by Cam  Nov 09

Garmont Radium

I've loved my Garmont MegaRides for the past 4-5 years, although I always knew they were too soft and low-height for optimum ski performance. But when a pair of Radium's came into my possession (thanks Stew) I wanted desperately to like them, believing that newer was better and that the gap between alpine and touring performance had virtually disappeared.

After 5 days of touring the Rossland Range in the Radium's, I'm far from content with my new boots. There is much to like, particularly the raised height, the more positive lever between walk and ski modes and of course, the stiffer flex. However, they appear even more voluminous than the Mega's, most noticeably in the forefoot where my feet bang from side to side. I immediately epoxied a 3mm thick slab of rubber under the liners to raise my feet against the shell with positive results. I've also found the top two buckles to be ultra-sensitive to adjustment, too tight and it feels like daggers into my shin - too loose and it becomes a soft, mushy flex. I've since ditched the G-Fit liners which were just too thin and painful and replaced them instead with an older pair of Intuitions which filled much of the void. They are comfortable to walk in, certainly not to the same level of plushness as the MegaRides, but still feel light underfoot.

Whether I will learn to love the Radium's, only time will tell. I suspect much of it relates to the overlap design which I have almost no previous experience to compare with. I also suspect that entry and exiting whilst snow camping will be an agonizing, 2-person operation.

Petzl Tikka XP2

Every few years, a headlamp comes on the market that is so revolutionary better than anything that has come before that I simply must purchase it. So it is with the Tikka XP2, which although a year old, still dwarfs all of its competitors. No other internal battery pack lamp can match the XP2's 60m light throw and 80 hour burn time at max (160hr on economy). Using 3xAAA batteries, it is 88gms light, comes with safety whistle, battery life indicator and the strobe function can be seen (apparently) at 8.5km. The red light LED functions are useless to me (made for tactical night reading), but otherwise, this almost perfect headlamp is simply a must-have.

The Dream List returns, again, 3 months too late but ready to dispense with more harmless dreaming. This season I've opted a more personal agenda - it is far simpler to devise my own wish list rather than to consider the touring community at large. The following is therefore my own choice of gear to buy  if money isn't a consideration. It's far from perfect, but neither is most product.

Ski: Goode BC 95 182cm 2400g., Voile Insane 172cm 3100g for deep days.

Binding: Dynafit TLT Comfort AT  740g.

Boot: Garmont Radium  3200g? (not available till Fall).

Skin: Climbing Skins Direct Simple Skins 540g (rat tail attachment)

Backpack (Day): Ortovox Tour 30+  860g.

Backpack (Overnight): BD Revelation 45L 1500g. or Arcteryx Khamski 43L  1400g.

Backpack (Expedition): Arc'teryx Bora 65L  3000g.

Goggle: Zeal Link PPX 175g. or Adidas Burna 130g. for traverses.

Sunglass: Panoptx Churada CV 90g.

Transciever: Mammut Pulse Barryvox 210g.

Shovel: Bd Deploy 3  565g.

Probe: Ortovox PFA Carbon  320cm 215g.

Pole: Komperdell Carbon Tour Pro 125cm  200g.

Helmet: Giro Omen 500g. (resort skiing or mountaineering).

Sleeping Bag: Mountain Hardware Phantom -17C  1190g. or Marmot Helium Reg -9C  822g. (for spring tours).

Sleeping Matt: Thermarest ProLite 4 Reg  680g. or Thermarest RidgeRest Reg  400g.

Stove: Coleman Denali 325g.

Cookset: MSR Titan 2L Pot  227g.

Tent: Mountain Hardware EV2  2440g. (standard 2 person) or BD Mega Lite  1270g. (for long traverses).

Bivy Bag: BD Winter Bivy 250g. or Bibler Hooped Bivy  695g. (for wetter conditions)

Headlamp: Petzl Tikka XP

Crampons:  Camp XLC Nanotech  480g. (steel alloy front points)

Multitool: Leatherman Juice S2  124g. (basecamp only).

Hard Shell Jkt: Arcteryx Fission SL Jkt 614g.

Hard Shell Pant: Arcteryx Beta AR Pants 470g.

Soft Shell Jkt: Patagonia Ready Mix Jkt 425g.

Soft Shell Pant: Arcteryx Seeker Pants 480g

Thermal Underwear: Patagonia Capilene 3, Crew 198g. or Zip-T 227g. & Bottom 198g.

Down Jacket: GoLite Cumulus Down Jkt  400g.

Fleece Jkt: Patagonia R2 Pullover 346g.

Glove: BD GTX System Shell  170g. although Marmot Exum Work, OD Stormtracker, OD ExtraVert and Patagonia Work Gloves are all superb.

Sock: Bridgedale Ski Ultralight  98g.

