SkinTrack

Stano Faban

Review of PLUM Oazo Ski Mountaineering Bindings: Versatile, Light and Durable

By Leave a Comment

Overview

Suitability: ski mountaineering, light & fast ski touring
Usual price: around $480 USD (Skimo.co, SkiUphill.ca)
Weight: 200g per ski
Pros: functionality, safety, low weight, 3-year warranty
Cons: no ski brakes (if you care for them)

Bottom Line

Without adding much weight, the Oazo is a well designed ski mountaineering binding if you want more safety, durability and comfort than with race bindings.

Review

We have used the Plum Oazo bindings for about 15 days of skiing in various snow conditions and terrain. So far it has performed very well and without any mechanical issues. We paired the Oazo with Hagan Ultra 82 skis which feels like a great combo for overall ski touring and ski mountaineering missions.

Plum is a French company based in the Chamonix Valley and the whole Oazo is manufactured right there. The binding has a 3-year manufacturers warranty.

To keep the weight down, Plum engineers decided to use a time proven toe piece from Plum’s lighter bindings (R150 and R170) and pair it with a new light heel but with more safety.

With three possible heel heights you can adjust the angle to your liking. While you do have to spin the heel to be in the flat position, once you are climbing you can use your ski pole to flip a riser to fine tune the angle.

One of the nicest features of the Oazo heel is that you can spin it both ways. This feels smooth but you will have to do it with your hand instead of a ski pole.

The heel has a fixed front (vertical) release at 8 but offers an adjustable side (lateral) release between DIN 4 and DIN 10, which is not usual at this weight category.

The women’s version, Oazo 6, is dedicated to women and a lightweight person. It offers a lower forward release of 6 but keeping the lateral adjustable release from DIN 4 to DIN 10.

For such a light weight binding, it can be adjusted for up to 20 mm in boot size difference, equivalent of 1.5-2 boot sizes depending on the manufacturer.

To round out the Oazo perks, the toe piece features an integrated ski crampons slot which worked well enough with our Dynafit crampons. However, you will get a smoother performance with Plum’s own ski crampons.

The materials used on this binding are the Plum’s specialty 7075 aluminum, and then steel and high strength plastic to house the heel.

What We Think Could Be Improved

For those that want even more comfort, the heel could be perhaps refined into the future to allow for spinning it with a ski pole.

Pierre Gignoux U 77: New Standard in Ultralight Bindings

By 2 Comments

When the brand of Pierre Gignoux comes to mind, most ski mountaineers immediately think of the company’s famous carbon fiber boots.

However, the company continues its innovative approach to product design with a new binding, the U 77. With this binding, Pierre Gignoux (PG) is now making the lightest traditional low tech binding available on the market.

In recent years, Ski Trab has been developing category leading race style bindings. To reduce weight, Ski Trab did a complete redesign of the traditionally spring equipped toe piece. Instead of using springs to achieve the tension in the toe, Ski Trab used a single piece of Titanium that folded underneath the toe lever.

Now, Pierre Gignoux has taken that a step further in weight reduction, and used the same Titanium bar style, but placed it under the wings of the toe piece and reduced its size. This refinement of the titanium bar style toe piece has now brought traditional low tech bindings within 15 grams of PG’s one piece toe, the Ultimate 3.

The heel piece is expectedly diminutive in size, using the now common base plate and rotating heel plate built of plastic. The heel piece is identical to PG’s other binding, the Ultimate 3. Pierre Gignoux states that the design is built to release around DIN 6, same as most other skimo racing specific bindings.

For racing at the highest levels, PG has always brought innovative products to market, and the U 77 is no different in this respect. However, Mr. Gignoux has also shown advantages of using his products also for adventures such as big ski traverses of as shown below.

How To Effectively Train Boot-packing and Running Technique for Skimo Racing

By Leave a Comment

Kilian Jornet on a way to winning his fourth Pierra Menta. Photo by Jocelyn Chavy.

