This is the second time I’ve heard that desperate plea from a stranded skier, and luckily I had duct tape with me again today.
Seraina had two broken skis on Spray river west and was hoping I had duct tape. There was still 9K to go to get back to civilization
With 9K to go, I came upon Seraina and two friends, James and Logan, on the Spray river west trail.
Seraina on Spray river west. Notice the camber on the ski in her left hand
Still 10 metres away from them, and before I could ask if they needed help, Seraina asked if I had duct tape.
Seraina with a 2-piece delaminated ski. The other ski had a problem with the binding. You’ll notice these are not a matching pair.
It was a cold day to be stranded. I don’t think any of the weather forecasts predicted the temperatures correctly today. It was -15°C on Goat creek/Spray river and the snow was -16. I’m glad I was there with my duct tape.
James, Seraina, and Logan(foreground) on Spray river west
Seraina made the necessary repairs and I told her to keep the tape for any subsequent repairs which might be needed.
Repairs completed and merrily on their way
Seraina, James and Logan were with a large group of skiers who were waiting for them at the Spray river east-west junction, so I knew that help was close by.
These skiers were waiting for Seraina, James and Logan at the east-west junction
As for skiing today, Goat creek and Spray river were in nice shape, albeit cold. No indications of the chinook arriving yet. I took Spray river east into Banff, and it has seen lots of multi-use, but the tracks were still okay.
Duct tape came in handy for the one time I had to use it myself. About 9 or 10 years ago, my pole strap broke while on Tyrwhitt. I made a new one with duct tape which worked surprisingly well.
Rick repairs a broken pole with a splint and duct tape(file photo from Dec 1, 2013)
A couple years ago on Pocaterra, I gave my duct tape to Rick so he could repair a broken pole.
It’s been a while since we talked about the essentials which you should carry in your backpack, so you might want to review this post from four years ago What’s in your pack?
I don’t carry a large, heavy roll of duct tape. I wind it from the large roll onto a small spool so it doesn’t take up too much room in my backpack. That reminds me, I have something to do.
Entries are now closed for the Emerald Lake Lodge contest but you(especially the ladies) should take a look at the latest great photos which were submitted.
A friend who lost a pole basket backcountry skiing once fashioned a successful replacement with a Powerbar and duct tape.
A couple years ago I broke a binding but skied on it by just keeping pressure on it and walking where the trail was too fast. Now I keep one spare binding (just the clip part) and a stubby screwdriver in my pack. I haven’t needed it yet…
It is amazing how reliable modern x-c equipment is.
Yahoo! Red-Green made the blog! Wish he was still on!!
Skis should be checked for fine hairline cracking as moisture can get inside and then freeze, causing breakage and delaminating. On very old skis be wary of skis made with a process called injection molding. They often break completely underneath the foot so that splinting the ski is required to get back home.
Red Green would be proud!
Would that be “keep your ski on the snow??