Leave No Trace – Winter Edition
Even those who can be the quickest to criticize may not know what LNT really is…let alone how it may apply differently to the winter backcountry.
El Niño in the Sierras
The storm window is opening up again, and if you’ve been checking the weather forecast, you’ve heard we’re in for a week of big-time storms...
Leave No Trace – Winter Edition
Climbers, skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers alike are delighting in the recent storms in the Sierras creating that absolutely delicious playground of snow. With the opportunity to revel in the winter backcountry comes the responsibility to leave the places we explore as pristine as possible. I, for one, have been chastised for not being “Leave No Trace” for not swallowing my toothpaste or some... [Read more]
El Niño in the Sierras
Bill Martin, Meteorologist at KTVU After a frothy start to the ski season with early resort openings and talk of El Niño, many of us began wondering if this could be the epic year we’ve been waiting for, or if it would turn out to be another false start that begins with a bang and fizzles in disappointment. The bay area saw some unusually heavy rain in October, followed by a cold snap and a series... [Read more]
Importance of Mad Snowcamping Skillz in the Sierras
In November 2007, a man died after climbing Cathedral Peak in Yosemite with his partner. They expected to return the same day but were trapped on the descent when it began to snow, and one climber succumbed to hypothermia. In June 2008, a man died on Rainier after a freak blizzard caught three unsuspecting hikers in a storm that dropped 2 feet of snow. They had only left Camp Muir on a day hike.... [Read more]
Kirkwood Up and Running After Power Outage
Kirkwood was 100 percent back online today after an unexpected New Year’s Day power outage shut down the resort through Saturday, and kept all but four lifts closed on Sunday. According to Kirkwood Senior Vice President Tim Cohee, around two o’clock Friday afternoon, one of the six engines in Kirkwood’s power plant suffered an exhaust failure. The resulting fire destroyed the contents of the... [Read more]
Dumb Luck Saves Colorado Snowboarder from Avalanche at Loveland Pass
On the surface, this is a simple and happy story. A snowboarder at Loveland Pass in CO got caught in an avalanche and luckily survived. He was carried down the slope and ended up buried up to his waist – right-side up. Thank goodness. But watch the clip below. The story says the boarder is “an experienced backcountry rider” whose “preparation saved him.” This, despite... [Read more]
Sierra Nevada Avalanche Education, Advisory and Forecast Resources
With the start of the ski season, I thought it prudent to do a roundup of avalanche resources available online and in the Sierra Nevada region. Now you have no excuse. Go take that avalanche course you’ve been putting off. It’ll make the backcountry more fun because you’ll be able to geek out on your snow science knowledge. And you’ll be safer and more confident (although those... [Read more]
Sierra Ski Season Off to a Fab Start
I spent the weekend at our place in north Tahoe watching more than four feet of snow fall in just a few days. That’s a fantastic start to the season and should make for a solid base at area resorts and in the backcountry. And there’s more precip on the way. Just pray that the temps stay colder than forecasted or we’ll get rain rather than the white stuff. If we do get rain, it could... [Read more]
Video Series: Avalanche Awareness Training Course (Lesson 1 of 7)
Thanks to BCA (makers of great backcountry gear including the most-used avalanche beacons) and Teton Gravity Research (the venerable media company responsible for AMAZING films like the recently debuted Re:Session) for this 7-part video series on avalanche training and awareness. This is NO SUBSTITUTE for in-person avalanche training courses, but serves as a great refresher for those that have completed... [Read more]
