![]() In short, it lived up to its billing of combining freeride performance in a touring-focused design. Delivering on the down was its four-buckle plus Powerstrap design, as well as soft snow-friendly 120 flex. While I found it odd that its lowest buckles fastened opposite from all the others, the locking QuickWire held fast. When it came time to tour, the boot’s Triax Pivot frame offered 40 degrees of motion, which was appreciated on slog to the backside of Mission Ridge. This first came to my attention when making gear laps from the heli to the lodge. The next thing that struck me about the Quadrant boot was just how lightweight they actually are. These tech-compatible boots fit like a proverbial glove right out of the box, and were comfortable without being confining. But putting faith in the blister gods I did just that, without suffering one hot spot the entire time. It’s naïve to head out on a five-day backcountry trip in boots you’ve never seen before, let alone used. ![]() But that’s likely happen to anyone who isn’t named Greg Hill, so be prepared.Īlso, I had one backward slip on a steep switchback that sent me spastically to all fours, but I’ll chalk that up to my own incompetence. lighter than the Ascension skins, they did end up in an origami cluster when taking them off in 40 mph gales. While supple for folding, and coming in packable design that are 1.4 oz. Non-glue strips down the center did make removability easier however, especially when unfolding to use again. I just couldn’t manage the reach-down-and-rip move I’ve perfected on my own lamer-glue skins. Mine cinched snug in the rear with nary a sign of loosening.Īs for adhesion, they stayed on great, to the point of forcing me to take off my skis altogether to remove them. On the tail, BD’s patented STS tail system provides 10 cm of adjustability. ![]() When put to the test on the slopes they were bomber, with no errant kick-offs from the opposite ski. Made from 65 percent mohair and 35 percent nylon, they come with an adjustable tip loop attachment to fit a range of widths. Where other skins often feel like glue on the flats, these babies schussed multiple feet per glide, which adds up quickly on a 4,000-foot day. The first thing I noticed about these skins is how well they glide. Weird but true: in tour mode across the flats, my friend John accidentally knocked the heel lifts into place with his ski tips when catching up to me from behind. The designers say that by maintaining a consistent contact pressure, the bindings deliver a pre-defined release when the boot/binding interface exceeds its dynamic range.īilled as the world’s first binding to combine a lightweight pin system with the pre-defined safety release of an alpine binding, the Vipec 12’s toe pin unit slides laterally, with 13mm of range before release. For skiing, the binding never released at all, increasing my confidence on the high alpine steeps each day, thanks it part to its Safety Pin System whose gliding heel creates active length compensation when the ski is flexed. This means that when touring back across the meadow to the lodge, while my cohorts had to release to get into tour mode, I simply pressed the heel tab and voila! the heel pins slid backward, allowing me to freeheel across the flats.įor climbing, the heel lifts flipped into place easily with my pole basket (note: it’s easier to flip into high climb mode than medium). Perhaps the best thing about BD/Fritischi’s entry into the tech binding game is that unlike Dynafits, the Vipec heel slides forward and aft to engage the boot. (It should be noted I did at least wear my own underwear) Here’s how all of that gear fared on our outing to BC’s Sol Mountain Lodge: Included in that package were skins, skis, bindings, boots, poles, pants, jacket, shovel, probe, airbag, gloves and even a Black Diamond beanie. What would you do if you were heading on a skiing trip to the British Columbia backcountry with your buddy the Black Diamond rep? You’d hop right into a nearby phone booth and become Black Diamond Boy of course! I was so well outfitted from head-to-toe in touring gear that I only brought a carry-on onto the plane, as my BD package took care of everything else.
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