K2 Darksides

The latest addition to the wide ski market from K2 is an absolute blast. I was lucky enough to secure a pair of 174cm long Darksides from the new K2 Backside series. This series of skis was designed to combine the touring ability from Backcountry skis and alpine sturdiness from Sidecountry skis. From this can Mike Hattrups Backside series. Go to http://k2skis.com/news/2009/08/the-evolution-of-backside-adventure/ for the whole story and to see blog posts from around the world. The ski is the widest ski on the series at 154/128/144 and weighs in at 2100 grams in the 174cm length. The Darkside has a slightly rockered tip only and this allows for great versatility powder and on hard pack. The ski has a wood core (Aspen and Paulownia blend), and uses the K2 Hybritech vertical sidewall technology (Simply traditional sidewalls for most of the ski and cap construction in the tip and tail).

I have never skied a ski this fat and was curious as to how it would ski for me. The surprise came in how easy it was to ski. The groomers were not terrifying, nor did I feel I was on the verge of sliding to the bottom of the slope, and the ski was more agile than I imagined in powder. Would I recommend skiing the Darkside for a day of hard pack and groomers? No. Can you enjoy yourself on the way to your favorite Sidecountry stash or pocket of Powder? Absolutely.


The Darksides truly shine in the soft snow. They make you feel as if skiing is effortless and simply more fun. It does take a bit to get used to how fast you can ski and that you will pop over crud and push piles instead of going through them, but it is a quick adjustment. This ski truly shines when you are skiing fast and full throttle in powder and I must admit to backing off before I reached the speed capacity of the ski.


One of the great surprises of the ski was how well it skied in steep tight trees. The slightly rockered tip keeps the ski from diving and therefore you can turn with confidence. The landings from small airs in the trees also proved to be comforting in how predictable the ski behaved.

The Colorado Mountain School also has a pair of 181 Darksides and two friends John Winsor and Winston Binch were able to take the skis on a few runs. They both loved the ski and commented it was as easy a ski as they had ever touched. In fact, Winston liked it so much he is looking to purchase a pair as are two friends of his.

I will write shortly on the brake modification on Dynafit F-12’s to get a Salamon 130mm brake arm for the wider skis.

Get out there and enjoy one of the great new skis from K2.

Mike Alkaitis
CMS Senior Guide
malkaitis@totalclimbing.com

Dynafit Titan

The Dynafit Titan AT Ski boot is the latest addition from Dynafit in the competitive high end stiff overlap ski boot you can still tour in. The Titan is a 4 buckle boot made from polyurethane (PU) plastic and comes in at a 130 flex and weighs 1600 grams per boot without liner in a size 27. The flex feels to be a true 130 flex during the first 15 days of skiing in the areas and out touring. I was able to test the boots at Vail and Beaver Creek as well as tours in the East Vail Chutes, Carbibou area outside Nederland, the Wasatch range, and Red Mountain Pass in the San Juans of CO.


The first thing you notice about the boot is that it is mainly white, with some red and black highlights. While I enjoy being truly stylish, it is more important to have great performance. The Titan does not disappoint. The Titan reminds me of a true alpine boot with the advantage of a large touring range when you are skinning. The touring mechanism is a small plastic switch and is easy to use. When you are in touring mode the boot is easy to flex through the entire range of motion and the buckles are well placed and seem strong.


When going downhill the Titan truly shines and loves going fast. You can lean into the boot and have a great response. I am interested to see how the PU Plastic reacts when the weather is warmer and the plastic softens a bit. So is the boot that different in stiffness from others? It certainly felt like it to me. It may also be the actual shell shape fits my foot exceptionally well.

So what would I change about the boot if I were king? I would change the liner. The stock liner the boot comes with is a good liner and feels comfortable after having a professional boot fitter mold them. The only downfall for me was the Dynafit TFX liner is slightly heavier (400 grams per liner TFX vs 220 grams per liner for the overlap Intuition liner) than an intuition liner and there is not enough foam in the ankle for a snug fit. I admit to having a skinny heal and ankle, but I hate to have my heal pull up when skiing. Other than this minor adjustment the Dynafit Titan is a great AT Boot for aggressive skiers looking for a stiff boot. Did I mention the boot comes with a Dynafit compatible sole as well as an alpine DIN sole?


