Oct 17 2012

Review: Dynastar Legend 94 (2012)

 
One thing most of us can agree on is you don’t want to make too much of a sacrifice in the performance of your go-to ski. It needs to be solid enough to handle a lot of vertical in-bounds, yet not be a tank for a full day in the backcountry. It has to be solid on firm snow, yet float in soft too. That doesn’t mean that there is one ski that can do it all either, but for common conditions, you can at least narrow the field to one or two skis that excel at either end of the spectrum and then simply take advantage of those characteristics. Some skill will still be required.

Dynastar's Legend 94 is a great backcountry ski

Legend 94. Made for the backcountry, but not marketed to it. 132-94-118 mm.


While having lightweight skis is great on long tours, lightweight skis can be easily over powered in manky backcountry snow, and especially with in-bounds bashed up crud. For simple day tours, and certainly for quick jaunts out-o-bounds weight can be your friend. It boils down to balancing priorities, and when you aren’t going long or deep, downhill performance always carries that decision.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 11 2012

Rerun: Time Changes

© 2006

Changing colors, changing time.

Time is a funny thing. Your experience tells you it changes, yet the clock on the wall, the watch on your wrist, and the relentless progression of it declare it is constant, that is to say, it never changes, it just marches forward, each second the same as the last, each day the length of the previous, never changing even though we know it does.

Every year the seasons change, and though the calendar says they begin at the same time, we know when they start and end are as predictable as the numbers on a roulette wheel. Sure there is a range of when it will occur, but the exact day, just as the exact number to bet on, changes all the time. The shift to spring will surely occur sometime in March or April, but to say that it occurs with a specific position of the sun relative to the earth is ludicrous.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 10 2012

ISSW 2012 Report

 

Native dancers close out the festivities for ISSW 2012 in Anchorage, AK.

Finally, the snow show came to my doorstep. The International Snow Science Workshop has been high on my tick list for years and now as the colorful leaves of fall began blowing off the trees, I was on the road to Anchorage’s convention center on the other side of the Chugach. The road trip over Thompson Pass reminded me of how much snow surrounds our lives in Alaska. In mid-September, deep snow had returned, smothering the mountaintops and glaciers and terminating the briefest of summers in my memory.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 08 2012

Review: The Ramer Classic, the original
American Touring binding.

Some things still haven’t been duplicated. Like the Ramer climbing post. None go higher, none equal it’s low setting either. But why would you use a Ramer binding with a Dynafit boot?


Last week I was struck by the hole that exists in the AT world these days for a binding that works with tech-less alpine boots and weighs less than four pounds. It simply doesn’t exist anymore. Not in retail stores anyway. But if you sleuth enough, you can find an old pair of Ramer Classics that could, if you’re willing to believe, and willing to compromise on safety, fit the bill.

Er, how much of a compromise you say? That depends on your skiing style. Some guys could never feel solid in Ramers, others had few complaints. The same quandry exists today with Tech bindings, only now we know that the problem isn’t the hardware, it’s the software between the users ears that refuses to believe, and a little thing called faith.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 05 2012

Review: Ortovox 3+ avalanche beacon

video update 14jun14
Ortovox 3+ avalanche transceiver with carrying case

The Ortovox 3+ is easy to use, and carries well.

The 3+ from Ortovox is a fresh breath of simplicity in the beacon world. It doesn’t go overboard with brainiac features, at least, not overtly. It doesn’t provide the directional clues of the S1, but it can still separate the various signals, only without getting confused like the first gen S1 did.

Therein lies perhaps the most compelling reason to own the 3+. It can easily distinguish between multiple signals, but it keeps its eye on the strongest signal when inside of 20 meters. Not only are you the user not being confused with multiple signals to distract you, apparently neither is the microprocessor anymore.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 03 2012

Review: Scarpa’s TX – a T2 for NTN

 

Scarpa’s Terminator-X – a T2 for NTN – TX for short.

Of the NTN compatible boots I’ve skied, Scarpa’s TX is most like their T2-Eco. It has enough cuff to drive a fat ski, but it is flexible enough that it yields a comfortable stride for stretches of dry trail or skinning the flats. Many of today’s rando boots give a larger range of motion in the cuff, but you won’t notice it much except on the flats, and only if you know better. In fact, for flexi cuff it is second only to Scarpa’s own F1 for walking comfort in a tele boot.

Much of that comfort comes from improving the clearance on the heel bar so the cuff slides up and down it with less friction. It is true, the back of the cuff can only go to dead vertical, but that yields at least 10 degrees of rearward flex relative to your ankle pivot, so it feels more generous. As with all ski boots, this rear motion is strongly influenced by how tight or loose you keep the buckles and power strap. In any case, while it could be improved, very few backcountry telemarkers will complain about the touring comfort of Scarpa’s TX.
Keep making backcountry turns

Oct 01 2012

Review: Dynafit’s Radical AT binding

Ten years ago Dynafit reps were lamenting the rise in popularity of the Fritschi Freeride. Interest in the US was just starting to pick up for Dynafit system and it seemed like the Freeride took the wind out of those sails. And then again with Marker’s Duke. But over that same period of time, many of those hard chargin’ freeriders realized the superiority of Dynafit for backcountry skiing and switched.

Dynafit’s new Radical. Easy in, easy out, and the easiest Dynafiddle climbing posts ever!

In fact, if you are a true backcountry aficionado I say you will end up in one of two camps: A Tech System binding with training heels – Dynafit, Plum, La Sportiva, Ski Trab – or telemark (perhaps with a Dynafiddle toe).

So, the only reason not to go Dynafit, is if you’re firmly in the “I don’t believe” camp, which is the same as the “I won’t believe” camp, or you’re just not sure you’re going to love backcountry skiing that much. The closer you get to 30 days per year earning your turns, the closer you are to being a free-heel Techie.
Keep making backcountry turns

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