March has been the continuation of what is shaping up as a winter to remember. The snow keeps hammering down and sugar coating our mountains almost daily. People are stoked. I am stoked. And the only thing to get that stoke even higher is strapping on a brand new set of skis. I picked up my latest set of Skevik Skis from Attridge Ski Shop in Vernon BC. When I got home I was as giddy as I was when I would get new skis as a kid. It was Sunday evening, it was snowing, the texts were flying - "Let's ski tomorrow morning..."
So I dug through my gear and found my binding drill bit, got out some measuring apparatuses and went to work free mounting my new skis! After about an hour of measure twice, drill once I had my new sticks bridled with a sweet pair of slack country touring bindings. I am now ready for anything.
I have been skiing on Skevik Skis for a few years now and really dig the feel of the skis as well as the vibe of the company. My ski of choice has been a set of 185cm Skevik Antons but this year we convinced the guys to build us the same thing in a 193cm. And wow did they knock it out of the park. Not only are they in my sweet spot for size, they are also a little more stiff. The first few runs woke me up a little. Once I found my stance it was love at first pow slash!
I love skiing on Skevik Skis. Being handbuilt in my neck of the woods is a cool factor but it is more than that. Master ski builder Glenn Anderson puts his technical engineering skill to work blended with the heart and soul of a lifelong skier. He collaborates with regional artists to create some of the most unique and striking graphics I have ever seen. The wood is selected and milled by hand. I have watched the skis being made. It is pure craftsmanship. I know they are an innanimate object, but seeing the skis being formed somehow connects me to the them just a little bit more.
Anyways, you get it. I am pumped about these new skis. They are bigger, stiffer, look unreal and have an etheral quality that has to be experienced to understand.
We have been protecting our heads with Bern helmets for a few years now. We really like the simplicity of the helmets. Not too many frills or gimicks. Just straight up head protection with a throwback to skate/bmx style lids. We dig em.
New this season we got our hands on the Bern Carbon Fibre Helmet. It is based on the Bern Watts shape except comes completely in carbon fibre making it super light and ultra durable. My first day on it felt strange because it was so light to ski with. I did a little test and went back to my old helmet and was instantly sold that carbon fibre was where its at!
My particular Bern lid is in the Red colour which is really more like a deep cherry colour. It is a striking tone especially in the sunshine. You can see the carbon fibre weave as well which is always cool. I wear the L/XL normally so that is what I ordered up in the carbon fibre. I found it a little snug at first. It took a few days to get it to feel right but once it was moulded to my head I was good to go. My head size is perhaps just slightly larger than average. If you have a big melon, I would recommend staying with the regular offerings from Bern.
To get the perfect fit dialed in, Bern included the BOA system to the Carbon Fibre helmet. It allows you to fine tune the fit to your head quite nicely. Also included is the drop in audio option so you can shred to the beats.
You'll notice in the included image that I am sporting the new Bern Eastwood Goggles. They fit perfectly into the Bern Helments but that is for another review...
All in all I love this helmet. If safety is first then cool factor is definetly a close second!
Why wear pants AND a shirt when you can where a onsie?!
No video selected.
It has finally happened, after years of technical development in base layers, mid-layers, multi-panel design and the like, design has come full circle and the one piece base layer is cool again. Butt flap and all! Only now, there is a difference...
This season we spent our days shredding deep BC powder with the Icebreaker One Sheep suit at the foundation of our clothing set up. It is the perfect blend of merino wool top and bottom now conjoined at the waist. So if any pow sneaks it's way through your outer shell it will have no chance to melt from the heat of your skin and creep down "nature's pocket".
We absolutely love the Icebreaker One Sheep Suit. It really is the base layer to rule them all. It stays in place all day, keeps you warm and your temperature regulated and...if I might go out on a limb here...it is mighty stylish.
Now, if you are the sort that is more concern with technical capabilities rather than style, fear not, this sheep suit has plenty of tech. For starters, it is built using the highest quality pure merino wool that Icebreaker is known for. The format for this particular garment is the Icebreaker BodyfitZONE technology. Also complete with mesh vents placed strategically in the warmer zones of your body. The front zip is nice and deep so you can go full zip on the frosty days and unzip to show off those chest hairs on the more steamy days. One of the questions we always get asked is, "how do you go to the bathroom wearing one of those things?!" Icebreaker included a nicely sized, full zip butt flap and generous front access flap. I caution you though - on the cold days getting ready to take a wee can be like searching for the last cocktail wiener at a party!
