Alaska-Yukon Expedition: 4,700 miles and 7 months; start in 4 weeks

Thank You Roger.

"How about combining a ULA Helix Carbon Fiber Ice Axe with your cookpot? They no longer have them available"

They're still listed on the ULA site, and seem to be available for order. (Only it's listed as the Helix potty trowel, not the Helix ice axe).

> is there a MYOG article on your aluminium thing?
Sorry, but no. Too simple maybe? However … herewith.

I misquoted the dimensions earlier: this is only 10" wide and less than 5" across. The gauge is something weird, but about 1 mm thick. It is a hard alloy, such as 7075. Weight is 70 g.

You can buy a piece of 7075 alloy 12" x 12" x 1.02 mm from OnLine metals:
http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=10611&step=4&showunits=mm&id=916&top_cat=60
for the princely sum of US$11.13 +P&P. It will make 2 scrapers.
Bending as shown to stiffen – ingenuity, or get a local sheet metal worker to guillotine and bend for you.

If you want to be really really exotic you could use 0.5 mm 6Al4V titanium sheet, but I am not convinced you need to. The 7075 alloy has lasted me for years.

I use the big side as a spade, and the short side as a scraper when making a tent platform. I can use the big side or the end as a knife to chop into very hard snow to create blocks. To make this tent platform with one of these would have taken Sue and me about 15 minutes:

Scrape & dig, stomp, scrape & dig, stomp, shave the surface smooth, pitch tent.

Cheers

Roger,

Intriguing gadget. I confess, I have no idea how large a volume of work that can reasonably do — would it be reasonable for you to use it to carve out one of those palatial snow kitchens we have see photos of on this site?

— Bob

> would it be reasonable for you to use it to carve out one of those palatial snow
> kitchens we have see photos of on this site?

No matter what size backhoe you have, there is always a job which is too big for it. :-)

If you are talking about a kitchen pit for 2 – 3 people, I would say no worries. If you want to accommodate 10 people (and I have seen a photo with that many around the 'table'!), then I would suggest you might need several of them wielded by several people.

However, I never even bother with a 'kitchen'. Too much effort. I sprawl in comfort on my airmat inside my tent and cook in the vestibule in great comfort.

Getting back to the thread – one of these should serve Andrew quite well imho, unless he wants to dig a huge snow cave. But snow caves and high speed travel are not compatible.

Cheers

> However, I never even bother with a 'kitchen'. Too much effort.
> I sprawl in comfort on my airmat inside my tent and cook in the vestibule in great comfort.

I'm with you, especially in the winter. I was just asking because of some of the photos I have seen on this site.

The time the snow engineering may be nice, though, is spring trips in the Sierras. It can be very spring-like weather, including long daylight, while still having pretty deep well-consolidated snow. Setting up some group area may make sense then, although that's not something I am used to doing.

— MV

I'd also recomend a shovel. I think the weight will be offset by the lessened effort to move snow. On a trip two weeks ago the snow had such a hard ice layer in it, it was difficult to chop through with my BD aluminum shovel.

As far as skis, waxes and repair kit. here is some of what I have learned in 30+ years of backcountry skking.

Wax, I think you should be fine with Green, Blue Extra and maybe Violet Special in Swix brand. Green and Blue Extra worked very well for me in Montana winters until recent years. We now get a lot more of those 30-34 degree days that are harder to wax for, so I too have gone to waxless skis, but when snow temps stay somewhat cold, a well waxed ski is the way to go.

As far as skins, I'd really recomend using the "Rat Tail" system for holding the skin on the tail. It is described well on Lou Dawson's Wild Snow site:
http://www.wildsnow.com/tips/skin_tail_fix.html

As far as screwdriver/gimlet etc for binding repair. I don't think the possibility of ripping a binding off is very likley. Not if its installed properly with epoxied screws (if epoxy is compatable with the ski.) To me, extra binding parts are kind of like how everyone seemed to cary a spare ski tip in the days of wooden skis its not necessary anymore.

