Reviews by User: Jonathan S. Shefftz (69)

For a single burial, or a multiple burial where you can turn off each beacon as it is found, this beacon is amazingly fast for a novice, and gets even faster with more practice. However, multi burials in which each beacon stays on as it is found can be very tricky and require significant practice. Also, although the shorter range (as compared to analog beacons) is almost always not a problem, occasionally it can interfere w/ the search if the beacons are aligned such that the range is at its absolute minimum. Membrane buttons can be a bit hard to press if wearing very bulkly winter gloves.

The Outtabounds has great glide on the flats, and turns reasonably well on moderate terrain. Uphill grip can be weak though on firm snow, especially if you fall toward the bottom of the weight range for your ski length, so pick your priorities before you pick your ski length. (And choose the Rebound if you want more touring performance or the Boundless if you want more turning performance.) Overall though, Fischer is definitely leading the field in waxless turn-oriented backcountry skis, with Atomic and Salomon producing what appear to be close imitations of the Fischer SBounds line.

Takes more practice than the Tracker, but very fast once you gain experience. Also better for multiple burials in which each beacon stays on as it is found, since you can hear the different beacons. Longer range can be helpful in certain situations, although usually is not a factor. Harness system allows for very easy change to search mode.

Unlike iodine, kills all the nasties, yet doesn’t taste nasty. And unlike bottle forms of the same compounds, can just toss a few essentially weightless and individually sealed tablets in your pack for an overnight trip, as well as always keep some in your first aid kit. A piece of cheesecloth would be a good idea to filter out any debris before treatment. Only significant drawback is that this treatment would become fairly expensive on a per-liter basis.

I never plan to see whether it really works, but fairly light and affordable. The BD website documents one life that was definitely saved, and two other burials where it worked (although victims probably would have lived anyway). Any powder-oriented tour should require these.

The Outtabounds has great glide on the flats, and turns reasonably well on moderate terrain. Uphill grip can be weak though on firm snow, especially if you fall toward the bottom of the weight range for your ski length, so pick your priorities before you pick your ski length. (And choose the Rebound if you want more touring performance or the Boundless if you want more turning performance.) Overall though, Fischer is definitely leading the field in waxless turn-oriented backcountry skis, with Atomic and Salomon producing what appear to be close imitations of the Fischer SBounds line.

Very light and super easy to use for stove novices (like myself). Very good heat output also. Note that Snowpeak says to use only their canisters, but I haven’t found any good reason for this. Only main drawback is that a large pot would be somewhat unsteady. Also, like all canister stoves, fuel is rather pricey. (Titanium model is only 3/4 oz lighter yet costs $34 more.)

A can of this glue -- combined with some brown paper bags, a waxing iron, and a beer bottle (for rolling/pressing in the hot glue, not drinking!) -- can work wonders for your old skins. Just be sure to use adequate ventilation, as the fumes are fairly strong.

Unlike the BD Whippet, this ski pole self-arrest grip can be almost instantaneously deployed or retracted, with no parts to store away somewhere. That was my primary reason for purchasing it (instead of a Whippet), since I need a self-arrest grip only for steep exposed traversing skin tracks (i.e., up to lower 40s), not for the descent. The Condor also offers more hand protection than the Whippet, and is a bit more versatile in offering options for holding it. But be forewarned of two installation problems: 1. To use the strap like a normal ski pole, remove the key ring that comes with the strap, and instead buy a ½-inch key ring from a hardware store. One should suffice, since all the ½-inch versions I've seen are pretty bomber (and unfortunately are very difficult to install: use needle-nose pliers), although if in doubt use two. Do *not* use the flimsy little versions that a garage uses for your key when you bring your car in for repair: even two of these are insufficient. (I tried...) 2.a. For installing on a BD pole from Fall 2004 or later, buy the version with the shaft, remove the BD grip, cut off the Condor shaft just a bit below the Condor grip, slide the BD pole shaft into the remaining Condor shaft, and secure w/ epoxy. 2.b. For BD alu pole from before Fall 2004, could buy the version w/ the shaft, buy an extra flicklock mechanism from BD, hack off the very bottom of the Condor shaft, dremmel out a cutout in the shaft, affix flicklock. Or buy version w/o shaft, remove BD grip, add some very small shim (maybe a couple layers of plastic tape), then put on Condor. (I happened to have an extra BD upper shaft available.) 2.c. For a more traditional twistlock pole, if the diameter is exactly right, buy the version w/ the handle and you're all set. Otherwise, buy the version without the handle and use various shims (small layers of plastic tape work well) & epoxy to get it to fit, or if big differential, then see 2a. ***** Fortunately once all this is done, operation in the field is very quick and easy!

