what do you carry on trips?

Watch this video and learn how to go light.
This guy is an avalanche forecaster in Utah and he doesn't even need a pack!!! Towards the end he shows what he carries..

!

Great video.

Cookie, check out this sled -- it's what I've been carrying since the Phantom.

It requires some modifications to your gear.  Drill holes in tips and tails, plus holes in the ends of your shovel handle pieces (and the blade, if they're not there already).  That, plus 1/4" bolts and wingnuts (4) and a length of 4-5mm cord makes a board-stiff, bombproof rescue sled.  It's pretty impressive.  I carry that gear with me anytime the skis come out.

do you need to seal the holes in your skis with epoxy or something?

cabon fiber poles will not work well in this system

a second person on a goat rope on the back of this sled would be helpful - a belay, like the sleds on the ski slope

do you need to seal the holes in your skis with epoxy or something?

cabon fiber poles will not work well in this system

a second person on a goat rope on the back of this sled would be helpful - a belay, like the sleds on the ski slope

Yup, epoxy the holes.  Why would carbon be a problem?  The poles are mostly stiffeners to keep the skis from shifting on the shovel handles, they don't take much of the body weight (assuming the head is toward the tails).

You can easily rig a tag line off the tails.  Works well enough.

Firstly you should know where you are ALL the time.
Not an old codger skill.....its an essential skill regardless of your generation.

Despite having spent 30 years developing my map reading skills, I have to confess that I don't always know where I am. This is particularily true below treeline or in a white out. I have a somewhat high failure rate when hiking up a forested valley looking for that particular drainage that takes you to the high country. After a few particularily inconvienient experiences I have updated my GPS (with downloadable topography) so I can actually get a signal in the trees (some of the time). To balance the anti-GPS sentiment in this thread I would like to extol the virtues of modern GPS. Maps and compass (and altimeter) navigation is a essential skill, but I find the GPS to be an essential supplement (not replacement) that can save you time and effort and make your explorations safer.

I have completed an in depth volumetric analysis of the ever increasing list of equipment required in your day pack from all the posts above and had my team of trained technicians put together this photo rendition of the average skier complying with the approved TAY safety list.

This is only the day pack. We are working on the "overnight" pack analysis and will report back shortly.

Patagucci's new Utah Avalanche Center Special Edition backcountry parka :


Backpacks are now obsolete.

TAY approved.
He has the obligatory TAY trash bag bivvy, is hitchhiking to Muir to save carbon emissions and has just had a nice massage.

plus he's wearing at least 3 hats, and probably has an extra one stashed in a pocket.


O.P.,
Remember, if you carry all this stuff you probably wont make it, so this really only applies to out & back trips

I have completed an in depth volumetric analysis of the ever increasing list of equipment required in your day pack from all the posts above and had my team of trained technicians put together this photo rendition of the average skier complying with the approved TAY  safety list.

This is only the day pack. We are working on the "overnight" pack analysis and will report back shortly.

We should probably create the TAY 110 Essentials  List and make sure everyone has scored at least 90% on the test before letting them join in any officially santioned TAY trips.  I'd like to add some items to the list that were highly recommended by one of my actual ski partners in the last year:

-Baby wipes for that fresh infant aroma.  Make sure to get the flushable travel pack.
-Down-filled inflatable mattress to ensure that warm comfy night's sleep
-Backcountry chair for that relaxed BarcaLounger comfort in the backcountry

Dynalight!!!!!
Not the type of skiing I like( not powder) but pretty darn cool for hard snow touring...moving fast and light with super skinny assed rando gear and tights. Nice!

vimeo.com/31313502

Duct tape
TP
Voile straps

Just to add a few ideas I didn't see listed:

I find that electrical tape is better than duct tape for skins that are too cold to stick. I always Rain-X my topsheets so I don't carry the extra load of snow on breaking trail.

and a doobie is always much nicer than some Marb Reds, duh!

Just to add a few ideas I didn't see listed:

I find that electrical tape is better than duct tape....

Agreed! Electrical tape, IMHO, is superior to duct tape -- it even stretches a tad and is very strong.

Two items I added to my pack recently that are must haves now:

1. Balaclava - best warmth to weight and super versitile
2. Rub on liquid wax - in the spring/summer it makes a huge difference

Nobody mentioned skin wax... most of us are in the PNW and not Utah the last I checked

I see that fire starters has been mentioned several times. What have you found works best? I have seen several options over the years but don't have a favorite as of late. Let me know what works well for you.

I see that fire starters has been mentioned several times. What have you found works best? I have seen several options over the years but don't have a favorite as of late. Let me know what works well for you.

The best( really...there is no argument)= cotton wool balls covered in Vaseline, store in small plastic film canister. They burn long and easy to light.

The best( really...there is no argument)= cotton wool balls covered in Vaseline, store in small plastic film canister. They burn long and easy to light.

Where would I find cotton wool balls? I can only find cotton balls in my wife's medicine cabinet. If I soak them in bacon grease will they burn as well?

Where would I find cotton wool balls? I can only find cotton balls in my wife's medicine cabinet. If I soak them in bacon grease will they burn as well?

Cotton wool balls( European English)= cotton balls( American English).... sorry , I am an immigrant and still revert to my mother tongue at times. I am trying to assimilate !

Regarding making the ski sled, I really like the idea, and went right out and collected the nuts, and bolts (1/4 in) when I was through the little sack of hardware seemed too heavy is 1/4 overkill? Anyone out there have any ideas about that. I went with stainless. I put one in the vise, and tried to bend it, it is stout! Guess I'll have to try the next size smaller.

