Category: Accessories

Accessories for backcountry skiing/riding

Testing Climbing Skins

There are lots of pieces of specialized gear that are nice to have and can enhance your time adventure skiing. Climbing skins enhance the experience so dramatically that they are practically essential for backcountry skiing.

Review: Doc Allen’s Versatool

After years of carrying all manner of compact – and not so compact – ratcheting screw drivers, Swiss Army knives, and multi-tools into the field, I serendipitously stumbled across what might be the perfect screwdriver set for individuals or groups who want a real screwdriver in the field but wince at having to schlep anymore …

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First Look: BD’s Compactor Ski Pole

As soon as I was introduced to Black Diamond’s Z-Pole concept I was thinking how appropriate it would be for snowboarders. The only problem was, the baskets that came with the Z-Poles were too small for anything but corn snow. That and the fact that the tips were manufactured in such a way that replacing …

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Review: K2’s LockJaw Ski Poles

The new LockJaw® Carbon/Carbon and Carbon/Alu ski poles from K2 take the concept of functionality for a ski pole to a new level. The core features remain, like the Lock-Jaw® clamp that holds reliably and is easy to adjust. But what originally distinguished K2’s backcountry ski poles from the competition, depth readings and slope indicators, …

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The Need for Knee Pads

Make no mistake about it, if you telemark, it’s not a matter of if, but when you will need a pair of knee pads to save your precious knees. You can make all the excuses you want about how your stance is tall and you never ski low so your knees aren’t at risk but …

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Too much snow? Not with a Honda!

Here in the Lake Tahoe area where snow comes by the ton, you need a serious snow blower. Even if you’re not convinced that Honda is the way to go, and I’ll admit I’ve seen other brands do a good job, do not sell yourself short with something cheap. Spend the extra bucks and get a real piece of machinery because the snow up here comes in serious quantities, not baby sized.

Review: Pieps 30° Plus inclinometer

If you have reason to measure slope angles accurately, you would be hard pressed to beat the convenience of Pieps 30° PLUS. It’s a small, light device that measures slope angle in any orientation quickly and accurately. How does it work? With some electronic wizardry on a chip that measures gravitational acceleration in three axes. …

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