393 Search Results for "boots"

• Laying Down Lines and Saving L Laying Down Lines and Saving Lives in Cooke City

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:
    Words by Michael Sudmeier
    Images by Sam Pope
    
    
    Some things in life are subject to change. And this is especially true for those who spend time in the backcountry. While recently filming near Cooke City, Montana for Way of Life, TGR athletes and filmers had to continually adapt to new challenges—including saving a man’s life. The plans for the trip had been simple enough—film some late spring ski descents at the end of April. The start of the trip, however, was filled with pow days, cold temperatures, and assisting with a rescue.
    
    
    
    Before heading into the backcountry, the crew convened in Cooke City and geared up for the trip.
    
    
    “I thought it was going to be mainly mountaineering missions—skiing couloirs and things like that,” explained Todd Ligare. He was joined by TGR athletes John Spriggs and Griffin Post, as well as a production and support team that included Dan Gibeau, Sam Pope, Hennie van Jaarsveld, Corey Seeman, and Steve Popovich. Despite anticipating spring conditions, “It felt like a mid-winter trip in late April, which was awesome,” offered Spriggs. He and the group named the project Nightmare Camp—a play on TGR’s Fantasy Camp, which had wrapped up a few weeks prior in Alaska.
    
    
    After members of the crew skied a few lines on their first day, a snowmobiler approached them, searching for assistance and a means to contact rescue and medical personnel. “You could tell he was dealing with a heavy situation, but he seemed calm and was dealing with it appropriately,” explained Ligare. “He basically asked if we had a way to contact help.”
    
    
    The man’s friend had stopped breathing after his vest became tangled in his sled. “Basically, the [patient] had a protective vest on, and he was hill climbing,” explained Post. “Through an unfortunate series of events, his handlebars went through his protective vest and hung him.” The man had rushed to aid his friend, but his response time was delayed due to the steep slope on which the injured snowmobiler was perched. Initially, the snowmobiler was not breathing. Once freed from his sled, however, he resumed breathing but remained unconscious.
    
    
    
    Whether exploring new zones or assisting with a rescue, the group relied heavily on its sleds.
    
    
    Tapping into rescue and medical training they receive at the start of each season, the crew from TGR sprung into action. Ligare sought out the crew’s satellite phone and medical equipment while Pope traveled to the injured sledder. Once at site of the incident, Pope and a snowboarder who was also in the area provided initial care for the patient. According to Pope, they “created a flat spot for [the patient], cleared his airway, stabilized his head, and put some layers under and on him to provide insulation from the snow.”
    
    
    After retrieving the group’s satellite phone, Ligare—now joined by Post—sought out higher ground in order to contact Park County Search and Rescue. Post remained in contact with rescuers while Ligare, Gibeau, and Spriggs brought the group’s medical kit and sked, a collapsible rescue stretcher, to the scene. The group helped Pope further stabilize the patient and initiated a high angle rescue to lower him down the slope. They also took turns traveling to Post, relaying updates to rescuers. Seeman, who had been in town servicing a snowmobile, led rescue personnel Ben Zavora and Jan Gaertner, President of the Cooke City EMS, to the patient.
    
    
    By the time Gaertner and Zavora arrived, the team had not only lowered the patient down the slope, but also prepared a landing zone for a helicopter. Gaertner and the team provided additional care and readied the patient for transport. “We packaged him, got him on some oxygen, and cleared his airway,” she explained. “I also put an AED on him [in the event his heart stopped]. He had quit breathing twice.” Fortunately, the weather briefly cooperated with rescuers. “We got there and the sky opened up and the sun came out. We got a helicopter in and when the helicopter left, the clouds came over and it started snowing again,” explained Gaertner.
    
    
    “I’ll tell you what, it was not his time to die,” offered Gaertner. She credits the team from TGR with ensuring this was the case. “The guys did an awesome job,” she explained. “They were so excited to use their skills and equipment. I would work with those guys any day.”
    
    
    
    In a letter to TGR, Jan Gaertner—President of the Cooke City EMS—thanked the crew for its assistance.
    
    
    For the team, the incident provided an opportunity to put into practice the skills they had cultivated through TGR’s annual safety summit, the International Pro Riders Workshop (IPRW). Although the curriculum is continually evolving, IPRW aims to help attendees successfully negotiate the challenges inevitable in backcountry travel. The course typically addresses assessing avalanche terrain, initiating first aid in a wilderness context, and leading rescue efforts.
    
    
    According to Cofounder Todd Jones, TGR developed its IPRW program because “we recognized that we’re out in a really dangerous and inhospitable environment that demands high levels of training and expertise. That training can make the difference between a fairly standard rescue and a really bad situation.”
    
    
    
    IPRW ensures TGR's team is prepared for backcountry emergencies.  Luckily, no emergencies resulted from the crew killing this line.
    
    
    The rescue in Cooke City served as a testament to the training’s success. In a thank you letter to TGR, Gaertner wrote, “Your skiers were the first responders on the scene, and because of their training and communications [they] saved this man’s life.” According to Spriggs, the high angle rescue that the team performed was “exactly what we learned at IPRW.” Gaertner noted that the team was especially successful in executing the skills it had developed at the workshop. “It’s one thing to get the training,” she explained. “It’s another thing to be able to act on it—and all those guys were able to act calmly and efficiently and do what they were taught to do.”
    
    
    During its time in the Cooke City area, the TGR crew checked in with Gaertner to receive updates on the patient’s status. After several days in a coma, the man was released from the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery. This, according to Ligare, “is a miracle—or at least not typical.” After all, the man had stopped breathing twice throughout the incident.
    
    
    The rescue with which the team assisted provided an unusual prelude to the trip—and the adventures only continued. At the start of their filming, “it snowed two feet so we just skied pow for days,” revealed Post. “It was unseasonably cold for the first four days and we had some of the best snow of the year.” 
    
