December 2015 archive

Part VII: Taming the Dragon of Self-Destruction

Continued from Taming Your Avalanche Dragon, published 17nov15. When we have self-destruction as our dragon we lack the ability to care for and nurture our own best interest. Self-destruction may be fuelled by a general propensity for self-hate, depression, or a sense of despair. This is not a sought-after ingredient for making good decisions in …

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Review: La Sportiva Spitfire 2.0 skimo boot

During my stint in Tahoe a lot of fellow turn earners wondered why the resorts wouldn’t allow uphill skinning. Now that I’m in Colorado, it is more obvious why rando races flourish here, and with it the opportunity for fitness skinning at resorts, but they’re rare in the Sierra. In California, especially around Lake Tahoe, …

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Review: Sven Can See Anti-Fog potion

As a snow rider it is only a matter of time before you’re blinded by a fog in front of your eyes, whether sun glasses or goggles, the trouble comes courtesy of too much sweat steaming off your face and a cold lens mere millimeters away. Modern goggles are surprisingly immune to this phenomenon thanks …

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Pt VI: Taming the Greed Dragon

Continued from Taming Your Avalanche Dragon, published 17nov15. Greed Greed is an easy dragon to understand, especially on a powder day when the sun is shining. The statistical fact that more avalanche tragedies happen on sunny days with new snow underpins the concept of greed. The phrase, “There are no friends on a powder day” …

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Meidjo update details for v2.0

  After one full season of use, the telemark binding that has tongues wagging is coming to market with semi-major changes to its design, but no major changes to the root functionality. To those who missed it, Meidjo is the first binding to use a low-tech toe with an NTN hook to hold your tele …

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Pt. V: Taming the Martyr Dragon

Continued from Taming Your Avalanche Dragon, published 17nov15. Martyrdom Martyrs believe we are the “victims” of a situation and see ourselves as oppressed. As a victim, we feel like we have no choice in a situation; that others are deciding things for us and that we have no other option but to heed the directives …

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Outlaw NTN updates for 2016

As a beta binding you expect some failures. Even when manufacturers don’t acknowledge it, like with first year bindings, it isn’t realistic to expect no problems. It’s worth repeating, 22 Design’s transparency with beta status deserves a medal. With any luck, that medal will be evident with a trouble-free launch and healthy sales of what …

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