Vancouver-based Arc'Teryx is known for making precise, highly technical gear. They pioneered innovations like die and laser cutting, heat lamination and bonding, and urethane-coated zippers which has given them a reputation for extremely quality at extreme prices. Having spent time with the Stingray jacket I can vouch for the beauty of its simple design and perfect construction, but also for its unsuitability to my purposes.

It has five pockets: two largish, zippered hand pockets, two smallish, zippered inner pockets, and one mediumish (left) shoulder pocket. All the pockets are perfectly finished and perfectly integral so they cannot flop around. But they are all utterly generic pockets--bereft of features such as size or position that would suit them to snow sports. Storage and access to gear is critical whether skiing in the resort or the backcountry, and the Stingray fails to address this need by an absence of specialized pockets--such as for skins, food, electronics.

The YKK zippers all work perfectly, zip easily, and are integrated into the shell--sealed at top and bottom with little molded hoods to cover them when closed. Unlike many shells, the two-way pit zips can be operated one-handed by pulling on their lanyards. Yet the front zip is a one-way zipper: somehow, Arc'Teryx engineered easy-to-operate pit zips, but neglected the need to unzip the bottom of the jacket to fiddle with powder skirt and perform other critical operations in that latitude.

The jacket fabric is supple with a slight stretch. It's comfortable although for my 5'10", 150 lb frame, the medium is a little too short and a little too broad (but the small was noticeably constricting). The shoulders, especially, seem excessively roomy and broad. The jacket feels light which, at 753 grams, it is. It moves easily with even full layering without binding or constricting.

On the whole, the workmanship of this jacket is sublime. The joining together of the separate panels would make a master quilter weap and there are none of the usual imperfections in the stitches. (I've left my photos at extra high resolution so you can see for yourself.) No doubt, this jacket is perfect for someone. It eschews features but perfects its details and workmanship. It possesses a certain less-is-more stoicism that will appeal to purists. But for $500,I actually expected more. Minimalism and economy aren't had merely by eliminating the extraneous, they also must satisfy needs and wants through new integrations of form and function.

Or to put it more plainly: when I bought a $500 Arc'Teryx jacket, I didn't expect to be left wanting, I expected to forget that I ever had certain wants.

So it was that I stumbled upon Timberland's Frozen Coast Boot--a modest, suede and wool boot, with enough street-styling to fit in at a bar or dinner, but enough warmth and durability to slog through snow or (more importantly) ensconce worn-out feet after a day locked inside hard plastic. The Smart Wool interior feels fuzzier than it is, and the thick insole provides soft landings. The fat suede tab at the back makes them easy to pull on with a single gloved hand, and the tread provides just enough traction without tracking snow all over the place. They run a little large--maybe 1/2 size.

And, best of all, they're cheap. On sale now at Timberland for $89.99, but I found mine for about $35 at the Timberland factory store in Silverthorne, CO. At that price, I bought two--I suspect I'll wear these out in one season.

It was windy and cold, but the snow felt good and the mountain wasn’t too crowded even at 9:30am. We’re still seeing lots of exposed terrain, though, and if you want to ski Keystone, you’ll have a nice selection of green, frontside runs.

After about four runs, we decided to call it a day….err, morning…and packed it in. But it was a good start to the season, and if this weather just holds it will bode well for Christmas skiing.

I wore the Cloudveil RPK Parka and found myself underwhelmed. I have a few specific gripes:

• The fabric itself seems to conduct heat readily and consequently feels cold.
• The collar is stiff and uncomfortable and too narrow, so rather than protecting your chin, it sits right under it and chaffs.
• The pit zips suffer a similar problem—the stiff zipper and heavy fabric together results in arm holes that gather and bind.
• The wrist tabs are fat, stiff, and unwieldy, so they are uncomfortable when cinched and stick out when uncinched. The problem is compounded by wimpy velcro.
• The neck-cinch, which is hidden on the rear of the collar under a flap, is hopeless to operate with gloves on—even my light-weight spring gloves.

On the plus side I do like the heavy fabric for its durable feel, and the powder skirt was comfortable and stayed put. Even in the medium, the fit is still trim, and it feels light and flexible, but the problems with the collar are enough to put it on the reject pile—for $450-$500 a parka ought to provide uncompromising performance and comfort.

The snow conditions are better than last year at this time as more than 3 feet of snow has fallen so far this winter.

You can also earn FREE SKIING by helping stomp down the snow in avalanche paths. Skiers and boarders are wanted the weekends of Nov 29,30 and Dec 6,7 to help with early season avalanche reduction work. A FREE unguided ticket for each full day you pack and you can pack all 4 days. No experience needed, no reservations required and it’s a great way to learn the mountain by walking down the runs packing the snow as you go.

Photo from silvertonmountain.com, taken on 11/25/2008

Yay! Whistler Blackcomb officials have announced that Whistler Mountain will open for this ski season a day ahead of schedule this Wednesday, November 26, 2008.

This winter, make every school day a snow day! Ride 70-plus days on 550 inches of Utah's Greatest Snow on Earth, earn transferable college credits from Westminster College—one of the West's academic powerhouses, enjoy seven world class resorts within 30 minutes of campus, and make your friends insanely jealous!

Vancouver, Canada-based Intrawest Corporation plans to lay off a number of employees at its three Colorado ski and snowboard resorts: Winter Park, Copper Mountain, and Steamboat.

(Via First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine.)

