The snow on Hood is holding up remarkably well for late August. The skiing at the Timberline ski area last week was pretty darn fun. I spent the bulk of the day trying out Black Diamond's new Efficient Series boots: the Slant, Prime and Quadrant. All three boots performed well, and I'd say that BD's new AT boots set a high standard for lightweight, touring-minded construction and downhill performance. The Quadrant, a four buckle boot and the burliest of the series, weighs in at 1.64kg/boot/size 26.0. The Quadrant offers enough boot to drive a big ski, but is every bit light enought to keep most gram counters happy.
My pick of the day was the Prime - a three buckle boot weighing in at 1.55kg/boot/size 26.0. The Prime is a little softer than the Quadrant - similar to Scarpa Spirit 3 or 4 in flex. The Prime was there to drive the ski when called upon, but forgving enough to wear all day and its weight is very respectable.
The Efficient boot series as whole is pretty impressive. All are Dynafit tech-fitting compatible. All include heat moldable liners, and they all incorporate BD's propriatary Triax Pivot in the cuff that allows for 40 degrees of movement - 20 degrees forward and 20 degrees back - while in walk mode. For a company that has touted, "it's all about the down" the past couple of seasons, BD's new light-weight, touring-minded efficient series boots and skis are a welcome addition to their line-up. We will have full reviews of the new boots in the December issue of the mag along with boots from Garmont, Dynafit and Scarpa.
We just recieved Black Diamond's new Efficient Series AT boots. All new for 2010, there are four models, the Slant, Prime, Swift (women's), Quadrant. All of BD's new boots weigh in at less than my Scarpa Spirit 4's, and they all look great (except for the color choices on the Quadrant - but maybe it's just me).
I plan to get out on the boots this week. Hood is still turning chairs and it has been a solid six weeks since I have skied. Time to get back on it and check out BD's new touring minded AT boots. I will post more information once we get out and ski. In the mean time here are few shots and a link to BD's website with more info.
Voile's introduced two new skis in Janauary 2010: the Charger - 134-112-123 ; 2.8kg pair (171cm); 171/181/191cm, and the Vector - 118-94-107; 2.7kg pair (170cm); 160/170/180cm. Both skis build on Voile's Drifter design incorpating camber with moderate tip rocker and slight tail rocker. The Charger was a top pick in its size category during our testing. The ski is light, responsive and remarkably versatile in turn shape. The Charger is a backcountry powder ski that is at home in all terrain.
Unlike the Voile Insane, a traditionally cambered ski with a pretty darn small turn radius for its width, the Charger opens up the turn radius, yet remains lively and easy to turn. The Charger skis with ease in mid-size boots and its light weight keeps it managable for a full day of skinning.
We have not had as much time on the Vector as we did the Charger, but we should be heading up for some final ski testing and to ride the new BD Efficient Series ski boots in the next week or so.
The spring issue of Off-Piste included an article on the handmade or boutique ski movement by Don Pattison. The article looks at the current growth of small ski manufacturers, and it looks at a few of the higher profile operations. You can check out the handmade ski article here.
While researching the piece, Pattison spoke with Mike Hattrup from K2 Skis. As one of the biggest players in the ski market, K2 is far from a boutique manufacturer, but Hattrup defended the large scale manufacturer position with the the idea that no small producer can match the testing and R&D that a company like K2 has at its disposal. Hattrup then went on to say that we should check out the K2 testing and prototype factory up in Seattle sometime.
Well, it took a couple months to fit it in the schedule, but Pattison and I took a tour of the K2 facility this spring with K2 ski engineer Ken Schiele. The factory was a mix of testing equipment, ski tooling equipment and K2 ski and snowboard museum. It was good fun and K2 does have an impressive set-up for manufacturing and testing skis. And yes, it is hard to imaging that a small "garage" set-up can match what K2 can bring to the table. Here are a few images of the factory . . .
K2's 2010 backcountry ski line-up has a few notable changes from the 2009 season. First, all of K2's Backside line feature their new p-tex top sheet material. The idea behind the p-tex is to keep snow from building up on the top sheets, a great way reduce uphill weight. Does it work? To be honest, we did not get to tour on the skis in conditions that would normally produce snow buildup. What we saw was good, but it was far from a true evaluation. Other changes include an all new Darkside and the addition of tip rocker to the Wayback (formerly the Mt Baker Superlight).
The new Darkside has loads more tip rocker than last year's and all new graphics.The 2010 Darkside (156-128-144) combines K2's most aggressive tip rocker with a traditional tail. The result is a super stable and fun ski, but it does weigh in at 10.4lbs a pair. But just think, hopefully you will be carrying less snow on the top sheet in the uptrack. No doubt, it is a fun ski, and it encouraged our testers to attempt setting new speed records at the ski hill, but it is leaning pretty far toward mechanized access.
Of more interest to dedicated touring skiers is the 2010 K2 Wayback. The addition of tip rocker to the Wayback makes for a very lively, yet predictable and modestly stable ski. The Baker Superlight of old and last year's Wayback were a fine boards, but they lacked the personality and lively feel of the 2010 Wayback. I will go out on a limb and call the new Wayback a significant improvement over an already good ski. It is not the lightest (6.8lbs/pair) in its class, or the fattest (124-88-108), but it held its own in a variety of snow conditions, and I was impressed.
The rest of the 2010 K2 Backside line remains the same aside from the new top sheet material and some new graphics (women's skis too).
Rooftop cargo boxes are a great way to haul skis and keep your gear out of your vehicle. I have a Yakima Rocketbox and I use it all winter long (and then some), but I have found that my ski edges often rust when I leave my skis in the box for multiple days. Basically, snowmelt from the skis pools in the base of the Rocketbox and the skis end up sitting in water and the edges rust. The problem is particulary noticable when I haul multiple pairs of skis - more skis equals more snow to melt. So, I came up with a quick fix to eliminate the problem. I drilled drain holes in the bottom of the box with a 1/4" drill bit. The holes allow the snowmelt to drain away and my skis no longer have to sit in puddles of water, problem solved. The water issue may be more pronounced in the Northwest where the temps in town are often near or above freezing, but the modification does not compromise the box and will help keep the inside of your ski box dryer, regardless of where you live.
I drilled my box while it was mounted on the roof of the car. This worked fine, but obviously you have to use a level of caution so you do not put drain holes in the roof of your vehicle. If you do not trust yourself, pull your box off the car or create a stop on the drill bit with duct tape. I simply drilled holes in the low areas of the box (see photo). All told, I have about eight or ten holes. Happy drilling.
Armada JJ 126-136-115-133-121 @ 185cm. The Armada JJ first caught our attention when we learned it weighed in at around four pounds per ski (1.96kg or 4lbs 5oz to be exact). Most skis in this width category push 5lbs (or more) per ski. The JJ uses what Armada refers to as their “ultralight core”, and it combines generous tip and tail rocker with positive camber underfoot. Add sidewall construction and healthy dimensions, and you get an agile powder ski for the deepest of days.
"Wow" was the most common first impression of the JJ – related to both its lack of heft (we mounted it with Dynafit binders) and its on snow performance. The JJ impressed everyone who tried it. Can you say Powder Technician?
Sure, it is a quiver ski, and it is most at home in deep snow, but it is equally as fun at the ski hill as it is touring. Its positive camber underfoot gives it a carving ability not found in fully rocked out skis, seemingly without compromise in its soft snow performance. Overall, it is a lively short radius turner that was forgiving and fun in a variety of snow and terrain. It elicited many comparisons to the Voile Drifter (145-121-133 @ 172cm), and although the two skis do have similarities (light-weight, fat rockered boards), they are pretty different skis - more on the Drifter soon.
Sneak Peak at Our Ski Testing Notes - Dynafit Stoke
Despite the fact that it is snowing at elevation (again), the majority of our backcountry ski testing is now done. I get countless questions regarding what we liked during our testing, so thought I would share some notes from our highlights. The crop of truely touring-minded skis gets more diverse every season, and this year's line up is especially flush in light, capable skis.
First up - the Dynafit Stoke
The Dynafit Stoke is a touring-minded freeride and soft snow ski with an early rise tip and inserts for Dynafit bindings. It measures in at 129-105-119. We were able to ski the Dynafit Stoke in everything from ideal deep and cold touring days to recycled groomers and spring goo. The Stoke moves Dynafit skis into the world of big mountain “freeride” feel, but it remains relatively lightweight at around seven pounds a pair.
On snow, the Stoke is a big radius, big mountain turner. Aggressive, big terrain skiing are its forte. It has its roots in Greg Hill’s pursuits around Revelstoke and it shows. The Stoke felt a little forced in boot top snow, smaller terrain, and tighter tree skiing. Sure, it can ski tight, technical, and treed lines too, but this requires more attention and skill from you, the driver. Its soft, early rise tip is relatively mild in its rise, but it rides out of the snow as you would expect while the ski’s solid platform and relatively stiff tail hold it steady when conditions require. I see the Stoke as a quiver ski - a premium midwinter big mountain touring stick, but not necessarily an all-mountain, all-conditions ski.
It skied well with a variety of three and four buckle boots. We mounted them in the forward-most binding location after skiing them in the second position and felt it became more responsive to varied input, but its sweet spot remains big radius turning. Dynafit recently sent out a note that the mounting position for the fall production run skis will be 3.3cm forward of the production run we skied. This move will make the ski more responsive and will likely make it more nimble when the going gets tight, but its overall personality should stay true to its big terrain, Revelstoke roots.
It is a premier player in the big mountain, touring-minded world for aggressive skiers.
The minute I saw Black Diamond’s new Couloir harness, I knew I needed one. In the never ending quest to lighten my kit, it was immediately apparent that this harness would likely bump my current ski harness out of its favored spot. I have spent the last month using the Couloir while in the Chugach and the North Cascades. Here is what I have found.
The BD Couloir is a simple, clean, and ultra light ski mountaineering harness. It is made of 1 and 1 ½ inch webbing, weighs in at a mere 8oz, yet it comes complete with features not typically found on this type of harness. Right away, I appreciated the ability to put the harness on without stepping through the leg loops. It’s difficult to find a harness that allows you to do this and that still offers a belay loop. The Couloir has very usable, soft gear loops that aren’t even noticeable under a pack hipbelt, but the loops are ample enough to carry glacier travel gear. There is even a full strength haul loop on the back in the event that you find yourself wanting to ski a pitch on belay.
