Satellite Trail

A long shutter exposure shows the trail of a satellite across the sky. The Pleiades star cluster and (I think), Venus, are visible in the lower left-hand corner of the photo (click on thumbnail for better view).

Polartec Neoshell "Soft"? The real game changer?

Out of the box and onto the ice. The first Neoshell "Soft" garments from NWAlpine.

NWAlpinist Salopettes and a Big 4climbing jacket.





Last fall we were having a discussion here aboutsoft shells as I was trying to source garments for an up coming review. I had used the Westcomb Polartec Neoshell Apoc hard shell jacketand had been impressed with the performance in every condition. Other Neoshell "hard shell" garments followed. All equally impressive for performance as a hard shell that had a little stretch added. They did breath well. No doubt about that!



The first I heard of the newest Neoshell "soft" was from a reader here at CT. Not believing the comments actually I searched out the only two garments that were being produced at the time, one from Marmot and the other from Mammut.



I seldom really try to get garments for review and tests. But these two I REALLY did try to obtain but to no success. No pro deals, no freebees or demo loans were going to happen. And at $400 and $500 retail per garment I was stuck. No money for this one! I didn't have the money for that kind of test on something I really figured wasn't going to be all that impressive anyway. Love the blog and finding new groovy gear for my on use but throwing down close to agrand in short order wasn't going to happen.



Little did I know. (which seems to happen on a regular basis writing a climbing gear blog)



After giving up on the usual suspects for getting any deal on the newest Neoshell I went to the source. Polartec of course! RA you know who you are and I want to sincerely "THANK YOU!"

Best "new" product for imo.



In short order a couple of yards of the newest material, I like to call it Neoshell "Soft" was on the way to my "local tailor", Bill Amos the owner of NWAlpine. No clue what this stuff is really called.

My reasoning behind my manic behavior (this time) was I wanted a warmer pair of NWAlpinist Salopettes. Way more a "want" thing than a a "need" thing in this case. And to be honest I wasn't expecting much. I have lots of nice climbing pants. And they reall yare warm enough. What else was I going to get to play with?MWA'sclimbing specific jacket called the "Big 4" was sew up with Neoshell SOFT at the same time. In this casewhat I got was atotal surprise!



Here is a short comment prior to a full review and comparison coming in April.



"Compared to the three versions of Arcteryx pant fabrics and the current NW Apline fabric the Neoshell SOFT is the warmest and most breathable but least stretchy. But it is just stretchy enough for pants, salopettes ora shell top. And as tough or tougher than most fabrics I have mentioned and not any heavier. May be not the best material for warmer weather use though from what I have witnessed so far. But then again smart garment design work would solve that problem as well I suspect.



My NWA salopettes are 1# 6oz in the NWAlpine fabric which Arcteryx also uses. It is a lwt to mid weight very stretchy fabric which isn't very durable in the long run. Same salopette is 1# 5oz in the Neoshell soft which is much warmer, water proof, very breathable and no question more durable.

And I find the Neo Soft more comfortable to wear.



I have both a NWA Big Four Jacket and the Alpinist Salopettes in the Neoshell SOFT and will be doing a full review and comparison on the blog in April after the next trip north.



Short version? The Neoshell SOFT garments are changing the way I dress for winter climbing and the physical comfort level while doing so. All while wearing less and being better protected from any weather.



And it was not easy to get me off that dime.



Big claims I know but true to date. I have used a few of the current state of the art soft shell tops. And 3 of thehard shell Neoshell garments and been impressed with all ofthem, Currently I think the Neoshell SOFT is THE fabric that will change how we dress for cold weather climbing.



More to come in April.








NWAlpinist Salopettes in Neoshell "Soft" and lovin them









Both versions of the NWAlpinist Salopettes on the walkin.

Patagonia Nano Puff Pull Over?

This is a great piece of clothing but up front I am not a big fan of Patagonia. I think they are over priced, and the fit is generally terrible. The fit has always been off...and nothing seems to have changed in 30 years. Arcteryx is a good comparison...high priced but a great fit in almost every single piece of clothing they make. The Atom Lt is one of my favorite pieces of cold weather clothing because of the fit.








