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November, 2024

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Touring/AT NSers...

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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627

I've been noticing lately that there are a few people on here who are into touring and earning their turns.  Where are you from, where are you touring and whatchagot for touring setups? 

I'm from mass but tour all over the EC and also when I go west for vaca (usually UT/BCC/LCC).  Mostly in VT along the green spine though while I'm home.  Right now I'm on Whitedot Redeemers quiverkilled for Plum Guides, but my 12/13 ON3P Billy Goat Tours should be on my doorstep by tomorrow- and will be my go-to touring skis for the majority of the season.  My boots are Dalbello Virus Tours with cochise top straps grafted on as well because I hated the stock top bail. 

So what's up with you, oh rando beasts of NS?   

Nov 13 2012 11:28AM
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zahava
Posts: 7791 - Karma: 12,039
Wut? Please tell me you embedded the wrong photo....
Apr 8 2013 10:34PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
whats your line down that thing?
Apr 8 2013 10:36PM
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forrest-cole
Posts: 1145 - Karma: 495
Two peaks one day! Real sick day, almost got one more in but it didn't work out. Off to snowbird to compete and hopefully come back to some spring chowder!

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Apr 8 2013 10:40PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
^^ya dude! those lines look sick
Apr 8 2013 10:43PM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807

First time using paint so here goes. there is a tiny ass chute that goes through the cliff band. hoping its filled in this year or may just have to downclimb some sketchy rocks.

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Apr 8 2013 11:38PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,011
supposed to be sunny tomorrow. smells like a pre dawn start for you. Good luck!
Apr 9 2013 12:00AM
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rudager
Posts: 11335 - Karma: 4,626
Fuck Luke.

Is that Temple?
Apr 9 2013 12:45AM
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jca
Posts: 4172 - Karma: 6,310
damn that looks beastly. i'd really like to get more into this aspect of touring now that my body doesnt handle constant flat, hardpack landings as well as it used to.
Apr 9 2013 12:47AM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807

Mason that is Aberdeen on the right and Haddoo on the left, Temple is peaking up behind them though. Have a plan to ski off the summit of temple this spring as well though :D I'll post some pics up tomorrow.

Yup Darryl heading up at 5am fuck if only I wasn't so excited. I never sleep before big lines haha.

Apr 9 2013 12:48AM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807
Well did all the hard part, all we had to do was a tiny more bootpack past the serac then it would be a walk to the summit. Unfortunately fighting with the facets cost us more time then anticipated and we had to turn around due to to much heat.

Will be back for an earlier start another time.
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Apr 9 2013 3:49PM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627
It makes me endlessly happy that a thread about AT riding is at 13 pages. Not one mention of clothes, zero cunting and so much stoke.

Goddammit guys you're awesome. *group hug*
Apr 9 2013 3:58PM
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Plankton
Posts: 3226 - Karma: 6,840
skinned up tuckerman's yesterday for the first time this spring, lots of fun even though it was icy!
Apr 9 2013 4:00PM
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Pancake_Fucker
Posts: 1843 - Karma: 1,923
Going touring tomorrow. Rogers pass again
Apr 9 2013 4:42PM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807
Where are you heading if you don't mind saying? Curious as to how things are looking there lately.
Apr 9 2013 4:54PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,011
I've been debating Rogers for the past while now. I don't think I've been up there since the first Pineapple at the beginning of March. I know there is still some good stuff, it's just all that lower elevation shit to deal with to and from the lines. Ugg.

It's supposed to be storming up there tomorrow, just wondering on what you your goal is? Have you been up there lately, is anything below 2000M worth skiing? If anyone wants to make for Forever Young I'm down. Shit's been teasing me all winter.
Apr 9 2013 6:32PM
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Pancake_Fucker
Posts: 1843 - Karma: 1,923
Rumors are we are supposed to get 20cm overnight and if that's the case I'm not going to Rogers tomorrow and just doing resort. A friend went to loop brook yesterday and said conditions are pretty bad and it's mainly just to hang with friends out there now. Hopefully this new snow helps the situation!
Apr 9 2013 9:19PM
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ChasingFlakes
Posts: 822 - Karma: 1,544
shred master plus , mini_heff and I hit up this puppy today



