[pct-l] optimal conditions

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

Again, we teach "snow sense," winter skills and techniques that keep you warm and dry and allow you to safely enjoy the Fourth Season. 

We select gear that has proven itself to us in design and function over the years since 1982 when we first started Mountain Education. Accidents happen. In the snow in the backcountry they can kill you. So we teach hikers how to avoid them, first, and how to stay warm and dry through them should they happen. Teaching self-arrest skills (falling down on the snow and ice to slide downhill for 50 or 80 feet while learning how to stop oneself), tears apart many fabrics, especially the thin stuff, so we use durable outer shells and large gaitors(yeah, the ones that are heavy and bulky), and they last for years. 

If I knew that wind-driven rain and snow wasn't likely for a future hike of mine, that I would probably be hiking in more optimal conditions, I surely wouldn't carry our heavy stuff, but would be able to bring less and lighter.

So, without knowing the credo of the UL, I guess that is what most thru hikers hope for, ideal conditions and timing, and just "deal with it" otherwise. 

I hope that everyone will understand where we come from, living in snow-country (Tahoe), camping and teaching in the winter wilderness for two and a half months every winter, and aware of what can happen to you if you are not prepared for all the bad weather we get. In the Sierra, snow can happen. How you get through it is something that must be talked about so hikers can make informed decisions about their welfare. Conditions are just not always optimal out there. 


Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org