Wildsnow, any good alternatives?

[TahoeJ]

I'm mostly fed up with yuppies who need their ego fed by reviews and are angry when someone doesn't, as TahoeJ is in this thread. So you aren't a "real BC" skier. Who gives a shit?

Again, not sure what the fuck you're talking about. Maybe go outside for a walk or get a drink or something? I could give two shits if Lou doesn't like the bindings I like and the boots I like, because we have different needs and preferences. Although I think he mostly gave positive reviews to the gear I'm on, so, whatever. Carry on with your narrative.

Also: +1 to what neckbeard said 2 post above, that was pretty much my only point.

[LeeLau]

Wildsnow has a very narrow perspective. It has been evident in his writing for years, and excusable. Most people have a narrow perspective. What he does not seem to realize is that there are a lot of people in communities and demographics who have barely even heard of wildsnowdotcom, who are doing as much - or much more - ski touring than his cohort and on gear that he thinks is too heavy for his cohort. He has a strong opinion, but is wrong based on evidence.

Lou is well-travelled enough and is aware enough that I have no doubt that he knows that he has a strong following who takes his word as gospel truth. But I would be surprised if he doesn't know that there's a contingent of people who either don't know or don't care about his opinion. Like you said he has a strong opinion and he's been able to make a living off of it; like his opinion or not. Definitely not milquetoast

And as far as lemming perspective mentality - these forums are eminently prone to that. Although much more diverse in recent years then before

[ACH]

And as far as lemming perspective mentality - these forums are eminently prone to that. Although much more diverse in recent years then before

Well that's just crazy talk.

[neck beard]

... But I would be surprised if he doesn't know that there's a contingent of people who either don't know or don't care about his opinion.

I should have perhaps said "expresses his opinion/personal bias as gospel, despite knowing that a large active body of backcountry skiers thinks he is wrong, or doesn't even know about his opinion". Or something like that.

In running his business, he can do as he pleases regarding gear reviews and political statements, and will reap as he sows. That does not mean he will lose in the end, like some people are probably hoping it does. The market will decide. Reaping what you sow can also means kicking serious ass and buying diamonds. Carbon based diamonds are the lightest.

[smitchell333]

"Meadow skipper?"
That's quite funny considering that he was probably pioneering steep descents when most of us were snot nosed shits barely out of diapers snow plowing down some green run.

But yeah Dawson has opinions and sometimes you might not like them, wahhh

[skifishbum]

so your upset that someone post whatever the fuck he wants on his personal blog? You do realize he has a "real" job too right? And does this out of passion.. And good for him calling out Yvon. Need more people to speak from the heart in this industry and not just be followers

if only the ginger porn worked to keep you and your bullshit urinal cake clickbait waste of bandwith out like it does lou lou
this place would be better

[powdork]

Fine with that. I'm on kingpins and my boots weigh 1750 grams (the horror!!), so I'm somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Point is, there's a wide range of options and needs and the snobby bullshit with regards to weight is tiring. Having said that, I'll never use a frame binding in the BC again but they're still great if you only have one setup for BC and resort.

When the dynaduke plates first came out I bought a pair and then some dynafits. I've used the plates (and newer iterations for hole patterns) ever since I like the wide mounting pattern and the stack height but with over 1,000 days on probably 6 pairs of skis they have never seen a duke.

In regards to the OP's question
http://blistergearreview.com/
http://backcountryskiingcanada.com/
Your Friends
Tech Talk Jong (Don't just search it, ask. Almost guaranteed to get results.)
Backcountry.com's reviews and video reviews (under the products) can be pretty good

[GeezerSteve]

Tech bindings with brakes + 1.8kg 110mm-120mm skis + Maestrale RS or Mercuries = a popular and productive set up for many people who backcountry ski for a living.

Many? How many people actually backcountry ski as their livelihood? Not many. The handful of people I know or have seen who make their living backcountry skiing (i.e., guides) are on lighter gear than that. That tiny subset isn't that relevant. People should tour on whatever they got.

