I purchased this vest based on the "it's in my size, and available locally, so I don't have to wait for shipping" principle--and wish I'd done some research and then bought something else. I don't know about anybody else, but when I'm touring, I'm working HARD, and a puffy vest needs to be pretty light weight in order to stay on my body. This vest is NOT light-weight in terms of insulation--it rivals my Patagonia micro-puff jacket for warmth, but essentially just has really big pit zips (ie no sleeves). That said, I didn't really expect to tour with it on except in the coldest of conditions. I did, however, expect to be able to wear it under a jacket, and with a pack. Unfortunately, the front pockets are very low, so having anything in them interferes with the waist belt on my pack. With a long torso length, having anything in the front pockets also impedes my ability to lean forward, say to adjust a boot, click in to my bindings, etc. In fact, the pockets (when carrying just a few moderately bulky things) are so poorly located that I can't even drop into a tuck, but am limited to bending over at the waist with legs straight. So, if you're looking for a nice, warm vest that you can wear around town, this is not a bad choice. If you're looking for a ski touring or skiing vest, I would look elsewhere if you plan on using the front pockets--they just plain get in the way.

OK, this review is actually of an earlier Stoic model, but this jacket is the decsendent of mine, so it should be even better now...

After a day of skiing in mixed rain and snow, a group of riders gathered in the parking lot to tell stories, drink beer, and get rained on as we marvelled at the day. We stood drippinng rain from our Arcteryx, North Face, Patagonia, Helly Hansen, and Stoic outer layers as we downed Rainiers. A Burton Global Team member, at Eaglecrest for a day before heading off to Haines for filming, locked onto my bright-blue Stoic; eyes wide, he asked where I got it, what it was made of, how I liked it. I showed him the massive hood, the waterproof zippers, the thoughtful cut of the cuffs--and his eyes only grew wider as he exclaimed: "it's waterPROOF, isn't it?!?" Now that poor guy has to go heli-ski in what he knows are inferior Burton products. Pity the pros who don't get to choose what they wear.

OK, I have to admit that I was nervous trying to telemark on these bad boys (and they are BAD as in GOOD), and it appears that I was right to be concerned. The wide shovel and easy turn initiation only play to your advantage if you are making a parallel turn--dropping the inside knee even a few inches engages the tip of the rear ski, causing a rapid divergence of the legs--ie, the splits. Eek!That said, these are freaking amazing sticks skied alpine, and they cut through the nastiest, mankiest, most horrible snow I've skied in years with amazing ease, making even breakable crust on sopping-wet knee-deep snow a hellofalotta fun. My first day on them was on an alpine setup, and I couldn't believe how nimble and versatile they were. Lines that would give me pause, if I skied them at all previously, were simply no-brainers with these boards. "Why WOULDN'T I ski that?" So I did, and it was fabulous.I'm going to give tele another chance on them, but expect that they'll get re-mounted with TLT binders (all praise the versatility of the Scarpa Terminator Pro X) and that my NTN bindings will find a home on some other pair of boards...

Updates: I knew there had to be something wrong with my setup, and not the ski, because everybody else who teles on them loves them--It turns out that my mounting was just a little too far back. I moved the bindings forward an inch, and they ski amazingly well. No more problems with the tips hooking or the tails feeling too small.

My ski partner doesn't like this helmet because he thinks it is "too much." But it isn't protecting his face from tree branches as we rip through the woods, so I'm a fan--after all, if I was in this sport because I cared how I looked, I'd be wearing Bogner at Deer Valley, not ripping tight trees outside a tiny ski area in Alaska.

I'm having some fogging issues, even with the "perfectly" matched Giro Root goggle, but only on the outside of the lens--apparently, the vent at the mouth of the jaw piece doesn't let quite all my breath out, so when I'm standing still the lens fogs. A quick swipe with a ski-gee or glove and it's good as new, and it never fogs if I'm moving, even on a slow double chair.