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Apr 10 2013 10:37PM
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Pancake_Fucker
Posts: 1843 - Karma: 1,923
We got 28cm. Epic pow day. Conditions are too bad for avys so no touring for a few days at least. Snow is good and deep on the resort so I have no complaints.
Apr 10 2013 11:28PM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807
Hey guys, about to head on a Road trip from up here In Canada down to the states. Going to be passing by and hopefully stopping around Bozeman Montana and then heading to Cali. Skiing is not the main priority of the trip mainly just coming down to explore and hike with a friend(she has no ski gear) But would like to hit up atleast 1 or 2 days skiing. Will be in Yosemite park to start I think(passing through montana first) and then the world is my oyster. Not a ton of cash or anything so no lifts.

Wondering if anyone would like to give Mt, Shasta a go with me. I have glacier gear.

Anyways, even if you just want to meet up for a drink with a fellow Nser feel free to msg me on here or fire me a text 403-431-9079. Dunno if I'm going to have to sort out a new cell phone when I'm down there or not. If so then I'll post new number on here. Hope to meet up with some of you shredders!
Apr 15 2013 4:58PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
well the past two days up here have been fantastic at baker. about a foot and a half of blower pow.
Apr 15 2013 5:03PM
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mvf
Posts: 786 - Karma: 1,581
Whaaa??? Fuck I gotta get through these finals at UBC then I'm gonna hit that up for sure!
Apr 15 2013 5:12PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
Idk how long its gona last. Its gona warm a bit over the next few days. This weekend was definitely the time to get after it around here
Apr 15 2013 5:56PM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807
Bakerpow, you going to be in Baker area next month or so? May be keen to do something up in Washington some day, depending on which way we head after Cali. No guarantees but be sick to get out.
Apr 15 2013 6:07PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
Ya i will be around bham till august so lemme know if you come through!
Apr 15 2013 7:32PM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807
Excellent. Will let you know later closer to the date!

Tomorrow Mission :D
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Going to drop green, then if its not to warm head up red! :D Got 3 more days to kill it around my home this winter it would seem!




Apr 15 2013 11:03PM
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zahava
Posts: 7791 - Karma: 12,039
Hopefully skiing decker later this week...

main glacier
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the fingers
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I also thought I'd share the stoke one of the gnarliest lines in the Whistler BC / Spearhead range. Hourglass, 55 degrees at the steepest section, 180m to where it opens up to the run out, about a 4 hour trek (5 peaks away) from the Glacier T-Bar.

Down the middle
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via TGR
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Hoji fucking sending it

Skiing Tremor from 4FRNT Skis on Vimeo.


Apr 15 2013 11:43PM
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byubound
Posts: 1636 - Karma: 9,870
Hey guys, looking to get into some more alpine touring. Ive got a pair of surface new lifes for inbounds and lift accessed back country on the deep days, how different is strapping these to my pack and hiking to having a touring binding and skins?
Apr 16 2013 1:00AM
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minihef
Posts: 813 - Karma: 781
It is massively different - virtually impossible. Unless you hike purely on solid refreeze in spring you'll be postholing and wading around and getting nowhere. You will make it maybe 0.01% of the distance you would with skins and touring bindings.
Apr 16 2013 2:54AM
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LC.
Posts: 5952 - Karma: 2,423
Yeah Explosivs! Best skis ever.
Apr 16 2013 4:56AM
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byubound
Posts: 1636 - Karma: 9,870
Alright, thanks. Would a binding like a marker duke or solomon guardian work for a beginner? I can't really justify buying a full new boot and binding setup for something I havent tried yet.
Apr 16 2013 8:49AM
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dicktator
Posts: 209 - Karma: 1,035
Last Saturday
Ötztal/Austria: Liebener Spitze, 3400m.
10-15cm fresh & no people except us 3.

Setup:
Fischer Watea 106, 182cm
Fischer/Tyrolia Adrenalin 16
Fischer Ranger Vacuum 12
Contour Plus 2


Apr 16 2013 9:26AM
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KyleA
Posts: 865 - Karma: 510
This post is not completely touring related, but I don't feel as though it is too out of place here.