I look forward to skiing this boot the rest of the year and writing a review of how the boot held up. Thanks and hope to see you out there. For another review of the Titan you can visit http://www.wildsnow.com and see another view.

Mike Alkaitis
Colorado Mountain School
malkaitis@totalclimbing
www.totalclimbing.com

La Sportiva Speedster

Having climbed in Mantras, Cobras, Vipers, and Venoms; I was excited to review this new slipper. The Speedster is the newest slipper addition to La Sportiva’s already expansive product line. With the Mantras, Venoms, and Vipers discontinued, the Speedster and the reintroduced Cobra are the current offerings in this genre. The Speedster is unique in that the midsole consists solely of a 3mm piece of XS Grip 2 rubber which extends from the toe to the heel; creating a wrapping effect (the edges are round). With the P3 technology tied into the figure-eight sling-shot rand, the shoe remains aggressively downturned, holding its shape. I was surprised that I wore the same size in the Speedster as my Solutions and Testarossas (I had to go down 1.5 additional sizes in the Cobra to accommodate the stretching). Speedsters don’t stretch nearly as much as the Cobra due the leather and synthetic combination.

Performance wise, this is a highly-specialized shoe for steep rock/plastic, or as a light-weight training shoe. Micro-edging clearly is difficult, and I would assume heavier climbers would have difficulties with such a soft shoe. Sensitivity and power are unmatched in this shoe – as you can feel and “grab” holds. The real standout between the Cobra and Speedster is the heel hooking. The Speedsters feel much more secure on tenuous heel hooks due to the P3/PD85 construction and aggressive fit. Steep sport, bouldering, and plastic are the Speeders sweet spot. It’s a great second shoe to toss in the pack when heading to the crag or gym.

Overall, the Speedster is a great training shoe or stand alone excelling on steep cave-oriented climbing or bouldering. I liked the shoe a lot more on BRC’s Tsunami Wall than the local techy climbing found in Boulder Canyon or at Flagstaff.

For more info check out Sportiva.com

Pros: Sensitive, Powerful, Light, Heel Hooking Shoe for steep rock/plastic
Cons: Very specialized, Durability, Edging

Dan Levison, ACE-CPT
Boulder Rock Club
dlevison@totalclimbing.com
303-990-1011

Marmot Scree Pant

La Sportiva Ganda

As a mountain guide, what goes on my feet is one of the most important things I consider. Often while rock climbing, figuring out what combination of shoes to take on a long climb is the crux of the packing. When the climb requires a walk off in technical terrain the decision gets even harder. Do I take a very light approach shoe and rock shoes for an easy climb that requires lots of walking or do I carry a more substantial approach shoe where comfort comes first? The problem with the second option is carrying the heavy shoes in the pack can make the climb not as fun.

La Sportiva has solved this problem for me with the Ganda. It is half approach shoe half climbing shoe. While guiding in Red Rocks this fall I used the Ganda for climbs up to mid 5.10 and felt very comfortable in them. They are very comfortable for the approach and then climb like a dream. The best part is that I only had to bring one pair of shoes, making the climbing pack much lighter. The Ganda is hand made in Italy. Its craftsmenship is second to none and they should last me at least 5 years! The shoe is designed to take many resoles and athough the cost is high, its value is considerably greater than other approach shoes when you consider it’s longevity. The Ganda is not quite as comfortable as the Exum but not carrying rock shoes is a reasonable trade-off. The shoe is a bit warm due to the beefy construction. So far these are the only drawbacks I have found.

For climbs that are moderate in nature and when I only want to bring one pair of shoes the Ganda will be my first choice.

