ASF-2011-01
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8 Adirondack Sports & Fitness<br />
BACKCOUNTRY SKIING continued from page 1<br />
with ski touring in the valleys of the Adirondacks. Due<br />
to the demands of the terrain, true AT ski gear has<br />
more in common with alpine ski gear than it does the<br />
cross-country like setups common in ski touring. AT<br />
skis are essentially lighter versions of downhill skis,<br />
but many backcountry skiers opt to use a true alpine<br />
ski as the foundation of their setup. I myself have<br />
toured on a pair of heavy Volkl skis with an alpine<br />
touring binding for a number of years.<br />
AT boots are similarly heavy-duty. Hard plastic,<br />
three or four buckle boots are standard. Many<br />
companies now offer lightened versions of their fullblown<br />
downhill boots, with Vibram rubber soles and<br />
walk modes that make traveling up the hill a relative<br />
breeze. The popularity of alpine touring has grown<br />
substantially in the United States over the last fi ve<br />
years as a result of high tech alpine touring gear starting<br />
to be imported from Europe. Increased access to<br />
AT equipment opened the doors to backcountry skiing<br />
all over North America.<br />
The real key to the AT setup is the binding. It<br />
works just like a standard binding on a downhill ski<br />
– the skier clicks into it with toe and heal, but there<br />
is one key difference. The rear of the binding can be<br />
released, allowing the binding to pivot up and down<br />
at the toe giving it a cross-country like functionality<br />
when skiing on fl at ground and up the hill. It’s<br />
a hybrid between a freeheel telemark binding and<br />
standard downhill binding – offering better touring<br />
than a telemark, with the full performance of a downhill<br />
binding.<br />
The AT binding is only half of the equation for backcountry<br />
ski effi ciency however – once the skier adds<br />
a “climbing skin” to the bottom of the ski, he or she<br />
has effectively transformed a strong and safe downhill<br />
setup into an effective cross-country ski. Climbing<br />
skins are made of a Velcro-like material and clip to<br />
the ski on the tip and tail and allow the ski to grab the<br />
snow and only slide forward like a cross-country ski.<br />
Combined with an AT binding they giving the ski an<br />
uphill capability usually reserved for snowshoes.<br />
With the added strength, durability, and functionality<br />
of an alpine touring setup, comes one disadvantage:<br />
weight. If a skier isn’t planning on tackling the<br />
rugged steeps of the High Peaks, there’s little need for<br />
the additional weight of an AT setup. Most experienced<br />
AT skiers will agree however, that when standing at the<br />
top of a step chute on a remote High Peak, the added<br />
assurance of having strong and reliable gear underfoot<br />
is well worth the weight penalty on the way up.<br />
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A popular alpine touring destination in the High<br />
Peaks is Angel Slide on Wright Peak. If you’ve toured<br />
into Marcy Dam in the past, you’ll know Angel Slide<br />
as the exposed rock face visible to the south west of<br />
the dam, on the lower portion of Wright Peak. Where<br />
the touring ski is likely only to get skiers to Marcy<br />
Dam, the AT setup, combined with expert skills and<br />
proper safety gear, will allow them to go through the<br />
backwoods off-trail to the slide itself.<br />
With an AT setup, the skilled skier can ski up the<br />
mountain, then have the chance to make turns on<br />
natural, and potentially deep powder from the top of<br />
the slide. It’s a rush that any experienced AT skier will<br />
tell you – well worth the work it takes to get there.<br />
Angel Slide is a great place for expert alpine touring,<br />
but please keep in mind that it is not a beginner<br />
objective. You’ll need to be able to ski double black<br />
diamond terrain at resorts, and also have the fi tness<br />
to spend 12 to 14 hours climbing in the High Peaks<br />
before heading out to a location like Angel Slide.<br />
AVALANCHE RISK<br />
An immediate word of caution must be heeded<br />
when discussing backcountry skiing on Adirondack<br />
Slides. It is critical to understand that avalanches<br />
are a reality in backcountry skiing, and Angel Slide is<br />
the key example. A skier was killed in an avalanche<br />
at Angel Slide in the early 2000s, and last season<br />
another pair of skiers nearly lost their lives when<br />
the snow avalanched off the slide while they were<br />
skiing there. Avalanche fatalities have been rare in<br />
the Adirondacks, but in recent years the number of<br />
