It ain’t all ski touring but it ain’t all bad. That is, once you untangle from the dog leash around your legs and find a bypass for hallways so crowded you feel like a tilapia in a farm tank. So where’s the good? For starters, we’ve got a full raft of sponsors again so we can keep WildSnow pumping along. I tie up some of these deals at the OR Show — good reason for being there! Beyond pure business, I also take a look around with focus on things truly useful or at least fascinating. More:
Arcteryx AR alpine climbing boot.
I can never get alpine climbing out of my soul. Still do it, really, to the degree my ski tours involve a peak scramble now and then. Summer, my mind wanders to what I could perhaps be scrambling in the Wind Rivers or Rocky Mtn. Park. Or Chamonix? But I’m at the OR show instead.
Oh well, let the fantasizing commence. I’ll admit to salivating over the debut Arcteryx Acrux AR Boot. This double mountaineering boot is trim, even elegant. It’s covered by a waterproof-breathable full gaiter. Inside, an insulated Gore-tex liner keeps your feet snug down to temps you should probably be avoiding, but did not because you love it. Or at least thought you did, until you realized that while you’re wearing your Arcteryx AR Boots but forgot to bring your Arcteryx gloves. Price? That’s like shopping for a Ferrari and asking the tuxedo clad Italian showroom person “but, what’s the gas mileage?”
Well, moving along to things more practical:
Jetboil came up with this modular (starts with two burners) propane stove — Jetboil Genesis 2 Burner System could be the ticket for ski touring basecamp operations. Hook up to your 90 pound propane tanks and burn all night.
Jetboil bascamp stove folds together into a durable package that won’t crush like that Wal-Mart cooktop you used to use. Unlike cheapo units, it simmers nicely so perhaps you’ll cook something other than bacon.
But wait, why would you really need a nicely engineered propane stove? Basecamp snow melting but of course. Personally, I thought this to be the best configuration. Two big heat-exchanger equipped buckets atop a dual flame thrower. A pesky booth person got all bent when we rigged it up this way, but remembering all the times I’ve been thirsty while surrounded by miles of snow, I thought it beautiful.
Jetboil Genesis 2 Burner System. I suppose we’ll have to install this at WildSnow Ski Touring Field HQ.
Practical for some folks, including me. E-bike with chainsaw rack.
These are Polaris E-bikes. I was surprised to not see another E-bike brand at the show, as these things are the rage in Europe for everything from rock climbing approaches to simply lengthening your reach for a favorite gasthaus. Here in the US I’m seeing E-bikes as the solution for ski touring routes miles beyond frustrating gates.
The front rack axe mount was appreciated.
We’re getting more hip to Patagonia around here. Resistance is futile. Me want the full biking collection (pictured here) so I look good on my E-bike.
We stopped by Aspect Solar to check out their latest power packs. They continue to add various size bricks, from a hand sized phone booster to a 60 pound monster that can power a whole home for a day. Our main concern with Aspect, whose gear we’ve been testing, is that they keep innovating in areas that make their equipment more robust for expedition use. Louie and I spoke with their electrical engineer from Singapore. He appeared genuinely ernest. So keep Aspect in mind when you’re configuring various alternative power systems. Our site supporter 8kPeak sells Aspect. The guys pictured here are 8kPeak owners Mike and Steve Marolt, with their friend Jim Gile to left. These guys are expedition fiends, having enjoyed more than 40 different ski mountaineering expeditions to exotic locals — everything from Muztagh Ata to skiing high on Mount Everest. To give back, they organized supplying hundreds of Aspect Solar power units to Nepal after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.
Lastly, a whimsy. I found myself calling them ‘sky tents.’ I was thinking of being about two meters off the ground in an aspen grove, September, gazing out at the puffing Colorado clouds, fantasizing about a smooth turn and a ski tour with close friends. Tentsile.
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.
