For the majority of the winter I have been touring in the Ortovox Tour Rider 30. Ultimately it’s a well thought out design that rides well but it did have a couple small quirks I’ll share in my review.
As always let’s start with the manufacture description and specs before digging into the details.
Description
The Tour Rider 30 is the ideal backpack for long day tours. In addition to a separate safety compartment, the backpack is also equipped with ski and snowboard fastenings, front and rear access to the main compartment and an ice axe and hiking pole fastening. As with all ORTOVOX backpacks, the Tour Rider 30 has an integrated signal whistle and chest strap. The body-hugging cut, the load control cords in combination with the foam back and ergonomic straps make this the perfect backpack.
Features
Chest strap with signal whistle
Ice axe and hiking pole loops
Bright Inside
Water-resistant zipper
Separate safety compartment
Helmet net
Access to main compartment: front
Hip pocket
A-Skifix
D-Skifix
Compression strap
Hydration system compatible
Access to main compartment: back
Specs
WEIGHT2 lb.
MATERIAL450D Polyester + 600D Polyester
Touring up the west side of Mount Washington on an epic east coast powder day, photo by @cfphotography
Now let’s look at some opinions on this model!
What I love
Access
This pack has a front panel that allows almost complete access to every nook and cranny in the main compartment but if what you are looking for is tucked away at the very bottom the whole back panel zips open for total access.
Comfort
The foam panels in the back panel and the gel-like closed cell foam used in both the shoulder straps and waist belt is the perfect material for helping this pack carry well on long up tracks. The pack rides a little high on me which worked well when I was using it with a ski mountaineering harness.
Lightweight and Streamlined
Weighing only 2 pounds and having tapered sides and bottom this pack has that “bullet” feel to it and is unlikely to get caught while bushwhacking your way into the next drainage in search of fresh lines.
The author chases powder while testing the Ortovox Tour Rider 30 Backpack
What I would change
There is a small zippered pocket on the top that at first appears to be a goggle pocket but isn’t fleece lined or quite big enough for a pair of goggles. I used it to keep my headlamp, knife, and a few snacks handy but I’d like the option to stow my goggles in that area. The avalanche gear storage is a bit interesting on this pack. The probe and shovel handle have dedicated slots inside on the back panel while the shovel blade fits best in a zippered pocket on the outside of the pack. I prefer to keep my tools all in one spot and generally lean towards external avalanche safety gear pockets (like on the Ortovox Haute Route that I am also reviewing) that do not require accessing the main compartment to remove or stow.
Summary
For short to medium length back-country ski tours this is a really nice option. Small enough to be useful for side-country touring and big enough to stretch into a full day tour this is a solid choice in a line up of well designed Ortovox packs and one you should consider taking a look at!
Disclaimer: Affiliate links help support this blog. Author is a DPS and Revo ambassador and Ortovox Athlete and has received product support from these companies.
This winter I extensively tested 3 of the best lightweight climbing skins available. Each skin was tested in variable conditions from super cold snow (-11 degrees Celsius) to Spring corn (0 degrees Celsius). Testing included steep skinning up to 30 degrees head on to kick turning up 40 degree terrain. Most testing occurred on Mount Washington and in the Tröllaskagi Penisula, Iceland. To better compare glide and grip I often went out with one model on one ski and another model on the other. Below are my opinions on these models.
This is the lightest and most pack-able model I tested. Installing the toe clip is a little involved but I was able to do it in less than 30 minutes. The 65% mohair and 35% nylon blend strikes a solid balance between grip and glide and I didn’t notice any issues with either characteristic. The glue is super sticky and when redeploying after folding them together it took a little more effort to separate the skins but not enough to be worthy of a negative mark. They are the softest and most fold-able skins I tested which make them extremely pack-able. The STS tail was very secure but I decided to trim the rubber adjustment belt as it felt overly long.
Right out of the box I love how these come in custom lengths and needed no adjusting to fit my skis. The included G3 Trim Tool is a work of art and the only tool I use to trim skins. These had the best glide in cold temps and fair grip in challenging skinning conditions. The glue iced up a little on a couple tours but they were still fully functional throughout. The tip connector is probably the best out there as it self adjusts to fit the shape of your tip perfectly. The tail connector however is my least favorite part of these skins as it would pop off my rocked DPS Wailer 99’s repeatedly. I’ll most likely remove it next season and use these without a tail connector or order a twin tip connector kit.
Pros: Out of the box fit, excellent glide in cold snow
Contour uses a 70/30 mohair/nylon mix in their hybrid skins that require the tip clip to be installed before use, much like the Black Diamond skins. Set-up took less than 30 minutes. These had the best grip of the three models I tested but less glide (that’s usually the toss up with skins). Both the tip and tail connectors were very secure and the glue performed well in all test runs. I did notice a very strong odor from these skins the first few times I used them that is finally starting to abate.
Pros: Best grip, coolest graphic!
Cons: Less glide than others tested, but not a deal breaker!
Weight* 582 grams
Author ripping Contour Hybrid Climbing Skins before descending Karlsarfjall 988m peak in Northern Iceland, photo by Brent Doscher
Summary
So which ones are right for you? I found all three to be great for the category but it comes down to what you want most out of a climbing skin.
A few days ago I returned from an amazing ski trip to the Tröllaskagi peninsula in northern Iceland. Six days of ski touring was more than enough to make me fall in love with this amazing country and I cannot wait to return! I’d like to share some tips for planning your own backcountry ski trip to this enchanting country. I’m also a stickler for planning and will include my detailed personal gear list for this trip with comments on what worked and what didn’t. Hopefully this will help you plan your own adventure to the land of the vikings!
General Information
So much is out there! Get an idea of what the country is about on Wikipedia then head over to the following websites for more ideas:
While I love online resources when it comes to international travel I really like getting a physical travel guide. The Lonely Planet: Iceland is a few years newer (2015) than the competition so that is the one I picked up.
Emergency Phone Number in Iceland is 112!
Lonely Planet- Iceland photo from Amazon.com
Flight Info
Flying to Iceland
There are two airlines servicing US passengers to Iceland, Iceland Air and the relatively new budget airline WOW Air which started operating flights out of the Keflavík International Airport (KEF) hub in 2012. On the surface WOW Air seams to be a great value but you should factor in some of the additional charges they add that are included with Iceland Air.