Ganda specs:

WEIGHT: 14.74 oz • 418 g LAST: Approach Tech CONSTRUCTION: Slip Lasted (forefoot)/ Board Lasted (rear) UPPER: Leather/ Vibram® rubber rands/ Synthetic leather LINING: Mesh (heel only) MIDSOLE: PU Lite SOLE: Vibram® Dot Rubber

For more information on the Ganda check out La Sportiva's website: Sportiva.com

Dale Remsberg
IFMGA/AMGA certified guide
Head Guide Colorado Mountain School
TotalClimbing.com
800-836-4008

Backcountry Access: Tracker 2

I finally got my hands on the new beacon from Backcountry Access – the three antennae Tracker2. The initial chatter was that these would be available last season, but in true BCA style, they were only 99% happy with the product at that time and insisted on waiting until they were 110% happy to release it. It was worth the wait. I unpackaged mine just in time for a long holiday weekend down on Red Mountain Pass – where they had received more than 14 inches fresh powder on New Year’s Eve!

BCA's goal with the Tracker2 (as with the original) was to make it first and foremost extremely user friendly. After using the original Tracker, I didn't think they could make a beacon any simpler to use. They did. There are three features that make the Tracker2 even easier than original: 1) The big yellow button that switched between search and transmit modes has been replaced with a mechanical pull tab. The yellow button was fairly easy to understand, but I saw students in L1 courses struggle with it, especially when the winds were nuking and the big expedition mitts made it difficult to actually feel the button. The pull tab is money. You can operate it with full gloves on in -22C weather (as I did last weekend). There is no question as to which mode you're in. 2) When teaching students to first use a beacon, one concept that is often lost in the process is that when you conduct a fine search (within 3 meters of the target) you have to ignore the directional arrows. BCA recognized this and the Tracker2 is programmed to turn off those directional arrows when you get within 3 meters. No more confusion. 3) The Tracker2 is FAST! Fast enough to deserve some flames or a lightning bolt decal. BCA advertises the Tracker2 as the only real-time beacon (says so right on the box). Being the skeptic that I am, I figured it would be an improvement on the original, but real-time? I'm here to tell you to believe the hype – the new processor and algorithm will move faster than you ever will, and blows the competition out of the powder.

What about the third antennae, you ask? The third antennae (along with the processor and signal processing algorithm) enables the Tracker2 to be incredibly accurate while bracketing, even for deep burials. Given that the average avalanche burial depth requiring use of a beacon to find the person is 1.2 meters (which translates to shoveling more than a ton of snow), you want to be as accurate as possible with the fine beacon search. I wanted to test this feature, but given our current shallow snowpack, and the arctic temps, I opted to evaluate it indoors. So I set a transmitting beacon on the floor under the kitchen table and hopped on top of the table with the Tracker2 in search mode. After conducting the fine search, the lowest reading on the beacon was 1.5, and was located perfectly plumb line above the transmitting unit.

For more info about the Tracker2, check out BCA's website.

See you in the backcountry.

Matt Lipscomb
AIARE Level 1 & 2 Instructor
CMS Guide
mlipscomb@totalclimbing.com
www.totalclimbing.com

Want to improve your knowledge of avalanche hazard, gain confidence in decision making in the mountains, and get hands on training in companion rescue? Join CMS for a L1 Avalanche Course or a day of guided backcountry skiing this winter.

Black Diamond Fusion

The new Black Diamond Fusion is out and I finally got to take them for a spin at Vail. Wow! What a great new tool from BD. I helped test the prototype tools in Switzerland two winters ago and was excited and impatient for this tool to finally make it to market. The Fusion is a hybrid from the Cobra and the older Fusion. With Laser or Titan picks, it climbs ice almost as well as the Cobra. Dry tooling with Fusion picks make sticking to the smallest rock edges no problem. This would be a great tool for someone who only wants one tool and would like to climb ice and mixed terrain equally. The Fusion comes with a built in hammer, a spike and adjustable handle to accommodate different hand sizes. For pure ice climbing I will still gravitate to the Cobra but when mixed climbing at Vail or if the climb I’m tying for has substantial hard mixed terrain the Fusion will be on my pack.

I would say that BD has once again set the bar for ice and mixed tools and Fusion will likely lead the pack for some time.

