Back-Country Report: CA High Sierras

So the word is in on the back-country bonanza in the
California Sierras where mother nature has been dumping snow
by the skyloads. Back-country skier, all around outdoorsman, Erik Riegler was out this weekend, and
sent in this photo. Reporting on the conditions around Lake Tahoe Riegler said:

“It was the most epic day ever.  Utah-light powder on a solid Sierra base. Totally ripper.”

Riegler and friends hiked up Basin
Peak
and had square miles of fresh powder all to themselves. Enough to make any East Coaster, like myself, quite
jealous. Time to hit JetBlue and find cheap fares West.

Back Country Skiing in Jackson Hole

The Post today runs a nice package on skiing with
a peice on a back country skiing camp
in Jackson Hole. The three-day camp is for skiers and boarders who are seeking the skills to tour the backcountry
on their own, to get the hell away from lift lines, slopes crowded with ski-tards, and roped-in, over-groomed
controlled terrain. Aside from technical skills, you’ll also learn all about the bigget danger facing back country
skiers: avalanches. Check it out.

Three Cheers for Human Ingenuity

Call it Carpee Diem (ha! I kill myself sometimes). A man caught in an avalanche in his car apparently peed his way to freedom. It happened in Slovakia over the course of several days, during which the man, Richard Kral, drank 60 bottles of beer he’d brought with him on vacation and then urinated on the snow to melt it.

In other news, if you haven’t played the spell your name in virtual pee game yet, it’s waitin for ya to give it a try.

Gadling Top Ten: Songs to Listen to While Skiing/Snowboarding Playlist

We’re going to do a new feature here at Gadling that we
think you’ll enjoy. Every week, we’ll do a Top Ten (yes, call it a respectful homage to David
Letterman), in which we put our best minds to work and take whatever strikes our fancy that is in any way engaged
travel-related, and we’ll write up the ten best things associated with it.  

Today, we begin with (drum roll please):

The Gadling Top Ten Best Songs to Listen to While Skiing or Snowboarding:

OK, the key here is rhythm. You know when you’re coming down a slope, you want something punchy, something that gets
you fired up to attack the bumps or cut sweet S-turns in the powder, something that gets you into a groove. Your ear
buds are stuffed into your ear holes and you might be wearing your brand new
Burton/Motorola jacket. You may agree, you may
disagree…but…

Here’s what should be on your ipod: 

10. End of the World (As We know It) – REM

9. Black Dog – Led Zeppelin

8. Bruised – The Bens (this one’s for when you’re cruising)

7. Cheat – The Clash

6. Walk, Don’t Run – The Duo Tones (Ventures version is good too)

5. Here Comes the Summer – Fiery Furnaces

4. Times Like These – Foo Fighters

3. Big Iron – Johnny Cash (this one’s also good for cruising)

2. Bright Future in Sales – Fountains of Wayne

1. Keep on Rockin in the Free World – Neil Young (must be either acoustic or electric version from Freedom
album)

And, while we are in no way wrong about these, we are open to other thoughts on the matter, so feel free to add your
comments.

Photo of the Day: (1/31/05)

Phil ingle has got some great photos on
his site, but this one struck my fancy because I didn’t
at first notice the dude hanging on the edge of the cornice and when I did I thought, very cool.

It appears from his site that he lives in Chamonix, so he must have a lot of opportunity to shoot skiing photos.
Which reminds me, I wish I could say I live in Chamonix.