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The North Face Powder Guide Vest - Men's

The North Face Powder Guide Vest - Men's

Rating for this product: 3 January 16, 2012

I was very excited about this product, but it's not perfect.

The shovel storage seems odd-shaped. It's too big for a small BD shovel, and too small for a larger BCA shovel blade. I'm sure there's a shovel out there that fits "perfect", who knows.

The Shovel handle and probe pockets - if your shovel doesn't have a loop handle, then there is no way to secure it. You can tighten it down as much as you want, but it will fall out under certain circumstances. For some reason, one of the slots has a piece of material going over the end (like many backcountry packs), but the other one doesn't. You have to choose between your probe and shovel handle concerning which one you can deal with losing.

The large is pretty large, but still fits. I wear L jackets. If you want something lower profile, go down a size.

Otherwise, quality and material seem good and durable. It looks pretty rad, but the function is only average.

Nailed It? 1 Yes

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What he said

Salomon N STH 16 Steel Ski Binding

Salomon N STH 16 Steel Ski Binding

Rating for this product: 5 January 11, 2012

Have to agree w/ Seth here, this is one of those bindings you can literally have forever. Switch it from ski to ski based on needs.

Better in/out than FKS. Driver toe piece is time tested, and the best on the market.

View it as an investment.

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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Tip loop too small

Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STD Skins

Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STD Skins

Rating for this product: 2 December 11, 2011

Well, this is my first BD skin with the new tip loops. One main issue, they don't work for a 156mm shovel (Surface Live Life 191cm, 156 / 120 / 135 ). The loop goes over the tip, but would never grip or stay put. Any fat twin w/ a blunt tip is probably suspect, like Moment or a Volkl Kuro.

So now I have to order oversize tip loops from BDel. Not so great.

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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As expected from Arty.

Arc'teryx Alpha LT Jacket - Men's

Arc'teryx Alpha LT Jacket - Men's

Rating for this product: 4 October 22, 2010

Pretty Satisfied.

Initial impression is great. Very very light weight goretex 3 layer shell. Standard Arcteryx craftsmanship and attention to detail. Jacket is virtually seamless through the body and arms, with the exception of zippers/pockets. I'm 6 foot 1, 170lbs and the large is perfect for me. It definitely has some room to work with, and can take some decent layering if needed. I might consider a medium if I didn't need a radio/harness underneath it. Lifetime warranty, great piece. And as always, remember, no jacket is worth $500.

Nailed It? 1 Yes

2 Comments

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Black Diamond Momentum Speed Adjust Harness - Men's

January 1, 2010

uh huh

Nailed It? 1 Yes

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Black Diamond Megawatt Ski

December 28, 2009

Tough to say. You might want to ski haines first to figure out what kind of ski you want. Overall, this is a rad ski for AK, but for your height, it may not be right.

Assuming you're a strong skier, I like the 185cm JJ for your size. It skis short, and you won't sacrafice a whole lot of float. AK is big lines, not 3 foot pow (usually).

You're going to lose some versatility w/ zero camber (and 125mm at the waste is getting up there). The megawatt still rocks though. Sadly, skiing it back east on-piste could be UGLY.

The S7 would be very similar to the J also, both good choices!

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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Rossignol Super S7 Ski

December 28, 2009

The 195cm Super is slightly SHORTER than the 189cm Obsethed.

Tradationally K2 measures very long, and Rossignol very short. This ski is not huge.

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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Not bad, not great

Marmot Mainline Jacket - Men's

Marmot Mainline Jacket - Men's

Rating for this product: 3 December 25, 2009

3 stars, because for $350, it should do more for you. Quality is very average as a whole. Patagonia/Mountain Hardwear/Arctyrx/Helly Hansen - seem to have better offerings for the same price.

Gore-tex performance shell, soft and lightweight. Feels nice, and has great breathing and waterproof features. Jacket is pretty steezy, if it will fit you right.

My main gripe IS about the fit. I'm 6' 170lbs, have pretty broad shoulders. I ordered the large. Everything fits, except the sleeves are too short. They'd be fine if this was a casual jacket, but not for a technical shell for outdoor activities.

They won't fit over an under-the-cuff glove (which I prefer). The arm openings are small. On the Marmot site, it says something about how the cuffs are velcro and elastic. Well, there's no elastic at all, and the velcro feels cheap. Sad.

I was pretty excited about this one, but didn't keep it.

Nailed It? 1 Yes

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Just OK

Patagonia Powder Bowl Jacket - Men's

Patagonia Powder Bowl Jacket - Men's

Rating for this product: 3 December 18, 2009

I ended up not keeping this item. Not that it was terrible, but I thought for the price, it should be perfect.

I'm 6 foot, 175lbs, and have fairly wide shoulders. I ordered a large, and it was a little big. Kind of wide through the mid section, and longer than I prefer. Sleeve and neck size was good.

Overall quality is awesome. And if you know Patagonia, you know this is usually the case. Seams, zippers, pockets, hood - everything is top quality.

It just wasn't for me, simply because I didn't like the fit. Kind of boxy and canvas-like.

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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Backcountry Access Snow Saw - 30cm

December 5, 2009

I love this saw.

BUT, the protective safety sheath is kind of bogus. It's very thin and barely covers all the teeth + the end of the saw (which is kind of sharp). I ended up making my own out of a thick peice of cardboard and some tape (works great). Also, it doesn't slide very well when you're in the field, it gets stiff.

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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Review Title

The North Face Nimble Zip Shirt - Men's

The North Face Nimble Zip Shirt - Men's

Rating for this product: 4 July 28, 2009

high quality peice, really light though. kind of like a wind-breaker type. pretty cool, little techy touches that make it nice.

I'm 6 foot 1, 170, have pretty broad shoulders, and the XL was too big, had to go with a large.

Nailed It? 2 Yes

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great tech. shell

Helly Hansen Elevate Jacket - Men's

Helly Hansen Elevate Jacket - Men's

Rating for this product: 5 February 18, 2009

wasn't sure how this jacket would be, but the first impressions are excellent.

I'm 6 foot 1, about 175lbs, and the Large is a perfect fit. the fit is slightly slim. some have mentioned its tight in the armpits, I don't really agree. I have wider shoulders and it still seems to fit perfect.

top features:

-taped zippers and pockets
-high rising collar blocks wind
-large adjustable cuffs to go over gloves
-lightweight but burly material

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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Helly Hansen Elevate Jacket - Men's

February 6, 2009

Its helly hansen, snowboard/skate is not in their vocabulary. Professional fit for a professional-level product.

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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