Category: Skiing
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Holiday recipe: Venison camp stew
Why is this a holiday recipe? Because it feeds lots of people good food with little prep time, and is a great hearty warming dish for trans-solstice in the northern hemisphere. I’ve done this several times this month with venison shank and stew pieces from lower on each limb. Beef is a fine substitute. Bone…
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Rab Zephyr review
Casey Greene photo. I’ve owned a lot of windshirts in the last few years. Out of all that, the bottom line is this: if I could only have one windproof to go along with a WPB shell and a variety of insulating layers, I’d pick the Rab Zephyr and be totally content 95% of the…
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That’s not a review
The internet makes experts of all, that much is certain. What is less so is how to know which items are worth the time they take to read. Just going for a walk has become “gear testing.” This should be condemned for two reasons. First, it’s bullshit. Second, it supports the talking before doing acquisitionalism…
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How to make a light pack (610 pack, version 2)
I needed a new pack. I always needed a new pack. The original 610 was a great size, but the torso was a bit too short, and I wanted more flexibility with regards to load size, features, and suspension. I weighed the Tamarisk the other week, and was surprised that even with all that burly…
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The Cold and the Darkness
It is cold outside. Barring this morning, it’s barely been above zero for four days. The sun rises at 8 and sets at 430, but twilight lingers until 10 and starts at 3. Saturday morning I woke up and the webcam over in St. Mary read -78F. Probably a technical error, but nonetheless impressive. I…
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2013 B&P Holiday Gift guide: An Island
Islands comes in many different forms. What they have in common is also their primary virtues: isolation from everyday life, and time alone with something new. When it comes to backpacking, Isle Royale is my favorite island. Getting out into the center of Lake Superior is a costly nuisance, which is how traveling to an…
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Valhalla: the continued immolation of the spectacular
Ski movies are killing ski movies. Ski movies are killing skiing, and perhaps outdoor recreation writ large. Valhalla, from Sweetgrass Productions, is a leading example. We saw it last night. I wrote last year about the spectacular being commodified and its impact lessened by cliched use in outdoor films. Nowhere is that more true than…
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30s and raining: some suggestions
30s and raining is the toughest weather to manage sustainably. What follows are some ideas for how to do so, in vague order of importance. -Don’t put your rain jacket on until you have to. “Have to” can be defined as the point where you’ll be getting wet enough from exterior sources that maintaining core…
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The same pack all over again
It occurs to me that since I started doing this four years ago, most of my packs have been the same. After all, most everyone needs a solid big pack. Each iteration represents more learning on how to best meet the same demands. The pack bag weighs 25 ounces as shown above, the modified Gossamer…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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