TR Replies
Sleeping in lot 3 last night was so chilly we got a much later start after using the Tercel battery to power the Winnie's heater and bottles of water in my "cooler" for breakfast when the RV water pipe was frozen. Sunrise was indeed beautiful. We found 10-12" soft consistent old snow on a firm crust 4600-3000' on SW slopes.
author=discostew link=topic=37563.msg152290#msg152290 date=1484254035]
if i'm following in someone's track and i get a chance to speak to him/her, i will always say thanks and offer to take over, and the trailbreaker always gets to drop in first. if, however, anyone tells me where/where not to ride, and how to make turns, i will arc a few 100m long 100m wide trenches and do my best to make sure that he/she crosses them, cause f@#k those people
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if i'm following in someone's track and i get a chance to speak to him/her, i will always say thanks and offer to take over, and the trailbreaker always gets to drop in first. if, however, anyone tells me where/where not to ride, and how to make turns, i will arc a few 100m long 100m wide trenches and do my best to make sure that he/she crosses them, cause f@#k those people
Great morning out... I had not been out to sample the light fluffy stuff recently... this was way better than sleeping. Full moon was out in force - gorgeous orange moon set through purple sky. My 70mm lens on a 35mm sensor was no match.
author=haggis link=topic=37579.msg152285#msg152285 date=1484248057]
Awesome to hear its still holding up, headed out tonight for full moon tour.
Saw some people skinning up towards the Chair peak divide as we skied out after dark. The snow was phenomenal on the slope above Source Lake. Headlamp skiing is fun in perfect pow!
Awesome to hear its still holding up, headed out tonight for full moon tour.
That sunrise over Alpy photo, wow
EDIT: Forgot emojis aren't supported by this forum's character encoding scheme
EDIT: Forgot emojis aren't supported by this forum's character encoding scheme
Constructive conversation is always a good thing, but the topic in of itself must have value in the first place. For me, any discussion of the appropriateness of one's turns holds little positive benefit to the community. I just can't wrap my head around the idea of there being an "appropriate" way to lay down tracks in the backcountry, but I don't think of powder as a commodity or resource that is to be preserved as long as possible for the other users around me. Ma...
IMHO skiing is one of the most extreme privileges that exist on the planet. Backcountry skiing is even further up the list. I keep that in mind when I'm out there, and when I read threads like these.
Whether we like it our not, we're a community. We share resources that no individual owns (terrain, water, air). The number of people vying for those resources is on the rise. Change is tough. People are sensitive. If we want to have shared values, we should keep talking about w...
Whether we like it our not, we're a community. We share resources that no individual owns (terrain, water, air). The number of people vying for those resources is on the rise. Change is tough. People are sensitive. If we want to have shared values, we should keep talking about w...
Sounds like a righteous Christmas experience, thanks for posting
Snowshoeing in the skin track, ignorance vs. high risk tolerance, sharing secret stashes on TAY...but this surpasses them all for inanity. Holy Hell! Manners and respect are generally good for social interaction and good will. I typically support them, but to try and dictate how someone lays down tracks in the backcountry is straight up absurd. We are past the point of no return. If you go to places like Bagley Lakes on a blue bird day with fresh snow, you better be...
author=slacker link=topic=37563.msg152266#msg152266 date=1484199651]
I too did 3 laps on Herman on Tuesday. I put the skin track in at 730 am. Lots of riders followed. No one thanked me. I don't care but I appreciate manners. . 95% or more of the people I meet in the backcountry are happy, friendly, and respectful.
I have asked around about his nibs and have been assured that he is the owner of mt Herman. Man that's great! How do I get to ow...
author=Scotsman link=topic=37563.msg152212#msg152212 date=1484110709]
I of course have broken all the rules above .
I too did 3 laps on Herman on Tuesday. I put the skin track in at 730 am. Lots of riders followed. No one thanked me. I don't care but I appreciate manners. . 95% or more of the people I meet in the backcountry are happy, friendly, and respectful.
I have asked around about his nibs and have been assured th...
