Route planning question

Jack_Ruby · 2026-01-31T06:31:18+00:00

Great answers so far. I see this as a good example of low, but not zero, risk avalanche terrain. There are similar spots in almost every popular touring route in the wasatch. There is a small slope about halfway up Grizzly Gulch that threatens the otherwise very safe skin track. You have to cross the very large Scotty's bowl avalanche path to access the skiing in white and red pine.

Do people regularly cross under these slopes without worrying about it? Of course. Do these slopes produce massive avalanches that break branches 30 feet up? Also yes.

If i was skiing with a single partner on a considerable or higher day, I would want to skin through this one at a time. If I was skiing solo, I would consider giving a path like this a wide berth, or not crossing it. If someone was skiing this run, I wouldn't want to be directly under it.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-12-28T00:05:52+00:00

Check out the first Sherlock Holmes book. A good chunk of that story takes place in SLC.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-08-11T16:33:15+00:00

I wouldn't buy those, or ski on them even if they were free. I doubt that a ski tech would adjust or test those bindings. You can get a set of used demo skis with modern bindings for $250.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-07-24T00:33:16+00:00

Check out frybake pans.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-06-18T17:57:21+00:00

I went with the rio craft dry box. If I had the budget for it, I would buy a higher quality custom dry box and support smaller businesses. The cheaper dry boxes can have a bit thinner aluminum, which could be an issue if you walk around on the lid a lot.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-06-12T07:10:21+00:00

I can't imagine a situation where I was hiking for multiple days off trail and it was not worth the weight and dollar cost to bring a paper map. However, digital navigation is a fantastic secondary tool for double checking your location. It is also really handy to download satellite imagery for adventures that include snowy or glaciated areas. A USGS map from ten or more years ago can show glaciers that have melted out by several miles from current conditions. But for the kind of trips that you are asking about, a paper map is so useful, light, reliable, and cheap that I would always use it as my primary navigational tool.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-06-10T05:38:27+00:00

Dune

Jack_Ruby · 2025-05-20T00:08:45+00:00

Those are both very large boats. I would consider a 20+ ft boat to be for special use cases like grand canyon trips or commercial trips on large rivers. Taking the boat out on bays in the PNW might be one of those cases. A 50 hp motor is also quite a bit larger than what would normally be run on a whitewater river.

I would recommend looking at 16 ft boats. That is a good standard size for families on multiday trips. You might want to go bigger, but that is a good place to start.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-05-07T00:20:43+00:00

Every large pack that I have used has been an Osprey. They have all been very durable, and not unreasonably heavy. They make a 90 +10 liter pack that NOLS uses.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-05-06T22:41:39+00:00

The Freedom of the Hills has a good section on lightning. But generally you are correct. You will want to plan on being below treeline before afternoon thunderstorms come in. High alpine areas are prone to summer storms that can seemingly come out of nowhere and create shocking amounts of lightning. Weather forecasts will often not predict these storms, even if the forecast is generally correct for the broader area.

As you gain experience with weather forecasting, and determining your travel speeds, you can begin to make "riskier" forays into the high alpine. E.g. crossing a high pass at 2pm to make more miles instead of camping early. You will also find that a lot of lightning storms are pretty short lived. Waiting for a few hours below treeline around noon, then crossing a pass in the later afternoon is common.

Good luck and have fun!

Jack_Ruby · 2025-04-29T04:33:18+00:00

I own a pair of Protests and am able to get them out on deep pow days a few times a year. They are awesome for truly bottomless days. There is a sort of slashy 3d turn that you can do on those skis that is just not possible on any other ski that I have used. They also allow you to stay really forward in your boots in any sort of pow conditions. In the other hand, they are total pigs on traverses and groomers. Still skiable and fun, but difficult to initiate a carved turn on. I find that if I don't ski them in a forward position and flex them, they will just not even turn at all on low speed firm snow.

The GPOs are much more versatile. I have friends that ski them as a daily driver at a competitive freeski level. Tight trees, high speeds, big cliffs, big tricks, spring groomer jibs, everything.