[carlh]

Wildsnow offers a great options for light focused touring. If your search for reviews from Louie (Lou's son) he tends to ski bigger lines and use heavier gear. More reviews on downhill focused touring gear would be great especially now that more options are coming available. I have done plenty of 5K+ days on 9lb skis with 8lb boots and there is no doubt my 3 pound skis go uphill better. I read reviews everywhere then buy what I can get cheap like most BC skiers and Lou offers good information that is biased towards going up.

[Ski to Be]

http://mtnweekly.com/reviews/hiking-...ies-snomad-26l

[TahoeJ]

To quote an exchange from the movie Bad Santa...

"You can't drink worth shit."

"I weigh 92 pounds, you dick!"

[dunfree]

I should have perhaps said "expresses his opinion/personal bias as gospel, despite knowing that a large active body of backcountry skiers thinks he is wrong, or doesn't even know about his opinion". Or something like that.

In running his business, he can do as he pleases regarding gear reviews and political statements, and will reap as he sows. That does not mean he will lose in the end, like some people are probably hoping it does. The market will decide. Reaping what you sow can also means kicking serious ass and buying diamonds. Carbon based diamonds are the lightest.

He's had pretty much the same voice for the 20+ years I've paid attention, first in Couloir (RIP) and then online. He's always been a fan of lightweight alpine touring gear, and conservative politics. Complaining about it is tedious, like complaining a slalom ski can't ski powder well.

[North]

backcountry skiers around the world who have never heard of him nor the people getting photographed continue to use what ever gear they feel like using, like 2 piece poles. Because they are practical.

I just came here to say that anybody using 2 piece poles for backcountry skiing is a gutless savage. Carry on.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Lou is well-travelled enough and is aware enough that I have no doubt that he knows that he has a strong following who takes his word as gospel truth. But I would be surprised if he doesn't know that there's a contingent of people who either don't know or don't care about his opinion. Like you said he has a strong opinion and he's been able to make a living off of it; like his opinion or not. Definitely not milquetoast

And as far as lemming perspective mentality - these forums are eminently prone to that. Although much more diverse in recent years then before

Having worked with Lou over the past 10 years I can attest to this. As others have mentioned this is the same old Lou. He's always been opinionated and doesn't lose a lot of sleep over people who don't share his. Having spent his entire life doing this stuff from both inside and outside the industry and having seen the changes in opinions and use across western CO and UT before most of us were born is it any wonder he might have opinions we don't always agree with? I can assure you that regardless of how his blog comes across he is a very nice guy and loves nothing more than to cordially discuss/argue/talk about this stuff with anyone else interested whether they share his opinion or not.

[b0ardski]

collapsible poles collapse
solid poles 4ever

[trogdortheburninator]

Many? How many people actually backcountry ski as their livelihood? Not many. The handful of people I know or have seen who make their living backcountry skiing (i.e., guides) are on lighter gear than that. That tiny subset isn't that relevant. People should tour on whatever they got.

That's surprising to me. Of the guides i know in CO, i'd estimate 60-70 % ski on nearly the exact setup described above, except i'd say 100-120mm on the skis instead of 110-120. I'd think in WA that would skew even more to the wider skis, decently heavy boots, standard tech bindings side of things. WA just generally lags a bit on adoption (higher percent of skiers on 1-3 generation old boots, bindings, etc) Guides on truly light gear are an exception still in CO, but I do my best to change my friends' opinions on that.

[Telemarketeer]

Damn, Lou is a respected pioneer in backcountry skiing, some of the lines he skied before a lot of us were even alive were ballsy AF and on shitty gear. He has opinions, just like anyone. Would be a pretty boring blog if one didn't share their opinions. There's so many bloggers out there these days that aren't worth a damn, and I wouldn't consider WS one of them. I don't agree with everything or take anything as the gospel, but I've definitely garnered some great info from Wildsnow. I do miss the Steve Romeo site too. I do get bored of the minutia of tech binding release values and deconstruction and weight of every little part of a binding.

[GeezerSteve]

I'd think in WA that would skew even more to the wider skis, decently heavy boots, standard tech bindings side of things. WA just generally lags a bit on adoption (higher percent of skiers on 1-3 generation old boots, bindings, etc) Guides on truly light gear are an exception still in CO, but I do my best to change my friends' opinions on that.

