The High Route Gear Shed Podcast

We are back on the Gear Shed Podcast, going deep into a reader’s question. (Thanks, Slim, for sending your questions in.)  Just deciding what boot works best for you can be a can of worms. Add in skis, and the pairing dance becomes a more complicated yet finely choreographed affair. Slim’s questions begin with a query about boot pairings and ski widths and extend into the variable of ski length. And, of course, there’s skier ability, conditions, preferred ski style, and so on. Gavin breaks it down on the podcast; hopefully, we provide some insight.  If you have specific questions regarding the information (and opinions) presented in the podcast, you can comment on the website or email us on The High Route's contact page (editor@the-high-route.com).  Thanks for listening.  The High Route is a reader and listener-supported project, and we'll be releasing our first print edition of The High Route later this winter. You can learn how to support us here [https://the-high-route.com/join-thr/].   You can find us at the-high-route.com [https://the-high-route.com/]: Yeah, there are two hyphens for redundancy, which is a good policy in the mountains. And according to Barry Wicks, don't-fear-the-hyphens®. The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here [https://jenslangsjoen.bandcamp.com/album/the-self-transforming]—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to begin with.

THR's Gear Shed podcast opens the season with a roundtable discussion about lighter-weight touring boots. The roundtable includes Adam Fabrikant, Slator Aplin, and Gear Editor Gavin Hess. In discussing this boot class, we'll set somewhat arbitrary limits and call the gram-counting confines as limited between 1000g-1250g. These boots are marginally beefier than a pure skimo race boot and a bit leaner than what we coin the 2+ buckle boot and even more robust boots in the freeride class.  For some context, boots in this class, what Adam Fabrikant refers to as the Race+ category on the podcast, include (but are not exclusive to) the Dynafit Blacklight, Scarpa F1 XT, Tecnica Zero G Peak Carbon, Atomic Backland Carbon, Fischer Travers, Salomon S/Lab MTN Summit, and the La Sportiva Skorpius CR II (and soon to be available Kilo). The MTN Summit and Skorpius CR II are light enough and possess suitable ROM and friction to be included here, but trend towards the more robust 2+ buckle realm.  (You can hear our podcast on 2+ buckle touring boots here [https://the-high-route.com/gear-shed-podcast/].) What you'll find isn't so much a specific boot recommendation; these are all excellent boots if they fit your foot and style of skiing, but a discussion of when we use these boots, likes and dislikes, and some notes on liner choice. If you have specific questions regarding the information (and opinions) presented in the podcast, you can comment on the website or email us on The High Route's contact page (editor@the-high-route.com).  Thanks for listening.  The High Route is a reader and listener-supported project, and we'll be releasing our first print edition of The High Route later this winter. You can learn how to support us here [https://the-high-route.com/join-thr/].   You can find us at the-high-route.com [https://the-high-route.com/]: Yeah, there are two hyphens for redundancy, which is a good policy in the mountains. And according to Barry Wicks, don't-fear-the-hyphens®. The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here [https://jenslangsjoen.bandcamp.com/album/the-self-transforming]—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to begin with.

