January 2013 archive

OR Report: Backcountry Bindings for 2013/14

  Alpine Touring In the AT realm, there are a ton of new bindings headed our way. I don’t know if this is better or worse, but there are many more to follow in the years to come from the likes of companies like Salomon, Look, and probably from K2 too. For now, it’s mostly …

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Outdoor Retailer Show – Winter 2013

It’s that time of year again when all the companies gather to show off next years wares. What I’m aware of already will be posted over the next week in semi-daily installments. With any luck I’ll squeeze in some updates of relevant items that I unearth at the show. In a nutshell interest in backcountry …

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Review: Scarpa’s Maestrale RS

Finally managed to put Scarpa’s Maestrale to the test last week. Not just a couple of conditioning tours with a few tepid turns thrown in to get back to the car, but an actual locked-heel bombing mission. Frankly it was hard to resist. Not only was the snow perfectly prepared – I was also armed …

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Should airbags packs be required?

We’re fully invested in the new season now. The calendar has flipped over to a new year and there’s enough snow to ski just about anywhere. Here in the Tahoe area the avalanche hazard is in dispute. It’s not that the BC community doesn’t know the avy lizards are lurking. Hell, they killed two people …

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Review: Skin Glue Confessions

Over the past three years I’ve had the opportunity to use two versions of BD Ascensions (Nylon), G3’s Alpinist (nylon), BCA’s Magic Carpet skins (nylon), GlideLite (nylon), Gecko (mohair), Clip-Skins (synthetic), Colltex (65/35 nylon/mohair), Pomoca (nylon), K2 (nylon), and La Sportiva (nylon). All were new within the last 3 years. Plus I’ve mixed in old …

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TR: West Shore Lake Tahoe (31dec12)

  Yesterday was a classic Powder Monday. Two old ski buddies were in town and the plan was simple — take a tour somewhere around Lake Tahoe. West Shore beckoned and we took the bait. Russ, Ethan and I rendezvoused at The Back Country then headed south on Hwy. 89. There were three parking pull-outs …

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