West Porter Backcountry tour

[zerodog]

This year the Salt Lake area has been pretty spoiled with the snow. I have been snowboarding since late October in the backcountry. I use a splitboard. And my buddy is young enough and dumb enough to use snowshoes.
This past weekend we explored a different canyon and got some nice riding in. We went up Porter fork in Millcreek Canyon to an area called West Porter. It was a gray day and the temps were pretty warm. The approach was really long. We started around 6000ft and ended up at around 9500ft. But it was cool to try out a new area. It seemed to have potential as the snow builds up in the lower elevations.

#1 Gearing up after a break.


#2 The self portrait


3. Getting into the good stuff


4. The view from the top into another canyon. This is a pano of 3 shots. This is the first one of these I have tried in a long time. Elevation close to 9500ft.


#5 Let the fun begin. Found a nice little cornice to play on.

[Photo-John]

Sweet! Let me know next time you go and maybe we can make it a party!

Where is Porter Fork? I've pedaled a fair amount in Millcreek Canyon but I haven't done any skiing up there, yet.

[groovehouse]

What about bears? I'm worried about bears...

Great freakin' snow shots. OMG! I want to shoot in the snow now!

[Photo-John]

What about bears? I'm worried about bears...

Seriously? There are bears in the mountains here but I think they're all asleep for the winter. Since I moved here 3+ years ago, I've yet to see one. On the other hand, in certain parts of the Sierras, in CA, I saw them all the time.

[zerodog]

Yeah John we need to hook up and go. I am trying to go every weekend. Millcreek was interesting. Porter fork is about 2/3 of the way up to the winter gate. It is on the south side. The road up has a lot of cabins. I think for the most part, all of the approaches are long in Millcreek. I would like to head up Mill D then come down Dog Lake area or even Alexander Basin sometime.

Thanks for looking guys.

[Photo-John]

Since this is a photo forum, what are you packing in the bc and how are you carrying it?

[zerodog]

For the BC I have been trying to keep it really simple. 1 lens mounted on 1 camera. So I try to choose the weapons carefully and then deal with them. I don't like the idea of changing lenses out in the snow unless I am doing something really cool. Also I want to keep the weight down as much as possible. I have a lot of other things that need to go in the bag.

Most of the time I bring the D300s with a 17-55 2.8 mounted. This gives me the most versatility for wide angle and a bit of zoom. It is by far my favorite lens on the 300s. I have also brought the big gun D3s a few times with various lenses attached. After bringing that thing, the D300 feels like a small light camera.

For the bag I am using an F-stop Loka with a small ICU installed in it. This gives me max room inside the bag for real gear instead of camera gear. The small ICU has enough room for the D300 with the 17-55 or the 24-70 with the hood extended or my 80-200 mounted without the hood. I have 2 small pockets configured in the ICU that can carry an extra lens and a flash. But normally I only have a soft hand towel shoved in one of them just in case of a snow disaster. And sometimes food shoved in the other one.

In the bag itself I have a Black Diamond shovel, probe,extra fleece, gloves, first aid kit, spot locator beacon, goggles, a few snacks and room enough to cram in my jacket. On the outside of the pack I carry a waterbottle in one side pocket and my ski poles in the other side pocket. I save the long outside pocket for my skins.

I got the F-stop Loka this fall and have found it to be about the perfect size for me for BC touring and Dirtbike/ trials bike adventures. The torso is long enough for the hip belt to actually put weight on my hips. And it does have an internal frame so it carries weight really well. My only complaint about it is that it doesn't have an external pocket big enough for my shovel. This is the one thing my Dakine poacher bag has on this thing. I still use the poacher for days when I need to carry more food/ gear. The small ICU fits right in there quite nicely.

[Photo-John]

Thanks - that was a good post!

We had a pre-production Loka last spring so Jenni could help them get it fitted and sized right for little people. I think F-Stop makes great packs and I particularly liked the smaller size of the Loka. I skied with and reviewed the F-Stop Tilopa last winter (my review) and felt it was a bit on the bulky side. I have a Clik Elite Contrejour ski/camera pack and I think it rides a little better. Regardless, I think it's awesome that there are some serious outdoor camera packs available since, in my opinion, Lowepro and Tamrac really only pay lipservice to real backcountry photographers.