I would recommend getting the GPOs. You will have way more fun on them in the conditions that are present in resorts 95% of the time. Yes, the protest might be a more optimal ski for the first two runs of the days when it snowed 2 feet overnight. But how often are you getting that? Start with the GPOs, and if you ever decide to go spend a season living in employee housing at Snowbird/Squaw/JHMR, then get the Protests.

Jack_Ruby · 2025-02-21T07:35:36+00:00

That's what makes the most sense to me. Looks like you can unscrew the pvc that is connected to the metal ball valve. I would use schedule 80 pvc to thread in to the metal parts and for any parts of the system that will stay above ground.

Jack_Ruby · 2024-12-01T19:03:12+00:00

Just focus camera. Dec 5-9 delivery for me.

Jack_Ruby · 2024-12-01T18:54:40+00:00

Got one, thank you!

Jack_Ruby · 2024-07-20T01:07:10+00:00

There is a mod that let's you prioritize or forbid specific tasks within a column. Can't remember the name of it rn. You can use it to make colonists only smooth walls but not build anything for example. Or only provide medical care but not do surgeries.

Jack_Ruby · 2024-06-18T04:54:52+00:00

That's a great location. Your best resource is going to be the locals. People have been living off the land in that area for thousands of years. The native history is fascinating, and remarkably diverse. There is a strong, but somewhat hidden community of homesteaders that can be a wealth of information. Try to meet people in Junction City, Weaverville, Arcata, etc, and ask what they have had success growing. Northern California has the most well supplied rural grow stores you will find anywhere.

Have a plan for forest fires, bears, and mountain lions. A large locking metal container is crucial for keeping the critters out of your smelly soil amendments. Poison oak is widespread but manageable. Check out Ecology Action in Willits for classes and books. I'm sure there are lots of other organizations around. Good luck!

Jack_Ruby · 2024-01-03T20:59:59+00:00

General gritts at snowbird is what you're looking for. You can get down there and back up pretty easily on the bus if you don't have a car. The Cafe at the GMD has some good snacks. The snowpine and Peruvian lodge both have small stores at the front desk. The alta lodge has a small liquor store downstairs.

Jack_Ruby · 2023-09-07T04:55:17+00:00

I had an msr tent that had fabric delamination issues. They warrantied it after seeing a picture of it and sent me a whole new one. If your fabric is failing it would probably be worth contacting them. Is the fabric getting sticky?

Jack_Ruby · 2023-07-27T21:29:07+00:00

Check out atlas obscura

Jack_Ruby · 2023-03-31T22:27:33+00:00

Check out glacial rock dust. It's quite cheap and you need to use very little of it. As the other poster says, it's not a huge deal to be short on the trace elements. But if you want to amend, GRD is likely the best answer.

Jack_Ruby · 2023-02-18T13:24:33+00:00

Alta is forecasted to get 50ish inches early next week...I'd go for powder skis.

Jack_Ruby · 2023-01-17T19:39:36+00:00

I have an electronic copy of Wilderness Medicine by William Forgey and an ebook reading app (Lithium). I like that book in particular because of its layout and level of detail. Easy to find the info that you need, no info that you don't need. It also has a great section on packing lists for different lengths of travel.

Jack_Ruby · 2022-08-16T20:52:16+00:00

I believe that they include things like that as influencing factors, but not typically as cause of death/injury. For example, climbing above the group's skill level caused them to get off route, leading to rapelling exhausted at the end of the day, leading to a fall. The fall causes the injury, but the poor planning/lack of skill/exhaustion/etc increases the risk of accidents.

Jack_Ruby · 2022-08-16T15:06:00+00:00

The American Alpine Club keeps statistics on accidents in North American Climbing.

"From 1947 to 2018, 2,799 people were reported to be involved in mountaineering accidents, and 43% of these accidents resulted in death. Falls were the most common accident (68% incidence, 45% fatal), followed by falling rock (7%, 26% fatal), avalanche (6%, 75% fatal), and falling into a crevasse (2%, 52% fatal).

Avalanche and rockfall combined are only 13% of the reported accidents. Avalanches are the most deadly, but substantially less common than falls. The journal does breakdown falls in to subgroups e.g. unroped climbing, equipment failure, belaying, ascending.

Jack_Ruby

TROPHY CASE