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Archives for October 2012

Review: Inov-8 Roclite 285 minimalist trail running shoes bring new experience

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As snow starts to fall down discussing trail running shoes could seem off topic but to really test a pair of shoes it takes more than two laps around a local park.
In early September I was offered to try a pair of Inov-8 Roclite 285 trail running shoes. Firstly, I never heard of Inov-8, and secondly, the shoes looked like trail runners on a serious weight-loss diet.
I decided to give them a go since I never ran such a minimalist shoe, never mind in the woods.

Usual descriptions and claims

This is a review of my experience and of what I think based on that.
To read the usual official facts and claims you can do so here:

Going half-size smaller

For the Roclite 285 shoes I chose them half-size smaller than I usually wear because I worried they would be little too big once they give in after some use.
Now, after running them for couple of weeks I am happy with that choice.

New running experience

In the past couple of years much has been made of fore-foot running or no support shoes that promote such technique. Even though that made me think about my technique and made me read some research on the new “silver bullet” I still consider the whole thing to be more of a marketing hype than a radical shift in running knowledge.
In short, I wasn’t looking for any specific benefits when I picked up the Roclites apart from gaining a personal experience.

Fit and shoelaces

These were the first ever shoes I took running without walking them for at least couple of times. The fit was great out of the box and remains so. (They probably won’t take a very wide foot.)
Shoelaces on the Inov-8 Roclite 285 are nicely thick, therefore, they were not cutting into my foot through the very minimal upper mesh (as some thin shoelaces do) and they kept my foot in place in all conditions.

First runs – getting use to things

Right away it was obvious I will have to adjust my technique since there is not much cushioning on these. I have never run a very long stride or never been much of a heel striker but the Roclites were making me run with even shorter stride and much more on my toes than I was used to.
You can look at this in two ways:
You either don’t like it because it steers you away from your habits, or you open yourself to a new experience and agree to judge later.
To not change things drastically (to avoid any unwanted aches or injury) my first 3 sessions with the Roclites were only between 45-60 minutes couple days apart. I did other sports and running in my other shoes in between.
By about the third session I started to appreciate the new feeling. Not only was it a higher frequency the shoes made me run but I could also feel different leg muscles getting used more than before.

Longer runs

Since I like to ease into things I didn’t take the Roclites for my 1.5h+ runs until I felt comfortable that I figured out the best style for such minimalistic shoes.
By now, I have run 3 sessions between 1.5 and 2 hours in them.  I did those on trails with lots of up-and-down, some for mountain biking. My feet and leg muscles felt good but I noticed my lower calf was sorer (more tired) the next day than compared to other times.
I guess pure fore-foot running engages that part quite a bit more and requires longer time to get used to.

Smooth vs Rocks and Dry vs Wet + Overall grip

I would recommend the Roclite 285s for smoother trails and in drier conditions. They handle rocks nicely too but if they are very sharp then I found it a bit painful over longer continuous rocky sections.
The shoes breathe very well thanks to their airy all-around mesh. In warmer months this is a great benefit, and during wet periods it means they will let water in much easier.
Overall grip is great in all conditions; even in those the upper mesh is not really built for (wet, mud, sharp rocks).

Blisters

No issues at all.

Bottom line: It’s good to vary your technique – Roclite helps with that

So what do I think about the Inov-8 Roclite 285 overall?
I am glad that I got the experience trying them. They convinced me that even if I don’t want to run a minimalistic shoe all the time there is a place for them in my shoe box. To have a different running experience even on the same trails I can just engage different muscles.

And I bet that thanks to their light weight and good grip these would be ideal for up to 1-1.5h trail races in all conditions, unless very rocky or very wet.
The Roclite shoes were built for a specific purpose and I think they are very good at that.
If you are looking for one-does-it-all shoe then you need to take a look at other Inov-8 shoes. Which actually the Roclites make me want to do.
 

Review of Dynafit touring setup: Manaslu skis, TLT 5 Performance boots, TLT Radical ST bindings, Speed Skins

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This is a review of my current touring setup.
I skied the gear described below from December last year until June 2012, and I will be skiing it this season too. Also, I used the Performance boots with other skis on some really hard-pack and corn snow.
When I chose this setup I was looking to balance couple of things. But mainly, the need was to find something that gets me from December to July and is reasonably light. Color didn’t really matter. 😉
I didn’t want very wide touring skis, as is now common, because I ski in different conditions, at different places, and at very different times of the year. Also, I somehow still think that a narrower ski edges easier than 105mm+ boards, and that anything under that can be still fun in deep powder. I was right and wrong, sort of.
Here are my impressions. All from backcountry skiing.

Dynafit Manaslu skis + Speed skins

I picked these in 187cm since I am 6′ 2″, and I was trying to buy float with length versus width. Their side-cut came at 124-95-109 and weight at under 1600g per ski.
Dynafit Manaslu skis and skins.