OK, they were worth the wait. The X Pro is so comfortable, so versatile, and so rock-solid that I don't think I'll ever put my old alpine or duck-billed telemark boots on again.The NTN cartridges provide the tension under the boot, so the toe is much softer than a duckbilled boot can be, so walking in these babies is effortless. Touring is a blast, and I am very impressed by the myriad adjustments available on this boot for custom fit.I am curious just what the "TLT speed plates" that come with the boot are intended for, as I can't figure out how to incorporate them with either Dynafit bindings or this boot, and there was no documentation on this additional device in the box.

I do think that it is unfair that Backcountry.com is listing this year's model with last years, considering that:1) Last year's boot was recalled, and this is an entirely re-engineered boot;2) The bellows on this year's model is, from what I hear, significantly softer than last year's was--making it a very different boot that deserves a clean start.

Finally, a note on fit. Perhaps it's just because I come from a "performance fit" past, but the sizing chart is off for this boot (in my humble opinion). I usually wear an 11.5 or 12 US, which translates to a 28.5 or 29, but my foot swam in the 28.5 and fits perfectly in the 27.5. When sizing, remember that Scarpa puts the half-size with the next-higher full size in the same shell (Garmont, by contrast, pairs the full size with the higher half-size). This means that the 27.5 and the 28 Scarpa are in the same shell, while the 27.5 Garmont is in the 27 shell.

After snapping my gold Gotamas last year, I wallowed in misery trying to find an adequate replacement for those epic boards, lusting after something with a little metal in it to add a bit of rigidity and pop, not to mention a slightly stiffer tail, than the Goats had.My quest is now complete, and I'm in love again. The P4 is a big, burly board that a skilled skier can manipulate with ease, excelling in the deep but adept and dependable on all other conditions I've experienced with it. Rock-hard re-frozen rain crud (gotta love skiing in the northwest), with or without a dusting of fresh on it, melts into an edgy, playful surface with these sticks.The tails are softer than I had expected, but still a step up from the old Gotamas (the only weak point on the Goats, besides where I broke them, was their soft tail). They provide a stable surface cutting through the chunder, knocking chicken heads/death cookies from their path like a locomotive with a cattle guard through a flock of turkeys.I'm 180 lbs, expert skier, riding the 191 on an NTN setup, which provides a bomber connection between myself and the ski--a highly recommended upgrade from the archaic cable bindings that are ubiquitous in the telemark world.

I should add that Garmont's shell break puts the whole with the half (27 and 27.5 are the same shell), while Scarpa's break puts the half with the larger whole (27.5 and 28 are the same shell). Important to know if you're attempting (as I did) to order these without having tried them on.

Although this is Garmont's first attempt at an NTN boot, and although the other NTN brands (Scarpa and Crispi) have so far been unsuccessful in building a good, reliable boot, I think that Garmont is going to nail it on the first try. There are some great, well-thought-out features on these boots. The replaceable sole on the toe, the replaceable wedge to protect the boot from the ski, the rock-hard lock between walk and ski (Scarpa could learn something from this design), and amazingly light. If only the ones next to me fit...

These look like screamin' boots, and I'm really impressed with Garmont (especially the boot's designer, Paul Parker) for their willingness to engage the telemark community in dialogue and to explain their product (see the many excellent discussions on telemarktalk.com). Unfortunately, because I live a thousand miles from a Garmont dealer, I crossed my fingers that 27.5 Scarpa would be reasonably close to 27.5 Garmont. This was the wrong thing to do--although my foot fits in a 27.5 Scarpa perfectly, my foot barely fits in the shell without the liner in the boot--way too tight for even a "performance fit." I'd be ordering another pair in a 28.5 right now, but Backcountry is out, so I guess I'm going back to Scarpa again this winter...

This is a really nice product that easily adds 10 degrees F to the rating of your bag (or that can work as a stand-alone bag in the tropics or indoors). I wish that there was some sort of side opening, as the top entry is slightly awkward, especially in tight spaces (like in a tent). Small and light enough that it's worth throwing in your bag--even if you don't end up wanting it, a camping buddy might not be so prepared or hot-blooded and could appreciate the extra 10 degrees.

