I’m working on a feature report of my first fourteener of the summer season…should have it a few days or so…

The Mt. San Antonio Ski Hut crew are back to work this weekend and coming weeks, and still looking for volunteers to assist in carrying loads up to the hut, as well as extra hands while they’re repairing the hut.

I believe people who help out earn credits toward host usage, which means you get to stay in the hut in winter and use it as a backcountry skiing basecamp, so if you’ve got some free time and energy, RSVP to Gil and get your hands dirty.

Robert Bland and I will be installing the “dry” portion of the Hut roof the week of July 7th and are reaching out for some help. We need a minimum of 2-4 people to assist. The more people we have, the quicker things will go. We anticipate 2-4 days to get the job done.

Please email me if you are available to assist for a day, or more.

We still need some help for this weekend if you are available.

RSVP:

Gil — OffPiste1@aol.com

The Island of Forvik is now accepting applications for citizenship. Qualifications? Apparently all you have to do is pony up one Forvik Gulde (approx. £60 pounds sterling).

Never heard of Forvik? It’s a small island off Scotland owned by Stuart Hill, who recently declared independence from the UK. Mr. Hill (who also happens to be Forvik’s only resident) wants the island to be a crown dependency ala the Chanel Islands or the Island of Man.

If the idea of being king of your own country, however small, appeals to you, you’ve got to admire Hill’s moxie. But maybe we should wait till we learn more about Forvik’s backcountry skiing opportunities before sending over the cash for citizenship.

Meanwhile, I’m going to have to look into getting my own island…or maybe I’ll just declare my block in West L.A. an independent territory.

As I continue to use my Spot Satellite Messenger, I continue to learn more about the device’s pros and cons. A lot of people are reporting difficulty sending messages, for example. In my experience, Spot does not do well transmitting while in motion. It seems to need to stay in one place (motionless is best), with a clear view of the sky, for up to 20 or 30 minutes to send out a message. That makes the tracking function nearly (but not completely) useless, as the tracking pings are supposed to go out every ten minutes automatically.

If you follow these somewhat restrictive rules, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble sending out ‘OK’ messages—I haven’t had any problems. But maybe the larger question is, what happens when you do send a rescue message? Given that Spot only lets you say either, ‘I’m okay’ or an ambiguous ‘I need Help’, it’s no small matter to push the help button. Your loved ones won’t know that you’ve twisted your ankle and can’t walk back to your car, for example. They’ll be thinking you’ve fractured a femur and are bleeding out (or some other horrific scenario).

For a very vivid illustration of this reality (and its consequences), check out Backpacker Magazine’s new Blog ‘The Pulse’, featuring an entry describing from the point of view of those at home what it’s like to get a ‘Need Help” email: Steve Howe’s Rescue Call from Denali.

Note: sorry, no hiking or skiing this week: I’m helping a new company with some rush work on their website. Those not interested in geeky tech-talk may wish to tune out for a bit.

For the rest of you, I thought I’d tell you about a bug I’ve been dancing with today. I’ve moved into the cross-browser compatibility phase of the website’s update, which these days means pulling your hair out to try to get things to render correctly in Internet Explorer 6 (more…)

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that March, April, and May 2008 were the driest winter months on record for California and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

I suppose that shouldn’t be surprising, given that (A) these three months traditionally see heavy snowfall in the Sierra and (B) this year these same months were essentially bone dry (except for the Memorial Day storm). Still, it is a strange and alarming ending for a winter that featured both unusually intense storms and an unusual absence of storms.

California depends on the Sierra snowpack for much of its water needs, prompting Sacramento to declare a statewide drought. Said the Governator: “This drought is an urgent reminder of the immediate need to upgrade California’s water infrastructure. There is no more time to waste because nothing is more vital to protect our economy, our environment and our quality-of-life.”

For those who follow the ever-developing story of Global Climate Change, the threat of reduced Sierra and Rocky Mountain snowpacks (and thus available water in the Western U.S.) is an area of great concern in this country. For more info on the subject, Google “Lake Powell Water Shortage.”

I should point out that Colorado is enjoying a banner year (the bastards are still skiing backcountry powder, as far as I’ve heard). The actual impact of a warmer Earth is of course unknowable, which is part of what makes the problem so difficult to deal with. That said, scarcity of water may prove to be a sleeper of an issue with a big bite.

