Alaska Backcountry and Ski Mountaineering Gear List This list is for all Stock Alpine ski trips in Alaska. Follow this list closely. Please contact Joe Stock if you have questions. We Provide Group cook gear, tents and ropes Emergency shelter and communication Navigation, first aid and repair kits Some gear is available for loan Ski Gear all trips Types of Ski Gear: Alpine touring gear, known as AT, is best for backcountry and ski mountaineering. AT gear includes tech-bindings with wide and light skis, and light but stiff boots. This low-weight gear allows maximum backcountry runs. Sidecountry gear uses heavier alpine skis with Marker, Salomon, Atomic or Fritschi sidecountry bindings. Sidecountry gear works great on the downhill, but the weight will limit your backcountry runs, despite your fitness. Ski Gear Rental in Anchorage: alaskabcrentals.com, info@alaskabcrentals.com Skis. 90mm minimum waist. Joe s choice: G3 Synapse 109. Bindings. Tech-style preferred, as they're light. Joe s choice: G3 Ion. Brakes or Leashes. Required. Leashes are recommended for spring tours as brakes are not reliable on icy slopes. Boots. Tech-compatible AT boots. Joe s choice: Scarpa Rush, Scarpa Blink (women's Rush equivalent). Skins. Cut to fit ski base with metal edges showing. Tail clip required. Joe s choice: G3 Alpinist skins. Poles. Light and adjustable. BD Whippet Self-Arrest Ski Pole recommended for spring trips. Joe s choice: G3 Via Carbon Pole. Beacon. Must be less than ten years old. Beacons are small computers and go bad. No Pieps Freeride or Ortovox F1. Joe s choice: BCA Tracker 2. Shovel. Metal only. Absolutely no plastic shovels. Joe s choice: G3 Avitech. Probe. 240cm or longer. Joe s choice: BD QuickDraw Tour Probe 260. Ski Strap. Required. No Velcro. Store wrapped around ski pole. Joe s choice: BD Ski Strap. Ski Crampons. Get the crampons that match your bindings. Required for April-June tours. Helmet. Required for ski mountaineering and May-June tours. Recommended otherwise. Joe s choice: BD Vector Helmet.
Top Layers all trips Joe Stock Stock Alpine LLC Hardshell Jacket. To stop wind, snow and rain. Since this is a shell, and not an insulating layer, opt for the lightest option. Joe s choice: Patagonia Super Cell Jacket. Insulated Jacket. With hood. Joe s choice: Patagonia DAS Parka. Softshell Jacket. Or windshirt. Joe s choice: Patagonia Simple Guide Jacket or Houdini. Lightweight Long Underwear Top. Joe s choice: Patagonia Capilene 2 Lightweight Zip-Neck. Bottom Layers all trips Hardshell Pants. Hardshell leg wear is more versatile than softshell. Hardshell Joe s choice: Patagonia Powder Bowl Pant. Lightweight Long Underwear Bottom. Joe s choice: Patagonia Capilene 3 Midweight Bottoms. Softshell Pants. Optional. Bring in conjunction with long underwear and hardshell pants. Joe s Softshell choice: Patagonia Ski Guide Pant. Belt. Or suspenders. Joe s choice: Patagonia Friction Belt. Warm Socks. Wool or synthetic. Head and Hand Wear all trips Warm Hat. Must cover ears. Face Cover. To protect face from wind, cold and sun. Joe's choice: Original Buff. Sun Hat. Not necessary in mid-winter. Joe's choice: trucker hat. Gloves. With wrist gusset. These will be your main gloves. Joe s choice: Kinco lined grain pigskin leather palm with knit wrist. Mittens. For winter tours. Joe s choice: BD Super Light Mitts.
