Nov 11 2014

Eulogy to Black Diamond’s telemark boot line

 

Lament for a fallen hero.

Lament for a fallen hero.

Although the story announcing the demise of Black Diamond’s teleboot line was not unexpected, nor is it unlamented. It might be easy to read into that a sense of good riddance because of the reference to BD boots fitting like buckets. That was not universal, a small but clear majority of bootfitters I spoke to blamed that for of the lack of success than didn’t.

Judging BD boots to be buckets can’t be completely true since there are many folks who like the fit of BD’s tele boots, and especially like the on-demand power of the Push. It has a firm flex for driving fatties and a tall cuff for extra power transmission. Some dislike the BOA lacing, but those who like it, love it.
Keep making backcountry turns

Nov 10 2014

Bean & Rice: High Attitude, E2-SII

 

High Attitude aka Rocky Mountain High

High Attitude aka Rocky Mountain High

Sakson’s back, this time in Colorado. Never was I ever jealous of Colorado’s snow until the last three years in California. Now I’m only jealous because it seems our snowpack conditions have flipped. That’s what I love about California, how solid the snow is. It used to be reliable too, but the recent trend reveals the core of the trouble; it’s about water. It’s not how cold it is that matters, it’s how much moisture is in the air. Or not. No more big, bad, warm and wet storms that pile up Sierra Cement by the foot. Instead we’re getting light, cold fluff like they used to get in Colorado, measured by the inch. Barely enough to cover the rocks, and spooky when deeper.
Keep making backcountry turns

Nov 05 2014

First Look: Volkl’s Vacuum Climbing Skins

 

Volkl's Vacuum Climbing Skins

Volkl’s Vacuum Climbing Skins

Volkl’s new Vacuum climbing skins are the first skins to be marketed by an alpine ski company that you should really take a closer look at. In the last few years Volkl has offered skins to go with their lighter weight Nanuq and Nunataq skis. Those skins use a traditional glue that relies primarily on tackiness to stick to the bases of skis. This year Volkl goes all in for the backcountry by adding their BMT series skis to the mix along with climbing skins using a silicon-based adhesive that, barring unforeseen complications, are poised to revolutionize the reigning skin glue paradigm with a formula that is easier to manage.
Keep making backcountry turns

Nov 03 2014

Review: P-whore’s Some Thing Else

 

PowderWhore's Some Thing Else.

PowderWhore’s Some Thing Else.

Ya gotta luv the Powderwhore’s sense of value. I mean, really, besides being a ‘ho for pow, what else matters? Certainly that is the inescapable conclusion one must come to when kicking back to indulge in their 10th episode of documenting last season’s most epic days – the sort of days that never graced the slopes of my fair land here in Tahoe. On the record that wouldn’t be completely true, we did have One epic day of powder that was worth remembering, but not even two that would be worth documenting.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 29 2014

Backcountry Mag celebrates 20 years

 

Backcountry is 20 years old.

Backcountry is 20 years old.

Get it while you can because this issue will be a collectors item. Yeah, I’m talking ’bout my former competitor, Backcountry Magazine. They made the grade and lasted 20 years. What’s more, they’ve been following the mantra of a good backcountry soldier by just steadily chipping away and making their mag better with each and every issue. Oh sure there were a couple of hiccups in there, a couple of side steps but who’s counting? Actually, only they were and now the tally is one hundred; 100 issues in 20 years.

That’s a phenomenal achievement in and of itself. But here’s the clincher. This is a retrospective issue on all that has gone on in the corner of the world we call backcountry skiing. Truth be told, when you include the references in the articles reflecting back on the last 20 years this issue is a history of backcountry skiing from when it began in America, and in no small way is a tribute to my hero, and many of those who knew him, Paul Ramer. In case Paul isn’t your hero, that’s okay because I’ll bet your hero is somewhere between the covers in this issue too.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 27 2014

Black Diamond Tele-boots sentenced to die

 

Black Diamond's Push. Their most popular teleboot, but not popular enough.

Black Diamond’s Push. Their most popular teleboot, but not popular enough.

It’s unofficial: Black Diamond is adding a nail to telemarks demise by ending production of their telemark boot line. If you like their teleboots, better buy ’em while you can because they won’t be making any more any time soon. That’s not official, I’m telling you it will be.

Insiders have been hinting at this for a couple of years now; not that it would happen, but it could. In the last six months though the words that have leaked through indicated BD couldn’t justify another production run on any of their telemark boot models. Word from a few retailers indicates that they won’t be available to order anymore either, except for what remains in their warehouses at the moment, which can’t be much.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 23 2014

Beans & Rice Freeride – SII, E1

 

Sakson in Jackson. Pow!

Sakson in Jackson. Pow!

Funny how some things never change. AT skiers love to deride telemarkers as dope-smokin’, tree huggin’ hippies with a license to suck. Truth is, the license to suck isn’t limited to skiing with a free heel, nor is anything else.

It is with a sense of humor that Jake Sakson and friends embrace being backcountry hippies. While the delivery of their lines won’t win any academy awards, the lines spoken are as apt as the lines taken in this short video; the first episode of the Beans & Rice Freeride series’ second season.
Keep making backcountry turns