Category Archives: ski

For the hardcore outdoorsy types, the quest for the perfect tires can be never ending. I spend a lot of time on and off pavement, in a wide variety of conditions, and not in the most capable of vehicles. This makes having an awesome all around tire imperative, and finding the right one isn’t always easy. Online tire reviews leave a lot to be desired and deciphering how a user review can relate to your driving can drive you crazy. A few tips I’ve found helpful in finding relevant reviews are to find online forums for either the vehicle you’ll be using or the types of activities you intend to take part in. Thus for my purposed the Honda Element forums as well as ski forums gave some good insight into my selection.

I ended up going with the Hankook Dynapro ATM because I wanted one tire to do it all, which for my purposes includes a ton of highway driving, driving to ski resorts or mountain roads several times a week, and scaling various dirt and fire roads. I settled on the Dynapro because it was noted for it’s snow performance, aggressive tread, and it was a heck of a lot cheaper than its competitors. I had considered running a dedicated snow tire in the winter but decided they wouldn’t last long with the amount of highway driving I do as well as in our milder climate.

The Results

I drive an 05′ Honda Element (toaster!) AWD. When I purchased it the dealer was about to put new tires on and I told them I wanted an aggressive AT so they slapped on Big O Bigfoot A/T. These were nice in all conditions at first, a little loud, and super expensive. I’ve had BFG Rugged Trails in the past as well. I narrowed down the the Hankook as it seemed to compare to a Toyo Open Country and Dueller Revo, both of which were almost $900 installed. The Dynapro’s cost me  $650 installed in a 225/35/16.

On the highway they are certainly quieter than the Bigfoot AT, but grip a whole lot better. In rain they don’t get squirrely or try to hydroplane, on dirt they grip and make things predictable. Where they really shine is on Snow. The Hankook Daynapro ATM snow performance is awesome, grips like a champ at normal snow speed and instills confidence. The tread flushes as it should and I don’t lose any traction whatsoever. Where the old tires were nerve racking, the Dynapros have no problem doing 40 on super snowy roads (slowing a tad for corners). On variable roads where I’ve hit snow or ice unexpectedly at high speed the tires bite so the car can doesn’t have to. I just completed a trip from California to Wyoming and back in variable conditions including Targhee on a storm day and am sold. These tires are way better than anything I’ve every tried. With 5000 miles on them they’re not showing any wear.

Hankook makes these tires in a wide variety of sizes so you can run them on anything from a crossover to an I’m Compensating monster truck. For the price they are simply awesome!

After a pretty tragic season so far Miracle March finally took shape and put down over 100″ of snow. Yesterday Jamie and I took a cat ride to take advantage of it. The morning was very nice but eventually as things warmed up the group started searching for steeper more northerly aspects that would be holding better snow and ski better when things got sticky. On this particular slope, we skied a zone adjacent to it with no issues. This area seemed to be fairly sun protected too. I was the 4th or 5th person to drop in. After a few turns I realized I had a decent sized sluff and was working back towards a safe zone when it caught me. Things grew from there. Luckily for me there was a bit of a double fall line and the meat of the slide went right. As you can see in the pics it went a ways past the trees I narrowly avoided and left a decent debris pile.

Hindsight is 20/20, we had an experienced group with 2 seasoned professionals (guides). We made a choice based on the conditions and finding the best snow and unfortunately it got a little hairy. Luckily I walked away unscathed with a greater respect for the mountains.

Been a while. Low Tide winter hasn’t given me a whole lot to blabber about but sometimes things come together even when they seem to be falling apart. Had the best day of the season today at Sugar Bowl. 4 feet of 8% blower. After a wary start things came into place for the best. Sometimes it’s the misadventures in life that bring us closest. More later.

La Nina finally made a trip south and gave us a healthy dosing of snow the last few days. Even though it was everything you’d expect of the term sierra cement, I’ll take it. More often than not the last few months it seems like skiing for me was in doubt for one reason or another so I was super stoked just to be after it even if I skied horribly and could barely walk this morning. The vibe was pretty refreshing at Sugar Bowl, just a bunch of folks stoked to get after some pow without any attitude.

One of the coolest parts of the day was meeting some knuckledragger at Jerome lift and then hiking over to Disney with him when we found out Jerome was having power issues. We ended up sharing a few lifts throughout the day, and as it turns out Jeremy Jones is a hellofa nice guy. I also got to chat with Daron Rahlves quite a bit and he couldn’t be a more humble genuinely nice dude.

