Remembering JP Auclair, Liz Daley & Andreas Fransson
Auclair, Daley and Fransson
This week, our community is remembering Washington-based splitboarder Liz Daley, Swedish ski mountaineer Andreas Fransson and Canadian freestyler JP Auclair. The three died in two separate avalanches in South America on Monday. Daley, 29, died while snowboarding on Cerro Vespagnani (7,040 ft.), located near Mt. Fitzroy, in Argentina. Fransson, 31, and Auclair, 37, were caught in an avalanche while climbing a couloir on Monte San Lorenzo (12,159 ft.) on the Chilean/Argentine border. If you choose to read one story in the wake of these deaths, make it Steve Casimiro’s essay “Thoughts on Honoring the Dead, and the Living.”
Pretty Faces Hosts Sold-Out World Premiere
Premiere night at the Boulder Theater.
BOULDER, COLO. On Tuesday night, Lynsey Dyer and the crew behind Pretty Faces: The Story of a Skier Girl held their sold-out premiere at Colorado’s 850-seat Boulder Theater. Pretty Faces, an all-women’s ski film, was Dyer’s first foray into filmmaking and was crowd-funded in part through a Kickstarter campaign. According to contributor Brigid Mander, who attended the premiere, “The one-hour flick is well-shot, beautifully edited and topped off with a great soundtrack and athlete interviews.” Read Mander’s full take on the film and see photos from the premiere here.
Backcountry Celebrates 100 Issues
It’s our birthday. Crack open a beer!
JEFFERSONVILLE, VT. On Thursday afternoon, the Backcountry staff shotgunned beers and shipped the third issue of the season off to the printer (not in that order). The November issue is #100 in Backcountry’s 20-year lifespan. In it, we celebrate the magazine, the sport and all the people who’ve contributed to both over the last two decades. “Backcountry’s all grown up, and everyone mentioned here, everyone with a cutline or byline is part of its narrative,” writes Editorial Director Adam Howard. To make sure you get a copy of the commemorative 20th Anniversary Issue, subscribe here. Celebratory beers not included.
Fritschi Annouces VIPEC Updates
Courtesy Fritschi
REICHENBACH, SWITZERLAND Fritschi has announced in-line updates to their tech binding, the Vipec, which will affect all 2014/15 bindings. The changes, addressing the toe unit, are aimed at improving releasability and ease of entry and further resolving an early issue of pins falling out of the toepieces. The new pins are larger (1) and include a lock (2) to prevent rotational movement of the pin; the toe features self-centering jaws and new compression springs (3) to align the boot toe for improved ease of entry and exit; and a new toe clip (4) is designed to improve frontal release. According to the press release from Fritschi, “These changes are market driven and have been requested by the global distribution partners to build a better performing binding.”
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