Straight?

Might as well get *straight* to the ski stoke then :)

Axel">http://vimeo.com/75794665">Axel Peterson // A Few Lines on the Other Side of the Lens
from Bridger">http://vimeo.com/bridgerbrigade">Bridger Brigade on Vimeo.https://vimeo.com">Vimeo.>

Fall to Winter

The Autumnal Equinox
The word equinox comes from the Latin words for "equal night." The fall and spring equinoxes are the only days of the year in which the Sun crosses the celestial equator.  From here on out, the temperatures begin to drop and the days start to get shorter than the nights

Sept 22 to Dec 21 2013

First snow fall of the seasons, Sept 24 2013 Sunrise, Mt Rainier

Every year as the temps drop in late September and the air begins to get crisp I start thinking about ice.  Not water fall ice mind you but alpine ice.  In the NW there is a lot of easily accessible alpine ice if the moon and stars align and the conditions get and then stay favorable.

Which means a big storm or two rolls through, and the snow stays up high.  Then the sun needs to come out and the roads stay open.  Big ifs.

Not this year.  September left 2 feet and more at 6000' just last night.  At least for the moment winter is here for the Cascades.

Fred Becky @ 90!

Is life all really just perspective and perception?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9d9Of1NJjs

The Night of Lies?

"The riff raff from the Rockies getting together... drinking and telling stories and lies"
Night of Lies started off modestly but has since evolved into an event of national proportions.

http://nightoflies.com/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/NightOfLies/info

It gets dark early in Canmore, late Nov.   Might as well  have a beer and a laugh while you have the chance!

"Night of Lies is an decade old (more?)  evening of celebration of adventure and the age old art of story telling. A social gathering that supports local causes by providing an entertaining evening of slide shows, videos, open dialog, prizes and lots of beer drinking."

When:Saturday, November 23, 2013
Where:The Cornerstone Theatre, Canmore, Alberta

 

Dynafit ONE and TLT6 comparison?

I do have some additional long term ski boot reviews in the pipeline but here is an interesting observation from this week that kinda surprised me.   Although I have both boots in the closet and have skied the ONE a bunch the thought never occurred to me to make a comparison.

The Dynafit TLT6 ski boot, shake and rebake!

 

Lets see if I can sort through some of the early Internet misinformation and misrepresentation on the TLT6.  Admittedly some of it clearly my fault here @  C-T no matter how unintentional.

First up lets talk shells and add some definitive comparison numbers to the older TLT5.

Zamberlan 4000 Eiger Ice boot...

 

A few years ago at Winter OR I stumbled across a boot company called Zamberlan.  Honestly I can't remember if I had heard of them prior.  May be in Europe some time but I simply don't remember now.  Friend Jonathon Miller and fellow guides at the show really liked their Zamberlan boots and tried in vain to get me hooked up with Zamberlan that winter,

 

Mammut Eiger Extreme Nordwand TL Boots

Mammut sez:

"Despite a complete range of technical features, this full-gaiter boot is the lightest in its category, making it a perfect fit for the Eiger Extreme range."

Weight is not the end all for even a weight weenie like me.  But since it is the very first comment of the online Mammut description I'll address that.

Is Winter here already?

Damn, that was quick!

Snow level is coming down in the Cascades.  Feels like winter here today.
"SNOW LEVEL NEAR 6500 FEET "

http://chamconditions.blogspot.com/2013/09/so-much-for-autumn.html

I'll be skiing when the sun pops out again.

Patagonia Rover approach shoe give away?

 

Ya, I got a free pair of shoes this morning.  Two pair actually.  One for me to test and write up and a 2nd pair to give to one of you.

The C-T Dream Boot ? One of a few BTW.

 

 

 

In a recent  Dynafit TLT 6 boot conversation on the TGR tech forum (skiing specific)
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/266818-Dyna-TLT6

 I was asked,  

 

"What would you have done (differently), aside from creating a One/Mercury/Vulcan? (honestly curious)"

 

My answer if you are interested is below.   Add a comment if this is a boot you would like to see built.  'Cuz it would be so easy to do!

 

 

"Gotta realise where I am coming from. It aint skiing.

North Twin bump!

Too good to ignore.  One of the very best climbs in NA this year....or last :)   It needed a bump for the added links to the Jon's web site and recent write up.

 

http://www.alpinestyle.ca/2013/09/16/the_north_pillar

N. Face of Twin taken from close to where the new Alberta hut is now, 1977.

 Jon Walsh and Wharton made the 2nd ascent of the North Pillar on North Twin earlier in the week.

Congrads on a spectacular climb!   Internet chatter should peak on that story early next week.  The adventure  should make a good read and some amazing pictures.

Link is now up!  Stellar!

http://www.alpinestyle.ca/2013/09/16/the_north_pillar

"1985 5.10d - which many of the pitches were rated, seemed sandbagged to say the least. Continuous crack systems, often connected by gymnastic face moves, led through vertical to overhanging terrain for 13 pitches, to a wild climax at the top. "

 

The Cheesemond/Blanchard line that was repeated is on the right

Weight? All it takes in money! Dynafit ski porn.....

By comparison Liposuction might be cheaper!  I' bet there would never be as much satisfaction though!