Technique for boot-packing and running seems fairly straightforward since walking and running are the most natural movements to humans. However, several critical details do make a difference in efficiency.

The weight of the ski boots, loss of ankle agility, snow and handling of the ski poles all add to the complexity of simple movements we are born to easily master.

Training for effective and efficient boot-packing for longer (slower) races should be somewhat different from training for fast sprint races and running so we are discussing each on its own.

This article is an excerpt from our Manual For Ski Mountaineering Racing ebook.

Boot-packing for longer races

Usually, in longer races, boot-packing is up a steep slope with skis attached to your backpack. The important thing is that you use double-poling technique for this – planting both of your ski poles at the same time.

How to train:

Find a safe, steep slope (30+ degree) where you can set up 30-100 m (100-330 ft) vertical boot-pack. The right snow density for setting up a boot-pack track should allow for at least half of your boot’s sole to form a step.

Perform 3-6 climbs during which you double-pole on every third or fourth step.

Throughout the first half of the arms motion, you are using your arms for pulling, while in the second half (once ski poles’ handles are below your shoulders) you are using them for pushing, finishing with a full extension.

Intensity will be dictated by terrain but you can easily incorporate such a boot-pack section into your tempo intervals (zone 3).

It’s less suitable to incorporate these into your VO2 max intervals (zone 4) because of the time required to transition unless you are planning on performing the whole interval by boot-packing.

What elite racers do:

All elite racers use the double-poling technique during a boot-pack. They plant their poles, hunch themselves with their heads tilted down, then pull and push with force while their feet are doing three to five steps in one cycle. Their cadence (step frequency) varies greatly depending on the slope angle and depth of the track.

Boot-packing for sprint races

During boot-pack sections in sprint races or short (or lower angle) boot-pack sections in longer ones, the technique is the same as described above but since it’s performed on much shorter climbs, the cadence is higher as well as the force that is used for double-poling.

ISMF photo.

How to train:

Find a safe, 30-40 degree slope that will accommodate a 15-30 m (50-90 ft) vertical boot-pack. The snow should be fairly hard as the ideal foot penetration depth for good steps shouldn’t be more than just above your boot soles.

Perform 6-10 climbs with the double-poling technique described in the “boot-packing for longer races” above, but with your arms maximum force pulling and pushing on your poles while running (not walking) up the track.

These should be maximal speed efforts, so heart-rate intensity is not important, with about 1-2 minutes of recovery between the climbs.

What elite racers do:

All top sprint racers are very fast going up short boot-packs, covering four to six strides per every powerful double-poling cycle with a cadence of around 90-100 steps per leg per minute.

In the video below, around 30sec and 1min 30sec, you can watch elite racers running up during a sprint race at the 2019 World Championships.

Running in skimo races

Some races have flat or almost flat sections that are covered on foot (with skis on the pack) that could be on snow or on dry ground (gravel, pavement, grass). These sections are covered by running.

How to train:

To train for running on the snow, complete 6-10 maximal efforts of 10-15 seconds with 1-2 minutes of active rest between.

Use double-poling technique and lean into the stride, just like you would running in shoes, planting your poles far ahead of you and doing about 6-8 strides per double-poling cycle.

Best is to practice on groomed or hard-packed snow with minimal or no foot-penetration.

To train for running on dry land, complete 5-8 efforts at speed of zone 2-3 intensity and 10-20 seconds in length with minimal or no recovery. For these, you can carry poles in your hands without using them for half of the efforts while double-poling during the rest. Avoid doing these at your maximal speed as running on dry, hard ground in ski boots is quite taxing on all your leg joints. The ideal surface is grass or soft-packed dirt.

What elite racers do:

On-snow running sections are regularly featured at the top of boot-packs at various levels of competition, while dry-land sections are almost exclusive to long races that are in the spring months such as Pierra Menta, Patrouille des Glaciers, etc.

Top racers perform double-poling during the on-snow sections and usually carry their poles on dry land to prevent from breaking their pole tips.