Personal Equipment all trips Joe Stock Stock Alpine LLC Backpack. Keep it simple and light. A backpack is a sack for putting things inside. Day tours and ski base camps: 30-45 liters, under 3lbs. Joe s choice: Osprey Mutant 38. Camp to camp: 50-70 liters, ~4lbs. Joe s choice: Osprey Variant 52. Trail Food. You provide your own lunches and snacks, except for Ski Base Camps. Aim for high fat, high calorie food, which provide the most calories for the weight. Bring about 2,000 calories per day in trail food. In the backcountry, lunch starts after breakfast and continues until dinner. Joe s choice: sandwiches with cheese and meat, gorp and Shot Blocks. Headlamp. Small and light, with batteries that match your beacon. Bring extra batteries. Joe s choice: BD Gizmo Headlamp. Small Personal First-Aid Kit. Simple and light including items you know you will may need such as Ibuprofen, moleskin, athletic tape, Band-Aids and personal meds. The guide will have an extensive first-aid kit, so leave anything extra behind. Please indicate medical issues on the application and let your guide know about any medical issues before the trip. Sunglasses. Joe s choice: Julbo Dirt. For May or later bring category 3-4, which has 3-18% light transmission. Joe's May or later choice: Julbo Montebianco. Sunscreen. SPF 30 or better, 1 small 1 oz tube. Discard after one year. Joe s choice: sample size from the supermarket. Lipscreen. SPF 30 or better. Joe s choice: Dermatone Z-cote Lips n Face. Goggles. Opt for bright, yellow or rose lenses to increase depth perception in flat light. Joe s choice: Julbo Universe Goggles with Zebra Light lenses. Water Bottles. 1 or 2, 1-liter wide-mouth bottles. No hydration systems as they freeze, explode and leak. A thermos is optional for midwinter trips. Joe s choice: Nalgene 32 oz Wide Mouth Water Bottle. Toilet Paper. In a zip-loc with a lighter and small hand sanitizer. Knife. Optional. Heavy multi-tools not recommended. Camera. Optional. Small point and shoot. Rig on a string to hang around your neck, under your jacket to keep warm. Joe s choice: Canon S120, Canon G7x or Lumix GF6.
Ski Mountaineering Gear bring in addition to gear for all trips Note: This list is for all ski mountaineering trips including Guided Ski Mountaineering, Ski Mountaineering Course, Valdez, Denali Ski Base Camp and Eklutna Traverse. Ice Axe. Have a light general mountaineering axe. Too short (50cm is best) is better than too long. Leashes not recommended. Joe s choice: BD Raven Pro or Camp Corsa. Crampons. Aluminum, ultra light crampons without anti-ball plates are best for ski mountaineering. Crampon bags and spike protectors are handy for travel, but are too heavy for the backcountry. Joe s choice: BD Neve Pro. Harness. Lightweight with belay loop and gear loops. Joe s choice: BD Couloir. Prusik Loops*. Bring three, 1.5m (5 foot) lengths of 5mm accessory cord tied with an in-line overhand. Cordelette*. Six-meter (18 foot) length of 5mm accessory cord tied with an in-line overhand. For anchors and rescue. *If you don't have prusiks or cordelette, then bring a 10m (33 foot) length of 5mm accessory cord and we'll cut it to length. 4 Locking Carabiners. Munter (pear-shaped) biner for belaying and rappelling. Joe s choice: BD Vaporlock. 4 Non-Locking Carabiners. Joe s choice: BD Oz. Ice Screw. Optional, but recommended. Bring with tip cover and mesh coating. Joe s choice: BD 19cm Express Ice Screw.
