Author Archives: Brian Sweeney

About Brian Sweeney

Computer programmer, blogger and home-brew software developer with a penchant for back-country adventures, old metal, black coffee and micro-brew.

…To Those Who Wait

While many New Englanders hunkered down and prepared for the worst, there were those among us who geared up and prepared for the best…

…well at least the best we’ve had in a while.  All the hype surrounding Nemo gave us hope that at least the resort skiing scene would get back on track, and in many ways it did.  The storm tracked further south than would have been preferred by some skiers, but pockets of the North received a healthy dose of our favorite natural resource.  Determined not to miss a single ounce of the precious stuff, and not to be marooned in the soon to be paralyzed Boston, we hit the road at the crack of dawn Friday morning.

The Clipper components  of the storm arrived over Northern VT early on Friday, delivering a good refresher dose to the ailing snowpack.  We skied Jay for the day and then followed the weather southeast toward the center of the storm.  For the arrival of the Nor’easter we wagered that Wildcat would have the best ratio of slope-angle to snow.  We hit the jackpot and were greeted by upwards of two feet of dense snow which filled in  all but the largest nooks and crannies in the Northern Whites.  For day one, we hit the slopes armed with insulating layers and GoPros.  Stay tuned for some highlights!  Day two brought a spectacular blue-bird day with temps mercifully approaching the 20s and almost no wind.  We decided to take advantage of the  great conditions and pull out the point-and-shoots, just so we’d have evidence of the shredding that was perpetrated once winter finally returned…

IMG_4751 IMG_4795IMG_4886 IMG_4889IMG_4980 IMG_4984IMG_4998 IMG_5000

 

Thusly rejuvenated, we returned to Boston to get back to work so we’d be ready for the next time Old Man Winter decided to come out of hiding.

Cold Smoke

The Jay Cloud was in full effect and we hit the road good and early for first chair on Saturday morning.  We scored first tracks on deliverance and found face-shots aplenty throughout the rest of the day.  With a few inches of refresher, Sunday was in nearly as good condition as Saturday with well over a foot of fresh over the entire weekend following roughly four feet during the previous week.  For day two we hit Big Jay, then made a slightly ill informed attempt at Gilpin, across the street from The Dip.  The results…well see for yourself!

Photo Credit: Rob Fox

Photo Credit: Rob Fox

Photo Credit: Rob Fox

Gear List (click links for more product info):
The North Face Chugach 12 Winter Backpack - 753cu inBlack Diamond Ascension Nylon Split STS Climbing SkinMarker Duke EPF Ski BindingBlack Diamond Factor 130 Alpine Touring Boot - Men's

REI Gear ShopFree Shipping on Orders over $50

Winter 2012: It was the best times, it was the worst of times…

Even though it basically didn’t snow last season, we were determined to get after it.  In the end, I was so thrilled with out accomplishments during such trying times, I decided to whip up a season encompassing highlight reel.  If this is season even approaches last season in awesomeness I’ll be content.

Soundtrack on Spotify:

Winter Readiness: The Daily Driver

Update: Don’t Buy K2 Skis!

These suckers delaminated after just a few weekends of use.  One or two days after they first started to delam, a whole chunk of base material fell away right next to the blown edge.  I thought I’d get away with skiing them for the rest of season, but the damage spiraled downhill so quickly that I decided to send them back to K2 before it got any worse.  When K2 got ahold of them, they just couldn’t believe that the edge separated before the base material started to fall off and assumed that must have hit something really hard.  To my recollection, I never hit anything and the specific order of events was 1) delam and 2) base falls off.  In any event, they only lasted like 12 days (tops) and now their collecting dust in the K2 warehouse.  I’m done with K2 skis, as this is the second pair I’ve owned with lasted less than 20 days on snow.  Not sure what the hell I’m gonna do with Hardside Custom skis – maybe REI will take them back, because I surely have no use for them now.

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