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It is ski testing season here at Off-Piste. Backcountry and powder specific skis are rolling into our office every day. The recent blast of winter here in the northwest gave us an opportunity to get out in some good deep snows on on the Armada JJ and the Voile Drifter.

Both skis served up fine perfomances and both are incredibly light at under 9lbs per pair (without binders) given their 120+mm waist dimensions. It was expected that the Voile would weigh in light, but the Armada was the surprise at only 8lbs 10oz pair.

Testing begins in earnest next week and I have some great shots from a recent hut trip to Powder Creek Lodge in BC to post next.

The Volkl Gotama and Scarpa ski boots are available at evo.com

I am finally back after a couple of good trips. here is a quick piece of humor to freshen up the blog. Lots of gear and snow to talk about in the next few blogs.

High pressure was in full swing here in the Hood this last week and spring is now fully in the air. I am off to British Columbia for a final hut trip of the season.  Hopefully this next Pacific front gives us a little refresher.

I will be testing a variety of skis, boots, and skins while up in BC. I have been using a new set of Colltex Extreme mohair skins on the various boards over 100mm underfoot that we have been testing. The skins have been excellent - offering the best glide of any skin we have. Given the width of skis today, glide properties are more important than ever. Seems like skin widths have hit the "critical mass" so that mohair is now able to compete with synthetics on the ascent, too.

With spring on deck here in Hood River, check out the Mt Hood Climbing Route Poster we put together a couple years ago. It offers aerial shots of Mt. Hood from all aspects with climbing routes marked and first ascent dates noted. Spring special $17 including shipping.

Itching to get your tele groove on? Pay homage to local pinheads of lore & celebrate the telemark community with fellow enthusiasts at Stevens Pass!
 
The Sven:
Join in the 3rd Annual Sven's Telemark Classic Race! Pay tribute to a longtime Stevens Pass local who loved racing and diligently supported telemark skiing in the Pacific Northwest. Event consists of two runs and combines elements of Nordic and Cross Country Downhill in a wilderness setting; includes: downhill gates, Reipelykkje (360 degree banked turn), skate sections, whoops and a jump. Two cracks at the course for best combined time. Great fun for spectators and participants alike.  BBQ following race! 
 
Date: March 20, 2010 (Saturday)*
Location: Tye Bowl off Tye Mill Chair
Time:  Race @ 10:30 am, w/pre-race meeting & group course inspection @ 10 am. (Registration 8:00-9:30 am @Pacific Crest Lodge)
 
The Glenn:
Strap on your tele skis and join in this 27th Annual Memorial Race! In the 80's, Glenn Willcutt first introduced telemark ski racing to Stevens Pass where it continues to thrive today. Event consists of a downhill race with two timed giant slalom runs. Award and prizes for best costume! Can you one-up two-time winner Capt'n BadAss/Wild Thing Monster to clinch the Golden Tele Trophy?
 
Date: March 21, 2010 (Sunday) *
Location: Showcase off Kehr’s Chair (old Big Chief lift)
Time:  Race @ 10:30 am, w/pre-race meeting & group course inspection @ 10 am. (Registration 8:00-9:30 am @ Pacific Crest Lodge)
COSTUME DIVISION: Best Retro Costume!
 
Volunteers are needed for both days! Please contact Stevens Pass Ski School and leave a message for Kati (206.812.7387). Earn lift tickets!

Details: www.stevenspass.com

I spent last week in the North Cascades at the Yurt operated by North Cascade Heli-Ski (NCHS). A quick flight from their base in Mazama, WA, the Yurt, a well appointed, 30-foot diamater structure, offers out-the-door ski touring in the North Cascades bordering the Pasayten Wilderness.

The Yurt has been part of the NCHS operation for many years, but has seen some excellent upgrades in the past couple of seasons. It is a comfortable set-up that served our crew very well. I took the opportunity to participate in an AIARE level II avalanche class at the Yurt. Larry Goldie, IFMGA certified mountain guide, lead the course.

We had excellent skiing and a great snowpack for avalanche education. As luck would have it, the upper meter plus of snow offered at least four distinctive and relatively reactve layers, all sitting on various layers of buried surface hoar.

