Ben Mathes

The only issue I have is that this is a stretchy material, but for the men's cuts (at least in large) it doesn't taper in below the chest, giving someone with an athletic build a bad silhouette. E.g. look at how it hangs loose below the shoulder blades in this photo:

http://www.backcountry.com/images/items/detail_large/SIC/SIC0115/MD_D4.jpg

That being said, this shirt is:
1) super comfortable.
2) has long enough sleeves for those of us with lanky builds
3) keeps you warm when it's cold, keeps you cool when it's warm.
4) Is quite durable.

The only issue I have is that this is a stretchy material, but for the men's cuts (at least in large) it doesn't taper in below the chest, giving someone with an athletic build a bad silhouette. E.g. look at how it hangs loose below the shoulder blades in this photo:

http://www.backcountry.com/images/items/detail_large/SIC/SIC0115/MD_D4.jpg

That being said, this shirt is:
1) super comfortable.
2) has long enough sleeves for those of us with lanky builds
3) keeps you warm when it's cold, keeps you cool when it's warm.
4) Is quite durable.

I've used these all season, and on the days you need to crank up DIN's up into 13+ it makes the minor extra weight completely worth it.

Bear in mind that I'm at 6'2" and 200+ pounds and ski pretty aggressively (minor cliff drops, lots of speed). If that's who you are and how you ski, a burlier binding like this might be right for you.

And to be perfectly frank, the bright yellow binding looks pretty sweet.

This is a photo of all the terrain I've been spending most of the past two days throwing my CRJ's around at Squaw Valley: the bowl around the Olympic Lady lift: Bumps, windblown powder, steeps, chutes, some 5-6 foot cliffs, and trees.

I've now put in about 8 full days on my CRJs and I'm enjoying them even more than I expected. They've been remarkably stable on steep, groomed runs at high speeds. Since the tip/tail rocker means your effective edge/running surface is only about 120cm I expected them to be a little bit squirrely, but I haven't had any issues.

All in all it's just a shame that fewer people aren't skiing 4frnt's.

I took these around Squaw Valley last weekend in some of the best early-season conditions Tahoe has seen, and here's what I've found:

Windblown Powder: I was the second person to ski Headwall after it was opened on Sunday morning, so I got to make fresh tracks. These skis are amazing when it's steep and deep; The playfulness in the tip means you spring in and out of turns with ease, and this year's stiffened tail means I had plenty of stability going off a few cliffs. I was a little worried about picking up a lot of speed with these since they're less stiff than some other big-mountain/freeride skis, but after a few speedy runs those worries were long gone.

Chopped Powder: The playfulness in the tip/tail rocker mean that impacts in and out of the chop were softened, and the rocker itself kept me from submerging my tips.

Crud: The stability underfoot let me slash through the bigger mounds, and the tip/tail rocker and flex meant that no impact was very rough at all. I found myself skimming over some of the mounds at higher speeds, something that would be painful and lots of work on traditional all-mountain skis.

Bumps: As the day wore on a lot of the runs started to get bumped out, but these had no issues turning through the moguls. Sure, the extra length you take on because of the tip/tail rocker means there's more ski to turn, but if you're skiing moguls right then you're pivoting on a small surface near the top of the mogul, so there's no issue there.

Groomed: While not as nimble as an all mountain ski, the middle section of the ski with normal camber and sidecut held edges just fine, and you could turn pretty quickly since the tip/tail's rocker kept the running surface to more like 120cm. If you were lazy with your turns and the conditions got a little icy the reverse sidecut on the tip of my inside ski would sometimes catch, but that's a tiny price to pay for something that excels in so many other conditions. Besides, these skis are more fit for people who think groomed trails are just interludes between the lift and your real run off-piste.

Natural jumps/transitions: The flex in the tip meant that these skis were fun and springy going off of lips. It just felt... playful. Makes me want to go off bigger things.

For the record: I'm 6'2" and skiing on the 188cm length, which means these are the same height as me and it feels like the right length. If you're new to early rise/rocker, it lets you pick a ski that's longer than the current conventional wisdom.

Doesn't fit the 4frnt Deadbolt 18 binding, even though they're Tyrolia-based. Possibly my fault for not doing enough research, but I wish it was easier to find some wider brakes for powder skis. In case anyone else is looking for wider brakes for 4frnt bindings, I think you'll have to head over here: http://www.4frnt.com/xcart/home.php?cat=104

I couldn't find any on backcountry.com

It's not as big as what you use to clean out your driveway, but that's what you get selecting a compact, light shovel.

As my guide once put it: "Dude, I think I have shovel envy".

Just be sure to measure at least twice before you trim them!

Even ultralight backpackers like myself recognize the need for a good night's sleep. One of the best ways to get a decent pillow is a stuff sack like this. Before going to bed, take all your clothes and stuff 'em inside; There's your pillow.

At just 2.7 ounces and a packsize about the size of your fist, it's a clear win.

Understand that slapping them onto an alpine setup will NOT be the same as a proper touring binding, even if you disregard the increased weight. Since the toe section of the Alpine Trekkers is just a metal ring to go over your boot, skinning cross-fall-line can be a little sketchy since the ski will tend to tilt with the hill instead of staying parallel to the bottom of your boot. When that happens, you might find your boot has a tendency to rotate out of the Trekkers, or rotate the trekkers out of your base bindings.

HOWEVER: what these are fantastic for is sidecountry and ascents that aren't too difficult. If you like to take a lift and then skin along a ridge out of bounds before making your descent for some fresh snow, these might be just what you need.

One might wonder why you wouldn't get just a beefier touring binding like the Black Diamond Fritschi Freeride Pro's or the Marker Dukes. They're generally a little more expensive than a your typical alpine binding, but around the same price as an alpine binding plus alpine trekkers.Final Note: You probably shouldn't use this if you have a large boot. These are adjustable length, sure, but if you extend it out a long ways (I have 330mm boots - 6'2") then you can tweak the central support (those screws). Sitting on the summit after two ascents I noticed that one of my screws had popped out!

I've been using this for about a month now. The fit is great, but does come up in the armpits a little when you're hunched over. It's not as stretchy as you'd probably come to expect from a softshell, but this is an M1 (marmot's name for their most weather-resistant material). What that means is that you sacrifice a little of the flex for what is essentially a rain-proof softshell.

The material will get a tiny bit stretchier and less stiff with wear, which is what you want; It comes out of the factory a little stiff.

Overall a great jacket.

Was great on groomed terrain, park, and bumps, but had to do an awful lot of work to get these around through crud and wet powder. The VCT and VCT Turbo are good alternatives that do everything the MSP does, but also handle off-piste stuff really well.

I ski around Tahoe, though. These might be great for an east-coast advanced skier.

Another disclaimer is that I'm 6'2" and 205 lbs with strong legs so maneuvering heavier skis (like the VCT) is a non-issue for me.