Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 5:58 am. . . and you did it on a telemark set-up––why not AT? you're just good and comfortable on Tele-skis? always curious as to pros and cons of the two for backcountry travel. Thanks.
Thanks everyone for the nice comments. I have been super busy since I got home.
Jed, I assume it was you who gave me a ride up the Portal road, Thanks
My pack probably weighed around 50 lbs to start. I use a mix and match technique and save the tele turns for powder or really soft crud.
I like a single wall floorless tent for the weight and it has the benefit of being able to piss and cook in your tent at the same time.
I was happy with everthing I took. The MP3 player was a favorite on the stormy tent bound days.
A warmer sleeping bag would have been nice a few nights. I took an old polaroid camera I've had for years. I posted about a third of the pictures I took. The rest where washed out from the bright snow.
As far as tele gear goes I think it is much better for touring than AT gear. The JMT has a lot of flat sections. It is easy to kick and glide for miles. It is also easier to walk in tele boots than AT boots. The steeper sections can be survival skied (side slip) because going head first into rocks is not recomended.
Jay