Well that looks unbelievable. I particularly like the flip book effect of the "anatomy of a face shot" series. Thanks for the post!
Some of us are out there every day. We know what the weekend warriors are up to. Let's strive to ensure we all have the max fun for all. I'll be breaking trail tomorrow and I hope others will also have a great time.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Roadside blowhards and spooning tracks. Yuck on both fronts.
Look fine to me, wish I was there. If you have to blow over the skin track then do a hop and its all good. If you climb up the slope then ski down it however you chose, this ain't the Augusta Country club.
author=bwalt822 link=topic=37563.msg152205#msg152205 date=1484102639]
We played hookey from work to enjoy the bluebird powder day that was promised and it definitely paid off. Took three laps in cold fast boot top powder on Herman saddle and then followed a skin track up towards the south facing slope of Mt Herman where we were in for a treat. For we were following the skin track of the Queen Regent of Mt Herman himself!
Normally meeting Bagley L...
I find spiritual bliss in free and unconstrained high-speed GS turns that respond to the seductive curves of glacially sculpted slopes. I could never find peace in the totalitarian confines of a scripted Zen garden. To each their own.
Scott
Scott
Like many issues in the backcountry I've seen lately, it's about manners, and common decency. These goals are elusive in the age of Trump, but I suggest the following:
- defer to those that have set a skin track for you to follow, you owe them your day of pow
- enjoy your freedom to do as you wish
- help educate others that don't know what you know
I usually don't spend much time in popular areas so I don't have to deal w...
- defer to those that have set a skin track for you to follow, you owe them your day of pow
- enjoy your freedom to do as you wish
- help educate others that don't know what you know
I usually don't spend much time in popular areas so I don't have to deal w...
A powder slope is like an Etch a Sketch. It eventually all gets erased anyway.
We went up further today, just below slot. Found that crust you mentioned which disappeared climbers right of your track. Other than that, excellent conditions once again. Nothing moved except some sluff on steeper terrain. 8F up top does dry the snow out quite nicely indeed!
Figure 8s waste too much pow. We all need to work on farming turns a la the famed agrarian of the Wasatch.
Typically my touring partner opens the 8s and I close them.
It's hilarious how some Baker locals view Herman as their secret stash. Keep shredding and having fun!
The winds weren't hurting the snow for the most part except maybe near the very top of Herman saddle. Before that they were helping fill tracks if anything.
Scotsman, I agree that when possible we should try to take up as little snow as practical. I generally try to make my turns nice.
I also dont want to blow this situation up to much, this wasn't a shouting match or anything, just some comments directed our way. I was just trying to write about a w...
Scotsman, I agree that when possible we should try to take up as little snow as practical. I generally try to make my turns nice.
I also dont want to blow this situation up to much, this wasn't a shouting match or anything, just some comments directed our way. I was just trying to write about a w...
If you can't handle other people being around the LAST place you should be skiing is Bagely Lakes Basin. And getting bent about turns over a skin track is ridiculous. $&@# that guy. Ski as you wish.
How were the winds affecting snow quality during the day?
How were the winds affecting snow quality during the day?
Well, thanks for the reply.
I must beg to differ on the question of crossed, irregular tracks taking up a large portion of a slope, "bad handwriting" as you so aptly put it.
It's not a question of turns being closely nestled as in classic farming but turns being nicely spaced and not crossing. I guess it's a question of aesthetics.
Skiing a slope with you and your partners turns looking nice I think enhances the mountain whereas I cringe when...
I must beg to differ on the question of crossed, irregular tracks taking up a large portion of a slope, "bad handwriting" as you so aptly put it.
It's not a question of turns being closely nestled as in classic farming but turns being nicely spaced and not crossing. I guess it's a question of aesthetics.
Skiing a slope with you and your partners turns looking nice I think enhances the mountain whereas I cringe when...
We didnt get a chance to thank them. We were shouted at from a couple hundred feet above. It was a very nice skin track however.
Everyone it there that day was a follower including anyone who broke trail as this it's a week used area even on a Tuesday. It was the tone that was at issue.
