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Grieskogel is a medium sized ski peak in the western Stubai Alps, in the Larstiger mountains between Sellrain and Hochstubai. You reach it for backcountry skiing via the usual network of roads you find in this area, in this case reminding me of spring skiing on Independence Pass back in Colorado. I’d hooked up for today’s trip with Manfred Barthel, the Austrian alpinist elder I’ve come to know over the past few years. Manfred continues to amaze me with his skill and endurance, not to mention his amazing knowledge of the Alps. He seems to have a sixth sense of where the snow is good, the avy danger lower, or the

As long time backcountry skiers my wife and I have always been excited to share the exploration and fun of back country skiing with our children. We got just that chance recently with a late season blast of snow and a hut trip we’d planned with our friends. Check out one of our best yet ski adventures.

(Note, I’ve got a few more trip reports to file from the latest EU trip, but this is the last of the Silvretta posts. To step through the Silvretta trip reports, start here.) Six days straight of nearly 100% bluebird…

Trying to get my Silvretta last day TR up for you guys, but I’m having too much fun testing backcountry skiing gear on our nice Colorado springtime snowpack. Out again this morning, so a quick post about a gear mod,…

Silvretta Traverse, Switzerland and Austria. We had down to the Tuoi Hut for lunch, then over Vermuntpass to Weisbadener (Wiessbadner) hut for a few nights stay.

After yesterday’s partly cloudy skies, and thus cutting the last of the day’s goals, we, of course, picked roast bluebird off the Day 4 fantasy menu. And yes, next morning our dreams became reality: perfect azure skies, hundreds of square…

Breakfast at the Heidelberg was typical of this region: coffee, tea, good bread, cold cuts, and cereal if meat wasn’t your thing. Today we head to the Jamtal Hut on the Silvretta Traverse. Thermos filling was done from the tea water tank. I mixed up a liter of Cytomax, kept my Rittersport chocolate at the top of my pack, and off we went on a well beaten skin track heading southerly to the high Alps.

Black Diamond Spot and Icon headlamps reviewed, great choices for night time backcountry skiing, biking, running or camping

Jesse Durrance Dynafit TLT size 22 AT boot modifications for smaller, yet powerful feet

You’ve seen the ‘Dav’ in countless photos and vid segments, but how does he handle a screw driver? Just fine. I’m a witness. The other day we gave a pair of his Kastle FX84s the Dynafit FT12 treatment. Dav is now a Dynafitter (but don’t freak TGR boys, he’s still got plenty of Dukes mounted on his arsenal of Kastle guns.) Oh, yep, those are, gasp, Garmont Radium AT boots!

Skiing the classic Skillet Glacier route on Moran during winter requires a possibly brutal slog across about five miles of flat frozen lake, including challenges such as slush (or water) under powder, wind and more.

When gale winds blow like a sandblaster on the high peaks, you can still summit. If you want. But you might choose some powder farming instead, or perhaps a classic point-to-point tour. A bit of weekend stoke from such decisions.…

Monarch, Mt. – Race the Divide Race Report 2/28/09 By Bryan Wickenhauser The week leading up to Saturday’s race at Monarch ski resort started with warm snow and rain (yes rain in Gunnison, CO in February!) basically ruining our prized…

Sorry this took so long to post today, spent the morning mounting some Dynafit FT12s for Chris Davenport — when that world traveler finally shows up at the workshop you’ve got to jump on it! More about Dav’s Reader’s Ride…

ARVA avalanche beacons review for backcountry skiing

It died today. The Rocky Mountain News of Denver, Colorado published their last issue this morning. What’s that got to do with backcountry skiing? Some of you younger guys might not even remember when newspapers (and to some extent magazines)…

Pieps DSP avalanche beacon review for backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering

Spectating a World Cup skimo race in Italy is an experience I will not forget, included the spectators backcountry skiing.