Category: Accessories

Accessories for backcountry skiing/riding

Review: Princeton Tec’s VIZZ

  Headlamps are no longer optional in my life. They’re akin to prescription glasses, but they aren’t mandatory and they don’t need a doctor’s signature to obtain. But they sure do make working with your hands easier. It’s amazing how many dark corners there are in the middle of the day that could use a …

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Review: Petzl Tikka R+ headlamp

  Petzl’s new incarnation of the Tikka headlamp, the R+, keeps the same low profile and light weight, with a powerful 170 lumen high beam and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It’s great for use around the house, walking the dog, camping, or dawn patrols. Gone is the ability to flip a fresnel lens over the …

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Review: Leki’s trick Tourstick-Vario ski pole

  Leki’s Tourstick has 20cm of Speedlock adjustability, then folds down to < 40cm.[/caption]Leki has a new pole, the micro adjustable, foldable, TourStick Vario, that anyone with traveling on their mind should be taking a closer look at. It combines a lot of nice features into a single ski pole, including Leki's ultra comfortable Aergon® …

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Review: La Sportiva Climbing Skins

  Along with their expansion into the ski hardware business, La Sportiva rounds out their product offering with climbing skins using a 70/30 blend of mohair and nylon for Winter 2014. In theory you could get these same skins from Pomoca, their secret source, but with the La Sportiva version you also get the K2 …

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1st Look: Ski Baskets with a lift

  One of the new directions in ski pole development has been a recognition of how limited the function of most baskets are. Yes, they provide a resistance to pole planting in soft snow but when it comes to using that disk for anything that requires a bit of backbone for support they’re next to …

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Review: Volken’s BC Ski guidebook for WA

  There’s another guidebook for backcountry riders in Washington. This time the author is noted guide Martin Volken, a Swiss guide whose training in the Alps has served him well in the glaciated environs of Washington’s volcanos and Cascade range. The book begins with an historical retrospective that lends insight to knowledge that exists only …

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Review: High Trails “Post-It” Climbing Skins

Update 27aug17 — Glue verdict after 4 seasons There’s another “glueless” climbing skin now available from High Trails. Like other claims of glueless, this claim in pure marketing spin, of the 180° variety. They most definitely use a glue, but it is a silicon based adhesive that acts more like a Post-It, especially compared to …

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