Atom Lt in the Icefields in Nov.


I bought two of the Nano Puff Pullovers on sale this winter. One for a buddy's BD present and one for myself. If I had known just how good they were I might have given my buddy a decent bottle of wine instead of the Nano!



The best thing I can say about Patagonia is they have a stellar warranty and refund policy. So no question what you buy will either live up to your satisfaction or you can get you money back or do an exchange. I've done both in the past but generally stay away from Patagonia clothing because of fit.



In the last year I have had two different pairs of Micro puff pants...neither size fit. One of the other pieces from Patagonia I used this winter was the Hooded Down Sweater. Which I liked a lot except for the fact t was down.



I wouldn't be writing this one up if I didn't think the Nano Puff wastrulya stellar piece of kit.



Like almost any light weight piece of clothing I use the Nano Puff as part of my layering system. With the Nano it is generally used as a wind shell orover layer. When it is warm enough I'll use it as an wind and insulation layer over a thinR1 hoody or collaredR1 layer. The R1s are another excellentpiece of kit from Patagonia. They also fit much better than the norm.









Nano Puff Pull over used with aR1 pullover.



In cold weather I'll use the Nano Puff as a wind shell and additional insulation layer over an Arcteryx Atom Lt hoody. Awesome combo that gives me 100g/m worth of insulation while still keeping the extra breathability of the Atom Lt side and under arm panels. Easy combo to climb technical ground with.










-20C and windy @ 10K feet...a Atom Lt Hoody used with aNano Puff as the wind shell layer.







There were only a couple of clothing items I wore almost every day in Chamonix late this winter and into spring. We had temps of 0 and -25C between storms and brilliant sunshine. The Nano Puff pullover was one of the few pieces of clothing I had with me that was versatile enough to use at both ends of the temperature extremes.







Sadly the Pull Over version doesn't fit me the same as the full zip or hooded full zip. The Pull over is the only one that I think fits well enough to buy. I'd own one of each of the others if they did actually fit. Even in my XL size this pull over jacket packs up super small and adds way more warmth than expected for the thickness of the insulation. I really like climbing in this rig. It breaks the wind and adds enough insulation to make even a cold day in the sun super fun. At the moment I own one...the bright greenshown here. But it won't bejust one for long. They don't take the abuse of rock or sharp objects well. Next time I get the chance I'll find and buyanother on sale. This is a piece of clothing anyone can use and one worth throwing in the pack anytime you head above treeline.




Not many pieces of clothing I get really excited about. The Nano Puff and the Atom Lt make an unbeatable combination for alpine climbing...and other fun, cold weatherthings as well!

USCG Cutter "Alder"

On my way home today I glanced out over the lake and saw a boat coming through the Susie Islands.... I pulled over and grabbed my camera and attached the telephoto lens. When I looked through the camera and zoomed in on the boat, I could see that it was the United States Coast Guard cutter "Alder", coming from the direction of Thunder Bay. I snapped a few images then went home. Upon some quick research on the internet, I learned that the Alder had gone up to Thunder Bay to break ice for some ships that were still active up there. The Samuel Risley, a Canadian ice breaker that normally handles ice duty in the Thunder Bay harbor, was already busy in Sault St. Marie. How nice of the Alder crew to head up from Duluth and help out in Thunder Bay! When I saw the boat passing through the Susie Islands it was on its way back to Duluth to break ice for the last couple of ships of the season.

Peace Lilly

My Mother's Peace Lilly is blooming and I wanted to share. It's so beautiful... and appropriate for today, I think.

The Badlands

I have been to the Badlands in South Dakota a few times now, and with each visit I enjoy the area even more. My previous trips were just quick "through-visits" on my way home from other travels out west. This time, however, I was able to spend almost two full days in the area. I arrived in Badlands National Park after spending the day traveling through the Pine Ridge Reservation and visiting Wounded Knee. The whole area is beautiful and I can only imagine what it must look like in the summer, when things are a little 'greener'. The grasses everywhere were still quite brown, nothing had really greened up yet.