Giveaway: Hagan Skimo Race Skins + SkinTrack Skimo Training Plans

By 2 Comments

We have partnered with Hagan Ski Mountaineering for a giveaway to equip 2 lucky winners: one with a pair of new skins, and one with one of our skimo specific training plans. For full prize details see further below. Giveaway ended Nov 10, 2019.

Winners:

Brendan Armstrong wins a pair of Hagan Ultra 65 Hybrid skins

Kailey Allan wins her choice of one of our SkinTrack skimo training plans + our Skimo Manual ebook

How to Participate:

This giveaway runs from Nov 5, 2019 to Nov 10, 2019.
Winners will be announced on Nov 11, 2019 via email, on Instagram and on this page.

To participate complete the following 3 steps:

1) Follow SkinTrack on Instagram – click here for profile page.

2) Follow Hagan Skis US on Instagram – profile page.

3) Send us the right answer to this question:

Sign up for the giveaway is now closed.

2 Winners, 2 Prizes:

Two winners will be drawn with one winning the Hagan skins and one winning SkinTrack’s skimo training package.

Hagan Ultra 65 Hybrid Skins

These are 100% mohair, like most racing skins, but instead of using traditional glue for adhesion these Hagan skins use new Hybrid Adhesion technology. This allows these skins to stick as well at low temperatures as at warmer ones, without leaving residue on the ski base.

Another advantage are faster transitions thanks to easier handling – separating the skins when putting them on and ripping them off your skis requires much less force even at low temperatures. These Hagan skins are made in Austria.

» To learn more, visit Hagan Ultra 65 Hybrid Skins

SkinTrack Skimo Training Plan + Skimo Manual ebook

In addition to the popular Manual For Ski Mountaineering Racing ebook, we created a selection of skimo specific training plans that provide you with exact daily workouts and provide you with instructions how to modify the plan if you need to restructure it to fit your personal schedule.

The winner will be able to choose one of the following training plans, on top of the Manual:

Terms and Conditions:

1. Eligibility. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

2. The Giveaway period is from November 5, 2019 – November 10, 2019 (the “Deadline.”) All entries must be received by the Deadline to be eligible to win a prize.

3. How to Enter. Via the web: http://www.skintrack.com/contests-giveaways/giveaway-hagan-skintrack/

4. Limit one entry per person per prize. Multiple entries by the same person using one or more e-mail accounts will not be accepted. No mechanically or electronically reproduced entries will be accepted. All entries must be submitted from a valid e-mail account which may be identified by reverse domain name search. In the event of any dispute, entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the owner of the e-mail address from which the e-mail was sent.

5. Selection and Notification. Winner will be determined by a random drawing from all eligible entries on November 11, 2019. Winners will be notified by e-mail by November 25, 2019. To claim a prize, winner should follow the instructions contained in the notification email.

6. Prizes. One (1) winner will receive Hagan Ultra 65 Hybrid Skins. One (1) winner will receive Manual For Ski Mountaineering Racing ebook and a SkinTrack skimo training plan of their choice. All prizes are awarded “AS IS”.

7. General Release. By entering the, you release SkinTrack.com, participating sponsors and any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agencies (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, for any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Sweepstakes or acceptance, possession, or use of any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory.

8. Email Opt-In. By entering this sweepstakes, you agree to receive email updates from SkinTrack.com and participating partners, sponsors. You may opt out at any time.

9. The sponsor of the Giveaway is SkinTrack.com, Canada.

Sisters of Skimo: Interview With Sierra Anderson, US Skimo Team member, About Life And Her New Movie

By Leave a Comment

Growing up on a fishing boat in Alaska, Sierra Anderson’s road to World Cup level ski mountaineering racing is an adventurous one, and she still operates her own fishing business in the summers.

Her love for mountains and skiing was always there but falling in love with skimo only a few years ago helped her to find a true passion. Today, she is a strong member of the USA Ski Mountaineering Team and has become involved in the sport beyond what most athletes do.

