allsetcobrajet

Just like last weekend!

Hmmm...I seem to remember kinda of liking mtnphil until reading his last few posts. And yet you continue to inspire me to get out there, if only to avenge yesterday's experience!

PM sent

I'm interested in doing a tour in the Alpental area on Sunday if you guys are putting something together.

I agree with crazy_t on this one. It's a basic responsibility to have the right gear and know how to use it. The probe is not something that is just there to show the ski patrol when you leave the access gates at Baker. It's intended use is as a potentially life-saving tool.

I sent you a PM.

hey, is this still for sale? the link you posted says "no longer available"

I agree that further questioning of the random passerby is necessary. However, I'm relatively new to backcountry skiing and sometimes worry that if I ask a somewhat basic beta question to an experienced skier out there, they'll say "Dude, if you don't know, you shouldn't be out here" or something like that. But in reality, every experienced backcountry skier I've talked to this season near Baker has been very helpful.

Definitely compare the fill-weight and overall bag-length when factoring in the temp rating. An interesting thing I noticed comparing the Moonstone bag with a comparable Mountain Hardwear bag was that the Mountain Hardwear bag had an extra 6 oz. of Polarguard Delta fill for the same temperature rating, and the MH bag was only 3" longer. I've found Mountain Hardwear bags to be very conservative with their temp ratings. I've used my 20-degree MH bag in the low teen's and been very warm.

Nice vid, man!

I'd factor in the terrain you'll be on most of the time. Certain areas or resorts have a lot of fall-line terrain that is great for snowboarders and then certain areas/resorts have terrain that involves a lot of traversing, which bums out a lot of snowboarders. So I would factor that in, especially if you'll be at one area a lot.

hey, i went out and skiied the shuksans sat and sun at baker and i have to say they were great, both touring and pointing downhill. of course, all that powder helped me feel good about pretty much everything. Sorry I couldn't meet up with you, RocNoggin. Maybe I'll see you up there later this season!

Too bad she's not looking for a pass to Baker.

Wow, what a great story. I always hope that I will be that composed if I ever find myself in a situation like that.

I ended up skiing an entire winter in Utah on AT gear (k2 shuksans, garamont mega-ride boots, fritschi freerides) and they held up really well in all kinds of conditions. I even used the AT boots for a 3-week mountaineering expedition in Alaska, and they worked great for glacier travel and ice climbing (though I didn't like them on rock at all). There are some trade-offs, plenty of times I wished I had a beefier setup for lift-serviced skiing, but I didn't really have the money for a 2nd setup. I paid about $700 (plus tax) for the whole setup at 2nd Ascent. The skis were demos that were only used a few times. I think 2nd Ascent is a good place to check out for a good combo deal on an AT setup.

I've used with the sweetie pie doubler for a few years and I have to say it works great. It's smaller and more efficient than zipping two bags together.

I have a North Face Redpoint jacket and after stuffing and unstuffing the thing so many times over the last 2 years, its loft hasn't held up. I'm starting to think investing in a good down jacket, like the Feathered Friends stuff with Epic or eVent shell is a good idea, especially for very cold conditions where rain is less of a factor.

kioti, thanks for the advice. i'll be heading up to Baker area this weekend and I think I'll be more than happy on the Shuksans with all the snow we're getting.

I've been using the BD Revelation 45L. I really like it. I use a mega mid, though, which doesn't take up too much space.

Hi, I've been skiing on these K2 Shuksan AT Skis the past two seasons. Last year I skied the season in Utah and found myself gawking at some of the fat powder skis alot people use out there. Anyway, now that I'm back in the NW, I'm wondering if there would be any benefit to skiing a fatter ski here (Mt. Baker area), especially fatter at the waist. I read this article by Rob DeSaluriers who seems to think fatter skis (88mm or wider at the waist) were a panacea to Cascade Concrete/Sierra Cement. The Shuksan dimensions are 117-78-105. I'm 5'8" and ski the 174cm length. I can't say that I'm unhappy with the Shuksans, they certainly haven't stopped me from going anywhere, but so many people seem to like the fatter skis, I'm wondering what you all think. The main complaint I have about the Shuksans is that they can get tossed about in wetter, heavier snow (i.e., NW snow). I'm thinking that's just the way it is for everyone, and I should just learn to deal with it. Perhaps I'll just go and demo some fatties sometime this year and see for myself. fredd

I agree on the Stylus for film. Nice optics, durable, easy to operate (even with light gloves on). And it's only like $80, so if gets smashed it's not a steep cost to replace.

It all depends on the kinds of conditions you find yourself in most often. If you only get out when the forecast is sun, sun, sun, then get a down bag. However, if you're out there rain or shine in the NW, a synthetic bag is a good choice. Face it, a 3-season bag in the NW is going to see a lot of rainy nights. However, with a 4-season bag, down is probably a better choice. If temps are consistently well below freezing, then you aren't going to see rain and the down bag will pack smaller and keep you warmer in those kinds of very cold conditions. I have 40-degree and 20-degree synthetic bags and one down -5 degree bag. You can easily get good "brand-name" synthetic bags on clearance for under $100. Then eventually get one really nice down winter bag for when it gets really cold and rain isn't as much of a factor. Good luck.

I've used the Epic on numerous backcountry trips and used to carry it with me everywhere until I switched to digital. The nice thing about it, besides that it takes very sharp pictures, is that at $79, you won't feel too bad if you lose it in the drink, or drop it off some ledge. The T4 is a great camera, but now that they're at a premium, I'd go with the Stylus. You won't be disappointed with either, though.