Last Winter's OR show in SLC had a few things that really interested me. A few of them I was really chomping at the bit to get on and get them outside to play with. While at least a little bit connected and knowing who to ask, doesn't mean you will get what you want no matter how much cash you happen to have. And I am always strapped for cash forthe "want items".
Super stoked to get into the Scarpa Maestrale RS ski boot and the Rebel Ultra early on. Getting to ski on the new Dynafit Cho Oyu and Nanga Parbat has been harder. The Cho Oyu was available at the Vertfest locally for demo. Anyone could hook up that ride!And many did .Pretty awesome really. But the Nanga Parbat wasn't to be seen there. Or here :(
There is a magic number in lwt touring skis I look for. That is 1000g per ski. Many race skis will come just under that number but very few "real" skis will. My Broad Peak and GTRs (167cm and 168cm respectively) are just over in the 1150g range. Light and still, almost, real skis. Good enough for me anyway in any condition I really want to ski.
The Cho Oyu is listed by Dynafit @ 1080g in a 174cm. My demos came in at 1192g per ski. Still doing really good for a slightly wider ski and short 174 compared to the 167/168 skis mentioned previous.
"
Dynafit sez:Despite the wide geometry of the ski, the weight is only 1080grams and is thus perfect for deep snow as well as mountaineering and ski expeditions. The Cho Oyo offers a new 3-D flex-tip design and a micro sidewall construction to achieve optimum weight reduction. With ‘scoop’ rocker, triple radius, a paulownia wood core, and new carbon speed stringers for the Cho Oyo. CHO OYO Available length of skis: 174,182,191, MSRP $799.95"
Broad Peak is a 112/74/96mm ski
Cho Oyu is a 124/88/110mm ski
The Nanga Parbat is a 116/80/84mm ski and advertised at 1000g
No question I want to get my hands on the Nanga Parbat, But while doing the research for this blog piece I realised that Dynafit is still making the Broad Peak. It just isn't being imported to NA now.
Hummmmmm. Hate to do it but this is likely agoodsource for theBroad Peak and other Dynafit skis no longer imported to NA. http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/en/
2014 Dynafit offerings
Sorry, I got distracted there on what is and isn't easily available in the US and North America.I really like the Cho Oyu. It is very light for the width and it skis very well. Up front I really didn't know what to expect on this ski. I took my 178 cm La Sportiva Lo5s and the Cho Oyu for some booting and short gullies at Crystal. All skied in a pair of TLTs Ps.
Same gullies, different skis, and the man in the mirror.
First thing I noticed was the lack of weight. Even with Dynafit rental bindings the Cho Oyu was a pleasure to haul around and boot with.
My first run was lift assisted to get a feel for the ski. It seemed a lot like skiing a Broad Peak or a 7 Summit to me. But interesting enough less swing weight. And a Broad Peak is no heavy on swing weight.
Of my quiver I thought theLo5 was the skiwould best compare to the Cho Oyu. Missed that mark by a mile even though the Lo5 is125/95/115 and the Cho Oyu is 124/88/110mm. The 178cm Lo5 is 3# 8 oz per ski. The Cho Oyu is 2# 6oz per skis. Add the fact that the swing weight is all under the boot on a Cho Oyu and you really notice the difference skiing and on a boot pack. So no legit comparison to be had there.
The 174cm Cho Oyu really skis short by comparison as well. Substantial tipand tail rocker for this size and genre of ski imo is just part of the reason. The 174cm length even in a slightly wider ski skied liek a much shorter ski for me.....clsoer to a 160cm ski in feel. They were very quick turn to turn if required.
Lou offers some observations recently on his thoughts and some good pictures of the ski's profiles.
http://www.wildsnow.com/9644/dynafit-cho-oyu-review/
But there is more going on. Part of it is the weight loss by chopping the ski up piece by piece. Not that it seems to effect how it skis spring snow mind you. Really makes me think about havinga short Nanga Parbat for the weight reduction and Spring conditions. And a longer, widerCho Oyu to ski on winter snow.
Look Ma, no tip!
And a shaved pin tail!
So no comparison of the Cho Oyu to the Lo5 in any way I can think of. But a very good ski compared to my all around Spring, andstand by, the Broad Peak. Anything the Broad Peak will do, the Cho Oyu might well do it even better. With only a 50g weight penalty and a tiny bit (may be enough) more ski under you to make a difference in weird conditions. The tip and tail rocker and pin tail are going to make a difference in rough snow conditions and soft snow as well. Much more ski under your feet than the GTR. Which is another ski I like a lot in 168 and 178 cm lengths. And a betetr compoarison then the Lo5 to the Ch Oyu.
Love to get a pair of ths Cho Oyus out with a set of Dynafit Race bindings screwed on them. With Rainier in full on corn harvest season right now you can only imagine how much I wanted to pull the demo bindings and get after it on the Cho Oyu.
Bottom line? For the most part they felt like a lighter Broad Peak to me. Some of that was good. Butthey aren't as damp as a Broad Peak. The swing weight seemed better enough(less effort) that I am commenting on it. Not a huge fan of the color or the tip shape. I know, I know, this from a guy who still wears funky head bands and Vaurnets. I really liked how much the ski weighted on the pack even with the demo binding. They were notablein a good way and light.
