Backcountry, Snowmobile / Snowboard Backpack

This is a post I did last Spring. It is a breakdown of the contents of my snowmobile / snowboard pack. Any other ideas, let me know.

What the Heck Ya got in That Pack, Man?

The pack with snowboard attached after a 2 hour snowshoe hike to the top of the mountain. This was in Montana, over New Years 08.

Triple collapse poles from Black Diamond. So easy to pack. We use them snowboarding in the backcountry. They are used to give a push if needed or if you get stuck in a tree well or fall in the deep powder (don't fall, right).

BCA Companion avy shovel, it is a short handle. The avalanche probe fits right in the handle. I like having the probe and shovel together. Very handy, don't have to hunt for either.

Shown apart, probe slides into handle of shovel.

Odds and ends, compass, also reads slope angle. Knife screw driver tool, whistle, orange flashlight, razor blade, carabiners, small pulley, electric tape, pepper spray(critters out in those mountains).

It was up north of Bozeman, MT, Jan 07. I was up in the backcountry and there were Mountain Lion tracks in my tracks from the day before. I kept my eyes open as I snowshoed up higher that day.

Tracker avalanche transceiver, must have and know how to use. The top transceiver is set on transmit. The bottom transceiver is on search. The signal waves travel in a curve, that is something a person has to learn and practice. That is why one needs to take an avalanche course. I have taken a course every 2 years, Level 1, Level 2 and took a refresher level 1 again this last fall. It is like refreshing on my Ski Patrol skills. It keeps you sharp.

Sleeping bag liner, I used one during the wait for Search & Rescue in my accident. I draped it over my head and back to conserve body heat.

Fire starter kit I put together, Small fire starter sticks, matches and lighter.

Munchies, Mix of carbs and protein. Beef jerky, peanuts, energy bars, Power Bars. Energy gels Power Bar Gel and Accel Gel for quick energy.

This is a 2.8 pound 1 person tent for an emergency shelter. I carry this on the sled in a water proof bag. After being caught out in a blizzard 3 years ago it always travels with me.

Rope, high quality climbing rope, about 120 feet of length. Rope is always good. I also carry 130 feet on my sled.

Lightweight climbing harness, ya never know. There's cliffs out there, man.

Headlamp, extra batteries. Extra silk head, face mask. It does get dark and cold out in them there mountains, Vern.

First Aid Kit. I'm sure I carry more than most people. I see what can happen out there, anywhere.

Walkie talkie, that even sounds cool. They are handy when we might get separated, I keep them on a neck cord to throw on quickly. You could put them on scan to pick up a signal.

Clear goggles for dark or an extra set in wet conditions, bandanna use it for any thing, tie a splint, cover face, sling with tape over shoulder. Soft gloves to use when not sledding or boarding. Map of Wyoming, cause that's where the snow is.

All packed away in nice little stash sacks, Each picture of items is in a separate sack. There is room to throw in an extra vest in case.

This is the Dakine Poacher pack. It is very well designed. It rides on my back very good. I can wear it all day. The compartments are well thought out. The best large pack I have owned, and I've had a few. It is too large for, in resort. A backcountry pack it is. I use a smaller Dakine Heli pack in the resorts.

Ready - DVD / World Boards <> Burton

Ready DVD - Absinthe films - Snowboard DVD and Video Trailer

Check out another Snowboard vid. Click on "Ready" Trailer above.

I sold a Burton splitboard this week and I am buying a Burton Fish 160. The Fish is what Weez is riding in the backcountry, she has a 156. I am buying my Fish from World Boards ( www.worldboards.com ) in Bozeman, Montana, they are a great mountain snowboard shop on the main street in Bozeman. We have been stopping in there for several years, whenever we are in town. We took a break on our drive out to Mt. Hood, Oregon last summer and stopped there. Saw the board, it is a demo from last year. Well I kept in the back of my pea brain and walla sell one board... add a board. I bought my main powder board from World Boards last year so I guess that makes me a repeat customer. That board is a Burton Malolo 166. The thing rocks in the powder. It's a monster, but you are floating on the powder.

Burton Malolo on the Polaris 700 RMK

Burton Fish on the Polaris 800 RMK

3 weeks till blast off. It has been snowing in all the right places out west, so things should be shaping up for a base. Start rigging up the new sled this week, going thru the packs, new batteries in the avalanche beacons, radios and headlamps. Load up with Power Bars. It would be great to pick up one of the helmet cams for some videos, not in the budget right now, maybe by spring.

Hangin in the Rockies

A person can have all the equipment, but if the body can't keep up... well that is the part I'm plugging in. Working out with plyometrics (jumping up and down and bounding across the room), lifting some barbells to simulate lifting the back end of the sleds. Rowing exercise, dips, push-ups, jump rope, up-hill treadmill - front, back and sideways. Trying to simulate the muscle groups I will be needing over the next 6 months. If you have ever ridden a mountain sled off trail in the powder, it will kick your ass. It can be like riding a bull. Plus the snowshoeing that gets you up higher. I am going to be physically fit... it could save my life. And you can go harder and longer.

Later

That's It That's All DVD and Blu-Ray - Quicksilver and Travis Rice Snowboard DVD and Video Trailer

That's It That's All DVD and Blu-Ray - Quicksilver and Travis Rice Snowboard DVD and Video Trailer

Click on above to see "THAT'S IT, THAT'S ALL" video trailer.

THAT'S IT, THAT'S ALL

Well, I just picked up a snowboard video "THAT'S IT, THAT'S ALL". It's put out by Quiksilver, it features Travis Rice with a few other big names in the snowboard backcountry scene. Terje Haakonsen, Nicolis Muller, Scotty Lago and in my opinion the Best Big Mountain Rider in the world - snowboarder or skier- Jeremy Jones. The scenery itself is amazing, from New Zealand to Jackson Hole backcountry to Alaska. There is some big air park stuff, but the backcountry footage is the main theme. It is great to see all the snowmobile access that they do.




That's what gets me jazzed up about the mountains in the winter. When I see the deep powder, I know how tough it can be to get to those remote areas. Plus just the whole sled thing, it is a process from dragging the trailer halfway across the country. The unloading and loading, fueling up every night. The gear you need to be safe and caring all the food and liquid you might need. You are on your own as soon as you leave the trailhead. That's what makes sledboarding such an adventure. The whole remote feeling, about how big the mountains are and how you have to respect nature and it's challenges. Then the snowboarding in the powder and through the trees, that is actually just a part of the whole picture, the end result. The goal, Good Times!!

Snowin'

It is once again upon us. The time of the season to start tracking the weather in the mountains. The snow has been falling out west. The temps are down in the teens up high, enabling the new snow to build. Another month and the powder turns begin, both on the sleds and the boards.

A few snow pics to set the mood and to check out the new sled. A 2008 700 Dragon, and also a few pics of the 800 RMK which has been replaced.

New 08 Dragon.

08 700 Dragon and 08 700 RMK both 155 tracks. All tucked away.

Now for some snow pics.

These pics motivate me to get my work-outs going in the gym and I'm getting out on the mountain bike as often as I can. Ya got to be ready for action when the season starts.