    
    For the ten day trip, the crew established a base camp from which they began sledding and touring each morning. “We basically had a little village out in the woods and camped there and didn’t come back to town,” explained Post. “We were really much more immersed in the mountains than trips where you just go out for the day.” 
    
    
    
    The crew was better at skiing than cooking, as evidenced by its reliance on precooked dinners.
    
    
    Although the group had a large dome tent, plenty of food, and a propane stove and heater, being immersed in the mountains was not especially luxurious. Temperatures one evening hovered near twenty below. For dinner, the crew had “two different options of precooked meals that we would heat up: Mexican or Thai. The big joke every night was ‘what do you guys want for dinner?’” explained Pope. As the days progressed, the crew also established a second camp from which it could access more remote zones.
    
    
    
    There's nothing like the smell of a campfire--especially one accompanied by the smell of wet socks and boots.
    
    
    According to the team, its base camp provided quick access to terrain but was not without its challenges. “The camping adds a whole new layer of logistics to deal with—drying clothes, charging batteries, and dumping footage,” Pope explained. The group’s proximity to its target terrain helped fuel the intensity of the experience. “The trip was probably the most full throttle trip I have ever been on,” revealed Post. “We were just so busy—we would get up at six pretty much every morning, put our ski boots on by seven-thirty or eight, and we’d pretty much be skiing and in our ski boots until eight at night.”
    
    
    As the temperatures warmed up towards the end of the trip, the crew was also able to ski several couloirs. After being shut down on one couloir due to rapidly softening snow and wet slides, the team was able to ski the couloir on its final day. “The snow conditions were super variable,” revealed Pope. “But to me, that’s the impressive thing about professional skiers—they make it look easy no matter what the conditions.” But this should come as no surprise. After all, they can even make saving a life look easy.
    
    
    
    The crew kicked back in Cooke City at the trip's conclusion.
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• Utah's Growing Season Utah's Growing Season

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    Words: Erme Catino

    Photos: Joe Johnson

    

    Sun is shining, the weather is sweet. Make you want to move your dancing feet.

    The April sun has already begun blooming flowers in the Salt Lake Valley. Spring, the perennial fight between winter and summer has been entrenched in weather warfare. 

     To the rescue, here I am. 

    The blooming flowers in my backyard were making me nervous, a few damp powder laps worsened this knot in my stomach. Winter, I knew you weren’t done. The growing season this April hasn’t been the tulips in the valley. No, they are stunted. This April the growing has been the snow-stake at Alta.

    

     

    Want you to know, y'all, where I stand. 

    A-top an untouched powder run. My mind races before I drop. Are these the last few face shots of the season? A few days go by, more powder pillaged, some deeper some thinner; a little wind rebuffs everything as folks down the valley are still trying to decipher what’s going on. 

    

     

    Tell myself a new day is rising. 

    Another storm is on the horizon. Boots shuffle around the parking lot at Alta ski area. Echoes of avalanche control work bounce off the walls of Little Cottonwood Canyon—what is today’s date, I’ve lost count, a friend reminds me, and I was a week off. Who cares? We hear the backside is about to pop.

     

    Get on the rise a new day is dawning. 

    Late spring is notorious for thinning crowds, so Alta closes for 4 days, reopening for the final few weekends. LCC and the Wasatch continue to deliver, the snowpack growing larger as ski-resorts across the state are shutting down.  A few powder laps at Snowbird, and some glorious touring on stable conditions. It’s beginning to feel like mid-winter and the lines are filled as if it is.  

     

    When the morning gathers the rainbow. Want you to know I'm a rainbow too. 

    The event has taken hold of skiers who have continued shredding. We feel engulfed in the weather and snow, our legs tired from going almost two weeks straight. Forecasts call for another storm; it’s downgraded, and then scaled up. Catching wind of this possibility, and recent daily dosing of pow, a friend arrives in town. It goes nuclear, storming all night and day. A classic Alta storm-day goes down, complete with high fives and powder caked smiles, truck pick-ups from Keyhole laps, deep runs in Eagles Nest, and it’s almost May! 

     

    So, to the rescue here I am. 

    April, the spring weather battle has shown winter triumphant. The snowpack has grown to its deepest of the season—perhaps some snow will arrive in May. Only time will tell, but for now we’ll bask in it and toast to the sun and snow gods. Sun is shining, the weather is sweet…

     

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  • 3 weeks ago
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• Eric Roner Contest Winner Eric Roner Contest Winner

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    The new owner of a pair of Full Tilt 1st Chair Boots & Scott Prize package is Matthew Vaughn from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 

    Congratulations Matthew, TGR will be in contact with you via email, and thank you everyone who bought a Erik Roner Signature T-Shirt!

    This was TGR’s second Athlete Signature T-Shirt in the 2013 Winter/Spring series.

    Jeremy Jones’ Signature T-Shirt is now on sale

    Shop TGR Products

     

  • 1 month ago
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• News: Erik Roner Graphic T-Shi News: Erik Roner Graphic T-Shirt Now Available At TGR Online Shop

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    
    
    Erik Roners’s limited edition graphic T-Shirt is now available exclusively at the TGR Online Shop. Every tee purchased will submit the customer into a drawing to win a pair of Full Tilt 1st Chair Boots and Scott Package. Only 100 of these t-shirts are available for sale, each individually packaged in a hand numbered bands, so that you know you are getting a one-of-a-kind shirt. Erik’s choice combination of 50% combed ring spun organic cotton and 50% post-consumer recycled polyester gives this shirt a very comfortable, relaxed fit and an eco-friendly vibe. Sales will end April 12th at 5 p.m. MST. Erik will announce the winner of the Full Tilt 1st Chair boots and Scott package personally on April 16th in a “Live from the Field” video posted on www.tetongravity.com.
    