I'll bet you could get away with something smaller -- I just checked mine and they are 1/4". The skis make for a long lever on them, so i guess I wouldn't want to go too small. You can also trim off the extra length once you dial in your setup, to drop a bit more weight.

Regarding making the ski sled, I really like the idea, and went right out and collected the nuts, and bolts (1/4 in) when I was through the little sack of hardware seemed too heavy...

What is the total weight of the complete sled hardware kit?

What is the total weight of the complete sled hardware kit?

1/4" Bolts & wing-nuts -- 2.8 oz
20' 5mm Cord - 4.7 oz

I could definitely go with lighter cord -- I've got 5 mm now, which is overkill for this job. The other components (voile straps, poles, shovel, skis) I would carry anyway, so these are the only new pieces.

thanks I had to re-watch the video, but yeah the extra components are light enough.

Marcus, have you (or anyone here) tested this sled on snow?

The vid showed him post-holing with it at the end... I'm wondering how well this works with the puller using ski's/skins? ...looks like the poles being used to pull need to be longer? I'm also wondering... if the victim has to lay flat how that backpack works being dragged like that? and then the ski poles... I keep thinking the baskets could pop off the poles being used to pull, if I saw it correct, they are pulling with their baskets?

I could definitely go with lighter cord -- I've got 5 mm now, which is overkill for this job.

what if the victim was a pretty heavy guy would lighter cord hold up?

I'm curious how this sled works before I go drilling....

the downside to this sled is it would be ideal if the skis used were the victims in case post-holing is not practical.

I'm going to field test this early season on one of my first tours, to really dial it in. The ideal would be to have holes in tips and tails (or at least tails, since you could do an A-frame litter) of all the party members, so you didn't force someone into post-holing if they had to give up their skis. Probably 1/2 of my usual touring partners are set up like that, then we typically only bring one set of bolts/cord per group.

I think tweak the pulling/guiding setup will definitely require some fiddling. The cord I carry is a bit longer than necessary right now because it makes a nice hauling connection to the tips, so you can tie it to your waist or pack or something... That way the poles are more for guidance and control.

I'm going to field test this early season on one of my first tours, to really dial it in. 

would love to see a gear review post on this... (hint)

The ideal would be to have holes in tips and tails (or at least tails, since you could do an A-frame litter) of all the party members, so you didn't force someone into post-holing if they had to give up their skis.

I don't know if any of my usual suspects would be up for drilling holes in their skis but this is a good idea anyways. I would if I knew this setup works well, and it would be easier to sell them on it. I don't see any harm in ski life/performance from a hole in the tail (mine already has one at the tip). From the looks of the video this sled should work at least enough to move a victim out of a runout zone.

I'll document it and put something up when I get it done. You'll be surprised how rigid this thing is -- I have high hopes for its performance, but we'll see how it goes.

After making a list of all of the items mentioned in this thread, perhaps I'm not as out of step as I thought. I'll just have to adapt my gear selection for the Cascades.

To check the soundness of the smaller hardware for the rescue sled, I did a few quick tests this morning. I used a 3/16 stainless machine screw, a piece aluminum conduit I had in the junk pile, a piece of 1/2 plywood, and an old ski. In the plywood, there was no problem breaking it, so I moved on to the old ski, and as you can see in the last picture the tubing collapsed and the ski started to delaminate, I did not want to rip the ski apart, but I'm sure I could have. There was no sign of bending or deforming on the machine screw. I think they would be fine. The hardware was collected at my local ACE.

Ouch! it does not look like your skis (or shovel handle) liked those wing nuts...

Maybe it would be good to test a duct tape ski and shovel and pole sled against the wingnut ski and shovel and pole at the Cascade Backcountry Ski Patrol Mountain Travel and Rescue course this year. we can throw in a Fager flier while we are at it...

Good to try this on old skis. If you are a bent (injured), its OK to destroy your skis with wingnuts to get you home quicker, but not every one has holes drilled in their skis....

Oh yeah, AND this a shameless pitch for CBSP.

cascadebackcountryskipatrol.org/CBSP/Why.html

We are always looking for experienced or eager safety-conscious people to add to our ranks. The on-the-hill refresher in the first weekend of December and you can post me if you are interested to find out more about what we do....

saw a new shovel out by K2 that has the kit in the shovel handle to make the sled.. directions included... a bit heavier is the "brooks range " mountaineering rig.

Marcus, have you (or anyone here) tested this sled on snow?

The improvised sled is a good thing to have in your bag of tricks but they typically do not perform well in deep snow (and why would you be skiing anything else).  The drag bad style sleds are much more effective and work well as an emergency shelter.  Brooks Range makes one brooks-range.com/Eskimo-Rescue-Sled.html , but my favorite is the Alpine Threadworks Rescue Tarp because it works better as an emergency shelter www.alpinethreadworks.com/products/sledkitvideo.html

I carry this thing every day out guiding but not that often when skiing with friends.  It's a pretty handy piece of gear so I'm thinking about carrying it more when I'm out with friends this winter.   

The vid showed him post-holing with it at the end... I'm wondering how well this works with the puller using ski's/skins?  ...looks like the poles being used to pull need to be longer? I'm also wondering... if the victim has to lay flat how that backpack works being dragged like that? and then the ski poles... I keep thinking the baskets could pop off the poles being used to pull, if I saw it correct, they are pulling with their baskets?

You need to have a long cord for pulling whether using an improvised sled or a commercial rig.  The ski poles don't give you enough length when pulling the sled with skis on.