I fell over snowshoeing and bent my aluminum pole. Bent it back and still use them, carbon fiber would have snapped clean apart. That looked like a nice warm sunny snow day. Thanks
I've repaired (i.e. bent back into a straight-ish shape) so many aluminum xc ski poles at the cross-country rental shop at which I work. And as much as I love to xc ski at a groomed resort with carbon fiber poles (and their super convenient wrist strap systems), it's hard to argue with the durability and utilitarianism of aluminum! Especially in the backcountry when it matters most. It was definitely a beautiful bluebird kind of day out there when I filmed this one :) You'd be surprised because Tahoe has so many similar days, whether it's July or January blue skies are often the norm!
Love your channel Myself I have been teaching Jujutsu for over 20 yrs and your way of teaching people in a mellow relaxed way shows how experienced you really are. People say to me your really calm about jujutsu and I tell them I started training in 1973.
Thanks so much for the kind words and generous feedback! Believe it or not I wrestled through junior high and high school, trained in Aikido for 14 years, and trained off and on in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a few years. The vast majority of my coaches and teachers have all been relaxed, as well. So, perhaps that's a contributing factor for me modeling that behavior in other areas of my life :) I do find when teaching relatively complex body movements (particularly to total beginners), being anything other than patient and creating a relaxed environment (for the students to explore the movements) tends to be counterproductive. As instructors we can really only lead by example, and offer information and guidance. So since we can't actually make anyone do anything, I just try not to get worked up about too many things. The students are either going to get it or they're not, but at least I've offered all that I can to help them during the learning process. Anyway, thanks again for tuning in and posting the meaningful comment!
I just started getting into bird & nature photography. I also just moved to a place that snows in the winter and need to get some snowshoes to get outside in the winter. Those shots at the end were amazing by the way!
Hey Garrett, thanks for watching and for the really nice feedback 🤗 There seems to consistently be a family of American Kestrel that live in an area not too far from my home that I travel through on my way to work. So I'm always on the lookout for them. And then I hope I have the time to stop and a camera too photograph, with 😁 I love how snow can add a whole other dimension to wildlife photography. Snowshoes are way more manageable (than xc skis, for example) for carrying a big camera and actually taking pictures during the winter. Again, thanks for tuning in!
@@JaredManninen Those Kestrels are cool looking birds. I have a trail behind my house and have been trying to shoot this hawk but every time I see him and go get my camera he's gone. I'm not sure what kind he is yet but he is big. So far I've been able to get shots of a redheaded woodpecker, bluejay, cardinal and a few good squirrels. I feed all of them which as peaked the interest of the hawk. The same day I told myself I wanted to get serious about this I went for a hike and got pics of two bucks fighting. It was pretty amazing to witness. Sometimes things just fall into place when we're open to what we really love doing I guess or just lucky. 🦌 🦅
All of that sounds super cool! Especially the deer 👏👏👏 Over the years I've adopted a process by which I'll go out with no real plan other than a timeframe or specific destination (usually short distance but longer timeframe) and then just allow nature to take me where it will. So I'll see something or hear something and pursue that as much as I can and then follow the next sight/sound. I won't always do this, but often when I do I come across stone interesting stuff. Thanks again for contributing to the conversation!
Love the photos! I’ve been really enjoying your cross county skiing and snow shoe videos! I’ve been learning and applying your lessons to my snowshoeing and skiing. Thanks so much for these videos!
Thanks so much for the kind words, John! So glad I could be of service 🤗 Let me know if you ever have any questions, and I'll be sure to help in any way I can. Thanks again for tuning in!
Nice birding day for late December. Our Ponderosa forests in NE Wyoming don’t have that number of species same time of year. I use my cheaper two piece Atlas poles with baskets and external flick-locks. And your snow cover looks as crappy as ours right now. I love my Atlas 11-32’s for their bindings for ease of mindless deployment too. I have mastered using the tips of my poles to unlatch the bindings, a good emergency move. Good dialogue and presentation.
Hey Rob, Thanks for the feedback! And that's a nice feature about you being able to undo the bindings with your poles. I often tell people when they ask me about what type of snowshoe they should buy, to use a set of snowshoes with bindings that are easy to release when they (the people) are upside down and trapped in a tree well. I usually get a bit of an alarmed look from them. But there are way too many different, and way too complex, snowshoe bindings available that would be terrible for getting out of in an emergency situation. I find that "simple" is usually the better option when it comes to winter gear. Oh, and I actually filmed this video on December 2, 2020, as opposed to within the past few days. Not sure if you saw that date at the beginning of the video. So, the snow in Tahoe has changed a little since that time (slightly better coverage right now thanks to a storm on 12/17). That said, I'd still be able to see all of those same birds being active if I was to look close enough. I actually believe all of the species I photographed that day are year-round residents to Tahoe. And, recently while xc skiing (and without a good telephoto lens), I saw Pileated Woodpeckers on back-to-back days in different locations and a Black-backed Woodpecker. Neither are rare, but they're also not very common at Tahoe. It's frustrating not having my big camera when I do come across birds while I'm xc skiing. So today I ordered a pocket camera (to wear in a hip pouch) with a significant zoom lens in the hopes that it'll at least give me fighting chance to snap some decent shots on the go. We'll see if it's any good. Anyway, thanks for the comments. And I hope you guys get some decent snow soon!
