Weekly Gear Review: BCA Float Airbags

Backcountry skiing is dangerous, especially this year where we live. So far, I’ve witnessed one of the more hazardous and unpredictable snowpacks that I’ve ever seen. But no matter the location or the stability, we all accept a certain level of risk in chasing the pow that takes us out of the sterility of the ski area to begin with. One rider’s acceptable risk might be vastly different from another’s. However, I think we can all agree that avoiding avalanche burial is the desired outcome.

Enter the Backcountry Access (BCA) Float Pack. It is one of several airbag packs that operate on the Brazil nut effect. This states that larger objects tend to stay on top of smaller ones while in turbulence (avalanche). When deployed, you become the nut, and theoretically, remain on top of the avalanche debris. This theory is being increasingly tested by one successful “save” after another. The most recent took place here in Colorado:

These packs have two distinct shortcomings. They are heavy- about twice the weight of a comparable pack without a Float system. And they are expensive. However, each additional save that’s attributed to this pack makes these criticisms less viable in my book.

There are three different Float packs available from BCA. I prefer the 36 liter model, which is built for folks that need the additional volume of a larger daypack. For 2011/12, BCA fine-tuned this pack to include all of the features that make their other packs so great. The pack includes ample storage space, back panel access, internal shovel/probe pockets, waist belt pockets, ski and snowboard carry system, lined goggle pocket and hydration sleeve. The internal frame and load lifter straps make the additional weight of the pack quite manageable.

I believe that in the near future, we will see these packs become a standard part of our avalanche rescue kits. But with such a great option out there now, why wait? We should continue to make smart and conservative decisions in the backcountry, but we’re all prone to the same errors that catch people in avalanches. Stacking the odds in your favor is never a bad thing.

-Mike Soucy

Colorado Mountain School Guide

AIARE Level 1 Instructor

800-836-4008 x3

Trip Report: Ice Climbing with CMS Guide Andrew Councell

Being from Ohio, Toby Gandy doesn't have much access to big terrain for skiing.  He made the trip out to Colorado to take an AIARE Avalanche Level 1 Course with us, along with a guided day in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Originally Toby wanted to ski Corral Couloir...

...With the minimal snow coverage RMNP had in early December we agreed that a good ski decent was going to be challenging to find. At best it would be limited to survival turns with a chance of core shots - not optimal for a fun day out. I'd always wanted to try ice climbing and also wanted some coaching on basic mountaineering skills, so we decided on an ice climb with an approach on skis.

Our day started off with a quick tour up the summer trail to Loch Vale's "Mo Flo than Go" ice route. Once at the climb we transitioned to crampons. With a quick review of belay and basic ice climbing skills, CMS Guide Andrew Councell led the route and setup up a top rope. I'd never ice climbed before (and have minimal rock climbing experience) so with a good dose of adrenaline I planted my pick. Thock, thock, kick, kick and I was off. My first attempt was up lookers right. A small pitch with a bench in the middle and then on up to the trees at the top. With a quick traverse across the top rock ledge I was done and ready to rappel back to the ground. I felt pretty good and was having a great time. It's a great feeling to be in such a quiet location with just the simple sounds of climbing to be heard.

Author Toby Gandy learning how to ice climb at Loch Vale in RMNP.

The next pitch was up the left hand vertical side. Andrew took a couple of laps and I had a couple more climbs up the pitch. Inevitably my arms began to get pumped and I was struggling to keep going. Andrew did a great job of explaining how to climb more efficiently and I managed to hang in there for a final lap.

CMS Guide Andrew Councell looking sylish with his new Marmot Spire Pants.

Exhilarated and exhausted, Andrew suggested we take a break. He ran through the basics of building THINX ski anchors, then worked on explaining ice screw placement and finally showed me how to make a v-slot anchor. After a quick bite to eat we packed up our gear and ran our rope through a natural ice column to act as a our final rappel anchor. With skis on we rappelled backwards onto the first part of the slope, pulled the rope through and got a couple of quick turns in down to the trail.

Learning ski mountaineering skills: rappelling with your skis on. 

