rivers, Wyoming. |
We've been using trekking poles for years. To us they're usually known as "ski poles" and used during approach hikes for ski mountaineering. But we've used 'em for pure hiking as well, and still do. The latest crop of dedicated trekking poles from folks such as Black Diamond are specific to hiking. They're light, collapse short, and have ergonomic grips that help when you're moving through uneven terrain (AKA terrifying glacial moraine). During our Wind River backpack we used a pair of Black Diamond Contour trekking poles, one each (with two for Dad during steeper downhills). The Contours were brilliant -- durable, light, comfortable...
BUT, nothing in the Dawson compound shall remain unmodified. Our goal was lightweight backpacking in the Wind River mountains of Wyoming, with a dose of fly fishing. Medium to large size trout on light line require a net. Why not use the trekking pole as the net handle, thereby eliminating a bit of weight by eliminating the net handle, as well as providing a longer reach for scooping those lunker cutthroat out of alpine tarns? So that's what we rigged:
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| The completed and assembled "TrekNet" is basically a collapsible fishnet that inserts in the upper shaft of a Black Diamond Flicklock trekking pole. |
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| Collapsed net before insertion in shaft. Note adapter that we made for the net. It's just a chunk of ski pole tubing JBwelded to the net. |
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| Net being stuffed for travel. It worked. |
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| When you've got a teenager with a hollow leg (or two), having a good wilderness fishnet insures the man will be fed, sushi or otherwise. |
Shop for trekking poles at Backcountry Store
August 26 -- 2005
Back From Backcountry
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| This sign look familiar to any blog readers out there? We're back from a week up in the Wyoming Wind River mountains, mucho gear reports and backcountry trip report coming soon. Was our best trip ever and the Winds are looking GOOD! |
August 17 -- 2005
See Ya for Backcountry Skiing Season
We're off to the Wind River mountains in Wyoming, gear testing, fishing, peak bagging -- you know the drill! I may blog a bit on the road but mostly we'll be on vacation and away from Internet. Look for a major trip report when we return in a week. More, we'll be starting our winter blog schedule at the end of this month, with posts nearly every day covering backcountry skiing adventure, gear, politics and tons more. Thanks for all your support over the summer, please enjoy the backcountry skiing resources here at Wildsnow.com, and please explore our advertisers.
August 15 -- 2005
First Solo Backpacking Trip
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| The boy at trailhead, hero pic by Dad. Black Diamond trekking pole is the ticket, |
If you have kids or remember your younger days, you can relate to the way growing up involves firsts. The first day you drive, first day of school, and on. If you enjoy backcountry activities, the first time you go solo backpacking can be a big one. Our son got his chance this weekend. He's had a ton of experience backpacking with groups, but going by yourself up into the mountains is a serious endeavor, so we waited till the experience and motivation came to a peak this summer.
We had all our Wind River backpacking gear out a couple of weeks ago, and Louie asked if we could go backpacking sooner than our planned Winds trip. I mentioned my work and obligations, but suggested he do his first solo. This past weekend he made it happen by planning and executing a sweet overnight up at Thomas Lakes, next to Mount Sopris (near here in central Colorado).
It was with some trepidation and no small amount of pride that Dad saw the boy off at the trailhead. I'd not gone over his gear with him, figuring he had it wired to the point where he'd remember the essentials -- but I had to wonder when we stopped for gas on the way, and he mentioned he might have forgotten his lighter and could we buy one just in case? (Turned out he had remembered the lighter, but forgotten his spoon.)
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| Louie's photo of snack time, fresh raspberries gathered from a patch in a beautiful boulder field. Utensil to left is Orikaso Fold Flat plate/bowl, an excellent product for lightweight backpacking. For bear-aware issues, we'll have to have a chat about eating on your sleeping pad, otherwise it looks pretty good! |
The boy's account of his trip was interesting to say the least (to his parents, anyway.) The adventure included evening rain, natural food gathering (raspberry, thistle stalks, sarvice berries -- and a fish caught with fly rod), experiments with a home-made alcohol stove, and the excitement and self-actualization that backcountry travel can so easily bring to the mind and spirit.