The 100k detail is only so-so, but you do get the entire country with universal coverage. For loading maps into a compatible Garmin mapping GPS unit, it works well, and is worth the price, but that's about the extent of its utility.

This bag offers an outstanding ratio of warmth to weight, with high-quality construction and materials throughout. The only drawback I've found is that the shell is only mildly water resistant, so for wet climates buy the more waterproof version or take along a BD Winter Bivy (or buy a synthetic bag instead).

Excellent detail for loading maps onto a compatible Garmin mapping GPS unit, it covers where you recreate. For example, of some areas on the west coast I've skied, Lassen, Tioga Pass, Rainier are all covered. But Hood, Tahoe, Shasta, St Helens, the Sisters, Adams, Shasta are not. (Yes, they're not National Parks, but the East version does cover many areas outside of National Parks, perhaps only because the eastern states have so few?) Fortunately, the Garmin website has a very useful feature that allows you to zoom in a national map and determine specific coverage areas.

This is a big shovel, and the shaft does not get any smaller when stowing it away, but it moves lots of snow quickly. The inclusion of a snow saw is a great value, and stows away easily in the shaft. The snow saw can be used with the shovel grip (making the shovel usable, but less than ideal), or with the upper shaft of many adjustable ski poles (but don't leverage it too much in this configuration or you could break the ski pole). I also found an old downhill ski pole that was the right diameter, hacked it off partway, and created a dedicated handle for the snow saw. Overall, not my first choice for a typical backcountry tour, but worked great for all the pit work in my Level 2 and Level 3 avy courses.

Amazingly light - when empty, like it's not even there. Can also hook up a Platypus drinking tube to make it into a hydration system. A few drawbacks from the minimalist design: -- Have to be very careful filling it up, given how small the opening is. -- The design allows it to be freestanding, although it can tip over, so don't leave it standing up on its own if the cap is not on. -- Drying out the inside in between trips takes some times.

Ski crampons should be required gear for any steep traversing skintrack. They greatly enhance security in such situations. The only drawback of the Fritschi design is that you have to exit the binding to attach the crampon, so best to figure you that you'll need the crampons before you're suddenly on steep terrain and have to do some tricky moves to exit and then reenter the binding. The other problem is finding a convenient way of carrying them in your pack, try threading some shock cord through the small holes in the crampon for an external attachment approach. If you have the most recent generation of Diamir bindings though, you might want to consider the newer Axion crampon, which can be affixed yet not deployed until you actually need it.

This has been a very reliable binding for me in the backcountry. (I have three pairs on various setups.) Sometimes it can get jammed up with snow when trying to reenter the binding, but this is almost always easily and quickly cleared. Otherwise, it tours almost as well as my track race bindings, but offer enough support for turns on moderate terrain. But definitely buy this "manual" version though and not any "automatic" version, which can have (many) problems.

The Flicklock mechanism works perfectly, once you tighten it up sufficiently. Nice design for the pole baskets too. But I would strongly recommend the Traverse model instead, which costs about half the price of the probe model. The probe model does add a screw interface that allows you to join together the two lower halves, but it’s too short, thick, clunky, and tapered to be a good substitute for a dedicated sectional probe. If you want your adjustable probe to be a backup or supplement to your dedicated sectional probe, then I would highly recommend this model, but don’t buy it thinking it can be an acceptable substitute to the separate purchase of a dedicated sectional probe.

I’ve rented the kiddie version of this sled a couple times to tow my niece while nordic skate skiing. The waist belt is very comfortable and secure. And before loading her into the sled, I tried some extreme maneuvers (i.e., turning a high speed along a trail with a significant side cant) to see how well it tracked: absolutely perfectly! If I needed a sled for an expedition, I'd definitely choose this model.

