Category Archives: Backcountry Skiing

Hidden Valley: That One Lap

Kelly and I went up to Hidden Valley for a quick lap in RMNP this morning.  Finally the Avy Fx had settled down to moderate above and below treeline, so we geared up and went after some low angle white gold.  We thought it would be pretty darn good; in fact it was the second time this week I found myself proclaiming the snow to be the best I’d ever skied – the first instance was Tuesday while the defending champion was that time the Meatheads won Best Powder for their Jay segment.  So yea, best powder skiing I’ve had in nearly 5 years (best ever, probably) to include storm chasing all over New England plus various trips from back East to Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon and who knows where else I’ve forgotten.  It was that good.  And then we saw a herd of elk on the drive out of the park.  Feast your eyes.

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Pow turns backcountry skiing #rmnp #dpsskis @briangsweeney

A video posted by Kelly Howie (@kellyahowie) on


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RMNP Blues

A cool respite from the blistering heat of summer…

When the Snow Gods give you lemons, you don’t even get lemon flavored snow.  You just get windburn and bullet proof wind-buff.  Eventually we found some creamy fluff away from the wind.

Honestly the skiing wasn’t great, which you’ll see in the video.  On the other hand, it was a really nice day for a hike, and a good excuse to play with cameras and work on my Adobe Premier skills…

Sounds:

Montana in High Def

Montana in High Def is the HD companion to the Ziehl’s excellent Montana Lodge Life and my own Glacier Revisited series of posts.  All video and photo by Andrew Ziehl, Kelly Howie, and yours truly.

Gear List:

GoPro HERO4 Black Edition One Color, One Size GoPro HERO4 Black Edition One Color, One Size

If you take a look at the tech specs of the new GoPro Hero4 Black Edition camera, and then give us a call to point out some mistakes we made in the numbers, because you simply don’t believe them, we won’t be entirely shocked. The new Hero4 Black is the most advanced camera GoPro has made, and it boasts capture capabilities that rival cameras that cost ten times as much. The 4 is an eye-popping evolution of the already-impressive Hero3+ camera, and that’s where engineers started when they really wanted to knock it out of the park, and then some. The Hero3 and the 3+ were incredibly capable cameras, indeed, but the new Hero4 generation takes things to the next level. A lot has changed, but some basics haven’t, such as the overall dimensions of the camera. Exterior dimensions of the camera itself and its cases are all virtually unchanged. The Hero’s fantastic, wide-angle, six-element aspherical lens (f/2. 8-6. 0) also remains unchanged, ensuring the same stunning clarity and scope of your photos and videos, at virtually any light level, as we came to expect from the 3. Three field of view settings — ultra-wide, medium, and narrow — grant you an unmatched selection of perspectives. And for those lower light conditions, GoPro introduces new Night Photo and Night Lapse long-exposure imaging modes. Those mesmerizing time-lapse pictures of the stars trailing through a dark sky, or the rivers of headlights and taillights that form when capturing an urban scene at night? They’re yours to take now. Customizable settings for exposures of up to 30 seconds — whether taken individually or in Time Lapse mode for successive hours or exposures — mean you can capture an almost unlimited range of time-lapse events with the utmost precision. Also new to the Hero4 is its sound-capturing abilities. GoPro fielded feedback from audiophiles and everyday users alike to fine-tune the Hero’s microphone, which now captures far greater fidelity and boasts almost double the dynamic range of ..






Black Diamond Verdict Ski One Color, 172cm Black Diamond Verdict Ski One Color, 172cm

Before they sentence you to two years’ hard labor for excessive funtimes, make sure the Black Diamond Verdict Ski is safely hidden away so it’ll be ready to ride when you get released early for good behavior. It’s certainly a ski worth protecting, with its amazing combo of high-speed stability, low-speed comfort, and all-snow performance. Black Diamond designed it with traditional camber underfoot and a rockered tip and tail, so you can hold an edge on hardpack but float easily through powder, and built the ski up around the 3D CNC-machined paulownia wood core for a light, maneuverable feel that’s quick and nimble when you’re skiing tight tree lines or chutes. The Verdict’s inspired by easy-turning “fun-shape” skis, so it’s a breeze to handle at low speeds, but has been hooked up with a pre-preg fiberglass laminate, Titanal stringers, and a triple-ribbed Formula One design to keep it stiff, solid, and torsionally rigid when you’re mobbing through chop and chunder. All together, this creates a ski that’s more playful than Black Diamond’s bigger Zealot, but narrower and more directional than the Amperage; a solid do-it-all board for east- and west-coast rippers alike. It’s tough, too, with 8mm ABS sidewalls, Power edges, an ABS tail protector, and rocks a P-Tex 4000 sintered base that’s crosshatched for better wax retention and higher speeds, because who doesn’t like to go fast?






The North Face Patrol 24L ABS Winter Backpack - 1465cu in Graphite Grey/Zinc Grey, M/L The North Face Patrol 24L ABS Winter Backpack – 1465cu in Graphite Grey/Zinc Grey, M/L

When you’re getting into more high consequence terrain, it’s nice to have the peace of mind that if something should go wrong The North Face Patrol 24L ABS Winter Backpack will be there to help keep you on top. Taking The North Face’s athlete-tested Patrol backpack and outfitting it with one of the industry’s most trusted avalanche air bag systems yields a winning combination of proven technology in an athlete-approved package that will perform well in the backcountry.The bag comes equipped with the ABS compressed nitrogen system, which activates with a quick pull of the handle located at the left shoulder strap. Two Bombastic auto-airbags deploy at either side of the bag and are high-vis to make your more visible in the event of a rescue. The pack is a fully functional backcountry backpack with a large avy tool pocket for your shovel and probe, and it features The North Face’s simple and straight-forward tuck-away ski or snowboard carry system for quick attachment of your planks or board for that final bootpack to the top. The Patrol 24 is hydration system compatible,and the it features dual hip belt pockets to keep your small essentials close at hand on the skin track.