New Guidebook — North American Extreme Skiing
This post sponsored by our publishing partner Triple Freak Backcountry. I’d share their URL but I can’t find it, word is they moved their website to the dark web due to low prices. Comments welcome.
I have a full review coming for this amazing book after I test a few routes, but check my first-look below. Author Sendmuller is one of our most prolific guest bloggers, so I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. Over-Piste publishing produced my last guidebook, and a slew of others, check them out!
Sendmuller’s new book details premiere airtime on skis. This is a must-have.
This is the perfect compliment to my “Uphill Skiing & Mundane Tours” book that Over-Piste published last year. It’s a graduation of sorts. When you’ve skied up all the resorts in Colorado and find yourself dreading the desiccated hamburgers in the base lodge, time to fly off the fourteeners!
Sendmuller’s book details 45 cliffs, with all necessary beta. He tells you how loose the rock is (especially important on Colorado peaks), and describes the starting zone. During nine years of meticulous field work, he measured the angle of each landing with a pro-grade inclinometer. One of his ground-breaking details is he provides a chart of DIN binding settings alogorythmically derived from length of drop, weight of skier, flex rating of boots, air density — and yes, landing angle. I was surprised ski length wasn’t in his formula as well, so I asked Sendmuller about it.
“If you used shorter skis for cliff jumping you’re just going to yardsale,” said Leon as he was installing aftermarket “black” springs in a set of KingPin bindings. “I worked with physicist Max Plank, figuring the fluid dynamics of ski length interacting with fast moving air, he proved skis that are 190 centimeters or longer all work about the same. Plank used the same computer simulation software that supported his million-seller video game “Climate — 2500.” The uncanny accuracy of him predicting weather 500 years in the future made me certain he could simulate how skis fly.”
I was concerned that the issue of ski length might have been misconstrued, but Leon assured me he’d tested it himself.
“More importantly,” he said. “Whether you are a person of faith, or a person with faith in having no faith, treat my DIN setting chart like it’s a religious edict, sin at your peril.” (This led to a two hour discussion of theology, but going that way seemed inappropriate for a guidebook review. Stay tuned.)
Other parts of the book are equally useful. The emergency medical section is a remarkable twelve pages, with tips on everything from cervical immobilization to CPR techniques. For example, instead of doing chest compressions to the beat of “Stayin Alive,” which requires younger practitioners to locate and memorize archival music they’ve never heard, Sendmuller suggests getting with this century and moving to the ravishing groove of “Backstreet Boys – No Place.” Just double-time the beat and you’ll be perfect. Another impressive section comprises ten pages about integrating yoga and hucking. Termed “flying meditation” by the author, the yogic techniques include startling but in the end effective moves such as achieving the lotus posture with skis on. There is even a diet and health chapter. Here, Sendmuller includes everything from an avocado toast recipe to CBD dosing.
In all, “Cliff Hucking North America” is an essential addition to the extensive canon of hucking literature. Whether you be the person who floats off a fifty-footer in the lotus posture while mellowed on CBD oil, or only dreams of doing so. “Cliff Hucking” will begin retail sales this summer so you’ll have plenty of time for planning next winter’s fun, more information here. (An edition covering European cliffs is in the works, but they’re having copyright issues and not sure what language to publish in.)
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Comments
20 Responses to “New Guidebook — North American Extreme Skiing”
Stoked to take my cliff-bucking to the next level! My current skis are 188 – does this guidebook offer any retro-mod tips for lengthening skis? Thinking that a little Gorilla tape and P-tex should get me into the sweet spot of the harmonic zone. On the aftermarket “black” springs for Kingpins – are the earlier Cummins 5.9 valve springs stiff enough, or should I be cross-refrencing the the 6.7?
Thomas, it’s been my experience that just about any valve spring will work as a KingPin mod, but those from a 3.9 liter or larger engine seem to be the best. Lou
I’m going to hold off for the Second Edition, which I’ve heard will include the long-rumored chapter on BASE jumping.
Lou,
With the unprecedented crowds in the Wasatch and with SLC skiers so prone to setting 44 degree skinners with yellowing every 100 yards, consolidating those nature breaks at convenient roll-overs is paramount. Thus a new guide was way overdue, but the authorities have finally come through. So when are you reviewing the new guide book “Steep Peeing the Wasatch,” by Andrew McUrea?
Is aromatherapy covered also?
Any tips on cramming two sets of black Kingpin springs into a single housing Lou? I’ve already added a fourth toe spring to my dominant side…
Lou, Happy April Fool’s Day! The cover gave the joke away. Traction Splinting 101! I love it!
I particularly enjoyed his insight into the art of landing. The S.P.L.A.T method is truly the final word in the evolution of modern hucking.
Super
Powerful
Landing
Air
Technique
A press release where Dynafit is spec’ing Intuition liners would have been a good april fools joke !
Lou – I am wondering if the avocado toast recipe is gluten free, or at least on sough-dough bread? I personally find traditional flours really weigh down my huck….
Is it true there’s a chapter on GoPro mounts and techniques for mid air selfies?
I felt uncomfortable mentioning that, seemed controversial. Lou
I have only one question. Does this guidebook go to 11?
Max Planck’s contributions to theoretical skiing have been ignored too long. Thanks, Leon!
I enjoyed the “art of ragdolling” chapter.
Jim, Planck is most certainly the reason we have modern skiing and are not using twisted willow branches for ski bindings, his son Max Plank (as smart as his dad) westernized his name so it worked better when Matchstick Productions spell checked their film credits. Lou
Whoops! Thanks, Lou, for alerting me to my confusion of the two Maxes, father and son. Dad developed the quantum theory of ski geometry in which ski lengths should differ only by whole numbers of centimeters and widths by whole numbers of millimeters. That is why early American skis skied so poorly. They came in three inch increments violating quantum ski theory.
I still have my first pair of pre-Planck planks, made of repurposed barrel staves (custom steamed!) and with bindings of twisted birch roots. Pine tar and goose grease made them slicker than snot. But, in truth, they are not very good for turning or stopping or not falling. They now decorate the coal shed.
He obviously didn’t consider the “50” factor. No amount of Geritol post 50 makes up for ski length or din setting to reasonably allow geezers to “Huck” anything in the book let alone much else. Lol!
Does Leon’s book cover Longs, Lou? I have dreamt of hucking the Diamond Face but have questions about the landing. Will I need a ‘chute and, if so, will someone lend me one? Color not important.
Figuring how skis size effects huckability seems pretty simple, like figuring how carbon effects warming- they are proportional, more or less. What matters is figuring out what is stupid and self destructive.