Skins

What I really like about Dynafit’s ski-skin combo is the complete package. The skins fit exactly as they should and it’s very easy to rip them off without taking your skis off, and not from the back but from the front, like when rando racing.
Plus I have never had such a fast pair of skins out of the box, no matter what width! Usually, skins need to wear out a bit before they start gliding well. These grip uphill nicely too.

Skis

To be honest, these were my first skis over 90mm. Little late to the game…
I believe I chose the width, length and weight well for my needs. I am totally satisfied how they perform in all conditions and over various terrain.
Yes, there were some days when I thought: “Could use something wider right now”. However, those were “too deep to ski” days at couple of the best powder places in North America. Manaslu’s rockered tip definitely helps with the float.
On spring/summer snow or in chopped powder they were good, no complaints.
On hard-pack I can’t really say yet because I am still not used to forcing such a wide ski on its edge. And I can’t compare it to anything wider since I haven’t tried on a such surface.
Bottom line: Not impressive in anything specific but versatility, great all-around skis. Looking forward to take them to more places.
Manaslu skis online at:

Dynafit TLT 5 Performance boots (vs TLT 5 Mountain)

Simply, these are some damn good touring boots.

Up

Ease of walking is very comparable to any skimo racing boots. The no-resistance big cuff rotation plays the biggest role here, and the light weight helps as well – 1050g at size 27,5!
I tried walking them with the removable tongue in. It’s still good compared to other touring boots but definitely walk them with the tongue in your pack – it’s super easy to take out or to slide back in once on the top.

Down

Again, I tried skiing the TLT5s with and without the tongue. There is a definite difference – always put the tongues in. But even when I forgot them in the car they skied powder no problem, on hard-pack felt little soft.
Their stiffness comes not only from the tongue but actually from the carbon cuff, so let’s talk about that.

Dynafit TLT 5 Performance and TLT 5 Mountain boots
Dynafit TLT 5 Performance ski boots with carbon cuff, and the Mountain version with the bigger liner.

TLT 5 Performance vs TLT 5 Mountain

I was fortunate to try the TLT 5 Mountain few times before I got the Performance. The Performance version is quite stiffer thanks to its carbon cuff but the Mountain version skis well too, just feels softer under pressure.
I found both boots to walk exactly the same.
One warning, the beefier liner that came with the Mountain TLT5s was much more comfortable, and I don’t have a wide or big volume foot. For this year, I am sacrificing some grams – I am buying the bigger liner and sliding it into the Performance boots. Happy feet make powder deep J
Bottom line: Just to repeat – these are some damn good touring boots.
TLT5 Performance boots online at:

TLT5 Mountain boots online at:

Dynafit TLT Radical ST bindings

Dynafit TLT Radical bindingI’ve been using Dynafit style bindings for about 15 years now and I chose the Radical because I wanted to try a binding where I don’t have to bend down to twist the heel.
Stepping into these with the TLT5s could be done with closed eyes – it’s super easy thanks to a new Dynafit patent. Everything else works great as well, breaks too.
One thing that might happen sooner or later though might be that the heel lifter will snap. It’s not going to under normal use but from time-to-time when I need to stomp on the heel really hard (to set a steeper track in powder or kick off some snow) I wonder.
Crampons attach and work great too.
With Radicals, I like the fact that this binding is still lighter (at 531g), with all the ease-of-use perks, than its overbuilt competitors.
Bottom line: Great binding for anyone seeking more comfort and that is not overly rough with their gear (applies only to the heel lifter).
TLT Radical bindings online at:

Continental Ski-Mo Championships in Golden, BC set for March 2013

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The biggest ski mountaineering race in North America for the upcoming season found its home. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden, BC will host a skimo dedicated weekend on March 16-17, 2013.
The official name for the event will likely be “The Dogtooth Dash- 2013 Continental Ski-Mo Championships” but some details are still in the works.
If you have never skied at the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort here is your chance to race over its amazing terrain that tests Canadian skimo athletes each year during the annual Canadian Ski Mountaineering National Championships.
More details will be made public in the near future. In all previous years the course was beautifully designed by Ian Gale, the angry one in the photo.
For reference, here is a short edit from the 2011 two day event:

ISMF White List: List of approved equipment, clarification… and some confusion

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As we were busy researching gear for comparison pages of the lightest equipment the last couple of weeks – skis, boots and bindings – the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) was busy creating a list of gear that would be approved for racing. They labeled it the ISMF White List.