    This t-shirt is the second of four 2013 TGR Athlete Signature T-Shirts, which are designed in conjunction with the athletes to create a product that reflects their individual style. Keep an eye on the TGR Online Shop for news on our next tee created by Jeremy Jones, which will be on sale next month!
    
    Visit our Athlete Signature T-Shirt page for more information.
    
    Click here to buy your Erik Roner Signature T-Shirt Now!

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• DC Boots 2013-14 Line Preview DC Boots 2013-14 Line Preview 2.jpg

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:
    first-look-dc-travis-rice-boot-V2.jpg
  • 2 months ago
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• DC Boots 2013-14 Line Preview DC Boots 2013-14 Line Preview 1.jpg

  • From: jakedesroches
  • Description:
    first-look-dc-travis-rice-boot.jpg
  • 3 months ago
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• Surface Live Free Skis (2012/2 Surface Live Free Skis (2012/2013): GEAR REVIEW

  • From: warpigsinfin
  • Description:

    SUMMARY: The Surface Live Free ski is an ultralight, fat, all mountain ski perfect for backcountry powder, ski mountaineering, and variable inbounds and sidecountry conditions. Despite being significantly lighter weight than most similarly sized skis, the Live Free is a solid wood-core ski incorporating hybrid flex: conventional camber underfoot and progressive rocker in the tip and tail. The Live Free has proven itself a fun, durable, versatile “one ski quiver” in the Teton Range.

    LENGTHS: 181cm, 191cm
    RADIUS: 181cm: 22m, 191cm: 26.2m
    WEIGHT: 181cm: 8.6lbs, 191cm: 10.2lbs (pair)
    WIDTH: 181cm:146/110/130, 191cm:156/120/135

    REVIEW SPECS: Reviewer is a 200 lb., 5’10” male backcountry powderhound and occasional ski mountaineer in Wyoming’s Teton Range. I have skied 30+ backcountry days on the 2013 Surface Live Free 191 in conditions ranging from bottomless powder to hero snow to groomers to steep, sketchy sun and wind crusts.

    Review conducted with Dynafit TLT Mountain Bootsand Dynafit TLT Speed Radical Bindings. 

    I experimented with multiple binding mount configurations, initially starting at the manufacturer recommended mount – 90cm from tail to boot center – before moving the mount back ~5cm and then ultimately moving the mount back an additional 4cm to 81cm from tail to boot center. After several seasons riding a fat, floppy 188cm ski with boot center 78cm from the tail, I didn’t enjoy having 90cm of tail and the necessity of leaning back in the deep stuff.  I predominantly ride powder and found mounting the skis 9cm back from the recommended mount to be a whole lot of fun in deep snow without sacrificing hard snow performance. I have to lean forward a bit more aggressively to engage the edges for carving, but I’d rather do that than continually lean back to keep my tips afloat in the fluff I’m generally out hunting for.
    
    FULL GEAR REVIEW HERE.   

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  • 3 months ago
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• 5 Tips On Staying Less Gross T 5 Tips On Staying Less Gross This Winter

  • From: brodyleven
  • Description:

    
    You’re probably a ski bum and absolutely disgusting. But I can’t blame you — there isn’t enough time after a “day of skiing” (8 runs and an afternoon of après) to do laundry and do nothing. After you remember how to brush your teeth and shower, follow this ski-specific hygiene regimen for deeper powder and more attractive significant others.
    
    
    
    1.    Launder your outerwear. This isn’t 1987 and the waterproofing isn’t going to wash off your snowpants after one washing. Outerwear manufacturers recommend cleaning your gear, because rail paint and parking lot mud render your jacket non-breathable, your pants non-waterproof, and you a complete gaper. I like the O’Neill Jones 3L Jacket because it’s breathable, 20k waterproof, and its stretchy 100% recycled fabric doesn’t mind being washed.
    
    
    
    2.    Wear clean socks. They keep your feet from sweating and your boots from smelling. Surprising to some, cold feet are often the result of sweat that has chilled and frozen your toes. One reason for sweaty feet is non-breathing socks, frequently caused by an accumulation of sweat and dirt. Fresh socks keep your feet warmer and your boots odorless. Some skiers like to spray their feet with aerosol deodorant to minimize foot sweat for the day. Other skiers use it as mouthwash, which is highly discouraged. I like the thin, merino wool-blend of Smartwool’s PhD Ski Light socks because they combine the odor-combating properties of merino (see #5 below) with ski-specific comfort and breathability.
    
    
    
    
    3.    Wash your hands. When you look up and see “Employees must wash hands before returning to work,” consider yourself a professional skier. You’ve eaten your lunch of crackers and now it’s time to head back to work on the mountain, so wash your hands and save your gloves from odor-born death. Any smell on your hands will be magnified and retained by the liner of your gloves, which is contagious through on-snow high-fives. I like the removable, wash-friendly fleece liners in the Arc’teryx Vertical SV gloves.
    
    
    
    4.    Clean your equipment. Keep your bootsoles free of pebbles, wipe the preseason mud off your topsheets, and pick the hair from inside of your beanie. Pop your lenses out when cleaning and always store goggles in the bag. Combined, minor things make a major difference in keeping your ski life simple and fresh. The glaring disadvantage to this is a decrease in excuses for not having stomped that landing.
    
    
    
    5.    Merino wool. We’re skiers, not laundromats. This fabric allows us to wear the same (unwashed) long underwear for multiple days and still have a girlfriend/boyfriend/roommate. In a market saturated with technology-ridden StayDryPolyNoH20 fabrics, the natural merino wool used in many fine base layers is nature’s gift to the ski bum. While it wicks moisture just like other proprietary materials, merino’s fundamental benefit lies in its ability to renounce odors after repeated uses. This matters unless you do laundry daily and actually live in a house and not your van. I like Terramar’s Thermawool 2.0 Crew base layer because it fits perfectly, is long enough to tuck into your bottoms, and doesn’t get smelly. Because when traveling, there isn’t always space for five base layers and all of your gizmo chargers.
    