@@JaredManninen The safety thing is is big. I rolled off into a well of sugar snow a few years ago, with a loaded external frame pack on, and nearly did a 180 head down. Getting out of those shoes, at least one, helped me recover. And using the pack as a platform. Scary moment.
@@sagehiker Yikes! That definitely sounds like a serious situation. I've never experienced firsthand anything quite as life-threatening, but I've heard more than one story, such as yours, about struggling just to free one's self from being trapped by their own gear. Fortunately, as humans, we can learn from others and not need to actually experience the thing for ourselves. Which is why, when it comes to winter adventures, I try to work backwards from a worst case scenario when selecting gear or routes. I don't see a lot of wrong when it comes to hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. Thanks for the testimony. And, glad you're here today :)
Hey Kathy, Thanks for the comment. As far as trekking poles for winter use go, I mostly prefer something from Leki or Backcountry Access (BCA). Leki makes a ton of different poles that can be used year-round and have easy basket and tip replacement options. But I love my BCA poles, which are mostly winter specific meaning I don't use them during the summer. Mountainsmith also makes really good all-season poles, too. All of that said, poles from those companies are a bit more expensive. Realistically, so long as you're not on some sort of mountaineering expedition where life or limb are on the line, you could pretty much use just about any aluminum trekking pole available on the market. I'm just not a huge fan of off-brands, though, because they're usually of lesser quality, not as versatile with regard to making repairs to them (i.e. swapping tips or baskets). So, I prefer the higher quality brands. And, I like to support those good brands because they usually incorporate some sort of sustainable practices into their business. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!
@billdickson1142 -- Again, Bill, I see that you posted a comment on 5/7/24 but it disappears when I try to access it. Not sure what's going on, but I'd love to read it and respond :) youtube.com/@billdickson1142
I fell over snowshoeing and bent my aluminum pole. Bent it back and still use them, carbon fiber would have snapped clean apart. That looked like a nice warm sunny snow day. Thanks
I've repaired (i.e. bent back into a straight-ish shape) so many aluminum xc ski poles at the cross-country rental shop at which I work. And as much as I love to xc ski at a groomed resort with carbon fiber poles (and their super convenient wrist strap systems), it's hard to argue with the durability and utilitarianism of aluminum! Especially in the backcountry when it matters most.
It was definitely a beautiful bluebird kind of day out there when I filmed this one :) You'd be surprised because Tahoe has so many similar days, whether it's July or January blue skies are often the norm!
Love your channel Myself I have been teaching Jujutsu for over 20 yrs and your way of teaching people in a mellow relaxed way shows how experienced you really are. People say to me your really calm about jujutsu and I tell them I started training in 1973.
Thanks so much for the kind words and generous feedback!
Believe it or not I wrestled through junior high and high school, trained in Aikido for 14 years, and trained off and on in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a few years. The vast majority of my coaches and teachers have all been relaxed, as well. So, perhaps that's a contributing factor for me modeling that behavior in other areas of my life :)
I do find when teaching relatively complex body movements (particularly to total beginners), being anything other than patient and creating a relaxed environment (for the students to explore the movements) tends to be counterproductive. As instructors we can really only lead by example, and offer information and guidance. So since we can't actually make anyone do anything, I just try not to get worked up about too many things. The students are either going to get it or they're not, but at least I've offered all that I can to help them during the learning process.
Anyway, thanks again for tuning in and posting the meaningful comment!
Great video! Incredible bird shots, too
Again, thanks for the nice feedback. Glad I could be of service :)
Nice video. And informational. Nice pictures. Thank you for sharing.
You're welcome! And thanks again, George, for the nice feedback :)
I just started getting into bird & nature photography. I also just moved to a place that snows in the winter and need to get some snowshoes to get outside in the winter. Those shots at the end were amazing by the way!
Hey Garrett, thanks for watching and for the really nice feedback 🤗
There seems to consistently be a family of American Kestrel that live in an area not too far from my home that I travel through on my way to work. So I'm always on the lookout for them. And then I hope I have the time to stop and a camera too photograph, with 😁
I love how snow can add a whole other dimension to wildlife photography. Snowshoes are way more manageable (than xc skis, for example) for carrying a big camera and actually taking pictures during the winter.
Again, thanks for tuning in!