While flights from Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) can run as little as $99.99 US one-way on WOW Air you need to consider the $106 extra in baggage fees that would be included when price shopping. Also Iceland Air includes non-alcoholic beverages and free WiFi while WOW charges $3 USD for any 8 ounce non-alcoholic beverage including water!
My opinion of WOW Air was damaged by the fact that they failed to load one of our parties ski bags on to our flight and were less than helpful locating it after we arrived. Luckily the ski bag was found at BOS when we returned to the states but not after our group member incurred expensive ski rental charges. It is our opinion that WOW Air customer service did not try to locate and ship the ski bag on any subsequent flights.
UPDATE April 2018: 4/6 of our team this year flew WOW Air this last trip and 3/4 did not have their skis arrive with their plane. 2 pairs arrived later in the day and the 3rd pair took 3 days to arrive in country. I would not fly WOW Air with skis. Ever.
I booked this latest trip on Iceland Air through Travelocity at substantial savings, cheaper than I could find on Iceland Air’s own website! I also was not charged for my ski bag on both flights for some reason! My traveling partner was charged on his returnb trip unfortunately so you should budget $80 for round-trip skis if pre-booked.
Regardless of which airline you choose the best way to get a solid deal is to subscribe to both of their email lists from their websites here and here. If you select seats on the left side of the plane you might enjoy some views of Greenland about halfway through your flight!
Cell Service
Even the most remote areas on the western side of the country seemed to have pretty good cell service. As a Verizon customer I was able to activate “Travel Pass” at $10/day which allowed me to use my unlimited data plan to access the internet, stream music, video, and GPS directions the entire trip.
Getting to Akureyri
From Keflavík International Airport (KEF) which is a few minutes outside of the capital city of Reykjavík you can either take a short flight (45 minutes) on Iceland Air for about $200 USD, bus, or rent a car and enjoy the scenic 5 hour drive. To get around the northern part of the island a rental car is the way to go. I’d suggest an SUV at around $35-$45/day. It takes about a full tank of gas to get to Akureyri which will cost about $120 USD to fill up. Yes, gas is very expensive, so consider getting 4 people per car to save some $$$!
GPS is really not needed for navigation as it is quite simple to get on Route 1 (The Loop Road) and follow it north to Akureyri. Roof boxes are an optional expense but might not be big enough for full size skis so if you are 2-3 skiers per vehicle you can save some money by putting down one of the back seats and easily fitting 3 ski bags inside the vehicle. If you are 4 to a vehicle make sure you request the largest of roof boxes!
There are a ton of options in the area and Airbnb is the best place to look. We found the above pictured group lodging option about 10 minutes from downtown. There is a cool looking hostel right downtown but we liked being a little out of the hustle & bustle and having our own cabins made drying and organizing gear convenient, especially since the floors of these cabins seemed to have radiant heat (geothermal is everywhere!). Private jacuzzi’s were enjoyed every day after putting in some vertical human powered effort!
On our next trip we will explore some Airbnb options in Dalvik, Ólafsfjörður, and Siglufjörður. These towns are a bit closer to the majority of the skiing and would save some daily driving from the Akureyri area. If you want to be closer to a more happening small city though you can still get to just about all the good tour areas in 45 minutes to an hour!
The closest grocery store was a “Bónus Langholt” conveniently on the north side of Akureyri. Expect to pay about 150-200% vs. US prices for anything imported (which is almost everything that isn’t fresh vegetables, dairy, seafood or lamb. For fresh fish go to the Fish Market attached to the Bonus in upper Akureyri (easy to find on Google Maps).
Great fish market attached to the Bonus in “upper” Akureyri
There is quite a varied culinary scene in the downtown area. The one place that absolutely stood out was Noa Seafood. This place served our large group a 3 main course meal; arctic char, cod, spotted trout. Each cooked in a large skillet with fresh vegetables, potatoes, and perfect seasoning. There is no question I will return to Noa Seafood on my next visit! Slightly more affordable seafood soup can be found at Akureyri Fish and Chips.
Akureyri Nightlife- @photocait
The most important culinary experience to try while in Iceland is the hot dogs. Seriously they might be the best hot dog in the world. It’s a combination of the pork, beef, and lamp. They toast the buns. They add 2 types of onions, raw and fried, then 3 condiments the highlight of which being a delicious “remoulade” I regret not buying a bottle of before returning to the States. While the article I linked to above mentions one popular place I can assure you that the farthest gas station in northern Iceland still served up the most amazing dogs I’ve ever had. Almost everyone in our group ate 1-2 of these treats every day. No regrets. None.
Drinking in Akureyri/Iceland
Alcohol is quite expensive in Iceland. Consider packing up to one liter of your favorite spirit from the States (NH tax-free liquor stores can save you a lot of $$$). Once in country pretty much all beer, wine, and liquor is only sold in government owned alcohol stores called Vínbúðin. The stores around the capitol have these hours:
Monday 11-18
Tuesday 11-18
Wednesday 11-18
Thursday 11-18
Friday 11-19
Saturday 11-18
Sunday CLOSED
Outside of the capitol small towns will often have one of these stores but hours may be limited, with some only being open a few hours a day. All of them are closed on Sundays so plan accordingly! Expect to pay about $4-5 for a 12 ounce beer for mid-level craft beers (that’s about $30 a six-pack of 6.5% IPA). The cheapest beers (Thule, Viking line) are around 3.50 USD for 16 ounce cans.
Icelandic Beer
A number of restaurants in Akureyri have decent beer selections but the must visit place for the beer connoisseur is the R5 Beer Lounge. I’ve hit this place two years in a row and the selection is great along with Hjörvar Óli Sigurðsson (call him Oli), a most friendly and knowledgable bartender! Tell him I sent you!
The New England Style IPA, “Borealis Baby”, a collaborative brew between Borg Brewery in Reykjavík and Lamplighter Brewing Co. from Cambridge, MA was definitely one of the best beers I had in country! You can also check out this hot beer spot on Facebook here!
R5 Beer Lounge, Akureyri Iceland
Weather & Avalanche Info
The traditional ski season runs from December through April with best conditions and increasing daylight from February to mid-April. On good snow years the back-country skiing may be good through May. The best online resource I could find for current and forecast weather is here. This website also links to a fairly brief avalanche report here. It should go without saying that there is a ton of highly consequential avalanche terrain in Iceland! Bring your beacon, probe, and shovel and have the education to plan and execute safe tours!