Weight : 672 g, 1 lb 6 oz

Length : 50 cm

Head : Stainless steel

Pick : Chromoly steel

Shaft : Aluminum

Grip : Co-molded rubber

For more information on the Fusion check out BD's website: blackdiamondequipment.com

Dale Remsberg
IFMGA/AMGA certified guide
Head Guide Colorado Mountain School
TotalClimbing.com
800-836-4008

Marmot Kingpin Jacket

When alpine or ice climbing, one of the biggest issues I face is finding an appropriately fitting jacket. There are three questions I ask myself when selecting the right jacket for the right job. First, will the jacket fit easily under a harness? Can I raise my arms without the cuffs of the jacket falling below my wrists and without the jacket pulling out of my waistbelt? Finally, is the jacket moving with me or against me? With the advent of softshell technology and virtually every manufacturer making a softshell jacket, one is faced with a myriad of choices. I have had the pleasure of wearing many softshell jackets from a variety of manufacturers and I can surely say that the Marmot Kingpin jacket is my favorite.

I have spent at least 20 days in this product and it has performed above and beyond my expectations. The Kingpin stretches with me while I reach my tools for the distant ice thanks to the Marmot M1 softshell material. This particular piece is cut just a bit longer than most softshells keeping it from pulling out of the waistbelt of my harness when swinging above my head. There are two handwarmer pockets strategically placed on the chest so you can put your warm gloves on at the belay without interfering with your harness. Two drawstring closures allow cinching the jacket tight around your waist to ward off the wind on those gusty Longs Peak days along with the Polartec Wind Bloc membrane laminated directly to the softshell. I find it also quite useful that the hood can easily fit over my helmet when I’m out in less than ideal conditions.

I wear a large in this garment and it seems to be slightly bulky in the chest and stomach. The medium was a bit too short in the waist and arms. Aside from the slight sizing discrepancy, this jacket is now a "go to" in my arsenal of alpine climbing accoutrements. Did I mention it’s stylish too?

For more information check out Marmot's website: www.marmot.com

Eric Whewell
CMS Guide
AMGA Certified Rock Guide
ewhewell@totalclimbing.com
www.totalclimbing.com

Black Diamond Factor AT Ski Boot

The Black Diamond Factor AT Ski boot is the flagship boot of their new ski boot line. All of Black Diamonds ski boots were new in 2008 and are virtually the same in 2009. I am writing this review after one full season of use. I skied the Factors through the entire season from long backcountry tours, to single steep area runs. The skis used were the K2 Coombas (181) mounted with Dynafit F12 bindings, and a pair of K2 Apache Chiefs (181) with Fritschi Freeride Bindings. The boots come with the BD Alpine DIN Blocks, but I switched out to the AT Blocks (Dynafit compatible) before the first use and never switched back.

My first impression of the boot was it was a well designed, four buckle, overlap design, with a 130 flex (from BD), weighed in at 7lbs 8 oz per pair without liners, and a new design of a liner (Power Fit with Boa closure system). I quickly went to Chuck Bird, the resident podiatrist at Neptune Mountaineering, to have my new liners heat molded to the boot and also mold a pair of intuition liners to the same shell. I have skied in Intuition liners for over 10 years and know what to expect out of them. With both liners molded I was excited about getting out to ski.

Where did I get to ski you ask? I had the pleasure of skiing throughout Colorado, and in a few places in Utah and Alaska. The days were a mixture of area skiing and backcountry tours with an emphasis on the ski decent. My favorite tours of the season were in no particular order: North Couloir of Buffalo, Eldorado Peak AK, Mt Otis Hidden Couloir, and the Elevator Shaft on Hallets.

What did I think of my Factors on these outings? The boots toured well while going uphill, but along the flats did not have enough rear flex for an easy stride. Luckily most of my tours had very little flat terrain to skin across. The downhill performance of the Factors lived up to my expectations at about 90%. I could drive a K2 Coomba with authority in powder and some crud, but the boot would flex out if I were in big bumps or really thick crud. The 130 flex seemed to be a bit soft and from a pure feel felt the same as an Alpine boot 110. I ski in the 26.5 size and in compression I can touch the middle two buckles together.