While ski touring on glaciers, we often wear harnesses regardless of whether we are roped up or not. Thus, it’s ideal to have a harness that you don’t even notice you are wearing. Between the harness’ light weight and the thin webbing leg loops, it was easy to forget that I was wearing the Couloir. As with many lightweight harnesses, the time you really notice them is while hanging in them. While practicing crevasse rescue and rappelling in the Couloir, its lack of lumbar support became readily apparent. BD has tried to beef up the 1” hipbelt with some extra fabric to spread the load, but the Couloir was not designed for hanging on a rope for extended periods. Personally, I can live with this for a harness that packs down smaller than a can of Red Bull.
The BD Couloir is not a do-it-all harness, but if you are looking for a ski mountaineering specific harness that is both ultra light and fully featured, BD’s Couloir is a great choice.
I have been using a wide variety climbing skins the past couple of months. With skis getting fatter, a skin's glide is more important than ever. I have been using, Colltex Extremes (full mohair), G3 Alpinists (synthetic), Dynafit's inhouse skin (mohair blend), and a new glueless clipskin (synthetic) from Canadian designer/inventor Kaj Gyr.
I have seen some great results with all of these skins, but arguably the most unique is the glueless clipskin from Kaj Gyr. If you have been around the backcountry ski world for a while, you may roll your eyes with memories of the old, rubber snake-skins, but Gyr's clipskins are much closer to a modern glue type skin than they are the old snake-skins. The clipskins I took on a hut trip were one of Gyr's early prototypes, but I still had pretty solid results with the general concept. He has made a variety of refinements on the attachment and tail pieces since the pair I tried. My pair used some temporary tape and test glue solutions for attaching clips and tip bails, but the general concept was the same as the more recent versions.
The glueless clipskins use a standard synthetic skin material like we are all familiar with (and it has nice glide and climbing characteristics), but they utilize a new glueless backing material and small stainless clip system to attach to the ski. As a result, the skin is remarkably easy to attach and remove from the ski. Tip and tail connections are akin to the various systems on the market with a wire bail on the tip and a stainless clip on the tail. One of the big differences here is that Gyr's proprietary backing puts stretch into the skin itself so there is no elastic tail like a G3 or BD Ascension skin. The tail clip simply engages stretch in the skin and pulls the skin tight against the ski. The sides are held on with small stainless clips that grab the edge of the ski. The clips are small enough and dispersed along the skin enough that they do not interfere with the ski's edging properties, at least in non-extreme edging situations. The majority of my use was in soft snow, but I was surprised at how well the skins performed.
I have never had much trouble with my standard glue based climbing skins, but Gry's new glueless system is intriging and worked well in my prototype testing. He has been refining the trimming process as well as the clip attachment process this spring. He has a video describing the trimming and skin set-up steps here and a website dedicated to the clipskins. Below is a video of the clipskins in use. This was made back in late February using one of the early prototype pairs.
Praise be to Ullr for providing us with outstanding snow conditions the past couple of weeks here in the Northwest for our annual testing of backcountry skis. Following a rather lackluster winter in these parts, Ullr stepped up to the plate with a great mix of cold storm cycles and bluebird ski conditions.
Surprise, surprise, skis keep getting fatter and more skis than ever are introducing rocker and early rise tips into the mix. After skiing so many rocker and early rise tip skis, it feels a bit odd to get back on a traditionally tipped ski. I'd say the evolving tip shape is here to stay. This year we have inlcuded skis from Faction, Drake Powder Skis, Icelantic, Volkl, and Armada, as well as the usual suspects like G3, BD, Trab, Voile, Dynafit, etc.
We have also had a chance to get on a number of ski boots including the new Scarpa Mobe, the Dynafit TLT5, and the Garmont Radium. Another interesting addition to this year's testing is a new race binding from Ski Trab (see image in slide show). It may not be the binding for your average ski tourer, but it is pretty slick and is sure to please the rando-race crowd.
I have not mounted them up yet, but will get a chance this week.
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.
I mounted up the latest production model of the G3 Onyx binding this fall. Although by all appearances the same binding as the beta model released last winter, the 2010 production version is actually a more refined version. The primary changes are as follows:
• Reduction of force required to open toe jaws to allow for easier toe entry
• More positive engagement of the heel tour mode lever into ski mode as well as more protection around the lever to eliminate unintentional mode changes.
• Better retention of the high heel lift in the stowed position to reduce unwanted flipping up of the heel lift.
• Modified heel cowling shape to increase boot support and ensure proper heel pin alignment.
The big change is really the reduction of force required to open the toe jaws. The production model requires a very reasonable amount of pressure to open the jaws, making getting in and out of the binding much easier than the beta model. I think G3 has reached a good compromise on the jaw tension and the binding's on snow functionality is truely improved from the beta model. In the field, I have found the Onyx easy to learn and use. Downhill performance has been excellent with no unexpeceted release or unsual behavior from the binding.
The low heel lift is a little stubborn to move when putting it back into no-lift mode, and it has taken a little time to perfect a clean maneuver with my pole to engage and disengage the heel unit, but with a little time, the system has become second nature (my standard AT set-up is Dynafits).
I added the brakes to the program this time too and have found them to operate well. A nice feature of the Onyx brake is how it locks into up-mode when touring. Unlike the Dynafit, the Onyx brake can be left deplyed when you shift the heel to tour mode. The brake then locks in up-mode as soon as your heel makes contact with the binding.
We skied all of these and they all delivered excellent performance at the demo day. The Stoke (short for Revelstoke, BC) takes the successful Manaslu platform, adds abot 10mm all around, and truley steps up performance. It weighs in at a respectable3.1 kg (just under seven pounds). Sure, it is heavier than the Manaslu, but it is signifigantly more powerful, too. The ski combines a Paulownia wood core with synthetic material and a mild rockered tip. Although the Stoke may not replace the Manaslu's quiver-of-one status, it will be a welcome addition for deep days.
The Voile Charger was inspired by the wider Drifter and uses the same tip rocker and camber profile, but drops some 10+mm in width. The result is a light and lively ski that was easy to control and capable at speed. The Charger's manueverablity and overall personality were super lively and fun. The Charger and the Vector will replace the Insane and Asylum in Voile's line-up. The new skis both use mild rocker, lightweight aspen cores, and are made right in Salt Lake by the Voile crew. Inspired b the Drifter's performance, Wally, Voile's founder, saw a need to update the line with more versatile rockered skis. The Vector will vie with the Manaslu for quiver-of-one touring ski status, while the Charger goes head to head with the Stoke for powder touring fun.
Black Diamond introduced six new skis at the show; all part of their new Efficient Series. The Flagship board from the new line is the Drift. It is great to see BD move to ski design than keeps an eye on weights. The Drift was a solid performer at the demo. At 100mm underfoot, it could be viewed by many as an all conditons touring ski. Like many of the lighter skis, the Drift uses Paulownia wood in its core. Its rocker tip is relatively subtle, but the tip is soft and makes for a maneuverable and lively ski.
Our annual ski testing session wll ramp up in about a month, and this year's line-up has some excellent potential for serious touring-minded boards. I look forward to getting to know these boards and more in the coming months.
Lightweight Alpine Touring Ski Boots - Scarpa - Black Diamond
The go-light AT scene appears to be on the rise. Black Diamond showed four new lightweight AT boots (all tech binder compatible) . The new line includes one women's model and three men's boots - Quadrant 4-buckle, Prime 3-buckle, Slant 3-buckle, and Swift 3-buckle (w's). I actually had the opportunity to ski several of these boots last summer during development. They ski well, matching solid downhill perfomance with lightweight Pebax construction and a generous toe box fit. The boots are competitively light with boots like Zzero, Spirit 3 and 4, and the Radium, all of which weigh in the neighborhood of 3.2 - 3.6kg pair.You can get the full propoganda from BD's microsite. The Prime is my pick as the nicest of the new collection, but we will be sure to get time on all of the production models this winter and spring.
I was surprised to see Scarpa offering a new lightweight four buckle boot called the Maestrale (Gea women's model). It takes over for the Spirit 3 and 4. It is lighter (3kg/pair) and Scarpa now claims the lightest four buckle AT boot on the market. The boot has a couple unique features/construction characteristics. First, the tongue system is unique and folds out of the way for easy entry. Second, Scarpa has redesigned its forward lean mechanism (throughout the tele and AT lines) reducing flex in the system. Finally, Scarpa is using a new plant based Pebax that not only reduces the boot's carbon footprint, but the new material also holds its characteristics through a wider temperature range than traditional Pebax. I was surprised to see the Spirit 3 and 4 out of the line as I have been using both boots for several seasons and see them as leaders in their categories. The new boots still use Intuition liners (some of the nicest most durable liners in the business) and weighing in at 3kg a pair, they are now the lightest four buckle boot around.
Scarpa also added a walk/tour mode to the long popular T-Race tele boot. The original red T-Race boot had a tour mode, but when it went through the redesign a few years back, the white model lost the tour mode switch. It is good to see it back.
Garmont and Dynafit each showed two boots that set a new standard for lightweight At boots. More on those in the next entry.
The annual Outdoor Retailer Trade Show (OR) took place in Salt Lake City last week. The show offers an opportunity to see what's new for next season. Just about all of the backcountry ski related companies are there showing everything from skis and boots to packs, beacons, and socks. The Wasatch received some badly needed precipitation during the week sending the avalanche hazard to high and setting off a series of close calls in the backcountry. You can check out the currrent conditions page on the Utah Avalanche Center for a window into the conditions. There are some interesting shots of slides - check for entries dated 1/19-1/22 or newer.
As for interesting products at OR, the backcountry ski market is alive and well. There are a number of new touring minded skis from the likes of Dynafit, Voile, and Black Diamond. There are new beacons from Ortovox and Backcountry Access, new boots from Garmont, Black Diamond, Scarpa, and Dynafit, several new packs of interest, not to mention some good looking new softgoods for ski touring minded users.
Skis are always a point of main interest and between Black Diamond, Dynafit, and Voile, there are three new touring minded skis over 100mm wide underfoot, all with rockered or early rise tips. The new Voile Charger is modeled on their Drifter ski (120mm+ underfoot), but is narrower at 110mm underfoot (171cm). It was light and responsive at the demo, but handled the resort push piles with ease. It should be a standout in the powder touring category. Likewise the new Stoke from Dynafit (105mm underfoot) was also light and responsive with a rockered tip. The Stoke (named after Revelstoke, BC) was developed with the help of Revelstoke resident and all aorund ski touring fanatic, Greg Hill. Black Diamond also stepped in this year with six new skis all dedicated to the light touring market. The Drift was the standout ski in their line - 100mm underfoot and features an early rise tip, too. BD has a new micro-site dedicated to their new touring minded line. Like the Stoke and the Charger, the Drift was a lot of fun on hill at the demo day.