Camp-to-Camp Gear bring in addition to gear for all trips Note: Ski camping means we move camp to camp each day. We will carry all of our gear, probably ascending and making runs with a full backpack. Therefore, every ounce counts. Avoid unnecessary items such as changes of clothing, cups, alcohol, excess electronics, battery packs, heavy backpacks or SLR cameras. If you find yourself saying, It just weighs a few ounces, then you ll have a massive pack full of stuff that weighs a few ounces. Sleeping Bag. Down fill with compression stuff sack. Nov-Mar temperatures may be down to minus 20 F at night. Otherwise 10 F will probably be the lowest. Air Mattress. Must be insulated for an R-value of 4 or higher. To reduce weight, sleep with your feet on your empty backpack and use a short (4-footlength) pad for your hips, shoulders and head. Fulllength pads are nice for base-camp and expedition-style trips. Joe s choice: 3/4 length Thermarest NeoAir XTherm. Extra Socks. Pee Bottle. Joe s choice: Nalgene 2-liter collapsible canteen. Pee Funnel. Helpful for women. Recommended: Freshette. Toiletry bag. Toothbrush, toothpaste, Wet Wipes, etc. Do not bring soap, shampoo, deodorant, or cosmetics. Lighters. One Bic lighter. Camp Entertainment. Book, ipod, magazine and/or cards. Spoon. Knife and fork not needed. Joe's choice: Lexan muscle spoon. Cup. Not recommended. The lightest option is to drink from your water bottle and eat from a freezedry meal bag. Tent. Supplied by Stock Alpine. If you bring your own, it must be four season. Joe s choice: Hilleberg Nammajt 3. Skin Wax. Joe's choice: BD Glop Stopper. Scraper. Keep in your pocket. May double as your inclinometer or compass.
Fly-In Ski Base Camp Gear bring in addition to gear for all trips Supplied By Stock Alpine: Base camp tent for cooking and sleeping Stoves and cook gear Latrine: CMC, Luggable Loo or Blue Bag Packing to fly in: 1. Car bag: street clothes, shower kit, street shoes, water bottle 2. Duffel: camping stuff, have sharps wrapped and protected 3. Ski Pack: loaded and ready to ski! Travel Duffel. Huge plastic coated duffel that you will bring into base camp. Joe s choice: Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 120L. Sleeping Bag. With compression stuff sack. Nov-April temperatures may be down to minus 20 F at night. Otherwise 0 F will probably be the lowest. Foam Pad. To combine with your air mattress for extra insulation. Joe s choice: Thermarest Z-rest. Air Mattress. Must be R5 or greater. Joe s choice: Exped Downmat or Nemo. Camp Boots. Warm and waterproof. More important than booties. Joe s choice: Muck Boot. Booties. Nice for sleeping and hanging out in the tent. Puffy Pants. Recommended. For lounging around base camp. Joe s choice: Patagonia Nano Puff Pants. Extra Clean Clothing. Extra long underwear and socks. Pee Bottle. Joe s choice: Nalgene Wide-Mouth Cantene, 96 fl. oz. Pee Funnel. Helpful for women. Recommended: Freshette. Toiletry bag. Toothbrush, toothpaste, Wet Wipes, foot powder like Goldbond for warming feet. Do not bring soap, shampoo, deodorant, or cosmetics on non-fly in trips. Camp Entertainment. Book, ipod, ipad, Kindle, magazines, music, speakers, journal. Spoon. Durable plastic. Consider tying to your mug with a keeper cord. Knife and fork not needed. Mug. One-liter recommended. Small muggers will not get their fair share. Joe s choice: GSI Fair Share Mug. Coffee Cup. Thermos. Optional.
Ski Guide Training Gear bring in addition to gear for all trips Note: Below are gear suggestions to get the most out of your Ski Guide Training course with Joe. Snow Saw. Joe's choice: G3 Bone Saw. ECT Cord. 3m of 2mm cord. Notebook. Rite in the Rain 311. Pencils. Paper Map. Compass. GAIA GPS App. Loaded onto your smartphone with the relevant maps downloaded. Repair Kit. Ski Guide Rope. Joe's choice: 45m single rope. Guide Tarp. Attach tie-down strings to sides and corners. Joe's choice: Brooks Range Ultralight Guide Tarp. Rescue Sled. Joe's choice: Brook's Range Eskimo Sled.