June 6-8, 2006, Earl Peak on joke skis
6/6/06
3759
6
I figured that if Charles can ski on joke boots then I can ski on joke skis. :D The skis in this post for example:
http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=4330.0
Just imagine; a pair of 'skis' with 'bindings' weighing only 16 oz.! I took them along on my usual Navaho Pass trip this week, From my campsite at the pass, I walked the ridge around to the top of Earl Peak including a slight detour down into the Hardscrabble Creek drainage to document snomo wilderness trespass. Lightweight aluminum crampons make this much easier by the way.
Yup, I actually 'skied' off the summit down the east face. If you can call it skiing that is. :)
If the pic below was a movie instead I'd be too embarrassed to show it. The sun cups didn't help either. They are huge this season for some reason. They got super bad below about 6500 feet to the point that I don't think it worth expecting much enjoyable skiing below this elevation. On the other hand, for the young and ambitious, the snowfields at the top of Porcupine Creek looked very nice through the binoculars.
Larry
http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=4330.0
Just imagine; a pair of 'skis' with 'bindings' weighing only 16 oz.! I took them along on my usual Navaho Pass trip this week, From my campsite at the pass, I walked the ridge around to the top of Earl Peak including a slight detour down into the Hardscrabble Creek drainage to document snomo wilderness trespass. Lightweight aluminum crampons make this much easier by the way.
Yup, I actually 'skied' off the summit down the east face. If you can call it skiing that is. :)
If the pic below was a movie instead I'd be too embarrassed to show it. The sun cups didn't help either. They are huge this season for some reason. They got super bad below about 6500 feet to the point that I don't think it worth expecting much enjoyable skiing below this elevation. On the other hand, for the young and ambitious, the snowfields at the top of Porcupine Creek looked very nice through the binoculars.
Larry
Good job in documenting the snomo trespass in Wilderness. I am musing about a letter or contact of some sort to the USFS about the topic. I don't know when it will come to fruition since I have a reluctance to even contact the USFS- in my view USFS is a source of huge bureaucratic frustruation, and I do not want to be on their radar. However, my concerns are compelling me to do something.
I find the "joke skis" and "joke boots" comments amusing. My first tele setup in the 70's, 215 cm Epoke 900s with a 47mm waist and no metal edges, and heel locators carried me on a lot of fun tours. Fun because when I was 20, stuffing my head in the snow was no big deal. We split a pair of alpine Coll Tex skins to make skins for two pairs of toothpick skis. In regard to downhill performance, that gear was really a joke, but in good corn quite fun, I even cranked some alpine turns in really good conditions. Just one of my friends then had some edges, aluminum edges on some Trak fischale skis. We were real novelties at times trying to tele in the ski area! Then a guy showed up from Alaska who had XCDs with steel edges- wow. We were just so wary of the weight of rando gear in those days, but did some randonnee skiing also.
I find the "joke skis" and "joke boots" comments amusing. My first tele setup in the 70's, 215 cm Epoke 900s with a 47mm waist and no metal edges, and heel locators carried me on a lot of fun tours. Fun because when I was 20, stuffing my head in the snow was no big deal. We split a pair of alpine Coll Tex skins to make skins for two pairs of toothpick skis. In regard to downhill performance, that gear was really a joke, but in good corn quite fun, I even cranked some alpine turns in really good conditions. Just one of my friends then had some edges, aluminum edges on some Trak fischale skis. We were real novelties at times trying to tele in the ski area! Then a guy showed up from Alaska who had XCDs with steel edges- wow. We were just so wary of the weight of rando gear in those days, but did some randonnee skiing also.
Alright Larry, you've made it into the joke skiing club! Sorry Randonnee, 30 years ago doesn't qualify you, it's got to be current use. ;)
Thanks for the report Larry. So how did your joke skis perform - better than your new AT setup or only about the same? It's pretty amazing to see the Teanaway hanging in there into early June, especially after last year.
Thanks for the report Larry. So how did your joke skis perform - better than your new AT setup or only about the same? It's pretty amazing to see the Teanaway hanging in there into early June, especially after last year.
That's ok, I am not tough enough to hang with you guys!
author=Charles link=topic=4896.msg20675#msg20675 date=1149891085]
Alright Larry, you've made it into the joke skiing club! ...
So how did your joke skis perform - better than your new AT setup or only about the same?
Gee Charles, the way I ski, I would have thought I could have made it into the joke skiing club without joke gear. :)
I'm not sure I would use the word 'perform' to describe how these 'skis' worked. I suppose I should have taken a practice run first instead of just stepping off the top. About half way down I began to get the hang of those things. If there weren't such nasty suncups, I think I could have actually start to think that I was skiing. But talk about a tight turning radius! If you are into counting turns, then this is the ski for you. 10 times the turns. :)
They were a lot more fun than just boot skiing however. Sort'a glorified boot skiing. If you want to slow down or stop for example, you just dig your heels in. I'm sure there are other special techniques; guess I'll have to take some lessons from a ski school that specializes in this style of skiing. :D
Larry
Wow-I must have missed the formal introduction to the joke ski.
Personally, I don't understand the joke part, they are full scale Ridiculous Skis in my book. :D
It is hard to believe that you guys can ski on those skis!
Good report Larry, very thorough as usual.
Joe
Personally, I don't understand the joke part, they are full scale Ridiculous Skis in my book. :D
It is hard to believe that you guys can ski on those skis!
Good report Larry, very thorough as usual.
Joe
author=Randonnee link=topic=4896.msg20665#msg20665 date=1149874833]
We were just so wary of the weight of rando gear in those days...
Those days are a distant memory for all of us. Now we
are wary of the weight and cost of tele gear, and use
the cheaper, lightweight, and more effective rando
setups we scrounge second hand or at spring sales. 8)
Reply to this TR
Please login first: