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Andrew McLean

Andrew McLean interview: North America’s Skimo Pioneers Series

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andrew-mclean-skimo-pioneer-3
This interview kicks off a series of quick 5-question interviews with people that can be definitely considered North America’s skimo pioneers.
Without revealing the actual names, we are going to talk to some really interesting “skimo old timers” over the next few weeks.
» Interview series archive – North America’s Skimo Pioneers Series.
Series supporters:
This interview series is presented by Skimo.co and Cripple Creek Backcountry.
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5 Questions for Andrew McLean

I am thrilled to start this series with Andrew for couple of reasons:

  • He is a person I tried to follow in my first ever skimo race on the North American continent (around 2002/03, I don’t exactly remember).
  • He was the very first person I interviewed for SkinTrack back in 2009.
  • And obviously, he is a North American ski mountaineering icon!

Q1: What is your sporting/racing and outdoor activities background?
I started skiing when I was about four years old and then rock climbing in my 20’s.  When I started working for Black Diamond Equipment in 1990, I became interested in backcountry skiing as it was a perfect hybrid of two sports that I already loved.
Q2: When and why did you decide to give skimo racing a serious shot? What did you think of the sport at that time?
I first knew about skimo racing from a trip to France where I saw a result sheet from a previous race and couldn’t believe how fast people were covering such amounts of vertical!  I started to look into the sport and thought it would be fun to bring it to the US.  John Scott at Life-Link had held a race at Jackson Hole the previous year, and the next season Black Diamond got on board to host The Powder Keg.
[The above paragraph refers to a period around 2000-2003.]
andrew-mclean-skimo-pioneer-2
Q3: Can you list a couple of your biggest accomplishments in skimo, in other sports and/or in the mountains?
I finished second place overall in the Dynafit/Life-Link series, which was fun, but I think some of my favorite skimo moments were putting on the first World Cup races in the US.  It was a two year process, and aside from becoming an International Judge, I had to complete quite a few other criteria, including holding a demonstration race.
The first World Cup was fantastic as some of the Swiss and Catalonian teams showed up and impressed everyone with what was possible in skimo racing.  The second year of the World Cup had even more people and we were able to do it on a fun, challenging course in great conditions.
[For more details on North American skimo history see our Manual for Ski Mountaineering e-book.]
Q4: What sports and activities do you enjoy the most these days?
Ski touring, especially to new and exciting places.  I also do some mountain biking, rock climbing and mountain unicycling.

Andrew and his partner used kites to reach ski lines on Baffin Island.
Andrew and his partner were (one of) the first to use kites to reach ski lines on Baffin Island.
Q5: With years of experience from multiple sports, what would be the two most important pieces of advice you would give to new comers into skimo?
Enjoy the overall event and the people.  Regardless of how well you do in the race, you will learn a lot about becoming more efficient in the mountains, which means more vertical, more powder and more smiles.

Beyond

» You can follow Andrew’s adventures and activities at http://straightchuter.com/.
Keep checking back and follow SkinTrack on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe on YouTube.

Game Changers 3-article series: Interesting ski tourers answer "Who is the one person that changed or influenced your ski adventures?"

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Here are answers to the 2nd question of the Game Changer article series. I was able to put together a very representative group (in terms of their main skills and passions) of ski mountaineers to answer these questions to make for a great read, and include my answers at the end.
Person that influenced your ski adventures or racing.
» To read answers to the 1st question in this series see: What is the one piece of gear that changed or influenced your ski adventures?

Who is answering?

In short:

  • Greg Hill
  • Melanie Bernier
  • John Baldwin
  • Christina Lusti
  • Stano Faban

For more details about these ski mountaineers see the first article of the Game Changer series.

2nd question: Who is the one person that changed or influenced your ski adventures (whether that be touring or racing)?