Ski Tours
Iceland Ski Tour Map
We did all of our touring north of Dalvik and south of Ólafsfjörður mainly in the Karlsárdalur Valley. This area was recommended to us by friendly guides at Bergmenn Mountain Guides, the only IMFGA certified guide service in the country (and where our group member was able to rent a full touring set up at about $60/day). The trailhead forKarlsárdalur Valley is only 35 minutes from Akureyri and 2 minutes north of Dalvik. An often established mellow skin track takes you into this beautiful valley with a seemingly endless amount of tour options. We skied much of the south facing drainages with the most amount of time in the “third valley” on skier’s right. You can see our highpoint tour in this video and I may attach my GPS tracks here later.
The Topo map above is the best detailed map we could find at 1:50,000 scale and could be purchased from Penninn Eymundsson in downtown Akureyri. Gaia GPS works quite well too as long as you download the more detailed maps!
UPDATE 2018: I’ve added 4 ski tours from our 2018 trip HERE
Equipment
Here is my updated gear list after two trips. I will add some brief comments and links to each item:
I’ve used this for over 7 years with trips to the Washington, Nevada, and Colorado. While it is designed to hold two pairs of skis I only pack one pair and use the extra space for almost all my extra gear allowing me to only check one bag and carry on a small ski touring pack. Be sure to check max weight of ski bags for the airline you are flying (WOW airline to Iceland allows max weight of 60 lbs when you purchase a ski bag allowance).
The perfect size for day touring and ski mountaineering this pack is well designed through-out and will be my only carry-on luggage. Detailed review posting soon and will be linked here!
I’m rocking the ultralight Tour 1 model of these award winning skis but some may like the stiffer Pure 3 construction or super affordable Foundation model!
This boot is insanely comfortable on the up-track and performs quite well on the down. Not only that I can ice climb Grade 4 in them in with no issues making it an excellent ski mountaineering boot!
Simple proven design for when it gets a bit too steep for just skins but you’d prefer to not boot pack it! Snow conditions were excellent during our trip and I did not use these but they are easy added insurance for icier skinning conditions. UPDATE: April 2018 trip these came in clutch as we had generally switched to Spring conditions and ski crampons were the way to go on a few of our ascents!
My personal beacon of choice for the last 5 years, and I have used just about every beacon on the market over that time frame as an active avalanche course instructor. This item deserves an long in-depth review but that will have to wait until after Iceland!
The lightest ski mountaineering ice you can find that still has a full steel head! Perfect for when you need a bit more security than an improvised axe like the Pocket Spike or Whippet.
This thing saves some serious weight from your pack while skinning while providing excellent protection while climbing. A great ultra-light ski mountaineering option IMO.
I’m not bringing a sleeping bag as we’ve rented a house with linens but this goes with me everywhere. It’s super comfy on airplanes as a blanket and in hostels around the world. I often carry it with my bivy sack as a “just in case” option.
I’m only bring 4 spares to cover both my headlamp and avalanche beacon but this is the best deal on quality AA’s I have ever seen. Performance all winter as been as good as any high end brand name alkaline I have ever used!
Well that’s pretty much it for “gear”. Clothing is listed in the spreadsheet at the beginning and does not include a little bit of casual wear. I am bringing my beloved Aeropress and a pound of freshly ground beans from my friends at Frontside Coffee Roasters in my home town of North Conway, NH because;
Good coffee is quite expensive in Iceland
I love my Aeropress coffee first thing in the AM
I’ll link more to my clothing after the trip but as you can tell from the list above it is mostly Ortovox. They make some amazing stuff and I’ll post detailed reviews on what I’ve been using this winter soon.
Summary
Iceland is a beautiful country with incredibly friendly and helpful people. They are adjusting to the new explosion of tourism the country is experiencing and you might sense some of these growing pains from time to time. As a back-country ski touring destination it is 5 star trip and I can’t wait to return!
The author gets one more run on the way back to Reykjavík- photo by Matt Baldelli
See you in the land of the vikings,
Northeast Alpine Start
Disclaimer: Affiliate links help support this blog. Author is a DPS and Revo ambassador and Ortovox Athlete and has received product support from these companies.
A few days ago I returned from an amazing ski trip to the Tröllaskagi peninsula in northern Iceland. Six days of ski touring was more than enough to make me fall in love with this amazing country and I cannot wait to return! I’d like to share some tips for planning your own backcountry ski trip to this enchanting country. I’m also a stickler for planning and will include my detailed personal gear list for this trip with comments on what worked and what didn’t. Hopefully this will help you plan your own adventure to the land of the vikings!
While I love online resources when it comes to international travel I really like getting a physical travel guide. The Lonely Planet: Iceland is a few years newer (2015) than the competition so that is the one I picked up.
Lonely Planet- Iceland photo from Amazon.com
Flight Info
Flying to Iceland
There are two airlines servicing US passengers to Iceland, Iceland Air and the relatively new budget airline WOW Air which started operating flights out of the Keflavík International Airport (KEF) hub in 2012. On the surface WOW Air seams to be a great value but you should factor in some of the additional charges they add that are included with Iceland Air.
While flights from Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) can run as little as $99.99 US one-way on WOW Air you need to consider the $106 extra in baggage fees that would be included when price shopping. Also Iceland Air includes non-alcoholic beverages and free WiFi while WOW charges $3 USD for any 8 ounce non-alcoholic beverage including water!
My opinion of WOW Air was damaged by the fact that they failed to load one of our parties ski bags on to our flight and were less than helpful locating it after we arrived. Luckily the ski bag was found at BOS when we returned to the states but not after our group member incurred expensive ski rental charges. It is our opinion that WOW Air customer service did not try to locate and ship the ski bag on any subsequent flights.
Regardless of which airline you choose the best way to get a solid deal is to subscribe to both of their email lists from their websites here and here. If you select seats on the left side of the plane you might enjoy some views of Greenland about halfway through your flight!
