The ‘Avalanche Pocket Guide’ is perhaps most appropriate as an in-field reference to introductory avalanche texts for skiers in their first 50-100 days or 1-3 years (whichever comes last) travelling in avalanche terrain. Long-time backcountry travelers may like it for completeness, or when teaching, but won’t consult it at every decision point during the day. Check one out in person (or in the photos), to decide it’s useful for you.
At ~$300 with a choice of lenses, the EOS M is a phenomenal deal. Yes, even with the upgraded firmware, it’s slow to focus in comparison with SLRs and fast mirrorless competitors, but the image quality surpasses anything available at that price point.
If you’re often in the market for the ~S95/100/110 series or G11-like Canons and are serious about photography, give the EOS M a look.
Need an altimeter/barometer watch? This is it. Tough, accurate, gets it done. It’s been $40-50 for years; at that price, it’s much easier to wear it in abrasive environments. The tool you bring is more useful than one you coddle.
My SGW-300H, after a couple years of wear.
For all the attention that global warming gets as an environmental hazard, there lurks one far greater. War.
Humans are getting good at playing the long game. We’re managing fisheries, curating wilderness, creating fantastic supply chains that extract fantastic yields from good cropland and deliver it to people. A substantial war would change all of that. If the short-term becomes more important than the long term, careful conservation and eco-friendly practices will be discarded by necessity. Without access to modern clean technologies, people will be forced to turn to dirtier and unsustainable ways of getting by. What would you do if no food arrived at the grocery store, and you had no access to electric power?
A nuclear exchange would be worse, and is far from improbable.
The human invention of technology has graced us with many gifts; we must use our powers well, for our own sake.
Well, I bought a Garmin Fenix watch, to be reviewed soon; but I was just as excited about the little wireless temperature sensor Garmin introduced at the same time.
It’s an ANT+ temperature sensor built into the tiny Garmin footpod form factor. I’m looking forward to using this in winter, when temperature can be of avalanche interest in the field and back at home.
Read on for mass and temperature measurements…
A curious jacket. Light, breathable, and kinda warm.
Creative construction makes it notable.
This thing is awesome. Sometimes a simple tool makes your life better. This is one of those tools.
It’s faster, easier, and more precise.
I guess it’s still serious-time. Digging through old writing today, this resurfaced, the story of a day when only luck separated us from tragedy.
The scariest events I’ve seen or experienced on snowy mountains have been on shallow-angle knife-hard snow in early season. This was the scariest. Please learn from it.
We were placing practice beacons for a backcountry ski/avalanche course last Saturday, when I heard a quiet ‘pop’. Susan looked up and said, “My shovel broke.” “What?” “Look, it broke!”
An essay I’ve long needed to write, but didn’t know how, until last week.
“It”: thoughts for a new mountaineer
Thank you, Franklin.
Measured Mass 