Just returned from an excellent uphill/downhill race at Aspen Highlands. Pretty brutal (3,000+ vert up to 11,000 feet elevation) but son and I kept our pace (slow), got a good workout, and enjoyed seeing friends and socializing. It was interesting having a fast transition from skins to glide. Time to fumble — in the cold wind and snow no less! Too bad most of the downhill was a catwalk where the guys on nordic skis could rule — oh well –the few the proud the brave on rando gear…
snowboard
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most backcountry skiing and snowboarding entry-level avalanche education is based on the concept that self-rescue is what’s going to save you. Courses teach a smidgeon of decision making, but it’s rarely (if ever) conservative enough — and all to often based on snow pit voodoo. We might need a whole new paradigm of avalanche education. Stay tuned.
On a more positive note, my extensive historical collection of Randonnée bindings has reached a mature stage of completion. Count is at 28 bindings and growing.
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Telemark boom, did it really happen, is it still happening, is it a mecca? We do the research on telemark skiing words and culture so you do not have to.
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Backcountry Skiing Blog Number One, covers Bill Briggs and Barry Corbet along with goals for WildSnow.com.
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Cathedral Peak is rowdy hunk of stone rising in the Elk Mountains between Aspen and Crested Butte, but it holds ski routes such as Lisa Couloir.
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In the 1990s some folks still wondered if it was more fun to ski tour on telemark gear as opposed to latched heel ski touring equipment.