human powered adventures
Some laps on a soft section of Pink Pine yesterday yielded some fun pics as the day’s partners – Jason, Tanner, and Mike – enjoyed frolicking in the goods. Some small storms are heading in which may provide a bit of a refresher for conditions. Most slopes could do with a bit of new snow, although I thought we found a decent patch..
Jason Dorais in action. One wouldn't likely guess that this guy spends much time at sea level.
The modern world is filled with many marketing claims, so much so that it can be difficult to know what’s right for you. Take protein powder, a key nutritional aid from the supplement world, which is notorious for over-promising whilst under-delivering. It seems that by now, most people know that athletes – whether bodybuilding types or endurance oriented – need large amounts of protein to help rebuild muscles after their muscle-tearing exertions. But with several different protein derivatives to choose from, it can be hard to decide which source is best for you.
The one pound canister of PowerBar powdered protein.
Soy protein, whey protein, and calcium caseinate all derive from Continue reading ‘PowerBar Protein Plus Protein Powder’
Today went strange quickly, with both ski partners – Jon and Jason – taking slides on ice. That added a bit of the wrong type of spice, after which we pared it back a bit and headed to better snow on more northerly facing terrain. An otherwise mellow day, with a few pics provided to create an outline. Besides the tricky avalanche conditions at present, the snow surface is also problematic, with pockets of smooth ice interspersed with powder, interlaced with ice and debris chunks. Enough to keep anyone on their toes. I am most definitely subjecting the Hagan X-Ultra skis to every conceivable condition… They keep coming up begging for more.
Jason and Jon head towards the ice face of death.
For those who aren’t up on their Italian, C.A.M.P. stands for ‘Construzione Articoli Montagna Premana’, which translates in English to, ‘Articles for Mountaineering Made in Premana.’ What company actually tells consumers where their stuff is made, in the company name, in this century? CAMP, that’s who. Premana is a small mountain town with only one road leading in or out. Begun by Nicolas Codega in 1889, this company has been manufacturing mountaineering equipment since day one, 122 years ago. It’s safe to say they’ve got a bit of history where mountains are concerned.
In keeping with the light is right philosophy, CAMP had their Dynafit compatible crampon on display at the Outdoor Retailer show. Dropping out the typical cam style locking heel piece, this new design instead uses two familiar (to any tech binding user) steel pins to lock the crampon onto the rear of the Dynafit compatible ski boot. The toe piece is still the familiar wire cage, and with flexible webbing between the toe and heel pieces, the entire unit folds down into a pretty small, and light, package.
The CAMP race 290 crampon in all its minimalist glory.
Billed as the lightest crampon available (again!), it felt as secure Continue reading ‘C.A.M.P. Dynafit Compatible Crampon’
Spent the morning crawling up various couloirs, namely the Memorial Couloir #5, after which we dropped into #4 for a slice of narrow-walled skiing, followed by an ascent of #2, after which we skied the Mt. Olympus West Couloir, which was then re-ascended and followed by a descent of #2. Dizzy yet? It wasn’t nearly the day we had planned, but as they say, time is ever against us.
Good times. Jason, Andy, and Jon boot up Memorial Couloir #5.
This relatively quick outing was facilitated for me Continue reading ‘Moving towards ‘Light is Right’’
If you’re looking to get into the Utah backcountry, but aren’t sure where to begin, here are some decent ideas to test your mettle. Each of these tasty morsels requires some level of skill; maybe you’ve tired of Alta’s Ballroom or Gunsight Notch, or Snowbird’s Regulator Johnson or Great Scott runs. If you can handle those with aplomb, you’re probably ready to adapt what you’ve learned to the wild land of the backcountry.
Fortunately, the following lines aren’t too wild. And, they’re short. But they will provide challenge, particularly if you’re not used to getting yourself uphill without a chairlift. With their relatively short approaches and reasonable slope angles approximating those named above, they’re suitable candidates for easing into backcountry skiing. Since the approaches aren’t Continue reading ‘Stepping Across to the Backcountry’