If you do decide to carry a binding kit. I'd get a stubby screwdriver that accepts the hex screwdriver bits from a hardware or auto parts store. The plastic handle can be swiss cheesed with a drill to save a few grams. Then carry one posidrive bit (a #3 Phillips will also work) and one hex headed drill bit. I would also carry the smallest tubes of epoxy or bondo to make repairs.

I was having trouble downloading your list so excuse me if I am being redundant. I would also carry a pole patch kit.

Sound like a great adventure!

> On a trip two weeks ago the snow had such a hard ice layer in it, it was difficult
> to chop through with my BD aluminum shovel.
This is a known problem with many plastic and aluminium shovels. The material is too thick, which makes getting the edge into the crust hard. It's thick becasue the stuff they use is too soft. This is why I use a thin high-tensile aluminium (or Ti): it can cut in so much more easily.

OK, I'll comment on the skis too.
I know you have bought wax skis, but I think that is a big mistake. They are good for speed and downhill stuff, but they are the wrong skis for travelling distances. All the weight and hassles with waxes and skins can be eliminated with fish-scale (waxless) skis. All you need with them is a wee bit of silicone spray on the tip and tail. And that is actually optional. No-one, but no-one in my experience, uses wax skis for touring these days.

Cheers

I have to agree with Roger. I would have gone with a waxless ski. Much, much simpler to use. Lighter too (you don't have to carry any waxes/scrapers etc).

The Asnes ski model Andy has chosen is available in waxless and I would think about carrying skins for really long, steep ascents. A lot of people use Asnes over here in Norway and I've heard nothing but praise for them.

Rodger,

My aluminum shovel is/was sharpened to knife edge. My point was that a plastic shovel won't make the grade in those conditions. A ti blade wouldn't have done the job any better than my BD did. A plastic blade would have bounced off at best.

As far as skis. I still prefer waxable for cold snow but the the waxless are very good and waxless is what I use the most. The waxable are sure nice though so you don't have to listen to the zzzzzz sound of the fish scales on the snow :)

Skins are unbeatable when climbing steep with skis but can ice-up in the right/wrong conditions.

Hi Ed

Yes, you can sharpen the edge of the Al shovel, but the metal is still thick. That doesn't matter with snow, but with hard crust and icy stuff it does. It takes a lot more force to push a thick blade through hard stuff, even if the edge is sharp. The ice does not want to deform.

But yeah, the plastic can be pretty useless on hard stuff!

> you don't have to listen to the zzzzzz sound of the fish scales on the snow
Ah, that sound just tells you how fast you are going (or not going). :-)

Cheers

First, I’m going to try Roman’s headwear system. I went to REI yesterday and picked up a Smartwool headband. It’s about 3″ wide, cost $18, and is comparable to an “expedition weight” base layer fabric. What I like about the headband is its multi-use: it can be used to save my face in butt cold conditions, and then it can be used as my sole headwear in warmer conditions. (I use a headband throughout the winter during my training runs, so I’m well aware of its benefits.)

Second, I stopped by the store from which I bought my skis, Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, and spoke with them about the bindings. Currently the binding screws are held in only with some wood glue — anything more substantial than that basically rules out the future option of changing the bindings. When I told them about my situation, they recommended that I either secure them with some gorilla glue or, if I wanted to go a step further, install some Helicoil inserts, which is the most bomber setup they know of, to the point where I wouldn’t even need to carry a Posidrive screwdriver because it’s extremely unlikely that I’d pull out a binding.

Any thoughts on the Helicoil idea? Versus just some simple Gorilla Glue?

The helicoils are going to be the strongest way to go. what they do is effectively give you a large diameter screw, and thus more surface area bearing the same load. A big factor here is the type of core your skis have. A wood core usually has more holding power than a foam core. I don't know what type of core you're dealing with (couldn't tell from the Asnes website). I have heard plenty of people say they have removed epoxied-in binding screws by heating the screw. Were I in your situation, I'd go with at least epoxied-in screws – much stronger than the gorilla in my experience (I work in construction and use both adhesives a lot). I might even go with epoxied-in helicoils just to be extra sure, but only if the cores are foam. The one thing you can do as a last-ditch backup is to carry some way to drill new holes in the ski. If you do rip out a screw, you need to put it into a new hole, not into the old one. Moving the binding a centimeter or two will not cause any great issues, but you can only do it if you have a way to drill a new hole the right size for the screws.
One other thing – what's more likely than a screw pulling out is a screw becoming loose – I have seen that a number of times.That's where the driver is essential – if you can't re-tighten, you're on your way to the screw pulling out.
You can get more ski binding mounting discussion than you'll ever want over on telemarktips.com.

