1. Wax Your Skis
1. Remove the burrs. Rough patches of metal can make you lose control. Gently run your fingers down the edges to find them, then use a gummi stone to work the burrs off. 2. Melt a bead of universal ski wax onto your bases with a warm iron. Work the wax in like you're ironing a shirt; let it cool; remove it with a plastic scraper; follow up with a nylon brush. 3. Get the right tools you need and watch video tutorials at swixschool.com.
2. Make Energy Bars
Pro-Bar founder Art Eggertsen's recipe for a protein-rich calorie grenade
1 ½ lbs chopped dates
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp fresh orange zest or Grand Marnier, or
¼ tsp orange extract
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp allspice
› tsp cardamom
½ c dried currants or other dried fruit
½ c chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds
½ c of your favorite
granola or toasted oats
1. Chop the dates and combine them with the maple syrup, vanilla, orange, salt, and spices.
2. Stir in the currants, nuts, and granola until you have a firm consistency.
3. On a lightly oiled baking sheet, roll out the mixture to a uniform thickness of about ½ inch.
4. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes, then cut into bars.
3. Stitch a Wound
A few tips from Dr. Luanne Freer, founder of the Everest Base Camp Medical Clinic.
1. Attempt only if evacuation isn't an option. If you screw up, you could cause permanent tissue damage and a nasty infection. 2. Irrigate the wound with boiled water—you can use a plastic bag with a hole poked in it—and then scrub with soap. 3. Sterilize your needle and thread. 4. Start stitching (see right). You generally want the stitches spaced a quarter-inch from each other and from the skin edges, which should just barely touch. (The skin shouldn't pucker.) 5. Tie the suture with a surgeon's knot off to the side so it doesn't touch the wound. 6. Treat with antibacterial ointment and cover with a clean bandage.
4. Split Firewood
1. Choose hardwoods like oak and maple for long, hot burning.
2. Axes are for serial killers&3151;and feeling trees. you want a splitting maul. try Husqvarna's classic model ($77;husqvarna.com). 3. Head speed is everything. Get it moving fast and true and it'll do the work for you: Grip the handle at the base; Slide your dominant hand up the shaft as you raise the maul, down it during the swing; and, as they say in baseball, swing through your target. And no sandals.
5. Add Ice Traction to Your Boots
1. Buy 30 half-inch or 3/8-inch sheet-metal screws at the local hardware store. The screws should be long enough to stay firmly in place but not poke you. (Duh.) 2. Screw 14 into the raised lugs on each boot—half on the heel and half near the ball. Finger-tighten, then tension slightly with a socket driver. 3. Logging lots of winter miles? Buy the real thing: A.T. Grip Hobnails ($40; sportiva.com).
