– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog
  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
    • Poetry
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Ski Weights Comparison
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Authors Page
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Ski Touring Binding Museum
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures

– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog

  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
    • Poetry
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Ski Weights Comparison
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Authors Page
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Ski Touring Binding Museum
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures
   

Construction Jungle or Ski Touring HQ?

by Lou Dawson July 27, 2015
written by Lou Dawson July 27, 2015
Not a ski in sight! Kinda' sad, but the space is coming together.  We got the cabinets from the Habitat store, dirt cheap. New drywall, new doors, new windows, new floor. This has been a tough one.

Not a ski in sight! Kinda’ sad, but the space is coming together. We got the cabinets from the Habitat store, dirt cheap. New drywall, new doors, new windows, new floor, new electrical.

It was a perfectly good workshop garage. But it wasn’t. Walking the century-old concrete floor felt like hiking a boulder field at the toe of an Alaskan glacier. Quarter-inch thick drywall (gift from previous owners) was falling off the walls from water damage due to a formerly leaky roof. A full workshop electrical system with only two circuit breakers elicited a buzzing sound reminiscent of PSD tinnitus. In winter, the heater ran constantly due to cracks in the doors large enough for a small cat to squeeze through. Hello kitty!

If it wasn’t for needing to put my office out there, I’d have left it. Like many a homeowner construction project, this one has gone on longer — with all manner of unplanned delays — than I ever thought possible. Family medical issues, jury duty, rain… all conspired to something like 1863 and I’m running around Gettysburg trying to survive. Tubes of electrical conduit make good rollers under your feet; especially exciting when a table saw blade is whirring a meter away. Yesterday, doing electrical work, I got zapped not once but twice. Battle? Who says?

Most painting contractors told us it would be weeks (if not months) before they could show up. But this one was there the next day, though we had to buy her an airless sprayer.

Most painting contractors told us it would be weeks (if not months) before they could show up. But this one was there the next day, though we had to buy her an airless sprayer.

In any case, it’s all coming together. Over past few days Lisa donned her painter hat, fired up the airless sprayer, and gave the antique building a new coat. I’ve begun joking about how many trades I can do in the space of just a few weeks. Electrician is the current hat, but do I qualify if I got shocked?


Overall, I’m glad we embarked on this. We’ve laughed and we’ve cried and the desk is getting installed out there in just a few days. Tomorrow, I might even build a ski rack.

After new drywall, before doing new floor.

After new drywall, before doing new floor.

Changing snowmobile oil, Nytro, in the Wildsnow garage workshop.

Changing snowmobile oil in the former Wildsnow garage workshop. The situation was okay and fun-funky yet not exactly where I’d want to spend 10 hours a day doing computer work. With the new design I can park the snowmobile next to my desk and keep our ski quiver within reach.

Lou Dawson

WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.

www.loudawson.com
0
Email
previous post
Summertime Skiing in Holy Cross Wilderness
next post
Arc’teryx Lithic Glove Review, Straight From Glacier Bay, Alaska

Trip Reports

  • Revisiting a 2011 Trip Report: Adventure in the Pickets — Thread of Ice Ski Descent

    December 9, 2022
  • Feeding the Backcountry Soul on Crete

    August 25, 2022

Totally Deep Podcast

  • Totally Deep Podcast 107: Dialing it Back with Blase Reardon

    January 30, 2023

Tips & Tricks

  • Transition Efficiencies 101 with Tech Binding Heel Units

    January 6, 2023
  • Visualizing the Backcountry as a Splitboarder: Minimizing the Challenges of Movement by Anticipating Terrain

    December 5, 2022
  • TURBOCHARGE YOUR TRAILHEAD BEACON CHECK

    November 15, 2022

Recent Comments

  • Joe on DIY Binding Mount with an ATK Template
  • Kermit on DIY Binding Mount with an ATK Template
  • wtofd on Samaya Ultra35 Pack: A First Look
  • Sam on Julbo’s Montebianco 2 with the Reactiv 1-3 High Contrast lens: A Review


Newsletter Sign-Up

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • About Lou Dawson
  • Authors Page
  • About
  • Contact
  • Copyright & Legal
  • Website Security

@2020 - All Rights Reserved. Designed and Developed by WildSnow


Back To Top

Read alsox

Julbo’s Montebianco 2 with the Reactiv...

February 20, 2023

Questing with the Hyperlite Mountain Gear...

February 20, 2023

Two Rules to Break: No Strangers...

February 20, 2023