Technique

Lou Dawson’s AT boot fitting tips for backcountry skiing

Blogsters: Aspen area guide Ron Rash (part owner of Aspen Alpine Guides) is helping get me off the keyboard (and out in the backcountry) every so often by contributing a newpaper column style guest blog. Here is his first. Boot…

oday we finish up our “10 Things to Know series.” The ultimate part of any endeavor is perhaps how your mind interacts with the day. In terms of mountaineering, using mental processes to avoid pride and resulting bad decisions is key. I’ve messed up a few times in that area, and also had some success, but thought it would be nice to hear some other people’s words about this so I trolled my celebrity address book for likely helpers. But don’t let the celebs have the last word, I know you blog readers have some ideas about this, so fire a few comments to complete today’s blog.

We’re going for some collective “blogodacous” wisdom on this one, but I’ll mention the main trick first. When it comes to keeping your feet toasty in backcountry ski boots, fit is key. All too many times I’ve had friends and…

Start stripping your backcountry skiing climbing skin from tip or tail, doesn’t matter. When you’ve removed the skin about half way along the ski, fold it sticky-to-sticky, then finish stripping and fold again. I’ve done this in 80 mph. wind with no problem whatsoever. If you’re removing the skins from the ski tail first (as most do), stick your ski tails in the snow after you’ve got the skin half stripped. Do this in one motion as you pull the skin off from the tail. With the ski tail planted, you can then fold the skin without a moving ski to deal with.