Getting to Akureyri
From Keflavík International Airport (KEF) which is a few minutes outside of the capital city of Reykjavík you can either take a short flight (45 minutes) on Iceland Air for about $200 USD, bus, or rent a car and enjoy the scenic 5 hour drive. To get around the northern part of the island a rental car is the way to go. I’d suggest an SUV at around $35-$45/day. GPS is really not needed for navigation as it is quite simple to get on Route 1 (The Loop Road) and follow it north to Akureyri. Roof boxes are an optional expense but might not be big enough for full size skis so if you are 2-3 skiers per vehicle you can save some money by putting down one of the back seats and easily fitting 3 ski bags inside the vehicle. If you are 4 to a vehicle make sure you request the largest of roof boxes!
There are a ton of options in the area and Airbnb is the best place to look. We found the above pictured group lodging option about 10 minutes from downtown. There is a cool looking hostel right downtown but we liked being a little out of the hustle & bustle and having our own cabins made drying and organizing gear convenient, especially since the floors of these cabins seemed to have radiant heat (geothermal is everywhere!). Private jacuzzi’s were enjoyed every day after putting in some vertical human powered effort!
The closest grocery store was a “Bónus Langholt” conveniently on the north side of Akureyri. Expect to pay about 150% vs. US prices for anything imported (which is almost everything that isn’t fresh vegetables, dairy, seafood or lamb. There is quite a varied culinary scene in the downtown area. The one place that absolutely stood out was Noa Seafood. This place served our large group a 3 main course meal; arctic char, cod, spotted trout. Each cooked in a large skillet with fresh vegetables, potatoes, and perfect seasoning. There is no question I will return to Noa Seafood on my next visit! Slightly more affordable seafood soup can be found at Akureyri Fish and Chips.
Akureyri Nightlife- @photocait
The most important culinary experience to try while in Iceland is the hot dogs. Seriously they might be the best hot dog in the world. It’s a combination of the pork, beef, and lamp. They toast the buns. They add 2 types of onions, raw and fried, then 3 condiments the highlight of which being a delicious “remoulade” I regret not buying a bottle of before returning to the States. While the article I linked to above mentions one popular place I can assure you that the farthest gas station in northern Iceland still served up the most amazing dogs I’ve ever had. Almost everyone in our group ate 1-2 of these treats every day. No regrets. None.
Weather & Avalanche Info
The traditional ski season runs from December through April with best conditions and increasing daylight from February to mid-April. On good snow years the back-country skiing may be good through May. The best online resource I could find for current and forecast weather is here. This website also links to a fairly brief avalanche report here.
Ski Tours
Iceland Ski Tour Map
We did all of our touring north of Dalvik and south of Ólafsfjörður mainly in the Karlsárdalur Valley. This area was recommended to us by friendly guides at Bergmenn Mountain Guides, the only IMFGA certified guide service in the country (and where our group member was able to rent a full touring set up at about $60/day). The trailhead forKarlsárdalur Valley is only 35 minutes from Akureyri and 2 minutes north of Dalvik. An often established mellow skin track takes you into this beautiful valley with a seemingly endless amount of tour options. We skied much of the south facing drainages with the most amount of time in the “third valley” on skier’s right. You can see our highpoint tour in this video and I may attach my GPS tracks here later.
The Topo map above is the best detailed map we could find at 1:50,000 scale and could be purchased from Penninn Eymundsson in downtown Akureyri.
Equipment
Here is my spreadsheet style list of what I am bringing. Below I will add some brief comments and links to each item:
Item
Weight
Dakine Fall Line Double Ski Bag
8 lbs
DPS Wailer 99 Tour 1 176 cm skis with Dynafit Speed Radical 2.0 Bindings
7 lbs 6 oz
Arcteryx Procline Carbon Support Ski Mountaineering Boots, size 27/27.5
5 lbs 12 oz
Black Diamond Ultralite Mix Climbing Skins and storage sack
1 lb 4 oz
Dynafit Ski Crampons
8 oz
Black Diamond Ski Poles
1 lb 6 oz
Ortovox S1+ Beacon
8 oz
Ortovox Pro Alu Shovel
1 lb 12 oz
Ortovox Probe
10 oz
Ortovox Snow Saw
8 oz
Black Diamond Raven Pro Mountaineering Axe
15 oz
Petzl Vasak Crampons
2 lb
Petzl Sirocco Helmet
6 oz
Camp Alp Mountain Harness w/ ice clipper and storage sack
11 oz
Climbing gear- two lockers, Reverso, double length sling, prussic
I’ve used this for over 7 years with trips to the Washington, Nevada, and Colorado. While it is designed to hold two pairs of skis I only pack one pair and use the extra space for almost all my extra gear allowing me to only check one bag and carry on a small ski touring pack. Be sure to check max weight of ski bags for the airline you are flying (WOW airline to Iceland allows max weight of 60 lbs when you purchase a ski bag allowance).
The perfect size for day touring and ski mountaineering this pack is well designed through-out and will be my only carry-on luggage. Detailed review posting soon and will be linked here!
I’m rocking the ultralight Tour 1 model of these award winning skis but some may like the stiffer Pure 3 construction or super affordable Foundation model!
This boot is insanely comfortable on the up-track and performs quite well on the down. Not only that I can ice climb Grade 4 in them in with no issues making it an excellent ski mountaineering boot!
Simple proven design for when it gets a bit too steep for just skins but you’d prefer to not boot pack it! Snow conditions were excellent during our trip and I did not use these but they are easy added insurance for icier skinning conditions.
My personal beacon of choice for the last 5 years, and I have used just about every beacon on the market over that time frame as an active avalanche course instructor. This item deserves an long in-depth review but that will have to wait until after Iceland!
This has been my mountaineering axe for almost 15 years and is the right balance of weight and durability. Perfect for when you need a bit more security than an improvised axe like the Pocket Spike or Whippet.
Make sure you select the Leverlock option! Best all around mountaineering crampon in my book! I have led grade 5 ice in them and walked hundreds of miles in them from Washington to Katahdin over the last decade and they are still going strong! Like my ski crampons snow conditions were so good these never saw use but there is definitely some terrain in Iceland where I would break these out. We saw some nice looking ice lines in a few spots that would have been good fun with technical ice tools.
Say what you will about the color but this thing saves some serious weight from your pack while skinning while providing excellent protection while climbing. A great ultra-light ski mountaineering option IMO.
Lightweight, pack-able, ice-clipper compatible, and able to put on while wearing skis. Everything I want in a ski mountaineering harness. Detailed review coming soon.