As I arrived in the Badlands I started noticing a lot of standing water in the low-lying areas along the side of the road, and some patches of snow here and there. When I got to the park's visitor center the staff informed me that they had quite a bit of moisture in the past couple of weeks, in the form of both rain and snow. Consequently, there were lots of puddles and in some places larger pools of water. In the larger pools, choruses of frogs were croaking and singing to their heart's content. These pockets of water really made the visit interesting for photographs, as I was able to make several exposures of the hills of the badlands reflected in these pools of water.

While making the image above, about half an hour after sunset, a car pulled up alongside mine on the side of the road. A voice came from the window... "Great spot, huh?" I turned and voiced my agreement, then got up (I had been sitting on the ground with my tripod set low to get the above shot) and walked over to the car to chat some more. The friendly voice in the car belonged to Carl Johnson, who is currently the artist-in-residence at Badlands National Park. As it turned out, he's a photographer, too. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska but explained that he was a guide for a while in the Boundary Waters, up the Gunflint Trail. I said "No kidding... I'm from Grand Portage." To which he responded "I used to work as a security guard in the Grand Portage Casino during the winter, in between my summer guiding job." What a small world! It turns out he worked at the casino back when I was managing the marina in Grand Portage. At any rate, we had a nice visit and we swapped website information. If you'd like to visit Carl's site, go to http://www.carljohnsonphoto.com/ and if you'd like to see his work from the Badlands, click on the "Blog" link at the top of his main website page. He has some nice work, and its worth a bit of your time to visit his site.

(Above: My car's shadow on the painted hills of the Badlands....)

Tomorrow, I head for home. The Badlands marks the last of my "tourist" stops for this trip. I am staying in Duluth tomorrow night, and tuesday night I am scheduled to give a slide show and a talk about my trip and my photography in general to the Duluth-Superior Camera Club. Hopefully they will like what I have to share!

REI Fall Glove..a best buy.

In the climbing pictures on the last two blog posts I am using REIs "Fall" glove. It is an well insulated, light weight soft shell, with a combo synthetic and leather palm and fingers. Easy to place screws and rap with. Even though I generally prefer a full leather palm on my climbing gloves. And a bit less bulk. These are a bit bulky in my Nomic grip until usedsomeand the insulation in the palm is compacted...which took a couple of days. And hopefully they will compact just a tiny bit more. My guess is they will and end up being a "perfect fit". And one of my first choices when I need a little extra warmth.



So far they have stayeddry and exceptionally warm which I really appreciate in a high dagger on alpine snice with cold drysnow over it. The cuff isn't very long or very tight but worked well over both a hard shell and alone with asoft shell while on everything from wet grade 3 to 4+ water and then cold snow over alpine ice. I was impressed as I had my gloves on and off at least a hundred times taking photos and sorting gear over the weekend. Perfect way generally to soak your gloves quite quickly.









I shook the Fall out every time before putting them back on. That helpedprotect them from adding unwanted moisture internally by getting the snow and ice out early. So did the gloves ability to dry with just my hand's body heat while I was wearing them.



They cost me $40 on sale. $60 retail, which I would likely pay if I really had to. No refund on the coop dividend with that $40 price. But I feel like they have already paid for themselves with warm and dry hands every minute I used them so far. That is never an easy job no matter the glove's price point. I have other gloves that are more (some a lot more) than twice the price of the REI "FALL", that I know wouldn't have kept me as warm or as dry in the same circumstances.



REI sez:



Soft-shell REI Fall gloves

• Waterproof, windproof and breathable REI Elements® inserts help keep hands dry and warm on snowy days


• Polyfill synthetic insulation provides extra warmth


• Soft-shell exteriors offer good dexterity; polyurethane palms with leather patches grip well


• REI Fall gloves have a slim wrist design that fits under jacket cuffs to seal out cold air (and it is much better than it sounds)

Special care

My sister's miniature rose.



