Well, I wish I was posting a ski trip report, but recent temps pushing 60 degrees have not been too cooperative for the snowpack.
Nonetheless, we just wrapped up the December issue and sent it off to our printer. The new issue takes a look at June Mountain, CA, a successful traverse of the Tordrillo range in Alaska, interpreting weather station data, and what to look for in your next avalanche course.
In addition, long time contributor, Nils Larsen, walks us through the building of a pair of Altai skis. Inspired in design and construction by skis Nils and I saw and used in the remote Altai Mountains of Northwestern China, the article offers a written and pictoral essay of constructing a ski modeled on a ski design that is likely more than 1,000 years old.
The December issue will ship by December 1. Susbcribe now to ensure you receive it in a timely manner. We continue to prepare for the season with gear arriving weekly and ski chatter on the rise. A new shipment of custome Off-Piste Voile straps just arrived. They are the 15" variety, and if you don't have any, you need some - two for $9, four for $17, six for $24.
We just received the Ortovox S1 avalanche transceiver with the updated software here at the office. It is a very interesting beacon, and we are stoked to check it out in the coming months. I have long used the Backcountry Access Tracker and still believe it is great beacon, but late last season I began testing several of the newer three antenna digital beacons. I must say I am impressed with their various operations.
The S1 takes the prize for the most high tech appearance - it reminds me of a Star Trek communications device - however, It is remarkably simple in its interface. I have not had it up in the snow yet this season, so I am not going to speak to its field performance yet. You can look for more beta on each of the different beacons as winter unfolds. In the meantime, you should check out the article we published last season about the Barryvox Pulse, the Pieps DSP, and the Ortovox S1. You can view a pdf version of the article here or download the entire January '08 Issue here. I look forward to some extended use of these beacons this winter.
Greg Hill is a respected name in the backcountry ski community. He has placed well in many randonee races, set some incredible endurance standards, and generally pushes the window for human powered big mountain ski exploration from his home in the Selkirk Mountains (read a profile on Greg from 2003 here ).
Last season, Greg decided to carry a video camera with him on his many touring adventures around the Rogers Pass region. The result, The Unbearable Lightness of Skiing, is a true grassroots ski touring based film. Greg's low key commentary compliments the excellent ski footage and inspiring adventures that he and his local ski posse undertake. The film is currently being shown at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.
The film is brief at just over twenty minutes, but left me and my fellow viewers fired up to get out and explore new tarrain this season more than any other film I have seen in a while. You can find movies with more mind blowing descents and epic powder skiing, but you will hard pressed to find a film that inspires exploration and adventure on skis like it does.
Last word from Greg was that the film will be ready for public sale very soon. You can find out more and keep an eye out for the film on Greg's website www.greghill.ca
You can get a taste of the film from this vid clip. There are several fun clips from Greg on You Tube, so if you have some time to explore, take a look.
Ah, the snow is beginning to arrive around the country. Even the East saw a good storm in late October. As the weather gods bring us the goods, there are a wide variety of events happening this weekend to help fuel the ski season fire.
Beginning with a local event, Sweetgrass Productions is showing their film Hand Cut here in Hood River on Thursday Nov. 6 at Dog River Coffee at 7pm and they are in PDX tonight at the Kennedy School - Full tour details are here. The film is great and is worth checking out if you are can manage a night out after the big election last night. We've got the trailer on the blog here if you peruse the movie category.
Finally, looking toward mid-winter is the Kootenay Coldsmoke Festival up in Nelson BC February 20-23, 2009. This event is worth planning ahead to attend. It is in its third season and every year has been great so far. There are numerous press releases associated with the event and you can find them here or visit www.coldsmokepowderfest.com.
Ever wanted to build your own skis? Well, John Hadley, a shop teacher at a local high school here in the Columbia Gorge, is building skis (and snowboards) with high school students in a class he teaches called Materials Science.
It is the second year he has offered the ski building class, and it is impressive. With support from local company Innovative Composite Engineering, John is able to source base and edge materials for students to build skis and snowboards from scratch in the high school shop.
Omar, our assistant editor and English teacher at the school, was able to join the materials science class and is building a pair of skis. We hope to hear more from Omar on the process, but for now here a few images from an afternoon that I stopped by to check out their progress.
I saw this tidbit in the news today and thought it deserved sharing:
A team of Japanese adventurers say they have discovered footprints they believe were made by the legendary yeti, which is said to roam the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet.
The sound of chainsaws echoed off the trees in the Mt. Hood National Forest this past weekend as locals stocked up on firewood. They were getting ready for winter, but I was with three dozen people preparing for spring.
We joined Jim Thornton, Barlow Ranger District Recreation Trails Manager and Volunteer Coordinator, to help build a new section of Cooks Meadow Trail just off of Forest Service Road 44 near majestic Mt. Hood.
Volunteers dug, raked and tamped down a sweet new path that snakes through the trees, replacing the direct fall-line assault made by the old trail and connecting hikers, mountain bikers and horsemen with the network of nearby trails accessible from Road 44.
As I worked I tried not to think about the fact that last year at this time, Road 44 would have been covered in snow. Maybe talking about mountain biking instead of skiing was kind of like that old adage about not watching the teapot as you wait for it to boil. This strategy was broken by brief, gorgeous glimpses of Mt. Hood rising through the trees and throwing the sunlight back at us. This was my snow dance, for what it was worth —being as close to the mountain as I could get without being on the mountain.
Killing time before ski season is not the only reason, of course, to participate in trail building. It’s payback for all the hours of fun we get from them, and volunteering helps keep our local trails functioning. Thornton said volunteer sweat and hours make a project like Cooks Meadow cost a fraction of what it would cost commercially.
Volunteering is also a nice way to meet new and interesting people who might be willing to share their food with you when have been swinging a McCloud all afternoon.
It is easy to get involved in trail projects no matter where you live. Since 1993 all 50 states and several U.S. territories have held events on the first Saturday in June to celebrate National Trails Day. To find out what is going on in your neck of the woods on June 6, 2009, visit www.americanhiking.org.
A pair of the Black Diamond's new Seeker tele boots arrived at the office last week. Ski conditions are a bit marginal right now, but I thought I would give a quick heads up on the boot before we get a chance to ski in it.
First, we chose the Seeker over the Custom or the Push (BD's four buckle boots and part of their Power Series) because we were looking for the boot we thought would offer a good compromise between touring and turning. Unless you are pushing the biggest ski's around, the Seeker should be enough boot to ski most boards. Comparing to the Garmont Synergy (a boot we feel is a good blend of power and comfort for touring), the Seeker is nearly identical in cuff height and buckle set-up.
The Seeker is lower volume than the Synergy in the instep but the cuff and ankle flex are similar. Out of the box, the Seeker is stiffer in the bellows, but that is likely because the boot has yet to be skied, while the Synergy we have in the office has a full season of skiing on it.
There is snow up on Hood right now and if the good weather holds this week, I will try to get on this boot asap and get some more solid info on its performance - you can get all the specs from BD.
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The sound of chainsaws echoed off the trees in the 
instead of skiing was kind of like that old adage about not watching the teapot as you wait for it to boil. This strategy was broken by brief, gorgeous glimpses of Mt. Hood rising through the trees and throwing the sunlight back at us. This was my snow dance, for what it was worth —being as close to the mountain as I could get without being on the mountain.
