August 2012 archive

Review: BCA’s Alpine Trekker

  One of the more overlooked tools for resort skiers planning to stick their toes in backcountry waters is the Alpine Trekker. It’s a simple adapter plate that allows you to enjoy the freedom of a free heel for skinning back in-bounds while using the resort equipment that you know and trust for harvesting freshies …

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Review: La Sportiva RT binding

  Some things in the backcountry are immutable, like the motivation to reduce weight. One way or another, cutting weight usually involves some compromise in performance. That axiom remains true with La Sportiva’s RT binding, but less than you might expect. Even though it only weighs around ½ pound/foot it has some impressive features built …

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News: Backcountry snippets

  Scarpa With the next ski season still a full month or four away Scarpa is offering a sweet deal to prepare for it. Through the end of August all boot repairs will be half off and return shipping is free. The key here is the boots must arrive by August 31 at their Denver …

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Access: New Tahoe area FS plan avoids snowmobile issues

  The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the US Forest Service have released the draft of a new management plan that distills their policy guidelines for the next 20 years. The bureaucrats new plan does not appear to address winter recreation – implying no changes to their decades old plan. If there were no …

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Telemark Binding Selection Chart

  This is a dry run of a page that I’m working on for helping people select a telemark binding. Your feedback, input, and criticism are requested. This isn’t complete yet because some of the relevant bindings are still absent in the archives of reviews available. Some will be published soon, others a bit later. …

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Rerun: Rainey Design’s Hammerhead (v1)

  As a first year binding it is tough to rationalize awarding the Hammerhead an Editor’s Choice for telemark bindings. However, we couldn’t ignore the improvements either. When the beta version arrived it was clear that a new standard in control had been set, and for some that is reason enough. However, lots of folks …

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Council of Squirrels predict Winter 12/13

  With the heat bearing down in the dog days of summer skiers can’t help but seek relief in dreams of a deep, cold winter. The question always is, what sort of winter will the next one be? If you listen to the global warming proponents, last year’s winter is a clear indication of their …

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