I would like to hear who influenced YOUR ski adventures. You can do so via comments section at the end of this article.
Greg Hill says (http://www.greghill.ca):
I am not someone who likes to place people on pedestals, I feel that we are all unique and usually deserved of respect but most likely not so great that we should be idolized.
I respect anyone who pushes themselves to be their personal best in whatever avenue they choose. But of course there have been people who have stood out in the past.
Alex Lowe was a champion of men and having seen what he could do and how he progressed mountaineering was impressive. He chose his path and went after it with wild determination. His technical climbing, exuberant character and his style were standards to be sought.  Sadly enough he died doing what he loved.

Andrew McLean
Andrew McLean staring down one of his many first descents.
Andrew McLean was someone who influenced me early on in my ski mountaineering career. What Andrew has done, in terms of firsts, is huge, his list of accomplishments hard to conceive. As a young mountain boy I was blown away by the potential that Andrew demonstrated, how much he could explore and have fun while doing it.
Initially, in the rando races, Andrew was the big name. So while I ran up and down mountains I trained to beat him and also dreamed of befriending him and going on some cool adventures with him. Both those came true and we have been friends ever since.
But he truly showed me the potential of fitness and passion in the mountains and how endless it really is.  He was someone who helped me realize my huge days in the mountains by being humble and psyched about what we do.
Melanie Bernier says (http://inthetrails.blogspot.ca):
The person that influenced me the most for ski adventures and skimo racing is Kilian Jornet (standing skimo world champ).
I remember when I was just starting to race, part of the Spanish skimo racing team came to Canada to race the Spearhead Passage race in Whistler. The sport was very young in NA back then, and I remember while gaining Russet Lake, Kilian had already reached the top of Whirlwind and was on his way back. He nicely cheered me on and kept going. I remember being really impressed and could not believe how fast he could move on his skis.
From competing in more events where he was also racing, I got to learn about his philosophy about the sport of skimo but also running. He also has a great personality and is very humble in all that he does, which is a great quality for an athlete of his level.
Looking at all that he does and how fast he is makes me not only want to train harder but push the boundaries and explore always a bit further.
John Baldwin says:
I have definitely been influenced a lot by the collective sport of ski mountaineering – whether it be new ideas for kinds of trips, new gear, new avalanche skills. It’s always inspiring to see what other people are doing.
I was definitely inspired by such as Whistler’s local Karl Ricker pioneering the Spearhead Traverse, or Chic Scott‘s long trips in the Rockies, or Galen Rowell‘s ski trips in Alaska.
I’ve been inspired by ski descents and skimo racing. I have also learned tons from different friends about things ranging from ski technique to how to know where the snow drifts in light and deep or many other things.
But it is hard to single out one person.
I suppose the biggest influence was the person that got me into backcountry skiing in the first place. It was Hans Fenz, my high school French teacher. I was never any good at French but on weekends he would take a few students backcountry skiing. Trips to Diamond Head and eventually the summit of Mt Baker opened up this magical world for me.
Christina Lusti says (http://christinalusti.wordpress.com):
pet lustenbergerMy Dad has been the biggest influence of my skiing career.
It must have started when I was a baby in his back-pack skiing around the local ski hill. Teaching me how to tune my skis, driving us to ski races, helping out on the race course. . . and of course free skiing all over the mountain as a family.
Supporting me through a ski racing career and then up a new path of ski guiding, he has helped me create a life and career around my passion!
My dad loves to ski, watch skiing, talk about skiing!
He grew up on a mountain in Switzerland so skiing was a way of transportation . . . ski racing at a young age, moving to Canada and working for CMH, to running Lusti’s Ski Shop at Panorama Resort.
I think that his passion has been passed over to me. . . I look up to him and how he has formed his life around the greatest sport I know!
Stano Faban (Skintrack.com):
I guess, one never realizes how hard it is to answer a seemingly simple question until he asks the same himself :). So I totally agree – it is hard to single out only one person that influenced us the most.
As I think about it, by looking at a bigger picture, I was always amazed with human powered speed. That means that racing or “racing-like” efforts inspired me the most.
To some, climbing North Face of Eiger in less than 3h (Ueli Steck) is a suicide mission, or to run a sub 30min 10k in an olympic distance triathlon is just that – running 10k in 30min.
To me, the final time of such an effort is an extraordinary summary (even though a very brief one) of what came before. It is a result of a long journey that starts with wanting slowly being transformed to believing. The more obvious things follow such as planning, commitment, determination. But even each of those include tremendous details that have to come together, on a daily basis, 365 days a year!
And because speed comes and goes as we age my biggest inspirers have changed too over periods of time:
Firstly, it would be Miguel Indurain (5-time Tour de France winner) but then reading about Reinhold Messner’s and Hans Kammerlander’s missions in the Himalayas showed me how speed can blend with adventure and mountain environments.
The biggest inspiration in my triathlon “career” came from Jan Rehula and Simon Whitfield after seeing them duke it out for gold at the first triathlon at Olympics in Sydney 2000. I knew Jan since about 1997 and all he could talk about was that race. Then seeing him getting bronze was amazing.
Finally, once I turned to mountain sports fully Ueli Steck (the speed with adventure), Stephane Brosse (completeness and consistency) who recently died, and Peter Svatojansky (determination and sheer will) inspired me the most. These days it is mostly Reiner Thoni and above answering Melanie Bernier.