    Congratulations, you can now scrape the snow from your old Subaru with your nose comfortably nestled in the collar of your jacket. And this time, you won’t even have to hold your breath.

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• Inside The Jib Factory Inside The Jib Factory

  • From: sethlightcap
  • Description:

    
    
    X Games terrain park builders Snow Park Technologies to star in reality TV show on National Geographic Channel.
    
    Story and Photos By Seth Lightcap
    
    Reality TV has shown us dirty jobs, dangerous jobs and of course, ‘only in Nevada’ jobs (see Cathouse). But for once, you’re late night channel surfing is about to drop you into the boots of a talented crew doing a really freakin’ cool job.
    
    Ever wonder what it takes to build an X Games halfpipe or design a super-human sized slopestyle feature? You’re about to find out as the exploits of Snow Park Technologies, the rockstar terrain park builders tasked with creating the X Games courses and signature resort terrain parks at Sun Valley, Northstar and Vail, will be featured in a reality TV show on the National Geographic Channel. The eight-episode series, called ‘Mountain Movers’, will air in late-spring 2013.
    
    Snow Park Technologies (SPT) was founded on the sunny So-Cal slopes of Snow Summit Resort in 1997 by then Snow Summit terrain park director Chris ‘Gunny’ Gunnarson. Gunnarson’s offshoot terrain park consulting business has since grown to become the world’s foremost designer and builder of resort terrain parks, competition courses and signature park features. SPT is known for it’s exacting logistical expertise and innovative production abilities having built every Winter X Games course there’s ever been, as well as next-level park features like the cubed halfpipe that SPT created for Red Bull and Simon Dumont at Squaw Valley in 2011.
    
    The talents of SPT’s crew of cat drivers and jib builders attracted the attention of NatGeo Channel who are currently filming SPT’s operations as they criss-cross the globe building halfpipes and terrain parks. The show will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at SPT’s unique construction efforts, said Gunnarson.
    
    “‘Mountain Movers’ will tell the story about the design and construction efforts that go into the work we do at SPT, and the different conditions and environments we deal with along the way,” said Gunnarson. “The idea is that each episode will follow one project from start to finish — from initial design and planning through the execution of the project on site.”
    
    
    
    Armed with a no-nonsense, get-it-done-right attitude, Gunnarson will take a lead role in the TV series as the show chronicles the SPT president’s moves leading the company.
    
    
    
    
    
    Beyond strictly on-snow, on-location scenes, Mountain Movers will showcase SPT’s new Jib Factory, a cavernous office/production facility in Verdi, Nevada where they design terrain park layouts and build the rails and wallrides. SPT’s drive to bang out on-time construction, delivery and installation of such features will be a focal point of the show. This massive 40x30 foot wallride (the biggest SPT has ever built) was constructed early-January in the Jib Factory for the 2013 Winter-X Snowboard Street course.
    
    
    
    
    
    Snow Park Technologies’ lead fabricator Tyrone Coyne is arguably the king of terrain park rail and jib building. Coyne built the world’s first “fun box” (a slide-able park feature with lexan plastic on top of it) when he was working at Snow Summit Resort in the late ’90s and has been designing and crafting signature terrain park features for SPT ever since. With a masterful eye for jib design and a steady hand with a welding torch, Coyne is the shop supervisor of SPT’s Jib Factory. Get ready for some heavy metal moments as the NatGeo cameras capture Coyne in action building monster features.
    
    
    
    Laying down corduroy in a snowcat may not sound that riveting, but sculpting jumps and halfpipes should present some interesting angles on some serious cat-time. SPT Project Manager, Corley Howard (shown here), and the legendary halfpipe cutter and SPT Business Director Frank Wells will be two of the cat drivers featured.
    
    
    
    “The weapon of choice is the Prinoth Bison X,” said Howard, talking about the best snowcat for building terrain parks. The Italian-made Bison X is a terrain park-specific snowcat equipped with special features that allows them to push snow more efficiently than a standard grooming cat that’s designed to go faster up and down ski runs. SPT has its own custom-wrapped Bison X that will star in the TV show and snowcat snafus will be a likely source of tension in the story line.
    
    
    
    
    
    SPT uses a software program called Google Sketch-Up to create 3D renderings of what a terrain park feature will look like on the mountain before it’s built. These drawings allow SPT to precisely present its suggested park layouts to resort and event management. The dimensions of the drawings can be used to determine the amount of steel needed to build a rail or the water volume needed to make enough snow to build a jump or halfpipe. These drawings depict a new jump line at SPT partner resort Alpine Meadows.
    
    
    
    
    
    Nobody builds bigger, badder jibs than SPT. Inside the Jib Factory, SPT fabricators Sean Picard and Erik Jakobsen prepare a couple gargantuan rails for primetime. Two of these rail segments came together to form the ‘Bat-wing’ rail featured in the 2013 Winter X slopestyle course.
    
    Look out for more info on ‘Mountain Movers’ including scheduled air dates at snowparktech.com.

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• So, You Want To Go To A Backco So, You Want To Go To A Backcountry Lodge In BC, Eh?

  • From: jeremybenson
  • Description:

    If you were at a lodge in BC, you would be crushing it.
    
    “All you focus on is waking up, skiing all day and getting ready to do it again the next day,” says James Heim, “With the skiing being so close to the lodge you literally roll out the door and can be skiing amazing lines in no time.” Heim, a BC resident and star of numerous films by MSP and Sherpa’s Cinema, has been on three film trips and numerous personal trips to backcountry lodges around BC. Matchstick Productions has filmed several segments at Golden Alpine Holidays’ Meadow Lodge with the likes of Heim, Eric Hjorleifson, and Mark Abma. Other film companies have followed suit, Candide Thovex and Sweetgrass Productions both made trips to Icefall Lodge to film last winter. Filming at a backcountry lodge is great because, “The whole crew is already out in the mountains and so close to great filming terrain,” says Heim, “You can't get caught up in day to day life, instead you focus solely on getting out there and shooting.”
    