Show me the White List

Unfortunately, due to the way the ISMF website is built there is no unique link to any page on their site, same goes for White List.
Therefore, to browse the White List go to ISMF home page and in the middle column you will see a banner that will point you to the right page.
The navigation through the White List is somewhat confusing, so be patient and forward thinking 😉

Clarification

People that studied the latest version of the ISMF competition rules (for 2012/13 season) know that there are some grey areas that create confusion about whether a certain piece of equipment would be in fact legal at an ISMF sanctioned event.
On top of that, the White List doesn’t seem to include some big names at the moment, for example Dynastar and Pierre Gignoux are not there.
With curiosity I emailed ISMF directly my questions:

Thank you for the information on the newly created equipment white list. And hopefully you can clarify something for me.

I own and are planning to buy some equipment that is not currently on the “white list”, so I want to ask:

If equipment is not on the white list does that mean it is illegal for ISMF sanctioned competitions (such as World Cup)?

What about Dynastar skis or Pierre Gignoux boots (those brands and their equipment are not on the white list), will you allow me to compete with that equipment?

Does a company have to be part of the manufacturers’ pool in order to make their equipment legal, put on the white list?

I got an answer yesterday which is actually almost identical with what they just clarified on their website (home page banner). But they clarified even further which I thanked them for.
ISMF response (interesting in red):

“The ISMF White List is a list of products all relevant to competitive ski mountaineering – provided by various manufacturers which are member of the ISMF Manufacturers’ Pool. Each product is self-certified by the manufacturer to fit within ISMF Sporting Regulations. Therefore when a skier looks at the ISMF White List he/she knows that the products are suitable for use in ISMF races. Items which do not feature in the list are not necessarily outside of the guidelines, it’s just that the manufacturer has chosen not to participate in this initiative, therefore the validity of products not listed should be checked directly with information provided by the manufacturers. In any case the equipment used in ISMF competitions must comply with the ISMF Sporting Rules.”

They added this bit for me:

“You can buy the brand you would prefer: the only important aspect is that if you would like to compete in an ISMF race the equipment should comply with the ISMF Rules.

The advantage of the white list is the fact that you have already a list of certified products, so you don’t need to ask to the manufacturers if the material complies with ISMF rules.”

Confusion still exists

I applaud the effort to put the White List together, it was long due.
However, by always referring to the rules, should one be in doubt, one will do so. The crux is that the rules aren’t crystal clear about bindings, specifically the release functionality – no specs are provided/required – leaves room for self-interpretation.
And with essentially manufacturers self-submitting (certifying) their equipment into the White List they must have figured that as long as a binding has a release mode it’s good enough.
Does anyone actually know what is OK-ed by the rules?

Have an opinion on rules around bindings?

With the above I wanted to help you clarify some things, and at the same time provide my opinion that there is still some confusion existing. To me, based on the rules, it’s not clear what a “safety release system” means, thus it leads me to assume that as long as the binding releases it’s legal.
Quoting from ISMF rules, section about bindings (regarding toe is in red):

“which allow heel movement during ascents and are blocked for descents;

front and rear parts:

• The rear part of the bindings must have front and lateral release safety systems.

• If front bindings have limited or no release safety system or can be used locked without a safety

system, it must be clearly specified in the written information supplied with the equipment that these

bindings are designed for competition and don’t require a safety release system for the front part of

the bindings.

It is recommended to use a safety release system in the front part, which will be compulsory

from the season 2012-2013.

For the season 2012-2013, a minimal distance of 4mm will be imposed between the rear part

of the boot and the heel piece.

(NB : ski stoppers are no longer compulsory for the 2013-2014 season)”

What do you make of it?

Rogers Pass in fall light beauty + October snow dusting

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Yesterday, after a shivering -4 C night in a 10+ C sleeping bag I got rewarded with what I hopped for – beautiful views over a lightly snow dusted Glacier National Park, BC.
For those that have been to Rogers Pass only in the winter or haven’t been at all these few pics should convince you to visit in summer or fall.
I hiko-runned-scrabled my favourite trail in the area, up and to the very end of Abbot Ridge. Just after 10am I was at the top, still enjoying the best light nature has to offer.
BTW, Abbott Ridge area is a permanently closed area in the winter, so your only chance for the below views is a snow-less season.

Rogers Peak and Swiss Peak morning light
7am light hitting Rogers and Swiss Peak.
Abbot Ridge
This could make for a nice hiking post card, missing the usual bear though. Left: looking to Mt Abbott from end of official trail, Right: looking back at the ridge from Mt Abbott (2465m).
Rogers Pass, Abbott Ridge
Random Rogers Pass beauty. Winter is slowly approaching.
Mount Sir Donald
Mount Sir Donald, with its spectacular climbing routes, is a deserved king of Glacier National Park. It was first climbed in 1890. The below 1902 photo, from Wikipedia, shows the Illecillewaet Glacier (to the right from Sir Donald) flowing all the way down to the valley. Now, it is about 400 vertical meters higher.