Hi, I'm Bryce
I recently have converted to living year-round in North Lake Tahoe after a few previous years of spending winters in Tahoe and summers in the North Cascades of Washington. I enjoy pushing myself while climbing and mountain biking during the months without snow, though I truly am a skier at my core.
My Story:
My mom had me on skis early on, and that helped initiate what would evolve into a deep love for snow and the mountains. I spent a lot of time in Tahoe growing up, and continued to chase new peaks and ranges as I grew older (I have yet to grow up).
I studied biomechanics in college in Washington, where I had my introduction to sport climbing in the Cascades. Throughout college I worked in outdoor education, and continued on to work as a climbing and mountaineering instructor with the Northwest Outward Bound School in the North Cascades after I graduated. I got hooked on trad climbing and alpinism in the Washington Pass area, and learned a lot from the people and mountains I have been fortunate enough to interact with.
Backcountry touring and ski mountaineering have become deep passions of mine, and I enjoy the never-ending progression of building skills and awareness that leads to the hunt for deeper powder and bigger days on skis. I look forward to continual inspiration from the mountains and the people who play around in them.
“Fast and light is great, and there is much more to experience than just hitting an objective. Sometimes you just have to embrace the suck and stash the makings of a good story."
My Top 3:
Dynafit Tigard 107
Fast as a snow leopard and strong as a tiger (get it?), the Tigard 107 is built to be a rockin’ powder ski with smooth, stable turns when the snow asks for more of your attention. Tip and tail rocker helps the ski pivot to fit in smaller spaces, and the light weight keeps it nice and nimble. Push it hard or noodle through low-angle turns, the Tigard is a fantastic all-arounder!
ATK Raider 13 EVO
What was already an easy-to-transition, confidence-inspiring ski touring binding has been improved by ATK. The most high-consequence terrain I have skied was on the older version of this binding, and it now can transition to ski mode with one hand and one movement - all while still providing the conviction you need to focus on the snow under your skis. Adjustable release in the toe piece now allows you to put more force through the binding and into the ski with precision. Light weight, high performance.
Black Diamond Guide BT
The BD Guide BT has fantastic fine search and maintains a consistent connection once it has locked on to a signal, even when multiple burials are present. I’ve found the final approach in a search to be incredibly smooth and accurate thanks to multiple directional arrows on the interface and speedy processing - in a rescue exam scenario with this beacon, I had successful impacts on the first probe strike for both buried targets in the scenario. The feature I use the most is the group check, it makes it really easy to do a quick trailhead check while keeping the beacon’s switch set in Send mode. With up to 600 hours of battery life, it will be ready to go when you are!
More top picks:
Skin Wax Rub on 2oz
We all know climbing skins grip when we push down so we can work against gravity, and it is equally important to keep our skins sliding when we step up. I keep a small chunk of this rub on skin wax in my repair kit when touring to scare the snow away from my skins so it doesn’t clump up. Nice bonus that this wax is plant-based and biodegradable!
BCA Snow Study Kit
This kit has all of the basic tools snow nerds like myself use for investigating the state of the snowpack. The 2mm markings on the crystal card, aluminum teeth in the ECT cord that help cut through crusts, and layout of the pockets in the carrying case are all the little details that help your time in a snowpit go a bit smoother. The analog thermometer is quick, consistent, and doesn’t require batteries so you never have to charge it!
Smith Wildcat
The Wildcat lets my eyes breathe well enough so I don’t fog up on the climb, and shields my eyes well enough to ski down with proper enthusiasm. Interchangeable lenses let you adapt to the weather, and the ChromaPop lens helps provide definition to the snow surface so you can scope out the smoothest line.
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