Your Online Resource for Hiking, Backpacking, Cross-Country Skiing, and Snowshoeing at Lake Tahoe
There are countless variations of classic cross-country ski boots in circulation. The styles range from vintage patent leather shoes designed for use with the 3-pin binding system (NN) and will most likely be found in a thrift store or at a garage sale to high-tech and high-top styles of backcountry boots that feature ankle support…
Presented to you in this article and collection of videos are some basic lessons on waxing your waxless cross-country skis. I prefer to use the term “functional” when describing my style of waxing. This is because I aim for function rather than high-performance results. I cross-country ski for enjoyment, exploration, and exercise (not racing), so…
Zines (pronounced zeens) are self-published magazines, fanZINES, mini-books, or mini-comics that are often small in size and short in number of pages. The beauty of a zine is that you can create one with nothing more than a pen and a single sheet of paper. Then you just need a ream of paper and access…
When I hand first-time cross-country skiers their ski poles (in the rental shop where I seasonally work), I’m often met with disbelief. New customers will say something to the effect of, “these are so much longer than my alpine ski poles” or “are you sure they’re supposed to be so long?” They are a lot…
Whether you’re planning a day-long excursion to one of Lake Tahoe’s fabled mountain peaks or a multi-day expedition into Desolation Wilderness, there are many considerations to take into account when preparing for your backcountry trip. However, the single most important element to establish during the planning phase is the purpose or goal of your backcountry…
Realizing your dreams of thru-hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail, embarking on an extended backcountry ski tour, or even just going on your first overnight backpacking trip can be a daunting task. However, it’s not impossible! In the first part of this Backcountry Trip Planning series I argued the importance of establishing a goal for your…
Up to this point I’ve discussed the importance of selecting a goal for your next backcountry trip, as well as how to determine whether or not it’s a SMART goal. In this installment, I provide an overview of a basic 7-step decision-making process that will enable you to appropriately plan for and execute a longer…
Gathering information is the second step in the decision-making process, and one of the most important phases of the backcountry trip planning process. Without accurate information you can’t make informed decisions, which then erodes confidence in the overall plan. Gathering information can also be one of the most enjoyable steps to planning out your trip…
At this point in planning your next backcountry trip, you should’ve already performed the lion’s share of research for your adventure. In the example for this series of backcountry planning articles, we’re going to thru-hike the Tahoe Rim Trail. So, this research would’ve included asking and answering all of your questions regarding extended backpacking adventures…
So far in this series of backcountry trip planning articles we’ve established a goal for our adventure (which is to thru-hike the Tahoe Rim Trail), put it to the SMART goals test, and used the decision-making process to guide our research. We’ve gathered relevant information, evaluated it, and hopefully have chosen the best option(s) for…