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• incoming …
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• gear review: patagonia nano puff hoodie
• gear review: marmot zion neoshell jacket
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incoming …

By ccrossen | March 5, 2013

 

First major storm in more than two months is due to hit this evening into Wds, and then another system follows on its heels for the weekend. Looking at 1-2 feet up high by Friday evening. Looks like the precip. will hit further north, hopefully setting up Shasta and Lassen nicely for later in the season.

NWS: WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 PM PST WEDNESDAY ABOVE 4000 FEET…
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 10 TO 20 INCHES WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO THREE FEET POSSIBLE IN WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY AND ON LASSEN PEAK. MINOR ACCUMULATIONS OF A FEW INCHES POSSIBLE DOWN TO 3000 FT ON WEDNESDAY.
* ELEVATION: ABOVE 4000 FEET. SNOW LEVELS WILL START OUT AROUND 5000 TO 6500 FT TODAY AND DROP DOWN TO AROUND 3000 TO 4000 FT ON WEDNESDAY MORNING.
* TIMING: LIGHT PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON AND BECOME HEAVIER THIS EVENING NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 AND AROUND INTERSTATE 80 AND SOUTH WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOWFALL RATES UP TO 2 INCHES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE SIERRA AROUND 4 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING.
* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: CHESTER…QUINCY…BLUE CANYON…AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF INTERSTATE 80…HIGHWAYS 50 AND 88.
* WINDS: SOUTH 15 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.
* IMPACTS: SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL WITH POTENTIAL FOR BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ON SIERRA ROADWAYS MAY RESULT IN HAZARDOUS

Topics: Tahoe Snow Report | No Comments »

backcountry update

By ccrossen | February 27, 2013

After a really good week of skiing, with 8-10″ of nice pow, we’re entering a transition phase, lots of variable out there, a result of high winds, dry pow, sun, and varying temps. We’ve got nice pow and wind buff in numerous locations, lots of different types of crusts, boilerplate, wind board, sustrugi, etc. That said, it’s beautiful, there’s no snow in sight for a bit, and there’s still great skiing and terrain to get after. Have fun. Long range models are beginning to suggest we might be coming to an end to this really, really dry period - now officially the driest Jan-Feb in 100 years. Ouch.

Topics: Introduction | No Comments »

gear review: patagonia nano puff hoodie

By ccrossen | February 27, 2013

I am constantly on the look-out for the perfect Tahoe backcountry insulation layer. Tahoe has its own peculiarities and conditions, namely the refined balance between relatively “warm” cold temps and high water content snow, so it is difficult to find a great match. For an insulation piece to become a core piece for the pack, it must be warm when wet, light, durable, and compact. Down is always a great option, but for Tahoe, you need perfect conditions for this - fine if it isn’t snowing, raining, or anything in between - zero precip in the forecast. A number of other synthetic insulation products work, but they tend to be heavy and bulky. This season I have been using Patagonia’s Nano Puff Hoody as my daily backcountry insulation piece, and I am very impressed.

At 14 ounces, and a packed footprint that amounts to a sandwich baggie, the Nano Puff Hoody boasts a simple, clean design (two hand pockets, interior pocket, basic drawcord bottom cinch, straightforward hood, no pit zips) that delivers where it really needs to: warmth. Impressive is the word. When you take this jacket out of the box to put it on for the first time, you say to yourself, “there’s no way this thing is going to offer any kindof real warmth; I just paid a lot of money for not much material and insulation.”