What a joyful occasion for a backcountry family! And congratulations to Louie for a job well done.
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Seeing a bit of backcountry
trip planning always keeps the parents happy. |
August 12 -- 2005
Summer Backcountry Skiing Image, Sleeping Bag Mods
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| I liked this image from last week so much it had to be shared. The rounded glaciated rocks at upper left juxtaposed to the rubble below; the summer snow juxtaposed to water; the skier confronting the wide open. It says "wild." And the red snow is real, not a digital aberration (it's that interesting "watermelon snow" algae). Don't you love the thousands of variations snow morphs through over the seasons? It even turns red! Click photo to enlarge. |
Preparations continue here for our Wyoming wilderness adventure. Much of the gear we're using translates to backcountry skiing, especially our sleeping bags. I just got another Marmot Fusion sleeping bag (track back). As no gear in the Dawson household shall remain unmodified, I opted for the 30 degree rated Fusion, then added 12 ounces of extra goose down to the upper tubes in my torso area, for a total weight of 3 pounds. This should result in a bag that can be used upside down during warm nights, but used in normal position with the stuffed tubes on top, should easily keep me warm down to 15 degrees or so.
All this with the Fusion construction, which places fiberfill on the outside of the bag to protect the down from moisture.
Marmot also makes a 15 degree rated Fusion "15" that weighs just over 3 lbs. After my son has tested the 15 all summer, we figured the 15 is really only good to perhaps 20 degrees, so my modified Fusion 30 bag is warmer and weighs less -- that's the theory anyway! Mods aside, both of the Marmot Fusion sleeping bag models easily offer the best combo of weight, reliability and warmth on the market today.
Tech details: For years I've "overstuffed" down filled clothing and sleeping bags. It seems like almost all down filled items are made with enough volume for more fill. I've been told this is intentional, as it allows the down to achieve maximum loft and thus you get the most insulation for your money (and for the weight of the down). In theory. In reality, I've never found any dow- filled equipment that didn't benefit from a bit of extra packing. The trick is to figure out where to slit the fabric, and how to sew it back up. Simplest method is to just work from the inside where appearance isn't an issue (a must with Fusion products, since the outside insulation layer is Primaloft).
Heat a thin knife and use is to hot-cut slits that'll just fit your hand. On a sleeping bag, make your slits at the end of the down tubes, near the seam that defines the side of the bag (between top and bottom). Stuff down by hand through the slit, measuring by handfuls. Don't over-fill. You just want enough down added to plump out that tubes. Close the slits by hand stitching, then seal with urethane seam sealer so down doesn't leak from your stitches. Hand filling with down makes a big mess. Make a temporary "down room" in your house by using a draft free smaller room such as a larger bathroom or small bedroom, or set up a dome tent inside your house. Go in your down room with all your tools, including dust mask and vacuum cleaner. Lock the door behind you, do the deed, then vacuum the evidence.
Older sleeping bags that haven't been too abused can work well as down donors. Good quality down (few larger feathers) lasts well unless it's been washed many times or contaminated with who knows what. You can tell if the down is bad by examining a sample; look for matting and clotting of the feathers. If in doubt, buy new down from any of the do-it-yourself outfits. If you buy new down, get the good stuff, at least 700 fill. Don't use down from pillows, quilts or cheapo sleeping bags -- it's low quality stuff that's not worth the effort.
August 9 -- 2005
Help Us With Bandwidth Issues
We've been having problems with the amount of data being pulled off Wildsnow.com (our web host will eventually want more money, groan). Turns out quite a few people are hotlinking to images here at wildsnow.com (meaning automatic links that display our content on other websites). Please don't do this. Not only does hotlinking steal our bandwidth, but all images here are copyrighted under a compilation copyright and hotlinking violates our copyright, as well as the copyright of our contributors.
Please be clear that we encourage you to link to anything at Wildsnow.com provided such a link leads the browser to this website and the webpage you're interested in linking to. "Bandwidth theft" means linking to our content in such as way as it automatically displays on another website. Not only does this cost us money, but it's illegal since our content is copyrighted.
August 8 -- 2005
Everest Heli Video
-- Is Heli Skiing Mount Everest Next?