I’m not bringing a sleeping bag as we’ve rented a house with linens but this goes with me everywhere. It’s super comfy on airplanes as a blanket and in hostels around the world. I often carry it with my bivy sack as a “just in case” option.
I’m only bring 4 spares to cover both my headlamp and avalanche beacon but this is the best deal on quality AA’s I have ever seen. Performance all winter as been as good as any high end brand name alkaline I have ever used!
Always said I would buy one and I finally did. Seems good for the price!
Well that’s pretty much it for “gear”. Clothing is listed in the spreadsheet at the beginning and does not include a little bit of casual wear. I am bringing my beloved Aeropress and a pound of freshly ground beans from my friends at Frontside Coffee Roasters in my home town of North Conway, NH because;
Good coffee is quite expensive in Iceland
I love my Aeropress coffee first thing in the AM
I’ll link more to my clothing after the trip but as you can tell from the list above it is mostly Ortovox. They make some amazing stuff and I’ll post detailed reviews on what I’ve been using this winter soon.
Summary
Iceland is a beautiful country with incredibly friendly and helpful people. They are adjusting to the new explosion of tourism the country is experiencing and you might sense some of these growing pains from time to time. As a back-country ski touring destination it is 5 star trip and I can’t wait to return!
Disclaimer: Affiliate links help support this blog. Author is a DPS and Revo ambassador and Ortovox Athlete and has received product support from these companies.
The last weekend of winter provided one of the most spectacular 3 days of higher summits weather I have ever seen in March! Blue skis and almost non-existent wind led to some really enjoyable ski touring on Mount Washington during our second-to-last American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) course.
Day One
We kicked off the course on Friday with some lively classroom sessions and small group exercises.
Benny discusses identifying avalanche terrain on day 1.Small groups learn vicariously while discussing a local case study
Day Two
We met early to learn some advanced trip planning skills using CalTopo.com and the Avenza App. The Higher Summits Forecast called for southeast winds around 10-15 mph so we planned a tour on the west side of Mount Washington.
Powerful trip planning software that is 100% free!Adjusting layers while skinning up the CogSmall pockets of 2-3 mm Surface Hoar were found on sheltered north aspects above Waumbek Tank but below tree lineBenny demonstrates some snow pit observations near Jacob’s LadderSome cool wind effect and cornices nearbyWe contoured around the rim of Ammonoosuc Ravine until we could drop the main gully or “Center Ammo”.
We concluded our tour with a debrief at the trail-head before calling it a day.
Day Three
Student led trip-planning session at Pinkham Notch Visitor CenterSkinning up the Tuckerman Ravine TrailHermit Lake Snow Study PlotSkinning up between Lobster Claw Gully and Right GullySnow-pack Observations
Avalanche danger was LOW and we had plenty of time to spare so we booted up Lobster Claw and traversed over to the top of Right Gully.
Ready to boot up Lobster ClawBluebird!Sherika after descending from pit location300 pound block of ice came from somewhere
Some video of our descent:
All smiles after a good run!
We wrapped up the course back in the pack room with discussions about continuing to learn about traveling in the back-country. It was a real pleasure having each of you in this course. Thank you all for staying engaged and contributing through out our three days!
Tomorrow, and beyond!
Only one more avalanche course next weekend after a Mountain Skills Course tomorrow and Washington Climb on Thursday. It might seem like the winter season is winding down a little but we are set up for a fantastic Spring ski season! The warm rock climbing can wait this year… I still have a lot of skiing goals to accomplish including reviewing some new ski mountaineering gear from CAMP/Cassin, Ortovox, Petzl, and DPS. Expect a lot of gear reviews to be landing April/May after I get back from Iceland.
Yup, Iceland! Been awhile since I’ve been out of country so I am SUPER amp’d about this upcoming trip.
Want to try backcountry skiing?
Maybe you just bought a setup or still need to rent a touring package (a few places in town rent touring gear). Maybe you’d like to avoid the maddening crowds in Tuckerman Ravine and check out some new to you terrain ? Consider learning about the joys of back-country skiing with me. The snow-pack we have in the alpine right now combined with more stable Spring weather is a GREAT time to book a back-country ski day!
You can read a bit about the program here but reach out to me directly at nealpinestart@gmail.com to check on available dates before trying to book!
Did you get out this weekend? Whatcha do? Let me know in the comments below!
What a week it has been! This time last Wednesday I was just topping out the classic hard line Repentance on Cathedral Ledge with my old friend Tom and new friend and fellow Northeast Mountaineering guide Jordan. The route was in excellent shape and felt a few degrees easier than when I first climbed it a few years ago with Bob & Ryan.
Thursday I got to guide NEM regular guest Nick up an equally fantastic Black Dike on Cannon Cliff. It had been years since I’d climbed this route and it was in great shape. We did have to wait for a party ahead of us but completed the climb in 6 hours car to car with some of the best glissading I have ever seen on the descent trail!
Friday we started our 4th avalanche course of the season and students and instructors alike partook in evening social hours upstairs at International Mountain Equipment and watched presentations at the Theatre in the Woods.
Skinning out in Crawford Notch during our Observational Outing during day 2 of our AIARE Avalanche Course
On Monday I started a 2 Day Ice Climbing Course and had the pleasure of introducing father & son team Andy and Peter to ice climbing at Cathedral Ledge and in Crawford Notch. The snow was fantastic and I geeked out a bit over some of the snappy wind slabs we found along our route.
Later that night I heard of a climbing accident on the Black Dike. A climber had fallen during the final moves and severely broke his ankle in the 50-60 foot fall. I spoke briefly with Nick last night and he is in good spirits and incredibly grateful for all of those who assisted him off the cliff.
That brings us to today, a chance for me to do some laundry, get to the dump, and attend to other household errands that have been put off for a bit too long. Another round of snow inbound for tonight so I’ll probably find myself skiing tomorrow before our next avalanche course starts on Friday.
What an absolutely fantastic winter we are having! Hope you are getting out there and enjoying it!
Here we go! While some providers have run a couple courses already we just completed our very first one of the season yesterday and it was epic! A new venue, classroom tech, on-site lodging, awesome students, and great snow all led to a fantastic 3 days!
