What is the better descent tool? Mountain tool in general? Read on...

Steve Romeo, skier and blogger of Tetonat.com, posed  a question about skis vs. snowboard – which is a better mountain descent tool here.   There are many excellent comments, so check out the link above for those!

Following are my responses from that discussion.

Randosteve:  I think it might be a little easier for snowboarders than skiers to descend the Chevy Couloir with their boards on their feet…since the boards are probably much shorter than the skis most skiers are on. The shortest skies I have right now (not including my rando race skis) are 175cm. i wonder what size board you ride on when on the gt???

Stephen Koch:  The size snowboard I usually ride on steeper, more technical terrain like on the Grand Teton has generally been between 155cm to 165cm. I have on occasion ridden even smaller boards, especially where weight is a major factor (high altitude). The small boards don’t hold an edge or float in powder as well as longer boards. That being said, they sure do come around quickly and one can squeak through some very narrow terrain!

Me snowboarding on the north face of Mount Everest. Photo - Copyright Jimmy Chin

I have a pair of 95cm Igneous skis (145/135/140 width) with adjustable Dynafit bindings that you are welcome to use.

I agree with you. A snowboard is the better tool for descending mountains (steep, snowy, icy, rocky) for the following reasons:

1. Snowboards are generally shorter than skis – less so nowadays with the continual flattening and shortening of the ski. Snowboards for an expert adult male rider are generally 155cm-165cm (the 195 cm Igneous Powder Gun is the exception!) and skis for an expert adult male skier are generally 170cm to 185cm. A competent rider (snowboard) can descend narrower terrain than a skier (skis) of equal ability.
2. Riders can completely face the mountain on their toe-side edge, which allows for increased security on steep terrain compared with skiers. It is arguably more secure to side-slip on a snowboard (especially with axes…see below) than to side-slip/step with skis because the rider can completely face the mountain with a toe-side edge.
3. Poles are not needed/used (except for RG!) to snowboard, which allows for practical and full use of ice axes (to provide an anchor point or control a slide), the main tool of mountaineers.

Let me know if you want to borrow those skis, or a snowboard! (me rubbing Romeo a little after he says that a snowboard might be “easier” to use than skis because they are generally shorter…here’s your opportunity!)

AND:

HARD BOOTS VS. SOFT BOOTS FOR SNOWBOARD MOUNTAINEERING –

Stephen Koch: Really great discussion. This spring I have gone back to hardboots after 7 years in softboots for snowboard mountaineering. I am still working out my stance with the hard boots. My hardboot stance was roughly 45 degrees on each foot compared to 15 and zero or minus 5 on back foot for soft boots. My stance now with the Scarpa F1 Rendonee boots (baffled toe for flex make these very comfortable to skin / hike / climb in) is about 35 degrees each foot. It has been a gradual process to get back to the steeper angles, but I like it and it brings back so many memories and feelings from years of descents and general riding in hard boots (1988 to 2003…’87 was in Sorels). I imagine that with the hard boot modifications mentioned above by Barrows, he is able to ride in a “softboot” type stance?

I stayed in soft boots for the past seven or so years because I liked the surfy feel. My ability to safely travel in the mountains (in my mind) was severely limited as I was unwilling to use traditional soft boots in the mountains for the obvious reasons mentioned above…lack of Vibram sole (some softies have them now) for rock climbing, too soft to safely kick into all snow conditions or sidestep on firm snow without crampons, don’t like the feel of soft boots in strap crampons on firm snow/ice…sloppy and insecure, so basically I stayed out of the mountains for any steep/firm descents during that time. I did guide in soft boots and splitboard and on skis during that time. So yes, I skied more and enjoyed my ability to more around the mountain going up or sideways with greater ease and security. But every time I was descending on skis, in less than ideal conditions or in powder, I was longing for my snowboard.

Backcountry Splitboard Setup

My splitboard setup now is a super light (no top sheet!) Rome board, Dynafit toes for the up with the Scarpa F1 boots, Voile Splitboard Binding Interface with Burton Race Plate Bindings – minus the base plates…custom drilled and mounted to the sliderplate, fat crampons from B and D Ski Gear that work with the Dynafit toes. B and D also has metal crampon holders to replace the weak plastic Dynafit crampon holders and crampon “locks”, to keep them down when in steep/lifter mode.

Skinning on a splitboard on firm terrain with hardboots is WAY safer and more comfortable and less taxing physically than with soft boots.

Holding an ice ax when riding coupled with the ability to completely face the slope is a huge advantage of snowboarding vs. skiing. Skiers have died from slipping on icy slopes without the ability to swing in an ice ax (Hans Saari for example) or not carrying one because it is awkward to swing in when standing with your feet perpendicular to the slope. A Black Diamond Whippet is not an ice ax!