First day I wore the Nano Puff was just a classic Tahoe day: deep early season snow pack, during the middle of a storm with fat, wet flakes, racking up laps on the local backcountry shot. There was a lot of moisture, a lot of wind, a lot of sweat. Perfect. After skinning up for lap two, we stopped at the top for a bite and some hot drinks. I put on the Nano and then a hard shell. We spent some time hanging out, relaxing before the down … before others started saying let’s get moving, I am cold. I left the Nano on, skied down, stayed nice and toasty… down at the bottom, skinning up again, the Nano was damp, a lot of moisture caught between the body and the hard shell, but I was really nice and toasty. Wow. Cannot believe this thin little jacket delivers so much warmth. Afterward, shells off, hanging at the cars, still warm, jacket drying out, unbelievable. The jacket stands on its own for a straightforward, light-weight insulation piece. This jacket works great for Tahoe, combined with other layers or on its own if not super-windy, and where our cold temps are not really that cold. The weight/insulation are a perfect balance, great warmth and great warmth despite our wet snow and climate.

The Nano Puff utilizes Primaloft  60g insulation. Shell is made from recycled polyster and can be returned to Patagonia to be recycled again after is long useful life.

As a sole insulation layer in much colder climates, e.g. Colorado, Utah, other spots where it does get really cold at times, The Nano is a great mid-layer, something to use in combination with a shell, or a layer that provides extra warmth during aerobic and can handle the sweat.

The Nano Puff is also light and compact enough that even if it is a beautiful, dry day, I take it with me, just in case something happens and I need to spend some time dealing: an accident or injury, a broken binding, etc. Once in the pack, you forget about this jacket until you really need it, and then it delivers in multitudes.

From Patagonia:

Windproof and water-resistant, the full-zip Nano Puff® Hoody is made with warm, incredibly lightweight, highly compressible 60-g PrimaLoft® ONE insulation, and is ideal as an insulating layer or outerwear in cold climates.

When missing the sunset curfew means climbing through spindrift rivers into the night, the Nano Puff® Hoody shines. It serves triple duty as an insulated jacket, a thermal midlayer and a sleek micro-belay parka on quick alpine dashes – sometimes all in the same day (or night, when the dash isn’t so quick). The elasticized hood opening snugs over low-volume helmets or under any helmet, adding thermostat-like warmth. The wind-blocking, moisture-shedding 100% recycled polyester shell glides effortlessly in your layering system, and low-bulk, hydrophobic, highly compressible PrimaLoft® ONE (60-g) traps heat with remarkable efficiency, even when wet. The hoody packs down to practically nothing and stuffs into an internal, zippered chest pocket that has a carabiner clip-in loop. It also has two zippered handwarmer pockets, quilting to stabilize the insulation, elasticized cuffs and a dual-adjust drawcord hem to seal out wind and seal in warmth.

$249.00 Style No. 84220

Details

• Ultralight ripstop recycled polyester shell fabric has a Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish




• Lightweight 60-g PrimaLoft® ONE insulation provides excellent warmth and compressibility




• Unique quilt pattern holds insulation in place for durability




• Zippered pockets: two handwarmers, one internal chest pocket (doubles as stuffsack) with a reinforced carabiner clip-in loop
• Under-the-helmet hood construction is light and simple




• Dual-adjust drawcord hem seals out wind




• Shell: 1-oz 15-denier 100% recycled polyester. Insulation: 60-g PrimaLoft® ONE 100% polyester. Lining: 1.4-oz 22-denier 100% recycled polyester. Shell and lining have a Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish




• 396 g (14 oz)




• Made in Vietnam.

Material

Recycled Polyester 

We recycle used soda bottles, unusable second quality fabrics and worn out garments into polyester fibers to produce many of our clothes.

Technology

The human body uses energy to keep warm. PrimaLoft® uses a patented microfiber structure to help the body retain warmth and conserve energy. Available as PrimaLoft ECO or PrimaLoft One.

Topics: Gear Reviews, Introduction | No Comments »

gear review: marmot zion neoshell jacket

By ccrossen | February 22, 2013

We are getting very close to perfection here … the elusive waterproof softshell is very, very close indeed.

Marmot’s Zion Jacket, made from Polartec® NeoShell® fabric, is about as close as you can get to the best of both worlds - real breathability and reliable/bomber waterproofness. This jacket and the other products being made with Neoshell are a new generation of outerwear that brings a wide-ranging performance AND comfort to the fore.