My sister, demonstrating the special care needed for the rose (nothing).

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I can't remember if she didn't know the name, or if I just forgot to ask. Maybe she will email or comment and let me know.

More Tractor Work

Into the Ice Cave

Here is one of my favorite ice shots from this weekend. This "ice cave" was actually the hole in Hollow Rock, at Hollow Rock Resort in Grand Portage, MN. The hole was absolutely FULL of icicles, and was fascinating to photograph.

Sadness

On an incredibly somber note, the Seattle climbing community and Mount Rainier climbing program were rocked this week with the loss of a very close friend. While warming up for larger climbs in the Alaska Range, our friend fell to her death descending Mount Wake. At this time, we're withholding many of details until her husband can be notified. The press has picked up on the accident, as have many of the chat rooms (ST, CC); all are honoring the request for privacy until proper notification can be made. I'll post more information about the incident and this incredible person when the time is right. Here is picture of Mt. Wake provided by Mark Westman.

Gourd in Tree

the morning glories weren't the only vine that grew up into a tree. I had a gourd vine grow up into one of my redbud trees. I knew the vine was growing up the tree but hadn't seen any gourd on it. The tree leaves hid the little gourds so well I didn't see them until they were quite large. About a foot tall. I hope the tree can handle the weight. They look like odd decorations hanging in the tree - about 5 in all. And I have about 20 more growing on the ground where they belong.

Last Woman Standing

Pushing my bike uphill, I am high off the ground and high on happiness.




"Look, look! I can stand out of the saddle!"




My riding companion's face registers confusion, then bewildered comprehension.




"Oh my God. You mean all this time you couldn't?!"

"Nope!"




Funny that she hadn't noticed - although many people I ride with don't seem to notice my deficiencies in cycling skills; I guess I find ways to disguise them. But privately I remain acutely aware of those deficiencies. And ever since I started riding as an adult, I've been trying to master this particular "skill" - something most riders seem to take for granted as just being part of riding a bike. Standing up when a gear feels too high is simply the natural thing to do for them. Pedal sitting, pedal standing, what's the difference?




For me there was a big difference. Since childhood, I've had problems with balance and proprioception (the awareness of one's body in space), both of which made riding a bike in anything but a rudimentary manner seem unattainable. 4 years ago, I could hardly swing a leg over a top tube without toppling over. But my irrational love of cycling made me persistent. Things are much better now than they used to be, to the point that I can almost pass for "normal" on a roadbike - all the more reason my few remaining difficulties are so frustrating.




So what was the problem getting out of the saddle?.. The physical memory is disappearing now, but try to imagine this: Whenever I'd try to stand up, I would lose the sense of where I was in relation to both the bike and the ground. Not only did I have no intuitive notion of how to hold my body up when no longer seated, but I'd start to experience general disorientation and mild vertigo. Not surprisingly, these sensations would make me anxious, which in turn made the whole thing worse; a vicious cycle.Verbal instructions from well-meaning riding companions did not help. This was obviously just something I needed to work on myself. And I did keep trying.




But the first break-through came when I wasn't trying at all. It was a couple of months ago. I was riding an Xtracycle Radishone day, up a gentle hill. Just before I was about to reach the top, I stood up and leaned forward instead of downshifting. My mind was elsewhere and the whole thing was unintentional; it just happened. After I realised what I'd done, I was so happy I almost had to pull over on the side of the road to laugh or cry or something. My mind was blown!I tried it again later, this time intentionally. It was not quite as natural as the first time. I was jerky in my movements and my legs grew tired quickly,but for a few pedal strokes at a time it worked.




Several days later came the 300K brevet. I was losing time on a long climb, and in a moment of frustration I tried standing up again so that I could push a bigger gear. This did not feel the same as it did on the Xtracycle and I nearly fell off my bike. After that I decided to give my standing attempts a little rest.