And last but not least, I'll second the motion on a light pyramid style shelter. I've found the betamid/twinpeaks type to be more solid in the wind than the single pole pyramids. One of those in cuben would the hot ticket.

For another headband idea, also consider buying a buff in whatever fabric and simply cutting off a segment in whatever size you need. The original material has no seam. I'd guess the merino wool buff does, but don't know.

Paul is right on with the epoxy. If at any time you want to change/remove bindings a little heat from a soldering iron or a bic lighter will allow removal.

The helicoil idea is good, but I'd still use epoxy or bondo. With those you don't have to worry about the screw coming loose, which is the biggest cause of ripped out bindings.

On another note, I just enjoyed two days skiing on waxable skis. It was cold -14 to 10 F over the weekend and Green wax was just the ticket!

Best'

Ed

Is there a specific type of epoxy that I should use? I've been down that aisle at the hardware store a few times and I recall there being many options.

Re the helicoil, I'm hearing "the strongest way to do it but not really necessary. Epoxy will be fine." Is my impression correct?

Andrew,

You won't need much epoxy for what you'll be doing. I've used West Systems epoxy extensively for sailboat repair. It's easy to work with and effective.

Jamestown Distributors sells a kit of several single-use repair packets, thickener and incidentals. Add some nitrile or other gloves and that's all you need. Shelf life is roughly forever, so i may prove to be a lifetime supply for $12.60.

With a wood-core ski, I'd drill the holes a bit oversized, then paint the inside with unthickened epoxy (mixed as directed) to seal the wood. Then put in thickened epoxy, making sure to fill any voids. Put you binding in place (I'd tape it in position so that it cannot shift), add screws and let it sit for 24 hrs a room temp prior to messing with it.

If you want to avoid having the screws strip but still want to be able to remove them, you can wax the screws before installing them in the wet epoxy. Should be possible to remove them later without heroics.

I agree with Paul- the core can make a difference.

Besides epoxy, I would add some steelwool to the holes with the epoxy and before screwing in the screws, the courser the better- it really gave the screw some bite. This worked in both wood and foam core skis (much better in wood). Back in the early seventies we used this method with excellent success after remounting different types of bindings using existing holes or new ones. Other methods allowed the screws to back out with extended use.

I had mentioned some of this before, but maybe it got lost.

An excellent epoxy to use is Epoxy 907 Adhesive System by the Miller-Stephenson Chemical Co. I've been using this stuff for over 30 years, because it only takes a drop or two from each part. You mix it and apply it to the empty screw hole with a toothpick. Then set the binding and screw in the screws. Pot life is 30 minutes. You heat cure this with very mild heat, like 120-180 F, for an hour. Let it cool, and you are done. Too much heat would be bad for the skis.

If you ever need to remove the screws, like to change the binding, then you need to apply a pinpoint of heat to the screws and crack the screw loose from the epoxy. Sometimes I heat my big rubber-handled posi-drive screwdriver tip while it is engaged to the screw head. It is not easy, but they can be cracked loose if absolutely necessary.

–B.G.–

I have used several brands of epoxy and they all worked. I prefer the epoxy in individual tubes to the syringe style, but that is more personal preference. Always keep your mixing plate and stick to ensure that it sets up properly.

I would use 5 minute epoxy and not the new 1 minute. One minute might not give you enough time.

I don't think that helicoils would be necessary with epoxy.

Ed

I called Neptune earlier today to see what their turnaround time would be for helicoils. The ski tech actually discouraged me from doing helicoils or even epoxy. He said, just be diligent about checking your screws everyday and it shouldn't be a problem. For a repair kit he recommended carrying steel wool, some replacement screws, some epoxy, and a posidrive screwdriver.

