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Last fall, Garmont moved their North American offices from Vermont to Portland, Oregon. I recently had an opportunity to visit the new headquarters and meet with President David Fee and Marketing Coordinator Ashley Powers. Located in Northwest Portland, the new digs offer a nice relaxed but professional atmosphere, replete with the requisite Portland bike rack (in the office).
 
Garmont is more than just a ski boot company. They have a long history of hiking, walking and climbing footwear, too. The Portland office now houses the full North American staff for their footwear and ski boot programs, and although their warehouse is still currently in Vermont, Fee expects to have a new Portland warehouse open in the next few months. Of course, Garmont's Italian HQ remains firmly planted in Montebelluna, the well-established ski and climbing boot capital of Europe.
 
Why the move to the Northwest? According to Fee, several factors led to the move including a change in the company's structure where the Italian owner assumed 100% ownership of the North American operations and Garmont's desire to maintain and expand on their current North American market presence in part by revamping their office and establishing a presence on the West Coast like may other leading outdoor companies.
 
Once dominated by Garmont and Scarpa, the telemark and alpine touring ski boot markets have seen pressure from several new players including Black Diamond, Dynafit and La Sportiva and even longtime alpine boot manufacturers like Salomon and Tecnica. Revamping their office and reestablishing their presence in the Western US is part of Garmont's big picture planning to keep the brand's ski boot line in the forefront of the market.
 
Looking ahead, Fee is excited about the new three- and four-buckle AT boots (as are we): the Cosmos and the Orbit. Having been a strong player in the AT boot market over the years with the MegaRide and more recent Radium, as well as in the stouter freeride category with the Delirium, Garmont saw it was time to turn their focus to the growing lightweight, performance oriented AT boot sector. The new Cosmos and Orbit boots fit the bill nicely. We will be testing boots in this growing category on Mt. Hood in late May and are excited to get some quality up and down time in Garmont's newest boots.
 
Garmont remains committed to telemark and NTN boots as well, and although the telemark boot line is unchanged for next season, the new NTN Freedom binding will be available this fall. The Freedom offers increased touring performance and a lighter weight construction for the NTN system

Garmont also distributes Bridgedale socks and owns the Life-Link brand. Life-Link, once a primary player in avalanche rescue shovels and probes, adjustable ski poles and even ski packs, has seen little branding or marketing in recent years. Fee said that the Life-Link brand remains an important part of their quiver, and recognizes the need to revamp the brand and suggested we should see some changes in the future.

It's nice to see Garmont embracing their new Northwest home and their dedication to the sport we all love. We'll be sure to post details about the Cosmos and Orbit from our boot testing in May.

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Mt Hood's healthy snowpack bodes well for some excellent summer skiing this year. Summer skiing on the scale that Mt Hood offers is a treat unique to the Cascade Volcanos. T-shirts, sun hats and thousands of vertical feet of dreamy corn snow define the summer experience, as does a cold beer in the warm afternoon sun.

Wy'East Nordic is hosting its 28th annual Summer Ski Camp at Timberline ski area on Mt Hood from June 22-24. And it's not just for telemarkers any more! That's right, even fixed heel skiers can join the fun this year. It's hard to beat the full experience of warm weather, great corn snow and expert tips to improve your skiing; it's an ideal scenario for taking your ski skills to the next level. The clinic includes three full days of summer skiing high on the snowfields of Mt. Hood - two days of instruction, plus a day of touring. Bring your tele or AT gear and keep your season going through June!

You can count on the Northwest's best Telemark and Alpine instructors to give you great tips to improve your skiing. Register for the clinic prior to May 1 and you'll get a 10% discount on the cost!

www.wyeastnordic.com

Thanks to everyone who subscribed to Off-Piste for a chance to win avalanche safety gear and skis from Genuine Guide Gear this winter!  We gave away G3 shovels, probes, skins and snow saws in December, January and February. 

Robert Ray of Helena, Montana was the lucky winner of the G3 Skis. He got himself a pair of  G3 Saints! Congrats Robert!

The Saint was one of our all-mountain touring picks for the season. Here is what we said about the Saint in the 2012 Ski Review:

G3 hit a sweet spot with the newly revamped Saint. It may not be a big fat powder gun, but it has remarkable power and stability for a light, touring biased ski. The new early rise tip and traditional camber come together for a smooth, balanced and very capable ride that proved to be a crowd pleaser.

You can check out all of our 2012 ski reviews here

I've been on the road the past few weeks catching up on my powder skiing. Here are a few backcountry ski related news items worth following . . .

Did you read about the proposed huts on the famed Spearhead Traverse out of Whistler, BC? You can read about the proposal here and you can participate in the Spearhead Huts Survey here.

Live in the Northwest US? Take the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center survey.

You can also vote for your favorite Backcountry Purist entry at the Backcountry Lodges of BC's website. The contest ends this week, so head over and vote or better yet, enter yourself for a chance to win a four-week hut trip!

It's also time to get your name in the hat for the annual Alpine Club of Canada Hut lottery for a chance to stay at the Kokanee Glacier and Fairy Meadow Huts.

Finally, here is a cool video of some avalanche control work on Keetenay Pass near Nelson, BC. Nothing like a helicopter and some explosives to get things rolling...

As backcountry skiers, we rely heavily on our local avalanche centers for detailed weather and avalanche forecast information. The Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center is hosting the 4th Annual Snowball Dinner and Auction on Friday, April 20, 2012, from 6-10pm. This event is the perfect opportunity to share in thanking NWAC for their services and helping to raise funds for next year's operational budget.

This year's end-of-the-season celebration event will be at Mountaineers Program Center in Seattle. Tickets are $75 - buy yours soon; this event sold out last year!

You will find friends and familiar faces at the event plus a great dinner and a chance to participate in live and silent auctions for great gear, trips and more!

Suggested Dress: Backcountry Formal (ie – better than you usually dress)
Location: Mountaineers Program Center, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle
More information www.nwac.us/snowball

Buy tickets here