The High Route Gear Shed Podcast

Crossing Over to Glacier Black

In this episode of our Gear Shed podcast, Gavin Hess (our Gear Editor) interviews the founder of Glacier Black—Shawn Breaux. Glacier Black [https://www.glacierblack.com], at least on paper, specializes in canyoneering gear. In the past few years, as Gavin has explored technical rope options for ski mountaineering, his attention was drawn to Glacier Black and some of their rope options. This is very much a nerding-out episode. And the nerding goes deep into rope specs, manufacturing, and certifications. What you’ll learn are a few things—some canyoneering ropes can function as a rope for skiing and certain canyoneering ropework techniques might be of some use in the alpine. Which is also to say, this is only a podcast—we are not responsible for your actions. Proceed with caution when using new gear and techniques. Read up on a Glacier Black rope [https://the-high-route.com/a-new-skinny-rope-option-the-cascade-poliwog-by-glacier-black/] with ski mountaineering applications. If you are new to The High Route [https://the-high-route.com/], we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real-deal calorie-burning to piece it all together. We’d like to thank Patagonia [https://www.patagonia.com/home/], Blue Ice [https://www.blueice.com/], and ATK [https://atkbindings.com/en-us] for supporting us.   We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 [https://the-high-route.com/subscribe/] of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here [https://the-high-route.com/subscribe/]. 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 start with.

Part 2: Getting Progressive while Uphilling

In this episode, we’ve got Barry Wicks as our host for part two in our series on developing a free-rider ski for resort uphilling. (Talk about niche). To close the quest out, he speaks with Jonno Jacobs the founder of Ronin skis [https://www.roninskis.com/our-story] based in Chamonix, France.  At Ronin, Jacobs builds made-to-order custom planks. As you’ll hear in the podcast, what Jacobs offers is more like a surfboard shaper, inspired as much by the art of design as the number-crunching part. Jacobs also lives in one of the hubs of the skimo scene, and although he prefers bigger and wider skis (most days), we picked his brain, asking why. As in,why don’t we see more playful skis for those skinning uphilling on-piste?  Allez! Allez!  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.

Part 1: Getting Progressive while Uphilling

In this episode, with Gavin away guiding in Japan, we’ve got Barry Wicks as our host. Wicks is a die-hard ski tourer who brings supremely positive energy into the hills. He’s also a recovering bike racer who claims he’s sworn off Lycra. Despite his baggy clothes, he’s still fast. And he still knows gear.  Anyhow, Wicks has a playful nature on skis. And we’ve been bantering back and forth for a few months about adopting progressive ski designs for those who uphill at resorts. It sort of makes sense—when there is an uphill, hopefully, there is a downhill. And why not try to make the downhill as enjoyable as possible? Wicks’ quest to find a rockered twin-tipped ski that is light…isn’t exactly easy. On his journey, Wicks speaks with Max Smith, VP of Reno, Nevada’s Moment Skis. Who knows, maybe a mythical and lightweight 85-underfoot Wildcat Tour is in our future.  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).  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.

Weighing In: Pairing Boots and Skis

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.

Roundtable Discussion: Lightweight Touring Boots

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.