Category: Tech
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Acquisitionalism and the lure of the insider
The internet drives gear geekery, this much we know. I recall, back in my elementary school gear geek days, the excitement when the quarterly (and no more!) Patagonia and TNF catalogues arrived. Online “research” has sped up information dissemination, and decreased our attention spans. That this has led to gear fetishization taking the place of…
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2012/13 ski gear review
Plenty of skiing yet to done this spring (once it stops raining), but my gear focus is already on the fall hunting season, so it’s a good time to discuss what worked and what didn’t. I skied the above four skis this winter. 200cm waxable Fischer E99s (60/50/55), 176cm BD Currents (more here), 150cm Trak…
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Rossignol BCX11 warranty resolution; and BCX12 snap judgement
When Campsaver referred me to the manufacturer after this incident, I wasn’t especially optimistic. Thankfully Rossignol was slowish but responsive, and this afternoon a brand new pair of BCX12s showed up. Campsaver I’m ambivalent about, but I’ll buy Rossi again without hesitation. They’re quite different than the old ones. 2 pounds 7 oz a foot,…
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The applicability of the wilderness serape
I’ve become a convert to what I’m calling (and with all due homage to HPG) a wilderness serape. A synthetic blanket/overbag/poncho with a light, but not too light, DWR coated nylon shell. You can find the specs on the ugly one I made this past autumn here. It’s been indispensable ever since. The serape is…
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Wilderness thigh straps and DIY tie downs for packrafting
Gluing stuff on to your Alpacka raft is a useful thing to know how to do well. There are all sorts of things you’ll want to do which the stock tie downs don’t. Two invaluable resources, from which the ideas below were developed, are the Alpacka How to Glue page and Luc Mehl’s pimp my…
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La Sportiva Boulder X Mid GTX: numbers and rationale
I recently bought the first pair of non-ski or snow boots I’ve had in a decade; the Sportiva Boulder X Mids. The reason? I wanted something that would be more comfortable than trail runners with strap on crampons, and I wanted the lightest and most hikable boot which would kick steps in moderate snow. In…
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Rossignol BCX11: not quite enough boot
There’s not been much to love about the BCX11s since I bought them almost exactly a year ago, but there has been a fair bit to like. They’re not totally waterproof, but they’re waterproof enough. They don’t have excellent control, but with skinny XCD sticks they have enough control for survival skiing just about anywhere. …
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Wisdom from Norton Pearl
The Belly River ranger station, with Chief Mountain in the upper left. It is the only park facility which is both staffed full time (in summer) and not accessible by motor vehicle. Norton Pearl was one of the original backcountry rangers in Glacier National Park, though back then (the park was established in 1910) there…
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A small pack manifesto
Small packs (20 to 35 liters) are the most used, for those of us who choose to pursue a career in civilization. Tiny (sub 20 liter) packs are handy and can even last for multiple days in the summer, but a small pack works for technical day trips in all seasons, multidays in milder conditions,…
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Red Rab-off
We outdorks all have our pet gear obsessions. I like to think that mine (packs, shoes, windshirts) are especially practical. Windshirts are important because it’s windy a lot around here, and because I put out a lot of heat and thus try to avoid wearing a waterproof-breathable jacket at almost all costs. Weatherproofing and breathability…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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