Backcountry Skiing Gear

I've finally rounded out my backcountry skiing kit with a pair of Garmont Excursion boots. I got a great deal from Marmot Mountain, they fit perfectly and I can't wait to give them a spin. Unfortunately it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the only place I may be able to use them this weekend is up on a glacier in the Alps, like the Rettenbach Glacier at Soelden in Austria. There may be a road trip in my near future.

My backcountry kit now includes a pair of Karhu 10th Mountain skis with Voile 3-pin bindings - along with the new Garmont boots. An incredibly lightweight set I hope to use for years to come.

I originally purchased a pair of Alpina BC2075 boots, which are really great boots for light touring, but did not have the kind of support I needed for downhills in the backcountry. I will continue to use them with my cross-country skis.

Holiday Weekend in Upper Bavaria

This past weekend, we had some family from the USA visiting and we spent the weekend up in the foothills of the Alps south of Munich. Spitzingsee is a small lake high up in the Josefstal valley. There is a quiet ski village along the lake and a great hotel which I highly recommend - the Arabella Sheraton Alpenhotel.

The area is covered in trails for hiking and biking and although I didn't do any climbing, there is numerous evidence of climbing routes in the cliffs which abound in the hills. Good hard rock and a large variety of everything from bouldering to multi-pitch routes.

On Sunday, we sprung my two sons out of the summer camp they are attending nearby and took a gondola up to the Taubenstein Bergstation at 1665 Meters. A couple of us scrambled up to the actual Taubenstein peak above the bergstation and got a good look around before a moderately powerful thunderstorm rumbled in from the northwest and pinned us down in the restaurant for most of the afternoon, playing cards and Scrabble and enjoying the food and the view.

I'm putting this place on the list for a return trip in the fall to climb and in the winter to do some ski touring.