Summer Time and Ski Testing
Snowy pursuits have taken a back seat to summer travel and mountain biking. I am in Telluride for the 38th Annual Bluegrass Festival. The music has been inspirng as are the peaks of the San Juan Mountains. As an Oregon boy though, the sun here is a bit overwhelming. I have been lucky enough to get out for several mountain bike rides to enjoy the local hills. I have been putting an Osprey Raptor hydration pack through the paces, too. Osprey has recently started into the bike hydration pack market and, as you might expect, they put together a sweet pack. I'll have a full review of the Raptor 14 in my next post.
Looking back a month or two, I have some beta on a few select skis that I took up to British Columbia for a week of ski touring. Here is a quick report on the Volkl Nunataq, Voile Charger and Dynafit Stoke backcountry skis.
Volkl Nunataq - 139-107-123: Volkl steps into the backcountry ski world with four new skis featuring lightweight construction. The Nunataq is the widest of the new skis and matches the Gotama width profile. It weighs in at a respectable 7 lbs 12 oz a pair. The ski matches flat camber with moderate tip and tail rocker. The Nunataq served up excellent powder skiing. It is lively and ready to turn at any moment. Bigger skiers felt it reasonably soft, with a big sweetspot. Lighter skiers found the same big sweetspot, but found it stiffer than expected. Regardless, we all found it to be a fun ski. The Nunataq serves up a blend of traditional turning merged with the ability to smear and slide with new school style. The proprietary climbing skin system was developed with Colltex skins. The skins are very lightweight (a blend of mohair and synthetic plush). The tip connection is specific to the Volkl ski tip, and although a little fussy, they worked great and offer great glide. It is so nice to get skins precut to you skis.
Overall, the Nunataq is a lively, wide powder ski ideally suited to mid-winter and deep snow conditions. It is wide enough that we see it as a quiver ski. The kind of ski you take for pure powder skiing fun. Of course, once you get used to the 107mm underfoot and rocker profile, you may redefine what constitutes pure powder skiing fun.
Voile Charger - 137-112-126: Although not new for 2011, the Voile Charger remains a standout in the backcountry powder ski category. The Charger is a super playful ski that is incredibly agile for its dimensions - and respectably light at 7lbs 8oz per pair. The Charger makes you feel like you can do no wrong. It floats and turns with incredible ease, making short work of any soft snow.
We see the Charger as a quiver ski - a playful mid-winter powder board. It handles the gamut of backcountry snow conditions, but it excels in soft and deep snow. The Charger offers up quick short turns in the trees and opens up without hesitation in alpine terrain. Its moderate tip and tail rocker profile lend the ski a little new school smearability and make sure you float with ease.
Dynafit Stoke - 129-105-119: The Stoke was released last season, but holds its own in the freeride mountaineering category. The new more forward binding location gives the ski a more responsive feel and make it more varsatile in its turn shape. The Stoke is a very capable ski, but rather than a playful powder board, it is a do-it-all ski with soft snow dimensions. Its personality is more serious and get-it-done oriented than pure hedonistic powder consumption. The Stoke is at home in mixed alpine snow. From the wind effected ridgelines to protected basins, the Stoke is ready. Its modest early rise tip does not have the easy initiation of a more rockered ski, but it keeps the Stoke ready for the next turn in any condition. The Stoke weighs in at an impressive 7 lbs 1 oz (173cm) and is ideal for big tours and varied backcountry snow conditions.
Winter Wildlands Alliance is looking for entries for their seventh annual Backcountry Ski Film Festival. The festival travels to 50 cities nationwide and raises money and awareness for 