Here is a short slide show of the OR show visit. More on specific gear this week.
The boutique ski movement is gaining momentum. Numerous smaller manufacturers are popping up in North America. From Ski Builders.com to 333 Skis to Wagner Custom to ON3p, small manufacturers run the gammut of variety and approach. I hesitate to use the term handmade skis because even the big ski operations use plenty of hand labor in laying up skis, and even the little guys use some type of mechanical press.
For the most part, except for the full custom shops, the small builders are making more resort oriented (broader appeal) skis. Arguably, Voile could be considered a small ski manufacturer and, although their skis are not custom, they are most definitely touring-minded in their design and weight. The Insane has garnered top ratings in our ski testing for several seasons, and the new Drifter rockered ski did well this season, too. Winter in the Northwest has been a bit off the past few weeks to say the least, but we have plans for more time on the Drifter once the snow cycle comes back into shape around here.
I recently connected with a new boutique ski company out of Vancouver, BC called Crown Skis. I spoke with CEO Mike Alexander and Marketing Director Jeff Bos about their current line of skis and the potential for some touring-minded boards in the future.
Right now, Crown has two skis in their line-up: the Satori 127/97/118 and the Kensho 142/106/122. Both skis offer good softsnow dimensions, but they are more resort focused than touring-minded in their construction/weight specs. This is Crown's first season offering open retail sales, but they produced skis the past two seasons as part of in-house development and beta testing. We should have a pair to demo here shortly.
More on the boutique ski movement in the March issue of the mag.
A pair of the new Ski Trab Stelvio Light XL's showed up just in time for the holidays here at Off-PisteMag HQ. If you are not familiar with Trab's Stevio line, it is a bit of a departure from their standard ultra-light rando race fare and features what I think is a very cool, traditional wood veneer topsheet.
The Stelvio Freeride has been around for a few seasons now and last season they introduced the Stelvio light - a lightweight construction version of the 84mm waisted Stelvio Freeride. The Stelvio is a great all around ski. I have toured on them in every condition imaginable, but at 84mm underfoot they get overlooked by many North American skiers as being too narrow. Why ski 84mm when you can ski 90-100+ right? Well, there are many sides to that debate, but in the meantime, Trab introduced the Stelvio XL which measures in at 90 mm underfoot - 125/90/112 - a great all around touring dimension.
The XL skied well in last spring's ski testing. It offered up nice round turns with a medium radius bias. It's light swing weight allow it to come around quickly when needed, but it will run it out pretty well, too. I am stoked to get this pair mounted up and in the snow. Did I mention they are beautiful! More details to follow.
The holidays are upon us and it seems everyone is shopping for skis - at least given the requests for copies of our annual ski review. Well, here it is the 2009 Off-Piste Mag Ski Review.
We have been doing an annual ski review for ten years. After looking over our current review and the reviews from other mags, we are working on a new approach to ski reviews for next season. Most reviews offer so little information and so little touring-specific detail. We hope to change this for next season. In the meantime, check out what we have to say about this year's boards and don't forget to support grassroots ski media....subscribe or get yourself some Off-Piste schwag...Voile straps, organic cotton ball caps, organic cotton hoodies, stickers...
Strike out at the local ski swap this year? Still trying to sell some ski gear?
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Locally-based transactions benefit your town and the broader environment by:
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• Plus -You keep all the money, LocalSkiGear.com takes nothing
LocalSkiGear.com’s goal is to provide a unique online community where you can exchange a large variety of ski equipment at affordable prices, right where you live. Spread the word.
Feel free to contact the folks behind the site at info @ localskigear dot com. They promise to respond promptly, unless it is a powder day…
I don't own an i-phone. I am not a big advocate of safety through gadets, and I'm not so sure I would tote my i-phone in the backcountry if I happened to have one. I know, they are great cameras, you can make short movies, some day they may even save the world from self destruction, blah blah, blah. For all the skiers who are i-phone compatible and less fearful of gadgets in the backcountry than I happen to be, I just got wind of a new i-phone application (not to mention the concept of applications in general) that works as an inclinometer.
Mammut has a free i-phone application that turns the oracle (that's what i like to call the i-phone) into an inclinometer and offers a variety of avalanche safety related beta and resources..
Now, before you get all excited and tell me I am promoting something that I hardly believe in (safety through gadgets), I am not necessarily promoting gadget use in the backcountry. Being able to estimate a slope's angle is a valuable skill to have. Just because you have an inclinomter on your phone does not mean you have to take it out on ski tours. Seems to me, it could make for a great party game - guess the slope angle. Or take it resort skiing and check slope angles between fielding phone calls on the chairlift. Bottom line, it's free and I have been known to use my now old-school (read non-electronic) inclinometer while driving, hiking, or generally goofing around - because, like I said, estimating a slope angle is a skill. Now you can practice it with your i-phone.
I recently got some interesting photos from Wally over at Voile. I won't take it personally that he did not call me to head up on Hood (or the Clolumbia River) with him, but it looks like he was able to have fun without me (imagine that) while testing Voile's new Drifter ski.
Voile showed an early rendition of the Drifter at the winter trade show, but according to Dave Grissom, Voile's director of marketing, the ski has undergone some changes since January. Because Voile does...
When the snow conditions are firm, nothing offers uphill security like ski crampons, or as the Euros say, ”harscheisen”. As a long-time telemark skier, I only came to appreciate the utility of ski crampons when I began to more regularly use alpine touring gear a few years ago. However with many telemark binding manufacturers now offering crampons and the B&D Ski Gear aftermarket options, ski crampons are accessible to virtually all binding set-ups.
Unlike boot crampons, most ski crampons pivot under foot so that they engage in the snow when you step down and pivot up and slide when you lift your ski to stride forward. There is very little resistance or even change in the cadence of your stride when using ski crampons, but there is considerable benefit and grip when they engage.
If you know the feeling of “holding on” while skinning on firm snow or steep side-hills, imagine how much energy can be saved if each step is significantly more secure feeling. Well, that is what ski crampons do for you. They offer security and stability that is unmatched by skins. They are not a standalone climbing tool; they work in conjunction with your skins, and they save climbing energy.
B & D makes a variety of crampons and they are compatible with virtually all bindings except the 7tm tele binders. They also make a fixed crampon; one that is fixed to the ski and does not pivot as you stride.Voile’s universal crampon is also a fixed style. It mounts under the boot and is locked in the “on” position. The advantage of the fixed program is that it works the same regardless of your heel lifter use. The downfall is that it does not stride as cleanly as the pivoting variety. B & D makes a variety of shims and accessories that allow pivoting crampons to work better with heel lifters (personally, I rarely mix heel lifters and ski crampon use). B & D also makes crampons that accommodate wide skis (100mm+). Not all of the in-house varieties are compatible with all ski widths, but most folks seem to be catching up with the ever widening ski widths available.
The ease of use varies for the various crampons varies, but for the most part they are designed to be installed on the fly, and are easily removed when not needed. Obviously, you can live without ski crampons, but they are a pretty useful tool to have along, especially on high alpine and spring adventures. There is very little weight or space penalty for carrying them, and the reward when the going gets firm is big.
In this day and age, it is pretty normal to take some level of electronics into the backcountry with you. From cameras to gps units and mobile phones, there are a multitude of gadgets to help fill your pack. Said gadgets require batteries and or charging. On a multi-day trip keeping your gadgets charged can pose a problem.
A few years ago, while on an expedition in the remote reaches of central Asia, I needed a way to charge the battery on an ipod that I intended to use as a storage device for digital images. Short of carrying a load of double-A batteries and an external battery-pack for my ipod, there were few options available. I came across a portable solor charger at the annual Outdoor Retailer show that looked promising. A company called Solio and had a single product, a compact portable solor device that could charge a phone or ipod size unit. To make a long story short, I got one and it worked great.
The unit was not large enough to charge my camera batteries, so I had to use a portable, roll-up panel made by Brunton to do that, but the Solio charger unit was perfect for keeping my ipod powered up as a portable, digital storage unit.
Solio now has a couple of products in addition to the original Solio unit that I used on that trip. This season, I upgraded to one of their new units, the Hybrid 1000 . It still works on the same principal. Essentially, it is a solar chargable lithium-ion battery that can pass its charge to a seperate device or it can be plugged into a variety of devices and act as a power source. The new unit weighs in at five ounces, is about 3/8 of an inch thick, six inches long and about 2 inches wide.
The unit takes eight to ten hours to fully charge and then will charge a hadheld device in the normal charging time. Eight to ten hours sounds like a long time, but functionally it works great. I simply clip it to my pack while out skiing or climbing for the day and then can charge in the evening when I return. You can also run a device directly off of it. Specs show that it will run about ten hours of play time on an MP3 device of fully charge a phone. I found it charged my ipod just enough to allow me upload about a Gig of data before the ipod ran out of power - almost a full charge.
The new Hybrid 1000 comes with a variety of tips to allow the unit to interface with different devices.
The weather cooperated the past few days for some time in the hills. I took the opportunity to take a crew of light weight skis and do some head to head tetsing.
I partnered up with Jeremey from the Mountain Shop in Portland and another friend Bruce to partake in some skin powered laps up at the ski hill now that it is closed. We grabbed the following skis - from left to right - Ski Trab Stelvio Freeride, Stelvio Light, Dynafit Manaslu, Stelvio Freeride (notice the Onyx binders), Dynafit Mustagh Ata Superlight, K2 Wayback (based on the Baker Superlight), Dynafit Seven Summits, Ski Trab Free Rando Light. We also had the new Stelvio Light XL ( it looks just like the Stelvio Light but moves to 125/90/112), but it is not pictured here.
