Fast and Light Ski Mountaineering

[Joshua Scholnick]

Seeing the ULA Helix ice axe made me wonder about ultralight ski mountaineering techniques. Let’s call ski mountaineering backcountry skiing in alpine terrain plus roped climbing plus glacier travel.

By using lightweight gear, I’ve got my pack weights down to 20 pounds for a week-long hut to hut ski mountaineering trip in the Alps. Anyone ski mountaineering with loads in the 10-15 pound range?

[kevin davidson]

10-15 # packs only for day trips and only w/ a short 7mm rope and minimal anchors. I could imagine hut to hut in the Alps on some routes, travelling w/ a sub 20# pack— or maybe the 10th Mtn. hut system in Colo. if not bringing in a lot of libations(much peer pressure to bring more, not less). Most of my trips are self-supported but that has a lot to do w/ the relative lack of hut oriented backcountry ski opportunities in the Cascades and Sierra.

How about a gear list, Joshua?

I’m not yet sold on the Helix for anything other than real light duty apps. Of course, if we really wanted to shave weight and multi-task, we would have Whippets on our poles and forego the ice ax, altogether, as well as severely crevassed glacier travel and higher angle couloir approaches.

[Joshua Scholnick]

Skis
BD Mira 175cm/Pure bindings 152 oz
Scarpa Denali boots 120 oz
BD/Ascension skins 20 oz
BD CF poles 11 oz
(I have much lighter Trab skis, but my Dynafit boots aren’t comfortable enough for a long trip.)

Clothes
Arcteryx Alpha SL Jacket 10.0 oz
Arcteryx Alpha SL Pants 8.2 oz
Arcteryx Ether SS shirt 3.0 oz
Arcteryx Squamish Windshell 5.0 oz
Patagonia Guide pants 20.0 oz
OR Tour gloves 6.5 oz
OR Vert gloves 3.7 oz
Foursquare knit beanie ?
Buff ?
Patagonia Puffball pullover 12.5 oz
Smartwool Ski Ultralight socks ?
Patagonia Airius Hat 1.0 oz
Ski goggles
Sun glasses

Equipment
Mammut Spindrift 30L pack 46.0 oz
Ortovox Economic shovel 15.8 oz
Lifelink Light Probe 196cm 6.5 oz
Camp XLA 210 axe 7.4 oz
Camp XLC 390 crampons 13.9 oz
Silvretta ski c’pons 8.0 oz
Barryvox Opto 3000 6.0 oz
Mammut Alpinelight harness 10.0 oz
DMM Bugette 1.0 oz
DMM Truscrew locker 2.0 oz

Gatorade bottle and water 33.0 oz
Petzl Tikka headlamp 2.7 oz
Dermatone lotion 1.0 oz
Dermatone lip cream 0.2 oz
wallet + passport ?
tiny wash kit ?
Cocoon mummy liner 9.0 oz

plus either light repair or first aid kit

[Joshua Scholnick]

About 35-36 pounds from skin out, including lunch, map and camera (plus underwear, which I forgot to list).

[kevin davidson]

Plus rope? A cool gear list, J. Looks like you’re set up for some sick couloir skiing.
About the Pures–did you see this?—-
http://www.wildsnow.com/index.php?paged=2

I will try to generate a comprehensive list of my own, hopefully in the near future. But it will be non-hut oriented.

My Rando set-up includes Atomic MX-9 180 cm,
Dynafit Comforts and Scarpa Matrix boots, although I have also had a blast this Winter/Spring w/ a Rebound/Salomon BC Nordic setup for light tele and non-mtneering occasions.

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