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SierraDescents | Category | Tips & Technique

Pedaling Breakthroughs

Pedaling Breakthroughs

It is interesting, looking at video of myself from this past weekend, how similar my technique looks to earlier footage...yet how different it feels to me now. I am doing some (more)

Steep Technique: Revisiting The DesLauriers Article

Steep Technique: Revisiting The DesLauriers Article

In their 2001 article, The New Pedal Carve Turn, brothers Rob and Eric DesLauriers attempt a detailed explanation of the mechanics of the pedal turn, plus three exercises designed (more)

Anselme’s Turn

Anselme's Turn

One of my technique goals this year has been to teach myself how to do Anselme Baud's steep turn (this would be one of the two variants of the original or classic pedal turn, as (more)

Hips Over Tips?

Hips Over Tips?

Back from a quick gear tuneup trip to MM, which means it's time once again to resume my never-ending quest to deconstruct steep skiing technique, 2016 edition. In contrast to (more)

Steep Skiing: Uphill Ski Strategies Part II

Steep Skiing: Uphill Ski Strategies Part II

The downhill ski works. You do the move, and it's practically universal: hard snow, soft snow, low angle, high angle, damn the consequences, it works. It's simple, it's (more)

Steep Skiing: The Unweight

Steep Skiing: The Unweight

Three years I've been obsessing about steep technique. Three years of drought. It strikes me now that the irony is, having finally found the steep turn I've been looking for all (more)

Steep Skiing: The Downhill Ski

Steep Skiing: The Downhill Ski

When things go wrong with steep skiing technique, the space-constrained uphill ski always seems to be the instigator. Who hasn't felt their uphill ski catch at the worst possible (more)

Steep Technique: Uphill Ski Strategy I

Steep Technique: Uphill Ski Strategy I

I continue to focus on management of the uphill ski as the key to unlocking the secrets of steep skiing technique. Those of you who follow my site know this has become something (more)

Thoughts on Approach

Thoughts on Approach

Waiting for snow to arrive has me contemplating a similar frustration: not being able to get to the snow even when it is here. Yes, I'm talking about those maddeningly-tough (more)

Sea-Level Acclimatization Strategies

Sea-Level Acclimatization Strategies

Californians overwhelmingly live at sea level, placing us at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to climbing mountains. The best and safest and most obvious way to acclimatize (more)

Backcountry Cooking: Chicken w/Broccoli

Backcountry Cooking: Chicken w/Broccoli

To me, the ideal backcountry meal is not only tasty but also reasonably healthy, super-easy to prepare, easy to clean up afterward, and doesn't leave you with a lot of waste that (more)

Principles of Steep Skiing: Revised

Principles of Steep Skiing: Revised

I don't how, exactly, my obsession with steep skiing began, but even as a kid, I remember arriving at ski areas and immediately wanting to find the steepest run on the hill to see (more)

Steep Technique: I Was Wrong!

Steep Technique: I Was Wrong!

In my never-ending quest to master steep skiing technique, there have certainly been highs and lows, but I have to confess I've been stuck for a long time battling what I think of (more)

‘The Turn’

'The Turn'

One of my more esoteric quests is the search for the perfect steep skiing turn. Steep technique turns out to be a fabulously nuanced and dynamic field of study. There are lots (more)

My Quick & Dirty Bootfitting Tips

My Quick & Dirty Bootfitting Tips

At Mammoth last weekend I had the interesting experience of hearing two exactly opposite bootfitting opinions in two consecutive days at two consecutive ski shops. US bootfitters (more)

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About SierraDescents

When there is snow, SierraDescents is Andy Lewicky's California backcountry skiing and mountaineering website. Without snow, sierradescents becomes an ill-tempered hiking and climbing blog.

Pray for snow.