But last week, my ski building partner, Kitten Factory engineer, and very fancy skier, Calvin Hawley, won the Subaru Freeride Series 2-Star event on West Baldy at Snowbird.  He did so on a pair of our 7 pound, 105 mm waist, carbon fiber skis.  We have done our best to eliminate the sacrifices you typically have to make with lightweight products and even at 7 pounds, these skis are stiff and damp.  They are a dream on the uphill, and can still charge on the way down.

Here is a backflip from his winning run:

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And video:

Calvin Hawley - Kitten Factory Skis - Winning SFS Run from jeffrey scott on Vimeo.



  
Apr 16 2013 12:45PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,011
No offence, but this post is more of a self promotion/advertising than a discussion post.
Apr 16 2013 1:20PM
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KyleA
Posts: 865 - Karma: 510
I felt like it was some self promotion which is why I preceded my post like I did.  But I put it here for a few reasons.  Mainly because I am super happy for Calvin.  And also because I figured most people on NS who knew what the SFS is, would be in this thread.  There is also some nice ski porn, and you can't really complain about that. 

With all the hype about the new Beast and CAST systems, I just wanted to let people know there are some well matched skis for them.     
Apr 16 2013 1:51PM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627
Bah, whatevs. Id actually like to see what the hell their designs look like but the website isn't up yet.

What gives, kitten man? I want to be spammed. Show me some fuckin' already designs so I can get my gear dick nice and hard.
Apr 16 2013 3:07PM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627
Oh yeah and THE CAST KICKSTARTER IS ~$1600 FROM BEING A GO!!!

With 11 days remaining, this shit is as good as funded. FUCK YES!!!!!!!!!!
Apr 16 2013 3:08PM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627
CAST is a go! Just broke the $50k mark today. Congrats to the green mountain crew and I can't wait to get mine in.
Apr 16 2013 6:49PM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807
Man whistler can be awesome. Just need a nuclear meltdown, or some sort of sars scare to get everyone to leave.
Apr 16 2013 9:07PM
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zahava
Posts: 7791 - Karma: 12,039
How little time it takes for peak, 7th, spanky's, etc to be enialated on a pow day (especially weekends) is fucked. It's very hard to find good snow the day after a big storm unles you really know the mountain. Even main lines in the BC (BB, DOA, Khyber's) get skied out pretty fast as well. Watching people race up east col when tbar opens is pretty enjoyable.
Apr 16 2013 9:32PM
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MothaHucker
Posts: 4678 - Karma: 2,591
sweet jesus that is fucking gnarly. I would love to bad that sometime, possibly next season if I can find someone who can take me there.
Apr 16 2013 10:52PM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807

Click for larger image Photo Cred Ryan Creary

Skied that today, worst snow quality so far in a couloir, shitty grabby snow on ice crust.

Still good to get it done.

Apr 17 2013 6:33PM
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dadunda
Posts: 447 - Karma: 219
Any advice for someone who has never toured before but looking to get into it? In terms of gear I know I need bindings, skins, transceiver, probe, and a shovel. I can use normal alpine boots though right?

Also what kind of bindings should I look at for mostly resort skiing with only a little touring?
I was thinking about taking an Avy class as well.
I would be touring out of Southback at Crystal Mountain in WA if I decide to pull the trigger. Good spot or no?

I really don't know much about this or if people I know would be interested, but whatever.