Previous and Next questions:

Who influenced you?

Share who was/is The most influential person for your ski adventures, backcountry or racing.
And thank you for enjoying the read!

Interview with Andrew McLean – Icon of North American ski mountaineering

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Andrew McLean is one of the icons of North American ski mountaineering, however, I didn’t know this until I met him couple of years ago at a ski mountaineering race. He won the event, and I believe it was the first time I got to see the Scarpa F1s racing boots in person, he wore them. Right the next day I researched him online and found him very interesting.

Andrew - The millionaire - skiing in Iran.
Andrew - the millionaire - skiing in Iran.

Andrew specializes in steep skiing in remote locations and has first descents on all continents to his credit. Some of the more exotic places he has skied at include Baffin Island, Antarctica, Iran and Morocco. Andrew’s current stomping grounds are Wasatch Mountains in Utah. You can following him through his blog at StraightChuter.com.

And here is more from Andrew in an interview about his relationship with ski mountaineering:

Q: How and when did you become involved in backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering?

I grew up skiing all the time as my mom was a ski instructor. This eventually led to racing and I was very involved with the junior program at our local hill, Alpental, which is about an hour outside of Seattle, WA. Alpental has a lot of steep terrain and easy access backcountry, so that kind of became “normal” skiing for me – steep slopes with funky conditions.

andrew-mclean-mainAfter High School, a friend turned me onto rock climbing and I spent a lot of my summers doing that, then when it snowed I went to the resorts.

Years later, when I started working at Black Diamond Equipment, I met Alex Lowe and he turned me on to the idea of combining the two sports. I had always thought backcountry skiing was more like shuffling around on the flats, but Alex opened my eyes to the idea that you could find and ski way burlier stuff in the backcountry than you could ever find at a resort.

For the first few years I still did some resort skiing, but after I got my backcountry systems figured out, I started doing more and more of it, to the point that that is all I do nowadays.

Q: What keeps you still going strong from one adventure to another, what’s your motivation? And what do you like the most about backcountry skiing?

As far as adventures or expeditions go, skiing is a great way to visit new places, meet people and see different cultures. I love the aspect of going somewhere new and taking a chance on the skiing – a lot of times it is so-so, but when you find some killer new spot, it’s like hitting the jackpot.

I’m also into the idea of skiing projects, like going to all seven continents, skiing ten classics on ten consecutive days, skiing a group of three related peaks, etc.. It is like having bunches of little collections.

I think, the thing I like most about backcountry skiing is that it is a complex sport with so many different aspects to it, like skinning, route finding, avalanche safety, pacing, knowing when/where to go and the actual skiing itself. I first got into it just for the skiing, but now I really enjoy the entire package.

Q: You are a father now. (How) did that change your approach to skiing? Are you more careful?

