TGR photo.
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa has spent years making every turn—whether it be on a huge Alaskan line or a hip under Alta’s wildcat chair—look incredibly effortless. And now he’s making something new look pretty effortless: being a dad to twins. He and his wife just had two girls, and as he’s gearing up for ski season he’s looking at how to get on the road with his gang, and doing a little more exploring in his Bend, Oregon, backyard. This is the gear he’s bringing with.
Atomic Backland 117 and 109
Sage getting sendy. TGR photo.
Sage says he’s splitting his time, ski-wise, between two Atomic skis that he had a hand in developing, the Backland 117 and Backland 109. Based off the old, and extra popular Automatic, which he also helped out with, he says they’re a little stiffer, thanks to a new poplar core, and a little easier to swing around. “It’s one of those skis that worked at a lot of different places,” he says.
Atomic Hawx Ultra 130
The light and stiff Hawx Ultra 130 is Sage’s go-to boot for shredding Bachelor. He’s a sandbagger, but he calls himself a resort skier. “I love skiing, I dig being in the backcountry and I don’t really like the lift lines, but there are lots of days here with no lift lines, and I love making laps,” he says
The North Face Freethinker Jacket
TGR photo.
After spending a lot of time at Alta, Sage says he’s planning to be in Oregon pretty much full time these days—“I’m like a guy on vacation in Utah now,” he says—and that changes his kit a little. He says that he used to laugh at people like Ian MacIntosh, who lived in Whistler and said they wouldn’t wear anything that wasn’t Gore-Tex, but now that he’s somewhere with a slightly wetter snowpack he understands the appeal.
RELATED: Sage's Story: From Dishwasher to Skiing Icon
“I try out a bunch of different stuff throughout the season, depending on where I am, and everything works pretty good, but I do find myself gravitating toward more Gore.” He calls the Freethinker a standard rad guy shell, and says it feels good on.
Smith I/O 7
Sage has a background in digital art, and for the past few years, he’s worked with the Smith team on a signature I/O 7 goggle. “This year it’s like a geometric honeycomb, black and red,” he says “I’ve always done really complicated ideas and a goggle strap is small, so sometimes it’s too much. This is a simplification, and it’s one of my favorites.
Wax Scraper
Sage says always skis with a scraper to de-fog his goggles. “I learned this from Todd Ligare, it’s one of the most valuable things to have in your pocket,” he says “Especially when you’re hot and cold all the time, like, skinning up hot side, skiing down the cold side it’s so easy to fog up. I just use one of those credit-card sized wax scrapers. That’s the one thing that does go pretty much anywhere with me.”
Portable Sound System & A Baby Monitor
Sage, Annie, and the new additions to the family. Photo courtesy of Sage.
He says this year, he’s going to scale back ski trips a bit, and also find a way to bring his family along. “Part of my life is adjusting and changing, but I’m also bringing these kids into my world. I want them to see me living life to the fullest,” he says. That might involve more road trips, and he loves music, so he says he’s bringing a suitcase sound system. He has one made by a friend of Ian Macintosh’s that’s built into a suitcase, and runs off of a Lithium-ion battery, for 17 hours, but he also has a range of portable mini speakers, too. “Always a mini speaker,” he says. “And a baby monitor now, too.”
From The Column: The Packing List
About The Author
stash member Heather Hansman
Writer, editor, leftie, early riser, semi-occasional telemarker. heatherhansman.com.
Super D
December 6th, 2016
How do you de-fog a goggle with a wax scraper? Scrape the moisture out of the inside of the lens? I’d like to see how this is done. I thought touching anything against the inside of your lens which isn’t soft was a no-no….No?