    Sure, backcountry lodges are a great place to film a sick segment, but they are an equally great place to go shred with your friends for exactly the same reason. Here’s the basic idea: Get a group of like-minded friends together and rent a lodge for a week. Jump in a helicopter, get dropped off at the lodge. Wake up, eat, go skiing, eat, go skiing, eat, sauna, drink beer, sleep, repeat for one week (in roughly that order). Stephane Reindeau, a Revelstoke resident and owner of Tough Guy Productions, has spent time at various lodges around BC and says, “The backcountry lodge environment allows you to enjoy gourmet cuisine and fine camaraderie, in the middle of beautiful mountains, and the powder skiing is unparalleled. This is the dream, and the experience is unprecedented.” That’s weird, I’m pretty sure I’ve had that same dream…
    
    Look, it's BC powder!
    
    The Canadian Province of British Columbia is home to some of the most dramatic and remote mountains in North America. In addition to countless cat and heli-skiing operations, BC is home to roughly 30 commercial backcountry lodges. Backcountry lodges have played a part in BC’s rich mountain history and they continue to evolve with our modern backcountry skiing boom. From the Coast Range to the Rockies, there are lodges and huts littered throughout western Canada’s mountains.
    
    The Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia Association’s (BLBCA) website lists 27 commercial lodges that offer skiing. Most are privately owned and operated while the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) manages some. Countless other hike-to or sled-to lodges exist throughout the mountains of BC, but that’s another story entirely. Generally situated at or near treeline, these lodges provide an ideal base for mountain exploration. When it’s storming you can ski the trees and lower elevation terrain around the lodge. If it’s clear you can head up high and access alpine peaks, chutes, and glaciers. Most lodges are so remote that they are accessed exclusively by helicopter. Icefall Lodge, for example, is a 20-minute heli-ride away from the nearest heli-staging near Golden, BC. Twenty minutes in a helicopter is a damn long time, prohibitively far to walk, so you can rest assured that no one else will be out in your zone.
    
    The Icefall Lodge in British Columbia.
    
    Larry Dolecki, owner and head-guide of Icefall, started his lodge because, “there is so much terrain in BC, but you are limited by road access. The helicopter gets you out there, then there is no one else around.” With groups ranging between 12-16 people, depending on the lodge, there is plenty of snow and terrain for everyone. “You show up and ski right out the door, no driving, no racing for first tracks,” says Dolecki, “Atmosphere is a big reason lodges are becoming more popular, sharing powder with a group of friends.”
    
    Lodges are typically rustic, they are located in the middle of nowhere after all, but they do offer many of the creature comforts we’ve all become used to. Electricity is standard at pretty much every backcountry lodge, and in BC style this is usually from some sort of “green” energy source. Most lodges use hydroelectric or solar power to charge their batteries and when all else fails, they have a gas powered back-up generator. Wood stoves provide heat for the living areas and drying out skins, boots, and other soggy ski gear. Some lodges also feature a designated drying room where all the stinky ski gear can dry by propane heat and fester in its’ own stench. A few modern backcountry lodges have indoor toilets, but many still utilize the good ol’ frosty outhouse. Most lodges pull their drinking water from nearby fresh water sources, many have holding tanks and running water, while others rely on human power to bring water in buckets, either way it’s some of the best tasting water you’ll ever have. Wood fired saunas are common, and when coupled with a watering-can hot shower is the perfect way to wind down after a long day hiking for face shots. Some lodges even have satellite internet so you can maintain your status and give your friends the F.O.M.O.
    
    You could be skiing powder in Canada right now.
    
    All lodges are different, but most offer both guided and self-guided skiing. Some lodges require you to have a guide, and with avalanche paths longer than most ski areas it can be nice to have someone with terrain familiarity showing you around. Guides are often included in the price, or they typically run around 300-400 bucks a day, when divided among a group ends up being pretty cheap to have someone break trail for you all week. Depending on your group’s level of backcountry savvy you may be able to opt for guiding yourselves, a slightly less expensive option.
    
    As for food, the full spectrum of options is generally available, from catered gourmet to do-it-yourself. I love eating mac-n-cheese and quesadillas all week with my bros, but having someone cook for you is undoubtedly easier and way better, albeit slightly more expensive. Waking up to hot coffee and breakfast, and coming home to soup and snacks before a delicious dinner everyday is worth a couple hundred bucks in my book. There are catering companies in BC who specialize in lodge trips and will prepare your week’s worth of food, boxed up and with recipes, to take with you on a self-catered trip to save you the hassle of figuring it out for yourself.
    
    Skinning with your friends is the best.
    
    Plan ahead, lodges tend to book out early nowadays, so making your reservation up to a year in advance may be necessary. In fact, a couple of the ACC lodges, like Fairy Meadows and Kokanee Galcier, are so popular that they work on a lottery program for reservations. Group leaders can usually book an entire lodge, then fill it with their favorite shredding partners. Booking the whole lodge is the most cost effective approach and brings the price per person down significantly. You can often book just part of the lodge, or help to fill a partially booked week, in which case you’ll be sharing with other folks who are there for the same reasons you are, so they’re probably pretty damn cool. Expect a catered and guided week to cost around $1,800-$2,200, far cheaper than a week of heli skiing, and arguably as much or more fun.
    
    If you’re planning a trip to a backcountry lodge in BC, here’s a few helpful tips. Canada is not part of the United States, you’ll need identification to enter, I suggest a passport. Flying to Canada is expensive, and getting around once you’ve landed can be a pain. I recommend driving whenever possible, this saves on airport transfers, car rentals, baggage fees, and you can bring groceries and a small amount of alcoholic beverages with you.
    