The day started with some short laps to ski the boards back to back. I was most keen to run the Mustagh Ata head to head with the Wayback and the Stelvio Lights . Both the Mustagh and the Wayback are 88 underfoot. The Stelvio Light is 84 the Stelvio Light XL is 90. The Wayback is the heaviest of the group (although light when held against any other standard) and skied with the dampest feel. The Mustagh Ata and the Stelvio XL weigh in about the same at, and the 84 waisted Stelvio weighs in just a but lighter, but all handled the firm morning snow very well. The Mustagh Ata moved from edge to edge quickly and confidently, while the Stelvio Light offered up its trademark round medium to small radius turns with ease. The K2 definitely offered the smoothest ride, but it was noticably heavier underfoot than the others, too. The Dyanfit and Stelvio Lights were all fun. The Stelvio's have a smaller turn radius bias, but all of these skis handled a range of conditions well and will run the full range of turn sizes without complaint. Granted, none of them are resort ripper skis. These are skis made for touring and mountaineering.
The snow conditions quickly deteriorated on us as the sun turned the new snow into sticky glaunch as the sun neared midday. Nonetheless, we still rallied for a higher tour on a single pair of skis for the afternoon. I stepped into the G3 Onyx for the tour. It was my first touring experience on the binder. Although I hardly had enough time on it to give any sort of full report, overall, I can say it worked well. Just to set the scene, I am dedicated Dynafit user when it comes to AT gear. I step into the Onyx as a bit of a skeptic, but also with an open mind. I really like the easy action of moving between ski and tour modes. The whole system worked well for me, but as with any new system it requires perfecting new pole tricks to get all the moves down. So far, my biggest criticism of the Onyx is getting in and out of the binding. The toe lever requires a lot of force to open the toe jaws. This is comforting with binding retention in mind, but not so comforting when trying to get into (or out of) the binding on a steep slope of a precarious perch.
As for its ski performance, the attachment feels bomber. I took a digger hopping over a small moat and although I augered pretty good into some deep glop, neither ski released - a good thing as I did not think it was a big enough hit to release them. I look forward to getting a few more days on them, but right now the weather is turning sour again . . .
Spring is up to its usual mixed weather cycle here in the northwest - sun, snow, rain. I am hoping for the weather to settle out a bit so i can get out on a few more test skis.
In addition to skis, we recently got a pair of the new G3 Onyx binders in the office. I mounted them up on a pair of Ski Trab Stelvio Freerides. The mount was relatively painless. No trauma or problems. The binders use the same jig as the Dynafits, but they actually use a mounting plate that allows for the binding to be moved fore and aft to accomodate different boot sizes without a full remount - not a big deal for most users, but nice for testing. The plate system also potentially allows you to run one binder on more than one pair of skis if you have multiple sets of mount plates.
Because the binders can be moved foreward and back, I was able to mount them in some existing Dynafit binding holes and still match boot center. Again, not a big deal for most users, but nice for testing as I did not have to redrill the ski.
The binding is built on the fundamental Dynafit attachment concept. The biggest operational differences between the Onyx and the Dynafit are: 1.) The Onyx toe piece always reverts to locked and requires constant downward pressure to open versus the Dynafit that locks into open mode. 2.) The Onyx heel piece switches between ski and tour mode by moving backward and forward versus spinning like the Dynafit. 3.)The heel lifters for climbing are seperate from the heel unit and engage by pivoting forward versus the integrated lifters that require spinning the heel on the Dynafit.
There are numerous design differences between the two binders as well. G3's web site does a good job of explaining the ins and outs of their binding. Gram counters will take note that the Onyx weighs in at 1,430 grams/pair (no brakes) versus about 1,000g for the Dynafit Vertical ST with brakes (I did not actually have an unmounted pair to weigh). G3 definitely stepped out on a limb being the first company to go head-to-head with the Dynafit program and deserves some recognition for doing so. However, seasoned Dynafit users are a loyal bunch. It will be interesting to see how the Onyx takes hold next season, and where it fits into the user hierarchy for bindings.
Here are a few shots of the mounting process . . . hopefully, the weather settles out a bit and I can get some spring volcano fun in on the Onyx in the next few days and report back on touring with the Onyx. In the meantime, you can (if you have not already been there) visit G3's dedicated and informative web site for the binders where you will find video and dialog highlighting the operation of the Onyx - www.g3onyx.com
We are working to wrap up our 09-10 ski testing with a few final days of ski comparisons. Basically, we have skied everything, and now we are doing some final side by side comparison skiing. For example, skiing the G3 Tonic side by side with the K2 Coomback, the new Dynafit Mustag Ata side by side with the Ski Trab Stelvio XL and the K2 Wayback. Side by side testing helps define subtle differences in the skis.
Other skis of note include the Black Diamond Zealot and the Havoc. Both are new for 09-10 and, although they fill distinctly different categories, both are very capable skis.
The majority of our ski testing is done by riding lifts. There is no other way to get through the volume skis with any efficiency. However, we do hand pick a few skis every year and tour on them. One ski I was able to get some good soft snow touring days on was the Voile Insane. The Insane, at 100mm underfoot int he 172cm length, is a prime choice for a fat touring board. It is light, accomodates just about any turn radius, and makes short work of a wide variety snow. It is far more than a powder pig. It handles mank and chunder with ease, too. No other ski offers the same realestate underfoot for the same weight.
You can learn more about Voile in an interview with Voile founder Mark Wariakos that appeared in the January 09 issue of Off-Piste. download the interview pdf and you can see the voile insane in action below
I am back to the ski testing regime at Mt Hood following a week of ski touring up at Powder Creek Lodge in BC. Our week at Powder saw the move to spring weather. North slopes stayed cold and dry while solar aspects began the spring transition.
I skied the Scarpa Spirit 3 and Spirit 4 boots while up at Powder. I have skied the Spirit 3 for about two seasons, but this was my first time on the Spirit 4. The boots appear to be virtually the same mold, but the four uses four buckles while the three has, you guessed it, only three buckles. The four also comes with a second toungue for downhill performace and a small spoiler for the back of the liner. I skied both boots with the same liner and spoiler, but did not experiment with the downhill tongue. The black downhill tongue is significantly stiffer and has no hinge point like the traditional touring tongue. I have no doubt that it adds downhill support, but to keep the boots touring friendly, I opted for the hinged tongue.
Both boots tour well. The three is my known quantity, and over the course of a week I skied the four on one foot and the three on the other and skied with just the threes and just the fours. The boots are very similar. Although subtle, the four does offer a snugger fit with the extra buckle. The three can be buckled down to compare, but the four is capable of a more uniformly snug fit. Anyone with a low volume foot or more used to the snug feel of an alpine boot could benefit from the four's fit. When it comes to actual ski performance, both boots are capable of managing a good sized ski and skiing any terrain.
From a touring perspective both boots were super comfy. The new Scarpa Intuition liner is one of the best liners I have used. They are super comfortable, durable, and hold their thermofit molding shape very well. From a downhill ski performance perspective the differences between the Spirit Three and Spirit Four are subtle. I see the Spirit Three as a very capable three buckle boot and the Spirit Four is a solid four buckle performer that tours like a three buckle boot. Both boots use the same foward lean adjustment and it can be dialed into your favorit angle with the twist of an allen bolt.
Our ski testing of next year's boards continues. We have had some killer soft snow conditions up at Hood with classic tweener conditions (spring temps with new snow) thrown in for good measure.
A couple of interesting boards of note include the new Volkl Gotama (rockered tip and tale and 105ish underfoot) and the new Ski Trab Stelvio Plus which, at 90mm underfoot, is Trab's widest ski to date. Although the Volkl and the Trab are very different beasts, they both proved to garner praise while testing.
The new Gotama is a confident agile ski that makes short work of just about evrything we could find at the ski hill. The subtle rocker in tip and tale make for a very responsive ski, yet showed no weakness when ramped up on firmer carvable snows. It is a heavy beast at about 10lbs 10oz/pair unmounted (178cm) when compared to more touring oriented boards. I see it as a classic slackcountry ride, but that does not diminish its fun factor. I skied with a relatively light boot (Scarpa Spirit 3's) and had a blast.
I am stoked to see Trab with a fatter ski. I have been a fan of the Stelvio Freeride for a couple years. The new ski takes the Stelvio light construction and adds 6mm to the waist and more to the tip. I talked to their designer about such a ski last spring, but he did not give up too much info. It could have been the language barrier though as my Italian is nonexistent and hisenglish was limited. Trab also has a Dynafit style binding in the works, but they would prefer to keep it under wraps until they have finalized all the design charcteristics and such. The new ski is a classic look and has the fine workmanship you would expect in a handmade ski. These guys lay up all their skis by hand in their Italian factory and source all their own materials. It is a great set-up, and thier skis reflect the care they receive during design and construction.
On the boot front, I have been running the Scarpa Spirit 3 head to head with the Spirit 4. The boots (sans liner) weigh in at 3lbs 1oz and 3lbd 6oz, respectively. I have always suspected that there was little difference between the spirit 3 and 4 aside from an extra buckle on the four. Ski performance with the touring tongues is hard to differentiate. The Spirit 4 does come with a "ski tongue" that is remarkably stiffer than the tour tongue, but I have yet to use it yet. I am taking them out this next week for extended side by side touring, i'll report back any obvious differences.
We have begun testing the 2009 skis here on Mt Hood. The weather has dished out some classic March Mt. Hood conditions with over a foot of new snow during the past few days. Of course, the snow has been delivered with some serious winds and relatively balmy temps hovering around the upper twenties.
Nonetheless, skiing has been great for testing. I find a good dense warm snow quite nice for testing, actually. The snow really works the skis and helps define thier personalities nicely.
We test a mix of free and fixed heel set-ups, including the latest rendition of the new NTN from Rottefella with Scarpa's new TX Pro boot.
I have never been an outspoken fan of the NTN system. It just seems to go in the opposite direction of touring friendly gear for my tatses, but the new Scarpa boot and the latest version of the binding proved to be quite fun for resort ripping. It is a powerful setup for sure. It is not for everyone, in my opinion, but it clearly delivers a tight, responsive interface for resort style skiing. I was pleasantly surprised at its on piste functionality. The system mates well with a big ski for aggressive skiing.
On other fronts, the new G3 Tonic and Zen Oxide (lightweight ski with same dimensions as the Hombre) have been popular as was the Rossignol Powder Bird. The Powder Bird is one heck of a stable ski for aggressive resort skiing. The Zen Oxide and Tonic have more touring apeal and proved to be very adept in soft snow.
We will have more from K2, Atomic, Dynafit, Volkl, and Karhu in the coming weeks, as well as a look at the BD Method AT boot, the Scarpa Skookum AT boot, and more.