Those of you who publish small websites know we live or die at Google’s whim, so it’s always news when Google releases new information regarding publisher best-practices.

The problem in the past has always been Google’s ambiguity. Google doesn’t want to give so-called Black Hat publishers information they can use to trick Google and game the system. But that same ambiguity makes it much harder for those who play by the rules to stay in compliance. After all, if you don’t know what the rules are, it’s awfully hard to obey them.

Google Anti-Spam Guru Matt Cutts talks about the new documentation on his blog: Improved SEO Documentation Galore! The info is thankfully quite explicit (at least for Google), and offers numerous useful tips for publishers. If you’re got a website, it’s must-read stuff. Even if you’re not a web publisher, if you’ve even been curious as to some of the workings behind the curtain at the massive Google machine, I think you’ll find it interesting.

If you’ve searched the web for information on a trail or peak, chances are you’ve come across a listing from Trails.com, a subscription-only website offering trail information and topo maps.

For $49.00 per year, Trails.com claims to give you unlimited access to over 40,000 trail guides and topo maps for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Generally I prefer my websites free, so I always ignored Trails’ ubiquitous listings—though I often wondered what their content was like.

Recently, Trails.com absorbed my favorite online map service, Topozone.com. That plus Trails’ 14 day free trial offer prompted me to take a look at their service. The verdict? Trails.com offers a depth and breadth of coverage that is considerably more than I was expecting. Is it worth $49 a year? Read on (more…)

If you’re free this Saturday, Mount Baldy’s San Antonio Ski Hut needs your help:

Dear Friend of the San Antonio Ski Hut:

In addition to the Fall Work Party scheduled the weekend of June 7th , we will have a one-day Work Party, Saturday May 30th.

We will meet 10:30 am at the San Antonio Falls Rd. gate, to help carry supplies.

We will be carrying 2×4’s, 1×6’s, and possibly food/beverage and other related items up to the Hut. Please come prepared with a large backpack AND some rope/cord and/or tie downs, strapping, etc.

This will be a BYOB trip. No meals will be provided. Participants will earn a full-weekends credit towards Host Qualifications.

ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST RSVP

Work party reservations normally fill to capacity within 48-72 hours, so do not delay your RSVP.

We are also still in need of additional participants for the June 7th weekend. Please email me if you would like to attend.

Please reply to this email to RSVP.

· Work Party participants will be required to sign a release waiver

· Please bring a large backpack, so you may help ferry supplies. Small backpacks will not cut it.

· No animals allowed at the Work Party. No children this Work Party.

· Be prepared to carry heavy loads, work hard and eat good.

· We encourage new Hosts. Please bring someone with you to the work party you think would make a good Host. We will be qualifying new Hosts via Work Party’s.

· Please bookmark our website. The site lists current “Host Schedule” contact info, and work party dates.

· Hosts are encouraged to contact Gil Estrada prior to their scheduled Host weekend, to see if there are any supplies that might need to be carried up.

· Please conserve firewood.

Reservations will be confirmed by email, with additional instructions forwarded on an “as needed basis” as the date approaches.

Gil Estrada

Hut Chairman

2206 Silver Tree Rd.

Claremont, Ca. 91711

909-624-8224

offpiste1@aol.com

SMS Leader Alvin Walter sent me a few photos from his trip up the Sierra’s Rock Creek drainage over Memorial Weekend.

Alvin encountered ‘full winter conditions’ with up to a foot and a half of new powder.

Looking at all that gorgeous snow, all I can think is, where were you three months ago!

Sounds like those of you who braved the mixed forecast over the weekend got some excellent late-season skiing.

Farther south, people are reporting about a foot of new snow above 10,000′ in the Whitney Region.

With the switchbacks above Trail Camp completely covered, that’s going to be more than enough to abort summit bids for most parties. So, for the time being, expect challenging conditions if you have hiking or climbing plans in the Sierra.

As for skiing, it’s hard to say what you’ll find over the next few weeks. With such a wide variety of conditions across the range, from sun cups to ice to bare rock, that foot or so of new snow has a lot of work to do to make for sustainable skiing—especially when you factor in an unfiltered June sun. It may be that Memorial Day was the last big hurrah for Sierra Skiing. Or maybe there are a few fine stashes still waiting to be found.