Her movie “Sisters of Skimo” premiers on November 6 in Frisco, Colorado and dives deep into her personality and value she stands for. You can RSVP for this event on this Facebook page.

Q: Where exactly were you born in Alaska? How was growing up there?

I was born in Anchorage, Alaska but originated from Seward, Alaska. Most people know it for the famous Mt. Marathon running race.

I grew up commercial fishing in a little village called Chignik, population less than 100. We can only get there by a 42 hour boat journey out of Seward, or a little 3.5h bush plane ride.

From the age of diapers, most of my summers were spent on the boat for 3 months at a time. I began working at around the ripe age of 8, and when I was 14 I started running the skiff for my dad, a little 22 foot boat that tows the net in the opposite direction of the big boat.

This business is what some people might call family bonding on steroids! It wasn’t always easy, but fishing was always an adventure, and being immersed in wildlife was invigorating at a young age. Everything from octopuses to sea lions, birds, whales, porpoises, sharks…you name it. I called these “my pets”.

On the rare occasion I did get land time, I would typically find myself running in circles on the quarter mile dirt airstrip in the middle of the village. It wasn’t just the bears I’d have to watch out for. Every now and again I would have to dodge into the trees to avoid a landing plane running over me. I couldn’t always hear them from behind and have had some near misses.

In 1996, my family moved to Breckenridge Colorado and so began my 8 year journey into alpine ski racing.

Q: How did you discover skimo racing? What hooked you and keeps you in?

Sierra with her Team US sisters at 2019 World Championships.

The first skimo race I ever witnessed was at Copper Mountain in Colorado when I was babysitting for my supermom friend, Kate Zander, so that she could race.

I was impressed by her discipline and dedication to still pursue what she loved while nursing a child on the side of the race course.

She introduced me to some new things in the sport… like ski crampons for example. I am proud to call her my friend and teammate now because she never wavered and was always patient.

She could have kept me at a distance knowing I would one day be her competitor, but she didn’t. I think we had “sisterhood” dialed early on.

Skimo is honestly the coolest sport I have ever known. It is an adventure, and it is extremely rewarding to look back on the peaks you scaled and say “Wow I really did that!”. I never really knew what I was capable of until I started skimo racing.

I see mountains in an entirely different way now, I see possibilities.

Q: How is skimo different for you from other sports you have been competing in?

Skimo is so different, but with a lot of parallels to my sport history.

The first time I tried the lightweight equipment though, I was terrified, as if I forgot how to ski! Now it’s literally all I know.

Racing in China during an international training camp.

I downhill ski raced in high school, then ran cross country. Running helped me afford college, and I was fortunate to be offered a full ride to run at a D1 University.

Neither sports held much longevity for me as I quit racing right out of college to go back in the family business. Both sports were far too one dimensional for me, and I got bored. I think I was made to do something more dynamic.

Skimo was the perfect blend of endurance, mental stamina, downhill skiing (aka speed), technical skills, risk, reward, and real adventure.

Q: Why do you think more women are not taking up skimo? How could this change and what do you want to do about it?

This sport is fairly new in America and less common for women. Naturally, there is an element of the unknown, and an inherent insecurity that comes with it. We are testing ourselves and are not sure of the possibilities or success.

I love seeing more women joining this sport. We are social creatures and find acceptance more easily when there is a group.

The women’s North American team at 2019 Mezzalama Trophy in Italy. Sierra on the left, Jessie Young top-right, and Canadian Kylee Toth.

I believe sisterhood is a real thing that transcends fear, and supersedes the limitations we might naturally feel when entering a new sport like skimo. When I was running in college, it felt like a sisterhood, and because of that it was easier and more desirable for women to walk on or get into the sport.

I also think that as women we naturally have a little more of a “delicate” spirit than men and self preservation is higher on the priority list. Yes, skimo is more intense than most sports…but it doesn’t have to be seen as just that. I have gal friend I know in skimo who shows up to races in tutus. The beauty of skimo is you make it what it is… but it is always an adventure…

Ultimately, I just believe that women need women.

