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The Haute Route Ski Traverse

About the Author

Zeb Blais is an IFMGA Mountain Guide based in Truckee California.  He loves all the disciplines of mountain guiding - ski, rock and alpine climbing - and tries to spend as much time as he can in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. 

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    Skiing the North Cascades: Top Descents and Classic Ski Mountaineering Lines

    Skiing the North Cascades: Top Descents and Classic Ski Mountaineering Lines Photo: Skier heading into the backcountry on Mt Shuksan   Steep, Glaciated, Wild: Welcome to the North Cascades With rugged ridgelines, massive relief, and...

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      The Ultimate Guide to Skiing Mt. Baker: Routes, Timing, Gear & Tips

      The Ultimate Guide to Skiing Mt. Baker: Routes, Timing, Gear & Tips Photo: Mt Baker as seen from the southeast at Boulder Creek Introduction: Why Mt. Baker Is a Must-Ski Objective At 10,781 feet, Mt....

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        The 4 Best Ski Descents on Mt Shasta

        Where are the best places to ski on Mount Shasta?  We dive into our favorite ski descents on the largest stratovolcano in the contiguous United States

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          The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America

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            Why Ski Mountaineering on Mt. Baker is a Must-Do for Backcountry Skiers

            Yeah, it takes some grit and endurance, it's a hell of a lot of fun.  More type 1 fun than type 2 fun by orders of magnitude. This post explores the great, glacier covered experience that is Koma Kulshan.  

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              Mount Shasta Seasonal Weather History 2024

              This year, the mountain is stuffed and the West Face has weeks and weeks of snowpack coverage left.  The bottom line is that if you want to climb or ski Mount Shasta, this is the year to do it!
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              Five Reasons To Ski Mount Shasta This Spring

              If one photo of this incredible mountain isn't convincing enough, here's six more reasons to ski or climb Mt. Shasta as soon as possible!
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                Mt Shasta West Face with Daron Rahlves

                We couldn't have timed conditions better for our West Face summit and ski descent on Mt Shasta with Daron Rahlves. With warm temps at night and high winds forecast, had us on guard about climbing and skiing conditions, but conditions turned out to be incredible!
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                  Baker in a Day: Single Push Ski Mountaineering on the most Glaciated Peak in the North Cascades

                  Our mission was to summit Mount Baker and ski from the top in a day.  Originally, we had been planning to spend few days on the mountain, skiing various routes, but with stormy weather incoming for the next couple days we knew we had to make it work in a day.  It was going to be a solid push, but we were excited to get a big day of skiing in before the weather shut us out.
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                    The Best Ski Route on Mount Shasta | A Trip Report

                    Memorial Day weekend continued the trend of wacky weather with frigid temperatures around 10 degrees at 12,000’.  Even with the strong California sun doing its magic on the snow, it was hard to imagine the surface softening significantly.  It seemed that the weekend might be a bust, but we shrugged off the potential for disappointment and made an attempt on one of the Mount Shasta's best ski descents: the Hotlum Wintun.
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                      Ski Mountaineering Isn't That Hard

                      Zeb Blais, IFMGA Mountain Guide and Director of Blackbird Mountain Guides, taking a crew of ski mountaineers for a climb during a recent Ski Mountaineering Skills course on Donner Summit in Truckee.  Photo: Ali Agee....

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                      Why You Need to Take a Ski Mountaineering Course

                      Climbing and skiing bigger mountains involves recognizing and managing the hazards that the mountains throw at you.  Here are some great ideas to step up your game to help you can make the transition from backcountry skier to ski mountaineer!
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