What to Bring to Ostrander
Cover my ass message:
This can only be considered a partial list. Winter cross-country skiing
can be extremely dangerous (See Hutmaster's accounts
of bad days on the job...). Your best equipment is a fully functioning
brain, common sense and experience in the backcountry. You also have
to consider the standard trade-off: comfort and safety vs. weight to
carry your junk. But, at a minimum, I strongly recommend the following
(you can also look at the list of what I
carry; actual brand names included. (Updated 1/02).
Recommended Equipment:
Skins
An absolute necessity. Trust me on this one. These are glued or strapped
on cross-country skis. They slide forward but not back, allowing you to
climb fairly steep hills without switchbacking. If you don't have 'em,
get 'em. (see the route description to convince you). This is true for
both waxless and waxable skis.
You can rent skins at Marmot (?); Western Outfitters and a mountaineering
store in Fresno I've forgotten the name of.... I don't think REI has them
and they're not available at Badger cross-country ski school.
Headlamp
Almost 50% of our happy skiers arrive after dark (remember, in January
and most of February, it's dark by 5:30 PM). Some don't arrive at all
because they get lost in the dark. This can be really, really unpleasant.
The last 1 1/2 miles of trail is marked with yellow signs in the trees
with reflective strips on them. A headlamp illuminates these strips and
gets you in to the warmth of the Hut.
Sleeping Bag Inside, the hut never gets below 35 at the coldest,
but you have to be prepared for a bivvy as well... . Wrap
your sleeping bag in a plastic bag!
Foam Pad Ensolite, Therma-rest or something waterproof.
Water Bottle
1 Qt. minimum recommended. Good idea to carry a wide mouth one--in really
cold temperatures the narrow ones freeze solid, making the water kind
of hard to get to. The same for those "camel back" water bag
thingies--the tubes freeze in mid-winter. They work OK in spring, though.
Skis
Should be a sturdy mountaineering-type ski. Metal edges are a really good
idea. (Snowshoes: a number of people come in by snowshoe--I don't know
much about various types, but anything will get you in just fine).
Boots
Choose a sturdy mountaineering boot, preferably 3 pin. The "new Nordic
norm" with the toe bar holding the boot to the ski is pretty marginal.
If the bar goes, you're toast. We haven't figured out a way to fix that.
We can almost always fix a 3 pin. The newer plastic boots work well too.
Haven't yet seen any of those fail. (I just got T3s this winter--'98/99.
I'll keep you updated on how they do.)
Poles
Best are adjustable poles that can double as avalanche probe poles &
can be varied for snow conditions. (If you've got a classic old pair of
wood skis in the garage with bamboo poles, it's best to rent or buy something
sturdier).
Gaiters of some sort.
Rain Jacket Gore Tex or something bomb proof
Rain Pants Same as above. Pants & Jacket better than poncho.
Synchilla Jacket or some synthetic that dries quickly.
Synchilla Pants or some synthetic to ski in--no blue jeans!
Long Underwear Tops & Bottoms. Again, a synthetic--no cotton.
Capilene or something that dries quickly and doesn't absorb moisture.
Gloves two pair capilene and one pair gore-tex overmitt are a good
idea --you always want dry gloves.
Balaclava style wool or capilene hat
Baseball hat
Sunglasses, Goggles are also a good idea for storms.
Sun lotion High SPF value
Map & Compass (and know how to use them...)
If you're not carrying a tent, have a bivvy sack or large plastic
tarp in case you get caught out at night.
Food & Waterproof Matches
Water Filter The Hut no longer has a filter available to the public.
Water is hauled from the lake in plastic buckets. Water treatment is up
to each individual. So one filter per group is a good idea. For the record,
we don't know of anyone ever getting sick from lake water in the 25 +
years we've been there. In '98, many people were boiling their drinking
water, and we ran out of propane for the stove. We strongly urge you to
bring at least one filter per party (and that's probably all that's necessary).
Stove Although we've got a propane 2 burner stove in the public
kitchen as well as the wood stove that's always going at night, it's not
a bad idea to bring one stove per party, especially on weekends, so you
can eat at a reasonable hour.
Avalanche Transceiver (optional, depending on where you intend
to ski). As long as you are on-route coming into the hut (on one of the
marked trails), avalanche danger is minimal (except the Merced Crest Trail),
so a transceiver is not critical. However, if you intend to ski some of
the extreme slopes above Ostrander (Bridleveil Peak, for instance), you
and each member of your party should consider one and, more importantly,
know how to use the beacon and how to evaluate avalanche terrain. Check
with the Hutkeeper about avalanche conditions. There are plenty of safe
areas around the hut to ski on, though. Check the Cyberspace
Snow and Avalanche Center to learn about avalanches and for current
conditions in the central Sierra (Mammoth).
Wrap your sleeping bag in a heavy duty plastic
bag. Also put everything in your pack
inside a plastic bag to keep it dry in rain or wet snow. Keep it light!
Most people carry too much junk. Check out all your equipment before the
trip--not in the Badger parking lot. Especially check your bindings for
loose screws, skis for cracks & delamination, and headlamp for fresh
batteries.
Have a great trip!