I used this on a few tours in AraucanÃa, Chile over the past two weeks. It's my first "skimo" style pack, and I'm not sure I like the style yet.
Pros: Can carry wider skis. I used it with K2 Wayback 95 that I use for ski mountaineering. Pack size can fit enough for a non-technical ski mountaineering day (axe/crampons but no rope/harness) with a minimalist mindset. The crampon pocket fits my small puffy and aluminum crampons in their bag. Very light weight. I like the bottle carry and experimented with using it on another pack, which worked great.
Cons: You really have to pack carefully to get everything into this bag. My Voile shovel (which is beefy, yes) barely fits, I have to pack it first and almost stretch the fabric to jam it in. You also want to make sure the shovel is put in so that it sits flat against your back, otherwise your probe & handle will dig into your back. My other issue is with the diagonal ski carry: When the pack is full, the skis are pushed away which makes the strap pull on your shoulder in a weird way. If your bag is nearly empty, this won't be a problem.
Conclusion: Seems like a nice race pack, but I'm not convinced it will work for general use for me yet.
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