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Thread: [Trip Report] Red Baldy

  1. #1

    [Trip Report] Red Baldy

    Usually try to get to Red Baldy once a season... and with the season winding down early I figured this morning it was now or never.

    First good view of the objective.
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    Lake Peak looked nice, less wind-affected; tempting, but I kept to my objective.
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    Starting around 10K the winds got nasty and failure was looming, but I pushed through and winds calmed a bit near the summit. Not the bluebird day I had hoped for, but not too bad.
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    Turns were OK, with a few hidden frozen clunkers lurking here and there. Down at 10K in the trees the skiing was very nice 4" dust on crust, down to 9K where it started to get a little sticky.
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    8K was full-on roller ball heaven.
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    Fun outing, for a season a little short on good ski days.

    -john

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  4. #2
    great stuff, john, many thanks for postin'!

  5. #3

  6. #4
    Great stuff! Lotta snow up there on top.


  7. #5
    Bluegrass Junkie powderglut's Avatar
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    Beauty Man!! Nice little trip!!
    Winter is disappearing fast here. We had the thinnest snowfall in March since 1910. Our hike across Rabbit Ears pass on St Pat's looked like late May snowpack. Bottom of the ski hill may not make it till Apr15. Maybe have to use the gondola to download if this 60 and 70 degree weather persists.

  8. #6
    I was glad to see it was skiiable off the top, given the season we've (not) had. To compare with last season (which wasn't normal either), there was more snow early June 2011 in this area of LCC than last week...

    On a totally unrelated note, for those of you who enjoy using tele gear in the backcountry... I've been a beta tester for the TTS (telemark tech system) binding for over a year and I suggest checking it out if you like to travel efficiently in the b/c. I won't get into details here since there is a good bit of coverage on other forums (e.g. TTips), but it's cut about 20% off my climb times (vs. G3 Targa T/9) while providing good control on the descents.

  9. #7
    Beautiful. You did this solo?
    Just where is it I could find bear, beaver, and other critters worth cash money when skint?

  10. #8
    Hi Sun Dance. Yes, solo. A long time ago, but I believe the avy hazard rating for the day was on the low side. I had concerns about the winds cranking up, but on closer inspection the whole zone I was in was in the scouring area - safer, but not great for the skiing quality. The view from up top is darn nice, however.
    -john

  11. #9
    I assume you skinned up on AT gear? What kind of setup do you have?

    Also, I'm not familiar with Lake Peak. Can you elaborate?
    Just where is it I could find bear, beaver, and other critters worth cash money when skint?

  12. #10
    Yes, skinned up, but not exactly on AT gear. I use a combination binding that has a tech toe and tele heel. Google "TTS binding" for more info, and pic of my rig:

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    Been using a beta version for 3 years or so now. Requires a boot with both tech toe and bellows (e.g. Scarpa F1 or F3).

    Lake Peak must be a skier's name. On the USGS map it is point 10718 between Red and White Pine.

    -john

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by outsider View Post
    Yes, skinned up, but not exactly on AT gear. I use a combination binding that has a tech toe and tele heel. Google "TTS binding" for more info, and pic of my rig:

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    Been using a beta version for 3 years or so now. Requires a boot with both tech toe and bellows (e.g. Scarpa F1 or F3).

    Lake Peak must be a skier's name. On the USGS map it is point 10718 between Red and White Pine.

    -john
    I just got my tts bindings this last week. I haven't been out on them yet. How do you like yours?

  14. #12
    So someone that doesn't know how to tele would probably have a tough time on them?
    Just where is it I could find bear, beaver, and other critters worth cash money when skint?

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Sun Dance View Post
    So someone that doesn't know how to tele would probably have a tough time on them?
    Affirmative. A couple years ago, when I bought my first tele setup, I spent the first week thinking I has just wasted a bunch of money. After 2-3 weeks skiing on tele 5 days a week, I was getting ok. By the time the season was over, I was pretty much as good on tele as I'd ever been on alpine.

  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Bootboy View Post
    I just got my tts bindings this last week. I haven't been out on them yet. How do you like yours?
    Generally pretty happy. I am not totally keen on my F1 boots that I use with the setup, so I may try to find another solution there. Some pros and cons listed below, but there have been a lot of improvements made since my version. I need to get a another set from Mark to mount on some new skis, now that production is ramping up.

    Cons:
    - Can get major snow buildup under the ball of the foot in warmer conditions (like spring pow). On newer versions the heel wire clamps have rounded edges that reduce this issue.
    - I think it can be hard to mount the heel wire clamps at the right spot in order to get the right amount of active feel, at least for a larger boot size. At a size 13, the binding is too active for me, yet I can't move the mount point forward because I am already at the end of the screw adjustment. This means at best I can only do very high stance tele turns. Since I only use this rig in the b/c, where I almost 100% telepine, it's ok. Others have had great success with tele turn on the binding - I might too if I could move the mount point 1/4 to 1/2 inch forward. The newest version may solve this.
    - There is a slight chance of pre-release in variable conditions. I have had 4 releases over 3+ years, 3 of which were ok and the 4th which I considered a pre-release. It was in breakable wind-crust conditions, and not a place I wanted a release at all. Luckily the ski did not get away from me. I try to remember to lock-out the bindings in such conditions and places now.
    - The tech toe can be really difficult to get into in the dark. That can be mitigated with enough experience or better yet a working headlamp. There is also the slight chance for an ice-up - best to have some kind of tool in the pack to take care of that on the off chance...

    Pros:
    - Nothing better than the tech toe for ascents. I took about 20% off my climb times after the switch, although I did jump straight from a G3 Targa to TTS. [HUGE]
    - Much more solid and stable than the duckbill connection == more precise and stable turns.
    - I don't have very good personal experience as mentioned above, but a number of people claim it's better for the tele turn because it nicely triggers bellow flex.
    - Seems pretty reliable so far - I've beat on it pretty good for 3+ seasons and have had no breakages.

    Will be interested to hear how your experience goes, Bootboy.

    -john

  17. #15
    Sweet. I got the short rods and with my 26.5 crispi evos, I'm limited to the rearmost notch. If I go middle, there isn't enough thread inside the cartridge. I may call mark and either get softer springs (mine are full stiff) or opt for the longer wires, but my boots aren't even broken in. I just finished mounting them tonight. I'm most excited about the weight loss. I'm coming from the NTN freerides so I saved nearly 2 pounds. The tour mode is awesome, I can tell already. Can't wait to get out this week.

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