Preseason skiing is never easy. Erratic visibility, weather, and lack of coverage, plague the motivated early-season skier. Fortunately, the Native Tenmile Goggle is there to help you make the best of the worst days. Each year, when the snow begins…
I began using the Backcountry Access Float 32 Pack (on promo this month) this past spring. Initially I was deterred by the price and weight of airbag packs, but when you spend almost everyday of every winter in avalanche terrain it is better to…
‘Quality’ is the first word that sprung to mind when the Kode 22 + 10 ABS bag arrived in the mail. I wasn’t surprised, as I’ve had an Osprey Pack since shortly after I arrived in the States 15 years…
I was asked to test the Gregory Targhee 45 Ski Pack by Outdoor Prolink because I have spent years in the ski guide and avalanche education fields. I routinely carry 40-liter packs on work days. Snow study kits, rescue gear, and…
“You’ve been punked!” scoffed the text, snarky in its confidence. “Steamboat never opens early…” “They have lease guidelines with the forest service to be open an exact number in any given season,” explained another. “It hasn’t happened in all the years…
Clear, accurate communication is a critical tool for all adventure-based activities involving risk. In fact, clear communication is critical for our daily activities involving risk. Think about driving through a busy city or highway. Communication is everywhere, just not in…
With summer season in full swing here at Fox Mountain Guides we are putting gear to the test. One piece of gear that our guides use daily is the Deuter Guide Lite 32+. This pack is a lighter version of…
I felt like a kid at a birthday party opening the much-awaited Osprey Mutant 38 alpine climbing pack. It looked sleek and streamlined online, and now I was about to ground-truth my expectations. As an alpine, ski, and rock guide,…
2015 marks my 18th year of heli ski guiding for Valdez Heli Ski Guides on Thompson Pass, Valdez Alaska. I’ve watched the weather patterns change, skis get fatter, the evolution of beacons and the birth of the air bag. Avalanches are a reality.…
Can you drive in your ski boots? If the answer is no then it is time to build a pyre and burn them in a mass of toxic nasty-ness. You are now in a position to buy a boot that…