Having a professional photographer along for our Ski Tour was also a nice bonus. Here’s a quick recap and some info on how Northeast Mountaineering is diving head first into the field of avalanche education!
First, our new classroom space!
Our cozy classroom
Our classroom sessions were held in “The Bunkhouse” living area in Bartlett, NH. This was extremely convenient for the students as 2 nights of lodging are included in the course tuition. All seven participants stayed in the bunkhouse which led to a pretty immersive course and some new friendships and touring partners.
Another big classroom change is the use of iPads pre-loaded with the AIARE Student Manual. The “Notability” app allows custom note-taking and the ability to email yourself the manual with notes throughout the course. I’ll be adding some CalTopo style mapping options on them to help with our trip planning sessions. For those who prefer a paper copy of the manual we do have them for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to non-profit conservation groups! Hats off to NEM co-owner Brett Fitzgerald for spearheading this unique initiative!
After two days of mixing up classroom and field exercises we headed up into Tuckerman Ravine for a ski tour designed to re-enforce the knowledge and skills we had gained the days prior.
Trail-head Beacon Function CheckA student sees something in the ravineAfter the steeper section of the ravine approachSkinning up towards Right GullyFollowing the skin-track and learning how to kick turnInvestigating the melt-freeze crusts and faceted layers 30-40cm downCTE Q2 SC (easy to collapse) but ECTN7 (not so easy to propagate)A student checks out some of the facets that have been forming from our prolonged cold temps and high gradientsGetting ready to drop from our pit location on my new DPS Wailer 112PRC skis!
A bit of GoPro footage from the day
And a fun run down the Sherburne ski trailGroup shot after our course debrief at the Bunkhouse
A huge thank you to the first seven students of my 2017 avalanche course season! Each one of you brought something to the course with your engaging questions, camaraderie, early morning shenanigans, and cold weather endurance.
Our next course starts Friday but is sold out. We have a few more spots left in our Jan 20th course. We are also working hard at bringing on another course instructor so we may be able to open more seats soon. If you want to get into a course this season with me check the dates here:
This past Friday I had Syed and Thomas for the last day of a 3 Day Mountaineering course with Northeast Mountaineering. On the first day they had learned some of the basics with me at the North End of Cathedral Ledge. On the second day they had a great day on Mount Washington getting less than a quarter mile from the summit (sometimes the weather gods just say “not today”). For their last day we took on a multi-pitch alpine climb, the classic “Hitchcock Gully” on Mt. Willard in Crawford Notch State Park.
Almost a foot of snow had fallen the day before so I was grateful to see a party had broken trail from the parking lot and we made our way to the start of the climb. After roping up we short-roped and short-pitched our way up to the more technical climbing.
Thomas and Syed reaching our first 5th class belay point after climbing 500 feet of 3rd class snow
The first 5th class pitch was quite standard with a smidge of funky ice at the choke. I had been following fresh boot-prints until this point but right above the choke they disappeared into a small avalanche debris pile. After setting up an anchor in the first bomber ice on route I took a look at the small crown and guessed it was probably triggered by the climbers who had just proceeded us. While this was a very small slab avalanche on the “Destructive Size” scale it was big enough to sweep a climber off their feet.
This is something ice climbers who solo our local alpine gullies should keep in mind especially after a foot of fresh snow has just dropped. While the danger had passed probably less than an hour earlier now that the small slab had released, two climbers who caught up to us decided to solo the first pitch despite having a rope and a party of three directly ahead of them. While they climbed efficiently they still had to wait 20 minutes for us to finish the rock pitch…so… why not pitch out the first pitch when we have a NWS avalanche warning in effect? You got nothing to lose and might as well bust out that rope you are hauling especially if you’re going to have to wait a few minutes for the party ahead of you.
Small climber triggered slab in Lower Hitchcock. You can see where it stepped down to another thinner slab, and the crown went from buried rock to buried rock (weak spots)Syed figures out the rock moves on Lower Hitchcock
After finishing Lower Hitchcock we made our way up to the start of Upper Hitchcock. There were some climbers on East Face Slabs Right but we didn’t make contact so I could not confirm if they were the party that triggered the small slab. Upper Hitchcock looked great!
Upper HitchcockSyed and Thomas ready for Upper Hitchcock
The climbing was great with good ice and comfy temps. Soon after leading the first long pitch we were all at the anchor and ready to climb the last bit of fun ice at the top.
Syed finishing the first pitch of Upper Hitchcock
As I topped out I noticed the trail was not broken so we would be doing a little bit of “wallowing”. The pow was so fresh that it was one of the easier bushwhacks to the summit I can recall when breaking trail.
Last few steps to the summit
We enjoyed the summit for a few minutes before quickly booting it down the nicely packed out Mt. Willard Trail (thank you snowshoes for packing that thing out minutes after a Nor’Easter’!)
My first day on Willard this year and a great reminder of what an awesome place it is to climb!
Before I wrap up this quick trip report a quick PSA. This is shaping up to be a banner winter recreation season. If your hobbies take you into steep snow covered terrain, you need to be thinking about avalanches. They don’t just happen on Mount Washington. They don’t have to be big enough to bury you to cause injury. Anywhere you go on snow that is over 35 degrees could be avalanche terrain. Even being on flat terrain under this steeper terrain can be a risk.
Know Before You Go!
There is more avalanche education available this season than there ever has been! Take advantage of that and take a course, or a refresher, THIS YEAR!
If you book a course through the above link use “DavidNEM” at checkout for a chance to win a free custom guided day of your choice (ski tour, ice climb, snow pit work, companion rescue, you name it!).
A couple weeks ago I attended the sixth annual Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop and wrote a brief summary of the event with a few photos. Here, with permission, is a special sneak preview of the more detailed report my friend and colleague Jonathan Shefftz has written for The Avalanche Review before it goes to print! Enjoy!
The sixth annual Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop (“ESAW”) on November 5 attracted approximately 150 attendees at Fryeburg Academy, just across the state border from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington in the White Mountains’ Presidential Range.
This year’s ESAW was as always a collaborative effort. The organizing partners included the Snow Rangers of the USFS Mount Washington Avalanche Center (“MWAC”) and the Mount Washington Volunteer Ski Patrol (“MWVSP”). ESAW once again relied on a grant from our lead sponsor the American Avalanche Association (“AAA”), to be led here soon by Eastern Representative-elect Mark Renson, with your faithful correspondent as AAA Member Representative. Additional support came from our headline industry sponsor Outdoor Research. Registration fee proceeds over and above hosting costs benefitted the White Mountain Avalanche Education Fund, which provides avalanche education to youth of the Northeast.
