Skiers and snowboarders are part of a nomadic tribe that can be found dreaming about the next turn, sometimes traveling to great lengths in search of pow. This summer, as the days were getting longer and temperatures higher, I found myself longing to get away from the scorching heat in Whistler, BC. Traveling to the other side of the world …
Photo Gallery: A Remarkable Season in Alaska
I spent the 2017/18 season in Alaska, guiding folks from all over the world across its incredible landscape. One of my best days was ironically the worst day of the season for conditions; with rain crust to treeline, sun crust on solar and wind hammered high alpine. Good to have these reminders that it doesn’t have to be great conditions …
Embracing the Alaska Factor
We flew in under a grey-blue ceiling to the most spectacular playground I have ever seen. On the Pika Glacier, rock buttresses rise like sharks’ teeth from the valley, their ridges separated by perfect ribbons of snow that plunge into the glacier below.
Ski Mountaineers “Must Be Present to Win”
Over a three-week period in 2016, Aaron and I attempted a particular summit five different times. All five attempts were thwarted. This year, with a limited amount of free time, Aaron Diamond and I figured that we could reasonably make the peak’s first ski descent… if we were lucky.
Ski Guiding the Grand Teton
The Grand Teton has captivated me since I saw it ten years ago on a family ski vacation. It’s an iconic mountain for all sorts of alpinists, but it’s the skiing that really draws the winter climbers.
Using Digital Terrain Tools to Your Advantage
Have you ever gone to a new area and been totally skunked? It happens. But how can you maximize your free time outside and make the most of your vacation/hut trip/ski trip? Do your homework… and use the tools available.
Four Reasons to Get Fishy in the Backcountry
Every couple of years I travel from Aspen to Vail by scale. It is on this route that time and time again I have realized the joys and efficiencies of travel on Voile’s Traction Pattern Base.
Tech Alert: Updated Splitboard Hardware
This season we spent some time focusing on the foundational elements of our splitboard program. The result is one recall, and one update that will completely transform the gear you already own (and for less than $10)…
From Ashes to Stashes in Patagonia
Chasing winter in the summer is exciting for many reasons, and this year clean air was among them. Hot and dry weather was already fuelling record-breaking forest fires that have continued in western North America. While there were no fires that immediately threatened my hometown of Whistler at the time, we were still inundated with thick smoke and ash. Luckily, …
Type 2 Fun: Circumnavigating Crater Lake
Thinking of words to describe the experience of circumnavigating Crater Lake by alpine touring skis in two days is difficult. Perhaps there hasn’t been enough time since having the experience to fully process it. Perhaps there just aren’t words to describe the ups and downs – both figurative and literal – of such a venture. Let’s just start from the …