We need to be in community with each other in order to thrive. This starts by eliminating the “cliques.” We can support each other to do our very best and encourage other women to join us as this strong group of driven, inspiring intense athletes.

I am excited for the growth that is happening in skimo. I wish I had the opportunity to start skimo younger, but I am learning to embrace the chapter I am in, and help foster relationships with women and young girls in the sport. This is how I believe we grow the sport.

If we as skimo women in the community can develop a more inclusive culture in the sport that is inviting and attractive to outsiders, we can grow it. There’s more to this sport than the podium.

Also of course, we need better uphill access in North America. I hope more resorts get on board with opening their mountains for people to travel uphill.

Q: Would you want skimo to be in the Olympics? Whether yes or no, why?

Oh absolutely! It needs to be in the Olympics. If curling is in the Olympics, skimo should have been in it yesterday.

Skimo is exciting, daring, adventurous, risky…all the ingredients for creating intrigue among spectators. This sport is the ultimate test of endurance, speed, technical skill, uphill, downhill, and everything in between.

Q: What are your future skimo goals and plans? Do you have plans away from racing – such as expeditions, traverses, trips?

My short term plans include going to Europe to live and race the entire World Cup Circuit for 2020, as well as some Grand Courses. I want to completely immerse myself into the mother-ship of ski mountaineering so that I can grow and bring back what I learn.

One of our juniors, Grace Staberg will be joining me for those 5 months. We leave the first week of December!

Long term goals are evolving but hard to say because opportunities are trickling in now that I never would have foreseen a year ago. I want to be open.

I have been fortunate to see a lot of the world. But racing in these other countries is very new and exciting to me. Traveling by skis is an awesome thing.

Meeting new sisters during a training camp in China.

I met some folks from India at the race in China, and it was really cool talking to them and hearing them share about wanting to start a skimo club in their country. They came to China to get acquainted with the sport and learn.

China rallied people from all parts of the world for the Mt. Gangshika masters race and that was truly awesome.

I would love to help facilitate growing the sport not only in the USA but around the world.

Q: If you were to die in 10 years, how would you want to live them? What would you like to do, “complete”, or “accomplish”?

I think in whatever I do, I want to somehow serve people in it and impact hearts in a positive way.

So many people have helped me in my life to get to where I am. I would love to give back. I don’t know what that is supposed to look like. I don’t have a particular bucket list item that I have to conquer.

As I continue to grow in skimo I begin to realize new ambitions and goals, but they aren’t the end-all-be-all for me. I love exploring exotic foreign places on skis and meeting new people along the way.

But if 10 years is all I get, I think I would want to try and focus on what I was leaving behind, since after all I can’t take anything with me when my time is up. I think that to have a family and leave a legacy that serves to impact culture in a positive way would be a pretty great accomplishment.

Visiting PLUM in France: Emerging Ski Touring Bindings Manufacturer From Chamonix Valley

By Leave a Comment

We have been testing Plum’s Oazo binding since last spring. At only 200g, the Oazo is a full-featured ski touring binding.

Not surprisingly, Chamonix Valley in France, on the foothills of the majestic Mont Blanc, is home to a variety of outdoor brands. The area is a paradise for outdoor gear testing and development.

After visiting CAMP and La Sportiva factories, we were excited to also honor an invitation from Plum. While not very well-known outside of France and Switzerland yet, this ski touring and split-boarding bindings manufacturer have been steadily carving its name on the market since 2005.

With 2-5 years warranties on their products and very little outsourcing, Plum takes raw materials and step-by-step crafts some of the finest and lightest bindings in the world. They are 100% made in France.

So why “PLUM” if we are talking about bindings and not fruit? The brand name comes from the French word “plume” which means “feather”, not a prune.

Plum’s first ultra-light heel was born in 2005, showing on the left. By 2007, Plum significantly improved the original design, on the right.

The history of Plum and their manufacturing expertise and know-how (precision mechanics) dates back to 1968. To learn more about Plum’s history visit their About page.