incidents of people being caught in an avalanche and<br />
narrowly surviving has increased dramatically. I suspect<br />
this is due to the increased number of people<br />
traveling in the Adirondacks in the winter – with<br />
growth in adventure skiing, comes an increased risk<br />
of exposure to dangerous conditions.<br />
There are three key safety items you must have<br />
to safely complete backcountry skiing objectives on<br />
Adirondack slides: the avalanche beacon, a probe and<br />
a shovel. The beacon is the key element in avalanche<br />
safety. It is simply a homing transceiver that each<br />
person in your party needs to wear in the backcountry.<br />
In the event that you are buried in an avalanche,<br />
a beacon gives the rest of your party a chance of<br />
fi nding you, and digging you out before you suffocate.<br />
The probe and shovel are key elements in the process<br />
as well. None of these things are a replacement<br />
for common sense though. You need to have a good<br />
understanding of how the snow pack develops, what<br />
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snow conditions are dangerous, and how to analyze<br />
the environment around you to make sure you’re<br />
safely traveling.<br />
I can’t possibly cover all of this here, so I’ll simply<br />
say it is critical to take an avalanche awareness<br />
course, which is offered in the region a few times<br />
each winter, and learn the necessary skills for safe<br />
backcountry travel before you plan on traveling in<br />
exposed parts of the High Peaks.<br />
SKI MOUNTAINEERING<br />
Not scared off yet by the risk of getting buried in<br />
snow? You may be ready for ski mountaineering, the big<br />
brother to alpine touring. Where AT adds challenging<br />
climbs and descents to the concept of ski touring, ski<br />
mountaineering adds the challenge of climbing and rappelling<br />
vertical cliffs and ice walls that are not skiable, in<br />
an effort to get to skiable terrain. In alpine touring, skins<br />
and an AT ski setup should get you anywhere you need<br />
to go. Once you start to mix in the need for crampons,<br />
ice axes, harnesses and ropes, you’ve crossed over into<br />
the fringe of the fringe – ski mountaineering.<br />
Traveling in the mountains and getting to the<br />
remote ski locations becomes a primary objective<br />
in ski mountaineering. Many ski mountaineers will<br />
set goals of skiing places no one else has skied. The<br />
accessibility of the objective typically becomes even<br />
more remote and diffi cult to get to with experienced<br />
ski mountaineers, and requires advanced ice climbing,<br />
winter camping and skiing abilities.<br />
In the Adirondacks, the classic ski mountaineering<br />
destination is Gothics. With a lengthy approach<br />
and steep rock faces, it requires a mixed bag of<br />
skills, from the ability to move quickly and effi ciently<br />
on the long approach, to ice climbing the north face<br />
W<br />
PHOTO BY SHAWN COMBS/<br />
HIGH ADVENTURE SKI & BIKE<br />
of the mountain before skiing the True North Slide<br />
and heading back to camp. It’s doable as a very long<br />
single day, but to me the trip makes perfect sense to<br />
match with winter camping in the Johns Brook Area.<br />
It’s certainly not a trip for the faint of heart, but it can<br />
be a rewarding day or two in the mountains for the<br />
strong backcountry adventurer.<br />
If you’re like me, and you love winter and skiing<br />
but are tired of lift lines and $80 lift tickets, its time<br />
to check out the backcountry. Beginner and intermediate<br />
skiers should start out with ski touring. Expert<br />
skiers should look into getting an AT setup and venturing<br />
into the mountains. If you already have some<br />
AT gear, consider pushing yourself a little further by<br />
learning mountaineering skills, and pushing yourself<br />
even further this winter.<br />
The ninth annual Adirondack Backcountry Ski<br />
Festival is March 5-6 in Keene Valley with ski clinics,<br />
guided tours and presentations (mountaineer.<br />
com). For guide services, contact High Peaks Cyclery<br />
& Mountain Adventures (highpeakscyclery.com),<br />
Northeast Mountain Guides & Wilderness School<br />
(hallocksmarine@yahoo.com), NYS Outdoor Guides<br />
Association (nysoga.org), or Adirondack Mountain<br />
Club (adk.org).<br />
Try it and you’ll likely agree – backcountry skiing is<br />
the best way to spend a snowy day in the woods!<br />
Eric Schillinger (eric@schillinger-law.com) has<br />
been skiing in New York and New England for<br />
over 20 years. When not skinning to a remote<br />
slide in the High Peaks he practices law in the<br />
Capital District.<br />
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