    Things are more expensive in Canada, so bring the maximum amount of alcohol allowed, a case of beer, or 3 bottles of wine, or a 750 ml of liquor per person, they will probably check at the border. If you’ve had a DUI in the last 5 years, don’t even try to cross the border.
    
    Bring earplugs, one loud snorer can keep you up all night, every night, and the better you sleep the harder you can charge.
    
    Avalanche training and experience traveling and skiing in avalanche terrain are a must; hire a guide if you are the least bit uncertain of your skills. Know your gear and how to use it. A backcountry lodge trip isn’t the right place to try out your new backcountry boots for the first time because, as James Heim says, “There’s nothing worse than being in an amazing location for a short time and spending most of that time either fixing your gear or practicing avalanche rescue when you could have done that before hand.”
    
    Do some online research or talk with friends who’ve been to a lodge to find the one that best suits your needs, there are lots of options. Lodge operators are extremely helpful for planning and can assist with finding guides, catering, and details like lodging before and after and your trip.
    
    My backcountry lodge experiences have resulted in the best ski trips that I’ve ever been on. The stress free environment, comfortable lodging, and access to incredible terrain are without equal. In my opinion, there isn’t a better a way to spend your money on skiing and spend time in the backcountry.
    
    A few helpful online resources:
    http://www.backcountrylodgesofbc.com
    http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca
    
    Catering:
    http://www.mosmountaincuisine.com
    

    Going on a backcountry hut trip, be sure to load up on Avalanche Safety gear available at: backcountry.com

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• Video: Tele Duo Starts Grassro Video: Tele Duo Starts Grassroots Media Outfit - Beans And Rice Freeride

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
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    Jake Sakson and Paul Kimbrough traded victories on the telemark freeskiing circuit for years and their fluid big mountain skiing is a cornerstone of the Powderwhore films.  They moved to Driggs, ID in November, 2012 to build on synergy they found in the backcountry and explore the vast Teton range.  The result, Beans and Rice Freeride is a grassroots media outfit sprouted from their collaboration.
    
    Beans and Rice Freeride is about skiing for fun; from powder to boilerplate, leather boots to plastic, Jake and Paul want to share this passion.  They spent all their money on a nice camera, so they live in a basement and eat rice and beans.  In a mainstream ski industry powered by jet fuel and crab, Jake and Paul demonstrate that with hard work and a bit of pain tolerance anyone can ski the lines of their dreams.
    
    

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• First Look: Black Diamond Fall First Look: Black Diamond Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots 9.JPG

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• First Look: Black Diamond Equi First Look: Black Diamond Equipment’s Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
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    From Left to right, Black Diamond's 2013-14 Megawatt, Verdict, AMPerage, Convert, and Zealot skis.

    Sure, you may have just bought new skis, but they’re already obsolete. Sorry, next year’s boards have already been invented. Later this month, at the Outdoor Retailer and SIA trade shows, all of the winter 2013-14 skis will begin to be promoted, starting the annual cycle of ski-stoke and anticipation all over again. It’s just how it works. Everyone likes shiny new plastic toys, especially when they allow you have more fun on the snow than the year before. And that’s the point, to have more fun.
    
    Last week, Teton Gravity Research office jockeys had the pleasure of testing out some of Black Diamond Equipment’s 2013-14 freeride skis and boots. These are the stiffer boots and fatter skis in the BD ski line. Black Diamond ski category director Thomas Laakso (who absolutely rips, by the way) brought up big mountain, all mountain, and freetour boards from Utah to the TGR offices in Teton Village, Wyoming. TGR staff went nuts skiing the new sticks at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and in the Jackson Hole backcountry.
    
    In all we were able to test:
    
    Big Mountain Series Skis
    Megawatt - 188
    AMPerage - 185, 195
    
    All Mountain Series Skis
    Zealot - 182   
    Verdict - 180
    
    Freetour Series
    Carbon Megawatt - 188
    Convert - 180
    
    Boots
    Factor Mx 130 - Men’s
    
    
    
    Ski testing is tricky business. What may be the best pair of sticks for one person could be the worst pair of planks for the next person – and that was the case a couple times here. Also, there were times when just one person got out on a pair of skis, so you only have their opinion to go on. There are so many factors: conditions, group dynamic, length of ski, what type of ski the “tester” is used to, type of skier, how much time they had on them, etc.
    
    So, consider this a first look at BD’s 2013-14 freeride line.
    
    We have listed exact dimensions, weights, and prices, then our thoughts. Many of these skis are already out on the market, but for 2013-14, many of the skis weigh less due to BD using pre-preg technology in their new factory in China that they say is eco-friendly.
    
    If you don’t feel like reading this whole thing, here’s the take away: Everyone loved the 185 AMPerage and considered it a “one quiver” ski. Also, everyone loved the Megawatt in powder and thought is was “surfy.”
    
    Other results varied and not everyone was able to get out on all the skis.
    
    Anyway, here we go.
    
    
    Megawatt ($899)
    178cm:  150-125-131  9lb 1oz
    188cm:  151-125-131  10lb 9oz
    
    Two testers total on the 188
    
    Stoke Level: 8/10
    
    “It was really fun,” said TGR’s Than Volk, who is 25 years old, 5’10” and 150 lbs. “ I got one run of them, but that was all I needed. We skied [a fucking sick 3000-verical foot powder run in the Jackson Hole backcountry]. It was untracked with 12” to 18” of recent snow and the Megawatts were the perfect ski to be on. The width and rocker provided plenty of float to make really enjoyable big swooping, surfy powder turns. They reminded me a lot of my K2 Pon2oons, but are probably a little more versatile outside of untracked powder.”
    
    TGR’s Sam Petri, who is 31 years old 5’10” and considerably fatter at 190 lbs, also found them to be “surfy.”
    