Plum Ski Touring Bindings Manufacturing and Testing

From super light skimo racing bindings to more freeride oriented models, PLUM offers a wide selection of ski touring bindings. They also offer a range of split-board bindings which are becoming increasingly popular as well.

Pika is one of Plum’s most popular ski touring bindings.

PLUM designs their bindings based on their expertise and feedback from their athletes and mountain guides, including Alexis Sevennec (former Pierra Menta Champion), Vivian Bruchez (steep skier), Glen Plake (legendary ski movie star) and others.

The philosophy of the brand is to manufacture minimalist, light and durable ski touring bindings to be skied all over the world.

Vivian Bruchez carefully skiing one of many steep lines in the Alps.

PLUM’s manufacturing process combines modern CNC machines as well as more traditional machines. This allows them to fine-tune the process while keeping prices at reasonable levels.

To lessen environmental impact, PLUM shreds metal and plastic parts into small pieces (shavings) and sorts them. Then they are collected by a local recycling company which sends these wastes to a foundry where they are recycled.

Fundamentally, the company is committed to produce locally in France, mostly dealing with local subcontractors, to reduce the manufacturing environmental footprint.

Plum uses Aluminum 7075 as their main material. This aluminum alloy is extensively used in aircraft aerospace applications.

 

Brand new Guide binding toe and heel pieces.

Wide Selection of Plum Bindings

Plum offers a wide variety of ski touring bindings divided into four categories based on their intended use.

The Race & Oazo families interest us the most as they feature minimalist ultra-light bindings, the Race family, and full-featured yet light ski mountaineering bindings, the Oazo.

The Oazo binding is specifically designed for demanding ski mountaineering while weighing only 200g per foot. Whether it is steep skiing or long mountain days with a heavier pack we like the Oazo’s functionality and durability. Full review is coming soon.

The above “men” version of the Oazo has a forward release of 8, while the “women” version has it fixed at 6. Both versions feature adjustable lateral release from DIN 4 to DIN 10.

For pure skimo racing and fast & light ski mountaineering, Plum offers 4 competition oriented bindings with the lightest being the R99 model shown below. One of their most versatile light bindings is the R170 model which offers 20mm of heel adjustment, increased durability, at only 170g, and without breaking your savings account.

Plum’s R99 binding weighs 99g. Its toe piece consists of 21 parts and the heel piece of 12, not including mounting screws.

Other families of Plum bindings focus more on freeride style of skiing and users that prefer their ski touring bindings with brake system. Visit Plum website for all details and pricing.

New Skimo 20 Pack by Ultimate Direction

By Leave a Comment

Couple of years ago, we helped Ultimate Direction to make their first ever skimo racing oriented packs. It was a great experience for both parties and the packs became the most popular selling packs on Skimo.co – specialized ski mountaineering gear store.

For this season, UD is launching their newest skimo oriented pack, the Skimo 20. Again, we had a chance to test the prototypes and provided them with feedback.

While light enough easy-to-use for skimo racing it can also be used for backcountry skiing when you don’t need to bring too much clothing. The 20 litre capacity is perfect for carrying a proper avalanche shovel, probe (up to 47cm long when folded) and spare clothing and food.

The new Skimo 20 is very versatile and comes in two sizes for best fit. The fit can be further adjusted with chest and waist straps that can be easily moved to the most suitable position. To prevent sliding around while skiing or bending down, the shoulder straps feature rubberized stripes that “grip” to your clothing keeping the pack in place.

The pack features a ski hook attachment system that lets you attach skis without removing the pack, easily accessible dedicated boot crampons pouch, water flask or bottle pocket, and a water proof phone pocket.

Another great feature is its mesh back panel with zoned padding. This improves ventilation when you are working hard yet provides enough structure to keep the pack on your back.

While the pack can be further stripped down to reduce its weight and eliminate some features, we believe UD made the right choice and it’s great that you can have just one pack that works equally well for racing, ski touring, or even mountain running or cycling.

