You don’t have to think at 100mph. When the proverbial pedal is on the floor instinct is your greatest resource, contemplation and reflection are the enemies. In the past three years I have lived in four different houses, lost my best friend, married the love of my life, taught at three different schools, finished graduate … Continue reading “If you ain’t first you’re last……”
An excerpt from a recent paper on the importance of goal abandonment in avalanche terrain. One way for backcountry skiers to create goal elasticity is by regularly assessing whether or not their plans are robust (work well across a wide range of circumstances and are flexible to unknowns), brittle (work well under limited conditions) or … Continue reading Multiple Goals and Precommitment
Things that aren’t lame. 1) Environmentalism 2) Great Skiing 3) Adventures 4) Good Music 5) Montana. If any of these are appealing to you then take half an hour and watch Land of No Use. There are many facets of backcountry skiing, but rarely discussed in our current “progression” of the sport is the importance … Continue reading Intentional Skiing
Great new educational film series from Black Diamond and Powder Magazine. No need to write much for this, just watch. http://www.powder.com/human-factor/ Continue reading Human Factors
Rappelling into your line during a steep skiing competition on skinny skis….Doug Coombs. Continue reading Coombs
Do you think we can make it to November without turning the heat on? The current 10 day weather forecast for Maine and New Hampshire was the impetus to this question; predicted low of 34 on Sat. night . As I mulled over how long I would be comfortable sleeping in down jackets I realized … Continue reading New England Updates
It has been a while since the last post. However, armed with rocket fuel coffee, a moment of free time, and some interesting statistics (still yet to be fully analyzed) I thought I would share some insights on what appears to be an imbalanced backcountry skiing community. This isn’t to imply that men and women … Continue reading Backcountry Skiing Gender Statistics
The “trucklet” meandered its way through the Vinalhaven fog in an effort to deliver me to my favorite fishing spot on the island. I wasn’t in search of big game fish just some Mackerel to cook up for a mid morning meal. As I made my way across the quiet island I thought about the … Continue reading Somewhere else is right here
It is difficult to abide by all of the information and knowledge passed along during an avalanche course. Regardless of the level there is always an abundance of learning that must occur outside of the course/classroom. One of the pieces of advice that I have long ignored is to practice with my beacon on a … Continue reading THE VALUE OF “RABBIT HOLES”
Alpine Migrations 