Looks like a great time! A couple questions: How do you guys decide what to ski, given you have what looks like significantly different gear (though am I wrong there?). And what are you eating? Skiing all day takes lots of calories. And how do you dry the boot liners in that cold weather?
Great questions David. Our gear was mismatched for sure. Tom H also skis XC, but he decided to take his AT downhill gear as most of the trip was centered around downhill skiing as opposed to distance skiing. I almost picked my plastic boot Telemark setup (Voile V6, Scarpa T2, Switchback X2) for the same reason, but chose an XCD setup (Voile Objective, Alfa Free, Explore binding) instead. I was expecting several inches of fresh snow based on the precipitation reported at a snotel site about 25 miles away. As it turns out, the area did not have the fresh snow I anticipated, so the skiing was a bit more challenging. In hindsight, the downhill skiing would have been easier with my plastic boot setup. On the upside, my XCD setup was ideal for some of the tour, as my Objectives are scaled skis, and Tom H had to rely on skins for everything but the long downhill runs. As far as compatibility goes, it was fine. I just had to slow things down a bit on the flat parts of the trip and we had to pick downhill runs that we could both enjoy. As far as food goes, we each do our own thing. Tom H is more of a gourmet chief and I have several backpacking meals that Julie and I have perfected over the years. My breakfast and dinner meals are hot soaked meals, so all it requires is boiling water and no pot cleanup. It is very important to have enough calories in the winter in order to stay warm at night. One of my dinner meals on this trip consisted of instant mashed potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, precooked bacon, spices, and butter. The bacon, butter and cheese are cut up into small pieces, mixed with the instant potatoes and then placed in a small freezer bag. When it comes time for dinner, I just add boiling water, stir, let it sit, then eat. This one dish is 650 calories. One of the advantages of winter camping is that you can get away with taking things you wouldn't even think of taking in the summer, you just have to keep them cool. For breakfast, I have what I call my breakfast porridge and I posted a video on that a few years ago. The only difference is that in the winter, I boost the calories a bit by adding some butter. ua-cam.com/video/GchdCsKQAOE/v-deo.html In next week's video you will see a pot of hot multigrain cereal being cooked in a pot. That is Tom H's breakfast as I don't cook my porridge in a pan. For the rest of my calories, I portion out a daily ration of various dry foods, some I make myself ua-cam.com/video/75-RAslSwmQ/v-deo.html and others are off the shelf products. It can range from salted almonds to dry fruit, my favorite at the moment is whole dried bananas. Julie did make a batch of brownies and I had one each day. Tom H brought along some homemade fruitcake and it was excellent. Moisture management is key to staying warm in the winter. Plastic boot liners will get wet with exercise, I don't think there is any way around that. You will see Tom H drying his out in the morning sun every chance he gets. He has a set of Western Mountaineering Expedition Gore Windstopper Booties that he can put on to keep his feet warm when the boots are off and he also carries several sets of socks that he can rotate. It is easier to dry the socks than the liners and it is best to always start out with dry socks at the beginning of the day. Stay tuned for next weeks video for the conclusion of this trip and if you haven't watched my Wind River Winter trip from a few years ago, here is the link. ua-cam.com/video/BdiR6FvFTBM/v-deo.html
As always great video! Thanks Tom! And this is something I love doing the most - some backcountry skiing and then camping in a tent or hammock :-)
Glad you enjoyed the video. Stay tuned next Friday for part 2.
Wow, really nice
Glad you liked it! Thanks for posting and have a great weekend.
Morning coffee with Tom..☕️
Excellent 🤠
New Brunswick Canada 🇨🇦
Thanks for tuning in and have a great weekend.
Looks like a great time! A couple questions: How do you guys decide what to ski, given you have what looks like significantly different gear (though am I wrong there?). And what are you eating? Skiing all day takes lots of calories. And how do you dry the boot liners in that cold weather?
Great questions David. Our gear was mismatched for sure. Tom H also skis XC, but he decided to take his AT downhill gear as most of the trip was centered around downhill skiing as opposed to distance skiing. I almost picked my plastic boot Telemark setup (Voile V6, Scarpa T2, Switchback X2) for the same reason, but chose an XCD setup (Voile Objective, Alfa Free, Explore binding) instead. I was expecting several inches of fresh snow based on the precipitation reported at a snotel site about 25 miles away. As it turns out, the area did not have the fresh snow I anticipated, so the skiing was a bit more challenging. In hindsight, the downhill skiing would have been easier with my plastic boot setup. On the upside, my XCD setup was ideal for some of the tour, as my Objectives are scaled skis, and Tom H had to rely on skins for everything but the long downhill runs. As far as compatibility goes, it was fine. I just had to slow things down a bit on the flat parts of the trip and we had to pick downhill runs that we could both enjoy. As far as food goes, we each do our own thing. Tom H is more of a gourmet chief and I have several backpacking meals that Julie and I have perfected over the years. My breakfast and dinner meals are hot soaked meals, so all it requires is boiling water and no pot cleanup. It is very important to have enough calories in the winter in order to stay warm at night. One of my dinner meals on this trip consisted of instant mashed potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, precooked bacon, spices, and butter. The bacon, butter and cheese are cut up into small pieces, mixed with the instant potatoes and then placed in a small freezer bag. When it comes time for dinner, I just add boiling water, stir, let it sit, then eat. This one dish is 650 calories. One of the advantages of winter camping is that you can get away with taking things you wouldn't even think of taking in the summer, you just have to keep them cool. For breakfast, I have what I call my breakfast porridge and I posted a video on that a few years ago. The only difference is that in the winter, I boost the calories a bit by adding some butter. ua-cam.com/video/GchdCsKQAOE/v-deo.html In next week's video you will see a pot of hot multigrain cereal being cooked in a pot. That is Tom H's breakfast as I don't cook my porridge in a pan. For the rest of my calories, I portion out a daily ration of various dry foods, some I make myself ua-cam.com/video/75-RAslSwmQ/v-deo.html and others are off the shelf products. It can range from salted almonds to dry fruit, my favorite at the moment is whole dried bananas. Julie did make a batch of brownies and I had one each day. Tom H brought along some homemade fruitcake and it was excellent. Moisture management is key to staying warm in the winter. Plastic boot liners will get wet with exercise, I don't think there is any way around that. You will see Tom H drying his out in the morning sun every chance he gets. He has a set of Western Mountaineering Expedition Gore Windstopper Booties that he can put on to keep his feet warm when the boots are off and he also carries several sets of socks that he can rotate. It is easier to dry the socks than the liners and it is best to always start out with dry socks at the beginning of the day. Stay tuned for next weeks video for the conclusion of this trip and if you haven't watched my Wind River Winter trip from a few years ago, here is the link. ua-cam.com/video/BdiR6FvFTBM/v-deo.html