Hut Boot: MEC Expedition Booties 2  475g.

Readers of the previous months column may remember the disappointment I felt with the BCA Tracker Skins. Fortunately, Climbing Skins Direct (www.climbingskinsdirect.com) sent me a customized pair last week, just in time for more spring touring. I've already cut them to length, attached a tail loop and took them out for an ascent of Mt Kirkup and Hanna Peak, two local summits of the Rossland Range. True to their word, the CSD skins felt the same as the purple Ascensions skins from a few years back. Their grip on steep climbs was superb, the glide - straight out of the box, was excellent, no icing issues and the stickiness remained all day. Quite simply, these are the best skins available today and it brings a smile to my face everytime I pull them out of my pack.

It was time to hang up my 8 yr old Ascension (Black Diamond) climbing skins as the plush was worn and prone to icing. They still climbed with aplomb and as with the case with most old skins, the glide was excellent. So it was with some apprehension that I changed brands - to a new pair of BCA Low Fats for the start of winter.

I immediately removed the annoying black tongues from the tip, which only retard trail breaking and sewed on a webbing tail attachment, which I have used with all my skins - and then set off walking.

After 6 weeks of use I'm regretting retiring my Ascensions. The BCA's use a pitiful adhesive that looses any stickiness below minus 10C and particular on multiple laps. The grip is fine but the glide is poor, granted, they are still relatively new and this may improve, and they have already iced up underfoot - on my 4th day!

I have applied some BD Gold Label Glue to the base to rectify the adhesion issue and I truly hope that the icing up was a rare, unavoidable occurrence. On the positive side, the weight saving is significant (150gms) and their handling/packability is first-rate, probably a bonus if you yo-yo tour and store skins inside your jacket. But where reliability and the capacity to remain unnoticeable is as important as grip and glide, the BCA's Low Fat's are failing.

Reviewed: Apr 05

A thoroughly delightful ski. Has nothing whatsoever to do with alpine touring but for those days on the groomers or hammering through chalky bumps, this latest Volkl all-mountain ski has edge-hold like no other ski I've tried and a playfulness that had me smiling for days.

I read one review of the 724 Pros which described them as 'burly' and 'far better in longer turns'. On the days that I skied them, which ranged from corn to hardpack to ice to chalky, I felt they were nimble, responsive and gripped the snow like no other ski I have tried. I skied them hard and fast and they never felt unstable or tentative. And there is something special about having a ski underfoot that will never wash out, slide out or chatter on slippery snow. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try them in decent powder but I suspect they are okay. But there are a trillion better powder skis. No, these are for the hardpack days and when you want to show the world your best Bode Miller impersonation.

Dec 09

Of all the new clothing that I have updated in the past 8 years, there appears to be one critical piece that has alluded supersedence - my touring pants. I'm still wandering the mountains in a 2001 Patagonia Ether Pant, through whatever weather or demands I've encountered, and have yet to feel any desire to modernize.

The world of touring pants is dominated almost exclusively now by soft shell, made from either Gore, Schoeller or proprietary fabrics that are cheaper for the manufacturer. There is no doubt that the texture of a new, stretch-woven polyester has a luxuriousness far greater than the hand of ripstop nylon, and today's style is far cooler when wandering the aisles of the local grocery store. But I fail to see the advantage of a heavier, non-waterproof pant with a marginal increase in breathability. My Ether Pants weighs a scant 390gms, has simple thigh vents to dump heat or dampness, and if it weren't for the crinkle noise factor inherent with ripstop, I would be wearing them to yoga, they're that dexterous.

Alternatives are many, but with half the soft-shells trying to cater to alpine climbing (and ski touring as an afterthought), models such as the Arcteryx Fury AR Pants seem like the leading contender, if I were to update. The problem with the Fury, however, is that the Windstopper fabric tops out at 560gms, there are superfluous pocket arrangements (storage on your quads?) and what of snow camping, when you're grovelling on all fours, or sitting/kneeling in snow? Any significant pressure forces water easily through the fabric to the insulation. Not so with Gore Paclite. When its storming and I'm bunking down, I'll chose the waterproof/breathable anyday.

Every few months, I review what the alpine department at Patagonia are offering as their best ski touring jacket and pant combo. In the past few years, however, I've felt a strange dismay at what I see as their clothing selection, as designs fall far short of perfection. In this months column, I'm concentrating on their soft shell pant selection, primarily, the Alpine Guide Pant.

Unfortunately, and like most of its competitors, Patagonia's alpine crew appear to be fixated on alpine climbing as this seasons pursuit, to the detriment of serious ski tourers. I realize that Patagonia has a long, involved climbing history, their venerated leader - a legend and its a cool, hardcore image to portray. But whether they are still trying to please big daddy, or the team leaders actually spend their holidays mountaineering, the climbing obsession is old, almost cliched, and should occupy some of their collective thinking, not all of it.