Skimo 8 was the first skimo pack for UD.

Review: CAMP Alp Mountain Harness for Ski Mountaineering and Alpinism

By Leave a Comment

Overview:

Suitability: ski mountaineering and glacier travel, mountaineering and alpinism, rappels and easy climbing
Usual full price: around $70 USD (at Skimo.co)
Weight: 260g in Medium size (Small, Medium, Large)
Pros: durability, functionality, fit and comfort, low weight
Cons: ease of use could be improved

Bottom Line:

This harness is best for ski mountaineering and glacier travel mainly thanks to its low weight and functionality that allows for putting it on without the need to remove your skis or crampons.

It also performs well for general mountaineering, alpinism and even easy climbing where long vertical falls are not expected. Obviously, this depends on your skill level and judgement.

In the Tantalus Range, British Columbia, Canada.

Review:

We have been using the CAMP Alp Mountain harness for a couple of months now. From glacier travel and ski mountaineering, to alpine mountaineering and even some sports climbing of grades up to 5.10c (6a).

On the beautiful long ridge of Piz Palu in Switzerland.

The single most important feature of this harness is that you can put it on and take it off without removing your skis or crampons but let’s discuss beyond this main characteristic.

In general, thanks to its wide webbing and thin padding on the waist, the harness fits well over any type of clothing as it’s easy to adjust the leg loops and waist belt. It is also very comfortable to wear all day long whether in the winter or summer.

The harness comes in 3 sizes so make sure to choose an optimal fit – not too loose, not too tight – and you can use it for a variety of activities too.

While fairly minimalist, the CAMP Alp Mountain harness offers enough gear loops to carry all your necessary crevasse rescue gear, or your climbing gear when you go mountaineering.

Ski mountaineering and glacier travel are the main activities why you might be looking at this harness. It’s light, it packs small, and when you occasionally need it you can quickly put it on without the hassle of removing your skis. We have definitely enjoyed it for this type of use.

While the harness also works well for general mountaineering and easy climbing you need to remember that it’s not well padded – taking a big fall won’t be very comfortable.

For mountaineering, just like for ski mountaineering, you will appreciate its low weight and overall comfort.

We have been also actively using it for sports climbing but the harness didn’t inspire us to push our limit as its lack of padding makes it not very pleasant to take a fall with.

Another great way to test the comfort of the harness was rappelling. Once loaded, it felt as comfortable as fully padded climbing harnesses. Of course, this might be different if we were to rappel a long vertical route but one could still do it.

What We Think Could Be Improved:

There is not much to complain about when you use this harness for its intended purposes. Perhaps, weight could be shaved further with newer materials and a little bit of colour could add some “liveliness” to the somewhat boring grey.

Planning Your Training for Your Next Skimo Season

By Leave a Comment

Are you ready to ski yet? We bet a lot of you are. After all, the snow has been flying already.

We are proponents of planning your next season as early as May or June, however, unless you are shooting for the stars, you will most likely delay this until some version of the season’s racing calendar is out.

This is not a complete flop by any means as long as you are staying active throughout the summer. If you happened to mix in some racing then even better.

You might have heard Kilian Jornet say that he doesn't follow a structured training plan and trains more by feel. However, he still plans around his goals and does this after many years of high level experience.
You might have heard Kilian Jornet say that he doesn’t follow a structured training plan and trains more by feel. However, he does this after many years of experience and still plans around his goals meticulously.

Establishing Facts: Things to Consider

To come up with a reasonable plan for your next race season, it is wise to evaluate a couple of important things:

  • What are my goals? (races and adventures)
  • How long do I have to get ready for them?
  • Where is my fitness right now?
  • What do I need to do to be at my best at the right time?
  • Do I have all the gear in place?

While the above should be figured out as soon as possible, the below still have some time:

  • Where are my goal races located?
  • Are they at altitude?
  • Will they require significant travel to attend?
  • How will this impact my training and life?
  • Can I share race trips with friends?
  • How much will these trips cost?