And I did, until one day - on my roadbike in Northern Ireland - it "just happened" again on its own. I simply stood up, absent-mindedly on a short hill. This time I decided to harness whatever impulse had enabled me to do this. Continuing to ride on rolling terrain I stood up again and again, rather than switching gears, until I began to trust that I could do it. After a week of this, I was no longer hesitant or nervous to stand up at will.




A few days ago I pedaled over to County Tyroneto visit a friend. It was a 100 mile day with around 6,000 feet of climbing over the "shoulders" of the Sperrins mountain range. I stood up whenever I wanted, and finally, in the course of this ride, it began to feel as I imagine it's felt to other riders all along - normal.




One thing I realise now, is that in addition to whatever balance issues were involved, another problem was weak legs. At first my legs would start to quiver after just a short time out of the saddle; I felt like one of those newborn colts learning to walk. On a serious hill, I still get worn out quickly when standing. So even though thebalance and proprioceptionproblems are gone, I continue to practice just to develop more leg strength. And finesse. At the moment, my technique is not exactly elegant. I don't throw the bike from side to side needlessly, but my pedal strokes are jerky and awkward compared to how I pedal seated.




As my last two years of roadcycling have shown, it is possible to do even long distance rides without ever standing out of the saddle. And there are, after all, experienced riders who simply prefer not to stand. I do not know whether I am one of them yet. But once I form a preference, it will be exactly that - a preference, and not a limitation.

Holiday company

We had visitors over the long Thanksgiving weekend.



They weren't very sociable though.



They kept to themselves a lot.



And were a bit stand-offish at times.



They had a little tussle right in front of us.



A handsome family, though.



It was hard to pick a favorite portrait.

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River otter, Lontra canadensis or Lutra canadensis.

Still raining

The only problems with all this rain... a dirty dog and a grassy garden.

Oh yeah, and the yard can't be mowed because it hasn't dried out yet.

But I'm not complaining.

There won't be any such thing as "too much rain" for quite a while - we're still something like 20 inches below normal rainfall for the year.

Jonas Joslin :: 1840 Ohio Census

Several years ago I found Jonas Joslin in the 1840 census in Delaware County, Ohio - by viewing the microfilm and looking through all of the pages for Liberty Township. Luckily there are only a few pages for Liberty Township.

A recent search of the online index at ancestry.com for the 1840 Ohio census for "Josl*" turned up eight results. Jonas Joslin was not among them and there was no "Joslin" family listed in Delaware County, Ohio.

Jonas Joslin is indexed as 'Jonas Joflin' in the ancestry index. I finally found him in the index by searching for first name of Jonas and last name blank in Delaware County, Ohio. A correction has been submitted to ancestry to aid others in finding him.


Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio - Page ?? I have "30" written in my notes, probably from the microfilm. The ancestry image has "0100" stamped along the right side. There is "186" written in the upper right corner but it is crossed through. It is Image 3 of 6 for Liberty Township.

In the 1850 census, Jonas Sr. is listed as head of the household with Jonas Jr. and his family in residence. Based on that, I've made the assumption that in 1840, Jonas Sr. was the head of household and Jonas Jr. and his family resided with him. But I could be wrong ;-) Ruth, the wife of Jonas Sr. had passed away on August 27, 1830.

The probable household of Jonas Joslin in 1840:

• 1 male under 5 [1836-1840... William, son of Jonas Jr., born 1836]
• 1 male 10-14 [1826-1830... John, son of Jonas Jr., born 1828]
• 1 male 30-39 [1801-1810... Jonas Jr. born 1807]
• 1 male 60-69 [1771-1780... Jonas, Sr. born 1769]
• 3 females 5-9 [1831-1835... 3 daughters of Jonas Jr., Lucretia, Nancy and Jane]
• 2 females 30-39 [1801-1810... Fanny, daughter of Jonas Sr., born 1810, and Lucy, wife of Jonas Jr., born 1807]

Gunks Routes: No Glow (5.9)

(Photo: My partner A just above the crux on the 5.9 pitch two of No Glow.)

