Dynafit TLT 5 Performance Carbon Boot

Dynafit is coming out with a new line of light weight touring boots for next year. I was lucky enough to procure a pair of the TLT 5 Performance Carbon boots for a little test run last week on a tour with Bruce Edgerly from Backcountry Access (Look for a Tracker 2 review soon). There are three models available for next year the TLT Race (lightest), TLT 5 Performance (middle weight), and TLT 5 Mountain (Heaviest if you can call it heavy at all.


The basics are this is a Dynafit compatible two buckle boot made of Pebax body and a carbon cuff. A single boot in size 27.5 weighs 2lbs 6.5oz (4lbs 13oz a pair). While not the lightest boot on the market it feels featherweight compared to my 4 buckle Titans. It comes with a heat moldable liner with a unique touring hinge in the back (Think of taking all the stiff foam out of the area by your Achilles tendon).


So what are the latest and greatest features, and do they work. The first thing you notice is there is no normal lever for the walk and ski mode. Dynafit has ingeniously created a way to integrate the top buckle into the tour and ski mode. When the top buckle is open you are in tour mode and when it is closed you lock into ski mode. This little detail saves a fair amount of time compared to my Scarpa F-1s. The boot is sleek and is a welcome sight for lower volume feet. The outer Pebax shell is formed for a snug fit even with a thin liner. If you have a high volume or high arched foot this may create an issue, but you will know when you try it on. The next feature is a removable tongue. While this is not a new concept it is certainly the first time I have used one that you can put into and take out of your boot easily. Simply open the 2 buckles and you can slide the tongue in or out. I took the tongue out for going up and put it in for going down. You can also simply leave the tongue at home if you don’t want the extra stiffness for the descent.


While tour modes have been around for a long time. The TLT 5 Performance is the first boot where my body was the limiting factor in how far I could stride while skiing. The boots feel like you are wearing sneakers with a taller cuff. Instead of seeing if the front of my binding comes to the other ski tip for a long stride, I was usually at the middle of my foot to the other ski tip and I am not flexible enough to get it further.

The boots skied really well downhill for a light touring boot. In fact I would say when I purchase a pair next year there will be a great deal on my F-1’s. I am looking forward to the opportunity to really give them a try on multiple tours and perhaps even in the Cosmic Randonee Ski Mountaineering Race series (http://www.ussma.org/cosmic/) this coming spring.

I look forward to seeing everyone out in the snow and please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Mike Alkaitis
CMS Senior Guide
malkaitis@totalclimbing.com

Marmot Hydrogen Sleeping Bag

I was looking for an ultra-light weight 3 season sleeping bag. The primary uses would be for ski hut trips in the Colorado backcountry and summer camping. Over the years, I’ve managed to get fairly efficient at packing and I rarely carry more than a 55L pack, even for several nights out. So the sleeping bag needed to be highly compressible as well. My final requirement was a full length zipper. I’ve tried bags with only a half zipper and they just didn’t work for me – I like to be able to stick my feet outside the bag when it’s warmer and the half-zips were something of a pain to get in and out of.


Enter the Marmot Hydrogen. Utilizing 850+ goose down, it weighs in at 1 lb 8 oz, is rated at 30 °F, has a full length zipper, and stuffs down to about 6”x12”. I’ve taken it on several hut trips and been thoroughly pleased. As you may know, the huts are heated with wood burning stoves, so the indoor temperature can be all over the board. Thanks to the small size of the hut and my zealous partners, the temps at bedtime were close to 60 °F and I appreciated the full zipper. But by morning things had cooled down significantly and I was burrowed comfortably into the bag with the zipper up. I haven’t pushed the comfort zone on the temperature rating (yet), but with the full mummy design and drawstring hood, this will be my go-to bag for all but the worst of conditions.


Here are the specs from Marmot.
Colors: Hemlock (4484)
Sizes: Regular: 6'0"/LFT
Long: 6'6"/LFT
Weight: 1 lbs 8 oz / 702 g
Fill Weight: 11 oz / 311 g
Size on Hip: 147 cm
Size on Foot: 101 cm
Temperature Rating: 30F / -1.1C EN 13537 Tested
Comfort: 39.2F / 4C
Lower Limit 29.8F / -1.2C
Extreme 1F / -17.2C
Main Material: 100% Nylon Ripstop DWR 1.2 oz/yd
Lining Material: 100% Polyester Taffeta DWR 1.0 oz/yd
Insulation Material: 850+ Goose Down

For more info check out: www.marmot.com

See you in the backcountry.

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

Want to improve your backcountry skiing skills and gain confidence in decision making in the mountains so that you can enjoy one of the many backcountry huts or yurts in Colorado? Join CMS for a L1 Avalanche Course or a day of guided backcountry skiing this season.

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

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