OSLO, Norway (March 20, 2009) – Rottefella AS, a leading manufacturer of bindings for Nordic skiing, this week announced that it will close Naxo AG, its wholly owned subsidiary that produces Naxo alpine-touring bindings. The move will allow Rottefella to refocus all of its resources on the Nordic and telemark skiing market, where it dominates ski binding sales worldwide and has introduced 13 new binding designs in the last five years, including the innovative New Telemark Norm (NTN) binding system.
“Despite strong sales and marketing support for Naxo since Rottefella purchased it in 2006, the bottom line is that Naxo hasn’t achieved the critical mass worldwide that we needed in a very crowded market,” said Torbjorn Ragg, Marketing and Sales Manager for Rottefella.
The upside of Naxo’s closing is that it will free up resources to help Rottefella re-double its focus on the core of its business, Ragg said.
“And that will help us continue to lead the market in innovations for Nordic skiing in all its forms – racing, touring, backcountry and telemark,” he said.
Beyond the obvious ski gear, what gear is important for a ski tour? There are a few fundamental "must haves" - a shovel, probe, beacon, skins, but beyond these items, there is a fair bit of lattitude as to what is necessary for touring. I went through my pack for a typical day trip and my pack is pretty sparse. It goes along with the pack light mooch heavy program to which I like to subscribe, but it is also utilitarian.
This selection includes a spare hat and gloves, but does not include my normal synthetic puffy layer that I pack, too.
The contents here are for day tours where I am familiar with and confident about the terrain. I use and inspect my gear regularly, so I do not carry much repair gear. I have spent more time repairing other people's gear over the years than I have my own.
A good criticism of my day gear is that I am noticiably short on first aid, but even when I pack first aid it is typically minimalistic - athletic tape, advil/vicadin, gause pads.
Climbing skins are, obviously, essential equipment for backcountry skiing. For a piece of gear that we use as much as we do, climbing skins do not get a lot of press. Skis are more fun to talk about for sure, but a good skin is key to a good day.
I have a variety of skins going at the moment. Dynafit makes a skin to match their Manaslu ski and I have used them quite a bit this winter. The skin's unique attachment system interfaces with the slot in the tip of the Manaslu ski. I am not one for equipment designed for a single use, but the tip attachment system does work well. It is easy to release and I have never had any trouble with it getting kicked free or falling off during use. The skins are one of the better gliding skins out there,too, and their uphill traction is pretty good, not the best, but i would rather have a skin that glides well and climbs pretty good than a skin that glides ok and climbs the best. One of the best things about the dynafit skin is that it stays pretty darn dry in all conditions, and it is, as you might expect from Dynafit, nice and light. The glue has been reliable, but I question its ability to stand the test of time as it seems a bit thin. So far so good, but time will tell.
Another skin I have been impressed with is the G3 Alpinist. It has proven to glide as well as any skin I have, and climbs great. Like the Dynafit, the G3 skin is also quite light. It is tough to compare them as they are cut to different width skis, but they definitely fall into the lightweight skin category. The cool thing about the Alpinist skin is its unique and functional tip attachment. The system uses two swiveling clips and the design accomodates a wide variety of tip shapes. It has proven to be bomber. With a season-and-a-half of use, the glue has proven reliable, too.
The last pair of skins i have in the mix is a pair of Black Diamond Glidelites. The offer a great reliable tip and tail attachment. The tail clip is similar to to the popular tail clip systems available, but i think it is one of th best. My complaint on the GlideLite is that the glide does not measure up against the Dynafit or G3's. The old blue and white GlideLite had one of the best glides around a few years back, but the newer version is sluggish. They do climb great and the glue is the oldest of all the skins i have and has stood the test of time well.
Key to a good skinning experience is good skin care. It is not rocket science to treat your skins well, but there are a few key elements to using skins.
Rule #1 - Do not let the glue side touch the snow.
Rule #2 - Keep them folded glue side to glue side when not in use. I fold them in half as best as the wind will allow.
Rule #3 - If the glueside begins to ice up, tuck the skins inside your jacket on the descent, and or you can scrape the glue side against your ski edge - holdskin on either side of the ski edge and run it over the edge - and then stuff them inside your layers to warm up.
Rule #4 - keep the glue clean. Things like pine needles, sap, and animal fur will compromise your skin glue.
Rule #5 - Be sure to dry your skins over night
Rule #6 - Keep the skin side away from open water. Skins ice up when they get. stepping in wet snow or letting the tails dip into a creek on a creek crossing will set you up for clumping. I like to carry a plastic ski scraper (it has numerous applications) and use it to scrape my skins if they begin to clump up at all. A ski scraper and some skin wax go a long way, but applying skin wax without scraping them will limit the effectiveness of wax.
I get a lot of questions about layering and clothing for touring. I have a standard set-up that serves me well in a pretty wide range of temps/conditions. For me, everything revolves around a good breathable set-up while climbing and an easy way to stay warm when stopped. I dress as minimalist as possible for the uphill. On my legs I use a highly breathable softshell pant and a very lightweight base layer. Looking at the upper body, I normally use a simple, lightweight base layer with a light fleece layer like a Patagonia R1over it (if the temps warrant) and a superlight, breathable softshell on top. Staying well vented and relatively sweat free while climbing is key to all day comfort. A key element to my layering system is a warm synthetic puffy jacket that I can easily put on over everything when I stopped.
I never leave for a tour without a synthetic puffy. It is essential for staying warm during transitions, snack breaks, and in the event of a problem. Typically, my layering is just enough to keep me warm when working uphill and I do not have to adjust these layers. However, anytime I stop for any lenght of time I throw my puffy on over everything I already have on. This makes for a good simple system, and you never have to take off your shell or change layers below it. This minimizes transition times and reduces overall clothing management. The last thing I do before skiing down is pull off my puffy jacket and stuff it in my pack. When it is cold, I often find myself skiing down in my my puffy, and just pack it for the uptrack.
For me, it is key that a good puffy be light, compressible, hooded, and sized to fit over all of my layers. I choose synthetic insulation because I am hard on this piece of gear. It gets packed and repacked all day long, often damp with snow. The synthetic insulation stands up to this abuse very well, maintains its warmth well, and drys quickly at the end of the day without any special attention.
A variety of companies make jackets that fit the bill for this piece. Two of my favorites are the Outdoor Research Chaos jacket and the Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody. The Chaos jacket offers a bit more insulative value than the Micro Puff Hoody and it actually uses a waterproof Gore paclite shell fabric. It still packs well, and it stays dryer than my Micro Puff in marginal weather. The Micro Puff Hoody packs smaller, is a little lighter weight, and has endured several years of abuse without any undue wear. The OR Chaos has become my go-to jacket for mid winter cold, while the Micro Puff Hoody is my choice for more moderate Northwest temps.
I will look at more key items that I think are well suited to touring later this month.
There are still a few details from the tradeshow that I have not posted because I have been busy getting the fourth issue of the season ready for the printer, but I thought I would grab a moment this morning to share a couple items.
First, Voile unveiled new graphics for their Insane and Asylum models as well as a new rockered ski called the Drifter. It was not that long ago when the Insane made most of the other skis out there look narrow. Now, the other skis out there are starting to make the Insane (100mm underfoot) begin to look on the narrow side! Pretty crazy. I am still a firm believer that 90-100mm underfoot is ideal for general softsnow touring. The Insane stioll makes a hell of a powder ski.
Word from Wally (Voile founder) is that the Drifter is an all new experience. He actually compared skiing it to snowboarding. I have yet to ski any of the big fat rockered boards in really nice deep snow, but they do offer an incredible amount of stability and (obviously) flotation.
In other interesting news, Backcountry Access showed a new airbag avalanche pack. There is a fair bit of talk about avalanche survival these days (didn't the talk used to be about avalanche avoidance?). Anyway, on the subject of avalanche survival, the Avalung has been making headlines and there is a lot of talk about airbag packs. Many experts tout the airbag pack as one of the better options when it comes to survival. The packs help create a buffer around your head and neck that helps protect against trauma, and it also helps create an air pocket as it deflates after burial - not to mention that the pack is designed to help avoid burial alltogether.
BCA's pack was still in the develpment stages and I neglected to take a photo, but it looks promising. BCA also showed a new shovel/probe and shovel/saw system. The shovel is available with either a probe or a snow-saw option and stows neatly into the shaft. The idea is not new, but the execution of the idea is cleaner and more solid than past versions.
The trade show yielded a few cool items this season. Given my relatively short time in the show, I focus on the main hardware related to backcountry skiing. There are a variety of cool items in the pipe for fall 2009.
BD has a new skin that is designed for skis over 110mm underfoot. The skin is split in the middle and a strip of ripstop nylon runs up the center of the skin, seperating the skin into two sections that cover the outside edges. If you have ever skinned with 100+mm of skin, you know that this is a cool idea. According to BD, offering it in a narrower version simply did not offer the advantages they found at 110mm and above. Great idea and good to see some thought going into the weight and drag of skins.
On the skin front, K2 jumps into the climbing skin world this year. Rather than reinventing the wheel, K2 pursued Rick Liu, former partner with the original Ascension skin company, to source skins. The new K2 skins use the well known and trusted Ascension skin materials paired with a new tip and tail connection system developed to work with K2's new skis. The skins use a simple, low profile tip and tail connection system that works with tip and tail holes found in all of K2's new skis (see images). The system is slick and easy to use but we have not had them in the field yet.
K2 did not stop with skins. They developed a line of new adjustable poles as well. They are modeled on the flick-lock type mechanism for adjustability. The poles are marked with centimeter markes on both the upper and lower shafts to allow for on the fly snow evaluation purposes, checking the new snow depth and such. They also include marks that allow you to measure slope angle without an extra inclinometer. They are clean and straight forward and available in alluminum and carbon fiber models.
Moving to bindings there was a big buzz at the show surrounding G3's new Onyx AT binder. G3 stepped up to the plate with the first binding to go head to head with Dynafit's "tech" binder. The Onyx uses the same toe and heel attachment system found on any Dynafit compatible boot, but they set their sights to take the binding to a new level. I was able to ski the binding for a few runs at the on-snow demo, and I got the full run down on its functionality from one of the two primary engineers behind its design.
The Onyx is well thought out and offers a solid platform for skiing. The big debate amongst show goers was simply - is it better than the Dynafit? The answer is not so cut and dry. Both are rated to Din 10. Both offer brake and crampon compatabilty. Both have their idiosyncrasies for stepping in. For some, the fact that the Onyx weighs in at 1.43 kg/pair and the Dynafit TLT Vertical weighs in at .85kg/pair answers the question. Some see the extra beef of the Onyx as a positive. We should get a pair here before too long so i can spend some more time getting to know it.