SPLIT TRANSITION VS. SKI TRANSITION -

I am slower than most skier with the transition from splitboard to snowboard. That being said, the Scarpa F1’s sure help with their rear throw to tighten and lock in the forward lean all in one. I did a descent with AJ and he rips both up and down with his short skis and solid board/hard boots. I used that system for years but am super stoked to ride a splitboard to not carry the weight of an extra tool when one can do both!

IDEAL GRAND TETON DESCENT -

Sure – the GT descent we can all aspire to is a complete, ropeless one. A monstrous belief in ones ability to succeed, huge huevos or ovaries, willingness to try and exceptional conditions will be needed for that. I would love to shoot video if anyone wants to give it a try…and I will buy drinks after, so long as you survive…but will definitely be drinking either way. Wondering if, on the belayed descents of the Chevy, there was any sideslipping or if turns were made the entire way. If sideslipping is “OK” then all it will really take is for someone strong enough to lock off with one arm holding an ice ax and lower/sideslip through the crux. This is what I have done on numerous descents when conditions allowed or didn’t allow…depending on how you look at it! Have fun and come home. That is success.

AND:

Ptor (Spricenieks)…long time indeed. Enjoying writing with you here…turning on snow together better!

Regarding the Whippet, I have a KSO (Keen Sense of the Obvious) thanks to my mother…that being said though, I think many skiers who don’t have much alpine climbing (ice ax) experience may rely on it more than is safe. It is important to know the limitations of your tools. With ice axes, one is able to penetrate (with sharp picks and an experienced swing/s) the hardest snow and ice.

luke…I have popped open bindings/come out of the race plate binding ONLY while using the Dynafits that are not meant to take a bail…the ones with a shallow and rounded toe rand. Otherwise, with boots made with a DIN type toe I have NOT popped out of a plate binding.

Regarding climbing up the Exum Ridge on the Grand Teton to save weight on gear…not my thing as I love ice climbing and more importantly, like to climb what I ride to intimately know what I will be encountering and where during the descent – hidden or unexpected ice, barely covered rocks, etc. I think it is accurate to say that not climbing up what they descended significantly contributed to how most dead skiers/riders who died skiing or snowboarding extreme terrain met their end…Saari on Gervasutti, Siffredi on Everest, Gouvy on Aiguille Vert, among many others…

There are a few descents that I did not climb before descent for either laziness or safety…Black Ice Couloir (Laziness…took the short route to the upper saddle vs. the long route via the Valhalla Traverse and up the BI) and the Gervasutti Couloir (Safety…big hang fire) are a couple of examples.

It seems like most things in life are a balancing act. The risks inherent with going into the mountains are part of my balancing process. Personal responsibility! When I blame others (usually if I don’t like the way it turned out), I realize with hindsight, it is from my own fear and insecurity.

And it looks like Arne Backstrom died while skiing a route on Pisco (5752M), in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru, which he did not climb…

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Help support StephenKoch.com with an Osprey Kode Pack from Backcountry.com to help you carry your skis or snowboard up a mountain!

Help support StephenKoch.com and get the best athlete nutrition / GU Energy Gel or Chomps at Backcountry.com.

Thanks to Jane Galley for shooting this after we randomly met this morning in GTNP while skate skiing.

Help support StephenKoch.com with a pair of warm gloves from Backcountry.com!

The roof I am climbing on in the video below is 3/4″ plywood with metal T-nuts and eye bolts. Very simple and inexpensive to build. The axes are Petzl Nomics.

Start on a vertical wall and work your way up to the 45 degree wall (door hinges screwed to the wall make great ice axe pick placements!) and then onto the roof. Start slow and be safe. At Mountain Athlete, we put mattresses and other padding down to protect us in case of a fall.

I also feel strongly that rock climbing and mountaineering would be a great addition to any MMA fighter looking to become stronger than the competition. Drop me a note with questions or if interested in group or private instruction.

Enjoy!

Stephen Koch

Cleaning your hydration pack!

Got some black deposits in the tube of your Camelbak? Dark stuff in the seams? Little black spots? You’ve got fungus, mold, and bacterial slime inside your hydration pack. Do you really want to drink that stuff? Didn’t think so.

