Oakley

I'd have to agree with skimo.co's description of these skins - they are ridiculously light and packable for a mixed mohair skin. They are notably more compact and lightweight than the BD mohair mix skins that are the closest direct comparison I have in my quiver. Climbing traction/glide feels about the same as other mohair mix skins. After owning three pairs of BD skins and two pairs of Pomoca skins, I have developed a strong preference for Pomoca glue. In my experience, it stays adhere to skis as goo...

It's nice that BD includes these with their skins, but there are far better options if you are purchasing a skin trimming tool outright. If you look at the competition, you can see that they use a guide to align the cutter with the edge of the ski. BD uses no such guide - just cut and pray. Considering that a misaligned cut can seriously impact a skin's ability to function as intended, the additional $5-10 you need to spend to buy the Pomoca tool or the G3 tool (my personal favorite) is well worth the in...

The Marker Kingpin is a good compromise for those looking for a bit more safety (more consistent release) from their backcountry setup or for true 50/50 setups where half of the time will be spent in a resort and half spent touring. The new ski/walk mode switch is an improvement over the original, but still not as easy to use in transition as common touring-specific heel pieces like those from Dynafit. The risers put you at good angles for a variety of hill climbing. For those building a dedicated touri...

I have kept this probe in my pack for two years. I've deployed it a few times just to make sure everything still works. So far so good. I can compare the ARVA probe to basic metal models from G3 and BCA. The ARVA probe is a little less user friendly and a WHOLE LOT LIGHTER. The weight was the bottom line for me and why I went with this probe. I hope to make decisions that keep me from needing to use a probe in the first place. Why not go with the lightest model possible when likelihood of use is so lo...

Bottom line: For this skier, these bindings offer the best balance between usability, weight, cost, and safety for a dedicated backcountry touring setup. In addition to the Speed Radicals, I've ridden the Speed Turns and Radical ST 2.0 and 1.0s. I've sold all of those other bindings and now have these on my three touring setups. Stepping in and locking the toe are easier without the rotating toe offered on on more expensive Dynafit Radical bindings. Going brakeless saves weight and improves speed/usa...