© 2012
December’s lack of snow in California forced us to consider other opportunities. Oregon opportunities. So, Mark Chon and I hopped in the Jeep and headed for the border.
The view from Rim Village
We arrived at Rim Village on Wednesday, secured a permit and were off and jibbing by 1pm.
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© 2012
Decision time can be a nail biting experience. At what point do you go ahead and make the plunge? When it’s time for a new binding or boot the question on the table is whether to stick with the duckbill (75mm) or switch to a duckbutt (NTN).
Getting off on the right foot with NTN Freedom.
Back in August, 2011 it was hinted that there were three new bindings to be introduced in the winter of 2012. Well it’s Winter 2012 and Rottefella’s Freedom is old news. A second binding I was referring to was the TTS binding, which, theoretically will have enough modifications to it to make it “new” from the standpoint of revised components and improved adjustability.
G3's Enzo • 3lbs. 13 oz./pair (1734 g/pr) • $289
The most obvious is the duplication of 22 Design’s cable configuration. There are a few noticeable differences like a different spring housing, regular compression springs instead of flat-wire springs, and a yoke of solid wire around the heel instead of braided cable, but that’s window dressing on the same basic design.
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The Outdoor Retailer Show for Winter 12 began on Wednesday, Jan. 18th. Thankfully Old man Winter chose to return to the mountains that day, but not enough to change conditions much for the on-snow demo. Solitude did an admirable job of making snow, but it was hard and scrappy. Winter’s late return delivered an inch of fresh, allowing snow to build up in patches so you could strategically alternate softer turns with scratchy ones.
In the course of the day I managed to get out on the new Salomon Guardian sidecountry binding, Rottefella’s new NTN Freedom binding, G3′s new Enzo and BD’s O1 with a six-hole mounting plate. Saw that 22 Designs had a non-touring version of the Axl, called The Vice and beheld the new Duke from Marker with an 88mm wide chassis for more power.
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New colors on the The Duke signify a wider, stronger frame for more power.
Not content to sit on their laurels, especially now that Salomon has woken to the potential in the backcountry with their own version of a huck-worthy backcountry binder the Duke gets a face lift for next year, and a wider foundation for transferring even more power to the edges of today’s super fat skis.
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Lange enters the backcountry with the XT
Tahoe City, Calif. – January 16, 2012 – Alpenglow Sports, Northern California’s leading provider of backcountry and Nordic ski equipment, and most things outdoors, today announced it’s sale to long-time employee Brendan Madigan.
Long-time employee Brendan Madigan steps up and takes the reins at North Lake Tahoe's premier outdoor shop, Alpenglow.
Madigan, a native of Virginia states, “Alpenglow sells fun. And luckily for me, my passion for mountain sports channel directly into that mantra. I literally get to eat, sleep and breathe fun. I love what I do, and there couldn’t be a more perfect combination.”
Under the apprenticeship of Don Fyfe, Madigan has evolved in his capacity at the well-known Tahoe City business.
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Just a quick note to let you know I’m off to the annual slobberfest known as the Outdoor Retailer show. For newbies this is the bi-annual trade show for the outdoor sports industry where manufacturers show off all the fun new toys they’ve cooked up for next season.
As you would expect there will be a whole bunch of new skis, boots, and bindings on tap for next year, plus the usual assortment of apparel in base, insulation, and outer layers to be wowed by as well as a ton of accessories that I can’t even begin to imagine the scope and depth of what will be revealed.
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Rerun: This article first appeared on Couloir Online 08aug01
Rainey Designs beta program delivers major improvements
The Hammerhead increases control for 21st century plastic boots to the same degree that the SuperLoop or Voile 3-pin cable did for leather boots back in the day. Which means the Hammerhead must be doing something dramatically different than other bindings. It is. The key elements are a 6 inch spring with a full two inches of travel (so you can’t bottom it out) and a cable that’s routed underfoot.
The original Hammerhead, circa 2001, that changed telemarks perception of itself.
BC Mag Jan. 2012,
(Vol. 17, #86)
