Preseason Backcountry Hard Goods Gear Review

Well, the winter season is off to an early and banner start here in Utah. With the early storm cycles blanketing the Wasatch with over 3 feet of the fluffy white stuff and early openings of Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton, and come Friday, Alta  it seems safe to say that the ski season has arrived!

Getting deep at Alta

Early season is one of the most exciting times of the year. Not only is the hunger for the snow at its peak, after 4 grueling months of playing in the dirt and rocks biding the time till the snow returns and offers that soft and fluid canvas once again, but the onslaught of new toys and gear that taunt you in every magazine and shop begin to call you to purchase and play… Or in my, very fortunate case, the gear just starts showing up, like a preemptive Christmass, in brown boxes of all sizes.

Weston D. Climbing Up to Gunsight

pow

I kicked off this season, like most, by attending the Utah Avalanche Organization‘s Conference down in SLC. The conference is held each year to review incidences of the past season, new procedures, protocols, theories about snow safety and/or study, and as a general refresher to blow out those cobwebs that may have built up over the summer months. This is a great way to remind yourself that what we do is quite dangerous, but by TAKING A COURSE and PRACTICING with you beacon, shovel, and probe we can mitigate that risk and have a fun and safe winter.

winter is here!

The UAC offers plenty of resources on their site to aid you in finding an avalanche course that is right for you, as well as many other tools such as a glossary, list of past avalanche activity, and much more.

http://utahavalanchecenter.org is the first piece of gear in my 2010/11 review and it gets 5+STARS:

Itis not only is free but it is an endless resource that can save the people you ride/ski with and your own life.

Avalanche Course

It is not enough to sit at home with a hot cup of coffee or a cold beer and read about the snow pack, what a beacon is, or how to ski cut a slope, rather we need to be a bit more proactive when it comes to ensuring that every day we get to go home and wake up tomorrow to play again. This is where an avalanche course comes into play. Not only are you spoon fed crucial information in a classroom environment by some of the most qualified snow safety professionals, but then you are able to apply those skills on the mountain in a controlled environment where you can feel what it would be like in an actual avalanche scenario.

Backcountry Access Tracker 2

BCA is a leader in snow safety tools and equipment and last year they revamped their beacon, with faster triple antenna processing, sleeker profile, and easier search mode, while keeping the simple interface and proving once again that simplicity is quite sweet.

**The best beacon is the one you know how to use and practice with**

BCA Arsenal Stash Shovel

Weather you go with the Arsenal probe or saw stash, this is a great system, that not only saves space in your pack but also saves crucial  seconds when rescue is needed. The saw and probe system do not require you to dismember the shovel to access them, allowing the shovel shaft and blade to be fully functional with or with out the probe or saw in, which means you can probe, find your buddy, and start digging right away!

BCA Stash BC

This pack will have you cruising up the skin pack knowing that you have all the necessities for a fun day of bagging your local peaks without bogging you down or making it so when you take the skins off you feel that you are pulled to the back seat, causing you to wonder why you just hiked for 4 hours to make quad burning survival turns down an open face of pow. The Stash BC is back this season with a sleek, no muss-no fuss exterior that has a sweet noose ski carry system, stowable/removable helmet carry system, mud room pocket (for probe, shovel, saw), hydration system, and many more features that will save you from looking like you are having a garage sale every time you want to grab a snack or another layer.

TwentyTwo Designs AXL

This binding will rock your world!!!! As the winner of Telemark Skier Magazine‘s editor’s choice award it has a free pivot tour mode that will have you screaming past your buddies on the skin track and the super responsive spring system will blow their minds as you rip fast, huge lines and stomp every landing.

Scarpa T-Race

The kick-ass boot has just got even more kick ass!! The 2010/11 T-race not only went back to its roots with the red and black color scheme, but Scarpa revised the retro concept of a tour mode on a burly, super stiff race style boot and nailed it! It has been years since I have skied a boot with a tour mode and I have to say I did not realize how much I have missed it. From long skins to even walking across the parking lot I am loving the optional walk mode. But the best part is that when you lock them into ski mode, you don’t feel like they have a walk mode! That coupled with the new intuition liner has me raving and saying kudos to Scarpa.