@@JaredManninen Those Kestrels are cool looking birds. I have a trail behind my house and have been trying to shoot this hawk but every time I see him and go get my camera he's gone. I'm not sure what kind he is yet but he is big. So far I've been able to get shots of a redheaded woodpecker, bluejay, cardinal and a few good squirrels. I feed all of them which as peaked the interest of the hawk. The same day I told myself I wanted to get serious about this I went for a hike and got pics of two bucks fighting. It was pretty amazing to witness. Sometimes things just fall into place when we're open to what we really love doing I guess or just lucky. 🦌 🦅
All of that sounds super cool! Especially the deer 👏👏👏 Over the years I've adopted a process by which I'll go out with no real plan other than a timeframe or specific destination (usually short distance but longer timeframe) and then just allow nature to take me where it will. So I'll see something or hear something and pursue that as much as I can and then follow the next sight/sound. I won't always do this, but often when I do I come across stone interesting stuff. Thanks again for contributing to the conversation!
Love the photos! I’ve been really enjoying your cross county skiing and snow shoe videos! I’ve been learning and applying your lessons to my snowshoeing and skiing. Thanks so much for these videos!
Thanks so much for the kind words, John! So glad I could be of service 🤗
Let me know if you ever have any questions, and I'll be sure to help in any way I can.
Thanks again for tuning in!
Nice birding day for late December. Our Ponderosa forests in NE Wyoming don’t have that number of species same time of year. I use my cheaper two piece Atlas poles with baskets and external flick-locks. And your snow cover looks as crappy as ours right now. I love my Atlas 11-32’s for their bindings for ease of mindless deployment too. I have mastered using the tips of my poles to unlatch the bindings, a good emergency move. Good dialogue and presentation.
Hey Rob,
Thanks for the feedback! And that's a nice feature about you being able to undo the bindings with your poles.
I often tell people when they ask me about what type of snowshoe they should buy, to use a set of snowshoes with bindings that are easy to release when they (the people) are upside down and trapped in a tree well. I usually get a bit of an alarmed look from them. But there are way too many different, and way too complex, snowshoe bindings available that would be terrible for getting out of in an emergency situation. I find that "simple" is usually the better option when it comes to winter gear.
Oh, and I actually filmed this video on December 2, 2020, as opposed to within the past few days. Not sure if you saw that date at the beginning of the video. So, the snow in Tahoe has changed a little since that time (slightly better coverage right now thanks to a storm on 12/17). That said, I'd still be able to see all of those same birds being active if I was to look close enough. I actually believe all of the species I photographed that day are year-round residents to Tahoe.
And, recently while xc skiing (and without a good telephoto lens), I saw Pileated Woodpeckers on back-to-back days in different locations and a Black-backed Woodpecker. Neither are rare, but they're also not very common at Tahoe. It's frustrating not having my big camera when I do come across birds while I'm xc skiing. So today I ordered a pocket camera (to wear in a hip pouch) with a significant zoom lens in the hopes that it'll at least give me fighting chance to snap some decent shots on the go. We'll see if it's any good.
Anyway, thanks for the comments. And I hope you guys get some decent snow soon!
@@JaredManninen The safety thing is is big. I rolled off into a well of sugar snow a few years ago, with a loaded external frame pack on, and nearly did a 180 head down. Getting out of those shoes, at least one, helped me recover. And using the pack as a platform. Scary moment.
@@sagehiker Yikes! That definitely sounds like a serious situation. I've never experienced firsthand anything quite as life-threatening, but I've heard more than one story, such as yours, about struggling just to free one's self from being trapped by their own gear. Fortunately, as humans, we can learn from others and not need to actually experience the thing for ourselves. Which is why, when it comes to winter adventures, I try to work backwards from a worst case scenario when selecting gear or routes. I don't see a lot of wrong when it comes to hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. Thanks for the testimony. And, glad you're here today :)
Thx again JM for a solid vid - helpful, simple & visually lovely
As always, thank you Robin :)
Nice treatment, JM. Will pass along to a friend. Thank you.
Thanks for the kind words. And thanks for the share. I really appreciate it!
Is there a brand you would recommend?
Hey Kathy,
Thanks for the comment. As far as trekking poles for winter use go, I mostly prefer something from Leki or Backcountry Access (BCA). Leki makes a ton of different poles that can be used year-round and have easy basket and tip replacement options. But I love my BCA poles, which are mostly winter specific meaning I don't use them during the summer. Mountainsmith also makes really good all-season poles, too.
All of that said, poles from those companies are a bit more expensive. Realistically, so long as you're not on some sort of mountaineering expedition where life or limb are on the line, you could pretty much use just about any aluminum trekking pole available on the market.
I'm just not a huge fan of off-brands, though, because they're usually of lesser quality, not as versatile with regard to making repairs to them (i.e. swapping tips or baskets). So, I prefer the higher quality brands. And, I like to support those good brands because they usually incorporate some sort of sustainable practices into their business.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!
@billdickson1142 -- Again, Bill, I see that you posted a comment on 5/7/24 but it disappears when I try to access it. Not sure what's going on, but I'd love to read it and respond :) youtube.com/@billdickson1142