Very quickly, the ability to move ended. As the snow built up around my torso I squirmed to maintain some sense of mobility, but it was futile. Even the simple act of breathing was becoming a struggle as the snow’s weight bore down on my chest, making it difficult to draw even a breath.
Archive for the ‘Black Diamond’ Category
Rerun: Buried Alive!
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Posted in Avalanche, Avalanche, Black Diamond, Couloir, Dostie, Craig, Ramblings, Vol. XVIII 
Tags: avalung 
2 Comments »Preview: Four new AT boots for 12/13
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Though the subtleties of downhill performance with training heels may elude me, boot and ski performance is relatively easy to evaluate. I managed to get on four different AT boots for next season – Tecnica’s Cochise Pro Light, Dalbello’s Sherpa, next year’s addition to the groundbreaking Virus, a pair of Lange XT‘s, and one of Black Diamond’s new Free Tour boots, the Prime.
Posted in Alpine Touring Boots, Black Diamond, Dalbello, Dostie, Craig, Lange, Tecnica Tags: Black Diamond, cuff ROM, Dalbello, Lange, Tecnica, walk mode 5 Comments »Review: Black Diamond Aspect Ski
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For the turn happy skier Black Diamond’s Aspect ski makes an easy first impression. There’s a lot of shape compared to many of today’s moderately curved skis as evidenced by a wide 126 mm at the shovel, but only 90mm at the waist. Whether it’s delicious powder, velvety corn, even soft chunder and day-old funk [...]
Review: Black Diamond’s O1 (2011)
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To say that Black Diamond’s O1 is the most popular telemark binding in America for earning turns is to acknowledge reality. There are several reasons for that popularity, not the least of which is the fact that the O1 was the first telemark binding with a free pivot that also, finally, delivered enough power to [...]
Review: BD introduces O1 telemark binding
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This is a rerun of an article originally published on Couloir Online 22dec05 (Revised 20apr06). It is reposted here as a historical reference and basis of comparison for future revisions to the O1. Couloir began prodding telemark binding manufacturers back in 2001 to “expand their horizons from merely binding the boot to the ski, to [...]
Posted in Black Diamond, Couloir, Dostie, Craig, Telemark Bindings Tags: free pivot tele, icing 2 Comments »Review: Black Diamond’s Seeker
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The Seeker….more of a small big boot than a big small boot…optimized more for turning than for earning.
Face Off: BD’s O1 vs Voile’s Switchback-X2
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Clouds were still spitting snow on the slopes around Tahoe and the trend has been for fewer and fewer customers as spring marches on toward summer, despite continuing to flirt with old man winter. The result was three to five inches of whipped cream on a smooth base of glazed corn. It felt sort of [...]
Review: Black Diamond’s Glidelite Skins
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After four years of comparing various climbing skins side by side it was time to settle on my fave pair. The choice was easy. Black Diamond’s Glidelite nylon climbing skins had excellent grip, decent glide, weren’t immune to icing but were less prone to it than G3’s Expedition skins, Colltex’ nylon skins, and especially Low-Fat [...]
Tips ‘n’ Tails for Climbing Skins
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Tip and tail kits on the other hand, are consistent in their performance over time and varying snow conditions regardless of the plush or glue. They make attaching and removing climbing skins easier.
Posted in Black Diamond, Climbing Skins, Colltex, Dostie, Craig, G3, Skinning Tags: bungee, skin tails, skin tips 10 Comments »First Look: BD’s Compactor Ski Pole
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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 [...]
