Tag Archive for 'Hagan Skis'

The 2010/2011 Ski Season in Pictures

Ah, the middle of August. A good time to reflect on less brutally hot times. That’s not too hard to accomplish when you’ve brought a camera along for many days of fun skiing on the snow. These may not all be the best pictures I (and others) took this year, but they’re among my favorites. Each one brings back plenty of memories. Good stuff. And a fine way to cool off in the heat..

We began the year with much the same ideal as we ended it - 'we don't need much snow to call it skiing.' Andy on the ridge between Sugarloaf and Devil's Castle.

I still think 'complete trust' sums up this shot just fine.

Well, I'll be...! Jason Borro was probably the first person to set foot into the Northwest Couloir of the Pfeifferhorn this season.

J-Bo rappels the Hellgate Couloir.

Andy Coyle is a funny guy no matter how you slice it. He set up this shot.

Red Baldy, rimed.

Zach Guy comes face to face with Jungle-whacking in the PNW.

A OK about to disappear over the edge, on the Pfeifferhorn. Pic by Jason Borro.

Jon Swain drives it down the Hallway.

Cold, lonely, and single. I'm talking about the tree. Zach Guy adds some companionship..

White Baldy ridge.

Andy Dorais takes to the backside of the Question Mark wall.

Fine scenery on Timpanogos.

Jason Dorais climbs a chimney. I'm giving it a 10 on the butt shot meter!

At least this tree has some company.

Matthew Turley on the other end of a camera for a change. West face of Timpanogos.

Greg Foster opens up a clogged chimney in a rime blasted winter wonderland.

Jason Dorais gets his hop on.

Beware of your neighbors. They may invite you to heaven. Jason Borro on the receiving end of an invite.

AD nearing full submersion in Country Lane.

Starting the day off near unfrozen waters.

Jon Swain sacks it up for his first ski rappel. First with me, at least.

Proving these pictures are in no particular order, this was the scene on July 4th. Aliens took all the people and left all the ski (and board) gear behind. Boy, did they ever get that one wrong!

'Uh, guys, the roof is caving in..' Never has a man pulled on his pants and exited a snow cave so quickly as Zach did following my morning greeting. And why, I wonder, did he have to pull on his pants? Mmm, maybe it was his boots...

Ansel OKeefe on the camera.

Andy Dorais searches for passage over the block on Cioccetti's Ribbon.

This picture still makes me laugh. Jason Dorais getting his inner monkey on.

I saw a lot of Jon Swain's hand(s) this winter.

Sometimes I even glimpsed other body parts. Often, just a powder flume. Or a powder sweater.

If you look close, you'll see JD.

Jon executing a smooth kick turn in a tricky spot on Mount Raymond.

Jon blows it down Red Stack.

Sometimes the stark, cold, grey nature of clouds and the landscape has absolute beauty. Maybe moreso in August, but I doubt that.

It really was that steep, in that section. A OK traversing Cioccetti's Ribbon. Photo by Andy Dorais.

Fresh tracks getting the black and white treatment. A new-to-us line on the Pfeifferhorn.

Timpanogos, from the north.

JD brings it down the lower half of the Pfeiff's NW Couloir.

And who is this avid proponent of lycra outerwear, wearing sensible and warm clothing in the deep mountain snow? None other than Andy Dorais!

JD going for it on Timpanogos.

Sunrise is fine when you've got snow on the mind..

A OK watching the visibility roll out.

The brothers Dorais trot up Provo Peak.

This is where I get all my ideas on lightweight ski clothing. JD getting air over the valley. A lot of air, it seems!

Jon Swain after having laid waste to Main Baldy Chute 9 times. He looked how I felt!

My favorite shot of myself skiing this season. Heading down Y Couloir. Pic by Jason Dorais.

 

 

 

Yet Another Pfeifferhorn Rappel Descent

Hop Turns and Rope: Someone once derisively told me that steep skiing is ‘just a bunch of hop turns.’ Guilty as charged, but incomplete. On a good day, there are ropes, too. Today, Jason Borro and I stepped cleanly into that person’s line of derision, and brought along some rope just to add a bit of completeness to the picture. We headed to the Pfeifferhorn, where snow is often served up cold, and folks who deride steep skiing don’t show up.

We sat down long enough to take one summit photo.

Lines: Although all aspects of the Pfeiff are skiable, the majority of the steep skiing action from the summit takes place on the northern side, between the Northeast and Northwest couloirs. In between those two, there are several choice ski mountaineering descents Continue reading ‘Yet Another Pfeifferhorn Rappel Descent’

Shedding Ski Gear Weight

In the backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering worlds, a clear trend has been emerging towards the use of ultra lightweight gear. The trend has long been in place, represented by slogans such as, ‘Light is Right,’ ‘Light and Far,’ and ‘Light and Fast.’ This concept stretches across many sports, whose manufacturers and participants have both benefitted from the progression. But lightweight ski gear has only just begun to catch up to the practitioners in recent years.

Some call this gear silly light, others smart light, and yet others stupid light, but all mean the same thing: ‘Surprisingly Light.’ It’s been possible for some time now to get the skiing triumvirate of AT boots, bindings, and skis in a lightweight setup that tips the scales at less than ten pounds. Further, gear that was once used almost exclusively on ski mountaineering race courses has made its way to fierce mountains – both up and down steep lines.

When getting to the mountain top(s) is a human powered pastime, dropping weight is critical. And here I don’t refer to Continue reading ‘Shedding Ski Gear Weight’

Box Elder Peak

Box Elder standing quite alone in the early season cloud cover, while Timpanogos does the same in the left background..

I’ve looked at the Wasatch’s Box Elder Peak from a variety of locations – the Pfieff, Red Baldy, Lone Peak, Timpanogos, and many other locations – and was quite happy to finally stand on the summit yesterday. It’s quite isolated and stands alone from any other peaks or ridges, which gives it a very pleasant and rewarding mountain feel. The approach went a lot faster than I’d expected, and for that I can be grateful for three Continue reading ‘Box Elder Peak’

Hagan X-Ultra Ski Performance Review

Made in Austria by a company – Hagan Skis – with a fifty-plus year history of making skis, the 2011 Hagan X-Ultra is a ski that represents the future of backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. That future involves ultra light gear that is able to handle the full range of conditions, from ice to 4% water content powder.

The Hagan X-Ultra stands tall in the mountains.

Through the implementation of a Semicap Carbon Air Channel, the 2011 version shaves about 150 grams of weight off each ski, for a total of 2090 grams for the pair, as measured on my gram scale. This is about 90 grams more than the company literature states; however, there are almost always some vagaries in actual ski weights due to the construction process. As described to me, the ultra light weight Continue reading ‘Hagan X-Ultra Ski Performance Review’

Highly Variable Snow

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.

Continue reading ‘Highly Variable Snow’