All in all it wasn’t the best pow I’ve ever ridden by a long shot, but I got to kick it with my good buddy Jamie so it was one of the more fun days I’ve had in a long time.

http://vimeo.com/35616937

There’s a buzz in the mountains currently, a euphoric vibe if you will. The lifeblood of many of our sanity’s is about to return in a big way. People are prepping for snow with a frenzy that only a drought such as the rut we are currently stuck in could bring. From almost 2 months of nada to the chance for 100″ in 10 days, people are breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

Those people are the ones who’s livelihood both directly and indirectly relies on that common denominator. We’re all mountain people whether we’re boaters, skiers, climbers or some combination of the like. We’re social outcasts in a way, throwing away any desire to conform to society whether we realize it or not. Be you a doctor, lawyer, or seasonal employee, or some other social miscreant, we’re connected. We can’t be satisfied with sitting in a box, working for the man and spending our free time recovering for the next round. We need the freedom to step out of our comfort zones and push our mind, body, and souls to and beyond the limits that we set ourselves.

Sometimes we don’t realize just how big our tribe is. The other day I had the opportunity to work with a young man. His parents brought him up to Tahoe for the holiday weekend because there’s one place where he can’t be more stoked. Despite severe visual impairment and mild autism he absolutely shredded for 3 days straight. He made no complaints about the shitty condition of the snow, or the crowds, or even when falling down. He simply enjoyed the clean cool air, the stiff wind at his back, and the chance to be someone. Instead of complaining about the inconsistent snow he showed the resolve to learn a new skill, how to make a complete stop. Not only was he skiing like people told him he couldn’t, but he was progressing and learning because of it. It’s because of his passion and dedication to overcome obstacles that he’s not blind or autistic, he’s a skier like you and me.

I recently had a health scare and one of my biggest fears was that if things were serious I’d miss the whole winter’s worth of powder days. Things are fine and I realize what a petty fear that was. I now look back relieved that I won’t miss a season full of helping skiers who aren’t quite as fortunate as me step out of their comfort zones and become something that society says they can’t. There will always be another pow day, or epic corn cycle, so it’s nice to step aside and help someone else enjoy the same things we all do.

On the opposite end of our tribe right now is Sarah Burke. If you’re unaware Sarah is one of the finest ambassadors of our sport and has done so much to advance skiing opportunities, especially for women. Like every male skier, since entering the sport I’ve always had a crush on her infectious smile and positive attitude. She encompasses everything a true mountain person should so it’s with a heavy heart that we’re sending our most positive thoughts, vibes, and any other good mojo her way after a skiing accident has left her in a coma. We hope to see her back and at it for the Olympics in 2014, and if that’s too much to ask a recovery to a healthy and happy life with her family is on our minds. Get well soon!

Update…Sarah passed away this morning. There are no words that can express the sadness that the entire ski community and beyond feels. Her family is in need of a bit of help to cover the medical bills, any amount will help. I think the outpouring of love and support speaks for itself. Hopefully Shane, CR, and others are taking care of her now.

So friends, enjoy winter now that is finally en route and most of all be safe. As uncle Muir said “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn”

Backcountry safety has been on my mind recently as we wait for snow to start falling in the Sierras. I just finished re-certifying my WFR and picked up a BCA Float 36 for this upcoming season. I’ve been trending towards more touring, and have a heli day booked so I figured this would be a wise investment.

In short the pack is well built, comfortable, extremely adjustable, and pretty spacious. The 36 liters feels like a true 36 and easily accommodates anything I could reasonably want to pack for a day trip. If not completely full it stays slim enough to not feel bulky at all. The ski carry system is simple and functional, having no trouble fitting the large rockerred tails of some Atomic Bentchetlers (123mm underfoot). The hide away helmet carry is a nice touch and the axe carry works as it should. At 7.7 pounds it distributes the weight nicely and doesn’t feel heavy at all.

I was nervous about the sizing being sort of one size fits most with the torso going from 17-22 inches. It was pretty hard to find a photo online of the pack being worn and knowing the dimensions of that person. For perspective I’m on the svelte side, 5’9″ 150ish. My torso is right around 20 and the pack is comfortable, and fits just right when adjusted. I’ll have to do some trimming of some of the straps as the waist and what not will expand to fit someone quite a bit larger than me.

The waist buckle is hard core and obviously meant to not easily come off in a worst case scenario. It takes some practice with gloves but is pretty straightforward overall. The single leg loop is a nice touch as well. The holy mother of god cord is out of the way but easily located and gripped if need be.

Overall I like the float 36 a lot. It The fit feels really good for someone my size and the pack isn’t bulky at all. The 18 would be a nice minimalist product but I think for one to do it all the 36 is pretty dialed.  The only change I would make, as others have noted, would be to add a dedicated avy tool pouch.