Have you used the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens? I think you need one. I am betting your a lens snob and are really stuck on that f/2.8 aperture. However, I bought the Canon 18-200mm IS lens a couple of years ago thinking I'd try it out and sell it. Boy was I wrong. Turns out it's my most used lens. Especially for ski photos I want the 200mm focal length and the size and verstility of the lens is excellent. Furthermore, any image quality compromise is negligible for outdoor action photos. Trading a fixed aperture and a smidge of image quality for the 18-200mm zoom range is totally worth it. And of course, if you have a serious shoot where you need the good stuff, you can just man up and pack it in. But for casual bc tours the 18-200mm lens ensures you've got almost everything covered.

Have you written any reviews on the site? I know we need user reviews for the D300s and the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens...

[zerodog]

I am seriously considering the new 28-300. For me that could be the perfect lens for shooting fights with the D3s. That thing would cover the whole ring all except the extreme close up. I need to demo one to see if I can live with it. It could be good for touring too on the 300s?

You are right though. The 2.8s are all monsters. Maybe I need to add a true walk around lens to my collection someday.

[Photo-John]

I am seriously considering the new 28-300. For me that could be the perfect lens for shooting fights with the D3s. That thing would cover the whole ring all except the extreme close up. I need to demo one to see if I can live with it. It could be good for touring too on the 300s?

You are right though. The 2.8s are all monsters. Maybe I need to add a true walk around lens to my collection someday.

Oh yeah - the new Nikon 28-300mm is sweet! I need to ask Nikon to send me to test while I have this D7000! I checked it out at Pictureline and I was really impressed with the size. And I'm hearing nothing but good things about it from people who've already used it. Here's a review for it that I promoted to a Featured User Review: http://reviews.photographyreview.com...m-lens-review/

Canon has a 28-300mm, too. I had a loaner a few years ago and I loved it. But unlike the Nikkor, the Canon lens is a monster and I do not want to pack it unless I'm getting paid. I am very interested in the new Canon 70-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS zoom, though. Pair that with a super-wide and I think I've got a solid backcountry kit.

I really like these discussions about bc photo gear. This is really a very niche photography subject but one that's really important to those of us who are serious about taking great outdoor photos. Most photographers don't have a clue about the physical demands and limitations of what we're doing. For example, when I reviewed the Clik Elite Medium Nature pack I use on the mountain bike, a Pop Photography reviewer I knew scoffed at the idea of carrying water in the same pack as my camera gear. Guess what - water is not optional when you're on the mountain bike...

[zerodog]

Packs have been a huge issue for me since I bought an SLR. Camera bags are just that, camera bags. You want water? That is dangerous! You want to carry food, and tools, and layers? Why? You need room to carry your entire lens collection don't you? All of the big name bag makers suck. They don't acknowledge the action photographer in any way.
Click Elite and F-stop are the only ones as far as I could find that are really trying to do something different.

I signed up for the F-stop friends with benefits program so I could demo gear easier and decide what I wanted to use. I got the Tilopa and the Loka to have a look at. I agree the Tilopa was a bit big. And for me big in the wrong way. It was very comparable in size to my Dakine Poacher pack. So it sort of overlapped what I have. The Loka is smaller and more streamlined. It skis really well and rides really well on the motorcycle too. For the first time I did not get a sore back on the 5 miles of hell trail ride riding my trials motorcycle. That bag can carry some weight. I had a 100oz camel back. 2 liters of gas, some food, a tool pack, and layers. For camera stuff I had the D300s with the 17-55 and an SB900.

[Photo-John]

Hmmm - maybe we should start an outdoor photographer, "What's In Your Pack," thread with photos of our packs and gear...

[NoKnees]

Yeah! Another splitter photographer... Hang out on splitboard.com too? What do you ride? ;)

Anyway, cool shots. Someday I'll make it out to Utah... And someday you're riding buddy will see the light and get a splitboard. As for this season, I haven't made any back-country trips yet this year.. Not for lack of snow in the Sierra, just not time yet.. Purely lift served with the wife for now...

Now for gear...

When splitting I just go as light as possible. Sony a700 with a Tamron 18-250mm attached in an old (17+ year?) Lowe OffTrail (small SLR friendly waist pack) and an 11-18mm Sony in my pack for the odd superwide shots at changeovers, breaks, etc.. The rest of my pack (and old Ride Snowboard pack) consists of shovel, probe, down vest, first aide kit, headlamp, repair kit, spare mitts, goggles, snack food, spare camera battery & memory card, and sometimes a water bladder to go with a water bottle or two on the outside..

I've thought about a chest mount bag for the camera instead of the waist, but.. I worry about falling on it, as the waist one I keep off to the side of my trailing leg and haven't had issues with bad falls with it there, up to this point at least...

Good stuff....