Not far past the Arrow wall, just before CCK, No Glow occupies a part of the Trapps that is crowded with classics. Dick Williams gives the route two stars in his latest guidebook, but it seems to me it is a bit less popular than it ought to be. I reckon this is for two reasons: (1) the first pitch is only 5.4, and (2) the second, crux pitch begins with some R-rated climbing. But these issues shouldn't deter you; No Glow is a really fun climb. Pitch one involves good, typical 5.4-5.5 Gunks face climbing. Pitch two is outstanding. I recommend the route highly, but as you will see, I think it will be better for you if you climb with double/half ropes.

The main challenge with pitch one is finding the correct start. If you walk down the carriage road to the distinctive Andrew boulder, the next blazed trail up the talus will take you directly to the base of CCK. Walk climber's left around the large right-facing corner and continue past another prominent left-facing corner system that ascends all the way to the GT ledge (this is the Moonlight corner). It is another thirty or forty feet to the base of No Glow. Look above, at least halfway to the GT Ledge, for an obvious jutting right-facing flake that forms an overhang. Then look down beneath this flake for blocks stacked against the wall about 30 or 40 feet off the ground. Below these stacked blocks is the start of No Glow, up a ramp-like set of features to the blocks.

The start has no pro for 15 or 20 feet. You can see from the ground where your first pro will be; there are good cam placements there. The climbing to this point is quite easy, but it might unnerve a new leader to go so far before the first gear placement. Once you reach the stacked blocks my recommendation is to leave them alone. You may be tempted to place gear in the cracks amongst these blocks but there is no reason to do so; there is a good crack for pro on the wall to the right. It is also just as easy to climb the route without touching them. From the blocks you should aim for the flake, following your nose up the wall past numerous horizontals. There is a horizontal pretty much wherever you might want one, and numerous ways to climb; I tend to meander a little, following the opportunities for placing gear. Getting past the flake is not difficult, but in my opinion it is the steep crux of the pitch. Once over the flake head pretty much straight up to the big oak tree/rappel station on the GT ledge.

Pitch two begins just to the left, in the prominent left-facing corner. Climb into the corner and then traverse out right beneath the overhang around the outside corner and onto the main face, with your feet just above the first lip. This is the part of the pitch that Williams describes as rated 5.5 R, but I don't think it really is if you use double ropes. There is a bomber vertical crack at the back of the corner for pro. If you place gear here with a long runner you won't create a ton of drag and you'll be protected just fine for the first insecure step of the traverse. After this first step the traverse is much easier, with no worries around the outside corner to the face. Once on the main face I would immediately place pro using my OTHER rope so as not to create an ocean of drag.

After the fun traverse, the climbing steepens up a shallow dihedral to the roof crux. There's a pin and a good crack for pro here. Then pull the overhang (think undercling and a long reach), clip the second pin, and make a smeary step up to a good stance. Pretty easy for 5.9. The rest of the way you'll find good, thoughtful but easier climbing to the top on marble-like rock similar to what you experience on the nearby Arrow wall.

Your double ropes will also be helpful with No Glow's descent. There are rap rings at the top on steel cables around trees. I believe you can make it to the GT ledge with a single 60 meter rope rap from here, but from the GT Ledge to the ground requires two ropes. If you only have a single, walk climber's right on the GT Ledge around the corner to the tree above the first pitch of CCK. From this tree one a single 60 meter rope will get you to the ground. Or from the top of the cliff walk climber's left to the Arrow bolts (two raps with a single) or climber's right to the bolts at Ken's Blind Hole (three raps with a single).

The skinny on the up coming CT ski reviews?

Heli turns bitd


If someone had told me I would have the interest in writing a ski review on Cold Thistle a couple of years ago I'd have laughed. "No way in hell!"



A couple ofreasons for that. I really don't have that much interest in skis or ski gear. The other is I don't have the technical knowledge to do as good of job at it as I would like.



But...just as my original hunt for a good "climbing down jacket" ended up starting this blog and the gear reviews. My hunt for a decent ski for my own use has convinced me to write down what I have been learning over the past few seasons about skis (boots and bindings as well)and go back to the base of knowledge I gained in the early '70s through mid '80s on ski technology working in shops as a mechanic and boot fitter. I am not trying to apply the old knowledge base to thecurrent technology andcrop of skis.



