Here’s some photos of a couple of the folks from the Gregory R+D department, who last weekend headed up north from Sacramento for a little skiing on Mt. Lassen. 
Now if this doesn’t quite look like June, it didn’t exactly turn out to be a hunt for spring corn skiing.
It’s been cool and rainy (and snowy at these elevations) acros
s much of the western U.S. this spring, and that translates to powder skiing (uh, well, OK, skiing on new snow anyway) up on higher peaks like Lassen.
CJ in R+D (shown below getting ready to ski) has been on a bit of a mission this spring. He headed up to Rainier for another ski mission a few weeks back. 
Apparently moving to the West Coast from Utah, he’d heard about the spectacular spring corn season in the Sierras and on the northwestern volcanoes. Yeah, it exists. Maybe try again in July?
George has a few opinions.
While there’s that saying about opinions - something about everyone having one? - we thought it’d be worth asking the man behind ‘Ask Ge
orge’ what’s worse on a backcountry trip than a pack that doesn’t fit right.
And he had an opinion - as well as some advice.
What’s worse than an ill-fitting pack? Ill-fitting boots. Or at least it’s arguable. Back when I led people into the backcountry, I noticed one of the biggest mistakes people make when preparing for a trip is buying brand new boots only a few days before the trip.
When picking out your footwear of choice, you might be overwhelmed by the plethora of options. Our founder and spiritual leader Wayne often offers the advice, “fit a pack like a good pair of shoes” (hence our ‘fit’ philosophy). But, unlike a pack, most boot and even some lighter weight hiking shoes require a break-in period. That break-in period will vary in relation to the individual as well as the kind of hiking boots chosen, as there are so many variations to soles, uppers, materials, etc. I would allow a few weeks (up to 6) to break in a more supportive boot.
When hiking or training, you may feel pressure points. It is important to stop and treat, in order to prevent the formation of a blister. Let’s not be fooled: even a well broken in, good-fitting shoe can cause a blister in the right conditions. There’s nothing worse than dealing with a debilitating blister on one of your stank doggies.
So what’s the root cause of blisters? Friction. You can expedite the formation of blisters with moisture and sweat. I’ve seen some serious blisters form in a matter of only a few minutes while the repercussions could last hours, if not days. There are many different and often conflicting ways to go about treating a blister, but there are some definite standards you can follow. 
At Gregory, we like trails (to state the obvious).
And we like to see more trails come on board.
It’s kind of like wildlife habitat (often found in the same place as trails): 
We’re not making any more (for the most part), so it’s nice when some is set aside, or at least recognized as having value to an established network of trails.
In that vein, late last month (in advance of National Trail Day) the new Secretary of Interior designated 525 miles of new trails the list of National Recreation Trails.
Since 1971, the National Recreation Trails system has recognized existing trails and trail systems that connect communities to recreational zones in public lands and local parks around the country. A network of more than 1,000 previously designated trails in all 50 states totalling more than 12,500 miles already exists in the NRT system.
Make that 13,525 miles …
Here’s a list of of the new additions to the new system.
The 100-mile race starts tomorrow, June 27th, in Squaw Valley, CA. with a grueling 2,550 vertical foot climb in the first four-and-a-half miles. The race ends in Auburn, CA.
r
surf.
e Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute-Montagne (PGHM) of Chamonix, the group responsible for mountain search and rescue operations in that area, also supported by the famous Compagnie des Guides (
