Books and Resources

Books:

Guide books I like to use:

  • Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes Washington by Martin Volken and the guides at Pro Guiding Service

  • Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis by John Baldwin

  • Washington Pass Climbing by Ian Nicholson

  • The Index Town Walls by Chris Kalman and Matty Van Biene

  • Snoqualmie Rock by Kurt Hicks

  • Leavenworth Rock by Viktor Kramar

  • Frenchman Coulee by Brenden Sullivan and Jim Yoder - this is the guidebook for the climbing area commonly referred to as Vantage.

  • Squamish Select by Marc Bourdon

  • Backcountry Skiing Atlases by Matt Schonwald - the first rendition of these were a little hard to use, but as more and more come out, they just keep getting better and better! A great thing to reference. The Snoqualmie Pass one even has a map which is great.

  • Creek Freak by Karl Kelly - this is THE climbing Bible for climbing in the Moab / Indian Creek area.

Exercise/Fitness books I've found useful:

  • Training for the Uphill Athlete by Steve House, Scott Johnson, and Killian Jornet - this book is more of a textbook format, and hard to digest if you aren't used to the sciences behind it. Good information still!

  • Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness: Functional Exercise and Nutrition for Every Body by David Musnick and Mark Pierce

Other books I've gained information from:

  • The Weather of the Pacific Northwest by Cliff Mass - this book is a textbook, but chocked full of good info!

  • Backcountry Skiing : Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering by Martin Volken, Scott Schell and Margret Wheeler

  • Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 9th Edition by The Mountaineers

Websites that are my go-to's:

  • Caltopo - I use Caltopo for my mapping software. Both to look up routes and to make my own. It's also an app. Rad!

  • Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) - They run daily avalanche predictions during the winter season, and the public can also post any avalanche observations or snowpit evaluations they find. I look at it daily in the winter.

  • Sentinel Hub Playground - This site gives current satellite imagery for anywhere in the world. Super cool. Only hang up is all of these dang clouds in WA...

  • TAY - Turns All Year which is a site where I get a lot of trip report information. Primarily for WA but sometimes elsewhere.

  • Mountain Project - Tons and tons of climbing beta. Rad.

  • Washington Trails Association (WTA) - A great place to find hikes, and see trip reports of current conditions.

  • FKT - I get a lot of inspo from this site... Lots to be done! I've put up one FKT on here, and have a lot of plans for more.

  • SpotWX - This is a website that gives you all of the weather models for the area you're looking for. This is a great way to find which model you'd like to use to make your weather estimates.

  • Meteoblue - I personally mostly use the Multimodel feature on Meteoblue. This pulls all of the weather models into one graph and shows you the variation expected for the day.

  • Too Rainy to Climb - One website that compares the weather of all of Washington's climbing areas.

  • Washington Snowpack Summary - Summaries and graphs of snowpacks current and past.

  • MSR's Fuel Calculator - This chart only references MSR stoves, but I have found it to be really helpful!

  • Webcams of the state - Did you know that TAY has a page dedicated to all of the webcams in the state? Pretty cool. Check it out.

Podcasts I frequently listen to:

  • The Curious Climber - A podcast by Hazel Findlay and Mina Leslie-Wujastyk. This podcast not only talks climbing, but also talks about lives of people who climb and things that they care about. I think Hazel and Mina are great interviewers, and I always walk away with something to chew on after listening to an episode.

  • The Enormocast - Run by Chris Kalous, this pod has been running since the late 90's I think, and it's been on the air that long for a good reason. Chris keeps things down to earth and interesting and he interviews all types of climbers. Some episodes are drier than others, but overall it is a great pod.

  • For the Love of Climbing - I find this pod similar to the Curious Climber where host, Kathy Karlo, talks to primarily climbers about life in general. Kathy has an awesome way of interviewing, and I love what I gain from this pod.

  • The Dirtbag Diaries - Put on by Duct Tape then Beer, this pod has also been on the air for a good while, actually, since 2007. Most of the episodes are fantastic, and the storytelling is almost like reading a short novel. Sometimes episodes can border on cheesy, but I always enjoy listening to them.

  • Eat Clean, Run Dirty - This pod is all about running, and I find it to be a great companion when I am on long runs. They took a little hiatus for COVID, but it looks like they're back to putting up episodes now and I couldn't be happier.

  • Fastest Known Podcast - Based off of the FKT website, this podcasts interviews runners and particularly people who set a lot of FKT's. Occasionally, it can be a little dry, but I generally find that I can relate to what these athletes have to say, and love listening to them. Lots of inspiration in this one.

Other Blogs:

  • Where is Kyle Miller? - This dude has skied allll over the PNW and has awesome skiing information.

  • Steph Abegg - Steph's blog is chocked full of primarily rock climbing information, and is one of my go-to's when researching routes.

  • An Upward Progression - A blog written by PNW ski guru, Todd Kilcup. I don't think there has been a new entry since 2017, but still tons of good information and inspiration nonetheless.

  • Climber Kyle - Kyle McCrohan is an all-around PNW mountain athlete and his blog is chocked full of good info. Ice climber, skier, runner, and all around good dude.

  • Engineered for Adventure - Sam Channels got his start in the outdoors outside of the PNW, but once he moved here, he grabbed the Cascades and ran with it. Tons of beta and info on his site.

  • Alpine Wanderlust - Cherlyn Eliza's blog chalked full of BEAUTIFUL photos and hiking inspiration. I particularly love her Hiking Guides. Check them out!

  • The Alpenglow Gallery - A project run by PNW legend, Lowell Skoog. Tons of info and beta there if you take the time to look for it.

  • Jason Hummel - Jason is another PNW guru, who has skied absolutely everywhere in the state. His site has awesome stories and photos.

Local (Seattle) Shops:

  • Feathered Friends - Down manufacturer since '72, and outdoor gear shop. FF is my current place of work, and has lots of knowledgeable staffers and great gear! We carry primarily glacier gear, rock climbing gear, alpine gear, thru hiking gear, and some ice gear. Having dropped ski hardgoods, we still carry backcountry skiing accessories.

  • Ascent Outdoors - Ascent Outdoors has been in Seattle since '97 (I think?) and in Ballard since 2001. They carry outdoor goods from alpine climbing, rock and ice climbing, thru hiking, and they carry ski hardgoods.

  • Pro Ski and Mountain Service North Bend - My favorite all around shop. Super knowledgeable, soft and hard goods galore.

  • Wonderland Gear Exchange - A consignment shop that opened up in I think 2018? They always have good stuff, and selling gear through them is super easy.

  • Seven Hills Running Shop - My favorite running shop in Seattle. They particularly have a lot of trail gear, but I go to them for all my running needs.

  • Custom Boot Service - Need boot fitting? Jim here is the Yoda of boot fitting here in Seattle, and can work magic on your poor bruised and battered feet.

  • Secret Stash Ski Service - Need really high quality binding mounts or binding shims? (Yes, bindings have a drop, and shimming them can help with your performance!) Nate is the dude for the job.