The ZOLEO Satellite Communicator is designed to provide safe communications in the backcountry in an affordable rugged and reliable package. We used the ZOLEO Satellite Communicator on both the Sunshine Coast Trail and the Great Divide Trail for a total of over 50 days of backcountry slogging not to mention a bunch of days closer to home mountain biking. Needless to say, we’ve got a … Continue reading Review: ZOLEO Satellite Communicator
Splitboarding has become exponentially more popular over the last few years. As skiing and snowboarding have grown, so have the crowds at resorts and snowboarders have sought ways to get into the mountains yet maintain the feeling of being secluded. When Jeremy Jones released his Deeper movie a turning point was made. Every year since snowboarders have flocked en-masse to the backcountry. For some the … Continue reading Comparison Review: Spark Dyno DH vs. Phantom Alpha
Keeping things simple in the backcountry is always best practice, and the Hercules Splitboard Hooks do just that. With a positive, almost lock-like connection and added stiffness, these hooks my new favourite splitboard goodie. BACKGROUND: Splitboards have traditionally been held together by Voile Hooks. Two pieces of metal that butt up together and keep the two halves from sliding apart vertically while providing a small … Continue reading Review: Hercules Splitboard Hooks
Splitboard binding technology has come a long way in recent years. This collaboration between Phantom and Spark RnD, the Tech Toes, is one such technological leap and has resulted in the best touring binding around for hardbooters. Choices There are a lot of choices to be made when you decide to start into the splitboarding world, and few of them are simple. Which is the … Continue reading Review: Spark and Phantom Tech Toes
The Mammut Spindrift Ski Pack is full of hidden features that won’t just keep your gear organized, but also makes access a dream. This 32L pack is a good choice for any skier or snowboarder looking for an all-around ski/ski mountaineering day pack. This bag is not the lightest, so not for race training. Nor is it the heavy workhorse a ski guide would want. … Continue reading Review: Mammut Spindrift 32L Ski Pack
10 Must-Haves for Ski Touring As a guide I’m able to get out skiing a lot, both professionally and recreationally. And by a lot, I mean a lot. A typical season will see me strapping on skis for over 100 days. At least half of which will be ski touring. The rest will involve helicopters, ski lifts or some other device (or cheat) that helps … Continue reading My Go-To Gear: Ski Touring Edition
Mammut’s new Glacier Cord is designed to be used as part of a lightweight rope kit to allow alpinists, mountaineers and skiers to deal with various challenges and emergencies. This includes rappelling cliff bands, roping up for glacier travel, undertaking crevasse and cliff rescues, etc. Of course lightweight kits like this have been available for some time, the most well-known being Petzl’s RAD kit. Mammut … Continue reading Review: Mammut 6mm Glacier Cord
Skiing and Apre go hand in hand, so when I heard of the WhiSki Pole I needed to know more. They were originally launched a few years back with a sweet ski party video, the WhiSki Pole went viral. When Black Sheep reached out to Rob, the owner / operator of WhiSki Pole, he gave us the full story of this amazing sounding idea and … Continue reading Review: The WhiSki Pole
CAMP Skimo Tour Crampons CAMP designed a simple lightweight ski boot specific aluminum crampon. Announced in the winter of 2018 it has become a go to piece of equipment for many ski mountaineers in North America. One of the most noticeable features was the toe bail called T-Stop and how low profile it is. The option for a Dyneema strap that replaces the spreader bar … Continue reading First Look Review: CAMP Skimo Tour Crampon