In a move that I'm sure had all backcountry skiing heli-haters throwing fits, last spring a helicopter landed on the summit of Mount Everest. The outfit that accomplished this presents information and video on Mount Everest Net. This amazing display of flying skill and technology is mind blowing, especially the clip of coming in from above the summit, I mean, what if he MISSES? Cool stuff on one level, yet one wonders how often they're going to start landing helicopters on top of Mount Everest. As an alpinist I've always disliked the desecration of Everest by folks paying for the summit, basically pulled up there by slaving Sherpas who have one of the most risky jobs on earth ("ohhh, they're so cute, let me hang a photo of them on my wall when I get home"). But at least those summits-for-dolllars sloggers were human powered (after their overseas passenger jet ride, anyhow). Now, with enough money, you could pay someone to fly you up there. Come to think of it, perhaps that's better -- unless they say they've "climbed" it -- and they might just do that. More, what's to stop TGR from filming a summit ski descent, now that Tanner Hall can land up there in a helicopter? I'd rent the video -- might even buy it if he skis some of it backwards.
Turns All Year: Up to Montezuma Basin, Colorado yesterday for August backcountry skiing. Had a terrific time with everything: a bit of skiing, exploring old mine ruins, 4-wheeling, laughing at the Forest Service drone on a quad who appeared to be going around enforcing the ridiculous campfire ban they implemented a few weeks ago (we're having one of our wettest summers in years.) The Montezuma snow surface is quite suncupped but you can still find some smoother spots for turns. Fairly long descents are still possible. We only did about 500 vertical, as the weather looked like lightning was possible (the clouds cleared later -- we should have stayed). Our route rated D System: I D-6 R1.
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| Backcountry skiing on the lower part of the summer Montezuma snowfield, Castle Peak, Colorado (near Crested Butte and Aspen). |
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| Louie finds a spot for a turn between suncups. The early snows of September usually fill these in -- winter here we come! (Louie is wearing a Petzel Helmet, Granite Gear backpack, Black Diamond poles, Cloudveil softshell jacket, Marmot softshell pants, Scarpa F1 boots, Dynafit skis and bindings.) |
Montezuma backcountry skiing conditions in detail: The snow is still in from the from the upper parking area up to near the crest of the northwest ridge above the upper basin. Somewhat suncupped but still skiable if you take it easy in some areas. Jeep trail is in the best condition we've ever seen it (super rough). The driving was as fun as the skiing!
August 5 -- 2005
Cloudveil Has Their Pants On
We're prepping for our annual backpack in Wyoming's Wind River mountains. As always, we're testing a bunch of gear that also applies to backcountry skiing, and generally trying to pack light. Will be blogging a bunch of stuff we use. For now just wanted to give props to Cloudveil for their Switchback softshell pant. I've been searching a long time for a lightweight pant that fits the bill for warm summer alpine sports, and the Switchback is as close as I've ever come. More, this is the pant for much of the late spring and summer backcountry skiing we do, when dumping heat is priority one, but when we still want synthetics that do the job when a squall rolls in -- or an unplanned night out happens. (As with most softshell pants, be aware the Switchback does not including built-in gaiters or any type of boot/pant interface. It's tough to include this feature in low-bulk lightweight pants, so no problem there. And I've always got my handy wad of duct tape for sealing boot cuffs and such.)
Aspen Characters: I just got an email from the Aspen Historical Society. They want ideas for the top three living and top three deceased "characters" of Aspen. Having not lived there for years I don't know about the "living" part (the top living character is probably some whiner who spends all day writing letters to the paper about swimming pools), but I can talk about the old guard who's gone now. I'd give my first two votes to mountaineer Fritz Stammberger and early day's wild man Freddie Fischer. Though I'm loath to admit it, my third choice would be John Denver. I can't stand his music (though I admit I did learn "Leaving on a Jet Plane" on my guitar back when I was a flower child), but Denver really was quite the character.