And, yes, this was his recommendation even after I told him what I was going to be doing with the skis.

Is this tech underestimating things?

Andrew,

I have always epoxied binding screws and haven't had a problem removing them if I ever wanted to change bindings. My thoughts are that, I wouldn't want to have to check screws every day and personally wouldn't bother with the binding repair kit.

I see no reason for not using epoxy unless your ski's core isn't compatable.
I was hardgoods buyer and ski shop manager for a mountain shop for several years and though most bindings were mounted with wood glue, special situations called for using epoxy.

I wonder why the ski tech advises epoxy and steel wool for a repair kit but is opposed to using epoxy at the get go?

Ed

"Is this tech underestimating things?"

Sounds plausible.

If you are a hundred miles from nowhere when your binding pulls off, you are the one who is going to have to walk out. The ski tech typically doesn't care.

"I wonder why the ski tech advises epoxy and steel wool for a repair kit but is opposed to using epoxy at the get go?"

The ski tech might have his wires and waxes crossed.

I've led lots of X-C ski tours, and every blown screw or binding that I have had to repair (for others) was previously set without epoxy by some ski shop.

Epoxy, steel wool, screws, and a posidrive screwdriver has been the accepted standard field repair kit for thirty years.

The field repair epoxy had better be a faster setup material than the M-S brand. Unfortunately, most fast epoxy ends up being slightly brittle. The heat-cured epoxies tend to be stronger, even if less convienient.

One such field repair epoxy is packaged in a convenient size. Loctite Item No. 82515 Poxy Pouches. This is 5-minute stuff. Four 4-gram pouches to a package. "Bond sets in 4-6 minutes, object can be moved in 20 minutes, full cure overnight. Cooler temperatures require longer set times." Whenever I have had to use this stuff, I would set up a stove to heat-cure it lightly to speed up the repair. You might be stalled for one hour.

There are some super light foam-core X-C skis out there, and some of the foam is particular about the types of epoxies that it contacts. A more solid backcountry ski isn't likely to be that way.
–B.G.–

opinions on helicoils are a mixed bag – some folks think they weaken the skis, some folks think they don't actually increase the strength of the binding mount – perhaps this is why the tech at Neptune are discouraging you from getting them. They do seem to hold better than standard screws – I have ripped out 2 bindings mounted in the standard way, but have yet to have problems with bindings mounted with helicoils.

Asnes skis are supposed to be pretty stout – assuming the bindings are mounted properly you should not have problems with a standard mount. A couple of long shakedown ski trips should pretty quickly tell you if they are mounted correctly.

I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with the ski tech's advice (I played one for 20 years off and on), but I too would get a posi-drive bit and back out each screw and re-set with epoxy or Gorilla Glue. This should only take you a few minutes. It does not matter that epoxy is so much better that GG in many applications. It only matters that the GG will also keep moisture out of the core of your ski and your screws from coming loose. GG may give you the freedom to also remove the screws by hand without additional heat. It is, however, very important to either replace your existing screws with new ones of the same size (all dimensions), or thoroughly clean the threads of your existing screws of all embedded wood glue before re-setting. The Rottefella Super Telemark binding you are using is like others of its kind in that there will be some stress on the front screw with every stride you take as you set your heel back down to the ski. If your version of the binding has two or more clamp settings, always use the first (or easiest) to engage.
If your local hardware store doesn't have a single posi-drive bit for sale, just ask for a "Deck-Mate" screw bit. It's cheap, the same as posi, and better than settling for a #3.
I like your choice of waxable skis. I do hope they have a good sintered and structured base and that you wax them thoroughly with base, prep, and/ or binder wax before you go. There will be wide swings in snow temps from day to night, storm to not, so a small amount of broad range waxes will be necessary. I always remained amazed at how effective varying amounts of Blue Extra could be on the Iditarod and other places in interior AK. Light carbon skate poles with removable basket extensions were a huge asset to me. There's a lot of power in your upper body to count on.

Good luck. I've been enjoying this thread and enjoying following your adventures.