    “The Black Diamond Megawatt was snappy on the hardpack and surfy in the pow," Sam said. "These are definately powder slayers and were best in even the slightest bit of fresh snow. On hardpack, if you tried to lay a carve down, they snapped you into each turn. It was a little weird on hardpack, like many skis that are 125 mm underfoot. If you carved a little less hard and “scrubbed” your turns, it was more enjoyable on hardpack. But they are not for hardpack, they are for powder, and in powder, you could straight-up charge and do anything.”
    
    So, who is this ski for? What type of skier would benefit from this ski?
    
    “This is a quiver ski for deep power,” Than Volk said.
    
    “This is a powder ski for the deepest days,” said Sam Petri.
    
    
    
    AMPerage  ($799)
    165cm:  139-115-123  8lb 10oz
    175cm:  141-115-123  9lb 1oz
    185cm:  142-115-124  9lb 8oz
    195cm:  143-115-125  10lb 
    
    Four testers total on the 185, one on the 195
    
    Stoke Level: 8.5/10
    
    “The AMPerage 185 is the ski I most looked forward to testing,” said Danny Holland, who is 29, 5’9”, 180 pounds, and rips decent, considering he is from Colorado. “A similar shape to my Atomic Automatics and Rossignol S7s, I was curious how they would compare. We stepped into the side country and found a magic run to really give these a test. The 185 AMPerage skied amazingly. It had plenty of float due to the 115mm width underfoot and carved exceptionally from top to bottom. This year’s model is also lighter by over 100 grams making the traverse out slightly less painful. Overall I would consider this a great one-quiver ski.
    
    
    Danny Holland enjoys the 2013-14 Black Diamond 185 AMPerage in the Jackson Hole backcountry.
    
    “I’ve always wanted to get on a pair of AMPerages,” Than Volk said. “I rode them on a warm bluebird day with about 6” of new wind-affected snow. We hit both off-piste runs (Rendezvous Bowl early, Headwall and The Crags) and groomers in between. What impressed me most about the skis were their versatility. In both conditions the ski was a charger. It’s fast, aggressive and agile. It reminds me most of my Atomic Automatic but is also categorically similar to my Hybrid DPS Wailer 112RPs (a less aggressive ski with more sidecut and less stiffness). This is a ski I’d definitely buy for myself and recommend to others.”
    
    
    
    “The BD Amperage was a pleasant surprise in the versatility department,” said Brian Wulf, who is 25, 5’ 10” and weights 170 lbs. “We all dream of the days of endless resort pow and empty chairlifts, but that’s rarely the reality. Instead, we end up bumping around on hardpack searching for the goods and compromising in fun. We either find a sick all mountain ski that blasts through the crud or surfs in the deep stuff, but never both. The Amperage may make reality fun again. Initiating a turn on hard park wasn’t effortless, but never did it induce fatigue. And then comes the deep stuff. So easy to pivot, the ski was playful and poppy. I would however like the ski mounted a bit more forward.”
    
    
    
    “I went out on a marginally deep, ‘dust on crust’ day with the AMPerage in a 185,” Sam Petri said. “What I found to be impressive was its ability to manage these variable conditions with ease. Whether I was floating in powder or navigating ice bumps, these skis were there for me. While 115 mm under foot may be fat for some people, I consider this one of the truest ‘one quiver’ skis I’ve been on in a while. Seems like you could put touring bindings on them or resort bindings and be equally happy.”
    
    Who is this ski for? What type of skier would benefit from this ski?
    
    “This ski is perfect for your big mountain skier,” Danny Holland said. “It’s for someone who wants something that performs well on various conditions and is a joy to ski when things are soft.”
    
    “It’s a great all mountain powder ski for a resort like Jackson Hole,” Than Volk said. “It’s got the flotation and width for powder while maintaining the stiffness for crud and groomers once it’s tracked out.”
    
    “The ski is versatile from trees, to crud, to pow,” Brian Wulf said. “But the shape certainly lends itself to the skier that likes a more fun and playful stick.
    
    “This ski is for everyone,” Sam Petri said. “Again, I was so impressed by its versatility. I would be confused if someone were to ski this one and come back disappointed. I’ve never been on the Armada JJ, but all my friends have it and rave about it. I have to think this skis directly competes with it.”
    
    

    
    Zealot  ($849)
    182cm:  135-110-123  10lb 2oz
    192cm:  136-110-125  10lb 13oz
    
    Two Testers on the 182
    
    Stoke Level: Hard to say. Results are a little inconclusive on this one. Only two testers took this ski out. Danny was stoked, giving them a 9/10. Than, not so much, giving them a 5/10.
    
    “I have been the type of skier that has traditionally ridden on wider and softer skis such as the Rossignol S7 and recently Atomic Automatics,” Danny Holland said. “My mind was completely blow away after getting on a stiffer hard charging ski like the Zealot. It was amazing to drop in and pick up speed, put in a turn and feel completely in control. It was like skiing on rails.”
    
    Than Volk, not quite as amped, but would like to try them again.
    
    “The day before I rode them had gotten pretty warm,” Than Volk said. “While we got 3” - 4” overnight, we were mostly riding off-piste and it was pretty much “dust on crust” conditions that would have been tough on any pair of skis. I have a pair of Volkl Kanatas and hoped they would perform similarly, but didn’t feel like I got a great chance to test that out.”
    
    Who is this ski for? What type of skier would benefit from this ski?
    
    “This is really a perfect big mountain ski,” Danny Holland said. “It is ideal on those days where the thicker sticks really are not needed and you want to rip tram laps as fast as humanly possible.”
    
    “If it’s anything like a Katana it should be a great front side ski that also holds its own in powder,” Than Volk said.
    