From his fur coat and feather festooned cowboy hat, to how he spread his money around, John Denver was a huge presence when he lived in Aspen. Favorite Denver story: His house in Starwood/Aspen was an extravaganza of wood working that kept some local precision carpenters employed for years. Even pioneer extreme skier Chris Landry worked for him, and no doubt some of Denver's money ended up being spent by Chris during his many travels to ski descents around North America. The story is that when Denver got divorced, he was so angry about how things were being split that he fired up a chain saw and cut all his kitchen cabinets in half. This after the finest woodworkers in Aspen had spent several YEARS building the things. Ah yes grasshopper, all things material are transient...
More John Denver trivia: Did you know that several of his most famous songs were written while he stayed at a mountain hut on Castle Creek above Aspen, near the Braun backcountry skiing huts? Ah yes, always a backcountry skiing connection...
And here we go -- sing along with
me:
" Oh, kiss me and smile for me,
Tell be that you'll wait for me.
And hold me like you'll never let me go.
'Cos I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again.
Oh, babe, I hate to go."
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| Colorado's La Plata Peak as viewed from Mount Elbert last week. The narrow snow couloirs are the ski routes on the excellent north face, they fill in quite a bit during winter and spring. |
August 3 -- 2005
Tweakitup - Is it a Guy Thing?
They say it is. Many of us like to fix things; mod things; tweak things. I like it when a pack breaks in the wilderness and we sew it back together with fishing line. I like it when my Jeep breaks and we limp home with the steering chained together. I even used to like it when my tele bindings broke and I'd figure out a cool fix to get me back to a warm bed. I bet those boy astronauts like it when their spacecraft has to be tweaked to get home. Best to them -- including the gals up there, who are probably just shaking their heads wondering, after all that money and time spent on the shuttle revamp, why the thing has to be field repaired. Just ask the guys. And everyone up there, we wish you a safe trip home.
August 1 -- 2005
Summer Vacation -- Mount Elbert, Where is Backcountry Skiing?
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| Blatant plug for gear sponsor Granite Gear: We're climbing Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado (14,433'). Pack to left is the Vapor Trail, a super lightweight and versatile sack that Louie uses for every type of 1-day trip, from summer hikes to backcountry skiing adventures. Pack to rear is Alpine Vapor, sort of a beefed version of Granite Gear's lightweight concept packs. It's a beautiful alpine pack - at home anywhere. |
July 30 -- 2005
Summer Vacation - Ski it in Winter, Paddle it in Summer
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Family rafting on the Colorado River - don't miss it. |
Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information and opinion website. Lou's passion for the past 35 years has been alpinism and back country skiing -- and all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about backcountry skiing and snowboarding, and is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the famous Fourteeners! Books and free back country information here, as well as tons of Randonnee rando telemark backcountry skiing info. All material on this website is copyrighted. Permission is required for reproduction, electronic or otherwise. That includes publication and display on other websites by whatever means. For more about this, PLEASE SEE OUR COPYRIGHT INFORMATION. Backcountry skiing is a dangerous sport. You may be killed or severely injured if you choose to do all forms of randonnée and randonnée skiing. The information on this website is intended only as general information for a variety of aspects of backcountry skiing and outdoor recreation. While the authors and editors of the information on this website make every effort to present useful information, due to human error the information contained within this website may be inaccurate, false, or out-of-date. By using the information provided on this website, you agree to absolve the owners of WildSnow.com of any liability for injuries or losses incured while using such information.
Always go backcountry skiing with a partner, and learn about avalanche safety before you ski outside of ski and snowboard resorts. The best season for this sport is late winter and spring, when the snowpack compacts and avalanche danger is more predictable. The Colorado wilderness backcountry skiing season reaches its prime in May and June. Maritime snow such as that of the Pacific Northwest may be less avalanche prone than continental snow of that such as Colorado and Wyoming. The California Sierra also provides a relatively reliable snowpack for backcountry skiing, snowboarders, snowmobilers, telemarkers and the like. Backcountry skiing is a wonderful sport, but it can transition in moments from wonder to tragedy. You agree to use any of this website's information, maps, photos, or binding mounting instuctions or templatates at your own risk, and waive Wildsnow.com its owners and contributors of any liability for use of said items. Keywords: Ski Information, Info, Outdoors, Wilderness Skiing, Randonnée and randonnée, Ski Mountaineering, also Ski Alpinismo and Backcountry Skiing. |
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