I kind of set myself up for a tough day today... I usually wait until I'm in mid-season condition for this one. It's a very enjoyable climb in the scheme of things, but I'm not as young or fast as I used to be and it seems to go better if I have a few weeks of climbing under my belt before I head up this way. Unfortunately, with having been out of the country for six weeks, it's mid-season but I'm in early-season shape. Should think about these things.
With the wind-buffed, icy conditions and the thin snow, the up was pretty onerous. I finally gave up trying to get some sort of purchase with my too-small skins and bootpacked most of the way up.
It was hard to get too annoyed, though, with the gorgeous Great Basin views, sunshine and wind-free day.
As we approached the top, the heli-ski guys came up behind us and crested the ridge right below. I found out later that they'd circled around to get another look at my husband and our friend Tyler, who were ice climbing upcanyon. Clearly everybody was having a great day in the Rubies.
Kasen was enjoying the day. So was I.
The wind had really done a number up there, and had scoured the place right off the top. The trees skiers right, though, were filled with absolutely gorgeous fluff.
I'll be honest, I was really wishing we were on the chopper today so we could have kept that gorgeous line all the way down to their pickup zone. Unfortunately, we had to bail out of it to avoid one of the nastier bushwhacks in the Rubies - at least in my experience - which led to chunky snow. Lots of it. Thick crust breaking into chunks the size of dinner plates in some spots.
Little bit of everything out there today... we put the adventure into adventure skiing. What a blast!
Skins too small? Meaning too short, or too narrow?
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to make my Titans work... 4 ski days and already they're packed out and loose around the ankle. Need to dial them in during the next few weeks so I can start skinning. The shell size is perfect, it's the rest of the fit that needs work. And there's the alignment issue too (cant shims between ski and binding)...gah!
Need to trim my skins to the Fischers also.
Oh, I've just been too cheap to cut some skins for the Gotbacks, have been using my old Havoc skins. Too narrow, and not by a little. It's becoming an increasing PIA that I'm going to need to deal with one of these days.
ReplyDeleteAren't new boots fun? I'm surprised to hear they're packed out so quickly. Dawson seems to like the TFX Dynafit liners a bunch. I'm assuming that you've cooked them already?
You'll have them dialed in time for some pow, I hope, and if not - well, corn season is coming...