I’d say I’m more careful now, not so much because I’m a father but more because I’ve seen so many talented and careful people have accidents or die while skiing. I’m also focusing more on skiing in cool places nowadays instead of just trying to find the steepest possible line.

As much as I love steep skiing, it takes perfect conditions to ski really steep slopes and you can burn up a lot of time, effort and energy by traveling around and hoping to hit it.

Another factor that comes from experience is that I think I am more selective about what and when I ski things now. If it seems like there is a chance a slope could avalanche, I’m more likely to pass it up knowing that I’ve skied tons of killer powder in the past and that this is not really a once-in-a-lifetime run.

Q: You have recently skied a first decent on Mount Foraker in Alaska. How does this adventure rate among your others?

Sultana Ridge on Mt. Foraker.
Sultana Ridge on Mount Foraker.
It was right on up there! There was very little actual good snow on the line when we skied it, but the overall experience was excellent. Foraker is definitely a mind-game mountain as you have to stay alert and motivated the entire time due to weather and crevasses. I would go back again just to ski that line (the Sultana Ridge), but it was a blast to do once.

Q: How many sleeping mats/pads does one need to get a good sleep in base camps of Alaskan giants like Foraker. Hunter or Denali?

I learned the hard, cold way that it takes more than one! On our first trip to Denali, I only brought one foam pad and it was a fairly miserable experience. I currently bring two pads (one inflatable and one foam). On our last trip I used an ExPed Down Mat pad which was enough by itself as it is super thick.

Q: What is your next ski mountaineering project going be?

I’m heading down to Antarctica in November as part of Doug Stoup’s Ice Axe ski cruise. The plan is to take a cruise ship across the Drake Passage, then use it as a floating base camp to take skiing day trips out on the Antarctic peninsula. It should be fun.

Q: Who or who’s ski mountaineering projects/activities currently inspire you, or you find interesting?

I’m inspired by all aspects of skiing and love watching free-skiers rip big lines, people huck monster cliffs and reading about the amazing speed of the Euro Rando racers.
Currently, when it comes to ski mountaineering inspiration, I like the idea of mixed media where you are exploring an area mainly on skis, but perhaps adding in some kiting or PackRafting.  In that regard, I think some of the trips that Joe Stock from Alaska is doing are very cool as they are remote and exploratory, but still have some good skiing in them.

Andrew and his partner used kites to reach ski lines on Baffin Island.
Andrew and his partner used kites to reach ski lines on Baffin Island.

Q: In the past, you were involved in gear and equipment engineering design. Are you doing that these days too?

I’m still a designer by profession, although my skiing has gotten in the way of it. Due to my trips and new family, I’ve been working on lots of smaller projects rather than the multi-month or year long ones.

Q: Did you take part in any ski movies in your ski mountaineering career/life?

I’ve been in a few including most recently, “Steep.” Ski mountaineering is not very camera friendly as you have to haul lots of gear into the backcountry and the weather seldom cooperates. On top of that, I like skiing steep lines in remote places, which means I tend to ski very conservatively, which is exciting to do, but not necessarily watch.

Q: What do you do immediately after returning from a big trip?

When it comes to trips, I’m an organizational freak. I start packing days ahead of time, sort gear, check everything out, etc.. I also like to leave the house completely cleaned up so that when I come back, I can just dump out all the gear, clean it off and put it back. It usually takes me 2-3 days to catch up on email and phone stuff, as well as hanging out with the dogs and kids.

Q: When planning a trip/expedition, what are the most important things to do to increase the chances of achieving the objective?

Some times big lines require great deal of patience.
Some times big lines require great deal of patience.
I spend a lot of time thinking about trips in advance and while I always assume they will be successful, I also think about all of the things that could go wrong and how I would deal with them.

In that regard, I do a lot of careful planning. Probably the #1 thing I’ve learned is to allow plenty of time for a skiing trip as the weather and travel snafus can cut into a tight schedule.

If everything works out perfectly right from the start, then you just have some bonus ski time!

All photos in this article are from Andrew McLean’s photo collection and were taken by Andrew or his fellow trip companions.