After our circumnavigation of Mt Hood recently, I’ll be damned if I was going to have to circumnavigate another volcano or ski amazing PNW corn snow without ski crampons. To reiterate what I’ve said before, you don’t always want ski crampons,…
This is Part 4 of the Choose Your Tools series. Also check out Part 3: The Seven Needs of Backcountry Travel. Before delving further into the specifics of gear selection for the backcountry, there are some universal truths that need to be carved into stone.…
Yesterday, as I sat working away at my computer, I felt the urge. The urge is something that you can probably relate to– it’s that feeling that you want to break out of whatever you’re doing and go elsewhere. This feeling…
This is Part 3 of the ‘Choose Your Tools’ series on Gear Selection for Backcountry Skiing. See also Part 2: Avalanche Hazard and Safety Gear If you were ever a boy scout, or made fun of one, then you’ve probably…
This is Part 2 of the ‘Choose Your Tools’ series on Gear Selection for Backcountry Skiing. For Part 1: Introduction Click Here. Or check out the next in the series: The 7 Needs of Backcountry Travel Backcountry skiing is an…
For route information/beta, check out the Mt Hood Circumnavigation Route Page. The day dawned clear and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. Ethan Linck and I planned to circumnavigate Mt Hood on skis, and by 7:30 we were skinning…
A ski circumnavigation of Mt Hood is an unbeatable way to travel through rarely seen and often-ignored terrain. Though only a few miles from Timberline, the West aspect feels remote and wild. From the West, Mt Adams, Mt St Helens,…
I am excited to announce this project, which will be ongoing over the course of the next few weeks, published in digestible parts. I hope to produce a resource that’s valuable to you, whether you’re new to ski-touring or a backcountry master.…
I’ve skied for around 20 years now. My first pair of skis, Salomon X-Screams, are the sort of ski that’s now being turned into fences and benches in ski towns around the US. Since that pair, I’ve cycled through many…
While watching this video recently, I was struck both by the mechanism of the fall, which resembles a rag doll falling down a laundry heap, as well as by the failure of a piece of equipment which has recently…