Very lightweight emergency insurance. Also made a great floor when I used it once in one of those single-pole minimalist floorless tents.

My wife really loves hers for backcountry overnight trips: great warmth-to-weight ratio. But pay attention to bcstore's sizing note, as they run really small, and tend not to increase very much in length as you go up in sizing.

If you cram a lot of gear (especially hard objects like ski boots) into your pack and then compress it tightly, this handy little device will prevent water from spurting out hydration tube's mouthpiece when the reservoir is squeezed too much inside your pack.

Rather expensive for a compass, but comes with some additional features that are very helpful for novices or even for more experienced users. I usually leave the rubber boot at home to save weight, though it’s a nice plus for packing on planes. If you have a few bucks to spare for buying a compass, this is a great model. If not, then just a more basic compass that still has adjustable declination and a mirrored sight.

My wife has been very happy with these boots (so much that she never uses her alpine downhill boots anymore, even for lift-served skiing), although we swapped in the liners from her alpine downhill boots since they worked better than the stock Scarpa liners. Only major drawback has been a broken hinge on a buckle. Scarpa will be introducing its Thermoflex-style lines for the 2004 season (previously available only in Europe), which should produce some significant weight savings.

Very lightweight emergency insurance. Also, it made a great floor when I used it once in one of those single-pole minimalist floorless tents.

This is a classic 12-pt steel crampon, so not much to say here, although the semi-automatic (i.e., heel throw, with plastic toe cradle, not a wire bail) "NewMatic" attachment system is very secure.

I just realized that my review from many years ago is still archived and contains a potentially confusing reference: "Membrane buttons can be a bit hard to press if wearing very bulky winter gloves." Starting in Fall of 2004, BCA redesigned the housing with buttons that are far easier to operate with bulky winter gloves, so please ignore that part of my old review!

I use the 55L version for trips that entail a long hiking approach with all my ski gear on my pack then I want a lighter pack once my ski gear is on my feet, or trips where I first have lots of gear to set up basement then I want a lighter pack for daytrips from basecamp. The Shadow is an excellent choice for these applications, although has a few annoying drawbacks: -- The top lid can flop around like crazy in many situations. -- The pack is very narrow at the bottom and then widens higher up, so when stuffed to its fullest, it's somewhat unbalanced. -- The tightening straps around the waist belt could use a dual approach (instead of one strap on each side). -- With both the metal rod and the top lid removed, the pack works fairly well, but with the metal rod removed yet the top lid still in place, the pack becomes somewhat unwieldy at the top. Also, note that the waist belt has slots for a BD Ice Clipper, which provides a useful attachment point for other purposes too.

Perfect to bring along in your bottle cag on long mountain bike trips as a backup in case you run out of water. Flow rate is slow, but adequate. Also purifies, in addition to just filtering.

This ice axe is definitely not well-suited for serious mountaineering. Although it does have the standard B rating, and the spike is much more than just a cut-off shaft, as featured on some competitors sites. But for ski mountaineering trips that require an ice axe for only relatively brief sections (and hence the axe will stay on the pack the majority of the time), the ultra-lightweight is a great relief. Furthermore, although the technical performance of this axe is hardly outstanding, it will make you safer since you'll never have another reason not to leave your ice axe at home to save weight on a tour where you might encounter steep terrain.

This ski performs about as well as possible given its relatively narrow width. And given the weight and price, even more impressive. In tricky unconsolidated snow, the width is obviously insufficient, and the lack of heft makes it more prone to getting knocked around. But in good powder, it can get by okay. And on any sort of consolidated snow, whether springtime backcountry corn or skinning up a groomed ski area early in the morning, it absolutely rips. (Note that I have mine mounted with Dynafits, of course.)

I switched to the Barryvox this past season after five years of Tracker use. When set up in all-digital mode, the Barryvox is *almost* as fast as the Tracker, although the switchover to search could be a bit confusing for the unfamiliar user. Overall, if you plan on never practicing (a bad plan!), or want a dedicated loaner beacon, the Tracker is still best. But for an advanced user, who wants to be able to switch to analog for a multiple-victim burial, or who wants to take advantage of the Barryvox's other customizable features, the Barryvox definitely offers the best of both the digital and analog worlds.