My typical answer when questioned about skisin the last decade or so has been, "they are fine..they turn left and they turn right". Some thought I was actually joking,,,I wasn't. Skis are simply tools to me. It helps to know the tool you need and to be able to choose the right tool asrequired. But it is apoor craftsman that blames failure on his tools.A couple of winters ago I got an awakening that my unused ski skills had degraded to an embarrassing level as had my ability to judge what really was "good ski gear" for my own use.






Pulling off an ill fitting ski boot high on the Vallee Blanche.




Funny now that I think back on the time I spent skiing. All the info here on Cold Thistle about climbing boots? The foundation of that info is based on what I learned and know about ski boots. Early on my skinnyfeet were ridiculously hard to fit in a ski boot. I had simply forgottenwhere it all started for me about how important a good boot fit really was until recently. That in itself surprises and inspires me.



My first three pair of plastic ski boots from the late 60's and early '70s. The ones prior were leather!






Lange Pro





Lange Comp





Lange Comp










My last pair of Langes, The Banshee,1973


I first saw a pair of Dynafit TLT Performance boots at the OR show several years ago. Then again as they first became available in the Chamonix shops. I scoffed at the $1000 price tag at OR and again in Chamonix. By that spring I was desperate to own a pair. Now? The TLT and the second generation boots (Dynafit One) that came from the original TLT idea are my favorite boots for more than just skiing. As acrossover forski mountaineering andice climbing they are exceptional boots for the amount of control you can have while skiing in them. In a lot of ways the TLTreminds me of the old Scott Superlight series of boots actually. I had a buddy thatadded a Vibram sole to his and climbed in them as well.








Jeff on steep ice with a TLT.







And I would eventually find all sorts of uses for my ownTLTs.


What I didn't realise at the time is just how import the skis would/had become and just how different the skis designs were now. If I am going to be an advocate of ski mountaineering and the use of ski boots to climb technical ground with,I had better square away a few thoughts on skis as well.



I founda few of us out herelooking for the same things or very close to it in skis. If you have a mountaineering back groundthe current rando race gear is going to have some appeal. If you learned to ski (as most do) at a lifted served ski area you are likely looking at good down hill performance as well. I want a good skis on a groomed slope as well as off piste when in really bad snow conditions.

All that is possible btw.



My bet is with a similar back ground we have all been looking at similar skis. To that point I'll eventually be writing up reviews on the skis I have been on in the last couple of seasons.



Most importantly the choice in ski is as individual or may be even more so than a well fitting pair of climbing boots. What works for me you might hate. Or the other way around...which is what got me started looking for a "better" ski in the first place.



How a ski performs depends on so many things, your ability, your own boots and the snow conditions. So you will see a lot of back ground info and detailson each ski test (mine and others).



The idea here is to get you into a ski you will enjoy for your own purposes not sell you any particular ski. If you happen to have the similargear, physical attributes and skill set as Dave Searle, Jerry Johnsonor myself, lucky you! If not hopefully you'll be able to glean enough info from the reviews to at least get started in the right directionon a decent ski choice for your own use.



But I can tell you quite clearly the gear available now will enable a decent skier to easily..as in really easily...ski terrain and snow conditions that even a decadeor two ago was unrealistic for anyone but an expert, very experienced skier. There are some down sides to that fact...like the need for more snow, avalanche and forecasting knowledge. The knowledge is now required because the newest skis have opened up so much more terrain to less experienced skiers. It is a double edged sword. You can ski more places easily. But you can also get yourself killed a lot quicker as well by making a bad choice in the wrong snow conditions.



Oh, and you poor bastards on snow boards? If you want to climb and explore the back country? Get a pair of skis :-) You'll go farther, faster and with less effort in places you simply can't go on a snow board. Same places you would also behard pressed on a split board. More on that subject at some point as well.