October 2014 archive

Backcountry Mag celebrates 20 years

  Get it while you can because this issue will be a collectors item. Yeah, I’m talking ’bout my former competitor, Backcountry Magazine. They made the grade and lasted 20 years. What’s more, they’ve been following the mantra of a good backcountry soldier by just steadily chipping away and making their mag better with each …

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Black Diamond Tele-boots sentenced to die

  It’s unofficial: Black Diamond is adding a nail to telemarks demise by ending production of their telemark boot line. If you like their teleboots, better buy ’em while you can because they won’t be making any more any time soon. That’s not official, I’m telling you it will be. Insiders have been hinting at …

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Beans & Rice Freeride – SII, E1

  Funny how some things never change. AT skiers love to deride telemarkers as dope-smokin’, tree huggin’ hippies with a license to suck. Truth is, the license to suck isn’t limited to skiing with a free heel, nor is anything else. It is with a sense of humor that Jake Sakson and friends embrace being …

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Review: BD’s Carbon Aspect ski

To behold the statistics of Black Diamond’s Carbon Aspect is to be tempted with a model of touring perfection. At least, to this ol’ guys perspective. Fat skis are the rage and weight is great and all that except that it’s not. In the backcountry extra flotation comes with a heavy price and for my …

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Tahoe Mt. Sports moves to Truckee

  Since 2005 David Polivy of Tahoe Mountain Sports has been selling quality outdoor gear on the web and out of his Kings Beach storefront. During that time TMS built up a strong local following as well as a sturdy online base. With the opening of the shop’s new location in Truckee, the retailer turns …

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Review: Fischer’s TransAlp Vacuum TS Lite

  Considering how quick alpine brand reps are to dismiss the size of the backcountry market it is ironic how many have nonetheless invested the time, energy, and resources to offer AT boots. In Fischer’s case, not just that they developed the Ranger series of AT boots, but that they used their heat moldable shell …

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Review: Voile’s V6

  The last two seasons have been tough on fat skis. In spite of that, Voile has managed to produce two winners in two years that not only give the sort of delightful response in soft snow you would expect from a company that develops products in Wasatch pow, but in real conditions too. In …

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