Reviews by User: Alpine MacDaddy (20)

I used this edger for about 3 tunes before it started to fail. The mechanism that tightens to hold the file in place must have stripped out, and it didn't allow the file to be held for more than a few passes on the ski. Not a very durable file guide. Also, it's pretty expensive for what it is. Look for a guide that files at a specific angle instead of an adjustable one, which I think are just prone to failure.

I was a little hesitant about spending this kind of money on a helmet, but I'm not disappointed. It only has two small vents, but I never get hot even when hiking. My favorite feature is the visor, which pivots back and allows you to put your goggles on your forehead. POC are supposed to be the safest helmets too, hopefully I will never test that feature!

My Skin Savers seem to be fraying at the edges, and loosing a plethora of white fuzz which then sticks to the glue on my skins... I think I'll throw them away.

I'm 5-11 175lb got the 183 mounted with Naxo nx21 AT bindings. Perfect size for me. These skis have an incredibly aggressive sidecut for a fatter ski, so in comparison to say a mantra, they are quicker to initiate a turn and can turn a sharper radius. On the downside of that quickness is a little bit of twitch on high speed runouts.. I love these skis, they carve the hardpack, rip through crud, and have no problems in the bumps... a great all mountain ski - If you like to turn!-.. I definitely don't feel comfortable letting them run full speed, as they tend to get the speed wobbles big time. I've also found that on the super hard pack they tend to chatter a bit if I'm really laying into a carve. This is probably partially due to the 90m waist, and may also have something to do with the play in the Naxo bindings. Overall, I think these are great skis they do what they are supposed to, and are a blast to ski!!

This jacket runs big, I usually wear a large in Padagucci, but in this a medium is perfect. The perfect jacket for calm bluebird days. If it's warm (30is) I'll just wear a base layer under it, if it's colder (15-20is) I wear a down vest under it. It's not totally windproof but it's more of a casual ski jacket then a piece of techy equipment. Super comfortable with a thin layer of fleece laminated to the inside of the softshell. Love it!

First off, know that these boots run large. I wear a 10.5-11 street show, a 27.5 in head alpine boots, and I had to get the 26.5 in this Scarpa. My first impression skiing these boots in bounds was "holy crap I can't get out of the backseat"... It was scary, even with the forward lean adjusted all the way forward. After some research (no thanks to the manual) I found that these boots have a walk, and TWO forward lean positions. You must be flexing the boot hard forward while flipping the switch, to lock into the forward position. After finally getting them dialed in I found them acceptable in terms of lean. Even with the stiff tongue they are, not nearly as stiff as my head rs100 with intuition liners, and this demands a different less aggressive type of skiing. For touring, I found the softer touring tongue to bind and bite into my shins, so I have to leave the stiff tongue in for touring. Note that this is my first pair of AT boots, and I come from a racing background, so take that into consideration.

Very quick to latch on and direct you via flux line to a single beacon. Good luck with multiple burials though, this thing bounces all over, gives numbers that are way off the charts. Go to beaconreviews.com for some really good info regarding all beacons. Also the pouch is thick and adds too much bulk, and the strap makes it difficult to get close to the snow. I'm going to return mine and go for the Barryvox, or the S1.

My feet smile whenever I put on smartwool socks, and these are no exception. I'm usually a big fan of ultra thin ski socks, especially before you've packed out your boots. These take up just a little more space in the boot, but are dense enough to not create a lot of slop. The extra padding is in all the right places, and their are no spots that bind or wrinkle causing pain. Also, they are not coarse, and therefore don't cause blisters if you're touring. I have 5 pairs of these, and never use any other ski socks.

I bought 130mm for my Scott Missions which are 130-96-117. They were a cinch to trim, but you could save some dough, and probably get close to the same climbing grip buying a size that fits the narrowest dimension of your ski and running them straight instead of cutting them to the perfect fit. That said, the tip clips work great, the tail clip is fine (so what if it scratches your skis a little) the skin saver sheets are a cinch, and they climb like a Billy Goat,

I was looking for a pole with a leather strap like the old Scott World Cup racing poles we used to get from the rep for $15 back in the day. These are them, same pole, same pistol grip. Some gaper ran over them in the parking lot and bent the bottom 3". I bent them back and have had no problems. Indestructible, light, stiff, good balance.... Whatever.. there poles, not the most technical piece of ski gear

Patagucci sent me these after the waterproofing on my one year old Primo pants failed. These are a totally different pant. Medium weight, great waterproofing and breathability. Particularly like having the option of dropping the back without taking the suspenders off. Good vents, just enough pockets (pocket on side of left leg has interior strap for your pass) good reinforcements in key areas. I have no complaints, and Patagonia's bomber warranty will never let you down.

I'm 5'-11" 175lbs, bought the 188's, and they rip. Initial reaction walking to the chair was "What the F**ck am going to do with all this ski?" Answer, Ski with permagrin :) I only got to ski 8 inches of windmank and chop and the Megawatts kept me right on top of it all, amazing how they smoothed out the crud. Super stable at speed, grippy on hardpack, and able to turn on a dime. The Chainsaw graphic is perfect, they cut through anything in their path!

Great shovel/probe pocket with quick easy access. Another thin vertical compartment behind that good for small stuff, gloves hat etc.. then a big compartment for extra shell, bladder, layers, lunch etc.. Perfect for day trips. Only down side, is the bottom loops of the A-Frame ski carry, which will only accommodate pretty narrow skis. But, I like the pack so much that I will cut and lengthen those.

Overall, this is a nice pack. It's light, simple and has great support. Unfortunately the "removable shovel pocket" seems like a pain in the butt. You're supposed to keep your shovel and probe in this flat red emergency bag that takes up 1/3 of the space in your pack. The shovel pocket has a handle on top so you can rip it out of your pack in an emergency, and even has straps so it could be its own little pack. The problem is that if your just digging a snow test pit, you would have to unpack and repack your entire bag just to use the shovel. Overall, I think it's a fine pack for day trips if you're only going to use your shovel in an emergency. Backcountry should really post a picture of the "removable shovel pocket".

No shovel pocket. A-frame using the compression straps?. If skis are strapped strait up on the back, you cant open the top of the pack which is the only entrance. Basically not a well thought out pack... (do they try this stuff out before sending it into production??) I'm sending it back, and going for a Black Diamond, or Osprey pack.

I bought 130mm for my Apache chiefs which are 126-100-117. They were a cinch to trim, but you could save some dough, and probably get close to the same climbing grip buying a size that fits the narrowest dimension of your ski and running them straight instead of cutting them to the perfect fit. That said, they climb like a Billy Goat.

Nice looking, super durable, warm and well made. Removable liner the best feature... They dry out in no time.. I wear out gloves fast.. and these look like they will last 100 days on the hill.

As an in bounds resort binding, these things pre release all the time, causing a severe lack of confidence, also there is so much lateral movement that on hard snow, I can really feel my skis chatter... For touring, they're fine on the flatter terrain, but when doing switchbacks up steep terrain, there is so much wiggle in the toe piece that I actually step off of the heal lifter. This makes it impossible to hold an edge on steep firm terrain in touring mode. I say go with anything but Naxo.