i am using my husband's old stuff and some new stuff he got for me. also using black diamond adjustable poles. they are heavy! but apparently one of the lightest ones on the market.
so i just got back from Steven's pass. it was amazing. it snowed each day i was there (Fri - Tue) and stormed yesterday as we toured. the snow was seriously coming down. they have a 100 inch snowpack right now and with today's dump it's sure to climb another 10+ inches (they had 1 to 1.5 inches of precip forecasted which would translate to about 10 inches of snow roughly). who knows, maybe even 20+ !
so sorry
@skiwest that the course was rainy! i think it helped that i did some uphill practice at the resort to just get used to what layers i actually need.
it turns out i really needed that hardshell pant in the cascades. it was SO snowy and wet that anything else would have been miserable. i'm glad i followed their advice despite knowing that softshell pants would work for most other places and days on hill. nope, not at steven's. you need a hardshell in January.
AIARE level 1 was quite a lot. i was really glad with the school i went to. it allowed for lots of bathroom breaks, a dinner break and some other things. the instructors were really great. going out in the field was helpful too, as well as practicing companion rescue. i did companion rescue alone, then in a group of 3 two different times. then in a group of 6 once at the end. it was eye opening - although i've done it before a backcountry tour in Jackson hole, it's not the same thing as taking the course i would say. in the field we took a look at terrain and would evaluate the hazards as well as taking into account the avy problems for the day.
Then later in my long weekend, while touring, i learned to read the forecast and lay out the avy problems for the day, which aspects and types. then learned to plan a route based off the avy forecast (to not enter avy territory). then we'd take weather obs while touring. there was storm slab risk everywhere b/c it had been dumping for several days so we were always testing the snowpack and doing a weather observation in our blue books - also evaluating terrain, say taking out an inclinamator to check slope angles.
transitions, apparently i complicate things by doing too much or fiddling with too much. the less to do the easier my life is. also the faster we move and the more we get to do. we got some great powder runs. it was amazing. as we traversed on ridges well below treeline it was really eye opening to see the guide pick safe routes to access safe terrain. there's so much i need to learn. he had to break trail quite a bit b/c there was just snow everywhere. we'd circle back to do the same run maybe pick a different line, and the snow had already buried our track.
one thing is clear, i need more experience skiing various types of snow. crust, powder, just everything. i have mostly soft snow and groomer experience and not much else. after this long weekend i now have powder experience. but it's not easy to learn when you have a pack on you! i realized the pack makes a huge difference, it can easily make your day miserable if you have a pack that doesn't fit you. also packing it / not over-packing it is super important. but making sure you have everything you need.
i've decided that i want a bag with separate compartment for the skins + shovel + probe, and another compartment for stuff like headlamp, skin wax, extra gloves, food, water. also a bag that fits me. i was using hubs' 45L mammut pack that he used to climb mt. rainier. it kept hitting me in the back of my head... not really ideal!!!
i also dropped my skins in the snow by mistake. i just wasn't thinking. but there's a way to warm up the glue and get the snow off - warm it by "scraping" it on your butt. the hardshell pant scrapes snow off for you and it warms up the glue as well. my husband taught me to scrape it against the ski edge, but the guide i was with said that it scrapes off the glue too which you don't want. it worked well! afterward, also pressing that skin onto the ski totally helped.
thanks
@DRG and everyone for your learned tips and advice. this is all really helpful.
i also brought ski crampons but didn't need it. i haven't bootpacked with skis, but i've done it before at Jackson Hole with a snowboard.
i don't remember what skins i have but they're red white and blue with a 3 in the name. the connectors to the ski are really great and easy to get on and off. i like it. my husband and the ski guide have black diamond skins. it's not as good with the attachments as much but they tend to last longer (the glue lasts longer).