• Bear Creek
  Macungie, PA
• Blue Mountain
  Collingwood, ON
• Canada Olympic Park
  Calgary, AB
• Copper Mountain
  Copper Mountain, CO
• Elm Creek
  Maple Grove, MN
• Northstar
  Truckee, CA
• Stowe Mountain
  Stowe, VT
• Stratton Mountain
  Stratton, VT
• The Canyons
  Park City, UT
• Timberline Lodge
  Timberline, OR
• Waterville Valley
  Waterville Valley, NH

The boards that qualify for this deal are Blunt, Blunt Wide, Blunt Primo, Stigma, Clash, Chicklet, Bullet, Feather, Operator Smalls, Custom Smalls, Feelgood Smalls, Dom Grom, and Chopper.

Good-looking, waterproof, fleece lined, and slip-on (with nice big loops to grab onto), the Tretorn Scala looks like just the thing for tired feet and cold fingers at the end of a long day skiing. And for about $60, the price is right.

I’m sure there will be plenty of Warren Miller-esque ski porn, but it looks like they’re going to cover other activities too: Mountain biking, Base jumping, and….snowshoe racing to name a few.

But, it's still essential to stay hydrated on mountain, especially on long days, and switching from water to a sports drink last season yielded noticeable gains in my endurance and performance.

So, here's the question: how to carry hydration without the bulk of a full-size pack?

Here are some of my ideas so far:

• Bagged drinks (e.g., Capri Sun) carried in pockets. They're compact, light, durable, and easy to use.
• Get some collapsible water bottles to fill myself and carry in pockets.
• Switch to a compact, hydration-only pack that can be worn close to the body.

Anyone have and clever solutions to this problem? How do you stay hydrated on the mountain without adding unnecessary bulk?

The RPK series uses the Gore-Tex Soft Shell waterproofing system and they seem to be vastly more breathable than Gore-Tex Pro Shell. That said, the fabric itself is not quite a softshell and not quite a hardshell but somewhere in between. These are uninsulated shells but inside they have a nice fuzzy finish as well as fleece "body mapping" which provide a fair bit of warmth.

God is in the details, and though minimalist, these pieces certainly have those.

The pants have 7/8-length two-way side zips; plenty of pockets (two front, one rear, and one thigh); and mesh-vented boot gaiters.

Both pieces have fully-taped seams, waterproof zippers, and ample zipper flaps for added protection. The sizing feels right on or even a little on the small size. I ordered both pieces in small—usually just fine for me in ski wear—and will have to trade them for mediums. The size small jacket is a close but comfortable fit on me with just enough room for a couple layers. The design of the jacket and slight stretch of the fabric allows plenty of freedom of movement despite the trim fit but, as I mention below, length of the jacket and shoulders seem to cause some problems with the hood.

There are a few downsides that do need to be mentioned:

• The zipper flaps on the pants are kind of stiff (being a double-thick layer of fabric) which causes them to buckle and pinch when bending. It's not intolerable, just a little constraining, and perhaps this will go away when I go up a size and/or once broken in.
• The pit zips, though nicely designed, are also kind of stiff. I'm hoping that, also, will take care of itself as they break in.
• A two-way zipper on a jacket is kind of an important feature to me, and it's disappointing that for $500, Cloudveil couldn't have put one on the RPK.
• Although the left-interior pocket has a cell-phone pocket, it will be a tight fit for an iPhone (especially is you use a silicone protector like me).
• The zip-off hood is skimpy in its dimensions, barely able to accommodate a helmet, which I hope will be remedied by going up a size.

If you haven't heard, eVent is the waterproof, breathable fabric that has been touted for some time as a GoreTex killer. It hasn't been fast to reach the market in consumer products, though, so it's been hard to judge for yourself. But if promo videos like the one below are any measure, Gore will have its work cut out.

The Shuksan's design is fairly minimalist with a breast pocket and two side pockets, two internal mesh pockets (for skins or whatnot), a bottom hem cinch, and full hood adjustments. It does not have a powder skirt, which is a problem for my purposes, but it is really well-constructed with a durable feel, fully-taped seams, and sealed zippers. The breast pocket has a cool three-way pouch presumably designed to hold a range of electronics, but since they are mesh-backed (i.e., open to the inside of the jacket) they will allow your cellphone or iPod to stay warm.

The small fits me nicely and feels true to size. I'll be trying this on the slopes, but whether I or not I like it there, I'll be keeping it as a replacement for my Marmot rain jacket. I think the Shuksan will be really nice for drizzly conditions whether it's warm or cold and not get all clammy like the Marmot.

The coaches are scheduled to leave at 6:30am, arriving in Vail at 8:30am and the return trip is from 5:00pm-7:00pm.

So I'll be checking out a lot of different pieces trying to hone the choices down to a high performance kit that'll serve me for many seasons to come. My criteria are:

• Light, fast, and efficient
• Comfortable: easy to move in and warm but breathable
• Easy to change up in variable conditions
• Comfortable under a pack when going backcountry, but with enough pockets and storage to carry food and extras for a full day.
• Good visibility

The first item I've been checking out is a light insulating down jacket--the U.L. Down Inner Jacket--from Mont Bell. I like Mont Bell's minimalist esthetic, focus on essentials, high quality construction, and light weight. Almost all their jackets are design to be packed into a stuff sack (which they provide), which means that this Mont Bell insulator can be carried with you without adding much bulk.

One shortcoming I've noticed is that without elastic around the bottom, it can be drafty by itself. But this jacket was designed as a mid-layer, so I guess that was not a design objective. I've also detected a slight tendency toward clamminess, so I'll be on the lookout for breathability problems.

Mont Bell clothes are tagged with Japanese and and Euro/USA sizes (Japanese medium = Euro/USA small). So their clothes tend to run small which is great for me but might be a problem for larger folks. Note, however, they've introduced Euro/USA-only sizing in some models, so you have to be vigilant when picking a size. Assuming you get the right size, you should still expect Mont Bell clothes to be fitted--so go up another size if you like things loose.