Race parts for the Porsche or the Cervelo ( or just the frames of either to get started) are light in weight and expensive.  Also known to have a short life span when used as intended.

Speechless? Batman Cave!

Not often I am speechless.  Nothing to do with climbing.  But this is good.

 

"The narrow cave, no wider than Alexander is tall, is located in Roca Foradada Mountains in Montserrat, Spain—a location that has inspired this professional Italian Norwegian athlete’s flying dream his whole life. Alexander hopes his success will inspire others not only to ‘climb over their mountains,’ but to also fly right through them!"

 

http://alexanderpolli.com/

Manic!

photo stolen directly off Andy's web site :)  More here on what the gear was for:

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2011/12/light-and-fast-ski-mountaineering-part_12.html

 

I've been rather manic the last week or so.  Not able to get out.  But knowing there is an end to that nonsense.  I start devouring the Internet chatter and searching things that interests me at the moment.  That will be ice soon enough.   At the moment it is skiing.  Primarily trying to get the gear I want for this winter before it is sold out and unobtainable for another season.  2 pair of skis and 2 pair of binding to go yet.

Although 2 years old now, this a good piece I found and read while dicking around in my manic phase today.  In this game everyone seems to have an AHA MOMENT.  

Mine was the ski from the top of the Grand Montets tele over to the base of les Droites North face 2 months after Andy wrote this.  Took me another couple of months to wrap my head around $1000 ski boots.  But I have not looked back.  More like damn the torpedos and full speed ahead!  And you thought race bike and car parts were expensive? 

"Everyone does it. Bloggers, or as I prefer, those that keep "online journals", always seem to give unsolicited advice about how to go faster, be more efficient, or do things better. After a 3 hour aggressive conversation with a couple friends about training methods yesterday, I decided to put down my thoughts in a multi part series on everything from training, gear, clothing, partners, etc."

"They showed up on skinny skis and funny boots (F1s and early model Dynafit race boots). From the gun, I had trouble keeping up - even on the flats. By the time I landed on Box Elder's panoramic summit, Sam had been waiting for days and the other guys were half way up the Pfeiff. I was utterly blown."

More here: 

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2011/12/light-and-fast-ski-mountaineering-part.html


http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/2011/12/light-and-fast-ski-mountaineering-part_12.html

  

Yard sale!

A few new things if you are in the market and the right size... Baruntse size 43.5,  TRAB skimo race bindings, couple pair of skis and some shells and insulation.....among other things.

http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com/2013/03/yard-sale.html

Gotta pay for those new toys to review some how ;-)

What we won't see in North America? More Rando gear.

While I am waiting for  new ski gear to arrive I've been looking around the Internet.  Even going to OR doesn't mean you will see "everything" just what is going to be sold in NA.

If you live in the EU likely you'll have more choices than here in NA.  Just makes the choices harder :)

 

TLT6 with a fiber glass cuff/ plus something else there and  at least something similar to the Thermo Light (CL) foam liner @ 1120g and @ an exceptional price point.

 

 

TLT6 Performance version of the same boot is 1050g

  

 

TLT6 Mountain CL and the Thermo Light foam liner is 1225g in a 27.5

 

TLT "race" CL liner left, the standard NA-US CR liner on the right,

unverified weight difference is a marginal 120g 

 

 

And the two liner options?  Guess they didn't just drop PDG or the old P liner in the new TLT6.  Turns out they are very similar but slightly different, laces now, more reinforcement for durability and a bigger flex cuff in the boot shaft.  Thickness of the foam is different (1mm maybe 2mm) as well. between TLT and EVO.  PDG and Evo liners are thinner and offer an even easier ankle flex for a longer stride.  But the thin PDG/EVO liner it might be an option if you need more room in your TLT?!   Interested to see what the foam liner will actually be if it is ever available in the US...and what is available in Europe.  No question what Wild Snow is showing for the TLT6 is not the liner

Mountainski has pictured here.

 

http://www.wildsnow.com/10766/dynafit-tlt-6-p-first-retail-look/

 

I have the Palau liner Lou is showing and it is a thin version with little change other than thickness and flex insert size from the TLT5 P liners.

 

 

 

photo courtesy of mountianski.cz

 

http://www.mountainski.eu/177/several-days-long-testing-of-prototype-of-new-ski-touring-boots-dynafit-tlt6

 

 

And two of the  bindings we will be missing.

Low tech Radical

Speed C-One

Skiing la Grave is a bit different...

 

Kilian's rescue?

Call it part 3 of hdtdt :)

Or thankfully, the best outcome when you guess wrong.
It happens.

"I thought Frendo was inside my zone, but with the conditions it was and the stupid mistake I did to not take a lot of extra warm clothes. It went wrong."

Here is one I wouldn't make more of than what it is.

http://iancorless.org/2013/09/08/kilian-jornet-emelie-forsberg-rescued-from-mont-blanc/

If you play this game in NA my suggestion is don't plan on a quick flight home or a helping hand on the first night out.

"speak now"

Spend enough time in the mountains and this, sadly, becomes all too common place.

http://forestmcbrian.com/forest-mcbrian-mountain-guide/2013/9/9/speak-now