Rossignol Super 7

Unless you have been living under a rock or in the desert for the past three years, chances are you have read about, heard about, seen, and probably skied the S7. This season, Rossi took it one more step and created a rough and tough, AK ripping big boy- ahchemm… Girl- Ski. Offered in only one size (195cm), the super 7 has been stiffened with metal laminates and a slightly wider platform (117mm)  to give it the rigidity and stability that big lines require.  That coupled with the same side cut ratio as the S7 leads this ski to be the all around big mountain machine that can blast through crud, stay under your feet when mocking, and is nimble enough for those last second directional changes as the terrain unfolds.

So there you have it! That is what I have and will be rocking on all my adventures this season. Start making you Christmas wish lists and/ or saving the change under the couch cushions then go to backcountry.com and feed your addiction!!

Soft Goods!!

Keep checking in as I will be adding a soft goods review, and other reviews as the season progresse as well as more on avalanche and snow safety and as always more travel antics and stories.

Face Shot

Huck N’Roll Hits Brian Head, UT

A couple weeks ago I went down to Brian Head to do a few days of shuttle laps with the Huck n’ roll team of photographers. The trip was incredible! We had an all time caste including Jenn Berg, Re Wikstrom, Tommy Chandler, Grant Gunderson. We arrived around 2pm and quickly set up camp just out side of the Cedar Breaks National Monument. Within the hour we were all loaded with our bikes into our two vehicles ready to set up the first shuttle of the trip, to hit Dark Hollow.

We hit the trail and immediately I knew this was going to be an epic few days!! The trail was flowy and fast with some techy parts mixed in as well. After shooting tons of photographs and hiking bikes back up sections multiple times, before we knew it we had been out there for about 4 and a half hours just on the one trail and our hopes of squeezing a second lap in was a bit ambitious so we did what any good freeride team does, we started drinking beers as we headed back up to camp to make a fire and prep for a tasty dinner of shrimp fajitas. Yummy!!!

That night we kicked it around the campfire discussing the game plan for the next day. We would hit Bunker Creek and then hit up BlowHard. With great anticipation I crawled into my tent. Around 6:30am my eyes popped open as the realization of where I was cut through my dreamy mind. I jumped out of my tent and was welcomed into the day by watching the peach sky gently waking up The Cedar Break formation as well as the rays of the sun silhouetting the Peak at Brian Head. It was an invigorating way to start the day.

As the rest of the crew rolled out of their tents the scent of backcountry coffee and breakfast simmered out of camp. With full tummies and amped bodies we hit Bunker Creek. It was a fun trail with a few pedally sections, but we got some great shots. As we reached the shuttle truck the clouds started moving in and with further discussion we decided that Blow hard was a ride best left for tomorrow and that Pizzono’s, the local pizzeria, was our most intended destination. We ate more pizza then our exhausted bodies could or should probably be tolerant and then it was off to bed.

The next morning we woke, had some oatmeal, and then it was off to Blowhard. It’s a magnificent trail with the first few miles riding along the Breaks. Stunning views and a few exposed areas to really let you know you were riding in southern Utah. Again, hiking back up and taking multiple shots made for an extra long decent and by the tme we reached the shuttle Jen and Tommy had to start their journey back to Sal Lake City. Re, Grant and myself were more opened and decided to hit Dark Hollow again, without cameras. Despite an interesting flat tire, we made it down in relatively good time.