	First, get the inside of the bladder clean. That’s the easy part. You can use a baby-bottle brush. I’ve found what works best is a long-handled foam paint brush. The point of the foam gets into the seams nicely. Don’t use soap, unless you want to taste soap for the next month. Just use plain water for your routine cleanings. For deeper cleaning, use a paste of sodium bicarbonate (add just enough water to make it squishy) as an abrasive to remove stubborn deposits. The bicarbonate also kills germs and removes unusual tastes such as that “stale plastic” flavor.
	Scrub into the seams, and don’t forget to clean inside the port where the hose attaches. (A persistent nasty taste can mean the plastic is degenerating and poisoning you. If an odd water taste persists after soaking the bladder overnight in bicarbonate solution — 1 teaspoon per pint — buy a replacement.)If you can’t get a brush to a cruddy seam area, squeeze the bladder sideways so the seam touches a flat area. Trap the seam between thumb and finger as shown. Now squish back and forth, working down the seam. Not as good as a brush, but better than nothing.
	Now sterilize the bladder. This slows down the regrowth of spores and germs. Put about 1/2 cup of water in the bladder and toss it in the microwave. Don’t boil the water! Just heat it up, a bit at a time, until the bladder is too hot to touch. Take it out and let it sit flat, so the hot water contacts the entire inside of the bladder. Leave it until the water is cool.
	Now the fun part — the hose. Pull the hose off the bladder, and pull the bite valve off the hose. I recommend you buy a tube-cleaning brush. That’s a long stiff cable with a little brush on one end, made just to clean the inside of hydration bladder tubes. That’s the best solution for a frequent rider. Quick and effective, with a tool made specifically for the job.But if you’re cheap or only plan to clean the tube on rare occasions, here’s a home-made tube cleaner: Get an old derailleur cable. (Clean it first with soap and water if it’s greasy!) Slide the derailleur cable through the hose.
	Take a short piece of paper towel (NOT tissue paper). Get it slightly wet, then wrap it around the derailleur cable.
	Spiral the paper towel a couple of inches up the cable, making sure it’s narrow enough to fit into the tube opening.Slide the cable, with its paper towel coating, into the tube. (Don’t pull on the tube yet.)
	It may help to rotate as you push the paper towel-covered cable into the tube.Once the knob is inside the tube, squish the tube with your fingers, just in front of the paper towel. Pull on the free end of the derailleur cable. The knob will compact the paper, expanding it so it tightly fills the tube. Now we’re ready to clean!
	Slowly pull the cable through the tube. As you come to obvious problem areas, again squish the tube somewhat, so the paper rubs hard against the inside of the tube.
	Once the cable comes out the other end, suppress your urge to hurl as you see what you’ve been drinking recently. Discard the paper. Reinsert the cable, get a fresh piece of paper towel, and repeat the process until the paper comes out clean and your Camelbak tube looks crystal-clean.Now put everything back together.

One way of slowing the growth of mold is to let the hydration pack sit for a day with a very dilute bleach solution (a teaspoon in an entire bladder of water). Rinse well afterward. This will inhibit growth of slime for a couple of months — about the same time it takes before you stop tasting Clorox. I’ve done this, and it does prevent growth of algae and bacterial biomembranes. But my kids complained mightily about the taste of the water. Also, the bleach will oxidize the plastic, reducing the lifetime of your hydration pack innards.

Prevention! If you’re a water drinker, you can avoid fungus and calcium deposits by always using demineralized or distilled water. If you use an electrolyte solution, you’re going to get critters growing in your hydration pack no matter how carefully you rinse it after each use. I suggest you grab an old derailleur cable and foam paintbrush, and make them part of your bike tool kit. Please support StephenKoch.com by purchasing a hydration pack or other fine outdoor gear from Backcountry.com!

View from below the entrance to the Black Ice Couloir, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

I climbed the Black Ice Couloir in Grand Teton National Park last week. I had a blast and it was the first moderately serious solo climb that I have done in several years. The climbing and conditions were favorable and felt moderate enough where I did not break out the rope, which I took as an added measure of safety. I could have belayed (protected myself in case of a fall…only falling 10 or 20 feet instead of 1,500…) myself with the rope or used the rope to rappel (slide down the rope off of anchors, some permanently in the rock (no bolts!) and other I could have left with the small selection of equipment I brought).

The Black Ice was gone (melted out due to lack of snow and warming of the earth) and now is back, possibly due to President Obama’s more progressive efforts to combat global warming?

The ice may hold out through the winter without sublimating out, but only time will tell. It was thin at the crux (most difficult section) but still climbable with ice axe picks in ice!

There might even be enough ice/snow next spring or summer for someone to make a snowboard or ski descent!

I shot several “Climbing Tips” videos that I will roll out over the coming days and weeks as we get fired up for ice climbing season!

Cheers,

Stephen

Check it out!

http://straightchuter.com/2009/05/expeditions-the-proposal/