Hidden Peak 3/1/2012 -- Be careful out there

Here's a quick video from 3/1/2012...Rylan and I went out skiing on Hidden Peak, We were a bit concerned with windloading up high, so we decided to stay low on the peak not venturing above the bench at about 8500 feet.

The report for the day was advising considerable avalanche danger, with the big problem being storm slabs stepping down to the weak buried layers from the sun/rain crusts from the past few weeks of clear and warm weather.  We were able to make a few laps and ski some really nice low angle pow...

My friends were skiing a few miles north of us near Stanford rock, and triggered a big destructive slide that ended up killing Ben Brackett.  I do not have first hand knowledge of their scenario, but I am pretty spooked by what happened to them.  Rest in peace Benny.

Mammut RAS 30 Avalanche Bag Deploy Video

Rylan came into the shop today to talk about airbag backpacks, and we deployed this bag the Mammut RAS 30...I really dig this bag, I think the features are well thought out, and i really like the snowpulse technology inside. Its pretty light, and fits well...cant wait for mine to show up!

 

 Pretty Cool!

Pacific Crest Cat Skiing!

I was lucky enough to be invited to go cat skiing with a bunch of people who won a sales contest that Clem and Dana put on for Tecnica and Blizzard....The snow was blower, and so fun. Thanks for the great day guys!

POW day at Alpine!

Had a great day skiing pow at Alpine Meadows today! I skie don my 186 Blizzard Bodacious skis and they rule! About 16 inches of fresh out there, and can't wait for more tomorrow!

Blizzard 2012/13 ski preview - Gunsmoke and Kabookie

Today I was invited to go ski Squaw with a bunch of local ski shop employees and owners and try out the awesome new lineup of Blizzard Skis 2012/13 product.  I skied two skis that are new for next year, the Gunsmoke, which is a fat rockered twintip, 140/114/130 with rocker in the tip and tail, and camber underfoot. These things ripped, held an edge well on groomers and were incredibly easy to ski everywhere! I also spent some time on the Kabookie, which is a lighter version of the venerable Bonafide, which is my go to ski for all my backcountry missions.  I was impressed by the stability and edge hold of the Kabookie even though it lacks the 2.5 sheets of titanal that the Bonafide boasts.  Nice job again Blizzard. The skis rip.



With snow on the way for this weekend, things are looking good here!!!!Bring it on!

Been playing around with a new GoPro mounting setup, this one seems to be the best, but the arm fell off, i left it unglued so i could move it around to find the best angle, but it blew up on a little jump....now i have to buy a new handlebar mount. lame.

Tecnica Cochise Boot review for Storm Day Sales Group-

Crampons… check. Harness… check. Beacon…check.  Boots…hmm.  Boots…COCHISE! In February 2011, as I was prepping my gear for a six week trip to Chamonix, France I realized that my kit was not up to snuff without the Tecnica Cochise boot.  Its 120 Flex, with ultra light, but stiff Triax material plastic. Its 100mm in the forefoot. I have spent the majority of my skiing life looking for aesthetic ski lines and slowly acquiring the necessary gear to get the job done in the most demanding situations. Every season I have tried another lame AT boot out, looking for alpine performance, Dynafit compatibility, and a good walk mode.  When I first tried on the new Tecnica Cochise boot, I knew that I had found the holy grail of freeride boots.  With a high stiff cuff, durable buckles, a oversized velcro powerstrap/buckle, an amazing tour mode and replaceable dynafit compatible heel and toe blocks, this boot is designed to get you where you want to go and allow you to pin it on the way down.
Stepping into these boots every morning on the other side of the world at the base of the Aguille du Midi , I knew that the last thing I would have to worry about in the high alpine peaks of the French alps was how my boots were going to perform.  I skied them on some of the hairiest, steepest and iciest terrain I have ever skied in my life, as well as waist deep pow with a heavy pack on. The boots performed better than any other boot on the market.  The walk mode is simply perfect.  Easy to engage and disengage and really allows you to lengthen your stride while skinning and articulate your feet in sketchy hiking terrain to get solid placements.

I skied these boots in and out of bounds for 45 days straight without a glitch.  Not one broken or bent buckle, superb fit the whole time, and durable hardware.  After returning to the states, the boots proved again that they could handle inbounds terrain at the rowdiest resorts, and still switch back to an efficient and comfortable touring boot once you duck the ropes.

 

For a better look at how my European trip went this year please check out kristhaoe.blogspot.com or click on these links to see some video from the trip!