In addition to sharpening my snowpack study skills, I was able to spend time on two new skis for 2010; the Dynafit Stoke and the Voile Charger. Although we did not get any epic deep days while a the Yurt, there was plenty of boot-top and better skiing that brought both skis to life. Both are light, touring-minded boards with mild to moderate tip rocker.

The Stoke is a big radius turner, but responds to smaller turns when needed. It is all around stouter than the Manaslu, and is sure to please folks lookin' for more in a touring-minded ski, both in width and flex. It is right at home in big terrain.

The Charger has more tip rocker and offers up a silky smooth, big radius ride. It is perhaps Voile's best ski to date (we still have yet to ride the new Vector), and it is incredibly light-weight for its 112mm waist. I have posted on the Charger before and spec'd it at 110mm underfoot, but the pair we have in hand says 112 on the top sheet. I will follow up with Voile to confirm the dimensions.

Both boards are solid midwinter powder skis, and could fill out the quiver nicely. The Stoke is a bit stiffer and responds well to aggressive input. The Charger has more of a hedonsitic powder personality and responds well to all levels of input.

I've got a few more weeks of testing ahead, and a whole line-up of boards from BD, K2, Prior, Drake, G3, Praxis, Faction, and more on the way. Next week it is off to Powder Creek Lodge in BC for more ski and boot testing.

Larry Goldie from North Cascades Mountain Guides and I just spent a day out touring on the new Voile Charger (134-110-123) and Dynafit Stoke (129-105-119) skis. Both skis are light, touring minded boards with rockered tips.

The snow was excellent with north aspects holding the goods. The skis lived up to their names proving that fat, rockered skis don't have to weigh in at 10+ pounds. Both boards are silky smooth and encourage big radius turns with speed.

We have a number of days ahead to get on the skis as we are headed into the North Cascade Heli Yurt. More details on the trip next week.

While visiting the Wallowas back in January, I had the opportunity to hook up for a ski tour with Keith Stebbings, the director and lead forecaster of the newly minted Wallowa Avalanche Center. Keith posts condition summaries online each Friday at www.wallowaavalanchecenter.org. Keith’s reports give a detailed synopsis of the current snowpack along with snow profiles and photographs illustrating layers of concern. If you’re looking for a no-brainer, color-coded hazard rating, this might not be your type of report. But if you like snow science, then Keith’s are as good a read as any.

With January’s unstable snowpack under our feet, getting in turns was not necessarily the objective, but hanging out with the local avy pro sounded like a good idea considering the conditions. Keith was heading out to check on the Mount Howard Snotel site, and to scout out some areas for an upcoming search and rescue training in addition to gathering snowpack data for the weekly report. The skin up Mount Howard is about 4 ½ miles on an access road that climbs to the top at 8250’. The narrow road winds through dense forest as it gradually ascends an east facing drainage. The rounded top of Howard is relatively open granting views up McCully Basin and East Peak to the south, Wallowa Lake and Chief Joseph Mountain to the northwest, and the Blue Mountains in the distance to the north. The open slopes around the summit are low angled enough that we were not concerned with the almost constant settling going on under foot.

While Keith took care of WAC business, we explored around. From our vantage we spent quite a bit of time pointing out tasty looking ski lines all around. Given the poor stability at the time, our best line of the day was a mere 400’ vert on a 20-degree slope. But with a good layer of pow on the surface, I was quickly reminded how easily I’m amused with skis on my feet. Smooth turns through sparsely spaced saplings are always fun. We then met back up with Keith, did a little digging around in the snow with him (always good to take advantage of someone who knows more than you do), and took one final run off the top. The day finished with a quick decent back down the access road.

If you spend any time in the Wallowas, consider donating to the Avalanche Center. The Wallowa Mountains are a unique range with a snowpack that is not well represented by other forecasting centers. Especially if you only visit once or twice a year and cannot regularly follow conditions, the Wallowa Avalanche Center provides an invaluable resource.  – Jason Leslie

Telemon and his crew of freeheel skiers are up to their usual pursuits in Vermont's NE Kingdom this winter. The crew recently sent us some shots of life in the NE Kingdom. According to the e-mail note, "...it has been a low snow year, but we are making the best of it. Been skiing our collective asses off, taking whatever nature serves us."

From the looks of the photos, nature has been treating the NE Kingdom well, and the Kingdom Teleboys look like they are managing just fine. For more details on the Kingdom Teleboys check out back issue # 34