Quiet hrs in the High Peaks?!

Yeah I can see that...it would be a PITA to bail at any point from the 'Dike now. Definitely a better adventure post-Irene though!

TWK wrote:I can hike in 6 miles from the car, which is parked by itself 40 miles from 14 million people, to a ridgetop, from which I can see hundreds of thousands of acres without another human around. Only elk, coyotes, deer, rabbits, quail, and golden eagles. Oh yeah, and rattlesnakes. So it's important to pick your destination as well as your journey.

Well put. Areas near my hometown in Western NY have a very wilderness feel sometimes, especially deep in the forest around the Finger Lakes. Tons of bald-eagles on the Chemung River too, coyotes and deer out the ass as well.

Kirby1013 wrote: I think everyone would have a healthy respect for XC skiing if they did it once.

XC is only difficult because the equipment sucks. If I ran around with wooden downhill skis with no edges of course it would be challenging when u get to a steep hill in variable conditions. It's def challenging but only because I/we am purposefully making it challenging. Maybe I'm completely wrong, but if this wasn't the case then why don't XC have small edges to assist with downhill?

Most XC skis designed for anything but flat terrain have metal edges, and at least a little sidecut, and have for decades. Edge-less XC skis are designed strictly for groomed two-track, and I don't know anybody that uses a pair off-trail.

The idea is matching equipment to the terrain. The more flat and gently rolling the terrain, the more you'll want a skinny, long, straight ski. Dragging around full-size AT or Tele skis and boots on flat terrain sucks. Also, if you're on a beef setup, even Tele have a free-pivot touring mode now. On rolling terrain you're not going to stop and lock/unlock your bindings every few hundred yards. Skiing low-angle downhill on my beefy XC setup is a bit challenging, but it's even harder on my Dynafits in touring mode.

Think about it like rock shoes. I don't do 8 mile approaches and climb 2,000' of 5.6 in my Muiras. I use Guide Tennies for those days. Sure, there are going to be 5.6 moves that make you wish for a real pair of climbing shoes, but the day as a whole is much better if you just keep the approach shoes on all day and keep moving.

Or mountain biking - there's a whole range from 'cross bikes to DH monsters. If your area has mostly smooth fire roads, you'll probably be happiest on something light and rigid, with narrower tires.

Your profile says CT - I bet there's low-angle woods somewhere near you that you wouldn't even consider BC skiing terrain. But matched with the right equipment, it can be pretty fun. I have super-soft old plastic boots and 3-pins mated to Madshus Epochs right now - they ski two-track nearly as good as system bindings and long skis, but I can survival-turn down an icy black diamond if I have to. Of course I avoid both of those extremes, and run laps in moderate glades, where that setup really shines.

Now beefy tele setups over Dynafit - that's just making it difficult because you're looking for an extra challenge. I don't do it myself, but I don't care if other people like it.

Schooled again.. ;-) thanks Auto-X!

That reminds me... here's a video of my bro skiing a hiking trail in the Daks. It gives a good indication of a typical Adirondack hiking trail slide back to the car after a day of proper BC skiing. For the most part, it's not skiing so much as just standing up on your skis and waiting for the parking lot.

Also note what happens when you try to use a little cuff pressure to correct from a rock hit on Dynafits with the heel free.

youtube.com/watch?v=RDP5nRU…

Hahahah hahahah hahahah

If anyone has the skills to loop the last couple seconds into a GIF, I'd be eternally grateful. He is never going to live that down, if I can help it.

Auto X: which trail was that? Snow didn't look too bad, minus the rock he hit!

John's Brook, maybe halfway from the Interior Outpost to the Garden parking lot.

Doh...it is in the title.