I was going to buy the '08 version but my (now ex-)girlfriend got her card out first...after extensive field testing of the '08 I've bought the '09. The tent was bomber a year ago, and then they made it better in more ways than I could have imagined. Everything fits better than before (except the ground cloth, which is still too big for the tent), and the new interface between pole and grommet is a huge step up (pop-in plastic pieces instead of pray-it-stays-in metal pieces). I wish that the window in the door was a little bigger for the long vistas (as it was last year), but at least there is some privacy in this thing for when you find yourself in a campground or other crowded venue.

I've camped in torrential rain (3" of standing water between the car and the mound the tent was on in the morning), sand, snow, and wind, and this tent is resilient, comfortable, easy to set up, and will withstand the worst weather you might think to camp in (aside from blizzards that require a four-season tent).

I couldn't stand this camera for almost a year, and then I bothered to start harassing the support staff at GoPro, and was quickly informed that the camera would only work if I used the batteries recommended in the instructions, not just any old alkalines. Holy moley, it doesn't just work, but it works exactly like it is supposed to! No zoom, no LCD, no extra crap or breakable parts--just a simple little video camera in a waterproof, shockproof box that you can mount to your helmet(s), kayak, car, bike, ski, or other relatively hard object. It takes video of what you point it at, and doesn't screw around in doing so.

Forget reading, cooking, splitting wood--this headlamp is made for skiing, snowboarding, biking, perhaps even hang-gliding or automobile-driving in the dark. Within a month of my having purchased this light, my entire ski-touring posse had purchased Icons out of jealousy. Friggin' awesome headlamp for power--bring a Zipka or a Tikka for time around camp.

Temps are falling, but no snow yet, so I haven't skied since I received this helmet in the mail, thus I can only review the apparent construction (bomber, as Giro helmets always are) and fit. Since fit is arguably the most important aspect of any helmet, I have to recommend going smaller than the size chart recommends--I measure out as a Large, but as I found with my G10 MX, the Remedy S Comp also runs larger than it is supposed to and I had to return the Large for a Medium. The Medium fits perfectly, and since I went with the Matte Grey color, I hopefully won't look TOO much like Darth Vader or an F-16 pilot when I'm using this helmet with my avalung...will update when I've had some experience riding with this bucket. But as long as my face and skull remain intact, it's doing its job and I'm happy!

In my effort to become familiar with breathing through my avalung and getting the mouthpiece into my mouth reflexively, I tried out the Remedy S Comp with the avalung around the house for a little while today. Unfortunately, the jaw of the Remedy is close enough to the mouth that the (rather large) mouthpiece of the avalung only barely fits, and there really isn't a comfortable place for the mouthpiece to "hang out" while I'm riding the chair, standing in line, etc. I'm sure I'll deal, but it is shaping up to be a less-than-ideal combo.

This helmet fits very well with the Smith Regulator goggle. I ordered a pair of Giro Roots yesterday, so I'll update when I have evaluated their fit, but expect it to be perfect since Giro products are designed to work together.

One run: Blue square to "how the hell did that happen?" They warranted the binding, but so much for that day on those skis. Apparently this was a fairly common problem, hopefully addressed in this year's binding.

and you're going to need a few tools, too--a regular screwdriver, a small/medium phillips, and a posi-drive, not to mention possibly a pair of pliers if the cable is crimped into the binding with the guide on one side or the other--in order to fix your binding if it breaks while you're in the backcountry (like what happened to me in the attached photo). I didn't have a spare cable, so I got to ski out on one ski...not the run I was looking forward to while skinning up.