We toured on up Tyndall creek drainage and across Bear lake to get a view of some of the walls further up but unfortunately the clouds were obscuring the view. After some scrambling across some talus we got back to the trail and skied back down to the parking lot - an adventure in itself. 

After a quick ride back to the CMS office to drop off gear we headed to Ed’s Cantina for beers and food. What a great day, with an excellent and friendly guide. A fantastic new sport which I will definitely try again - I'm hooked.

~Toby Gandy



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Colorado Mountain School
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Weekly Monday Gear Review: Marmot Spire Pants

At first glance I thought the Marmot Spire Pants were bibs, and bibs are often just too hot for me on the up portion of the day. But they are really pants with suspenders, which are easily removable.  However with the back yoke for the suspenders being mesh, the sweat factor is a non-issue. As it turns out, I have yet to remove them and kind of like wearing the waist loose with the suspenders holding up the pants.

With two way full side zips, it is easy to ventilate the upper legs while the lower legs stay protected from the powder. Lightweight and fully waterproof Goretex construction with 3 zippered pockets and built in gaiters completes the package. Speaking of the gaiters, I hate struggling with gaiters too tight to fit over my ski boots, the fit is perfect on these.

I have been wearing these primarily for skiing, both lift served and backcountry, as well as for teaching avalanche courses which involve a lot of wallowing in the snow. They have performed very well for all my uses and have kept me warm in the 70mph winds we have been having.

I plan to try them out ice climbing soon and have a hunch that they will do just fine, though a harness may restrict access to the pockets and they do have a looser fit than I am used to in an ice climbing pant, so we’ll see. 

Designed as a ski pant, I give them 2 thumbs up for design, construction and comfort when used as such.

The colors available (I have the yellow) are just a bonus and a nice change from the black, black or more black choices in technical pants I have become accustomed to for the last decade.  All in all a pant I am quite happy with. They are not so lightweight that I will rip them up easily, but the they will let me rip up the slopes!

Mark Hammond
Head Mountain Guide
Colorado Mountain School

Ice Conditions: Hidden Falls and Vail

Hidden Falls is in great. I was there on Tuesday (1/17). The main flow is moving towards a mixed line to the right and growing over the rock.

I have been ice guiding up in Vail for the past couple of days and found plastic ice conditions in the Designator Amphitheater. We climbed the Staircase to the Pencil, and Eraser. Staircases is wet and dripping. The Pencil is still growing and fat. The Eraser is trimming down. We also visted the Firehouse area which is still growing and not to chopped out.

HEADS UP on the approach to both areas! I put crampons and harness, helmets on at the start of the steep gullies due to snow covered ice patches as well as troughs from folks coming down at the end of the day.  There has also been some natural falling ice from really warm temps around the Fang.

Joey Thompson

CMS Guide
800-836-4008 x3

Scarpa Maestrale Ski Boot review

The Scarpa Maestrale is the lightest four buckle boot on the market and is designed to be the perfect touring boot. What does this mean? For me it means a touring boot that fits my foot well (Intuition Liners are a must for me, and remember to shell size. If you don’t know how, please ask a salesperson for help) has a great range of motion in the cuff while touring, is Dynafit compatible, is stiff enough to move bigger (larger than 100mm underfoot) skis, and does not weigh more than concrete.

How does the Maestrale fit into these parameters? The boot fits me really well. I am a 26.5 and the intuition liner when formed filled every little area between my foot and the shell. When in touring mode the range of motion may not reach the claimed 40 degrees, but I am also not physically able to use 40 degrees efficiently for more than a few strides. It is Dynafit compatible, and is just stiff enough for larger skis in backcountry snow conditions.

I have been able to ski the Maestrale with the K2 Coombacks (102 underfoot) and the LaSportiva Hi5 (105 underfoot) in variable conditions from spring corn, to wind crust a few inches thick. The boot skied precisely and comfortably in all conditions besides the wind crust. This may have been the skier more than the boot, but I would love a little extra stiffness as Colorado seems to have variable snow conditions on occasion. On two occasions I skied a groomed run at the area and was pleasantly surprised at how well the boot held up at speeds.