Planning Your Training Around Your Goals

Now that you have realized some truths and set some goals, you can start planning how to incorporate the necessary training. Having a full time job doesn’t make it easy but most of us have that responsibility so you are in no disadvantage.

With a well thought out plan you can make big performance gains without having to commit to 3-4h of training every day.
training-plans-banner-600x260
Drafting your training plan should start from the end and working backwards from your goal race (or race month) to the present. Analyze what demands (physical, technical…) your goal race will require of you. Is it a sprint, two hour individual, or a long teams race?

Beyond that, you also need to keep in mind that effective training should have continuity, progress, and variety to gradually make you improve to the desired level.

With all that in mind, here’s a simple example of how you can come up with a reasonable plan:

  • Goal event: January 27, 2018
  • Taper 1-2 weeks out
  • Focus on intensity 2-8 weeks out
  • Focus on strength and endurance 9-16 weeks out

From there, you can start planning your individual weeks and even workouts.

First, identify 1-3 goals for each period or week and then choose two primary workouts per week that help move you towards the goals. These are your “bread and butter” workouts and should be the priority. Once these are identified, fill in the rest of the week with the secondary goals and overall endurance work.

Secondary Considerations: Recovery and Nutrition

If you have been training for few seasons or following SkinTrack, you know that actual training is only one part of the whole puzzle. Recovery is equally important, especially if you have a demanding job or family commitments to consider.

The only way to improve is to adapt to higher (more demanding) training loads. To adapt you will need to strategically schedule recovery days and weeks into your plan. While this can be highly individual, there are some conservative general principles such as building your training load for three weeks followed by recovery period of one week, as well as having at least one full day-off each week.

Another factor affecting your rate of adaptation and improvement will be your nutrition. You do not need to obsess but eating mostly unprocessed foods and avoiding most junk food will be highly beneficial. You can also boost your caloric and protein intake during the most demanding weeks. Basically, if your body asks for more then eat more. We don’t mean ice cream though 🙂

Help with Planning

If you would like to follow a specialized skimo training plan and can commit 6-9h of training per week then we have designed such a plan last year – 12-Week Skimo Training Plan.

Besides that, you can get a deal on a package by combining the training plan with our Manual For Ski Mountaineering Racing e-book from which you can learn about all aspects of our sport, plus improve your transitions skills by learning from our videos.

Mini Review: Arcteryx Norvan SL Trail Running Shoe

By Leave a Comment

Fall training for ski mountaineering involves many components, but one primary activity is running and speed hiking steep terrain.

Terrain in your area, fit and running style will ultimately determine which training shoe will work best for you. Recently, we have been trying the Arc’teryx Norvan SL (SuperLight) to work well for fall training on the wet, slippery, rocky terrain on the west coast of British Columbia.

The shoe was originally designed as a lightweight running shoe that could pack small and be brought on multi pitch rock climbing, while still functioning well as a true running shoe. This design focus translates well into a light running shoe designed for fast times on technical uphills and for trails needing an agile, light shoe.

The shoe is built around a minimal mid-sole with Vibram Megagrip rubber connecting you to the trail. This rubber is used in many similar shoes and has always served me well. The durability of the sole is impressive considering the significant grip improvement over Salomon’s contagrip outsoles.

The Norvan’s upper is built out of a TPU mesh rather than a fabric, which does not absorb as much water. The heel cup is very minimal, without the characteristic padding and bulk of a conventional running shoe. Instead, the TPU mesh contours around your foot and makes for a comfortable, adjustable fit.

Considering that the shoe only weighs 185 grams, we have found the durability of the upper mesh to be acceptable. We made a hole in one shoe due to jamming the shoe in a granite crack, but that is outside the scope of the shoe’s design focus and understandable considering the almost unbelievable weight of the shoe.

If you are looking for a lightweight trail shoe with grippy rubber and a medium drop (7mm), you might be hard pressed to find a better option than the Arc’teryx Norvan SL.