Vinter Northbound! First trip up north is just about to happen, and I am getting well excited. Hopefully there will be good weather, a stable snowpack and a bunch of messing about pretending to be a real alpinist. [https://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/dsc02410.jpg] Pretending to be a real
Sommar Sorted! Here I am getting excited again. I will tell you all about Gran Canaria and how buttery the new suspension was in just a little while, when I get all the pictures straightened and processed. Right now, I just wanted to say give Outdoor Research two big thumbs up for
Vinter To everyone's amazement, he actually went skiing I have been feeling like winter came and went without me. I was just standing on the platform, passively looking on as the season passed by. From my all time low in January recovery has been so slow that it was almost unnoticeable. But it was there. It turns out
Rat Memory lane, a bumpy ride While roaming the internets this morning I came across this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofKDfNjJsEQ It really made me think, and memories from last february [http://smaertin.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/kittelfjall-16th-of-february-through-my-eyes/] came back. Many key factors from the tragic accident in Montana were the same as
Sommar An ode to climbing. I know, as a mountain biker or snowboarder I am probably supposed to hate climbing, but hard as I might try, I just don't. You know how it goes, as the road start heading upwards everyone goes on at a good clip, talk cheerfully to each other and
Vinter Still hammering Yesterday was very very wet indeed. Rain from zero to 600 meters, and lots of it. We made an attempt on Andersdalstind but aborted due to wind, visibility and just good old miserable conditions. [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/p1010857.jpg] This is as much sunshine we got
Vinter Good turns and sunshine on Kvalöja Yesterday we had our weather window, and we tried to make the most of it. We started by having a late morning and a long breakfast. Way to go! Then we climbed Storstolpa. [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/p1010705.jpg] Mattias, Storstolpa, clouds [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/
Vinter Daybreak, Kvalöja [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/p1010651.jpg] Snow but no wind, and the sun is barely making it through I'm sitting here with the day's first cup of coffee enjoying the silence and waiting for the skies to clear up and for evryone else
Sommar Pants down, guts out Not me, but my trusty old Bos. [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/dsc_0302.jpg] Just a pair of empty stanchions hanging there I am in kind of a middle period right now. Last week I was in northern Norway and stood on snow for the first time
Sommar The third step, a leap in the air The engine is humming no more than a couple of meters to my left, and far below me lies Germany. In less than three hours I will be in Nice, in the sun and in the warmth. The bike is prepped, helmets packed and on my feet are a brand
Vinter The second step Yesterday the UPS man [http://www.southparkstudios.se/full-episodes/s16e10-insecurity] left another piece in my equipment puzzle. Long, wide, furry and soft. Yes, a brand new pair of BD GlideLite skins! Notoriously hard to find in Europe in 140mm with, and usually expensive to boot. I was lucky and scored
Vinter The first step Things are coming together again. The insurance company are doing a great job, and most equipment I need to get back out in the mountains has been ordered. Today I got the first piece of my the setup in my hand, a pair of Dynafit toe pieces. This particular model
Vinter Kittelfjäll 16th of February, through my eyes On the 16th of February, I, Andrea and Maria got caught in an avalanche in Kittelfjäll. An avalanche that had all potential to be lethal to all of us, and we made it by luck or coincidence. This is my recollection of the events that day. I guess writing my
Vinter Starting on the road to recovery Familiarity brings complacency they say, and that is true. But familiarity also brings comfort. In a safe environment, familiarity soothes a worried mind. I am convinced the road to my own recovery lies in a familiar environment, accompanied good friends and physical exhaustion. The last week has been tough, and
Vinter A few words in the light of recent events This post would have been a long "This is not a gear blog" installment about my venture into hardboot splitboarding. In light of recent events, I will keep it short and sweet: That toe edge power is addictive! [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/p1010019.jpg] Nice
Vinter 10 days of skiing, and it's not ever New year's yet Yay! Today was my tenth day skiing this season, not bad for a weekend warrior with a (sort of) full time job. The first five you have already read about, on Centennial ridge and Cameron pass. Decent skiing, but it was really on day six it picked up. A blower
Vinter Still slogging on in the office At least the sun is out, and as you can see everything including porch furniture is bigger in 'Murica. [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/p1000085.jpg] Doing that SCIENCE!!! We've been up on the ridge a couple of times, conditions have gone from thin but
Vinter Two things I like Back in WY, which is just like it should be. Cars are huge, gas is cheap and people wear sunglasses and cowboy hats. We had a nice day of touring in Cameron Pass on Sunday, maybe a bit cold but snow is plentiful and soft. [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/
Sommar Dry and hard Riding this weekend was wet and dirty. Semi-frozen mud makes for slow rolling and mucky bikes and riders. Still fun though. In gear related news, I finally got my nice green Raceface N/W chainring, and first impressions are that it seems to work, just like people say. I now
Sommar Is it coming? [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/dsc_0023.jpg] Patches of wet, patches of white The weather has been all over the place lately, changing between very damp indeed and freezing. The trails cannot make up their mind if its still fall or if winter is actually coming. [http:
Vinter A day in Hunddalen [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/p1210247.jpg] Katterat train station, where the rails end and the skin track start Right, so the idea is simple. Take the train almost until you run out of tracks, get off and skin for a few hours until you reach the Hunddalen
Vinter Tribute to Matt [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/p1200743.jpg] The man himself, looking out over his backyard [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/p1200745.jpg] Parts of the backyard in question [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/p1200751.jpg] Getting close to the summit [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.
Vinter Some stuff found in the mountains around Telluride [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/p1200625.jpg] Old mining thing [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/img_3070.jpg] Wide streets filled with nothing and no one in Silverton. The tumbleweeds had probably frozen to death [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/img_1303.jpg] The
Vinter A few pics from Rainbow Peak The weather did not look as fantastic as previous days, and the sun had been out potentially frying a lot of snow. Me and David decided to go poke around Rainbow Peak, and see what we could find. We got a glance of the area a few days earlier [http:
Vinter Back in the salt mine [http://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/img_1156.jpg] Office and lunch room in Centennial We are back from an awesome couple of weeks in the Wasatch with everything from waist deep to spring conditions. I have a ton of pics that will eventually make their way to the
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