The picture above wasn't from the area in question. Everyone skis differently including the radius of their turns so its not always practical to nest them...
Everyone it there that day was a follower including anyone who broke trail as this it's a week used area even on a Tuesday. It was the tone that was at issue.
The picture above wasn't from the area in question. Everyone skis differently including the radius of their turns so its not always practical to nest them...
You could have used today's snow--assuming that Walker got any. N
You are of course free to go wherever you choose and do what you want, however there are a few rules of back-county etiquette and style that if would be good to consider.
#1 if you follow somebodies skin track , on meeting them you should first thank them for it and compliment them on it.. hopefully you did.
#2 Not excusing his grumpiness... but you were" followers".
#3 Looking at the picture above, skintrack has been crossed and turns are all crossed and over the...
#1 if you follow somebodies skin track , on meeting them you should first thank them for it and compliment them on it.. hopefully you did.
#2 Not excusing his grumpiness... but you were" followers".
#3 Looking at the picture above, skintrack has been crossed and turns are all crossed and over the...
Ha! Awesome.
I'm pretty sure Silas and I ran into the queen at Bear Gap a few weeks ago. Good to see he's getting out.
I'm pretty sure Silas and I ran into the queen at Bear Gap a few weeks ago. Good to see he's getting out.
We were hearing hoots and hollers from the other side of the valley - figured it had to be good everywhere. So much snow - waterfall exit was in as well, though I put a big ass-mark near the bottom of the last drop.
heh, nice to see a close up of the tracks across the way today!
Some beautiful geologic tectonics in this latest deposit that all seemed to cohere quite nicely (more so than recent politics in any case!).
A whole month of goodness over there is good enough for me!
Some beautiful geologic tectonics in this latest deposit that all seemed to cohere quite nicely (more so than recent politics in any case!).
A whole month of goodness over there is good enough for me!
Upright canister stoves really struggle at those temperatures. The water bath would certainly make a real difference. Even better and easier would be to use an inverted canister stove such as MSR WindPro II. This stove will work easily at those temps with the canister inverted.
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/gourmet-cooking/windpro-ii/product
This is a good write up for using this stove in cold, winter conditions
http://andrewskurka.com/2015/gear...
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/gourmet-cooking/windpro-ii/product
This is a good write up for using this stove in cold, winter conditions
http://andrewskurka.com/2015/gear...
Some Chilean mountaineering friends first told me about the idea of a heat exchanger using copper. They coiled the wire around the canister and had the other end near the flame. Even they, who were not the safest climbers to learn from, thought it was kind of sketchy. But necessary in the very cold, high altitudes of the Andes.
E winds ramped up fast last week. In in situ we trust.
A couple of scintillating shots for your viewing pleasure!
Awesome Randy - looks like fun. I was possibly going in February but an injury is making it not possible. Maybe next year. Keep the pics coming. Cheers and Happy New Year.
What fun! Skiing in Japan is as much about the culture as it is the turns. I am green with envy!
author=rlsg link=topic=37546.msg152155#msg152155 date=1484012806]
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were you able to get a lot of freshies?
Sounds like Japan is having another fine season with huge snowfall.
Interestly the locals have been apologizing for the low snowpack this year. I think getting a clear day like Sunday is unusual.
Hey Silas! Did you see any whacky instabilities after the winds recently or was it all good. Headed early tomorrow and debating location to go for a few hrs. Thanks!
Was that you I saw when departing? Perhaps I'll never know, but I suspect I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning :)
Fun report. Thanks for sharing!
That looks to be the absolute ticket ...starting and ending that way...nice affordable accomdations and hot springs to boot...living the dream!!!
were you able to get a lot of freshies?
Sounds like Japan is having another fine season with huge snowfall.
were you able to get a lot of freshies?
Sounds like Japan is having another fine season with huge snowfall.
The necessity of floating lightly is what sent me to West this morning after riding mostly East this weekend. Fingers crossed what lurks beneath is more friendly at Alpy...
Good to see that it actually goes all the way in the right conditions!