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February 15, 2012

Volkl RTM-84

Volkl’s RTM 84 has been highly regarded in print reviews, topping many a frontside-carver list. Oddly enough, however, during my own on-snow testing at Winter Park, the RTM 84 proved to be one of my least favorite hard-snow skis. The RTM (“Ride the Mountain”) is what we might call a ‘modern’ frontside ski: extra girth underfoot for soft-snow performance, paired with an subtle early-rise tip to make for (more…)

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February 12, 2012

GoPro HD Hero2 — First Look

Here’s some HD Hero2 test footage, shot today. Right away I like the GoPro’s color rendition, and the cam seems remarkably free of rolling shutter distortion. Sharpness for a helmet cam is quite good. Definitely one of the strengths of the GoPro is the broad array of mount options, and the picture’s wide angle of view. As for more in-depth thoughts, obviously more testing is required…

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February 10, 2012

Head i.Supershape Titan

The spirit of Frontside carving is alive and well in Head’s i.Supershape ski line. If you’re looking with disdain at fat-waisted All Mountain skis and wondering where your race-roots carvers are, take a look at Head’s offerings. The i.Supershape Titan falls into exactly the same category as Dynastar’s excellent Speed Course Ti. The ski is a lively, on-your-toes, race-bred beast, happily freed from (more…)

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February 9, 2012

Volkl Nunataq

My take on Volkl’s Nunataq is that it’s exactly the ski it’s supposed to be. Billed as the touring version of the Gotama (or so Volkl told me), the Nunataq does indeed deliver a Gotama-reminiscent ride at a tour-worthy weight. The Nunataq is aimed squarely at the jugular of today’s North American backcountry market: take a look at that fat 107 millimeters underfoot. Clearly, this is a powder-tilted ski (more…)

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February 2, 2012

SIA Preview: Salomon Guardian 16

Yes, it’s a new A/T binding from Salomon: the Sidecountry/Freeride-oriented Guardian 16. The Guardian isn’t just a shot across the Marker Duke’s bow; it’s ramming speed with all guns blazing. No published weight is available yet for the Guardian, but the Salomon people told me it will be within a few ounces (lighter?) of the Duke’s five pounds, 12.5 ounces per pair (more…)

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January 31, 2012

SIA Winter Park: A Great Time

Just wrapping up the second day of SIA’s on-snow demo at Winter Park Resort, and thought I’d give a few quick hits on the skis I tried. Some or all of these will blossom into full reviews, complete with my witty and occasionally risque first-impressions video clips, but for now, this will have to do. Let me say again that it is indeed a great time to be a skier. Technology advances in really the past year or so have completely changed the market. Here’s what struck me as notable: (more…)

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January 28, 2012

Marker Duke, Tour Updates

I’m here in Denver for the annual SIA Snowshow, wandering the convention floor and browsing the battery of ski gear booths to see if I can find anything interesting. Yesterday I got a little information about Marker’s Duke and Tour bindings which may qualify (more…)

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January 9, 2012

Dahlgren Sno Comp

Alpaca is the secret ingredient in Dahlgren’s new sock lineup, including the Sno Comp, a sheer, cushionless ski sock that uses a fairly complicated Merino/Alpaca/Synthetic blend.

For the curious, Alpacas are those not-quite Llamas found in South America. Alpaca wool is said to be lanolin-free, less irritating than regular wool, and thus (perhaps) a better choice for people who (more…)

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January 2, 2012

Black Diamond Warrant

I’m going to coin a new term to try to capture the essence of Black Diamond’s Warrant, part of the revamped 2012 Black Diamond ski lineup: let’s call it ‘de-specialized’.

The Warrant replaces the highly-regarded but aging Kilowatt, a ski known for its versatility. Like the Kilowatt, the new Warrant is also a generalist, but it adds a surprising degree of hard-snow capability (more…)

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December 22, 2011

Exped DownMat 7

Yes, there is down (as in feathers) in Exped’s DownMat-series sleeping pads, which include the DownMat 7 and the DownMat 9, in lengths from short to long.

Putting feathers inside your sleeping pad may sound a little strange, but it works out to have exactly the same effect as putting feathers in your jacket: it makes it warmer without making it heavier (more…)