The completed quiver for TheSnowWay.com’s 2010-2011 season is all about the right tool for the job. An ultra-fat rocker is the only missing component to the package. From left to right are the Fischer Atua, Dynastar Legend 8000, and Volkl Supersport Six Stars for lift serviced and the Dynastar Legend 8000 and Fischer Watea 94 for earned turns.

On the disabled list is the Dynastar Inspired Big due to a partially broken Fritschi Freeride binding. Partially retired is half a pair of Dynastar Legend 8000s due to a blown edge, nearly blown sidewall, core shots, and a significant amount of missing base material. Fully retired is the Volkl P50 Motion (178cm and up for sale, name your price or trade) which did not serve long and had groomer duty only, replaced by the Six Stars.

The weigh in was conducted on a bathroom scale using the highly scientific “weigh yourself with and without the item” method. After a series of measurements were taken, I decided to use either the mean or the mode depending upon which seemed more valid. I give this method a margin of error of about 1.5 pounds. The results were striking:

Atua 16lbs
Legend (Alpine) 14lbs
Volkl Six Stars 16lbs
Legend (AT) 12lbs
Watea 11lbs.

How about them Dynafits!? My second fattest skis are the lightest pair in my quiver. And the heaviest is tied between a carving ski (175cm) and a burly twin tip powder board (186cm). Pounds per square inch, the Volkl Six Star stands alone due to its integrated binding system and metal core construction. Add in Salomon X-Waves at 15lbs and Garmont Radiums at 10lbs (both 345 BSL) and things get even more interesting. My heaviest rig tips the scales at approximately 31 pounds and my lightest rig about a third less at 21 pounds. Incidentally, 21 pounds is about how much weight I lost this summer due to road biking.

Any one want to go touring this weekend? 🙂

Summer was quite hard on my wallet from a gear perspective. But I am enjoying all of my new toys tremendously. I am itching to get these gear reviews written and posted. However, I need more time to take the full measure of these items in a wider variety of conditions before write ups can commence. So this is a teaser of what reviews I have simmering on the back burner here at TheSnowWay.com:

• Samsung TL-350 Digital Camera
• Fischer Watea 94 Skis (178cm)
• Dynafit TLT Vertical FT Z12 Bindings
• Marmot DriClime Catalyst Windshirt
• Marmot Exum Jacket
• Garmont Radium AT Boots

The Radiums were purchased last year and were previewed after my first tour so those will likely get the full review treatment first since I already have logged several days in them. You have already seen the Samsung TL-350 in action if you have been reading posts during the past two months (most notably my cycling posts). And to further wet your whistle for that review, I am attaching three samples of the high speed burst mode taken this past Saturday at Sunday River. These sequences were strictly shot for testing the burst mode. I made no effort on composition.

• Sunday River Burst Sample 1 (17.2 MB PDF)
• Sunday River Burst Sample 2 (24.8 MB PDF)
• Sunday River Burst Sample 3 (11.9 MB PDF)

Full reviews of these products will be posted once I have had the opportunity to take their full measure.

This post is dedicated to what may be the most important piece of gear any storm chasing powder hound should have in their quiver: good snow tires. Floating may be great in the powder, but not so much on the road. Your fat skis will keep you smiling on the hill but good snow tires will get you there and back.

Many a powder hound has extensively researched the best ski vehicle to suit their lifestyle. And while four wheel drive is great, four wheel drive without snow tires is inferior to two wheel drive with good snow tires. Of course, the ultimate in winter travel convenience is four wheel drive combined with snow tires. But four wheel drive is not a necessity for a New England powder hound.  Even an uber light weight two wheel drive vehicle like my 1999 Saturn SC2 coupe becomes a snow machine with the right set of tires. Ever since I began chasing storms, I have never had an accident nor gotten stuck nor missed first chair due to road conditions.

That being said, not all snow tires are created equally. In the past, I have used Copper Weathermasters and Michelin X-Ice2s and my significant other has had a set of Dunlops whose name escapes me. This season, due to my Michelin X-Ice2s wearing out faster than I had expected, I needed a new set of snow tires. And of course, everyone raves about the Blizzak WS-60.

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My Garmont Radiums saw their first major day of touring this past Saturday at Cannon. Snow conditions during the tour included 12-18″ of very dense snow with occasionally significant wind buff. Suffice to say, conditions were challenging. Especially on a ski with only a 79mm waist. I know how my G-Rides would have performed on such conditions. Not very well.

Uphill touring performance was similar to the G-Ride. Others have suggested that the uphill has a better hinge and a better walk mode than the G-Ride/Mega Ride series. However, I am not so certain the difference is that substantial. I will say that I could not tell the difference in weight between the Garmont Radium and the Garmont G-Ride despite the Radium gaining a little more heft. Uphill performance was simply as expected. Though I did like the addition of the upper buckle teeth locks which ensure loose buckles do not fall out of the teeth.

But enough up the up hill. This boot was not purchased for its benefits on the uphill (Dynafit compatibility aside) but rather for better downhill performance. And boy does the Garmont Radium truly shine on the down hill. With its overlap construction instead of the plastic tongue of the G-Ride/Mega Ride series, the Radium has a much more progressive flex. Additionally, responsiveness is more readily apparent than my older G-Rides. I never felt I “hit the wall” with the Garmont Radium in terms of flex (which I always did with the G-Rides).

So it toured nice, fit well, and had an improved flex. But how were the turns? Superb to say the least. Despite the difficult conditions and my skinny skis, per the report posted above, I opened things up on my last run down Paulie’s Folly and really got after it. As close to charging as I could possibly go given the limits of my skis and the conditions. The turns were sublime.

Garmont Radiums are not an alpine boot replacement. The performance will never be quite as good as an alpine boot. But there will always be at least a slight down hill sacrifice in order to substantially reduce the uphill weight penalty of the beef boots. That said, the Radium is a breakthrough in AT boot design that is an amazing combination of uphill tourability with downhill performance. The Radium is as close as you will find to an alpine styled AT boot without giving up the weight penalty. TheSnowWay.com test and approved. It was worth paying nearly full price without a doubt in my mind.