Nov 5, 2024 | AIARE Avalanche Education, Backcountry Skiing, Education, Ski Mountineering
Colorado is known for big scary avalanches. But some seasons are worse than others. How do we tell if a season is going to be a scary one or a moderate one. A good way to understand it is through the idea of snow climates. Colorado’s mountains tend to follow the...
Oct 28, 2024 | AIARE Avalanche Education, Backcountry Skiing, Colorado, Education, Educational Program, Guided
Here’s some thoughts I frequently find myself giving to people asking how to get into the backcountry. The first thing is to understand it can be a long, complicated journey depending on your goals. It’s important to be realistic about your ability to commit the time,...
Oct 10, 2024 | AIARE Avalanche Education, Backcountry Skiing, Colorado, Education, Educational Program, Guided, Rocky Mountain National Park, Ski Mountineering
I’m really excited about getting this program running this winter. This is a program that I really think will provide the best bang for your buck as far as winter backcountry readiness is concerned. Many students I work with in avalanche safety courses don’t...
Oct 10, 2024 | Expedition, Glacier, Guided, Uncategorized
Expedition October 2024 Pico de Orizaba Custom small team expedition to the 3rd highest peak in North America, Pico de Orizaba. IG Story Summary Expedition Overview For learning about high altitude climbing, this is an awesome objective. From the US it’s only a short...
Oct 9, 2024 | AIARE Avalanche Education, Backcountry Skiing, Colorado
When it comes to avalanche education, I only use the curriculum developed by the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE). The main reason for this is the curriculum support and instructor standards created by the non profit structure. Non...
Oct 9, 2024 | AIARE Avalanche Education, Backcountry Skiing, Colorado
The use of the North American Danger Scale has a fair bit of nuance to it. Some people tend to get distracted by the “likelihood” verbiage especially when it comes to understanding the difference between Moderate and Considerable danger. In considerable danger...
Sep 22, 2024 | Uncategorized
The mountains can be a dangerous place but also a very rewarding one. The Planning Triangle is a useful framework for anyone leading trips in the mountains. In essence, it a way to think about the most important variables in planning a mission: The team’s...
Sep 2, 2024 | Backcountry Skiing, Guided, Rock Climb, Ski Mountineering
I get a lot of people asking about how to get into ski mountaineering. But first, what is ski mountaineering, truly? Well… its mountaineering with skis… obviously. Let’s break that down though. One way we could look at it is: skiing in terrain where...
Sep 1, 2024 | Alpine Climb, Education, Expedition, Glacier
The more time I spend on glaciers the more I look back at my own journey and feel like I was not given a very good framework for understanding the glacier environment. Now, having spend over 600 days on the glacier I’m going to try to articulate some fundamental...
Aug 31, 2024 | Alaska, Backcountry Skiing, Expedition, Guided, Ski Mountineering
The legendary Thompson Pass, Alaska. There is a reason this is a yearly trip. It always delivers. Get in touch early if your interested in joining, there are usually some prerequisites to make sure your ready. 2500-feet above sea level the pass provides amazing access...