Without a doubt, this is a HARD shell, and it is waterproof, not water resistant. It was raining over 0.5"/hour this morning, and although my pants were soaked after a 10-minute dog-walk, the Stoic 2.0 kept me dry from my head to my waist for the subsequent walk to work, walk for coffee, walk to meeting across town...and the exterior even dried quickly enough that it was comfortable to put back on after only a short period on the hangar.Amazingly for a jacket this waterproof, I hiked two laps of summer skiing this weekend wearing this jacket. It was about 47 degrees and raining lightly, but with the pit zips open, I was comfortable hiking with all my ski gear on my back, even straight up scree slopes and sun-cupped August snow fields.I do have two small complaints so far. The pit zips are too short, and stop just below my armpits. Another three inches of venting would come in handy if I needed to dump heat, as I doubtless will when hiking this winter with more than just a base layer under the jacket. The other problem is that the zipper is sticking a bit at the bottom. It seems to have loosened up a bit over the first week of use, but it could be pain to deal with this winter if I have to take my gloves off to zip up my coat.

Update: The hood on this thing is giant! In the attached photo, I'm wearing a baseball cap under the hood, and there was about a half-inch of hood extending past the brim of the hat. A deep hood like this is a great feature when it's dumping rain or snow, and the hood may even be large enough to make putting it over my helmet practical when skiing (usually I feel really constricted when wearing a hood over a helmet).

I bought this jacket for my girlfriend, and although I agree with Matilda that the magnetic "buttons" may prove problematic in use, my girlfriend loves the jacket and says that the buttons aren't a problem. Hopefully she still feels that way after extended use of the jacket.

Barring the possibility of rising irritation level regarding the magnetic buttons, the zip-off hood, hand snow skirts (called "hand-panties" in Matilda's review, a term I like), material, feel, color--all are great features. It looks great on the wearer, and when I put it on just to see how it fit/felt, I was really impressed, even though it's much too small for me to do anything active in it. The "critically placed fleece" mentioned in the product description is pretty cool too--they didn't add any extra material here, only a couple of small sections to match up where your body loses the most heat, thus keeping the bulk and weight of the jacket down while providing the extra insulation that makes this jacket just one step above a shell. Very impressed, overall, and if this jacket came in a men's version, I'd probably buy it for myself.

I skied the 184s and the 173s for a day each last season in wet, heavy Pacific Northwest powder, and as a 175 lb, 6'2" expert skier, I found the 173s to be unacceptably squirrelly (I actually described it as "standing on two squirrells" to a friend), but the 184s were so solid that I found myself skiing lines I had never even imagined possible previously. As on the Black Diamond Megawatts, you don't have to worry about what the landing is like on these boards, because you're bringing it with you. Ever since then, I've been waiting to see what Icelantic came out with for the '09/'10 season...but today I noticed that Backcountry.com only had one more pair of the '08/'09 model, which happened to be in the 184cm length, and that at the lowest price on the web. Suffice it to say that I'm no longer waiting, and I am now the proud owner of the last pair of these boards that Backcountry had. If you are interested in getting a ski that will power through crud, squiggle through trees at speed, rail on the groomers, stomp landings so easily you'll think you're just out for a walk in the park, and climb like you're on an escalator (as long as you get skins wide enough for the 160mm tip), these are the boards. Get 'em wherever you can, at whatever price.

The Salomon ski boot last has never been a good match for my foot, and I was skeptical of the concept of a Gore-Tex shoe, but these things are so amazing that I'm about to order a third pair but thought I'd write a review first.I usually have to start every trail run with a road run, and these shoes handle asphalt pounding much better than any of my various Adidas and Puma trail shoes ever have. Once on the trail, they handle every condition phenomenally. And I mean it. Slick wood, metal steps, ice, snow, mud of every consistency, gravel--it doesn't matter. In hundreds of miles of running (wearing two pairs of shoes apart in the process), I have had exactly ONE instance where I slipped and fell, and in that case, the entire section of trail collapsed under me, so the shoes can hardly be blamed for not keeping me upright on moving dirt. I am totally sold on the tread, the uppers, the lacing system, the whole nine yards.

P.S. These shoes are so comfortable that I even just wear them around town (especially after I've beaten them to a pulp on the trail) with the laces loose.