I have a bit more on some new boots from Garmont and other assorted items.
I am back in the Hood after several days of trade show fun. I managed to get out skiing a couple of days while in UT. In fact, we found good skiing on Friday despite the Utah Avalanche Center's discouraging words about the snow quality . . .
We got slimed yesterday afternoon and overnight with weather right out of Blade Runner—drenching rain falling through the choking smog. Rain fell yesterday up to 9,200’. Sundance reported over 2 inches of water overnight, almost all from rain, while Alta UDOT reported 1 inch of water with 6 inches of snow, which is a leg-wrenching, 20 percent. It might pass for powder in Oregon but it goes by much less flattering terms around here. Ridge top winds are light and temperatures have barely dropped below freezing at 9,500’.
Fortunately, Larry, Tim, and I all have plenty of experience with such snow. Despite the report's Oregon reference, the UAC does an awesome job with thier reports, and their icon driven style along with the avalanche rose and excellent presentation should be a standard for other avalanche centers around the country to emulate.
The snow quality did not seem to keep too many people away from the mountains though, and we took to referring to the mountains around Little Cottonwood as the Wasatch Mountain Resort give the plethora of skin tracks and skiers we saw out in the "slimy" conditions.
A trip to Salt Lake is not complete without a meal at the Lone Star Taqueria. We stopped in for dinner and made sure to update the "sticker mobile" with some new Off-Piste stickers.
On the trade show front, I have many more details and images of the gear we checked out, and i will get that up tomorrow - if not later today.
I am in Salt Lake for the annual winter Outdoor Retailer show this week. We spent today up at Snowbasin Ski Resort for the on-snow demo. We checked out new skis from all the usual suspects including, K2, G3, Black Diamond, Karhu, Dynafit, Rossignol, Atomic, Movement, and Goode.
Predictably, rockered tips and big dimensions are the name of the game in 2009 ski design. BD showed a full fleet of revamped boards as did K2. BD introduced a couple of new skis, but also has updated versions of the Kilowatt, Havoc, and Zealot. K2's entire line is new and is flush in rockered tips, with the Coomback, the Sidestash (108 underfoot), and the Darkisde(128 underfoot) among others. G3 introduced two new rockered tip skis, the Tonic and the Zest (women's). Ski conditions were on the firm side for testing backcountry powder skis, but it is remarkable how well most skis handle the firm snow despite their dimensions.
It was great to get to check out the new G3 Onyx Alpine Touring binders in person. It offers an interesting variation on the classic Dynafit TLT. I look forward to spending more time on it in the near future.
Tomorrow, we head indoors for the traditional inside show. More details to follow.
I recently got a helmet cam for some testing. I have always been a still camera guy and know very little about video. The camera I have is a VIO POV cam, and it has proven to be nearly fool proof. Not only was it easy to use, but it was also painless to edit and upload.
The video below is my first attempt at skiing with the camera. It is no TGR, hopefully the conditions will improve and i can atleast capture some good turns. Yesterday the conditions for skiing were grim, but the weather was great. I went up on Hood's northside where the temp was pushing 50 degrees, and the wind was howling out of the west. As you can see from the vid, the snowcover is poor. I skied down through a burn from last summer, known locally as the Gnarl Ridge Fire. Most of the snow is covered with a light coat of ash, but it is an interesting window into the burn if you know the area.
Back in early December I wrote about the various telemark boots we have here at the office. The line-up includes, Scarpa T1 (all black vintage), Garmont Syner-G, Garmont Veloce, and the newest boot - the Black Diamond Seeker.
The Seeker is BD's three-buckle, touring friendly freeheel boot. We selected it over the Push as our preferred toring boot. Our choice of a three-buckle boot for touring sets our bias for a lighter boot for all-around touring use. The bigger boots certainly have their place, and there are many skiers who prefer big boots for all pursuits, but I believe that a boot like the Seeker or the Syner-G are plenty of boot for a wide range of skiing.
The Seeker is similar in cuff height and general style to the a boot like te Syner-G and it weighs in at about 3lbs 13oz (1.73kg) - about five ounces more than the Syner-G.
On snow, the Seeker performs well. It offers excellent control and power for a boot of its size. Skiing it at the resort on a pair of K2 Work Stinx, I found that I could crank down the liner, snug up the buckles and get everything I needed from the boot in mixed, cut up snow. The flex is reasonable and the upper boot is there when you need it.
The Seeker tours well too. Although I have only used it on day trips, I found it to be soft enough for a comfortable all-day fit. I did find myslef loosening the liner and upper buckles to allow for good uphill comfort, but all in all the boot tours well.
Overall, I found it a bit stouter than the Syner-G in both flex and touring comfort, but some of this could be attributed to the small number of ski days on the Seeker versus the large number of days on the Syner-G. There may be better boots for driving a twin tipped fat ski, but for all around use on more moderately waisted, touring oriented skis (mid 90's and narrow), the Seeker is solid option.
G3 Announced their new Onyx AT binding today with a fancy interactive website. The binding takes its basics from the Dynafit TLT binding and requires a Dynafit compatible boot. We have yet to use the binding, but it looks very promising. It weighs in at 1430 grams. check it out www.g3onyx.com
I've been getting a lot of requests to load our 0809 ski review on the web. Remember, you can always subscribe and request the October issue, but in the mean time; here is the oft requested 0809 Off-Piste Mag backcountry ski review. Our ski testing is not comprehensive, but we feel we offer a good cross section of the backcountry skis that are available.
The weather is finally beginning to resemble winter around here. If the current storm system tracks as forecasted, we could be skiing any day. The NWAC forecast shows over 2inches of water equivalent in the next two days. We need it, I have boots to test.
I have been tele skiing for about 20 years. Having started in leather boots and experienced the plastic revolution first hand, I have skied just about every plastic tele boot at one time or another over the years.
Right now, the gear room has four different tele boots: the Garmont Synergy, The Garmont Veloce (a discontinued model), a Scarpa T-1, and the new Black Diamond Seeker. My preference in tele boots is for softer three to four buckle varieties, and I keep the Veloce (two buckles) around for lighter xcd gear and longer go light needs. The two-buckle plastic boot category appears to be evaporating as both Scarpa and Garmont (and now BD) seem to devote all their attention to bigger stiffer boots. I find this surprising as the XCD ski category (skis like the Karhu Guide) seems to be growing. It makes me wonder what everyone is using on these skis; a boot like the Veloce (2-buckle 1.33kg/boot) or the now discontinued T-4 are ideal.
The Scarpa T-1 has long been a favorite of mine (3-buckle 1.66kg/boot), but as boots have become bigger and stiffer (the T-1 itself has evolved that direction), I have moved the opposite direction and the Synergy (3-buckle 1.57kg/boot) has become my go-to tele touring boot of choice. It is even in its flex, soft enough for good ankle flex, yet stout enough to drive a 90-100mm waisted ski in variable conditions.
Having looked at the new BD tele boot line, we honed in on the Seeker as the comparable boot from BD. It is a three-buckle boot and weighs in at 1.72kg/boot. The bigger four-buckle boots are helpful for driving bigger skis (100mm+ waist) and aggressive resort skiing, but I find them overkill for most of my touring needs. I will not ramble on about our current lack of snow, but given our current snow conditions (although that could change this weekend), I have not yet skied the Seeker. I look forward to getting some on them soon.
G3 just announced a new ski program for next season. The program revolves around their new relationship with ski designer Francois Sylvain.
". . . Previously the lead designer of Line and Karhu skis, and most recently a consultant for K2, Francois comes to G3 with more than ten years of extensive ski design, construction, and manufacturing experience.
Francois will design future additions to the G3 ski line-up in...
Although we may not be making turns yet, we have had a good flow of gear in the office the past few weeks and I thought I would offer a look inside our gear room for the season. I will go through everything over the next couple of weeks, but I will start with the big one, skis.
This season, we add the following skis: Karhu Storm BC, Dynafit Manaslu, and the K2 Coomba, Ski Trab Stelvio Light. I spent some time on all of these skis last winter and spring, but there is nothing like getting to know a ski all season long.
The Manaslu (5lbs 12oz / 2.64kg) and the Stelvio light (5lbs 14oz / 2.68kg) take the awards for lightweight. Considering that the Manaslu is about a cm wider underfoot, its weight is impressive. Our experience with the Manaslu has been great, goes up easy and skis well. Its early rise tips keep it afloat in all conditions; it is especially adept at mixed/variable snow. Dynafit introduces its new binding insert program on the Manaslu. The inserts are set up for Dynafit binders only and I have a set of the Vertical TLT's to use on these. The ski performed incredibly well last season in a wide range of snow. Its long rise tip stays afloat in everything and it was one of our top picks in the ski review for a dedicated touring board. Depending on ski length, the Manaslu comes in at 95 or 92 underfoot, and although it may not be one of the widest skis available, it is incredibly versatile and capable. The Stelvio is narrower but has been a favorite for boot top and spring days. It is lighter and a little less beefy than the regular stelvio freeride, but we feel it skis backcountry snows every bit as well.
The Karhu Storm BC takes the place of the Jak BC in Karhu's line up, a ski that has been my go-to touring board for several years in both tele and AT. The Storm BC weighs in at 6lbs 10oz (3kg). I have not had enough time on the Storm BC to fully define its personality yet, but given its 96mm waist and 128mm tip it is a hair fatter than the Manaslu and full pound per pair heavier. The Storm BC and the Manaslu will go head to head to replace the Jak BC as my go-to touring board of choice.
I see the Coomba from K2 as a slightly different beast. It weighs in at 8lbs 10oz (3.68kg) and offers 102mm underfoot and 135mm at the tip. Given its size and weight, I see the Coomba fitting into the mechanized access end of my quiver. I am relatively lightweight at 135lbs, and although big skis are loads of fun, I have yet to move to 100mm+ underfoot for touring. I know there are plenty of folks who will suggest that I am missing out, but for now I am satisfied with the mid 90's underfoot for touring. Maybe, what I need to do is fit a pair of Voile Insanes into the quiver, and I will change my mind about touring with 100mm+ . . .