Neoshell’s real advantage lies in it’s combination of a 10,000mm waterproof rating, combined with a breathability that is 2x the leading competitive fabric. This difference is huge, especially in places like Tahoe, where things tend to be on the warmer and wetter side. A lot of softshell fabrics make some great claims, but Neoshell seems to be the real deal based upon the conditions, storms, up and down testing I have done. This jacket excels when you need to wear a wind/weather/snow shell on the up - either it’s cold with wind and/or it’s snowing/wet. You can actually wear it on the up - you may sweat, but much much less than with a hard shell - you won’t end up drenched, with a soaked jacket that provides no warmth. And your jacket will keep the wet/snow/wind out lap after lap, unlike most softshell material.

My friend Andy, a backcountry-focused ski partner whom I admire greatly for his dedication, talents, and discerning, exhaustively-researched tastes, showed up in the Zion jacket early this season, first day of the year, a very deep pummel-fest that had us out in full-on blizzard conditions, setting the track, navigating fir and willows, and getting blasted with every turn. It was a great day, only I was in a traditional hard shell, and he wore the Zion jacket. He couldn’t stop raving about how good his jacket performed. I was thoroughly soaked from sweat after one skin back up and the fairly wet Sierra conditions. The rest of that first month, as we got out after a great cycle day-after-day, he wore the Zion all the time. In his car, skinning up, skiing down, skinning back up. He never took the thing off. Cold, wet, dry, etc. Unless it was super warm and absolutely dry, he wore the Zion.

The one big problem with skiing in Tahoe is that our temps are generally very warm, we got shanked on a lot most years, and while a hard shell may cut it on the downhill, it’s too warm to wear on the up when you’re out there storm skiing … So getting out with Andy and watching him just delve in his one-jacket pleasure, I decided to get caught up with the times and check the Zion out. Well, after almost two months of testing, this jacket is about as close as you’re going to get to a one-jacket solution.

Other softshell material generally is only waterproof to a point. Too much wet snow, too much rain, too much of the above + sweat, and you’re going to be drenched after awhile. Hardshells don’t cut it on the up and often on the down - moisture build up inside is just too much for them to deal with, especially in a place like Tahoe. Colder climates tend to help, but you still run into issues. Not so with the Neoshell. This fabric is taking things to the next level in terms of the range it can cover, and perform as advertised. 10,000 mm waterproofness and 2x the breathability make a huge difference when it comes to having a layer that you can keep on all day, up and down.

From a basic jacket design stand-point, the Zion is a straightforward mountaineering/ski-mountaineering focused piece. Two pack strap-friendly, above harness side pockets, one small chest pocket, a small arm band pocket for a pass, and an interior pocket for an ipod, etc. The hood is attached, zippers are water resistant, seams tape-sealed. The overall fit is trimmer and more athletic than a typical shell jacket, and while the weight is heavier than a lot of the nice technical hard shells out there these days, the Neoshell’s versatile range, makes up for it … though it would be really nice to see this jacket in the 18-20 oz. range some day.

Many brands are introducing products with Neoshell, and hopefully we’ll see a lot more designs and innovations with this fabric. Currently, Marmot only makes the Zion Jacket, but hopefully we’ll see a backcountry-oriented pant in Neoshell from them as well.

The only real complaint I have so far is that I wish they made a lighter-weight version; I tend to be fairly sweaty no matter what the conditions, and I’d love one that was just a tad less warm. That said, it works perfectly fine for me, even in Tahoe, which is warm; I can keep it on all the time, rarely take it off unless it’s clear and sunny, otherwise, this is the ideal jacket. The collar is also a little high and not quite roomy enough. When zipped all the way up, it tends to feel rather tight and restrict movement a small degree. Zippers are a little stiff out of the box.

