Pro Guiding Service - Ski Touring Accessories

Every sport has its quiver of tools--tools that make the sport easier and safer, tools that make an activity more comfortable, or tools that boost performance. Backcountry skiing is certainly no exception. It's a pursuit loaded with techie toys. Some of those toy (like transceivers, all-mountain skis, randonnee bindings and boots) have been reviewed in other articles (see archived stories in the backcountry and avalanche sites). Here are a few more toys for you to covet.

A POLE FOR ALL SEASONS

The wrong pole basket for the conditions of the day is a nuisance. If you're sporting a racing basket but skiing powder, the pole plummets with each plant. If you're skiing on-piste steeps and bumps, a powder basket will occasionally deflect the pole and make you miss the plant; that may contribute to a spill. The solution: Scott's Pro Spec System 3 poles, an aluminum pole sold with three different-sized baskets. The baskets screw on and off in a matter of seconds, letting you choose the best size for the conditions of the day.

I worried the baskets might unscrew in use, but the pole's final thread has a locking knob that anchors the basket securely in place. Twist 'em tight and they aren't going anywhere. When you want the baskets off, however, (be that for a change in size, to pack the poles in a ski bag, or to probe for a buddy buried by a slide) the locking knobs are easily overpowered.

Note: While these poles are effective in probing for an avalanche victim who is near the surface, they won't mate to form a double-long probe.

PROBING SOLUTIONS

Many backcountry skiers carry a dedicated probe for avalanche rescue. If you don't, then ski with probe poles--poles whose handles and baskets pop off and whose shafts unite to form a long probe. Several manufacturers produce probe poles and a number of these are fine products.

One of my favorites, is Life Link's Variant Probe Pole. This pole is adjustable in length (from 44" to 58"), but unlike some adjustable poles whose cams either freeze-up or slip, the Variant Probe's non-slip grip and minimal taper on the lower shaft minimize these problems. Furthermore, while this pole's upper shaft is made of aluminum alloy (weight savings), the slim lower shaft (the part that takes a real beating) is made of chrome moly steel. Pro patrollers at many ski areas have been abusing these poles for years and the product stands up to the licking.

Should the pole need to be used as a probe, the lower shafts unscrew from the aluminum uppers. These shafts then screw together to form a slim, seven-foot probe that is devoid of the bulging knobs and ferrules that make some probe poles less functional.

Finally, with a sticker price of $85, the Variant Probe Pole delivers what may be the best bang for the buck at this price point. If you want to upgrade to a pole that's lighter (though not quite as durable) and has a beautiful swing weight--look at the Variant Composite Probe Pole. It has the same features but the chrome moly lower shaft is replaced with a carbon-fiber shaft which shaves several ounces off each pole.

PACKING LIGHT

Backcountry day packs are often over built. They have so many straps, pouches, and buckles you don't know what to do with them. Also, they use fabric and suspension systems that assume you're toting a bushel of bricks rather than a stuffsack of essentials. The result: There's an army of packs whose weight exceeds the weight of the essentials you're likely to tote.

Not so with the Activ' Light 37 from Lafuma. It weighs 23 ounces--half the weight of many packs with a comparable 37-liter (2250-cubic-inch) capacity. Although light, it possesses everything required of a capable hauler. If you're resort skiing with a lunch, shovel, and an extra vest, the pack compresses into a slim profile that won't interfere with the lifts. And if you're headed out-of-bounds for the day, it balloons to accept the clothing, water, food, and survival essentials for safe backcountry travel.

The pack has the necessary fittings to carry an ice axe, shovel, and skis without burdening you with a rat's nest of unused straps and buckles. Cordura 700 nylon reinforces wear areas where the pack might rub against the ground, ice axes, or ski edges. The rest of the product is fashioned from lighter ripstop Cordura.

Some users may fret over the Activ' Light's frame--it's simply a sheet of closed-cell foam tucked into a sleeve lying against the user's back. It's simple and perfectly adequate for the loads carried on a day tour.

Put this all together and you have in the Activ Light 37 ($99) a killer pack that intelligently avoids the error of overkill.

FOG-FREE GOGGLES, REALLY

When I first heard about Smith's Turbo Monashee Goggles, whose ventilation fan eliminates inside fogging, I laughed. "Marketing hype to peddle expensive goggles," I sneered. I had never found goggles that didn't fog up my glasses and I didn't believe a puny fan running off AAA batteries was the answer.

Rave reviews from other four-eyed skiers who were finally able to wear goggles without steaming up, convinced me to bite the price bullet ($135) and try these goggles. It's the best equipment decision I've made in years. I've skied eye-high powder, taken headers in fresh snow, and skied through blizzards with none of the frustrations of skiing without goggles. And whenever my exertion level has begun to fog the underlying spectacles, I hit the fan switch and blow off steam.

Because backcountry skiing generates a lot more sweat than resort skiing, two-eye skiers who frequently fog their goggles will benefit from Smith's Turbo Cariboo Goggles. The Cariboo ($135) uses the same fan system and gives you the same anti-fogging results. It is, however, smaller in volume since it is not meant to be worn over glasses.

TOPO MAPS GALORE

Skiers (whether they like the deep backcountry or the backcountry near the ski hill) are always in search of the ultimate line. You know, a line with easy access and egress that rewards you with 10,000 vertical feet of north-facing fluff. The best tool I've found for this quest is Wildflower Production's, Topo! Interactive Maps on CD-Rom.

Currently, there are seven or eight titles covering such ranges as the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Colorado Rockies, the Washington Cascades, the Olympic Mountains of Washington, and the Sierras. Upcoming titles will feature the Wasatch Range and the Catskills/Poconos. Economy is a good reason to consider one of these $49 packages. To own all the USGS topo maps packed into one CD would set you back $800.

The maps on these CDs come in five scales between 1:380,000 and 1:12,000. Furthermore, you can print to a scale of 1:6,000, which allows geriatric eyes to better interpret tricky areas.

Unlike paper maps where the places you hope to travel always seem to occupy the four-corner region, the computer sews the 200 maps that are part of each CD into one 60-foot by 60-foot wall map of your local mountains. If the area you want to ski happens to sit in that four-corner area of the USGS maps, worry not. Position that area where you want it on your screen, send the image to the printer and, voile, you've got exactly what you need on one sheet of paper.

Best of all, if a friend calls you late Friday and suggests you try a descent off, say, the backside of the Crystal Mountain Ski Area tomorrow, it's no sweat coming up with the map. Fire up the computer and in four minutes you'll have a paper copy of those slopes north of Crystal Creek that lead to Highway 410. Or maybe a little map study will have you eyeing a more elaborate tour that drops you into Crystal Lake, over peak 6595 west of the lake, and down to Highway 410 along the open slopes flanking Deadwood Creek. Want to know how elaborate this route really is? Draw it over the on-screen map and the software tells you everything you need to know: total mileage, total elevation lost and gained, coordinates of key features (if you travel with the help of GPS)...

The drawbacks of this CD come down to printing. The maps roll off newer, color printers with good resolution, but they may be muddy or blurred if you rely on an older black-and-white laser printer. With my NEC laser printer, the output is marginal whether I print in postscript or HP-LaserJet mode. So, I rely on a friend with a $300 color printer to run off my maps. My friend loves it: Every time I come over, he spends hours studying places where, come summer, he'd like to go mountain biking.

Lafuma America, 800-514-4807
Life Link, 800-443-8620
Scott USA,208-622-1000
Smith Sport Optics, 800-459-4903
Wildflower Productions, 415-558-8700