Google entertainment: I was just reading up on Jackson Hole and noticed it had migrated from being a telemark mecca to a “free heel hotbed.” Aha! I was wondering what happened to all the telemak meccas — have they all become hotbeds? At least some of them have — and the rest of the results are hilarious! Google it. And what about having free heels in a hot bed? Sounds kinky — but then, ever since the hot tub scene in the movie Hot Dog, we’ve known that Jackson can kink out — that hot tub was in Jackson, wasn’t it? Or was it Aspen?
Colorado Looking to Spring Backcountry Skiing Ah, March, spring skiing is just around the corner! I’ve got high hopes for an amazing Colorado corn season this year. Our “average” winters seem to yield the best backcountry skiing, as springtime after a heavy winter is sometimes filled with endless storms and moisture. Average year springtime frequently has tons of clear nights and sunny days — essential climate for growing ice crystal corn!
Till then…my friends and web clients at Vintage Ski World just had a nice article published in the Aspen Times.
These guys have worked hard all winter to collect and sell beautiful vintage and classic ski gear. Any viable sport should have a vintage market, and it is people like Richard and Mary at Vintage that keep it alive for backcountry and resort skiers alike. Check out their website and web store here. Over the coming days I’ll be placing some new product on their web store, so check back often.
As for the Wild Snow Randonnée backcountry skiing binding collection, we noticed some classic weird “TX2” bindings for sale on Ebay — but priced way too high for our collection budget. They look like a cross between a Silvretta 300 and Emery Chrono. Now that the auction has ended we’ve contacted the seller — we’ll see if some of these things end up in our collection. It’s interesting to watch ancient randonnee bindings selling on Ebay. Sellers sometimes assume they’ve got a viable randonnee backcountry skiing binding for sale, never mind the fact there are no spare parts available, and such bindings are light-years behind current offering in terms of safety and performance. As always, buyer beware.
But some collectors like ’em (the few the proud…the very few?) ! IF YOU BOUGHT TX2 BINDINGS and find they’re a bit behind the times in terms of performance, please contact me, perhaps we can buy them from you for the collection…
Backcountry skiing book list update: Thanks all who sent suggestions for our backcountry skiing book list. Everyone enjoy. See link in nav menu to left.
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.
