Alpine Starts

My 15-year old partner (and son) Tobias and I went up to New Hampshire's legendary Mt. Washington for some early season alpine action. Although an increasingly-common low tide year (until just after our mid-December trip), we had good conditions for what we were looking to do. We have been to Tuckerman's Ravine several times in the spring for ski mountaineering, and I have climbed in Huntington Ravine over many years and routes. But Tobias had never done an alpine route, and that was the objective for this trip. We were supposed to have a third, which I favor when venturing into technical terrain, but poor health intervened and it turned out being just the two of us.

The approach went a bit faster than usual, due to the lack of ski gear and perhaps better fitness, or that's what Tobias said of my performance. Given the rare compliment I'll take it. We did not leave Pinkham Notch until about 1pm on a Saturday and made it to the Hermit Lake area in about 2 hours and 20 minutes with packs weighing in at just under 40 pounds. We dropped camping gear in a lean-to and hiked up to the base of the bowl in Tuckerman's ravine. Compared to our spring trips it was bone dry, but the standard wealth of early-season ice was there, and we discussed what route options would be best for our outing the next day. While Tucks had Open Book and some pitch-long ice left of Left Gully, Tobias was hankering to get back over to Hillman's. We had heard from a descending soloist that it was in good condition, and we'd topped out just below the lip last April due to my failure to bring crampons (never again.)

Camping was enjoyable if cold, with the windless night coming in about zero Fahrenheit. The highlight was when it was discovered that I'd not only failed to charge my headlamp but lost my backup. Tobias only crowed a little when his backup saved my bacon. The next morning we started later than we planned because even with 11 hours of sleep I neglected to remember that the alarm on my phone was not likely to work if said phone was off, another chestnut for the young man. But we started out at 7 and headed over to Hillman's. The bottom was dry with audible water beneath, and the first several hundred feet passed smoothly under us with increasing neve and less bushwhacking as we rose higher. Finally, about halfway up, Tobias wisely asked for the rope and we tied in and started pitching out the top half of the route.

There were a few ice bulges but most of the route was very firm neve, and until the last few hundred feet the belays were acceptable. A couple of screws for the first one, some slung bushes one might call trees, a semi-hanging belay from a rock anchor and one final rock thread created by beating a few rocks down on the lad.

As we neared the top there was some flagging, but we were steady if slow at our pace. We probably started climbing around 8 and topped out around noon, about an hour after my target time for safely continuing to the summit, another cause for Tobias to crow about due to the late start. But in fact the cloud cover was only a couple of hundred feet about the lip, and it was not the right day for the summit, which I have never visited. We started contouring around the lip of Tucks heading for the Tuckerman Ravine trail. 

The view down into Tucks was a bit sobering, and since neither of us had been up the trail we opted for Lion Head which I'd travelled many times. 

We got down it keeping crampons on the entire way, but there were only a few patches of ice and it would have been viable with microspikes as on the approach. We picked up our camping gear, grabbed a last look at the ravine and headed down for the long drive home in a light lovely snow.

Song of Helmets for My Son

Sometimes I shudder to think we only used to wear helmets when ice climbing. Until my main rock, ice and alpine partner was the first to have kids, we did not generally wear a brain bucket on rock, unless we were climbing something really chossy. I know that I had the venerable old Joe Brown, which seemed like it weighed pounds, and probably did. Even though I moved onto the HB carbon versions, they were still hot and left at home 9 months of the year. When my partner had his first son, we had been musing about beginning to wear them on rock, and some of the lighter more comfortable and well-ventilated ones came on the market. I like to think it was then that I laid it down and said we were just going to wear helmets all the time and not think about it anymore. And we did. I think with the exception of one moderate mixed climb where I forgot my helmet, see sheepish grin below, I have not climbed a pitch without a helmet in almost 20 years, and barely notice them anymore. I do have a regular partner who does not rock climb with a helmet, but he does wear one in the winter, and he's a bit of an independent actor.

These Petzl helmets (Meteor and more recently Sirocco) are my recent choices for climbing, with the Sirocco being in constant rotation for rock, ice and ski mountaineering. However, they are not MIPS, which I wear for downhill alpine skiing, and which both Black Diamond and Mammut have. I like the idea of a MIPS helmet for ski mountaineering. I also think they look cool😉

https://skimo.co/helmets has the best selection including some very light ones from CAMP and other Euro manufacturers. There are also dual-certified helmets for both climbing and skiing. Ones to look at include the Scott Couloir, Ski Trab Race, Kong Kosmos, and the Salomon MTN Lab – aka the ‘shroom which I own. This means they are certified as both mountaineering and skiing helmets, and well suited to both impacts from falling items and falling skiers. I think that’s a good idea myself.

