Ski Mountaineering, Backcountry Skiing, and Ski Touring: What's in my Pack (Part 2)

Photo Credit: Mark Johnson

This is Part Two of my discussion of Backcountry Skiing gear vs. Ski Mountaineering gear. In Part One, I discussed what goes in my pack for a Backcountry Ski trip. Today, we'll talk about what goes into my pack for a Ski Mountaineering trip, and how the gear might differ.

For me, ski mountaineering is all about a destination: a summit, a ridge line traverse--getting from Point A to Point B (and back). In the Oregon Cascades, ski mountaineering typically involves a summit, and the route will dictate the gear.

If you're heading up South Sister, you probably won't need much technical gear. Bring an ice axe on your pack, because you never know when you'll need to set an anchor to help rescue a dog from a moat...

On the other hand, if you're heading up the Pearly Gates on Mt. Hood or you have your eyes on the summits of Mt. Jefferson or North Sister, more climbing specific gear will be necessary.

Before we even talk about ski gear, let's talk about packs... For ski mountaineering, your pack should be able to carry your skis, avy gear, layers, food, water, snow and ice tools, and ropes. I have always liked climbing oriented packs because pretty much any pack with compression straps can carry skis, but not every pack can carry the rest of your gear. In my opinion the Mountain Hardwear Direttesima 46 and Via Rapida 35 are the ideal blend between climbing and skiing functionality for mountaineering.

Sometime soon I will be posting a complete review of the Mountain Hardwear Diretessima 46.

1. Skis, Boots, Bindings 

Alright, first the fun stuff. Most of the time when we're ski mountaineering, we aren't searching for epic blower pow. If you are, good on ya. I just want to find some nice soft corn snow and get home without anything going terribly wrong.

As such, the most important thing with my gear is comfort, weight, and the ability to handle hardbacked or variable conditions. I love my Rossi BC 125s (review here) for ski mountaineering. They are light, turny, and with fish scales on the bottom, great for long approaches or traverses. I run with Dynafits Speed Turns (a la the classic TLT Speed but with a more adjustable heel piece) and Scarpa F1s to round out the package.

This setup is not the most fun to ski down, but it handles all snow conditions well, especially crusty and icy snow that you find so often when you're ski mountaineering in the Cascades. It is designed to balance steep slopes and long flats. I hope to eventually do some longer traverses (John Muir Trail someday?) and I want a setup that serves as a mode of transportation as well as fun. If you're all about the up and down, a more downhill oriented setup may suit you better. Unlike my backcountry setup, my ski mountaineering setup gives almost no consideration to performance in powder snow.

2. Avy Gear: Beacon, Shovel, Probe

While it's tempting to ditch the avy gear to save weight, this stuff is important no matter what time of year it is. If you're out in the middle of winter and the snow is still layered, a beacon and shovel can be critical to saving your life, or your buddy's life. In the spring and summer, the consolidated corn snow can give us a false sense of security. The warm sun can trigger wet slides that have the potential to bury you if you're caught in the wrong terrain. I leave it to your discretion as to whether a probe is necessary. Often in stable spring conditions, my probe stays in the car.

3. Snow and Ice Tools

In ski mountaineering, we're trying to get somewhere, and we're not going to let the terrain get in our way (in fact the point is not to let terrain get in our way). The three most important pieces of gear are helmet, crampons, and ice axe. I like a nice lightweight plastic climbing helmet and aluminum crampons. Helmets protect you from rockfall. Crampons protect you from slipping on steep snow and Ice. Steel crampons are stronger than aluminum, but they're heavier. I'm rarely doing any vertical ice or mixed routes, so I get away with aluminum crampons just fine. 

With the advent of the Black Diamond Wippet, the ice axe retains limited functionality in ski mountaineering. The BD Whippet is a ski pole with the pick of an ice axe attached above the grip. They are useful for climbing and skiing and everyone who spends time on hard snow should have one. That's not to say they're no place for an ice axe in ski mountaineering. An ice axe is still the best way of performing a self arrest. Also, unlike a whippet, an Ice axe can serve as an anchor in a pinch. However, if you're skiing steep, icy terrain, the ice axe will do you little good attached to your pack. The whippet is in your hand, ready to assist in your self arrest if you take a slide. 

With a helmet, crampons, and ice axe/whippet, you can navigate almost any snowfield safely...if you know how to use them.

Some routes will require you to bring a rope, harness, snow pickets, ice screws and/or ice tools. If any of those pieces of equipment are necessary for you route, and you don't know what they are, pick a different route. You can get up most mountains in Oregon without getting too technical (Mt. Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington,  North Sister, and Mt. Thielsen are the main exceptions). If you want to get technical, take a class or learn from a buddy who know's what the hell he or she is doing.

4. Layers

Mountain weather can change quickly. However, despite what the gear companies try to sell you, there's no reason to overcomplicate your layers.

Typically, if you're harvesting Cascade Corn, you won't need much more than a base layer while you're hiking. I find long sleeve nylon running shirts are perfect for this application. A good sun hat  is important too. I am partial to my Nike running visor. The thing has seen close to a thousand miles of PCT, innumerable days skiing, and still looks barely worn.

Typically, you will want a hardshell that will protect you from rain and snow, and an insulating layer. I have found that in the Oregon Cascades, it rarely gets so cold that you need a big down jacket. My synthetic Mountain Hardwear Compressor jacket usually fits the bill. I also like to have a wind shell. My 4 oz Patagonia Houdini windshell is almost always in my pack. It is super light, but a good in-between layer if it is breezy, but too warm for a hardshell.

A note about insulation: I prefer synthetic insulation that will fit underneath my shell. Down is a good option as it is lighter and very breathable. It does you little good when it's wet. If we're talking about the Cascades, there is always the possibility that everything you own will get wet even through May and the beginning of June. If you're in the Rocky Mountains, a different set of considerations apply (Generally the Rockies are colder and dryer than the Cascades).

On the bottom I will either wear a hiking pant and/or a Gore-Tex bib depending on the weather. I bring two pairs of gloves: one warm pair for camp, skiing, or when it gets really cold. I also like to bring a pair of gas station leather work gloves (MSRP $4.99) for hiking, and whenever I'm doing rock or rope work. The gloves are indestructible, but if they aren't you're out the cost of a Big Mac. Finally, I like a warm wool hat that is thick enough to keep me warm, but thin enough to fit under my climbing helmet.

Conclusions

Yes, I'm a little bit of a gear nut and I like to have exactly the right tool for the job. Can you have a setup that does it all? Of course. With the development of (purportedly) burlier tech bindings, and lighter rockered skis, it is possible to have a one ski quiver. 

But, bringing a heavy powder ski on a hard packed or icy mountaineering trip, or bringing a skinny  ski on a big powder day could dampen your experience. If you're in the market for a ski touring setup, be aware of your primary application, and orient your gear for that application.  

One way or another, build your setup over years, figuring out what you like and don't like. Also, be strategic. I get most of my gear either used, on on sale during the off season. If you buy everything all at once, you're going to get a raw deal when you try to resell the gear at half the retail price. Then again, someone else out there might really appreciate the deal.