This is the pant I always bring along on all my backcountry trips, it's been pretty much everywhere. Actually, it's almost never been out of my pack, but in case the Schoeller pants are enough for the weather, I can quickly zip these over my pants without having to remove my ski boots. In my pack, they are very small and very light. When I do actually wear them, they have been completely waterproof and reasonably breathable. They would probably not hold up to extensive use for, say, lift-served skiing, but they are great at what they are designed for.

Ascension glue reached perfection many years ago, and the purple hide (sadly recolored to BD orange this past season) is legendary for an excellent balance between glide and grip. The ClipFix system does not work for certain tails that are extremely rounded off, turned up, or very thick (although it does work fine on an Atomic R:Ex), and it's not the system of choice if you want to try using a single set of skins for a quiver of skis. (Although at this price you can easily afford a set of skins for each pair of skis!) Plus it has a weight penalty of about an ounce per skin. But otherwise it works flawlessly, as long as you first attach the skin to the tip and the tail, and then only after setting the clip do you stick the skin to the base. (That way the entire skin is tensioned, rather than just the last several inches.) In my very first outing with these skins, I skinned almost 15k' vert over the span of three days on Rainier, and only once did the Clip become undone, a quick reclipping, and it stayed on perfectly after that.

A good collection of items. But I’ve since upgraded to a more powerful snow crystal magnifier, and also a digital thermometer. Note that the clinometer needle’s bubble will crack, but this has no detrimental effects (i.e., no liquid inside or anything like that).

Excellent optics and easy to transport and set up. Somewhat narrow field of vision though. Also makes objects appear upside down, although that isn't a concern for snow crystals.

This bag is so light and takes up so little room in your pack that you end up worrying you forgot to take it. Yet it provides if anything even more warmth than you would expect from its 40-degree rating. Cut fairly tightly, although probably optimal for my 5'8" height and 142 pounds. If you treat it well it should last forever, but definitely not for those who plan on being really rough w/ their bags.

Very light with lots of useful features and surprisingly large capacity, all at a reasonable price. Much more stable than some of the larger-capacity lightweight packs on the market. I plan to use this for all day hikes, Nordic ski touring, and maybe even some alpine ski touring (when I have no plans to load up the skis on the pack). I have heard though that you have to be careful stuffing large items into the side pockets, as the elastic can separate from the mesh.

Flicklock mechanism works perfectly, once you tighten it up sufficiently. Nice design for the pole baskets too. Carbon lower shaft makes for excellent swing weight, though somewhat flexible unlike some carbon poles (although this also absorbs shock). Had some problems with the pole tips starting to bend (probably a result of a sticky Diamir heel lock one spring, which I eventually fixed), but so far haven’t broken. One of the few probe poles that really could make a decent avy probe, though I always carry a dedicated sectional probe too.

Far more elaborate than the typical reservoir, and very easy to hold open while filling. A few drawbacks though: -- Have to be careful to tighten all the way when closing, otherwise can leak. -- Can be tricky to open up sometimes. (Try breathing into the tube, which can change the air pressure up against the cap.) -- On the heavy side for a reservoir. -- The design encourages lashing to the outside of a pack, but that places the weight where it is less efficient to carry.

Okay, so they’re only pole baskets, but I like the sawed-off part of the basket, which keeps the basket from getting in the way of the pole tip penetrating the snow while skinning up steeper terrain.

This is a must-have item for repairing rock damage to your edges, both smoothing out nasty burs, and also roughing up case-hardened edge segments that your tuning file just skips over.

These work very well for adapting an alpine vise to secure Nordic touring skis. However, for Nordic race skis, a dedicated full-length ski support form is still a must.

This software is amazingly useful for creating customized maps, interacting with your GPS unit, or just saving the cost of buying new paper maps for new places all the time. However, unless the new version that just came out in spring of 2006 fixes this, the software still has no integrated help system and no undo feature, plus has other annoying quirks. Another drawback is that buying multiple western states can get pretty expensive. On the other hand, the latest version now includes the cute 3-D views and USB support, which were previously available only in a separate upgrade package.