Blown - Life after my ACL rupture - 1

The following is the first in several posts I plan to write about my new adventure involving the injury to and subsequent reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament of my left knee. Before starting to write, I was conflicted about even doing this. I could just suffer in silence and get on with the business at hand. But with an extra 15 to 20 hours a week on my hands and a real need to quell some demons in my head, I decided that writing about the experience would be good medicine. I also believe that documenting this medical adventure may provide insight to other members of our tribe that might face the same road someday. This injury leads to a series of important decisions that many skiers are completely ill-prepared to make. I hope these pages provide a resource for making well-informed decisions about treatment and ultimately, return to the sport we love.

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Hot Waxing Climbing Skins

It's that time of the year again. The solar is on but it's still snowing. This creates wide fluctuations in snow surface temperatures and snow consistency leading to the dreaded glopping of skins. Anyone who's spent anytime touring in the spring knows what I'm talking about. It's absolutely maddening. I've covered many aspects of the climbing skin in these pages but this final detail has eluded publication here until now. For those new readers, you can catch up here, here and here.

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Making It Better - The elusive perfect touring pant

The perfect pair of ski mountaineering pants do not exist. After years of beating the crap of many, I feel like I know what the perfect pair looks and feels like but no one has made them yet. So, I continue to buy and try, occasionally coming across a pair that gets close. The Dynafit TLT Dynastretch 2 Pant is one that is at least in the ball park. As you will see, I took it another step closer to what I’m looking for with a simple(?) mod and some time with the Singer sewing machine.

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Boot Unrest - What's old is new and the Scarpa Alien RS

Regular readers know that I spent last season giving the Arcteryx Carbon Procline boot a fair shake out. You can read my review here. Suffice it to say, I didn’t love it enough to spend another season in it. As my skiing has sought out steeper, more committing lines, I’ve decided that more support on the down is beneficial. I’m not talking the need for some sort of over-built free ride boot but simply something that “pushes back” when pressing forward in turns. I can make anything work but I want a tic more beef.

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Stuff I Like - Free Range Raven Pack

As an admitted gear geek, I love innovation and respect those who attempt to create it. Tosch Roy at Free Range Equipment is one such individual. A few years ago, Tosch and his small crew of like-minded fun hogs decided they would take on the seemingly tapped-out market of climbing packs and try to do it better. A climber and skier himself, Tosch saw plenty of room for improvement in the industry’s current offerings and knew he could lend his creative instincts to the task of making something better. The result is a line of light, durable, no-non-sense packs designed for climbers and ski alpinists.

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