Beautiful scenery. Looks like a great day to be out having some fun.
A brisk day of ski touring up on Mt Kirkup today (15 minutes from my house). A cool -24c but as usual little wind. North side of Kirkup had wind effect snow for the first 200ft then super light all the way to the road. Worse ways to start the holiday season.
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It’s interesting to see hobbies for which in other parts of the world you can easily end up in jail 
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Hey, @Barney , what’s your touring rig?
I did a bunch of it when I lived in Europe, and when I’m in Calgary as of January I plan to get back into it again. I used to have Rossignol Bandit B2 skis with Dynafit Comfort bindings, as well as Silvretta boots. Originally I had Lowa Structura boots, but they didn’t have Dynafit eyelets. Only G3 skins always
Howevs, I had to leave all my stuff overseas, and will need to reequip. I just don’t know what’s available or usable 
You have 2 big choices to make ski touring. You can use a regular ski boot and combine that with a ‘frame binding’. This allows you to use your ski boot for both resort skiing and touring. However the HUGE disadvantage is the weight.
This setup is about 1.5 - 2kgs heavier than my touring setup. That weight adds up on a long day.
With a frame binding (I had a set for my first few years of touring) you lift the whole binding off the ski when you walk. It gets old real fast when everyone else has tech bindings.
I have the absolute classic bombproof old design of the Dynafit Radical ST. This design has been around for years. Super solid. There are newer designs such as the Salomon Shift binding which allow the toe to release sideways just like a regular ski binding. It’s more expensive and heavier.
I run a pair of Rossignol Soul 7’s. Not the lightest ski for touring. But over the years I’ve found that it’s more important to be on a ski that can handle light powder all the way to super heavy rain soaked snow with an ice crust. The extra 500 grams per ski is worth the trade off for me.
Boots. An old pair of Black Diamond Quadrants. I don’t think BD make boots anymore. My free advice is to find a pair of touring boots with the right size last for your foot. Also the simpler the better. Don’t go for a super light boot; as it’s more expensive and the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
The most important factor overall is fit. If you love the look of it but put it on and it’s uncomfortable, then it’s not for you.
Skins - G3 Alpinist
Simple. Reliable.
Backpack - Osprey Solden 42
Big enough for hut trips but you can remove the lid for shorter days. I like a bigger pack so I can add extra layers / food etc because who knows when it’s going to turn into a long day. I once got back to the truck at 11pm after a big day, huge storm meant we had to dig a snow pit and wait it out for a while, no cell service, my wife was unimpressed.
After one particlarly close call I now carry a satellite communicator in my pack. The Garmin Inreach mini. It’s about $20 a month and it means I can send a text message anywhere in the world to my wife to say “Hey we’re fine, running late, DO NOT call Search and Rescue out”. It also has a big red SOS button in case something really bad happens. It’s expensive insurance, but I spend enough time outside to justify it.
Yes I may have a ski problem @John_E
Lastly and most importantly above anything else is get some training. If you haven’t done it go an do an AST1 course. It’s really important. If you’ve ever been in an avalanche and had to dig someone out you’ll really appreciate the fact that the people you ski with have had training. Learning on the job whilst your buddy slowly suffocates is not the way to do in IMHO.
The survival rates for burial are sober reading. If your buddies dig you out in the first 15 minutes it is a 90% chance of living. Add another 15 minutes and it’s down into the low 30%. So ski with people who aren’t idiots, get trained and have an awesome time in the back country.
Wapta Icefield Alberta 2018
Oh and obviously any questions @MC-Canadastan feel free to message me.
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I don’t see a problem.
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Replace “ski” with any activity, still holds.
Truth.
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What a great idea. One button call for help with your GPS coordinates. Perfect.
Because I know I would be the one lying out there with a broken leg 
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Yeah. I started out with frame bindings. Naxo Nx21. In Poland they called them “anvils”. I loved my Dynafits. Light, the pivot point is further back than on any frame binding, super easy to service.
I agree: G3 Alpinist is the best skin.
I did an avalanche training course in PL, but that was 15 years ago. Definitely due for a refresher.
As @John_E says, idiots to be avoided at all costs in any activity.
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Yes as usual it’s good advice from @John_E . There are good friends here who I won’t ski tour with because they have poor decision making skills, their sense of adventure isn’t matched by their experience and I’ve already been buried once. It’s really overrated as an experience if you’re considering it! I really don’t want to be in another one. Especially if it’s caused by boyish enthusiasm.
Yep definitely recommend training. It’s not crazy expensive and it’s the responsible thing to do.
It’s a great sport if you use your head.
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All my free time outside of bass generally goes into the following, in order:
Golf
Reading
Playing games (board & video) with my wife & son
I find that golf & bass share a lot of similarities. It’s you vs. the game/instrument. There is no one to blame for your failures or success except yourself and I really enjoy the challenge. I am also the type of person that when I set out to accomplish something, I won’t stop until I succeed. I started golfing 2 years ago and I am better than all of my friends that have been playing for 20+ years.
I also like that with bass & golf, you can never really “win”. It’s a constant battle for self improvement and that brings me a lot of joy
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When I played golf (which I gave up when I moved to Westchester, NY because of price and asshats) winning was catching the beer cart more times than feasibly drinkable.
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Hahah love it! For me, “winning” is beating my buddies and harassing them when they make bad shots. If you don’t leave the round feeling like a POS did you even really play?
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I’ve got lots of buddies who play. But mention Golf and I now think of Jeremy Strong’s killer funny line in The Big Short when they enter the American Securitization Forum.
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I only have two other hobbies.
I produce a podcast and a YouTube channel for our local Church, which also includes the mixing the audio for the Sunday service live-streams.
And…long range shooting. It’s a carry over from being a Small Arms Marksmanship Instructor in the US Navy.
Oh yeah…I guess I do have a third…we watch professional darts!
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while not what id call a “hobby” exactly, my MFA thesis work is coming along, thought id share a few pieces from the last couple of months. i am focusing on lighting and fragmented/fractured/chaotic forms:
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I love love love it.
Are you familiar with David Lynch’s work in lamps and furniture?
Did I ask you this before (forgive me if I did).
You might find it interesting.
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I also did competitive shooting for a while but the politics and cost have sorta dampened my interest… I’d rather do something that doesn’t make my blood pressure categorize me as a commercial pressure washer
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