I'd bet that participation levels are far greater with ski touring and there's little doubt that the sport is on a rise, and as of April-July 2008, the world's best gear company doesn't offer a dedicated soft shell ski touring pant. Instead, there are 3 style of guide (climbing) pants, in slight variations, with the word 'skinning' added as an after-note.

It is this singular fixation that delivers a good touring pant from what could be a spectacular one. The Alpine Guide is 200g too heavy for most skiers, coming in at 587g. The fit is slim and modern, possibly to the delight of the après crowd and climbing grovellers but hardly accommodating for extra layers and the regular adjustment of ski boot buckles. That said, the fit certainly feels lovely to wear, inside the changing room, with microfleece around the waist, luxurious hand and drape. There is plenty of mobility and well chosen pocket placement (I'd remove the rear pocket). However, touring is a different beast to climbing, with typically greater heat exertion, varied requirements to abrasion and waterproofness (tourer's only sit at meal breaks, and often not at all) and that singular, repetitious motion of striding with skins needs its own dedicated design - think different materials for vapour zones, striding comfort, pockets for transceiver, camera, map, pipe and a well fitted pant with adequate stretch doesn't require any belt loops, elastised cuffs or suspenders. They do, however, need zippered thigh ventilation and  removable gaiters. I see the new Backcountry Guide Pant and Light Smoke Flash Pant (arrived mid Aug08) have these features, but the lightest of the two weighs in at a laughable 822g which is obviously aimed at the resort skier who dabbles in a little off-piste. Please pull your finger out Patagonia, designs should have evolved by now.

Patagonia Powderbowl Jkt

Jan 2010

Although I have half a dozen, excellent ski shells in my basement, none of them were perfectly suited to lift skiing, that is,  durable and completely waterproof. So after much debating and researching the internet, I purchased the new Powderbowl Jkt through Patagonia Pro-deal. It was possibly the removable hood that sealed the deal, as I find that I never use a hood when riding lifts, finding a helmet/light balaclava combo completely capable in the severest of storms.

I have now used the Powderbowl for a month of pounding Red and while it is a beautifully crafted jacket with almost tailored fit, I can't help but highlight the faults and criticisms. Foremost is the hefty weight, 1154gms of material that surprises me everytime I lift it from the rack. Much of this weight can be attributed to the ridiculous amounts of pockets, powder skirt and primarily, the 7.6oz canvas polyester shell, whose burliness is simply overkill. A 5oz poly shell would have been appropriate. The powder skirt may sell more jackets but I rarely fall and in 20 years of hard skiing cannot recall a day where I have had more than a handful of snow around my abdomen. The jacket also is adorned with 5 external and 3 internal pockets, an unfathomable amount considering that I never have 8 different objects to stash on my person at once, requiring their own separate pocket. And finally, my beef with manufacturers for 2 decades is the need for pit zips. In my case, underarm zips are never used (if I'm slackcountry touring in mild weather, I take the jacket off!), will stiffen the arm flex, will add to the weight, will add another water entry point, will complicate construction and add to the price. Simplicity is much better in this case.

While it is easy to find fault with the Powderbowl, its positive features are less obvious. The chin guard/neck line zone is clutter free, comfortable and excellent height designed for inclement weather, not warm, sunny skies where there's too much material in the way. The inner pockets, particularly the large, elasticized pouch is thoughtful and handy for bulkier items such as goggles and toques. The canvas polyester outer has a gorgeous feel and accepts DWR better than the nylon equivalent, however, I would have been better served by the Primo Jkt, which had rollaway hood, lighter, 4.2oz nylon, simpler design and almost half the weight at 652gms.

Reviewed: Jan 07

I was after a new waterproof for the foul weather days at the resort, as my old jacket was too heavy and stiff. The Rain Shadow is billed as a fundamental, ultra-light waterproof and its simple, yet stylish design had instant appeal. The jacket is fantastically light, a mere 370 gms, is supple and provides full coverage for lift skiing. The cut is on the roomy side - a result of its intended audience (trekkers) and balloons slightly around the waist. There are 3 pockets (enough), the hood is voluminous, but is made to fit over a helmet, and the wrist closures are very effective and easy to operate. I am still unsure of the merits of pit zips (this has them) as I never use them, preferring to take off the entire jacket when skinning or climbing.

Overall, I am very happy with the Rain Shadow Jkt, but if it were available at the time, I would have purchased the Jetstream Jkt instead, as it uses the same 2.7oz ripstop nylon and has a trimmer, skier orientated cut, and some minor stretch panels which can do no harm.

alpine touring

gear review, ski touring, review

dream gear list 2006