Jack Beighle is our guest on Episode 5 of The Gear Shed Podcast. For those who don't know Jack, here's some background. He's a CU Boulder grad, bumped to Jackson for some post-college living focused around mountains and skiing. He then left Jackson and bumped black to Boulder, where he began working for Backcountry Access. Currently, Jack is the Brand and Community Manager at Ombraz Glasses.  More than that, Jack wrote a manifesto. His thoughts and words are a message declaring heavier touring gear is better touring gear. Published in VOL. 1 of the TGR Journal, The Heavyweight Manifesto [https://www.tetongravity.com/feature/gear-tech/feature-journal-the-heavyweight-manifesto#!] is razor sharp. Jack makes three suggestions for those obsessed with grams and carbon and minimalist skis better suited for the Lycra set. 1. try kale 2. do a single squat before starting the winter 3. stop complaining No matter where you stand on issues of gear weight, doing any of the three life-affirming pieces of advice Jack lays down is a good start. (Editor's note: roast the kale with some olive oil and salt—so good.) The interesting thing about the species is we learn and evolve. Maybe the gear you hauled up when you were 22 and spry and fresh off of watching some ski stoke film where the crew reaches a high point with a heli-assist isn't the gear you want when you're a bit older and going deep into the mountain's to drink quietude and find good turns.  As he nears 30 years old, Jack is reconsidering his manifesto's hard stance—and he's seeking Gavin and Slator's input for figuring out where he can cut some weight but still enjoy himself on the ups and downs. We also get insight into how Slator and Gavin have evolved their gear preferences. True folks, they are enjoying heavier gear, but not too heavy.  In short, the podcast is a lively discussion about how three skiers, two from the light side and one from the heavy side, find some common gear ground in the middle. You can find us at the-high-route.com [https://the-high-route.com/]: Yeah, there are two hyphens for redundancy, which is a good policy in the mountains. And according to Barry Wicks, don't-fear-the-hyphens®. The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here [https://jenslangsjoen.bandcamp.com/album/the-self-transforming]—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to begin with.

Come one and come all for the center ring of what is definitely not a circus. In this episode, we get a front-row seat for a chat between two friends who have a problem—a gear problem. But it’s the good kind of problem where two individuals develop a way of conversing about what they like and don’t like regarding gear. In other words, our Gear Editor, Gavin Hess, and go-to tester/reviewer, Slator Aplin, discuss the finer points of the highly developed language they use to ponder some of the backcountry goods we’ll be on this winter. As Gavin and Slator build out the assortment of skis, boots, and bindings to review this year, they zero in on some of the early season arrivals we’ve already posted first looks about. Gavin and Slator discuss skis, boots, and an interesting set of bindings from Slatnar [https://skimo.co/slatnar-touring-bindings]. (Oh my!) You can find us at the-high-route.com [https://the-high-route.com/]: Yeah, there are two hyphens for redundancy, which is a good policy in the mountains. And according to Barry Wicks, don't-fear-the-hyphens®. The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here [https://jenslangsjoen.bandcamp.com/album/the-self-transforming]—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to begin with.

We get a few clues about the ski objective in episode 3 of the podcast. We know Adam Fabrikant and Billy Haas will head to South America. We know it’s going to be windy at times. And we know a specific post-expedition empanada stand where the two plan to offset their expected calorie deficit.  The Southern Hemi’s Spring Equinox fell late last month. And by the time this podcast drops, the packing will be near complete for what Fabrikant and Haas expect to be a several-week expedition to ski a new line in the Andes. The two will haul heavy loads, likely over 60 pounds, for 4-5 days on the approach. And as they do, they’ll ascend some technical ground to access the line, and, if all things align, like the weather, health, and snowpack, plan to do what they do, which is to ski a first descent.  Before all that, there’s the less glamorous side of expedition life: winnowing the gear to an acceptable load to haul and packing it all up for the trans-hemisphere flight. Like any of us before a big trip, there are discussions about how spare one can go, how hungry, and what creature comforts one is willing to forgo—all in the spirit of finding that perfect balance of carrying just enough and nothing in excess. Historically, on their trips, Fabrikant and Haas are mindful of their battery and energy harnessing systems: they limit themselves to a single song per night in the event expedition entertainment is in order. (On this trip, it sounds like maybe—and a very tentative maybe—they’ll be bringing a lightweight solar panel system.) From the skis (think the red Freebird from Black Crows), the boots, and bindings, and even what sounds like a very spare diet of couscous and seasoning, we get the “what to pack” low down for a lean and keep-it-bare-bones human-powered ski expedition. Thanks for listening, and if you have a specific question for Gavin, Billy, or Adam, for the time being, you can email gavin@the-high-route.com or leave a comment on our website. You can find us at the-high-route.com [https://the-high-route.com/]: Yeah, there are two hyphens for redundancy, which is a good policy in the mountains. And according to Barry Wicks, don't-fear-the-hyphens®. The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here [https://jenslangsjoen.bandcamp.com/album/the-self-transforming]—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to begin with.