Category: Respect the Snow

More from Silverton

Posted by Frank – May 15, 2012

We had so many great photos from Silverton that we decided another post was in order.

The miners of the late 1800′s must have been both crazy and a whole lot tougher than we are today. There are roads and mining camps everywhere in the Silverton area, which makes for some great ski possibilities thanks to the access, not to mention an ATV/jeep paradise in the summer (or now, since the county has plowed a large number of dirt roads). Check out these buildings for an example of the lengths the miners went to in their hunt for wealth:

Don’t see them? It’s a game of Where’s Waldo? Maybe this will help…

[For those of you not seeing them, they're in the dead center of the face] It was hard not to look at these buildings and imagine them in Europe, where they would certainly be filled with skiers, climbers, and hikers relaxing in chalets after a long day in the mountains.

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RIP Jim Jack

Posted by Frank – February 20, 2012

After a great day skiing powder up here in Alaska, it was with great sadness that I learned my friend Jim Jack passed away in an avalanche outside Steven’s Pass, WA, along with two others. This ESPN article has the best info right now. I first met Jim Jack over 10 years ago at the Kirkwood comp. Jim Jack’s smooth style impressed me almost as much as his smiling demeanor. The guy truly loved to ski. One of my most memorable days of the last 10 years was a day with pretty average conditions at Red Mountain. It was the afternoon after that comp, and a handful of us just started ripping around on the terrain accessed from the Red lift. After the stress of a competition, there was something innately carefree and enjoyable about those runs- in no small part due to Jim Jack. I’ll miss you buddy.

Scenics and Snowmo’s 2.15.12

Posted by Frank – February 16, 2012

Yesterday, I pulled some double duty with a tour up the Red Lady Glades followed by some uber-deep snowmobiling up Kebler Pass in the afternoon. With 20-40″ of new snow in the past few days in the Crested butte backcountry, the Red Lady Glades seemed like a good, safe choice since the angle can be kept below 30 degrees or so the whole way down. It’s far from my favorite run in the area, and I felt quite a bit of jealousy for those who chose to ski steeper backcountry runs on the same day. No doubt about it, I’ve been feeling like a giant wuss this season- but unfortunately the CO snowpack seems to be giving daily reminders that playing it conservative is a good strategy this season.

I didn’t even bother taking any photos on the descent- but it was a beautiful day to gaze upon Crested Butte:

Thankfully, snowmobiling flat meadows is a whole lot more fun than skiing them, so we headed out, got stuck a bunch, and had an absolute blast doing it. It was deep:

Just a beautiful afternoon in CO:

We know it sounds like a broken record, but stay safe out there friends.

More From the Crested Butte Backcountry 2.11.12

Posted by Frank – February 13, 2012

After a good day in the backcountry last week, I headed back to the same zone with Tom Runcie last Friday, and again on Saturday with Sydney Dickinson and Brittany. Without a doubt, conditions were as good as they’ve been this season, although avalanche concerns remain very high, as they will throughout this season. We had about a foot of fresh today in Crested Butte, and double that in the backcountry, so I doubt I’ll be visiting the backcountry again before setting off to Alaska on Saturday. Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of Colorado’s fifth avalanche fatality of the season, today outside of Telluride. Stay safe everyone!

It was a gorgeous day on Friday:

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Tiptoeing Back Into the Backcountry 2.8.12

Posted by Frank – February 9, 2012

As almost everyone in places like Colorado and Utah knows this season, it just isn’t the year to get after it in the backcountry. With all the stories of tiny but deadly avalanches and giant slides that were triggered from hundreds of feet away, I simply made the decision to stop skiing in the backcountry for most of the past month. It simply isn’t fun for me to ski low angled pitches and still find it somewhat terrifying thanks to some of the worst avalanche conditions in decades. But after hearing less and less reports of slides in the backcountry and more and more reports of decent skiing, it was finally time to go for a walk and check things out. Things are certainly better, but it’s still hard to imagine skiing any big features until late spring– and even that might not happen this snow-starved year. On to some photos…

Can’t believe they still have these:

Video: Float Airbag in Action, Summit County 1.25.12

Posted by Frank – January 29, 2012

Check out this video of a slide near Montezuma just a few days ago. Apparently this was a run in a “friendly, winner-take-all” competition. Plenty to talk about regarding backcountry competitions in questionable terrain with the sketchy CO snowpack this year, but we’ll leave it up to commenters. Thankfully the BCA Float Airbag worked well…

Wonder if they sell the most important piece of backcountry gear here:

Kudos if you know what it is. Stay safe out there folks.

