Ready for winter? How crazy is too crazy?
Fri, Oct 30, 2009 | 2 Comments | General News & Articles
As backcountry skiers, we all have most likely been in a situation where we had to “justify” ourselves as backcountry skiers to someone else. We had to explain that what seems crazy to most is very natural to us. As a society, I believe, we are now a bit too far beyond... 

Canada webcam snow report: west to east
Mon, Oct 26, 2009 | 4 Comments | Trip Reports & Conditions
After a week of flurries and rain at lower elevations the temperatures higher up were much colder and we can see some real snow now. Weather forecast is calling for more precipitation over the next couple of days except some occasional sunny periods. Let’s hope snow is here... 

Introducing the lightest ski mountaineering boots
Mon, Oct 26, 2009 | 15 Comments | Gear, Tech & Food, Skimo Racing
Trend towards lighter gear in any mountain and outdoor sport is obvious. It was, is, and will be going on at every stage of gear development. Light gear in many sports starts its development inside racing environment where every second counts. This is how it is happening in ski mountaineering... 
» Tags: Dynafit DyNA, Dynafit Zzero 3, La Sportiva Stratos, Pierre Gignoux, Scarpa F1, Scarpa F1 Carbon, Scarpa F1 Race, Scarpa F3, XP 444, XP 500

Interview with Julie Matteau – Canada’s ski mountaineering champ enjoys every day in the mountains
Tue, Oct 20, 2009 | 2 Comments | People (Interviews)
A year ago, not many people involved with ski mountaineering and backcountry skiing knew Julie Matteau, except her touring friends and a couple of work related contacts. That is not the case anymore. Getting ready for a transition at one of the races. Last season, Julie became the... 
» Tags: Julie Matteau, Pierra Menta, Revelstoke, Rogers Pass, Ski Mountaineering World Championships

Buying backcountry skiing, alpine touring and avalanche safety gear
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 | 4 Comments | Gear, Tech & Food, Tips, Tricks & Advice
This article is from a series on “How to start backcountry skiing and alpine touring?”. Visit the link to see an outline of all the topics. Now that you skied off piste in knee deep powder with your friends and learnt some very useful things in the avalanche safety course,... 
» Tags: altimeter watch, avalanche safety

Canada snow report: Rockies, Selkirks, Yukon, Coast
Fri, Oct 9, 2009 | No Comments | Trip Reports & Conditions
Early season snow report from the Canadian mountains says that some already ski, some are very close, and some are still riding bikes and hiking. After receiving couple of emails with snow conditions from various places a friend of mine suggested it would be good to write it up in... 

Vertical climbing speed: Ski mountaineering vs Uphill running vs Slope angle (vs Gear weight)
Wed, Oct 7, 2009 | 17 Comments | Skimo Racing, Tips, Tricks & Advice
How does vertical speed compare between different mountain sports? And how does slope angle affect that speed? These are very interesting questions to which no one has an absolute answer for. I am going to take a shot at it while relying on my knowledge and experience in both ski... 
» Tags: Grouse Grind, Kilian Jornet, Sebastian Selas, slope angle, vertical speed

Mount Baker Ski Area gets snow
Sun, Oct 4, 2009 | No Comments | Trip Reports & Conditions
There is about 5-15cm of snow on various aspects at Mt Baker Ski Area. Not quite enough to really ski, however, there were some brave snowboard and ski tracks. Yesterday, Oct 3, I drove up the Mt Baker Ski Area road to do some hiking. As I got higher it became very obvious that my... 
» Tags: Mount Baker, Mount Baker Ski Area, Mount Shuksan

World Cup 2010 racing calendar: Canadians compete
Thu, Oct 1, 2009 | 1 Comment | Skimo Racing
World Cup ski mountaineering racing calendar for 2009/2010 season made it out couple of weeks ago. Highlight of the season will definitely be Ski Mountaineering World Championships 2010 in Andorra that will that place during the first week of March. See or download the complete World... 
» Tags: Patrouille des Glaciers, Pierra Menta, Ski Mountaineering World Championships