Tag Archive for 'Whippet'

Avalanche Shovel Dynamics

Published on February 23, 2012 by a ok.

Ah, the humble avalanche shovel. Probably the most boring, least interesting piece of gear involved in ski mountaineering. Virtually everyone carries one, but does anyone ever think about these tools? I think most people buy one, toss it in their backpack because it’s required avalanche rescue equipment, and forget about it for the most part. Today is as good a time as any to re-evaluate that single piece of gear.

A good shovel design - the shaft is kept inside the blade sleeve, eliminating fumbling.

Efficiently cruising about in the mountains on skis involves more than simply utilizing the lightest gear. Light gear is important, but perhaps more so is the design of that gear.

Avalanche shovels offer up Continue reading ‘Avalanche Shovel Dynamics’

Located in 04 Gear I Use, 05 Gear Modifications and Going Light(er) Fast(er) Far(ther) 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

The 2010/2011 Ski Season in Pictures

Published on August 16, 2011 by a ok.

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.

 

 

 

Located in 03 Adventures, 14 Pictorials and Wasatch 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Timpanogos’s Primrose Cirque plus a Bonus Couloir

Published on April 13, 2011 by a ok.

'How we spent our morning.' Jason strolls though a small rockband in our line of choice.

A OK climbing out of the couloir. 'Steep' is a good word here. For a few steps, anyway. Photo by Jason Dorais.

Regardless of the fact that my getting out for a day of skiing with Jason Dorais is akin to a potato bug lining up at the starting line against a jet fuel dragster, we did both eyeball the same line on a recent outing to Mount Timpanogos. So today, we returned to get it skied. The approach was the same as the last Timp outing – from Aspen Grove through Primrose Cirque – except that in the Upper Primrose Cirque, we veered skier’s left and climbed up a Northwest facing slice of heaven. Very thin, manageable slabs overlaid a solid snowpack, which skied very similarly to powder in the Upper Cirque. It changed to bustable corn down in the lower Primrose, but it was still a quick exit. As quick as Continue reading ‘Timpanogos’s Primrose Cirque plus a Bonus Couloir’

Located in 03 Adventures and Wasatch 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Homicide Chute

Published on December 28, 2010 by a ok.

Skiing today was, for the most part, survival skiing. Another phrase people use to describe these conditions is ‘a series of linked recoveries.’ Between frequently airborne turns, skis met very firm, icy conditions. There was also plenty of avalanche debris from days past, which left a deposit of frozen chunder balls covering the middle section of the day’s objective. I’m not sure too many people on the planet ski these sorts of conditions smoothly.

Maybe it’s the combined south western and southern aspects of Homicide Chute – two aspects that are often hard to catch in good conditions in the Wasatch – but this was my first time down the murderously named line. Fortunately, Andy was also up to the challenge of skiing conditions that were far from mouth watering. And it was a heinous, near homicidal affair. Glare ice lined the chokes between several exceedingly narrow rock bands. Sidestepping ensued. I was grateful to have a Black Diamond Whippet in my hand, and used it several times to provide an extra bit of hold in tricky sections. An 18 – 24” crown lined the width of the Homicide Chute, about halfway down the doglegged, upper section, evidencing the avalanche that had torn free, whose debris was invisible from above.

When conditions are variable, sometimes the best move is to throw down some hop turns. Andy mid-turn on Little Superior.

Fortunately, Homicide Chute isn’t Continue reading ‘Homicide Chute’

Located in 03 Adventures, 11 Perspective and Wasatch 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Owen Spalding (from the Upper Saddle) on the Grand Teton

Published on June 25, 2010 by a ok.

Owen Spalding's finger of snow from the Lower Saddle. Grand Teton is to the right, the Enclosure is to the left. The Needle is in the center of the photo.

Once again partnering with David Yogg for what would turn out to be another icy ski descent in Grand Teton National Park, I was reminded that wind, ice, and cold seem to attend when we pair up for Teton mountaineering.  Aiming to ski the Owen Spalding, we found it chilly and windy immediately upon arriving at the Grand’s 13,160 foot Upper Saddle on June 21, 2010, and my first move was to find a wind shelter behind a large rock.  Soon, I was shivering in my Rei Mistral softshell pants and Cloudveil Serendipity softshell jacket, neither of which I’d paired with much underneath – only a short-sleeved wool shirt between the two, for all practical purposes.  These two pieces of outerwear coupled with well selected base layers keep me warm while moving in virtually any conditions – however, motionless, I was quickly beginning to freeze.  The day’s plan as conceived – Light and Fast – had not called for Continue reading ‘Owen Spalding (from the Upper Saddle) on the Grand Teton’

Located in 03 Adventures, 04 Gear I Use, 09 Quotes, 10 Road Trips and Tetons 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

The Black Diamond Whippet Could Save Your Life

Published on May 18, 2010 by a ok.

I recently wrote about the Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd Whippet, describing a dozen uses for this handy ski pole design besides its primary function of allowing a fallen skier to self-arrest, stopping a slide down the mountain before it turns ugly. Realizing that a dozen uses were at least a dozen short, at least in my experience, I wrote about another dozen uses.  I find Whippets indispensable, and feel that Continue reading ‘The Black Diamond Whippet Could Save Your Life’

Located in 04 Gear I Use 0 Comments Tags: , , .