2011/2012: Year of the Airbag. BCA Float 36 Review

Posted by Frank – November 25, 2011

This season seems to be the one when critical mass has been achieved with the use of airbag backpacks here in North America. No longer a strange curiosity occasionally seen on a backcountry skier returning from Europe, backcountry users are now embracing the technology in increasing numbers as prices and availability have gone up. Before we get to our review of the BCA Float 36, let’s hear the case for airbags.

Most of the airbag research thus far has been conducted in Europe, where big open alpine faces provide a perfect place for airbag deployment. Here in North America, where backcountry skiing often takes place in treed areas, the results of airbag use will surely be different than in Europe. Still, the statistics from Europe are quite convincing. Between 1990 and 2007, of 151 skiers wearing an airbag (specifically ABS), only 3 people were completely buried without part of the airbag still showing. There were only 2 fatalities. Those numbers would be far worse without the airbags. Check this LINK.

Even if you ARE buried with an airbag pack, two things are likely to help your survival. First, some part of your airbag is probably above the surface, even if you aren’t, so your partners won’t even need to search for you with their beacons- they will simply ski straight to you, saving you a couple minutes or more of search time. Second, you probably aren’t buried as deeply as you would have been without the airbag, greatly reducing your burial time. Even an experienced group may have trouble finding and digging out a deeply buried victim in less than 15 minutes, given how long it takes to dig through concrete-like avalanche debris.

Trauma will remain a big concern for avalanche victims, and it is unclear if airbags will help with that aspect at all. Still, one has to think that a big poofy airbag, situated by your head and neck, will at least help a little. Also, since it tends to keep victims above the moving debris rather than sucked down in it, trauma will likely be minimized.

However, even with an airbag pack, the best thing to do remains not to get in an avalanche. Anyone who has had a uncomfortably close look at a big avalanche knows that serious injuries are a real threat with or without airbags. For those of us who ski in the backcountry on a regular basis, the odds say that you’ll eventually make a mistake and be involved in an avalanche. So, the choices are not to ski, only ski on slopes less than 25 degrees, or try to make good decisions and try to stack the odds in your favor.

Therefore, Brittany and I will both be skiing with BCA Float 36 backpacks this season. At $785 MSRP, they’re not cheap (although they are cheaper than most airbag packs, many of which are over $1,000). And at a reported 7.7 pounds, they’re certainly not light either (a typical non-airbag pack of the same size is probably around 2.5lbs). After a half dozen ski trips with our new packs so far, here’s our take on the Float 36.

Float 36 Review:

First off, it is heavy. You won’t pick it up without noticing that. Thankfully, however, the engineers at BCA have done a terrific job of designing the pack in a way that makes the weight less noticeable. After all, 20lbs in a cheap school backpack won’t carry as well as 20lbs in a nice ski pack. The “guts” of the pack are tight against the back, where the weight isn’t as noticeable once the pack is on.
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The main compartment is huge and can be opened nearly completely, making it easier to dry out at home or stuff a big jacket in there. Meanwhile, there is a pocket for the shovel blade (My BCA Companion shovel is the biggest you’ll get in there), and side pockets for the handle and probe. Water bladders can go behind the shovel blade where my hand is:
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Hose routing for water bladders is a bit of an issue, so Brittany was forced to make a small cut to allow the hose routing from the main compartment to the shoulder strap access point (I don’t use bladders, so a non-issue for me). One more inside pocket, which I’ve been using for snacks:
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The main compartment can also be accessed by a small access panel in the back of the pack, making it user-friendly for things I grab often, like water.
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Fleece lined goggle pocket on top of the pack:
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Italian Subs (Umm, Yummy) 4.16.11