    Teton Gravity Research Advertising Guru - Than Volk
    
    Verdict  ($799)
    164cm:  130-100-118  8lb 10oz
    172cm:  131-100-118  9lb 1oz
    180cm:  132-100-119  9lb 8oz
    188cm:  133-100-119  10lb
    
    One Tester on the 180
    
    Stoke Level: 7
    
    “The Black Diamond Verdict is a great ski but for the conditions that we had today I would have probably want something a little heavier and stiffer,” Said Johanna Murphy, who is 26, 5’5” and 135 lbs. “I would have loved to try these out in lighter snow because I think that’s where these skis would have shined. I felt somewhat sloppy because hitting any hard packed snow they almost flew away from my body making balancing challenging. In the hobacks where the snow was a little softer due to being in the sun these skies performed well. I was in control and smoothly going over the bumpy terrain.”
    
    “My best moment on them was in the Hobacks – The Hobacks were pretty soft when we skied on them and the Verdicts were great handling that light slightly cruddy snow,” Johanna said. “The worst moment was on groomers – I didn’t feel like there was enough edge to catch on the icy groomers that we hit. I felt like the skis were chattering.”
    
    So, who is this ski for? What type of skier would benefit from this ski?
    
    “This ski is for an all mountain skier that has lots of snow to play with. If you are a hard charging skier with a hardpacked mountain to ski on, these probably are not for you,” Johanna said.
    
    

    
    Carbon Megawatt ($999)
    178cm:  145-120-127  7lb 1oz
    188cm:  147-120-127  8lb
    
    One Tester on the 188
    
    Stoke Level: 8.5
    
    “For such a fat ski, I can’t believe how light these boards are,” Sam Petri said. “I skied these on Teton Pass and they were mounted with tech bindings. It was a true pleasure to hike with such fat skis that didn’t weigh so much. On the way down, it was mostly powder and I felt these performed similarly to the non-carbon version in powder – which is awesome.  You can make both large and small turns and you can do that new school thing where you throw them sideways at high spped to make a giant powder plume. I would not ski these at the resort, though, as I think skiing an all carbon ski in resort conditions often leads to a ‘tinny’ feel.”
    
    Who is this ski for? What type of skier would benefit from this ski?
    
    “This ski is for the dedicated backcountry skier who has a quiver of skis and wants this one for the deepest days of the year and general powder crushing,” Sam Petri said.
    
    
    
    
    Convert  ($799)
    164cm:  131-105-116  6lb 6oz
    172cm:  132-105-116  7lb
    180cm:  133-105-117  7lb 4oz
    188cm:  134-105-117  7lb 11oz
    
    One tester on the 180
    
    Stoke level: 8.5
    
    “There is no question that these Black Diamond Covert skis are meant for the pow,” said Joni McGregor, who is 23, 5’7” and 120 lbs. “They were super fun and fast in the wide open powder fields.  They gave me confidence that I don’t get from my own skis in the deep snow.  When we started hitting groomers and going through the trees, these skis were not as ideal. It was more difficult to make good turns on these runs.  Overall, I had a great time on the Covert and it would be the perfect ski for the really deep days.”
    
    Who is this ski for? What type of skier would benefit from this ski?
    
    “An expert skier that likes to tour to find the pow.”
    
    
    
    
    
    A few of us got to get out on the new Factor Mx 130 Ski Boot.
    
    Black Diamond’s Factor Mx 130 boots offer an impressively alpine-boot like feel with an equally impressive walk mode. While everyone’s foot is different, these boots are a solid choice for those that want to ski hard and tour hard. We charged in and out of bounds in them. Below are some specs and some thoughts from BD ski category director Thomas Laakso.
    
    Available in sizes 24.5-30.5
    Weight: 4 kg (8 lb 3 oz) [size 27.5].
     
    ·      Mx Direct Connect technology for unmatched lateral stiffness and Flex 130 fore/aft stiffness
    ·      Mx Direct Connect Alpine and AT Sole Blocks (tech binding compatible) included, integrated heel shock absorber
    ·      Resistance-free walk mode offers 40 degrees of touring freedom
    ·      30% lower profile buckles than previous Factor boots
    ·      Performance 100 mm V-shaped last with 100% thermoformable Direct Connect liner
    
    
    
    “Did you catch Johnny Collinson's run up at Revelstoke?” BD ski category director Thomas Laakso asked in an email. “I'm kind of biased but sort of think that was one of the sickest airs of the comp, along with a super technical line of which he got ROBBED…  But anyways, of relevance, I think it was the first time anyone's really competed on a freeride boot like that.  Stock Factor Mx boots and slaying a line like that!  Along with the new Amperage as well which surely helped him stomp that 3 like a man.   But it is pretty cool that he's competing in it, filming in it, touring in it, and slaying it.  Same with Angel.  Same with Callum Pettit who's not competing, but touring, filming and just monkeying around all in that one boot.  And same with Samuel Antematten in Europe who's competing on it next week in Courmayer.  There hasn't been a boot that you can do all that with yet.  Who knew that a walk mode boot with 40 degrees of touring could also compete at the highest level where they were using plug race boots just last year!”
    
    

    Thanks again to Black Diamond for letting us have the first look at the 2013-14 freeride line! Much appreciated!

    Shop for Black Diamond skis, boots, poles and more at Backcountry.com while helping support TGR!

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• First Look: Black Diamond Fall First Look: Black Diamond Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots 6.JPG

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• First Look: Black Diamond Fall First Look: Black Diamond Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots 12.JPG

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• First Look: Black Diamond Fall First Look: Black Diamond Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots 5.JPG

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• First Look: Black Diamond Fall First Look: Black Diamond Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots 10.JPG

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• First Look: Black Diamond Fall First Look: Black Diamond Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots 3.jpg

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• First Look: Black Diamond Fall First Look: Black Diamond Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots 1.jpg

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• First Look: Black Diamond Fall First Look: Black Diamond Fall 2013 Freeride Skis And Boots 4.jpg

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