THE BEST kneepads for telemarking. The straps are attached to parts of the pad that are articulated (above and below the main pad), with a static lower strap to cinch down on the calf and an elastic upper strap to cinch down on the thigh--the result is that the pad stays put even when you walk, climb, ski, dig, dance...whatever you might do while wearing knee pads. I was wearing these when I was in a head-on car crash (two totalled vehicles), and although my knees were pushed up against the dashboard, no bruises or broken bones! (this may have had something to do with the safety features of the brand-new car I was in, but I'll give the kneepads some credit too)

I've heard people complain that this boot is too tall, too heavy, and/or too stiff for touring, but I beg to differ. Throw them in walk mode and buck up! What's a little discomfort or extra exercise on the way up the mountain when it results in uncompromising power and control on the way down? I've hiked through alpine meadows, across muskeg, through knee-deep mud, for miles on asphalt, and in every snow condition, and the Vibram soles grip on everything! I've skied on T1s for years, and each model gets better than the last. If you want to drive big skis with a traditional tele binding, do it in these boots! (I'm jumping on the NTN bandwagon this year, so I'm hoping that Scarpa figures out how to avoid the problems of the past in this year's model--if they don't, I'll be back in T1s in a heartbeat)

I've always heard bad things about the Naxo's strength, but Rossi seems to have fixed those problems when they took over the brand and released this binding. I have been very happy with these clamps--I've never pre-released out of them, they tour comfortably, and they don't weigh nearly as much as Marker's AT rigs. I do worry about torquing them on sidehills, but who likes to sidehill anyway? I also like the ability to switch between tour and ski mode without taking the ski off (my least favorite "feature" of the Markers). I would still rather telemark, but when I've gotta lock the heel, these are the bindings I do it with.

Update: I've heard about others pre-releasing from these bindings, and have a bit of advice--when you're adjusting the length of the binding for your boot, it WILL NOT fit like an alpine binding does before engaging. The binding will seem ridiculously loose until you click in. Make sure to verify that the forward pressure indicator is in the correct position, or else the springs will be incorrectly loaded and yes, you'll pre-release (or not release at all). As always, have the bindings mounted and adjusted by a professional--or if you're like me and live somewhere with no shop authorized to work on these bindings, read the mounting instructions and operators manual to verify that they're set up right.

In all honesty, I haven't skied this particular model of Voile, so my review is strictly on their release system, which blows. Oh, it'll release all right, don't worry about that--your legs are safe in these bindings. The problem is that unless you're on hardpack (and who wants to tele on hardpack?), you'll NEVER get back into them. I once had to traverse, on one ski, a half mile BACK INTO A SKI AREA in order to get the F*#$!ers back on. In order to keep from pre-releasing, you have to tighten the screw way down, and then you have to exert the same force to get back in that you had to exert to get out--creating those forces is hard to do when you're not jumping off a cliff or skiing 60 mph, which are both tough while putting your ski back on. What a stupid design.

Update: I find it interesting that this review has gotten negative feedback from others. I'd appreciate a comment explaining what the problem is. I honestly hate the Voile release system, and I've had it on several pairs of skis in every condition over a period of many years (I still have a pair of rock skis with Voile releaseables on them). In any case, I'm standing by my review no matter how many Voile fans give it a thumbs down, because potential buyers deserve to know what they're getting into. On a completely different note, I lived in Salt Lake City for years, and found Voile to be a fantastic company to deal with--I could walk into their shop with broken gear and they'd hand me replacement parts over the counter, no questions asked. Most of their stuff is incredible and innovative, and their customer service rocks. I just hate this release system.

I'm with Ron. The heel throws are problematic, to say the least. I've got three pairs of these bindings, but probably won't buy them again (but damn, they're a good deal). The heel piece will allow you to install two heights of climbing bars, but if you do this, the rear throw will collapse while you're skinning after just a few uses (it's simple physics, don't ask me why G3 hasn't figured it out after all these years). Furthermore, the "ice-free plate" that goes over the heel piece doesn't fit if you have more than one climbing bar installed--another stupid design flaw they should have fixed years ago. The material they use on the ice-free plate is also pretty fragile--I've got chips and chunks missing from a pair used for 1.5 seasons.

