Gear for a Heli Adventure
by nickhamilton | Mar 16, 2009 |
Just got back from Valdez, AK trip with the Get Real crew. I wanted to Prop some of the gear I took up there, here is some of the backcountry extras that cost me hundreds in excess baggage fees, but well worth it.
Salomon Sick Stick 160. The board last years rider of the year Wolle Nyvelt rides and I really wanted to check out, it’s definitely a Sick Stick for Pow
Burton Malolo 162 EST. Great Cruiser board with medium taper
Lets not fuck around, the Orthovox D3 is the beacon H20 Guides use for their clients, solid and easy to use
a solid shovel is a must for digging jumps, snow pits, Heli LZ’s, snow caves and in case you need to dig someone out from under and Avalanche in a rush
Probe, this Black Diamond one is nice and light
The Avalung 2, we all got them for the trip and had them on everyday.
Snowsaw
Mandatory Harness for AK Heli boarding, so if you fall into one of those Crevasses they can try rope you out
Water bottle
Snacks and energy supplies are a must for long days in the backcountry. These Shot Blocks were a hit on the trip
A good pack, mine is a Camera bag but the folks at H20 Guides supplied this one for all it’s guests kitted out with shovel & probe.
Camera gear, I took 5 lenses and 2 bodies. The longest lense I had was a 300m on the Mark 3 make it about 400m which still wasn’t long enough for a couple shots but the bigger lenses just get too damn heavy to carry around all day
March 16th, 2009 on 8:56 am
nice dude…very interesting infact necesarry to know for upcoming hehe bc riders!! thanx dude…loved the avalung…fred ut
March 18th, 2009 on 12:26 am
what are some other good boards to ride up there? What’s the best all around board to use on a trip like that? anyone know???
March 18th, 2009 on 12:32 am
Hey Yayaya, there are a ton of great Freeride / All Mountain boards out there. I like a Tapered board (wider nose than tail) which helps float easier in powder so you don’t need such a long board as before. So where before I would ride a 165cm in pow, now I can ride a 160-162cm Tapered board.
March 24th, 2009 on 5:01 pm
Cool article on the BC gear. Would be great if you guys start highlighting usage and decision making in avy terrain a bit next year, seems like there’s a lot of new interesting in backcountry riding by the younger shreds
March 24th, 2009 on 5:01 pm
Doh, that should say new interest, not new interesting.
March 24th, 2009 on 6:27 pm
Hmm now I just need to become a millionare, grab all this gear, then I’m solid!
April 2nd, 2009 on 10:12 am
Most Cat Board and Heli Board operations supply you with what you need for your trip including Beacon, Pack, Probe, Shovel. Avalung is the one addition most don’t supply and go for around $100 good purchase
April 15th, 2009 on 12:32 am
Hi Nick, very late congrats on landing TWS job after years of sick shots in WL.
One question - if 300mm is too small, would you ever use a tele-converter / extension tube thingy?
Keep up the good work.
April 15th, 2009 on 1:18 am
People use them and they are pretty cheap, but I have never had much luck with the Teleconverters as the shots seem to be so soft. Anyone else had any luck with them? With a solid RAW file (like 12 megapixels) I would rather shoot with the 200mm with good glass and crop in on the shot later
May 9th, 2009 on 11:22 am
that shovel is a teaspoon.
May 16th, 2009 on 10:50 pm
Yeah Tim is right the shovel pictured is smaller that what you’d want to have in the backcountry, it’s metal at least but more for a resort riding kit