There’s a time when it’s good to be young and brash. And a time when it’s good to soften a stance. In episode 5 Jack Beighle, author of The Heavyweight Manifesto, is tempted by some lighter gear and seeks some THR guidance.
Jack Beighle is our guest on Episode 5 of The Gear Shed Podcast. For those who don’t know Jack, here’s some background. He’s a CU Boulder grad, bumped to Jackson for some post-college living focused around mountains and skiing. He then left Jackson and bumped black to Boulder, where he began working for Backcountry Access. Currently, Jack is the Brand and Community Manager at Ombraz Sunglasses.
Jack Beighle, author of The Heavyweight Manifesto, finding happiness.
More than that, Jack wrote a manifesto. His thoughts and words are a message declaring heavier touring gear is better touring gear. Published in VOL. 1 of the TGR Journal, The Heavyweight Manifesto is razor sharp. Jack makes three suggestions for those obsessed with grams and carbon and minimalist skis better suited for the Lycra set.
1. try kale
2. do a single squat before starting the winter
3. stop complaining
No matter where you stand on issues of gear weight, doing any of the three life-affirming pieces of advice Jack lays down is a good start. (Editor’s note: roast the kale with some olive oil and salt—so good.)
The interesting thing about the species is we learn and evolve. Maybe the gear you hauled up when you were 22 and spry and fresh off of watching some ski stoke film where the crew reaches a high point with a heli-assist isn’t the gear you want when you’re a bit older and going deep into the mountain’s to drink quietude and find good turns.
As he nears 30 years old, Jack is reconsidering his manifesto’s hard stance—and he’s seeking Gavin and Slator’s input to determine where he can cut weight but still enjoy himself on the ups and downs. We also get insight into how Slator and Gavin have evolved their gear preferences. True folks, they are enjoying heavier gear, but not too heavy.
In short, the podcast is a lively discussion about how three skiers, two from the light side and one from the heavy side, find some common gear ground in the middle.
(Postscript: Jason here. I want to take a moment to thank Jack for a gear assist in December. Short version. I was out solo and bumped into Jack and his excellent group of friends while traversing from Teton Pass to JHMR. I’m grateful to say they were a welcoming group, and we spent the day together in the hills. At our route high point I clicked into both skis with a secure and audible click. Despite those sensations and positive feedback, the right heel unit had iced up—which I did not notice—and had twisted slightly, out of line, when I locked into the pins. Jack noticed the misaligned heel and notified me. Thanks for catching that Jack and thanks to his friends for such a fun day.)
The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you’ve spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, “Beautiful Alien” is a good tune to begin with.
Thanks for having me on. I’ll never get tired of chatting about gear with these two!
And Jason- I’ll echo that, it was an absolute pleasure bumping into you in the hills a few weeks back. Let’s plan on doing more skiing! Cheers buddy!
If you love the Hoji and that style of no camber slarvy ski then can’t go wrong with the 184 Raven 4-lock? The Black Crow skis you discussed are pretty traditional in profile and mount points compared to the Raven which is cheaper and lighter too!
Great episode. The last two seasons I toured with the Transalp Pro and I agree that the 2 plus buckle boot is a good middle ground. It walked great and had enough mass to drive a wide ski. Unfortunately in my case, that boot never fit my foot perfectly and I’ve recently moved to the Tecnica Zero G Boot after breaking the Transalp. A boot that fit snug and comfortable will trump all features imo. Luckily there are many options out there and I’m optimistic that THR will cover and review them thoroughly.