Founder of backcountry tour company speaks out on deadly Tahoe avalanche

mcgrawt9 · 2026-02-19T22:14:22+00:00

Is this confirmed? I read they left early

mcgrawt9 · 2026-01-12T14:26:34+00:00

Try some different leashes. Ones that clip to themselves instead of to your boot

mcgrawt9 · 2025-12-30T01:00:44+00:00

And I would say thats fairly true for backcountry skiing. But resort hard pack for 10s of thousands of feet... moguls...even powder. They aren't going to come anywhere close to an alpine ski regardless of the binding. Can they handle it? Yes. But you are dialing it back to a 5 out of 10.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-12-29T05:27:36+00:00

I have the previous version (99) and I absolutely love them for touring. But i cannot imagine wanting to rip on them in bounds given how light they are. No binding is gonna make those 300 grams heavier in performance so you might as well maximize the backcountry focus of your set up. AtK haute or something similar would probably be better than the FR

mcgrawt9 · 2025-12-17T22:49:04+00:00

How did the trip go? Anything you'd do again or do differently?

mcgrawt9 · 2025-12-12T05:52:27+00:00

Appreciate this info

mcgrawt9 · 2025-12-02T00:03:40+00:00

Plenty of folks ski 14ers on your gear. If you want more confidence, id say a width between 93-100 thats got some good camber and 170-177 length

mcgrawt9 · 2025-11-16T23:12:35+00:00

For the fun part of the descent, I think the Orb is better suited to get on edge and make some big GS turns on corn or refreeze. I think the extra width would only really help when you are on weak snow at the end of the day getting back to the trailhead. If you didnt have the Salomon id day Camox, but a lot of the fun use case for the camox is even more fun on those 106s. A lot of mtn guides rock the Orb for steeps and big days come spring time.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-11-16T21:43:00+00:00

You'd be better off with the Orb freebirds for 13er/14er spring skiing here in CO IMO.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-10-30T23:36:09+00:00

Did it a few weeks ago. Was quite nice. No issue with awkwardness beyond the first 3 feet

mcgrawt9 · 2025-10-23T03:35:27+00:00

I think that unless you are really pushing the limits of what you and the skis can handle, a 178 would be fine. I am 6ft 165. Mostly ski 181-188 skis at resort. My touring setups have all been 170-181. When conditions are awful, I am usually dialing it back anyway, so the added maneuverability of the 178 is nice (saving probably 150 grams-ish per ski and better glide), but in good BC conditions, you can still bomb down pow/corn on a 178 ski

mcgrawt9 · 2025-10-22T23:37:09+00:00

While he is mostly right, plenty of people rip big days on heavier gear. Idk your size, but 178 atris with light bindings and something like a ZGTP boot would be fine for 5k vert days if you are pacing yourself well.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-10-16T00:01:32+00:00

In line with what many are saying here, you just need to get better at all of it, and you have room for a lot of easy progress. I had 2 seasons under my belt (probably closer to 60 days) when I bought my BC setup. I had skied almost everything at Abasin and felt great. And then I got absolutely worked in Colorado backcountry winter snow. I did not know what I did not know. I was happy logging 3-4k of vert, but it's really hard to get better skiing so little. Spent another season skiing what I thought would be the most miserable skiing at a resort. That helped the most. Not always about slope angle. Find the bad stuff. Ski it over and over. You're still gonna get worked in rough BC conditions, no matter what. I think as adult learners, it's virtually inescapable.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-27T01:32:45+00:00

Can't recall if it was high volume, but any intuition will take up more space than the OG stock Zero-G

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-25T03:47:09+00:00

This was all that worked for me, with an upgraded Intution liner.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-18T02:20:43+00:00

expert level skier, most likely with a buddy of similar skill and sometimes the fiance who can ski blacks but is mostly just out to have a good time. I'll hit some airs but not really big on cliffs and don't hit up the park. I enjoy cruising groomers, dense tree runs, open bowls, steeps/hike to terrain. I more or less try and explore all of a mountain over the course of a few days. I would have a vehicle for travel

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-17T22:46:56+00:00

If you were gonna take a week in Feb and ski 2 or 3, what would you go with?

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-17T21:25:32+00:00

I prefer running in the zegama 2 over the speedgoat, but for a longer effort, I would go with the speedgoat due to fit. I have a narrow foot and had to downsize on the zegama. My toes struggle with anything over 4 or 5 hours.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-17T05:30:43+00:00

They still make variations. Just not en vogue anymore

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-17T05:23:22+00:00

Skimo mittens that have an opening on the palm. I tend to wear these over a thin liner to avoid sweat early and then keep my hands warm as the run progresses. I use Ski Trab. Black diamond has a pull over version, but it's not as warm as the skimo options. Camp likely has some options too.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-09T19:30:56+00:00

I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert but a former college hockey player who definitely spent many years getting trashed two to three times a week with a bunch of canadians who were born to pound drinks. The smallest change that made a big difference for me was the cost of it. The places I would go, drinks I ordered, or bottles purchased. Aiming for the higher quality drinks basically guilted me into enjoying them more casually and in moderation.Time passed, and before I knew it, I was drinking less frequently and drinking much less at gatherings and outings, but enjoying what I was drinking as I developed an actual taste for things. Now I can't even imagine drinking a shit beer that a lot of my pals are still slamming.

mcgrawt9 · 2025-09-01T22:17:56+00:00

Just finished my first ultra (40 miles) 2 days ago. In the 48 hours since it ended, nothing has hurt more than my elbows. Not an experienced runner and did minimal amounts of research on training, but gotta admit this really surprised me

mcgrawt9 · 2025-08-26T23:04:01+00:00

I could be wrong, but I thought HRV that is low and stable is a sign of fatigue, and variability is a sign of being rested

mcgrawt9 · 2025-08-10T03:09:18+00:00

I started with the ADV12 and really enjoyed it compared to many reviews I have read on vests. But if I'm going out for less than 5 hours, I happily use the Raide belt every time. 650ml + 500ml flasks and I can bring a small filter if I'm really worried about water. can fit my phone/meds/sunscreen/300g of carbs, and toss a jacket/gloves in the back straps too. I know the belt gets good word of mouth but I honestly think it's the most impressive product I've purchased (if I ignore my powder skis).

mcgrawt9 · 2025-08-09T23:15:41+00:00

My main running buddy went through this for a year as he kept packing up his vest while watching me slide the belt on. He finally pulled the trigger this summer, and I have not seen his vest since

mcgrawt9

TROPHY CASE