Salomon Speedcross 3

Salomon inarguably makes some of the most popular trail running shoes on the planet, but for my taste their lasts have tended to offer too much rigidity and/or support. Happily, the Speedcross 3 offers a fresh take. Unlike the high-pronation control of Salomon’s XT Wings, the Speedcross is noticeably softer—some might say cushier. Frankly you don’t expect a racing shoe to be this comfortable (more…)

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Smith Parallel

Smith’s Parallel replaces the discontinued Factor as their go-to performance multisport sunglasses. Smith says the Parallel’s styling is a little more contemporary, which is true. But more importantly, the Parallel is a better-performing sunglass, nicely addressing the Factor’s so-so wind protection without resorting to excessive lens coverage (more…)

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Smartwool PhD Ski Ultra Light

Believe it or not, I was a dedicated cotton socks hiker for a long time. I liked the extra texture of cotton, which kept my foot from slipping and sliding inside my shoes. Of course, I also loved the next-to-skin comfort of cotton. Then I got a pair of Smartwool socks as a gift. By that time in my life I was a bona-fide wool skeptic, convinced the stuff would always be hot, itchy, and uncomfortable (more…)

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Voile XLM Updated

Voile has updated its smallest shovel, the XLM. The original XLM was arguably the lightest functional aluminum avalanche shovel on the market. The new XLM is…arguably the lightest functional aluminum avalanche shovel on the market. What’s changed? Voile says the new XLM is lighter, which conflicts a bit with my 2007 notes (I think the first-run XLM shovels were lighter still, but subsequent (more…)

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GoPro Hero2

Despite the inarguably compelling dimension that helmet-cam video has added to my photography, I admit I’d begun to give up on it. I was tired of endlessly battling mount systems with my Contour 1080P cam, only to get home and discover that another two or three gigs of raw footage were useless because of color, exposure, alignment, or jiggle issues. Getting usable footage was like trying to win the lottery (more…)

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Black Diamond Justice

Black Diamond’s revised Justice is a highly-specialized ski. The fat-waisted eight-pound Justice is built specifically for powder-bomb touring—and not much else. New as of 2012 (the green version), the Justice returns in 2013 with orange graphics but otherwise unchanged, offering tip and tail rocker and quite a lot of area—an impressive 111 millimeters underfoot. By today’s standards the Justice is not crazy light (more…)

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Rossignol Pursuit HP

Rossignol’s new Pursuit HP replaces the popular Avenger Ti, taking over the maker’s high-end frontside carver niche—non-race edition. Think of the wood/titanium-core Pursuit not so much as a race-stock relative but rather as a pedal-to-the-metal crowd-pleaser. The ski showcases Rossignol’s mastery of next-generation Frontside design, with an 81mm waist and a very slightly rockered tip (more…)

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Nordica Fire Arrow 80 Pro

Nordica’s Fire Arrow 80 Pro was one of the most popular skis at this year’s SIA demo. I waited diligently for a chance to ride the updated Fire Arrow, and I’m glad I did. This is a significantly improved ski, taking last year’s Fire Arrow 80 and giving it a much-needed jolt of energy. For a quick refresher, I thought the original Fire Arrow was interesting but just a bit too sluggish; it lacked liveliness. The Pro shares the same (more…)

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Blizzard Cochise

Of all the skis I tried at this year’s SIA show, the Blizzard Cochise was easily the biggest surprise. The Cochise didn’t just win best of show—it changed how I look at rocker. Let’s call the Cochise a rocker evolution: the maturing and perhaps finally the true realization of rocker’s full potential. To really understand what Blizzard has achieved with the Cochise, you’ve got to talk, oddly enough, about hard-snow (more…)

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Salomon Enduro XT 800

Salomon’s Enduro XT800 is another one of those carving-oriented All-Mountain skis that finds itself reclassified by today’s standards as strictly a frontside carver. Yes, the ski employs some tricks to improve floatation and soft snow performance, but a 79mm waist may as well be a needle these days, so let’s just call the Enduro XT 800 what it is—a high-level hard snow carver (more…)

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