I see far more lightweight AT gear and <100mm waisted touring skis in the PNW than I've seen in the interior west, both on guides and citizens. That makes sense because much PNW touring happens in late April through early July after the consolidation of the snowpack, conditions in which 85-98mm waisted skis rule.

Also, I see more lightweight AT boots on tourists >50 y.o. (e.g., Lou) and more Maestrale RS/Mercury class boots on younger tourists. I can often tell the generation of a tourist from long distance based on their skiing styles. Older skiers tend to make smooth controlled turns which work with lightweight boots. Younger skiers are more likely to be tailgunners and thus rely on stiffer boots. There are exceptions to these trends, of course.

The farther away from the car, the lighter the gear.

[Ski. Fish. Bike.]

I love my Black Diamond Expedition 2 poles and lightweight touring gear.

[old goat]

If you want to read reviews that try to cover a wide range of gear objectively read Skimag. Of course the reviews are useless blurbs, but at least they're not biased.

[#######]

Dawson is to "Jeffrey Lebowski" as Dostie is to "the Dude"

in other news:

"Today officials from Outdoor Retailer, Outdoor Industry Association, Patagonia, The North Face and REI met via teleconference with Utah Governor Herbert. In light of the outcome of the call today, Outdoor Retailer will not include the state of Utah in the RFP process for future show locations.

“We are doing the work necessary to procure an alternative location for Outdoor Retailer,” said Marisa Nicholson, show director for Outdoor Retailer. “Though we may wish it different, this is far from a snap of the fingers thing to make happen. Convention centers and hotels are not sitting idle. In every instance at every potential venue, there are hurdles that have to be cleared and that simply cannot be done overnight. We expect that our current proposal process, which we initiated before any of the company withdrawal announcements last week, will take between 60 and 90 days. Salt Lake City has been hospitable to Outdoor Retailer and our industry for the past 20 years, but we are in lockstep with the outdoor community and are working on finding our new home.”

Darrell Denny, EVP Emerald Expositions, further commented: “Emerald Expositions will also not extend the request for proposal to Utah for relocating the Interbike tradeshow.”

Outdoor Retailer is the only gathering where the entire industry comes together to conduct commerce, share best practices and exchange ideas. There is no other event where the most respected iconic brands and retailers - large, medium and small in size - show up "en force.” Our industry has a unique, maybe even singular, opportunity to coalesce, organize, speak and lay plans to make a difference around public land awareness in such a way that it is not only heard but that it can make a positive difference and we urge you to be part of this movement at Summer Market.

To find out more, please visit unity.outdoorretailer.com."

[MCskid]

Lou's entitled to his opinion, it's his blog, I just jet tired to the right wing hypocrisy. Case in point, in a recent blog he's going off on YC/Patagucci, claiming they are leaving OR not because of their stance on public lands but using it as a convenient way to get out of OR. He claims OR is a waste of time/money because ti happens too late in the year for the retail buying season. That's all fine and well if that's what you believe just don't have your very next blog be about how ISPO, which happens 6 weeks after OR, is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[plugboots]

He likes the strudel.

[GeezerSteve]

[MCskid]

And good for him calling out Yvon. Need more people to speak from the heart in this industry and not just be followers

Have never understood all the Patagucci hate. Is their shit spendy? Ya, but not more so than anybody else's. That guy has walked the walk for over 30 years. If it cost more to try and do the right thing they do it and as he has stated many times it usually ends up making them more money. There is a lesson in there for ya media310.

Plus they have a 50% off sale twice a year. So that $500 jacket costs $250 and 20 years later when you blow it out you get a new one for free. Even better go to your local thrift store and get a Patagucci jacket with a broken zipper for $5, send it in and get a new one, for free! And guess what, the owner, who is one of the truly original dirtbag climber/surfers, loves it when fellow dirtbags pull this stunt. Why, cause when that dirtbag is out in the city every man bun hipster sees said dirtbag and wants that Patagucci jacket. So YC ends up selling more jackets, making even more money by doing the right thing. Are you getting the lesson media310?