Under Armour Clackamas Snow Boots (Womens)

 I stumbled upon these during a quick trip to Farm and Home to find some winter gloves for hubby.  I've been a big fan of UA running shoes for a few years (I'm now on my 3rd version of the Assert), and I saw that they had both a 7.5 and an 8, and that they were on spring clearance.  When I finally opened the box, I was totally awestruck by the colors and the super aggressive tread lugs on the bottom, so I just HAD to try them on!

They do run about a 1/2 size small, so I ended up getting the size 8 pair, and gave them their first workout 2 days later.

We had planned to do some snowshoeing on the North Country Trail to rack up some miles for our 100 mile challenge, but this has been a really crappy snow year so we ended up just hiking instead.  I was a little concerned about doing a 3-5 mile hike my first time in them, but the only issue I had was a small rub blister on my left heel and a pair of supportive foam arch supports took care of that issue for all future hikes.  The deep sole lugs gave me plenty of grip on slippery snow-covered hills, the soles are thick enough to smooth over rough terrain and forest litter, and the 200 gram Thinsulate kept my feet toasty the whole time without over heating.  It was so nice to not have to worry about stepping in deeper pockets of snow and getting wet legs and feet!!  On our second hike, I ended up getting into a few muddy spots, but the mud on the uppers wiped right off as soon as it was dry and crumbly.

So far, I'm super happy with these and am excited to give them a real test if/when we ever get a true snow storm.  I also haven't gotten to try them with my snowshoes yet, but I expect them to be fantastic for shoeing.  I have, however, worn them to work a few times and like that leaving the quick lace hooks out of the lace pattern makes them suitable for "around town" wear and casual-to-work-shoe-changes.

Features that rock:  Super aggressive sole lugs; fully waterproof lowers; reasonably good footbeds; great ankle support; 2 sets of quick lace hooks; 12.5" height; sleek enough leg wrap to put pants inside or out; sexy colors and styling.

Features that suck:  The laces are just a tiny bit short for full lacing with pant legs inside the boots; the soles are a bit stiff for the first 5 or so miles.

Things to note:

• The Clackamas may not be the greatest choice for women with wider heels or high insteps.
• Sizing seems to run at least 1/2 size small and they appear to not have a lot of "packing out" material.
• The insulation is only 200 gram Thinsulate, so they are best for active uses like hiking and snowshoeing rather than sports like snowmobiling or ice fishing.

I will continue to update my review as I get more time with them in varying conditions.

2017 Midwest Test Fest - The Wide Ones

2017 MIDWEST TEST FEST

THE WIDE ONES

Waists of 100 and up

Skis arranged by waist width where possible – in some cases I couldn’t read the specs with my contacts in and on-line info searches yielded little or nothing.

* marks women’s specific models

Nordica Enforcer 100, 185 cm (?-100-?, ?)

CS:  This is a really nice ski for a powerful skier.  It skis a lot like the Volkl Mantra.  It wasn’t great in short turns, but that was the only shortcoming I found.

JG:  The 100 was fun to ski in all conditions.

Head Kore 105, 171 cm (135-105-125, 17.8m@180)

KS:  The 105 is a super nimble, light weight ski that requires a solid forward stance to really get the tips to hook up when carving.  The 171 length felt too short and too soft for me, lacking both grip and stability at higher speeds.  This one would be superb for intermediates looking for a wider ski for skidding or skarving all over the mountain.

K2 Marksman, 177 cm (130-106-125, 20m@184)

CS:  I didn’t like this one much at all.  I found it lacking stability and grip, and it really didn’t feel comfortable in short and medium turns.  It’s a burly ski, even for strong, speedy skiers.

Rossignol Soul 7, 180 cm (136-106-126, 17.0m)

KS:  Strangely enough, the 180 length felt too short to me, even on the groomers – if you’re looking to purchase this one, I’d suggest you go up at least 1 size from your “normal”.  This is a calm, damp, forgiving powder ski that is fully competent on the scratchy stuff as well.  This is a ski that can be taken anywhere!

Elan Ripstick 106, ? cm (140-106-122, ?m)

JG:  The Ripstick won’t win any beauty contests, but boy was is unexpectedly good on hard pack!  I couldn’t believe it!

Volkl 100-Eight, *173 and 184 cm (141-108-124, 19.7 and 22.0m)

KS (173w):  I take back everything I said about the –Eight series 2 years ago.  When I tried them then, I really disliked the construction, finding it bouncy, rattly, and unpleasantly stiff.  Just like the Head Joy series, all the Volkl skis with the 3D Ridge construction have had core and construction changes, and I was ready to give them a second look.  Again, just like the Joy series, the construction updates have totally changed the way the skis feel, in a VERY good way!!  I found the 100-Eights to still be a bit bouncy on uneven terrain, but they were dead solid under foot, and way too much fun.  I even took them adventuring for a while and wasn’t disappointed at all!

