J_Fisher

Nicely done, and thanks for posting. Looks like you bagged an awesome tour

That's badass... but no Slot?

+1 on Tremper's book. It's pretty much the bible. I think there's a new edition out that updates some of the science from the original.

Damn. Well played!

Nice stoke, thanks for sharing. How long were you there? I'm curious how many of your days saw fresh snow, and also how much was Marte running? I was there for a week last year. Unfortunately the Santa Rosa no showed and the snow was disappearing fast. We had a nice time, but it was a lot of money and travel time to ski corn (and some dirt) for a couple hours a day. Now looking at your pics I'm kicking myself for not going back!

I bought a pair of K2 Hellbents in the 189 last Feb and have been surprised at how versatile they are. Something huge and stiff might be somewhat better in cut up and crud, but the combination of rocker for float and general heavy hugeness for stability works pretty well once the fresh is worked. Despite their weird looks, the Hellbents have a pretty traditional sidecut (28M IIRC) and are surprisingly fun on groomers too as long as the snow isn't too hard. The tips and tail flop around but it doesn't transmit through the ski and they feel like a big ole GS ski. I've heard reverse side cut/reverse camber are even better in crud, but have no 1st hand knowledge. As you might expect, the Hellbents pretty much suck on boilerplate, hardpack and bumps. I went back to my Volkl Mantras once the spring ice/corn/slush cycle was on, as well as when it hadn't snowed for a long time.

PM sent

Here's my rule of thumb: If I have to wake up before 6AM=mountaineering Sleep in past 6=rock climbing. Though the shoe test thing yields similar results.

See my post in partners forum

Looking to get out this sunday, Seattle-based. Maybe stevens pass area? Conditions look OK at the moment. PM if interested. (X-posted in Freshie zone)

I skied around Source Lake last Saturday and Kendall Knob (via Gold Creek sno-park) on Monday. In the shade 3-6" fresh on top of a very hard rain crust. On sunny aspects the fresh was feeling the effects of sunny days. It looks like it's snowed another 3-4" in the last few days.

Was this on the upper Emmons/Winthrop in late August, by any chance? We heard second hand of a big bridge collapse when our party was up there ~Aug 21. It was pretty wild seeing the boot track go up to the edge of a huge crevasse into nothingness, then start up again on the other side, maybe 30 feet out and 20 feet higher. Getting around that hole was a big PITA, too Glad you were OK

The Endorphin is a new model and is supposed to be slightly beefier than the Adrenaline. Garmont is selling both this season. Specs are on the Garmont website. I bought Adrenalines last season buying the hype that the boot was beefy enough for for really aggressive skiing but I did not find this to be the case. The cut is too low and the liner is really flimsy (and it looks like the Endorphin is the same height). I was hoping for one boot for in bounds, lift served b/c and "earn your turns" b/c and found the Adrenaline really only suitable for the last category. I stuck a pair of liners from a Lange race boot in them and the improvement was significant--made them suitable for lift served tours and tolerable for spending the whole day riding the lifts. I'm planning on getting the beefy intuition liners this year and hopefully that will make me happier with these boots. I should mention, if it's not obvious, I prefer pretty beefy boots. My baseline is Lange race boots. If you are more focused on touring and comfort all this is probably not terribly relevant to you . . . My recollection is the Garmonts are supposed to be somewhat higher volume than the Scarpas, which may be good for you. (I have low volume feet and fit has been another issue with the Garmonts) If you're near Seattle, go to Pro Ski and spend some time talking to Adam and trying stuff on. That's going to be a better use of your time than reading this stuff

I have an extra pass that's free to whomever wants to pick it up with a minimum of hassle to me. Downtown seatown. send PM

What route is that? CCK?

My condolences

From Seattle, Canadian Rockies are if anything closer than Jackson

Totally depends on the winter snowpack and weather this spring/summer. The climbing rangers there know their shit and are your best source. Jenny Lake Ranger Station: 307-739-3343

Any beta on which of the cell phone providers have the best coverage in the sea to sky corridor and surrounding mountains?

There was a bad accident on the Crest at Chek (b/t Squamish and Whistler) this past Sunday. I'm a little surprised this isn't getting more press. http://www.squamishclimbing.com/squamish_climbing_bb/viewtopic.php?t=933 I was at the scene and also spoke with the RCMP constable who did the investigation, and the details of what happened are still unclear to me. However the accident happened while descending via rappel. Rest in peace, Lois.

The Arboretum is nice and has pretty flowers and stuff. There are trails on both sides of the road. It's a bit short if you're looking for long distance, though (maybe a mile each direction)?

If you're looking to use your bike for puttering on logging roads, etc., once you can start w/o stalling, brake to slow down and turn w/o falling off, you know pretty much all you need to know. A little bit more seat time is all you need. Motocross has a lot of techniques, but they are all about going really fast over really technical terrain. Since you're not racing speed doesn't matter that much and it's unlikely you're going to have to clear 50 foot gap jumps to get where your going. If your butt's sore you need to stand up more. If you're sitting down on rough ground you're going to get bounced all over the place and be far more likely to wreck. Feet on the pegs, standing up knees bent, elbows high and head over the number plate is the body position for attacking rough spots. thumpertalk.com has a good forum on offroad riding. (Note that trail riding is not MX. Offroad is to MX what long easy trad routes in the mountains are to hard sport climbing.) Thumpertalk also has model-specific forums if you're looking for beta on mechanical issues with your TTR. You can also visit the "off topic" forum and read the redneck equivalent of Spray to yor heart's delight.

Some helpful reviews can be found here http://www.telemarkski.com/html/intro_product_reviews.html#ab

It would have to be unusually cold for their to be any ice climbing by then. The ice season there is short and iffy. I'd check the Wx right before leaving, but most likely rock shoes for sure. The winter weather there is really volatile--swings from sub-zero to t-shirt in a matter of days aren't unusual.

Are they OK, sure. Are they good? Not really. The biggest issue is clearance. Steep ice often tends to be highly irregular--blobby, cauliflowered, etc.--especially if it gets high traffic. Without the fashionable bend at the top the shaft you have to use a really exagerated and somewhat tiring elbow-high swing to get good sticks over bulges. That being said, with a little practice you can make them work.