Our new batch of Off-Piste stickers just arrived here at the office. We went for a new shape this year that is more elongated than earlier models. They are still the same high quality vinyl we have always used. For a limited time, just send us a self addresses stamped envelope (SASE) and we will drop a few in the mail for ya. You can find our address under the contact us heading.
new shape
old shape
We just received the Ortovox S1 avalanche transceiver with the updated software here at the office. It is a very interesting beacon, and we are stoked to check it out in the coming months. I have long used the Backcountry Access Tracker and still believe it is great beacon, but late last season I began testing several of the newer three antenna digital beacons. I must say I am impressed with their various operations.
The S1 takes the prize for the most high tech appearance - it reminds me of a Star Trek communications device - however, It is remarkably simple in its interface. I have not had it up in the snow yet this season, so I am not going to speak to its field performance yet. You can look for more beta on each of the different beacons as winter unfolds. In the meantime, you should check out the article we published last season about the Barryvox Pulse, the Pieps DSP, and the Ortovox S1. You can view a pdf version of the article here or download the entire January '08 Issue here. I look forward to some extended use of these beacons this winter.
A pair of the Black Diamond's new Seeker tele boots arrived at the office last week. Ski conditions are a bit marginal right now, but I thought I would give a quick heads up on the boot before we get a chance to ski in it.
First, we chose the Seeker over the Custom or the Push (BD's four buckle boots and part of their Power Series) because we were looking for the boot we thought would offer a good compromise between touring and turning. Unless you are pushing the biggest ski's around, the Seeker should be enough boot to ski most boards. Comparing to the Garmont Synergy (a boot we feel is a good blend of power and comfort for touring), the Seeker is nearly identical in cuff height and buckle set-up.
The Seeker is lower volume than the Synergy in the instep but the cuff and ankle flex are similar. Out of the box, the Seeker is stiffer in the bellows, but that is likely because the boot has yet to be skied, while the Synergy we have in the office has a full season of skiing on it.
There is snow up on Hood right now and if the good weather holds this week, I will try to get on this boot asap and get some more solid info on its performance - you can get all the specs from BD.
In April, I was able to visit the Ski Trab ski company's factory in Bormio, Italy. I was skiing in the mountains nearby and realized it was much easier to ski into the town than it would be to drive or take a train.
Giacomo Trabucchi made his first wooden ski in 1946 and Ski Trab as a company was born. Today, the company is still run by members of the Trabucchi family. Ski Trab is best known in North America for their super lightweight skis designed with randonee racing in mind. Skis such as the Free Rando and the Free Rando Light are very popular with the the fast and light racing crowd.
Less well known but equally as well designed and constructed are the Ski Trab Stelvio Freerides. It is the fattest ski that Ski Trab makes, but at 84mm underfoot the ski is often overlooked in the North American market. It may not be the fattest board around but the Stelvio is an excellent ski and handles a wide variety of ski conditions with ease. I have been using them for a full season and am impressed with their versatility and fun factor. We have reviewed the Stelvio here.
My visit to the Ski Trab Factory in Bormio was a great window into a small but high-tech company dedicated to making quality handmade skis. From the 3-D software based design room to the custom flex testing machiines and the room where each ski is layed up by hand, Ski Trab uses cutting edge materials and design techniques. They do everything in house, from milling the wood core materials to creating the molds and pressing the skis. For a humble family owned ski company, Ski Trab offers an impressive set-up.
We suggested and questioned about the possibility of producing a wider ski more geared toward the North American touring/freeride market. Our questions were answered with "we are working on it". These guys make some great skis and although the rando race skis may not serve the broader backcountry market here, the potential to blend aspects of their lightweight construction with the characteristics of their Stelvio into a wider ski is there. Our ski posse urged them to push into wider skis, they laughed a little at our insistence on wider skis, but I believe they heard us too and do have some plans in the works. I will write up a longer article on the factory tour for the mag this fall.
I have long been a user of insulated leather work gloves for backcountry skiing. They are inexpensive, offer great dexterity, take a fair bit of abuse, and still seem to keep me warm and dry in most conditions. They are not the best for biting cold or serious storm cycle skiing, but they are excellent for general ski touring. There are a variety of these gloves available at your local hardware/ranch supply type store and you will pleasantly surprised by the price. I prefer deerskin...
In search of the perfect soft-shell for ski touring I have tested close to a dozen jackets. One of the best is the Patagonia Ready Mix shell. It is is one of the most versatile and simplist jackets I have used. Right beside it in perfomance and simplicity is Patagonia's new Ascensionist soft-shell. Both shells are incredibly lightweight and packable, yet offer the true breathable protection that suits ski touring so well.
Both Jackets are lighter than...
It was in January 1978 that Karhu introduced their original XCD ski - it was a marriage of Nordic construction and downhill performance into one ski, the XCD. A ski that subsequently launched a genre of skis for karhu. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of their XCD ski program, Karhu invited a group of skiers to the North Cascades for a couple days of touring on the Guide, the flagship ski from their current XCD ski line.
What is an XCD ski you ask? XCD or cross-country...
Climbing skins are an underappreciated tool. We spend more time using them than not using them on most days. However, without skins, ski touring would be a different sport. I have used just about every skin on the market over the years. They all do the job and many of them have had their bouts with bad glue or various issues. The Alpinist Skin from G3 was new this season and although it took us a while to get a pair, they were worth the wait.
The Alpinist...
Nalgene, long time maker of water bottles for outdoor users, has announced it will be pulling bottles made with the controversial bisphenol A chemical (BPA) from store shelves. The full release from Nalgene is viewable here on their website. You can also read more about it from various major news networks including msnbc here.
My understanding is that the bottles in question are the popular hard plastic Nalgenes that we have all used for so many years. Nalgene has a special webpage with details on their bottles here. The chemical industry experts are saying that the low level of BPA present is not a concern. Health experts suggest further studies are in need. Nalgene, to their credit, is taking a big step here. Please pass along any other info if you come accross good sources on the web.
We have been ski testing the past week and have more on deck this week. It is quite a process to get all the skis mounted and tuned up, not to mention getting them on snow. The weather has been great for testing. We have had new snow and cold temps for several days. Now it looks like we may get a dose of classic spring crud to add into the mix. The wet snow is actually quite good for testing as it pushes a ski to its limits pretty well.
We have ski s from K2, Karhu, G3, Atomic,...
I have been testing the SPOT messenger device for a few weeks now. SPOT is a hand-held unit that uses GPS satelites and commercial communication satelites to transmit a call for help or to send a message that everything is ok. In addition to your message, it includes your gps coordinates.
The device retails for $169 and requires a fee based service plan to run the messages. The unit must be programmed at home on the computer. You set up three recipients for your ...
We just got a note from Scarpa about an upgrade they are offering for folks who purchased this year's Terminator X. Here is the note from Scarpa -
Hey Dave –
Wanted to shoot you a little beta on a free upgrade that SCARPA is offering to customers who bought this year’s Terminator X. As you may or may not know, we are going to triple-injection molding in this boot next year that will allow the bellows to have a softer flex while still retaining the tornsional and...
Mt Hood has been in the midst of a major snow cycle and I used the opportunity to give G3's El Hombre a good test. El Hombre measures in at 136/105/124, the snowpack has measured in double digit every day this week. The combination seemed like a good match.
The Hombres are mounted with AT binders and I have skied exclusively at the ski area with them. Although they weigh in at a respectable 3.9kg/pair, it is a big board for touring and I simply have not broken the touring barrier with such a big ski yet.
On the snow El Hombre likes to go. There is no need to be shy in any condition, these skis make short work of it all. They are remarkably lively for their size. They prefer medium to big radius turns but I have found them equally as reliable when a few short radius turns are needed.
El Hombre simply like to go fast, turns with ease in all snow, and rides up and over everything you would hope it would. That said, the Hombres do all this without taking you for a ride. Some big skis make me feel like I am just along for the ride. With the Hombre, I always feel like I am driving.
From windbuff to fluff and cut-up pow to groomers, El Hombre is up for the task. The skis have personality and allow you to ski in snow and places you would not venture with a narrower ski. Hood is famous for its wind and dense snow. The Hombre never waivers, regardless of what is underfoot, they float up on everything, and really come to life at speed.
With the trade show on the horizon, a lot of the 2008 ski gear is starting to emerge. I was just up a Scarpa clinic where we got a peak at the 2008 boot line. All 2008 boots feature nice Intuition thermofit liners and a variety of upgrades from the 2007 line including a new NTN compatible boot and new Alpine like performance AT boots. You can get a quick look for yourself on this video clip as Scarpa's Chris Clark walks through the new line.
Black Diamond recently released info on their new boot line and it sounds like we may have a chance to put a few on snow at the trade show in late January.
The AT boots (three models) look like all business for the descent and BD suggests they make no compromise on the touring end. The teles (six models) look clean and straightforward and the release says they have different bellows flex for their different niches, "Each style of boot is designed with either...
Jarl Berg from Bergs Ski Shop in Eugene, OR has been experimenting with the new NTN telemark binding. His latest creation adds a Dynafit heel piece to the NTN system to create a Tele/AT hybrid - very interesting Jarl.
Here is a video of his creation and a few words from Jarl.
Garmont introduced their new Axon boot earlier this fall. It is billed as the "stiffest, highest-performance Dynafit®-compatible boot on the market". We got a pair in the office and I took them out for a week of testing.
Good fit is ensured by their thermofit liners and I heat molded the liners for the trip. There is no question that these boots are stiff and I was suspect about how well they would tour. The boot is not necessarily marketed to the hut touring crowd, but...
Finally, after years of being asked for them, we now have Off-Piste ball caps. In keeping with current trends these babies are 100% organic cotton and come in two earth friendly colors, brown and jungle. We have two styles, regular ball cap style and corps style.
We used the various "free-pivot" telemark bindings for a good part of last season and have continued using them into this season. I have been psyched with the results. Now that they exist, it is hard to believe that it took this long for free-pivot systems to evolve. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that free-pivot or touring bindings evolved because of beefy plastic boots. As boots got bigger and stiffer, bindings evolved to meet the performance needs of the...
I have been using a pair of Outdoor Research Tremor Pants for about a month now. I am a longtime user of soft-shell pants for touring. These pants are what I would call a hybrid soft-shell. They use a soft-shell outer fabric that adds a Gore Wind-Stopper membrane to the mix. They are light, breathable, and functional.