Both the Cho Oyu and the Nanga Parbat are offering some pretty wild, modernand lwt technology for "speed touring" skis. I have no doubt from my limited use of the Cho Oyu that either the Cho Oyu or Nanga Parbat are going tobe great ski mountaineering ski. Sad it willtake another winter season and some deep snow to comment any further. But for some winter conditions the Cho Oyu especially might really offer some unique soft snow surprises. All in a very good way I suspect. Good turns are only 4 months away if we are lucky.
The view from the valley floor, midway along the Pa'rus Trail.
The peak known as "The Watchman" towers over the Lower Canyon. The Virgin River flows through the canyon and over thousands of years has helped create this marvelous place.
The wind-whipped water from one of the waterfalls in the Upper Canyon.
A grove of trees in the Upper Canyon area, caught in the fleeting rays of sunshine.
The view from my campsite, near sunset.
This wasn't a random thing, but we also saw this beautiful creature here:
After we left this bridge, we saw something else that caught our eye. This was the funniest thing we've seen in quite awhile. We had some interesting conversations about who could own this fine piece of machinery. Someone full of life I bet.
Yes, that is Super Scott's car. Isn't that the coolest car? I can see Austin wanting something like this for his first car!
About half way to the destination, the little “V” between the sharp peak and the rounded one, it had warmed up considerably. The drop in elevation helped but so did the sun reflecting off the walls of the surrounding mountain sides.
The Window is the exit point for all rain water from the Basin to the desert. As you get closer to the Window, about the last half-mile or so, the trail becomes solid stone that has been eroded by the force of the water flowing over it. There were several areas with pools of standing water.
The end of the trail. When it rains the water flows off the edge 200 feet to the desert floor below. I imagine it is quite an impressive waterfall when there is a lot of rain. On certain days of the year the sun can be seen setting between the opening of the “v” between the two rocks in the center.
I couldn't get a picture of the full height of the rock on either side, but the view was impressive.
And the obligatory self-portrait at the end of the trail. Perhaps it was because of the other hikes I had taken but this was by far the easiest trail I had been on. Except for a few spots, notably at the beginning, the trail descends gradually so it is a much easier trek back than the other trails.
A view from along the trail to the Forty-Nine Palms Oasis.
There may have been forty-nine palms at the Oasis at one time, but no more. These are Desert Fan Palm trees, which can grow to 75 feet in height and live for 80 to 90 years. The Cahuilla Indians (pronounced: Ka-wee-yahs) used palm thatch to make their homes wind-and- waterproof. The leaf fibers were woven into ropes. Baskets were made with the palm fibers and sandals from the palm leaf fibers.
There weren't many flowers in bloom yet at Joshua Tree, but the few that I saw, were gorgeous! Found along the trail, this Canterbury Bell was about 12 inches in height and was nestled against the rocks.
A closeup of the Canterbury Bell. Beautiful.
Heading back. You go up, then down, around, up, and down... definitely a good workout!
I finally received a Giles Berthoud handlebar bag for the Randonneur. It's the Model 25 in gray, which is their medium size and features elastic ties for the pockets instead of leather straps.
The visual presence of this bag is almost too much for me. There is something about its colour scheme and construction that says "I am French and I am exquisite," and I find this both interesting and intimidating.
But happily, the Berthoud does not overwhelm the aesthetics of the bicycle. The size is a perfect fit. And the darker fabric and lighter leather combination parallels the contrast between the frame and lugwork. In comparison, the Ostrich handlebar bag on my own bike is more drab and also more bulky.
The bag has a large front pocket,
two side pockets
and two rear pockets. The top flap closes toward, rather than away from the cyclist, which is the opposite of what I am used to with the Ostrichand makes it counterintuitive for me to use - but this is of course user-specific. You can see that leather straps are provided for wrapping around the back of the rack. However, there are no provisions for securing the bag to the rack's platform, which surprised me (Ostrich includes straps for this). I know that some devise DIY systems, and if you've done so I'd love to hear about your process.
There are leather straps provided for attaching the bag to the handebars, though most opt for installing a decaleur. And here is where we are experiencing a little glitch. Ideally, the owner would prefer to forgo a decaleur: He plans to ride both with and without the bag, and a bagless decaleur sticking out of the bicycle doesn't look great (I agree). The handlebar straps hold the bag up fine, but without being secured on the bottom it bounces on the rack when filled with stuff and going over bumps. I am also told that the bag can move from side to side without a decaleur, though I haven't experienced thisyetduring my one test ride so far(with 10lb of weight in the bag).
As far as decaleurs go, we had planned to use one of theseif going without proved impossible, but I have since been warned that using it with the Nitto lugged stem (as opposed to the regular Technomic stem) is not a good idea, for complicated reasons related to clamp compatibility that I won't go into here. An alternative would be Berthoud's own decaleur, but it too apparently presents issues with the lugged stem - plus it is fairly obtrusive without the bag on. A headset-mounted decaleur is not possible here, because it would sit too low. So I am seeking a solution, and also wondering whether securing the bag at the bottom would in itself solve the problem. The bag is not nearly as large as my Ostrich, and I know that some do manage to use it without a decaleur. Sharing of experiences in this regard would be most appreciated.