From Marmot:

Here it is: the next generation of softshells. The almost magical qualities of Polartec® NeoShell® not only make this lightweight jacket waterproof, but also highly breathable, with stretch for days. It comes with a full complement of big-mountain features, and has the added benefit of being free from the noise of a hardshell. Put it on once; keep it forever!

Marmot M-series fabrics are designed for moving light and fast. They combine stretchable, water repellent, abrasion resistant and highly breathable shell materials with insulating buffer materials on the inside.

M1 shells provide the highest level of warmth and thermal protection. They are best for intermittent aerobic use in cold conditions.

• Features
  
  • Polartec® Neo Shell® Waterproof/Breathable Stretch Softshell Fabric

  
  

  • Marmot M1 Softshell - Water-Resistant, Breathable, Windproof, Durable, Warm, Stretch

  
  

  • 100% Seam Taped - For Full Waterproofness

  
  

  • Attached Storm Hood with Laminated Brim

  
  

  • Water-Resistant CF Zipper

  
  

  • Chest Pocket with Water-Resistant Zipper - Chest Pocket with W/R Zipper

  
  

  • Pack Pocketsâ„¢ with Water-resistant Zippers - Pack Pockets with Water-resistant Zippers

  
  

  • Sleeve Pocket with Water-Resistant Zipper - Sleeve Pocket with W/R Zipper

  
  

  • Asymmetric Cuffs with Velcro Adjustment

  
  

  • Internal Zip Pocket

  
  

  • Elastic Draw Cord Hem - For Adjustability in Serious Weather

  
  

  • Angel-Wing Movementâ„¢ - Allows Full Range of Motion in Arms so Jacket Doesn’t Ride Up

  
  

• Specs
  • Colors:

     

    • Bright Grass (4343)
    • Dark Granite (1434)
    • Methyl Blue (2581)
    • Rocket Red (6674)
  • Center Back Length:
    

    29in / 73.7cm

    
    

  • Overall Weight:
    

    1 lbs 8.1 oz / 683.2 g

    
    

  • Main Material:
    

    Polartec® Neo Shell® 79% Polyester,14% Polyurethane, 7% Elastane 8.0 oz/yd

    
    

Topics: Gear Reviews | No Comments »

refresh+

By ccrossen | February 18, 2013

I’m ready for some change … however, we’ve had surprisingly great conditions considering we haven’t had snow in over a week, and no real snow since the end of December. That said, we’ve been finding great corn on the south and nice consolidated dry pow on the north. It has definitely become more variable day-by-day as the temps have increased. But we have an incoming system due to deliver what is hopefully a nice refresh. Models are still bouncing and the latest run is suggesting a more SW flow, so perhaps lower amounts. But 4-12 at the lake and a lot more above. Flow favors higher amounts further south.

BA with www.opensnow.com: Sticking with the forecast of 4-12 inches for lake level, 6-18 inches above 7000 ft. East of the crest, and 12-18 inches West of the lake along the crest.  The higher end of the range for areas in the Basin East of the crest would be for a more Eastward track of the low and the closer to West shore you go, and the lower amounts for a more Westward track of the low and the further East you go.

NWS: AS THE COLD FRONT PROGRESSES SOUTHWARD ON TUESDAY, SNOW WILL INTENSIFY IN THE TAHOE BASIN WITH SNOW AMOUNTS UP TO 14 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET AND UP TO 10 INCHES BELOW 7000 FEET, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE BASIN. MONO COUNTY WILL BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE STRONGER SNOW SHOWERS LATER TUESDAY AFTERNOON TUESDAY WITH THE MAJORITY OF ACCUMULATING SNOW OCCURRING TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN MONO COUNTY WILL BE UP TO AROUND 16 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET WHILE UP TO 8 INCHES MAY ACCUMULATE BELOW 7000 FEET.

Check out the Sierra Avalanche Center’s description today for a good brief on how things may bond.

Topics: Introduction | No Comments »