Thanks

Apr 17 2013 7:31PM
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kbrando
Posts: 1208 - Karma: 904
Hopefully I can provide some information to help you out, first, touring is awesome, it is such a good way to get into the mountains and really experience skiing so I would get a setup. Do you already have skis you are planning to tour on or will you need those?
In terms of bindings, a lot depends on your weight and whether or not you want to really try and cut weight for the accent. If you are going to be doing mostly resort skiing look into the Salomon Guardian or Marker Duke or Baron. All three are more oriented to the going down than the going up. You will lose some uphill performance and sacrifice weight, but they will be better for resort skiing. You can use normal alpine boots, but again expect to lose some performance on the way up the hill. The only bindings that would not work with traditional alpine boots would be the Dynafits.
For skins, its pretty simple, if you are looking to do it cheap, G3 and Black Diamond make some skins you can pick up for around $115. The cost less, they weigh more and they do not perform as well on the uphill. They will work fine for most light touring, but if you are going to be sending some larger, steeper peeks, you may run into some trouble with slipping. It is important to make sure that you get the right size skins. When you see a size such as 100 mm, that is the width of the skin the entire length of it, so even if your skis are 100 underfoot, chances are they are 130 in the tip and the skins may be too narrow. Some of the cheaper skins also come with glue that may not last as long or be as sticky, this could be a problem on those super cold mornings, it may just take a little more ingenuity to keep those skins warm.
As far as your other safety stuff goes, probes are generally inexpensive and can be picked up for around $70. There are many different transceivers out there, it is important to look at features closely, I have the Tracker2 from BCA and I have been very pleased with it, very easy to use. When you are looking for a shovel, check out the way it fold and packs, it is important to have a shovel that can pack down to fit in your pack on attach easily to the outside.
An avy class is a solid idea if you are looking to get more into touring, it will help teach you what to look for in order to keep yourself safe.
Hope this helps and I hope you pull the trigger on a setup, you will not regret it when you are standing at the top of a peak after a 6 mile skin and all you have in front of you in untracked pow. Check the forums on TGR, people are selling used touring setups all the time!
Apr 17 2013 9:14PM
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MothaHucker
Posts: 4678 - Karma: 2,591
Im tourin around the crystal area as well mostly, real good spot, lots of fun shit you can hit up not too far from alot of the access points. As far as equipment and training, beacon, shovel, probe, pack, and a basic touring setup is really all you need, but its nice to have some other shit as well like snow saw, bladder, ski straps and compass/map for longer tours. Definately take an avalanche course, and get some actual field practice too, those weekend long backcountry safety tours are hella fun if youre just getting into it.
Apr 17 2013 10:34PM
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ShredMasterPlus
Posts: 1159 - Karma: 807
Interesting, I found the G3 skins i have to be fairly slippy, but to be fair they are on a full rocker ski. My black diamond skins on the other hand run up icy steep skin tracks like nobody's business. I also know people who own BD skins that haven't re glued in 15 years. Really like them.
Apr 17 2013 11:05PM
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dadunda
Posts: 447 - Karma: 219
Thanks for the help everybody.

I already own a backpack, probe, shovel, and skis. I was planning on getting a transceiver for next year anyway. I have 4frnt YLE skis, but they are mounted with alpine bindings, so would I have to remount Barons (best choice because of 13 DIN) on them or is there another way?

Also, I looked at the day tours on IMG and it sounds like the perfect thing to get started. Brief Avy course + instruction on using all my new gear + a practice tour sounds like the perfect thing to make me feel confident and introduce me to touring.

Now to get some people I know to agree...
Apr 17 2013 11:23PM
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dadunda
Posts: 447 - Karma: 219
Dub post, but I have another question.

Barons will be fine for a pretty lightweight skier on Backcountry booters, cliffs, and occasionally park right?
Apr 17 2013 11:52PM
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Banane.
Posts: 3102 - Karma: 414
Well man, I have baron's on my Opus, they are ok, but not the best IMO. I send cliff with them and they we're fine. They are ok for booter's too. I hit some rails with them and they we're ok.

The point is that they are really high, like 36mm, you'll get used to but well you still feel a difference.

I would say get the baron's if you're hiking 1/3 of the time, I did some 6 hour's hike and they we're fine, but a lighter set-up would be appreciated. Plus next year they have the same platform as this year duke the extended frame power, something like that.

Sorry I'm fucking drunk, and the new captain morgan silver spiced is fucking good folks
Apr 18 2013 12:25AM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627
Agreed 100%. The only reason I won't buy BDs in the future would be if I was using them on an enormously fat square-tipped ski because the loops suck balls on that type of tip. i.e. Whitedot redeemers, comis, etc.

Ascensions are like 4x4 low. They will always grip unless you get a slipped skin.
Apr 18 2013 12:08PM
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GANDALF
Posts: 6304 - Karma: 6,595

With Our Own Two Hands. Episode 2: Home from North Cascade Productions on Vimeo.

Apr 18 2013 4:58PM
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