Ski Touring Backcountry News Roundup — Greece, Arcteryx & More

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson

We wish our Greek friends had a better economy, but what is, is. Due to the euro/dollar currency exchange rate as well as the Greek financial situation, it is incredibly affordable to travel the land of Aristotle. But what if we want to ski instead of sun bathing and eating Moussaka until we can’t move? And how about something positive about a country that’s been so dissed of late?

We are intrigued by reports of spring skiing in Greece that involves velvet corn snow along with excellent weather on peaks with thought provoking names such as Grammos, Gamilla, Smolikas and Olympus. More, apparently winter happens down there as well!

Give the Grecians some help and check out this Kickstarter that film maker Constantine Papanicolaou is doing to get the word out on what Greece offers skiers and snowboarders.

In case you’re wondering just how you’d organize a Grecian ski trip, the trick is to contact George Klaoudatos via the travel company he works with.. He is the man to help make it happen.

Did you grow up (or grow) in a ski town during the 1970s or 1980s? Perhaps the sheriff was a bit behind the times. Perhaps you left the town of your parents behind and found a place that was paradise, then proceeded to get involved in growth control and battling evil developers. Perhaps you or your friends were living off a drug money windfall. Perhaps.

Reality or fantasy, Rob Conery wraps it all into his fictional account, “Winterland.” The protagonist is innocently fishing in Florida and gets a big “tip” from benevolent drug runners. A bar is bought in paradise. The sheriff is scary and the developers want their chunk. I found some of the situations to be overdone, but then, this is fiction and you need to keep the reader’s attention. Personally, I’ve seen or even experienced just about everything Rob includes, so let me vouch for his fictional authenticity! Stick “Winterland” on your e-reader for that next stint of downtime, see if you relate.

Continue Reading
35 comments
0 Email

Fitwell Backcountry Boot — Updated Review

by Jonathan Cooper
written by Jonathan Cooper
Fitwell Backcountry boots in their element in Glacier Bay National Park. Here, they are combined with the Billygoat Ascent Plates--a useful combo for the firm snow on this side of the ridge. Fear not, powder awaited us on the other side!

Fitwell Backcountry Boots in their element in Glacier Bay National Park. Here, they are combined with the Billygoat Ascent Plates -– a useful combo for the firm snow on this side of the ridge. Fear not, powder awaited us on the other side!

Fitwell Backcountry came out with an updated version of their splitboard mountaineering boot this past winter. Most of the design improvements came through their liners, but minor adjustments to the shell are also new.

Continue Reading
0 comment
0 Email

Trade Show Tidbits — Mountain Boots to E-bikes — Lou

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson

It ain’t all ski touring but it ain’t all bad. That is, once you untangle from the dog leash around your legs and find a bypass for hallways so crowded you feel like a tilapia in a farm tank. So where’s the good? For starters, we’ve got a full raft of sponsors again so we can keep WildSnow pumping along. I tie up some of these deals at the OR Show — good reason for being there! Beyond pure business, I also take a look around with focus on things truly useful or at least fascinating. More:

Arcteryx AR alpine climbing boot.

Arcteryx AR alpine climbing boot.

I can never get alpine climbing out of my soul. Still do it, really, to the degree my ski tours involve a peak scramble now and then. Summer, my mind wanders to what I could perhaps be scrambling in the Wind Rivers or Rocky Mtn. Park. Or Chamonix? But I’m at the OR show instead.

Oh well, let the fantasizing commence. I’ll admit to salivating over the debut Arcteryx Acrux AR Boot. This double mountaineering boot is trim, even elegant. It’s covered by a waterproof-breathable full gaiter. Inside, an insulated Gore-tex liner keeps your feet snug down to temps you should probably be avoiding, but did not because you love it. Or at least thought you did, until you realized that while you’re wearing your Arcteryx AR Boots but forgot to bring your Arcteryx gloves. Price? That’s like shopping for a Ferrari and asking the tuxedo clad Italian showroom person “but, what’s the gas mileage?”

Well, moving along to things more practical:

Continue Reading
22 comments
0 Email

Dynafit Khion Ski Touring Boot and Superlite 2.0 Binding — A Few Details

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson

Please note: On July 15, 2016 Dynafit issued a recall notice for all Khion boots in North America. See this blog post for up-to-date details.

Khion (Carbon version) backcountry skiing boot.

Dynafit Khion Carbon backcountry skiing boot.

We get tired of dog food and water bottles — stuff that seems to be the main currency of summer here at the trade show. Thus we do appreciate when a company brings some of their new backcountry skiing product to summer OR. I had fun going over the production version Dynafit Khion boot at the Salewa booth. We’ve covered the Khion before, but sharing a bit more about this design intensive boot seems wise. (Note that Khion comes in Carbon version and non-carbon, Khion Carbon is depicted here.)

Continue Reading
58 comments
0 Email

Atomic Backland Ski Touring Boots — Review

by Bob Perlmutter
written by Bob Perlmutter

Shop for Backland ski touring boots.

Elk Mountains, Colorado, Atomic Backland ski touring boots.

Elk Mountains, Colorado, Atomic Backland ski touring boots.

Meet the new Sheriff. His name is Atomic Backland, riding through town with both barrels blazing.

Atomic’s first real venture into the soul of the modern AT ski touring market is the Backland series of boots, four models. The flagship models being the Backland Carbon (stiffer tongue, heavier and firmer liner, carbon infused Grilamid lower and a stiff carbon cuff) and Backland Carbon Light (softer tongue, lighter liner, Grilamid only lower).

These boots are not a half baked product foisted upon us by a mainstream alpine company trying horn in on the now popular ski touring “AT” marketplace. Quite the opposite, the Backland series are a state-of-art product with the best design, technology and materials down to the last detail.

Continue Reading
63 comments
0 Email

Atomic Backland — Putting a Boot Fitter Near You Out of Business

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson
Randy Young (right) of our advertising partner Cripple Creek checks out the new shoes.

Randy Young (right) of our advertising partner Cripple Creek checks out the new shoes.

I’ve got about 20 days of testing on my Atomic Backland Carbon ski touring boots. We fit them in Austria using their full “Memoryfit” technology that’s purported to heat mold the shell to your foot along with the liner. I was a little suspicious of this. Why doesn’t the whole shell just expand and get too big? Turns out the process does work, but has to be done correctly (and may not be needed if you get a good shell fit out of the box, in which case you can just do a normal “stack” heat of the boots for a molding.)

Continue Reading
24 comments
0 Email
Newer Posts
Older Posts

×