Crossing California's Sierra Nevada would rate amongst the finest ski tours on the planet. Everything is there in abundance, outstanding scenery, challenging climbs and traverses, memorable ski descents, and in Spring, some of the most favorable conditions you're likely to encounter. The most famous of the trans-Sierra tours is the Sierra High Route, typically a 6 days crossing from east to west.

The tour begins in the high desert at Symmes Creek, just north of Mt Whitney, and climbs quickly into alpine. The route then follows the natural boundary between Sequoia and Kings Canyon, staying high above 3000m for most of the tour, and finally dropping into giant sequoias on the west side, usually at Wolvertine Ski Area.

Traversing the Sierra's on skis dates back as far as 1931, when Otto Steiner left Wolverton in Sequoia N.P. alone, and skied up over the crest with even an ascent of Mt. Whitney, remarkably, in 3 days. The High Route as we know it today, however, dates back to 1975, when D.Beck, N. Hartzel and B. Couly made the journey from the east side.

The High Route becomes a most sought after tour in May, usually the best month, when the Sierra serves up the most delicious corn on the continent. Nights are still cold at high altitude, but the weather can be almost balmy on some slopes, with days of clear weather and stable snowpack. Obviously, the tour is so classic that dedicated souls make the crossing in mid-winter, despite epic trail-breaking and avie hazards, but such is the draw of this tour that its popularity grows with each year.

Welcome to alpinetouring.com, a site dedicated to touring  the world's greatest mountain ranges.

It is also the best place to purchase the Kullu Valley ski tourer's guidebook.

The world's first and only skiing guidebook to the Himalaya, targets the Kullu Valley in northern India, in the mountains around Manali. It arrived at the end of 2003 after six years behind the keyboard and contains indispensable route information on a variety of brief day tours to complex multi-day expeditions on some of the most spectacular terrain imaginable.

Campbell Spooner at alpinetouring.com

Every few months, I review what the alpine department at Patagonia are offering as their best ski touring jacket and pant combo. In the past few years, however, I've felt a strange dismay at what I see as their clothing selection, as designs fall far short of perfection. In this months column, I'm concentrating on their soft shell pant selection, primarily, the Alpine Guide Pant.

Unfortunately, and like most of its competitors, Patagonia's alpine crew appear to be fixated on alpine climbing as this seasons pursuit, to the detriment of serious ski tourers. I realize that Patagonia has a long, involved climbing history, their venerated leader - a legend and its a cool, hardcore image to portray. But whether they are still trying to please big daddy, or the team leaders actually spend their holidays mountaineering, the climbing obsession is old, almost cliched, and should occupy some of their collective thinking, not all of it.

I'd bet that participation levels are far greater with ski touring and there's little doubt that the sport is on a rise, and as of April-July 2008, the world's best gear company doesn't offer a dedicated soft shell ski touring pant. Instead, there are 3 style of guide (climbing) pants, in slight variations, with the word 'skinning' added as an after-note.

It is this singular fixation that delivers a good touring pant from what could be a spectacular one. The Alpine Guide is 200g too heavy for most skiers, coming in at 587g. The fit is slim and modern, possibly to the delight of the après crowd and climbing grovellers but hardly accommodating for extra layers and the regular adjustment of ski boot buckles. That said, the fit certainly feels lovely to wear, inside the changing room, with microfleece around the waist, luxurious hand and drape. There is plenty of mobility and well chosen pocket placement (I'd remove the rear pocket). However, touring is a different beast to climbing, with typically greater heat exertion, varied requirements to abrasion and waterproofness (tourer's only sit at meal breaks, and often not at all) and that singular, repetitious motion of striding with skins needs its own dedicated design - think different materials for vapour zones, striding comfort, pockets for transceiver, camera, map, pipe and a well fitted pant with adequate stretch doesn't require any belt loops, elastised cuffs or suspenders. They do, however, need zippered thigh ventilation and  removable gaiters. I see the new Backcountry Guide Pant and Light Smoke Flash Pant (arrived mid Aug08) have these features, but the lightest of the two weighs in at a laughable 822g which is obviously aimed at the resort skier who dabbles in a little off-piste. Please pull your finger out Patagonia, designs should have evolved by now.

alpine touring

ski touring India's Kullu Valley

alpine touring