Movement is always a concern wearing any type of active wear. The Icebreaker One Sheep suit has plenty of comfort when moving around. Most of the time you don't even notice that you have it on. It moves freely but stays in its place. No bunching or riding up was ever experienced throughout the season. We put our One Sheep suit through the paces with days heliskiing, catskiing, touring and also ripping around the local hill. It is our go-to base layer and rapidly becoming our apres attire as well!
To learn more about the Icebreaker One Sheep and more Icebreaker Pure Merino products, go here: www.icebreaker.com
We stopped by the Skevik Skis workshop the other day to pick up our new pair of Anton 112's and saw these beauties sitting there. It is a custom graphic edition of the Anton made specially for Keefer Lake Catskiing. This is a perfect match really. Skevik Skis are handmade in Vernon BC and Keefer Lake Catskiing is just 1.5 hours down the valley. Skis made for the mountains in this area of BC.
Check out that graphic too. Skevik is known for their artistic topsheets and this one fits the bill. Nice work guys. We know Keefer Lake will love em as much as we do!
I have had it with summer, and I'm so ready for the cold weather to start. And just in time, as my patience wears thin, the ski hills around British Columbia are starting the process of opening. That means one thing...that catskiing is just around the corner! As I sit here at the computer, constantly checking the forecast and willing it to snow, I see the temps drop day by day. If there is one thing that will get you thinking about warm clothes, it’s that first blast of winter and being outside wearing something suited more for your fall adventures.
Fleece and shell layers are great, but nothing compares to a good puffy jacket when it comes to all out warmth. But, if you get caught out in any weather you may end up cold and smelling like a wet goose. Stink and loss of performance when wet are just a couple things that make you consider the conditions when using your puffy coat. New from Icebreaker over the past couple seasons is MerinoLOFT, bringing the goodness and multipurpose of merino wool to the insulated loft jacket world.
The MerinoLOFT Stratus Jacket is made with a re-purposed highly insulating wool loft for extra warmth when you need it. A recycled polyester exterior sheds the snow flakes, and a merino lining maximizes the good feeling and minimizes the stink. That is always a big plus for the sweaty types like us that don’t want to a smell like we just joined a non-showering hippie revolution. Throw in some cool features like internal wrist gussets and a shaped hooded for when the cold and snow pushes in, and you’re all set.
Check out the full line of new Icebreaker MerinoLOFT products for yourself and then get out on the snow!
Skevik Skis has done it again. They have released a graphic for the 2015/2016 ski season that throws back to the days of Windows 95 with a killer representation of the PC game Ski Free. The all new Sheske graphic has captured this game in all its glory complete with the infamous Yeti.
We are big fans of Skevik Skis and are stoked to see these skis in real life.
Also new for 2015/2016 is a wider 122mm Anton model. We're pumped about that too!
GoPro innovates again with this All-New GoPro Hero 4 Session. It is small, light and can be placed almost anywhere. At just 1.5 inches cubed it is packed with awesome features that you would expect from GoPro. It shoots 1080p at 60fps or 1440p at 30fps. Excellent image quality along with clear audio. Nice GoPro, nice.
Set at $399, this GoPro is a little more affordable that other GoPros. We see these starting to pop up everywhere as soon as they are release on July 12th. I know we will get one...or two or three!
We are at it again testing next year's skis up at Big White Ski Resort
Another year, another ski intro test and we made sure we were there. We look forward to this ski into event every year up at Big White Ski Resort. This season were searching for something to wow us. Something new, something innovative, something fresh. We aren't sure if we found our 'Elenore' but we did ski some pretty fun skis.
We shot this video showcasing what to expect from the 2016 Ski line-up for our favorite shop Fresh Air. Here is a list of what we got our hot little hands on:
Win a set of brand new skis from our friends at Skevik Skis. As you may have seen on this website, Skevik is one of our skis of choice out there. We have a set of Loken 116's and a set of Oda's. Having 2 sets of Skeviks between 4 guys is a recipe for tourble...
No video selected.
No video selected.
No video selected.
No video selected.
No video selected.
No video selected.
No video selected.
No video selected.