The asymmetrical tongue makes the boot easy for entry and exit, while the alpine tounge closure seems to hold my lower foot quite stable and precisely. The buckles are light and seem to be holding up and the power strap is effective and even has a bit of elastic that helps secure it. The walk ski mechanism is easy to use (seems like all boots these days), and I would recommend the Maestrale as a great lightweight, four buckle, touring boot. If you are looking for a boot that handles drops, faster speeds, and crushes the crud, this is not the boot for you. For that check out the Scarpa Mobe.

Hope you enjoy and lets all pray for Snow.

Mike Alkaitis

CMS Senior Guide

malkaitis@totalclimbing.com

For your enjoyment: In this video CMS Guide, Mike Alkaitis, skis at a local area

called Caribou with his Scarpa Maestrales.

Weekly Monday Gear Review: Black Diamond Punisher Gloves

Climbers are pretty finicky when it comes to climbing gear...any climbing gear.  This is especially true, however, when dealing with climbing gloves because it's with our hands that we feel connected to the mountain.

Since our hands are so integral to climbing, it stands to reason that climbing gloves should be tough, warm, grippy, dexterous, sexy and functional.  Enter Black Diamond's Punisher gloves...they fit the bill.  When in doubt, the Punisher gloves are my go-to glove because they excel in a variety of conditions and uses.  Gloves, unlike mittens, aren't designed for uber-cold conditions and yet I've used my Punishers for below-zero climbs in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park for years.  As long as you're hydrated, well fed and active, these gloves provide ample protection from the cold.  When leading on ice, it can be downright dangerous to climb with a bulky glove: carabiners are hard to open, screws are easily dropped and the rope is fumbled.  Not good.  However, too-thin gloves sacrifice the warmth for their nimbleness and for most of us frostbite just isn't an option.  The BD Punisher gloves strike a near-perfect balance between these two worlds of warmth and dexterity, in my opinion.  My test?  If I can't manipulate a small, fickle zipper with my gloves on, they don't pass.

The Punishers have a thin plastic membrane built in that keeps the gloves functionally waterproof.  Although this membrane inhibits breathability, it’s also crucial to have in cold, alpine environments.  The palms are grippy leather that usually take some time before they saturate and freeze.  My trick is to have two pairs of Punishers, one for the climbing/belaying and another pair zipped inside my jackets, close to my body.  When one pair gets wet, I swap them out for the dry pair and at least warm up the first pair, and so on.  Other features include a small-but-effective gauntlet to keep snow and ice from pouring into your jacket's sleeves while your arms are overhead and a finger loop on each glove.  This finger loop functions as a quick way to remove the glove one-handed in a pinch (it helps to have a BD ice clipper on your harness: just hook the finger loop on the clipper and pull your hand out of the glove).  Again, this little feature isn't something I use very often but it sure helps when you're hanging by one arm, need to get your other glove off and your mouth/teeth are incapacitated for some reason.

These gloves excel in the worlds of cold, snow and ice.  With near daily use, my Punishers typically last me a few seasons.  Again, they're my go-to glove from ice to moderate mixed climbing, from heinous alpine to easy mountaineering.  They do almost everything perfectly.  Oh, and they're sexy.

Andrew Councell

Colorado Mountain School Guide
800-836-4008 x3

Weekly Monday Gear Review: Marmot Powder 8 Jacket

I’d like to introduce everyone to my new jacket of choice, the Marmot Powder 8.  I’ve been wearing my Team Red version for some time now and I have to say that is my go-to jacket.

The Powder 8 Jacket is a jack(et) of all trades.  It keeps me warm, it’s comfortable and soft to the touch.  Plus it looks good.  I’ve worn this jacket for everything, from multi-pitch rock routes during these cooler times, to Christmas Mass.  In fact my mother even complimented me on it.  That never happens with my outdoor attire.  To me the Powder 8 is the perfect combination of jacket, sweater, and fleece.  It has the protection of a jacket, the look of a sweater, and the feel of fleece.  You can’t go wrong.

If you are in the market for a jacket, I recommend you check out the Powder 8 from Marmot.  I give it two thumbs up.

-E.J. Nogaski
Colorado Mountain School
800-836-4008 x3