It's been a while since the last post, so apologies for that. Just updating about my recent, annual backcountry ski pilgrammage which I usually do with two old mates, Ian and Alex. You can see the pics and read the story at:

Ski.com.au ski trip report

The other thing I'd add is that, for the first time I used my Black Wolf B-lite pack, 55 litres and under a kilogram, resulting in a full weight on day 1 of around 12 kg, dropping to under 10 kg by the time we made it back to the car, after four days. This compares to my mate's 20kg + packs, which I have to admit I just wouldn't carry unless I was absolutely forced to. My weight included two small cameras, a small gorillapod style tripod, lots of spare camera batteries, and a larger than necessary head torch (which i like to give the option of night skiing and/or evacuations.)

The pack was worked beautifully, with a minor disadvantage that my portion of the tent was carried in a waterproof stuff sack strapped on the back, below the lid.

The other small drawback with the pack is that it is not great for externally attaching other larger components, like the snow shovel or a largish set of tent poles. Working with my mates, carrying some of their gear in exchange for mine, solved this problem.

I'm still working on reducing my winter pack weight, with options for a lighter down jacket, a bit less food (got back with about 500 grams, probably too much in reserve), and so on. This pack now getting well into its second year of use, continues to delight. For under a hundred dollars, I thoroughly recommend it.

Ian hauls excess baggage

Skibug