After years of skiing on the X-mountain cartridges, a couple of friends convinced me to upgrade to the world cups--holy moley, if you have any intentions of being a decent telemarker, get the world cups. It doesn't even matter how much you weigh--one of the people who converted me can't weigh over 115 #, and her husband is around 195 #, and both swear by these bindings.

These things are WAY bigger than the size chart indicates. I ordered the size that correlated to my waist size, and had at least four extra inches of material around my waist. Kinda funny looking, too.

I don't know about "waterproof," but I've also been loathe to try it out when it matters (and when it's pouring out). It's thin enough and form-fitting enough that it'll fit nicely under a shell, and it works wonders as a mid-layer in the most horrid weather I've tried it in (38 degrees F, 45-60 mph wind, and pissing rain). It's also been great for that first bit of a hike or tour when you want that extra warmth but don't want to overheat--and with the pit zips, it'll keep you comfy until you get so warm that all you need to hike in are your thermals. I'm usually a M, as I've got a pretty small frame, but the L fit me much better (172 lbs, 6' 2").

Update: I've been wearing this jacket for going on two years now, and I love it. I wore it almost every single day I skied last year (~40 days touring, ~60 days inbounds and slackcountry). It has withstood rain, freezing rain, hail, and 1"-an-hour-plus snowstorms. It's so comfortable that I wear it around town. I pretty much live in this thing, and coming from a guy who lives in a rainforest, that's high praise for a softshell.

Yeah, what StokedOnPow said. I must have looked at every helmet on the market, and this is the only one I drooled on myself over. (But if you think it's ugly, then hey, buy something else.) On its first day, I hiked and skinned an ascent for over two hours, and couldn't believe I actually had a helmet with me at the summit, it was so light. The dial-do-hickey at the back of the helmet allows you to adjust it to a wide variety of head shapes & sizes--although I had to exchange the L I ordered (due to the size chart--order small) for a M. Lucky me, a friend loved it so much he just took the L and ordered the M for me.

Update after two seasons of use: I've been breaking branches with this bucket for over 200 days on snow, and aside from a few minor dents, it's holding up admirably. (see photo for one instance where I was still smiling and able to operate my camera after putting the helmet to use on a tree) The Skullcandy audio setup (wired) is great, and allows you to hear ambient noise while rocking out, but I went through two sets of wires--they keep wearing out at the point where the cable enters the plug, and then short out (but that's a problem with the optional audio system, not the helmet). The two things I don't like about the helmet: 1) it is very large, especially with the visor on, and it takes up a lot of space in my pack when touring; and 2) the vent closures are on the bottom of the vent holes, so the holes fill with snow and the heat of my head melts the snow...resulting in cold water pouring down my head by the end of the day. Of course, I ski in the Pacific Northwest and it rains/pukes wet snow, so this problem wouldn't be a problem in drier climes.

heh. heh. heh. these things rock. absolutely, without a doubt, the sickest skis I've ever owned. or borrowed, rented, or even heard of. I may have only skied on them for one run, and I may have been taken in by how easy it is to skin up a mountain when your skis are this big (yes, get the 130 mm Black Diamond STS skins and a releasable heel for them--you'll be glad you did), but with skiing everything from rime bearings 1" x4", tight chutes with breakable wind crust, windbuff, some moderately-sized airs into who-knows-what, and a little raincrust to finish things off, I'm pretty sure that I've tried them out in just about every type of snow they could possibly suck in, and they don't. Congratulations, Volkl, you did it again. Oh, the Buddha sticker is offensive on a mass-produced ski made by underpaid workers in China, but I chose function over form (and ethics?) this time.

What can you say about the Targa other than that it's basically "industry standard" for telemarkers? Everybody (OK, so 3 out of 5) uses it because it works, and it works well. But I hope G3 staff read this, because they screwed one thing up in an incredible way. What the hell is with designing the heel piece to accept two climbing bars but only designing the ice-free heel plate to accept one? Come on guys--you even sell multiple length climbing bars, so you obviously meant for us to be able to use the bars with the heel with the plate. Oh well. I still own three pairs, and wouldn't buy anything else.