A book about a nearly forgotten form of skiing: Nordic Backcountry. No book this comprehensive about Nordic Backcountry has been written since for Colorado. Read More ...

Continue reading TBT Book: Skiing Colorado’s Backcountry at PMags.com.

A (possible) last ski tour for this season. All weather dependent, of course. :) Read More ...

Continue reading Beaver Res loop – The last ski tour? at PMags.com.

Some much needed outdoor time: Two very different backcountry ski days that spanned the seasons. Read More ...

Continue reading Last Day of Winter – First Day of Spring at PMags.com.

Holes in 3-pin 75mm Nordic boots can get beat up. Here’s a fairly simple and inexpensive fix and/or preventive measure.

Nordic 75mm 3 pin boots are still the standard for backcountry Nordic touring.

There are other boots that may be lighter, faster, warmer,etc. but these old war-horses still provide an amazing combo of weight, versatility, simplicity and ruggedness. They work.

Over time, however, three-pin boots can get beat up. The holes in the duck-bill for locking in the boots to the bindings can get warped. And if you tend to beat on your gear even a little bit (guilty as charged), eventually the boots do not stay in place as easily.

A simple fix, and a good preventative measure in the first place, is the simple addition of Smile Plates

For only $20,and  a small amount of elbow-grease, this simple item rehabs boots quite easily.

I wish I knew about these plates in the first place as I would have put them on my boots when I first bought them!

Continue reading Gear review: Smile Plates at PMags.com.

A fine day of ~15 miles of Nordic skiing (we are never sure about the milage. 😉 )  with some good friends I've know from over the years. This trip is a challenging one we do every year, but a  fun one. 

I love this type of skiing. It is reminiscent of long hiking days..except on skis! Rolling terrain, climbs, sweet descents, mixed terrain and the views of the peaks.

What's not to like?!?!?

All the photos here

Continue reading Sixth Annual Sourdough Traverse at PMags.com.

An article about my favorite Colorado winter activity…SKIING!!!!

Ski Touring

Since living in Colorado, I have become an avid backcountry skiier.

I was once a snowshoer, but thanks in large part to my friend Wendy, I have come to enjoy skiing more.

Ski touring is the backcountry cousin of  traditional cross-country skiing. With no groomed trails, you use wider skis and full metal edges for basic turns. It is a great way to explore the backcountry during winter.

Less crowded, less expensive and more of a wilderness experience than area (resort) skiing, and less of an adrenalin rush (and accident prone!) than typical “big bowl” telemark skiing.

Ski touring is essentially hiking on skis: A more relaxed, meditative and genteel way to explore the backcountry in winter than other winter outdoor pursuits.

Touring is also a bit more elegant than snowshoeing; there is something almost magical about gliding along the fresh powder with clear skies and the sun shining.

Continue reading Colorado Ski Tours – Mags Favorites at PMags.com.

There is no such thing as bad weather; just bad clothing.
—Scandinavian saying

A friend of mine just finished his contract. I do not plan starting a new job until after the First. Another friend is gainfully unemployed.

In Boulder alone, it was 0F in the late morning (and -7 in the early morning..supposed to be -8F, -40 tonight with the windchill!). Five-thousand feet higher in the mountains? 50 MPH gusts and about -5F w/o the windchill.

BUT..there was new, fresh, and wonderful powder!

So what to do. Grab a beer? Sip some tea by the fire? Read a good book?

Naaah…wax up the skis and go skiing!

Mark, Kevin and I did a three hour tour (seriously) in the Brainard Lake Recreation area.

As always, the worse part of the trip was at the trail head parking lot.

Continue reading Into the Icebox at PMags.com.

Three years in a row now, my buddy d-low has organized the Sourdough Nordic Traverse an ~13 miles tour on skis that makes wonderful way to see much of the Nordic areas around Boulder.

Both d-low and I were a little apprehensive about this trip as there has been little snow in the past two weeks and the temps were unseasonably warm.

Our friend Wendy went out the day before (Saturday) and reported wet, lumpy, and sticky snow that was more like April than January.

Luckily it snowed Saturday night into Sunday morning. The Nordic Ski Gods smiled upon us!

Eleven of us started much later than we would have liked due to a larger-than-normal futz factor. Plus, we had to dig out spots for the vehicles.

Once we were on our way, we made steady, if slow, progress up the trail.

We climbed a hill, skied down to a valley at the Peace Bridge landmark.

Continue reading Sourdough Nordic Traverse at PMags.com.