The High Route Gear Shed Podcast

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.

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.

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.