My goal for hitting Dark Hollow again was to hit this area of red rock spires and shale that I had scoped on our first day. I had decided on the trip that i wanted to start getting into Big Mountain Freeriding and this spot looked like the perfect way to kick it off. It was a little under 500ft. of vertical. So I rode ahead and started the long hike-a bike ascent. If you have never hiked a big DH bike up a lose scree field, I strongly suggest it. Nothing is more character building then trying to keep your footing while maneuvering a 45+ pound bike up a sharp rocky field. At any rate it took about an hour and a half and a few sketch falls to make it to the top. As I put on my knee-shin guards, my elbow pads and my full face my heart rate began to spike. “What was I doing up on this scree field?” With no trails and just a crazy lose descent in front of me. “What was I thinking?” Then I began to look at it through my skier eyes, suddenly it did not look so steep and my line became clear. I yelled down to Re, who was shooting from the bottom “Dropping” Next thing I knew I was surfing the shale, feeling confident, while at the same time realizing that my previous concern of cutting myself up on the shale if I skidded out was the least of my worries. Now my focus turned to the fact that I was mocking down this slope and if anything went wrong I would be tomahawking at skier speed down a rock field. Yeah… a spine and neck guard will be my next Huck ‘n Roll purchase! At any rate, miraculously, I made it down. With more adrenaline then I have ever felt before in my life, I threw down my bike and started jumping around in complete elated disbelief. I did it! My first Freeride line. Success!!!

With that accomplishment under my belt we cruised down to the truck, had celebratory beers and made the journey home.

I can not thank the crew at Huck n’ roll enough for inviting me on this adventure!!

Fall Snow, Skis, Saucers, and Snurffers High in the Uinta Wilderness.

It was still september when the snow blanketted the Wasatch and I can think of no better way to welcome october than by loading the truck with skis, saucers, and a snurffer. Oh… and of course Merl, the dog and heading up to the Uinta’s to see what we could find.

The snow totals ranged anywhere from 1″ to 8″ across Utah, and the Uinta’s were looking promising. So, I put on all my new Trew clothing (they have to get broken in some how) brought everything needed incase we found a filled in spot that was actually skiable and started up the road.

As we drove past the Jourdenelle reservoir the skies broke and we could see the fall colors on Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort as well as the snowy alpine terrain of Mt. Timpinogos and the provo range.

After a quick stop to take it all in, we jumped back into the truck and continued on. As we headed up the Mirror Lake Hwy I couldn’t help but catch my self staring at the beautiful tapestry of fall colors, while driving through the lower elevations leading through the Uinta National Forest. As the road wound further up through the majestic range we suddenly were faced with a huge herd of cattle casually walking down the center of the scenic byway. I quickly slammed on the breaks, praying that I wouldn’t injure any of my bovine friends.

Weaving through the maze of cow

It was wild, as if we had just pulled up on a scene from an old western. There were cowboys driving the herd of at least two hundred down the paved path. As we weaved through the mooing cattle and yelled “Yah! Yah!” out of the truck window, I couldn’t help but get a sense of time a place, beyond heading up to go snurf, saucer, or ski, to being in a place that holds such a deep history and where so many worked, struggled, and died in an effort live and survive in this landscape. As we cleared the last of the cattle and hit the accelerator heading to our point of play, I felt so fortunate to be part of this environment, this mountain landscape, a place that to me represents play, peacefulness, challange and personal growth.

Wintery vista of Hayden Peak

It was with these thoughts that I summited the pass and roled over to the east side. With vistas that open to Wyoming and the High Uinta Wilderness, the snow grew deeper and the excitement of getting out of the truck and romping around was too much to contain.

We jumped out at Fehr Lake trailhead. After assessing, that while the snow was deep, it just was not quite enough to ski, we brought the only tools that could possibly withstand the versatile conditions that lay before. A Snurfer and a saucer. And in the great spirit of the late and great Shane McConkey, we headed off for an incredible adventure with our $4.99 plastic companions.

Slaying the Log slide on the saucer!

Pond Skimming on the Snurffer

Scoping lines for the coming season

The day was filled with side splitting laughter and an over all sense of freedom and excitement for the winter season to come. On our way home we stopped in to our favorite spot right at the gateway to the national forest, the Samak Smoke House. There Jen and Dave brewed up some hot coffee drinks and made some delicious sandwiches. A perfect way to end an incredible day up in the Uinta’s.