ESAW kicked off the prior Friday evening with a social event hosted by the Friends of MWAC and fueled by Moat Mountain Smokehouse & Brewing at the International Mountain Equipment shop and guide service. Then Saturday morning the avalanche presentations started up at Fryeburg Academy.
Chris Joosen, MWAC former Lead Snow Ranger (only the third since its 1951 formation) and outgoing AAA Eastern Representative, flew back East from his new Oregon home to serve yet again as our MC. Also flying out East was our first presenter, Simon Trautman of the National Avalanche Center (“NAC”), who introduced us to “Avalanche Danger Scales and How Forecasters Use Them” including data to compare/contrast ratings distributions across the forecast centers of different nations.
We then retreated well below treeline as Tyler Ray of the newly formed Granite Backcountry Alliance (i.e., for the “Granite State” of New Hampshire) joined MWAC Snow Ranger Helon Hoffer for “Backcountry Skiing on Public Lands: The Creation of Legitimate and Sustainable Glades.” Although New England backcountry skiing guidebooks reference only official ski trails (many cut by the famed Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression) plus the avalanche terrain at and above treeline, much of the backcountry skiing here actually takes place on the “down low”: glades illicitly cut on public lands for “forest fire prevention” and other in-the-know euphemisms. This was brought into the open in 2007 when two would-be Vermont backcountry skiers were criminally charged with felony-level violations for chainsawing a prominent line (aka “Jailhouse Chute”). But recent collaboration in Vermont with the USFS between non-profit groups has created glades that are both nicely skiable and legitimately accessible. The increasing availability of such terrain can offer a safe alternative to skiing at and above treeline when avalanche danger is elevated. And fortuitously for the Granite Backcountry Alliance, the off-season position for Snow Ranger Hoffer is the USFS Trails Manager for much of the Presidentials Range.
Next, AAA’s Executive Director Jaime Musnicki returned to her native New England to make good on her plan to attend as many regional SAWs as possible, and also to present on “Personal Reflections: Making Sense of Our Own Close Calls in Avalanche Terrain.” As if the incident she described in detail weren’t already harrowing enough, her partner had been her new boyfriend at the time, out on their first ski tour together. And not only did Jaime come out on top of the debris, four years later the two of them are still together.
On a similar note, Jon Miller, of Dogy Down Films, although unable to attend in person, presented to us on “Risk, Rewards, and the Balancing of Mountain Experiences and Goals” via a tailored video introduction and debriefing for us to sandwich his film “Season on the Brink.” His life-threatening fall this past spring in a Mount Washington couloir was extensively written up at the time, but the video footage he showed us — from both a partner and his own helmet cam — was especially terrifying. Just as memorable were the assessments from the party members of “What really sticks with me is that we just shouldn’t have been there” and “A series of little details and little errors that added up.” After a helicopter airlift, Jon spent a month in hospital care before regaining the ability to talk and walk normally.
Dallas Glass, our fourth Western presenter of the morning, here to lead the avalanche instructor training the following day for the American Avalanche Institute for Research and Education (“AIARE”), presented on “Blue Skies, Powder Days, and Las Vegas: Minimizing the Role of Luck in Avalanche Terrain.” For ESAW regulars over the years, Dallas’s presentation was the perfect follow-up to the 2012 presentation to us by Blase Reardon (then of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, and now of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center). Back then, Blase had emphasized that the backcountry snowpack does not provide a consistent environment with regular feedback, but rather its feedback is inconsistent and often fatal. (Remember Bruce Tremper’s analogy of playing soccer in a mine field.) “Experts” are often just those who have gotten lucky over time, like many stock pickers who have beaten the market over a selected time period. This year, Dallas explained how debriefing your day is the feedback loop that completes the risk management process. Professional guides always hold a debriefing as part of their standard operating procedures. To help recreationalists aspire toward this goal, Dallas quoted an incentivizing line from his fellow Pacific Northwest guide Larry Goldie: “Why having a beer at the end of the day could save your life.” It (the debriefing, not necessarily the alcoholic content!) allows us to identify when we got lucky and thereby recalibrate, so that on future trips we aren’t relying on “luck” to stay safe. We have all gotten lucky in the mountains, but we need to recognize when that occurs so that we don’t need an incident to provide us feedback, and instead we can use “no event” days to learn from and grow as backcounty travelers.
After lunch, Jaime Musnicki explained the upcoming split between recreational versus professional tracks in U.S. avalanche training. Fortunately the details need not be reiterated here, since you the dear reader have of course already carefully read every single prior TAR article on this subject. (Right?) This fed into a panel discussion on avalanche education with Jaime Musnicki, Jeff Lane (previously a MWAC Snow Ranger for ten years), Simon Trautman, and Dallas Glass, moderated by MWAC Snow Ranger Frank Carus.
Thus far we had been getting off lightly on the technical side. To ratchet everything up several notches, as always we could rely on Dr. Sam Colbeck, retired from the U.S. Army’s Cold Region Research and Engineering Laboratory (in Hanover, NH) after three decades of groundbreaking cold lab and field research in snow crystal bonding and wet grain relationships. In his fifth year of ESAW presentations, this time Sam explained “Why Skis Slide on Snow.” The answer is not simply “because it’s fun” since that’s why we use skis to slide on snow, as opposed to why they are actually able to slide so well.
And those skis slide especially well on very steep terrain with lots of blown-in snow, which was the focus of the presentation by Frank Carus on “Forecasting Avalanche Danger in Inherently Dangerous Terrain” regarding the couloirs in the at-treeline glacial cirques on our Mount Washingon. Next, Simon Trautman presented on “What are we doing now?” at the NAC, following up on the presentation at the 2014 ESAW by the NAC’s Director Karl Birkeland.
And finally, Chris Joosen wrapped up with “Reflecting on a Life with Avalanches” incorporating his 26 years working on Mount Washington. His conclusion was followed by a standing ovation from all attendees. And from all us who have depended for so many years on Chris’s work and his direction of the MWAC Snow Rangers, thank you!