I have used the pants for both touring and lift skiing this year. Upon first inspection, they are light in weight, well constructed and clean in design. I have toured and ridden the lifts with these pants and the have performed very well. They have built-in gaiters that zip out for folks like me who prefer a gaiterless pant. Although the gaiters looked perfectly functional, I had no complaints without them and removing them makes the pants easier to put on.
The side vents offer great ventilation and my initial concern that the pants might be too warm for a day touring relative to my traditional soft shell pants was no concern at all. I would suggest a regular softshell for spring touring, but for all around winter use, the Tremor is a great blend of traditional Gore-Tex protection and a light comfortable softshell feel. They offer significantly better protection from the wind and elements than my regular soft shell pants and this makes them better suited for lift skiing and storm days. I also like the boot cuffs that are ample in size and reinforced on the inside to protect from ski edge and crampon damage. The pants also have loops for suspenders, which are key to keeping the pants in place for me while touring. I missed the side cargo pocket found on my old softshells but I can learn to live without it.
If you are in need of pants that can tour as well as offer decent lift skiing protection, the Tremor is worth a look. I am headed on a hut trip next week and will give them the full-week-long-tour-test. I am confident they will be the only pant I need.
In the spirit of free heels and free minds, Voile is offering a new program for recycling old tele binders. The program, spurred on by Voile's own internal recycle program and an effort to keep old bindings out of the landfill, offers skiers a 30% discount on new Voile tele bindings when they send in an old pair for recycling. According Dave Grissom, Voile's Sales and Marketing guy, they "can scrap all steel, aluminum, and most plastic parts".
Voile has been in the tele binder business for nearly 30 years and already had an active in-house metal recycling program for old parts, miscellaneous scrap, and such. The program is open to any old tele bindings from Voile or their competitors. The 30% discount is offered on any Voile binding, except the their new Switchback free-pivot touring binding.
My wife and I have the same ski poles, they are Life-Link Carbon Pro poles, adjustable length with a great swing-weight and they have proven nearly indestructable. My pair is six plus years old and has been around the world; I use 'em for all my ski needs winter, spring, and summer. The ovalized upper shaft works flawlessly for adjusting length - my pair is well worn and well loved.
Well, on my first ski day this winter I grabbed my wife's poles instead...
Although the weather forecast calls for clear weather through Thanksgiving, the hills are starting to look more like winter in these parts. The resorts are opening limited terrain and there is skiing to be had above treeline.
We had a small wax and tune party the other day to get the sticks ready for action. It was warm and raining while we worked on skis and by the next day it was snowing; we even got our first snow in town.
It was fun to get a variety of skis together and compare everyone's opinions on them. I decided we would post our 2007-08 ski review here as a pdf (3MB file) to feed the fire so to speak.. Praise Ullr and have a good Thanksgiving . . . and don't forget to subscribe to Off-Piste!
Softshell fabrics like Schoeller have been gaining momentum for a handful of years now. They are great for ski touring because they really breath. They do not always offer the same protection form the elements that laminated shells offer but the improved breathability is a worthy trade off when your focus is climbing to ski.
The recent surge in softshell products has created quite a diverse collection of shells and fabrics. The December issue of Off-Piste takes a look at a handful of different hooded softshell jackets. One jacket that we have been using for almost a full year now is the Outdoor Research Mithril Stormshell. Although most softshells do not offer full storm protection like a laminated shell, the Mithril offers incredible protection from the elements. The Ventia fabric that OR uses is, simply stated, bomber. The trade off is in breathability. The Mithril may not be the most breathable shell but its ability to repel the elements is unmatched. This is a jacket designed with the worst Cascade weather in mind.
I used this shell for several days of climbing and skiing on Mt Hood during a search and rescue effort in weather that set records for wind and precip levels. Imagine high winds combined with precip ranging from rain to snow to ice for several days running, the kind of weather where your hood and goggles never come off and you can wring the water out of your gloves. Well, the Mithril survived this cycle with style. I stayed warm and dry in literally some of the worst weather you could imagine and was physically active the whole time. The Mithril is not as breathable as most softshell fabrics (like the more common Schoeller fabrics) but if protection from the elements is your priority, the Mitrill can handle the worst. The Mithril has become my goto jacket for foul weather adventure.
Garmont introduced a new Dynafit compatible boot this month. A beafy four buckle job, the Axiom is designed to meet the needs of the folks looking for big boot performance. We have not skied them yet but here is what Garmont has to say . . .
November 1, 2007 - Williston, VT - Garmont introduces the innovative Axon, available in select stores this fall. The Axon combines the most aggressive alpine freeride performance with the easy touring of the Dynafit® binding system. It is the stiffest, highest-performance Dynafit®-compatible boot on the market, enjoying the light weight, easy touring, and rock-solid turning performance of this clean, ultra light binding system.
Evolved from the benchmark Adrenalin and Endorphin, the Axon has a Garmont Ski Mountaineering sole, molded-in Dynafit® binding fittings, high-performance anatomical lower shell, and close-fitting double-injected cuff for quick, precise turns with maximum leverage. The Axon’s new G-Fit liner is the most refined thermoformable liner on the market, using different thicknesses and densities of foam in key areas for the best comfort and function. Its new separately sewn sole design sits flatter inside the boot shell to get the most width and comfort out of the shell without increasing the volume.
The Axon is as responsive as the best alpine boots, powerful to arc the biggest skis, and as mobile as the best ski mountaineering boots. The Axon hits the mark with the growing popularity of big skis mounted with Dynafits by serious big-mountain backcountry skiers.
Look for more details when we can get a pair to test.
While we are hanging onto a fine sunny October here around Mt. Hood, ski season is not far off and the press releases and announcements are a flying. Following Garmont's announcement that they will be working with Rottefella to offer an NTN compatible boot, Black Diamond recently offered a press release describing their new boot line and giving Fall 2008 as the launch date.
BD plans to offer both AT and Telemark boots. According to BD, they will debut three AT models in the Power Series – the paradigm breaking, four-buckle Factor, a softer flexing Method and the Women’s Shiva. Each boot blends alpine overlap construction with lightweight touring functionality combining the performance an alpine skier demands while providing a highly articulated walk mode for access to the backcountry.
On the telemark side, BD will break out with two collections geared around its Power and Efficiency platforms. The Power Series is built around the Custom, Push and Women’s Stiletto. All three boots raise the bar with progressive flex, torsional power, and alpine inspired fit technologies. The Efficient series adds the Seeker, Women’s Trance and Axis blending smooth, predictable bellows with high torsional stiffness in a lightweight versatile package.
Another release we got was for a clothing company called KJUS Skiwear. Founded in Norway, I am not familiar with the clothing but they produced a movie/infomercial to promote their line and it is available on the web. Big deal? Well, yeah, except for Lofoten, the location where it was filmed. This island chain in Norway is stunning and the movie is worth watching just to see the area, some very cool terrain right on the sea. you can check out the video here - 2007/08 film.
Garmont recently signed on board with Rottefella's NTN (new telemark norm) binding program. This means that now Scarpa, Crispi, and Garmont will all make boots compatible with Rottefella's NTN telemark binding.
Garmont, who had previously commited to work with the new system being developed by Black Diamond released this statement about their decision to support the Rottefella NTN,
“Garmont is pleased to be invited to rejoin the NTN program. During the past year, we have kept a close eye on its progress. We are impressed with what Rottefella has achieved with NTN. The NTN boot-binding system perfectly meets and exceeds the performance requirements of the most demanding free heel and Free ride skier. Thus, the new NTN system will allow Garmont to continue on our mission of building the best ski boots on the planet,” states Achille Morlin, President of Garmont.
It should be an interesting year ahead for the tele world as the Rottefella NTN binding becomes available in North America this fall and Black Diamond continues to pursue their independent development of a new telemark boot and binding interface.
Rottefella released this statement about having Garmont's support,
“This is a crucial step in establishing NTN as the future Telemark norm. The close collaboration between Rottefella (binding) and boot producers Crispi and Scarpa has helped to create a binding/boot interface that has proven itself to give the skier a superior performance - and thus superior skiing experience - when compared to existing Telemark equipment. With Garmont joining Rottefella, it gives us added inspiration and confidence to continue developing NTN as a dependable, universal choice for all alpine and telemark skiers out there,” says Ulf Bjerknes, President of Rottefella AS.
New in 06-07, the Osprey Switch 36 returns for the 07-08 season. I used this pack all last ski season and for a variety of climbs and hikes over the summer. At 36 liters, it has enough space for a big day but packs small for lighter days without feeling like too much pack. A modified top loader design, the Switch 36 is divided into two main interior areas plus a large lid compartment.
The top, called a hatchback by Osprey, offers the convenience of a zipper top while...
I skied the Scarpa Spirit 3 all last season. A three-buckle boot with a touring bias, the boot is a step above the Matrix in the Scarpa line-up, offers Dynafit compatibility, and seemed like a logical step for my next boot.
The Spirit 3 uses a new strap system that broadens the pull of the straps thus giving four-buckle security with three buckles. The straps use a broad base of attachment to increase their potency and it works. The boot actually snugs up and offers the power...
Here are a couple links to older gear reviews we carried over from the original website. They link to pdf copies of the review as it appeared in the mag.Stay tuned for new gear reviews on the main blog.
Rooftop cargo boxes are a great way to haul skis and keep your gear out of your vehicle. I have a 
The Voile Charger was inspired by the wider Drifter and uses the same tip rocker and camber profile, but drops some 10+mm in width. The result is a light and lively ski that was easy to control and capable at speed. The Charger's manueverablity and overall personality were super lively and fun. The Charger and the Vector will replace the Insane and Asylum in Voile's line-up. The new skis both use mild rocker, lightweight aspen cores, and are made right in Salt Lake by the Voile crew. Inspired b the Drifter's performance, Wally, Voile's founder, saw a need to update the line with more versatile rockered skis. The Vector will vie with the Manaslu for quiver-of-one touring ski status, while the Charger goes head to head with the Stoke for powder touring fun.
The boutique ski movement is gaining momentum. Numerous smaller manufacturers are popping up in North America. From 
Right now, Crown has two skis in their line-up: the Satori 127/97/118 and the Kensho 142/106/122. Both skis offer good softsnow dimensions, but they are more resort focused than touring-minded in their construction/weight specs. This is Crown's first season offering open retail sales, but they produced skis the past two seasons as part of in-house development and beta testing. We should have a pair to demo here shortly.
A pair of the new 
I have a variety of skins going at the moment. 
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I have been using a pair of 