Then there are the aesthetics of the helmet choice. I think the Ski Trab looks very cool. I mean, black and red may not be that cool in the heat, but it’s cool looking. If you can live with white, the Kong has some interesting ventilation design, which is important to me as I overheat otherwise.

https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Helmets

https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/product/capitan-helmet-mips/?colorid=11319&utm_source=cordial&utm_source=cordial&utm_medium=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20220505-helmets-non-pro&lrx=&mcID=1118%3A62714fec59320e5ccf679949%3Aot%3A5f46ca99735e313f17e3b97f%3A1

https://www.mammut.com/us/en/category/5875/helmets?filtersOpen=true

Backpack advice for a young endurance athlete

We have lots of relatives back in Europe and one of them is a distance runner in her 20s who has recently taken up with an excellent young fellow who lives in a beautiful Austrian ski town. She has visited the states over the years and stayed with us and I gave her a decent Hyperlight 4000 cu/in pack for overnight trips, but recently she asked for advice on smaller day packs as she's beginning to ski tour. I thought it worth posting what I shared with her here, even if some of it duplicates some of what I've posted before. 

Dear N,

Let me know if this helps. If you would like me to bring you a pack from the US that can be done. There are some wonderful small US shops making packs, but they are largely climbing packs (Cold Cold World, Alpine Luddites, Hyperlight Mountaineering, CiloGear). This retail shop below has a good selection and reviews of many European options I think you can try on easily if you look for them:

https://skimo.co/compare-backpacks

 Also I like:

 https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/ (unfortunately they do not review ski packs)

Use your own body and good sense to pick a pack that feels good and works for you. The one I gave you will work for everything, and is my strongest ski mountaineering partner’s main pack. It is however a bit large for day trips. I mostly use a very simple old Canadian Arc’teryx pack and T uses an Arva rescue pack with lots of pockets out of Europe. I also have a small Mountain Hardware designed by our friend and guide Andrew McLean. We can share and loan them all if you want to try what is best for you. Let me know if you want to discuss more and again, hope to see you soon. 

Backpacks I like

Most of my backpacks are for climbing. Even with my ski backpacks, there is a bias for climbing.

Both climbing and skiing are fluid body movement activities. The less frame the pack has the more it moves.

If you carry more than 20 KG, you will want some kind of support. This can be back padding or aluminum stays in the frame. They transfer weight to the waist belt which needs more padding for more weight. There is also a very old technique called a tumpline worth looking at for heavier loads: tumplines

Any ski pack should have very easy access to the shovel, beacon and probe. If you think that the thought of an avalanche might occur, take them all. Never take only one or two of them, unless you are digging out your grandmother’s driveway.

If you carry less than 10 KG you will need little more than a simple sack with a section for the avalanche trinity and another section for puffy, headlamp, food and water. Racing packs are like that. They are light but solid and have features for:

·       Carrying skis either A-frame or diagonally

·       Storing ski crampons (harscheisser) and/or crampons

·       Carrying an ice axe

Nice to have (not need to have):

·       Separate sections for wet gear (skins) and dry gear

·       Attachments for modern ice tools (as opposed to a traditional piolet) and crampons

·       Soft compartment for ski goggles

·       Clips for keys and small internal pockets for wallet/passport/flask/chocolate

·       Removable and expandable top lid

Key things to consider:

·       Does the pack fit you well and move with you?

·       Can it carry the gear you need?

·       Does it look dope?

I think that’s all for now. The packs I own and use consist of these brands/styles:

http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com/

I have all of Randy’s packs, and one on order. They are by far the best packs for climbing, and work well for most simple skiing trips. They are indestructible and have whatever attachment points an alpinist needs.

https://www.mammut.com/

I admit I mostly admire them for their ropes, which I use exclusively. They are the best.

My favorite large ski pack lately is the Mammut Trion from a few years back. It is good for overnights with full ski mountaineering gear, and you can strip it down for day travel. It is a very good pack of the extendible top type (vs rolltop like the Hyperlight I gave you), but has no dedicated ski shovel, probe, etc slots, just one big pocket.

https://www.mammut.com/us/en/products/2520-00850-00087/trion-50

While I have never owned them I think Ortovox are very interesting and well featured packs.

https://www.ortovox.com/us-en/shop/c35488-backpacks

Again, it is all about fit and features. Don’t go for what looks good (although that matters). Get one that feels great and does what you need it to do.

Dedicated race and fast adventure packs are also really great. I have a Ultimate Direction and a Millet. I also have a Camp Raptor which is my favorite in this class (not racing, but light):

https://skimo.co/compare-backpacks

This is a great store in Salt Lake City Utah and I would read their reviews carefully. I think they look the most like your approach. Athlete-drive, high-performance gear which does not get in your way.