Allen T

I'm giving 4 stars because the jury is still out on durability (I just got mine last spring). Otherwise they are easily 5 stars. In terms of function I think this is the best general backcountry pole out there right now. They combine many of the benefits of the various poles out there (batons, traditional adjustable poles) while minimizing the downsides. The straps are minimal but quite comfortable. The metal top caps are nice and durable and make these great for plunging. In my opinion the baton-style ...

This is for the old Pika brakes from 2021. Just take a quick look at the spring mechanism that operates the brake in the attached photo. Ask yourself, does it look like ice-up would be a problem? I think you'll know my reason for the one star. Plum is bad at brakes. Their race brake squeak is also very silly and annoying to both the user and nearby racers.

No problems with this one. All the buckles are attached with holes drilled in the shell. I just don't see where the problem would come from as long as there aren't any holes too close together.

I'm on my second pair of these. The first pair, bought used has about 100 days on them and are still going strong (now a training ski). My more recent pair is also in impeccable shape. I spend a lot of time evangelizing for these skis, yes they are more expensive than most other race skis, but the thing about these is that you only have to buy one pair. Most other race skis will break (looking at you Dynafit and Movement) and then your day is ruined and you have to buy another pair. I think these make sen...

I've been on a multi year search for a brake race binding that doesn't suck. My search will have to continue. (I added a standard ATK brake to these, the transition was a little slower but those brakes were robust and reliable). While these seem to function just fine when skiing on groomers I have found that the toes pack with snow really easily and then they can be really hard to get in and out of. I recently raced the Pierra Menta with them and we had some nice powder. I was really struggling at some of...