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Another vote for the Slik Compact-XL, which I have carried to many places. If I'm bringing my film SLR, it performs much better with a tripod -- and if I'm hauling the SLR, I'm bringing all my glass, and a padded bag ... so what's 2 more pounds? Lightweight compact bodies, shorter focal...

I often ski on Hammerheads (including yesterday). I like them for many reasons, but similarity to the Superloop (in which I often tour too) is not one of them. To me, the biggest similarities are (1) Russ Rainey designed both; (2) both have springs in front of the toe; and (3) both have...

Good link to ttips, Spencer -- its users are primarily focused on higher-angle skiing than long tours, but anything related to backcountry skiing and sliding goes over there. I don't use AT gear, but the subject of whether it is more efficient for touring than telemark gear is hotly debated...

Where do you want to ski? Can you give us a few trails you think you'd like to ski? For the Wilderness Trail (or almost any other non-peak trail) you'd be best with backcountry gear, not tele or AT... I have some experience skiing hiking trails in the WMNF. I skied about 3/4 of the peaks on...

I once did this in spring a convoluted way -- tour up Franconia Ridge on xc gear with my alpine gear on my back; swap skis at the top of the slide and descend on alpine gear; swap back into xc gear in the swampy area at the base of the slide and tour out. A long day even in spring. Conditions...

Sounds like the Owl's Head itself, eh?

We've enjoyed Eslick's books. On a related subject, don't forget to read "Look to the Mountain" by LeGrand Cannon -- pioneering in Tamworth in the shadow of the Sandwich Range.

Avalanche danger is spatially variable, but I would personally consider the Tuckerman rating as a baseline for Boott Spur. Remember that Boott Spur divides Tuckerman Ravine from the Gulf of Slides, both of which are definitely avalanche-prone. While ridges tend to offer safer routes than...

Anyone know anything about the old road that leaves the Rocky Branch trailhead off Rte 16 in Pinkham Notch and heads up to Miles Brook near the confluence of the feeder streams? It's apparent on the ground from the trailhead, and is very visible on satellite photos. From the Rocky Branch Trail...

Opinions on beacons vary widely. These days, they're essentially all good -- provided you know how to use them. I have a BCA Tracker DTS transceiver. It's easy to learn, relatively easy to use, and was on sale when we bought the pair. This Pieps DSP beacon is more expensive and more...

How the lynx and the bobcat diverged into different species in North America is an interesting story. If I recall correctly, the protospecies was more lynx-like but even bigger. As postglacial forests began to develop south of the ice sheets, some lynx moved into the woods and started taking...

Nice pic. It's fun to see how you cut that out of the "standard" original. One thing that I notice is that your crop is nearly square -- I'm more a fan of the golden ratio, though it is arguably overdone. What about applying a gradient-based filter effect to increase contrast in the background?

TR: Maine Beer Night, 11/3/05 TR: Maine Beer Night, 11/3/05 I live a few minutes' walk from the Great Lost Bear, so I swung by for a brief visit. Present were: luv2hike (Rick & Terry) MEB yam Artex George Fitch Gator Lawn Sale Mad Townie Spongebob ***** (proxy in case I forgot anyone) If...

Weighing in on avalanche risk in Oakes Gulf: yes, it is definitely avalanche terrain. While the Main and Central gullies are prime ski destinations, there are also significant snowfields (both above and on the headwall) that are also ski/avalanche terrain. Remember the snow forecasters' motto...

With my interests in water sports and aboriginal etymology, this one frankly has me puzzled. Skookumchuck is a Salish (PNW native) word meaning “strong or turbulent waters” or "place where important waters meet", depending on the source. There's a native reserve (and hot spring) near Lillooet...

On Sunday 10/30/05, Mt Clinton road was icy but appeared passable (depending on driver ego) at the Crawford Notch end, but was snowcovered on the Base Road end. North of the Base Road, J-Notch Road was 12" snowpack with many blowdowns. Looked like a pair of snowmobiles had been on it. I...

Bangor Daily News article on Buzz's retirement party In honor of Buzz's service, the park renamed some features: Spencer, does this mean we need to re-ski the Lookout Trail to get the newly named feature? I wouldn't mind that. Anyone know where Brown Pond is/was? Doesn't ring a bell with me...

You can do this in the home fairly easily. Get any old small pottery bowl or dish, a piece of paper towel, a paperclip (bend it to make a stand to hold one end of the paper up), and fuel -- I've used olive oil, vegetable oil, and uncleaned "tallow" and "lard" (the fat you drain from skillets of...

One tip on crampons: fit them to your boots before you go. If you're like me, you use different boots for different routes -- telemark boots, Koflach doubles, leather boots -- but use one pair of crampons for all. My experience with several incarnations of G12s is that for boot sizes smaller...

Olivia and I skied Ammo Ravine on Sunday. Bluebird skies, constant winds up top in the 50s gusting into the 60s. Many awkward blowdowns below Gem Pool. Significant melting during the afternoon; the snow in the trees caught the sun, melted, and rained down onto the snowpack, making it gloppy...