Despite lean times, I am happy to report I skied a descent this past weekend that’s been near the top of my most-wanted list: Bloody Couloir, in the Mammoth Lakes region of the Sierra.

Blood Couloir has something of a reputation as a test piece for the locals—at least according to the guidebooks. In any case, it’s a popular backcountry skiing destination, easily accessed via 4WD, with variations of all difficulty levels.

I was most interested in the chute that drops from Bloody Mountain’s west summit—this appears to be the steepest pitch on the mountain. How steep was it? I brought my inclinometer and was surprised to repeatedly get measurements nearing 50° in the crux section.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Sierra Descent without some sort of fiasco: in this case, I decided to try to bike the 4 1/2 mile approach road, with skis and overnight gear. The experience was nothing if not educational. While I can’t recommend the Laurel Lakes Road for bicycles (in fact I strongly, strongly recommend against trying it), biking to long approaches could work, given the right conditions.

If you’re familiar with Black Diamond’s ultralight tents (such as the Firstlight, Hilight, or Oneshot), you’re probably aware of the controversy surrounding Epic™ fabric.

Nobody really knows how waterproof (or not) Epic actually is. And you can probably find reports all across the internet with people arguing either that Epic fabric is highly water-resistant—or not water-resistant at all.

So, with unexpected rain hitting the Southland, I thought I’d rig a new Oneshot outside my apartment and see what happens.

Hopefully, it will rain all day. That, plus the high humidity will make an excellent test of Epic’s ability to keep you dry in the wild. Stay tuned.

Update (4/22): Well, it looks like the mystery will remain unsolved, for now. We didn’t get enough rain to make any definitive statements on Epic’s waterproofness.

After about an hour and half of moderate but steady rain, the tent remained completely dry inside. The fabric showed no sign of becoming waterlogged—it was well-protected by the water-repellant coating on the exterior.

To make things a little more challenging, I did not seam-seal the tent. At least within this timeframe, I saw no evidence of water leaking through the unsealed seams.

I’d still like to repeat this test with a big Pacific storm: 24 hours of heavy rain, high humidity, and wind.

No one is recommending you use an Epic-fabric tent beside a stormy ocean. But I figure you won’t ever encounter conditions in the mountains that are any wetter. And I’m still curious how long the tent’s water-resistance would hold up.

For the latest entry in my never-ending search for the perfect ski mountaineering pack, I’ve taken a look at Black Diamond’s new Quantum 45L pack.

The Quantum really marks an evolution in the BDEL pack lineup. This is the first BD pack that is truly able to carry approach loads comfortably.

Especially notable is the Quantum’s modularity, which allows it to easily strip (yes, really easily) from its full configuration down to a two-pound summit pack.

This is an exciting development for those of us seeking a technical pack capable of carrying overnight and climbing gear, yet still light enough to comfortably use for skiing.

Check it out: Black Diamond Quantum Backpack Review

This past weekend, I joined a group of SMS Angeles members for a day tour in the South Lake region, off highway 168 west of Bishop.

The forecast called for snow, but given a sunny morning and the no-show performance of this year’s storms, we weren’t expecting much in the way of weather.

I was therefore most surprised—and delighted!—when a full-fledged blizzard blew in around noon.

Winds shrieked, visibility plummeted, and snow fell at a rate around an inch an hour. This are normally the sort of conditions that keep me at home, because of the obvious slide hazard.

However, touring at the very start of the storm gave us the opportunity to safely travel the lower South Lake drainage, as well as contemplate the speed of the day’s changing conditions.

We obviously chose to alter our plans and stay relatively low, though it was tempting to keep climbing higher.

Aside from the obvious beauty and remoteness of the area, South Lake offers great Nordic skiing, a bevy of technical possibilities, and preposterously good access—paved road to nearly 9900′ !

I’ve been using Black Diamond’s Winter Bivy Sack a little over a year now. While I’d hate to get caught in a downpour in it, I’ve found the Winter Bivy makes a nice substitute for a tent—in certain conditions.

If you’re used to carrying a four or five pound tent, switching to the nine ounce Winter Bivy Sack can certainly change your perspective when it comes to shelter: Black Diamond Winter Bivy Review

Amazingly enough, I’ve put together an actual backcountry skiing trip report from my latest visit to the Southern Sierra.

At 13,930′, Mount LeConte just barely missed being a fourteener. Given the way the year has gone, I didn’t expect to ski anything south of Mammoth, but as I was driving through Lone Pine, I thought I saw snow.

I was wrong. The resulting misadventure is a little embarrasing, but in these lean times, we have to make the best of what we have: Skiing Mount LeConte.