A true all-rounder

Movement Skis Shaman Ski

Movement Skis Shaman Ski

Rating for this product: 5 March 13, 2009

I live in Chamonix and bought these skis for touring and mounted them with Dynafit TLT Speed bindings so the combination makes them ridiculously light, which you feel the benefit of on climbs, especially those with skis attached to your rucsac. However, you lose nothing in the downhill. They perform superbly whether you are on the piste or in waist-deep powder. Despite them being lightweight, there is no 'chatter' skiing on frozen crud, they cut through spring slush, cling to ice and just float on powder. Also, no issues with skiing them at high speed; sometimes it's hard to keep them reined in! I think it would be a fair comment that they suit a quite dynamic skier, but I cannot think of any negatives to put in this review. I'm 5ft'4 (female) and I ski on 167cm. As a final endorsement, I bought them for touring but I now live on them on the piste as well. I can't imagine skiing anything else.

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A (trumpeting) AvaLung

Black Diamond AvaLung II

Black Diamond AvaLung II

Rating for this product: 3 March 13, 2009

I was given an Avalung for Christmas and whilst I haven't been in the unfortunate position of having to use it for real, I have one slight concern as to what would happen if I ever did. No-one in their reviews has mentioned this (but I have seen it on other boards so I know it's not just my solitary avalung); it makes a sound as if you are blowing a trumpet. I can handle making some noise given it's life-saving capabilities so I'm not complaining about that, but I do query whether the reverberations in the exchange chamber affect your ability to breathe successfully with it. I have tried practising breathing with it and it reverberates both breathing in and out, and I feel as though I am struggling to get a full breath through it. You're advised to breathe slowly and calmly but the only way I get a breathful of air is to practically hyperventilate into it. I would be interested to hear whether anyone else has come across this issue and if there's a "fix" for it. I certainly won't stop taking it out with me, but I'd like to feel more reassured it's a working and useful piece of kit so I can enthuse as much as everyone else.

Nailed It? 0 Yes

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