Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest No. 14

Folks should be aware that he hasn't actually done the entire route that he is proposing (he tells you this once he has your $25) over at High Sierra Topix there is an illuminating photo of King Col in a low snow year, I would hate to come across this in more normal conditions without an ice axe/ crampons. Steve Roper had decades of Sierra experience before publishing his Sierra High Route, checking out alternatives and differing conditions and produced a classic route which has stood the test of time. It seems Mr Skurka did most of his route in low snow conditions and wants our money to "see what he's got". The pre purchase "overview map" is a series of pins in a google map. I have no problem with people making money for their expertise and experience (Roper, Nancy Pallister's Wind River Guide) but people with much more Sierra experience are seriously questioning his route choices re King Col and the Enchanted Gorge.

Dave

High Sierra Topix post.

This route looked really awesome until I realized it was the same miserable route through Enchanted gorge. Kings Col looks pretty nasty as well.

Why title these with 13, 14 etc instead of a date? Like "Lightweight Backpacking News for the week of 4/15/15" Going to get real confusing and hard to look things up if these last a few years. Was #63 in March or May?

This guy Andrew sounds like some sort of a joke except his tactics could be dangerous. Why is BPL promoting him?

+1 On what Ken T. said

While I'll give him credit for past endeavers and I'm sure that he is quite respectful, promoting a route that he has never taken does leave a lot to question. Besides once a back country route is established, it is no longer "back country". We don't need more road maps.