Recent content by lowangle al

I think the Kom or Rossi BC125 are good choices for back country soft snow, but they lack the torsional rigidity for skiing the hardback at the resort. The Voile's are a full on Alpine ski that will hold an edge on hard snow. My wife and I mostly ski the Voile Vectors. They are more directional...

I've noticed that the bottom of my Seliga, under where the foam core is, gets permanent dents where I've hit or slid over pointier rocks or sticks. I've always assumed the foam core is there for stiffening, and I'm sure it does that, but I also think it adds strength that could limit damage in a...

My Bell Seliga is the lighter layup,( starlight?) and I agree that it is more durable then it's weight would imply. I'm ok with it in white water as long as I can keep my speed down. So far it seems ok with low impact collisions with rocks as long as they aren't sharp and pointy. If I took it...

Ticks are also supposedly carried by migrating birds. It's a wonder they aren't everywhere. One time after returning to Ak. from a vacation in Pa. my wife found a tick on her head. She worked in a hospital at the time and the doctors were very interested in getting a look at it.

The hay day of telemark was over in the early 2000's. At one time it may have been the preferred gear in the back country but never at the resort. I started skiing xc in the 70s and didn't have much interest in resort skiing. I started telemark in 84, and although I went to the resort to...

It is surprisingly fun and if you're properly prepared I don't think you would qualify for a Darwin Award. If there is ice present on a lake but your launch is ice free and you can paddle to open water you should still have the right tools along. Even on my little lake I have been affected by...

I think you are right that different cultures have different tolerances for personal space but I also think it has to do with the number of other people you run into. For example, If I'm hiking and run across just a few people on the trail I'll say hello, but at a certain point as the crowd...

Yeah, at a certain point it may not be practical or possible to continue, that's why I said it "may" have been possible. I can see that you guys have experience with ice so you probably made the right decision. I would think there are situations where if you could get past the frozen pools, the...

CTC, the skis are alpine powder boards from Voile in Utah. The bindings are Switchbacks, also from Voile, they have a free pivot function for climbing, or as I use them for cross country skiing. The boots are 30+ year old Garment Excursions that I bought new for my wife cheap but they never fit...

With the proper equipment and skills the trip may have still been possible. It would be different for sure, but traveling over and through ice is a fun challenge. All the info you need is in Garret Conover's book, "Beyond the Paddle"

I've had a few of those trips that didn't happen. They were mostly ski trips though. My wife and I refer to them as "dress rehearsals"

I'm neither an introvert or extrovert. As long as I'm still happy to see other people I'm OK with the level of solitude. When I cease to be happy, I need more solitude. Different situations require different levels of solitude. When on my home lake, one other boat in my back bay can ruin my...

My buddy got a Mackinaw Wool Cruiser Jacket. It performs in a wide range of conditions. Patented in 1914 it is still very popular today. Mackinaw wool is the finest example of natue's original performance fabric. It's stitched in the USA from virgin wool. It's wind resistant, breathable and...

When paddling opportunities are slim, I’m happiest if there is enough snow for some back country xc skiing. I’ve been able to get out about 14 days here in the Poconos. This was yesterday. I did twenty runs on this little hill for about 1200 vertical feet and six miles. I found this canoe...

Haha, you'd only have a three hour drive from the airport in Anchorage, but it is scenic so don't go too fast.