Paul Kimbrough’s 2011-2012 Winter Wish List

I plan on skiing over 120 days across western North America this winter/spring so I need versatile gear that will last.  Here is my list.

Flylow
M Baker Bibs Orange: solid bibs keep the snow/rain out while the large side/knee vents cool me off on the skin track.

L Quantum Black: super waterproof and breathable the Quantum is on the list to keep me warm and cozy in harsh mountain conditions everywhere from Baker to Revelstoke to Alaska.  Huge pit zips allow me to wear this shell on the skin track when it’s windy, snowy, or even sunny (a huge plus for quick turnovers and staying dry all day long).

M Swindler Black: I want this super light, packable mid-layer to back up my Quantum on cold lift rides or for lunchtime on a long tour.

L Ridge Glove: warm and durable these are hands down the best deal on the market!!!

L Oven Mitt: for snow camping and the few days a year when my Ridge Gloves are not warm enough.

Moment Josh Bibby Pro 190cm: My favorite do-everything ski.  Mustache rocker makes this ski perform as well on hardpack as it does in bottomless pow.  If you can only afford a one-ski quiver this is the ski.

22-Designs AXL tele binding: not only is the AXL the most solid free hinging tele binding on the market, but also they are the most adjustable, so dial them in to suit your style.

Scarpa T-Race: I love this powerful 4-buckle tele boot for everything from side country at Mt. Baker to touring 10K in the Wasatch.  The new liners fit great right out of the box and the Powerbloc options allows me to fix the walk-mode into permanent ski mode for even more solid performance.

climbingskinsdirect.com Twin-tip skins: these simple skins will work on almost any ski and come with a block of skin wax.  They are hand made in Wilson, WY and the price can’t be beat.

Paul Kimbrough has been shooting with photographer Garrett Grove out of Revelstoke. Where can you find poutine, the Columbia River, and 6,000 vertical feet of powder turns? To view more dreamy photos check out Garrett Grove’s blog.

Ski resorts are opening around the country already, with chairs running in Colorado, Vermont, California, Oregon and Utah. But just because there aren’t any ski areas open in Washington yet, that doesn’t mean Flylow athlete Paul Kimbrough isn’t out getting some early-season turns yet.

Paul spent the summer guiding sea kayaking trips on the San Juan islands and he just recently moved to the town of Glacier, Washington, the site of the last bar and general store before you reach Mt. Baker Ski Area.

Paul took some friends on a backcountry tour yesterday, with steep lines, deep (albeit a little heavy) snow and an adventurous luge run back out to the car. Here are shots from the day.

Clouds rolled on our third lap of the day.

Paul Kimbrough drops in for some early-season pow.

Tripp, a firefighter, enjoying his first day of the season.

Paul and Ben, a Mt. Baker ski patroller, scouting lines from the top.

Earlier this fall we posted the trailer for TeleVision, this year’s big-mountain tele flick from Noah and Jonah Howell over at Powderwhore. If you live in Colorado, listen up. Chances are the movie is coming to a town near you during the month of November. In addition to, in our opinion their best tele footage to date, TeleVision includes some pretty hilarious spoof commercials, including Paul Kimbrough’s Tele Singles personal ad, Megan Michelson on America’s Next Top Model, and Jake Sakson rapping.

Colorado Tour Dates:
Steamboat- Tue Nov 2nd 7pm Ghost Ranch Saloon $10
Ft. Collins- Wed Nov 3rd doors open 7pm show at 8pm New Belgium Brewery $10
Boulder- Thur Nov 4th 8pm Avery Tap Room $10
Winter Park-Fri Nov 5th 8pm Winter Park Pub $10
Denver- Sat Nov 6th 8pm Casselman’s $10 in advance $12 at door 21+
Denver- Sun Nov 7th 8pm Casselman’s $10 all ages
Leadville- Tue Nov 9th 7pm Tennessee Pass Cafe $10/$5 for students
Golden- Wed Nov 10th 8pm Bentgate Mountaineering $10
Edwards-Thur Nov 11th 8:30pm E Town $5
Frisco-Fri Nov 12th 7pm Backcountry Brewery $10
Colorado Springs- Sat Nov 13th 8pm Cornerstone Screening Room at CC $10/$5 for students
Durango-Wed Nov 17th 7pm and 9pm Abbey Theater $10/$5 for students
Crested Butte-Thur Nov 18th 7:30pm Majestic Theater $8
Aspen-Fri Nov 19th doors open at 6pm show at 7pm Belly Up $10
Glenwood Springs- Sat Nov 20th 7:30pm Glenwood Springs Community Center $10

You can check out the nationwide list of tour dates here.

Here is a quick recap of my travels over the last few weeks.

My buddy Adam met me in SLC for the holidays, but the low snowpack quickly sent us back to the northwet in search of pow.

Tele skiers assembling Axls

Last Thursday I stopped in Driggs, Idaho to visit the world headquarters of 22-Designs and help assemble the new free-pivot Axl tele binding(and score myself a pair).