Posted by Frank – April 21, 2011

Italian Mountain is a large massif at the head of both Cement Creek and the Taylor River. Last year, while skiing Taylor Peak, I spotted a number of lines off of Cement’s unnamed sub-peaks. My friends Ben and Luke recently skied one of these lines, so armed with that beta Pete, Josh, Brett and I went up to check it out. The line:
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This area of the Elks borders the Sawatch range, and is correspondingly dryer and windier than what we’re used to in the snow-favored areas closer to Crested Butte. Shallower snowpacks tend to slide more, and we observed a number of large slides on generally East-facing terrain on peaks like Hunter Hill, Doubletop, and Italian. The slides didn’t look too recent and we were skiing different aspects, but it was still something to take note of. As always, future lines popped up everywhere. Pete and I have been eying this one for years:
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Teocalli North Face and West Face Combo 4.15.11

Posted by Frank – April 19, 2011

The North face of Teocalli has been on my list for quite some time, ever since Pete Sowar and I traversed under it when we skied the NE and W faces in 2008. Last Friday, things finally worked out to give it a go, along with Brittany, Pete, and Josh Macak. The USGS library has this great photo of Teocalli Mountain from 1973, taken by noone other than the famous William H Jackson. The notes on this photo are interesting: Teocalli Peak, from the Aztec teocalli, or sacrificial mound, that were always built in a pyramidal form, and which this mountain closely resembles. Is situated upon a small tributary of Red Rock Creek, flowing into East River. Its height is 13,274 feet. Gunnison County, Colorado. 1873.

Red Rock Creek is now known as Brush Creek, although I think I like Red Rock Creek better. Today, the official height is a little lower as well, at 13,209′. In any case, we quickly made our way up the south slopes and took a quick break at the start of the rock outcrops.
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Nearing the summit:
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One option we had in mind is the beautiful splitter couloir that drops off just before the summit:
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Alaska 2005: Avalanches, Heli Crashes, and Boards To The Face, Oh My!

Posted by Frank – October 6, 2010

My Alaska stories occasionally come up, and I thought they were worth sharing for those of you who haven’t seen or heard them. All photos by Dev Finley…

In spring of ’05, a group of us convened in Valdez, pilgrims to Mecca, the “North Shore” of skiing. It was a strong group, one which would allow us to fulfill our dreams of Alaska Heliskiing, without being held back in any way. We had enough people for a fully private heli, meaning that we were calling the shots as much as the guides were. Things were looking good. But it was not to be…

We arrived at the heli-op headquarters with $1,200 worth of food and booze from the Anchorage Costco packed into the RV for the 10 of us. We were the first group of the year, and the heli had not yet arrived. The ATCO trailers were just beginning to thaw out, and smelled heavily of diesel and dampness. The first day was gray, so we decided to make some laps off Thompson pass. This was entertaining, but certainly not why we were there. Thankfully we got a good workout pushing the rear-wheel drive van around:
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The following day was partially cloudy. Sadly, this meant that our heli would still not be making the trip up-valley to us. So we decided to skin up across the valley for a much bigger run than the pass shuttles were offering. Plus, we knew the snow would be better up high. Being a large group, we split up into 2 groups for the skin. My group of 5 headed climber’s right, eventually skinning our way up a large gully. Jay, Adam and I all voiced our concerns about the skintrack location, thinking it would be safer on a nearby ridge. Quite stupidly, we continued up the same way, rationalizing that we were in a nice safe coastal snowpack, and it wasn’t anything to worry about. About that time, a cornice failed above us and sent a huge natural avalanche barreling towards us. Jay, Adam, Rob and I were all able to move to our right, where a terrain feature provided safety. Spencer, on the other hand, was behind us and unable to reach safety. He was caught in the avalanche and took a ride for a few hundred vertical feet, eventually stopping unharmed and buried up to his chest. We were able to quickly dig him out, although one ski was never recovered.

A couple of observations: We were all using Alpine Trekkers, since our main goal was heli-skiing, not touring. We were not caught, but we were left in an awkward position since we needed to deal with the Trekkers before we could even begin looking for the skier caught in the slide. Trekkers have their place for side-country and the like, but it sucks when you know that the first couple minutes of your search will be wasted dealing with trekkers. 2- The older style Tracker beacons were attached with plastic D-rings. These all shattered in the force of the avalanche, so the skier caught was wearing his beacon by literally a thread down by his boot. If the skier had been buried and the beacon had been totally ripped off, we wouldn’t have found him, just the beacon. The new Tracker beacons have a sweet harness, and the old ones can have the plastic D-rings easily replaced by key rings. Most new beacons have a good harness system, but it’s a point to consider when shopping for avalanche beacons.

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