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1 week ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
More than a single niche: Rossignol’s Escaper 97 Nano proves it can be many capable things all season long. Here we are—mid-April. And as the temp swings between highs and lows, we are in firm-to-soft snow season. Corn is here. Which, in part, was a key use case for hopping on and using, for three months when conditions were apt, the Rossignol Escaper 97 Nano. Let’s jump into use cases here.
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2 weeks ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
La Sportiva’s Kil0 touring boot is up to the task of big-distance and high-vert tours where the turns are as important as the uphill effort. Let’s begin this final review with a small survey where N=2. Skimo.co, under their “touring” subheading for boots, lists over 50 different boots. Cripple Creek Backcountry under “ski mountaineering” boots filters out nearly 40 boots.
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3 weeks ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
I’ve done a bit of low-key traveling this winter to far more complex and objectively hazardous zones than mine here in Central Oregon. While complexity regarding terrain is and can be on the menu, it’s my experience that it’s easy for me to avoid tough-to-read terrain altogether around Bend.
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1 month ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
The BOA lacing system went commercial in 2001, the brainchild of Gary Hammerslag, an engineer/inventor/snowboarder based in Steamboat. The first BOAs were integrated into snowboard boot designs produced by K2 and Vans. (FWIW, Jeff Spicoli, and his Vans came before the BOA.) I’m certain alternatives are out there, but regarding snowboard boots and tensioning systems, BOAs and multiple-BOA snowboard boots look pretty ubiquitous in the marketplace.
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1 month ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
Some days are colder than others. We checked in with cold-weather denizen Adam Fabrikant to get his take on managing lower temps and keeping the stoke for making turns. Cold temperatures are relative. Is it a humid cold? A dry cold. Somewhere in between. Is the wind howling? And sure, although daylight savings time flipped us into body-clock disarray, it’s still winter for a few more weeks. And it will be winter again here in the Northern Hemisphere next December 21st.
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1 month ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
Patagonia’s Nano-Air Ultralight Full-Zip Hoody is active insulation you can be active in. Which, ironically, is not true of most active insulation. As a touring piece, it is highly praised. I’ll be jumping right into a full-blown review of the Patagonia men’s Nano-Air Ultralight Full-Zip Hoody. (NAUL for short.) This is a soft shell. This is active insulation. And, as the naming convention puts it, it has a hood and a full zip, just as I like it.
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2 months ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
We are all likely particular about snow. Although we are lucky to be skiing or riding anything at all, powder snow often rules them all. But when it comes to powder, how dense is too dense? Our skis or snowboards are extensions of our sense of touch. As such, we can tell many things about the snow as we tilt toward the fall line—imagining our first and second or third turns. Before that, you’ve skinned to the top and poked a pole to probe snow depth.
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2 months ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
We’re here for a film review. Over the weekend, I watched Painting The Mountains a few times. The film, for those new to it, in part, documents Aurel Lardy, Vivian Bruchez, and Jules Socié and their second descent of the Whillans-Cochrane Ramp on Aguja Poincenot in 2023. For readers of The High Route who come for the ski mountaineering, I think you’ll find this film rewarding. The skiing is very steep and exposed.
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2 months ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
Let’s take a closer look at two promising boots, La Sportiva’s Skorpius CR II and the Kilo. After reading the back and forth regarding the La Sportiva Kilo and Skorpius CR II (and 1st iteration Skorpius)…it’s time for a closer look. I suppose the first item up for debate, or to at least ground truth, is weights. The two boots, perhaps designed as a means for different ends, are similar in weight.
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2 months ago | 
the-high-route.com | Jason Albert
La Sportiva’s Kilo comes to play primed with high-praise range of motion and ample stiffness to drive your ski-mountaineering planks. I was set to head out the door Saturday for what I expected to be some rather poor turns. With cold temps and raging winds, I had touring on my mind but knew there’d be plenty of walking. I packed the Zero G Tour Pros and Rossignol Escaper 97 Nanos.