We concluded with our annual expo, including rep displays for AAA, AIARE, Backcountry Access, Black Diamond / Pieps, Catamount Trail Association, Bryce & Ronnie Athlete Safety & Security (“BRASS”) Foundation, DPS Skis, Friends of MWAC, Granite Backcountry Alliance, La Sportiva, Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation, Mammut / Barryvox, MWVSP, Mount Washington Weather Observatory, Petzl & Adventure Medical, Salomon, Northeast Mountaineering guides, Ortovox / Deuter, and Outdoor Research. Throughout the day we had raffled off and auctioned donations from these sponsors plus ARVA, Dynafit, Hagan, MSR, Pomoca, Ski the East, and Toko.
Jonathan Shefftz patrols at Northfield Mountain and Mount Greylock in Western Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife and daughter (who notched her first-ever October ski outing this season). He is an AIARE-qualified instructor, NSP avalanche instructor, and AAA governing board member. When he is not searching out elusive freshies in Southern New England or “coaching” his daughter’s skiing (i.e., picking her up off the snow), he works as a financial economics consultant and has been qualified as an expert witness in state and federal courts. He can be reached at JShefftz@post.harvard.edu or just look for the lycra-clad skinner training for his NE Rando Race Series.
Last week I attended two annual events that always get me stoked on the upcoming winter season. The first was the sixth annual Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop. I haven’t missed one yet and although this one wasn’t held at the grand Omni Mount Washington Resort like last year the venue was quite nice (and a lot closer to home, just over the Maine border in Fryeburg).
The event kicked off Friday night at International Mountain Equipment in North Conway with registration, vendor booths, and beer courtesy of Moat Mountain Brewery. I set up a vendor table for the American Institute of Research and Education and was quite excited to see many former students in attendance. Next to my booth was DPS Skis, an amazing ski company I just became an ambassador for. I’ll be ripping the Wailer 112RP Tour 1 skis this season and will definitely post up more info once I’ve gotten some runs ticked.
I did “Instagram Story” the whole event but forgot to actually save any of the pics from the day… so picture a bunch of people having a good time while checking our vendor booths from DPS Skis, LaSportiva, Petzl, Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, and Black Diamond and you get the idea.
Saturday started early at the beautiful Leura Hill Eastman Center for Performing Arts at Fryeburg Academy. I set up my AIARE booth again directly across from Ortovox, a company whose products I have been using for over a decade and also just became an ambassador for!
Ortovox, Voice of the Mountains
A couple years ago I reviewed the Ortovox Kodiak shovel here! Expect to hear a lot more about Ortovox products from me this winter!
Right at 8:15 the main event kicked off.
6th Annual Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop
There were a lot of great topics & presenters this year. My friend and colleague Jonathan Shefftz is finishing edits of a write-up for the American Avalanche Associations publication “The Avalanche Review“, and when he is finished I’ll share his work (by permission) here. For now I’ll just mention my highlights:
USFS Snow Ranger Helon Hoffer got us excited about work being done to create sustainable (and legal) glades to increase our amount of available back-country ski terrain. Something near and dear to the recently formed Granite Backcountry Alliance. <– a great place to go if you are interested in what you can do to contribute!
After a quick break and some contacts at the AIARE booth I was back in my seat for Jaime Musnicki, the Executive Director of AAA, enlightening personal story of being caught in an avalanche and what she learned from this experience. This was followed by Jon Miller’s story via pre-recorded video of his life threatening fall down Hillman’s Highway late last winter and the impacts it has had on him and his friends and family.
Next up Dallas Glass, a climbing guide and former avalanche forecaster who is also in the AIARE Instructor Pool gave a very engaging talk on the role of luck in the mountains. Perhaps my favorite quote of the day, which he attributed to IMFGA guide Larry Goldie, was;
“Debrief the day… or Why Having A Beer At The End Of The Day Could Save Your Life”
We broke for lunch and had an afternoon filled with more great talks. Jaime (from AAA) once again took the stage and talked a bit about the upcoming split between the “Recreational and Professional Education Tracks”, more commonly referred to as the “Pro/Rec” split. This was a subject I was eager to learn more about and the following day I would have that chance during our AIARE Instructor Refresher Course.
Another round-table occurred, and Sam Colbeck, a true master of snow science, gave a highly technical talk with the simple name of “Why Skis Slide on Snow”… most importantly he answered the age old question are black ski bases faster than white ski bases? The definitive answer after breaking out a few technical terms that broke Google was… “maybe”. I hope Sam attends the next 10 ESAW’s… his talks are always the right mix of “wow I should try to be smarter” and “I hope I’m funny like that sometimes”.
Another break and then Frank Carus from the Mount Washington Avalanche Center gave us some insight of the difficulty of forecasting in terrain as dangerous as Mount Washington.
Following out going Lead Snow Ranger Christpher Joosen’s talk about his lifes work on the mountain (over 25 years!) we retired to our post-ESAW social hour and vendor booths.
I will link to Jonathan’s full report on the ESAW once it is finalized.
The next day a dozen avalanche educators from around the Northeast gathered at the Mount Washington Observatory’s conference room for an Instructor Refresher Course led by Dallas Glass.
AIARE Instructor Refresher Course
This forum answered many of our questions about the upcoming Pro/Rec track splits and was a great opportunity to catch up with other educators. Towards the end we got a sneak peak of some of the bigger curriculum changes and were offered time to provide feedback and suggestions.
A new Decision Making Framework?
Well the annual ESAW/IRC weekend always makes me desperate for some snow and ice so today I ran up to Hermit Lake to see how things were looking. Trail work on the Tuckerman Ravine trail currently creates about a mile detour via the Huntington Ravine Trail and Raymond path so plan accordingly. I will update this post once I hear the main trail is open again. There are pics on my Instagram from today if you are interested.
Finally if you are thinking about taking an avalanche course this winter might I suggest you think about booking your dates now? Most providers in the area fill up soon after Thanksgiving so if you want to have the best selection of dates now is a good time to nail it down. In addition if you book with Northeast Mountaineering before December 1st you can save 10% on the tuition. You also get 2 nights of lodging included. Oh and you get entered into a contest to win a free day of guiding for two people! So why wait? Use coupon code “davidNEM” at checkout to get both the 10% discount and be entered into the contest!