As I stated above ski boot liners are important to me. They are the key for a comfortable day of touring, giving a precise feel from boot to ski, and hopefully have no gaps in the padding to boot. The new BD Power Fit liner with BOA construction (it is a wire lace system that tightens and loosens with a circular ratchet) has a clean look along the lines of most Alpine ski boots. They are made of thermo formable foam (the outside of the liner does not stretch so the liner only molds inward), have a classic Alpine tongue, close via the BOA system, and weigh 1 lb 11.6 ounces per pair. I found the padding packed out after about 5 outings. They toured well and were comfortable on my feet. I switched out to the intuition liner after 10 days and here are the comparisons. The liners weigh in at 1 lb and .8 oz (That is just over 1 pound), have an overlap design (new Intuitions have the standard tongue), and are made from a stiffer heat moldable foam. It comes down to personal preference for the liners.

Over the season I read a few blogs about the Factors (the best being Lou Dawsons Wildsnow), skied with a few friends who owned them, and had good discussions with people I ran into while skiing. The general impression was that everyone loved the way they skied downhill, but that the boots could go through an update to improve a few things. The issues people had were: Forward lean mechanism could come out if the screws became loose, buckle could break, heal and toe plates difficult to trade out, wire on the liners can get stuck and not open, and boot not as warm as others. I am told Black Diamond addressed these issues in the following ways: Completely redesigned forward lean/walk mode mechanism to ensure it wont break, new metal for the buckles, made the boot board seal tighter for no air gaps (makes the boot warmer), and left the heal and toe plates the same.

I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new version of the boot to verify the changes and believe these changes will make the Black Diamond Factor the best AT boot on the market for aggressive downhill skiers.

Mike Alkaitis

CMS Senior Guide

malkaitis@totalclimbing.com

La Sportiva Trango S Evo GTX

The Trangos in action on Sharkstooth

"So are you guys here for a guides exam?" my partners and I look at each other, feeling somewhat accused of something. "Why do you ask that?" we said. He replied, well the Colorado Mountain School jackets for one, and you all have those red boots on. Apparently the locals seem to recognize the red Tango S Evo GTX as a indicator that you are a visiting climber. This makes total sense, this boot is overwhelmingly the boot of choice for guides and recreationalists as well.

I have been using this boot for several seasons now and it is hands down the most comfortable mountain boot I have ever had on my feet. For a CMS guide, a normal week in the summer might consist of several Longs peak routes, a couple days at Lumpy ridge and maybe an alpine spire or two. All of this adds up to a ton of trail miles and always with a heavy pack. This means you need to do two things, lighten your pack when you can, and take care of your feet. This boot does both of those things beautifully.

The boot itself is very light (under 27 oz) so instantly you do not have the ankle-weight affect of the old heavy leather boots from days gone by. Not only is it light on your feet but it climbs so well that for most alpine rock routes up to about 5.8 I find that I can take my rock shoes out of my pack and feel 100% solid climbing in these boots (must be the sticky Supertech rubber). Now, when you throw in the ability to accept a semi-automatic crampon this becomes the ideal tool for all of the classic mountaineering routes I can think of. Kieners on Longs peak, Sharkstooth, Fisher Chimneys on Shuksan, Rainier, or any fourteener in the lower 48, the Trango S-Evo would be just the ticket.

These boots are durable, comfortable and very nimble, they climb better than some rock shoes I have owned and keep my feet dry and happy, I really cannot think of anything more I could want. This boot is without a doubt the best footwear purchase I have ever made.

The Details:
WEIGHT: 26.17 oz • 742 g LAST: Trango CONSTRUCTION: Board Lasted UPPER: Waterproof Cordura® with Idro-treatment/ Flex Tec 2/ Water-repellant Lorica® with Antiacqua™ / Vibram® rubber rand LINING: Gore-Tex® INSOLE: 7mm Trangoflex with integral nylon shank MIDSOLE: Micropore (forefoot)/ PU (heel)/ TPU crampon reinforcement in back SOLE: Vibram® Mulaz (Sticky Supertrek Rubber)

For more info check out Sportiva's website: http://www.sportiva.com/

Mark Kelly
CMS Guide
AMGA Certified Ski Mountaineering Guide
AIARE Level 1 &2 Instructor
mkelly@totalclimbing.com