The San Francisco Chronicle reports two missing skiers have been found after they became lost in the backcountry near Alpine Meadows ski resort.

Both men are described as experienced adventure skiers, though according to the article, they did not intend to leave the resort on the day they became lost. Weather conditions were particularly foul that day, with high winds, a sustained blizzard, and white-out conditions. They apparently were unfamiliar with the resort and surrounding geography, and passed unaware beyond the boundary while skiing expert terrain in the blizzard.

What followed was a two day and two night ordeal in which they dug snow caves and slept on pine boughs, melted snow for water in plastic baggies, and followed a river downstream through heavy snow until a rescue helicopter spotted them. Aside from typical alpine ski gear and clothing, they had no backcountry equipment with them. The skiers certainly deserve credit for their survival skills, which kept them alive in life-threatening circumstances (more…)

I liked Osprey’s new Talon 44 backpack enough in summer to want to give it a try in Winter.

At an unmatched two pounds, nine ounces, the Talon is Oprey’s lightest multi-day pack, with an innovative frame that easily bests a traditional stay-and-framesheet design in stiffness and load-worthiness.

Two pounds nine ounces puts the Talon in the daypack weight class.

If the idea of carrying heavy winter loads with a pack that weighs half as much as the typical mule design appeals to you, you’ll understand exactly why I took the Talon for an overnight ski last weekend (more…)

I had big plans this weekend, and they ended as Big Plans often do—by delivering me a big smackdown.

Friday I and partner Bill climbed to the summit of West Baldy, camped nearby, and attempted to traverse the ridge down to Iron Mountain, with plans to ski a line on the Peak’s opposite face before climbing back to Baldy.

In Summer, the San Antonio Ridge is somewhat infamous as a SoCal gruel, with lots of up-and-down, class 3 climbing, and rugged terrain. We found it partially covered with bulletproof snow, making for exposed, icy travel at a snail’s pace. With weather deteriorating rapidly on Saturday, we decided to call off the attempt. Just getting to Iron Mountain via the ridge would have pushed the limits of our endurance and time frame—essentially, we were looking at 3.5 miles of technical ridge traversing just to get to the start of our project. And this after a tiring climb up Baldy the day before.

Sometimes, your plans just turn out to be not feasible. That was certainly the case here, sending me back to the drawing board on this one. Still, the trip was filled with memorable moments. Snow Camping at 9800′ on West Baldy was bitterly cold, with 50-60 mph winds the entire time. This proved an ample test of our camping techniques and gear. Suffice to say, the experience was highly educational. Watch for gear updates on what worked and especially what didn’t in the coming week.

I’ll also have to put together a writeup of the trip, which included a spectacular sunset-descent of West Baldy on Friday night. Dropping down over the fog-filled Los Angeles Basin as the sky turned red was unforgettable—easily the highlight of the trip. Things don’t always go as planned, but with a little flexibility, even a busted trip can still turn out to be a gem.