May 29

Photo of the Week: Memorial Day Magic

The past weekend in the Northeast was pretty magical on many levels. It’s not often that Old Man Winter throws us a bone this late in the season. The rain that fell in the mountains prior to the changeover to snow also unleashed one of the more spectacular displays of waterfalls we’ve seen in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Anyhow, here’s one image, captured while approaching snowline at 1800′ on Saturday, that really illustrates the weekend for us. And while the snow was much deeper up high (approx. 12″ had piled up along VT’s Monroe Skyline by Sunday morning), it was the unusually scenic and surprisingly smooth skiing in the mid to lower elevations that had us going back for more. (Click on the thumbnail below to enlarge, and stay tuned for more images, soon.)

Ski you out there.

-Brian and Emily

©Ember Photography / EmberPhoto.com

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May 23

Gear Shed: Trail Runners and Wool Tees

We’ve been playing around with some impressive gear lately, and feel as though the Scarpa’s Spark trail running shoe and Smartwool’s PHD Wool Tees are well worth a plug.

Without getting too carried away with the details here, we’ve got the following impressions to share. Feel free to click on the product image for more info and to purchase the product (a portion of the proceeds will support AdventureSkier.com) or head to the manufacturers’ websites for more detailed product info:

Scarpa Spark:
• High performance, light weight and very secure-fitting trail running shoe;
• Well designed lacing system keeps mid-foot in place more than most shoes we’ve tested on rough, technical trails and long descents;
• Shoes dry quickly and easily after a good run in the rain;
• Construction is solid overall, but we are seeing reasonable signs of early stitch/glue/seam failure after approx. 40 trail runs (i.e. they are not the most durable trail runners, but for a relatively light weight trail runner, they are holding up quite well);
• We’re not huge fans of the big Scarpa logo/advertisement across the side of the shoe, but then again, who cares if the shoe fits well and runs great!


Scarpa_Spark

Smartwool’s PHD Wool Tees
• This merino wool tee, with little more than a good fresh water rinse, will stand up to days and days (even weeks, if necessary!) of odor-free use. Add a few drops of Dr.Bronner’s soap to the wash bucket to freshen things even more. It seems as though we wash cotton and polypro t-shirts four to five times (at least) as often as merino wool tees.
• The PHD tee is semi-form fit for high-octane activities, and its itch-free, merino wool construction helps to wick your sweat away and keep you comfortable as you move;
• Smartwool is a great company for a lot of reasons, and we especially like them for the creation of their SmartWool General Advocacy Fund, which, since 2005, has supported non-profit organizations that get kids into the outdoors while educating them about environmental stewardship. Go Smartwool!

SmartWool_PHD_Tee

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May 19

Photo of the Week: A Great Excuse for a Hike!

While spring gradually gives way to summer and the very last remnants of winter finally melt away, a few lingering strips of snow in the higher reaches of the Whites, Dacks and at several northeastern ski areas are still tempting a handful of skiers. At this point, while the turns are still fun, the skiing is as much a good excuse to go for a warm-season hike, dip your face in a mountain creek, and check out some of the first wild flowers of the season. For us, it’s also an easy way to hang out as a family and to give our three month old daughter a chance to catch up on some sleep (note the chest pouch) and soak up some extra fresh air in the mountains.

Word on the street is that Killington will be spinning lifts Memorial Day Weekend, and so long as the area’s Superstar run is still top to bottom (as it should be for another 8-10 days), it’s well worth a visit. Of course, being that it’s late May, don’t just go for the skiing… enjoy the hike, smell the flowers, watch out for porcupines and make the most of the travels with a bike ride or paddle along the way.

Ski you out there…

Brian, Emily and Lil’ Maiana

©Ember Photography / EmberPhoto.com

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May 08

Photo of the Week: The Dirty Corn

Whether you are finding it on those lingering strips of snow at your favorite ski area, or along the snow-filled edge of an alpine ridge in New Hampshire’s White Mountains or Quebec’s Monts McGerrigle, The Dirty Corn is hard to miss right now. And that’s okay.

For one thing, The Dirty Corn is often a sign of a safe, stable snow pack. It’s been sitting around for a while – collecting any dust, dirt and grit it can gather – and it’s unlikely to go anywhere, no matter how steep, it seems. Still, it’s always wise to proceed with caution.

Of course, after a little spring snow fall, when the fresh stuff loads up nicely along one side of your ski line, but is nothing but a sticky, gloppy, goo by the time you show up to ski it at four in the afternoon, The Dirty Corn might be the only snowy surface still sliding fast and smooth…no matter how good the moisture-riddled white stuff looks.

Finally, there’s nothing like The Dirty Corn for leaving your mark on the mountain. It puts a whole new twist on the concept of untracked corn. And situate your camp, or tailgate, with the right vantage point, and you can kick back and admire your handi-work for days to follow…

Before long, The Dirty Corn will give way to Summer here in the Northeast, but in the meanwhile, there are still a few options for top to bottom skiing (on snow, mostly) at several ski areas, and even a handful of chutes, bowls and snow-choked gullies in the higher elevations of the Northeast to slide around in for the next few weeks. No doubt, at least a few more sunset sessions are in order – if only to stay in shape for some of the world-class spring skiing that’s been tempting us in the higher elevations of The West or from summit-to-sea in the The Great White North. We’ll see where those temptations lead us, soon enough. So stay tuned.

Ski you out there.

Brian and Emily

©Ember Photography - Dirty Corn -Green Mountains, Vermont

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Apr 30

Photo(s) of the Week: White Mountain Wanderlust

We’ve been feeling a bit of White Mountain Wanderlust lately, thanks in no small part to an incredible run of pleasant spring days that have produced corn-snow conditions on at least some aspects, daily. Over the last several days, especially, temperatures have been cool enough to allow for some re-freezing of the snow pack nightly, but still warm enough to keep the snow soft underfoot right through the sunset hour. It has also been nice enough for us to get up high along NH’s Presidential Divide with our 75 day old daughter, Maiana Snow, who, not surprisingly, seems to thrive on any time we can offer her in the mountains.(see 2nd photo)

Many previous snow-filled connections, however, both up high and down low, are really starting to let go now, so be prepared to do at least a little bit of walking, sidestepping and scrambling (play the “rock game” in the fragile alpine) in order to string together many ski lines. (Click on the image thumbnails below to view larger images)

Ski you out there.
– Brian

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