CS (184):  The 100-Eight seemed to be missing something for me.  I found it balky in short turns and just okay in medium turns.  It lacked both stability and forgiveness, and even grip and rebound weren’t up to what I expect from a Volkl.

Icelantic Pioneer 109, 182 cm (144-109-131 19.0m)

KS:  The Icelantic skis are by far the prettiest skis we tested!  Given the dimensions and the reputation of Icelantic, I really expected to love these skis.  I was impressed that the demo guys were doing edge work on the skis when we got there.  That said, though, I found the Pioneers to be super stiff and very unforgiving.  They were damp and confidence inspiring at speed, but I absolutely could not get them to skid at all.  I have no idea if that was a design issue, an edge issue, or a tuning issue, but I couldn’t get them to do anything beyond carve large radius turns.  In all, it was a very scary ride!!

CS:  The 109 has tons of grip and ripped long turns at very high speeds, but they are very demanding, and have very little forgiveness.  I could have a blast on these skis!

Nordica Enforcer 110, 177 and 182 cm (?-110-?, ?m)

KS (177):  Holy Moly, and Yee Haw!!  This is ski that feels way bigger than it is! The 110 is absolutely solid at the highest speeds in medium and large turns.  The tips get a bit floppy at speed, but that feel never translates to any motion under foot – the center of the ski just stays glued to the ground.  This ski tends toward the big and burly end of the range and it’s not big on forgiveness.  Strong/heavy skiers only need apply!

CS (182):  The 110 was my second favorite ski on the first day.  It’s another ski that doesn’t really want to do short turns, but it’s rock solid everywhere else.

Line Sick Day 114, 180 cm (140-114-26, ?m)

CS:  The Sick Day is a soft snow specialist that really suffered on our frozen groomers.  It’s soft and damp, and prefers to smear and skid rather than carve.  It feels like it has a super shallow side cut, which should help it rock in deeper and cruddier snow.

Lib Tech Wreckreate 110, 181 cm (?-110-?, ?m)

CS:  Yes, Lib Tech the snowboard company makes skis.  I found the Wreckreate to be nice and easy to ski, best in long turns, but with great grip, stability, rebound, and forgiveness.  I enjoyed this one!

Armada ARV 116 JJ, 175 cm (139-116-135, ?m)

CS:  The ARV 116 is a fantastic crud buster that loved big turns at speed.  It’s a bit damp and lacks a bit of grip and rebound, but it’s basically a crud and powder ski, so those aren’t priorities for this type of ski.

Rossignol Super 7, 188 cm (140-116-130, 20.0m)

CS:  The Super 7 has so much rocker, you really only ski about 1/3 of the ski on groomers.  This is way more ski than Michigan hills can handle.  It excelled in long turns at high speeds, and had tons of stability and rebound.

JG:  These could be your best friend in any deep conditions.

Volkl Confession, 186 cm (144-117-133, 23.8m)

KS:  Supposedly the Confession is the replacement for both the Shiro and the non-V-Werks Katana, but I’d say it’s much more like the old Katana than the Shiro.  It had none of the easy forgiveness and fun feel of the Shiro for me, instead, it felt sluggish, stiff, and planky, and that makes me very sad.  It absolutely said “We don’t need no stinking short turns!!”, and was even a bit cranky about doing medium turns.  My dislike may have been a function of the length, but I ski the Shiro in the 183, so it’s not THAT far off my norm.  SO DISAPPOINTED in this ski.

CS:  Yup.  My #1 ski for day 1!  This will be my next ski when my Katanas and Shiros are done.  Top marks across the board!  After reading everyone else’s reviews, I was thrilled to find it’s all true!

Head Kore 117, 189 cm (145-117-129, 24.6m)

CS:  This is a big ski for big turns in deep snow.  It held its own on the groomers, only lacking a bit of grip and forgiveness on steeps, but that’s not where it will shine.

JG:  This ski is a battleship!  It’s great in crud and in long turns.  It doesn’t have a ton of rebound, and it’s not happy doing medium or short turns.

Outdoor Products Cross Breeze 33l Internal Frame Pack

Last summer, hiking became one of my new summer activities, and I even completed the North Country Trail 100 Mile Challenge.  I started out using just a waist pack water bottle holder, then realized that some parts of the NCT were really remote and generally deserted during the week, and any accident or injury could leave me out there for a longish period of time so I should probably carry some basic first aid and rescue items with me.  As the mileage started piling up, I began doing research on day packs and backpack fitting and decided I definitely wanted one with a fully weight-bearing hip belt, hip belt pockets, and capacity for at least a 2 liter bladder, but I didn't want to spend over $100, if possible.

 After trying on every pack that fit my requirements in every sporting goods and big box store in my area, I stumbled across the Outdoor Products Cross Breeze pack on clearance at MC Sports for less than $50.  I was GEEKED!!

Features that rock:  Separate pocket for up to a 3 liter bladder with a hang loop and tube port; large and well padded lumbar pad and hip belt with mesh pockets on each wing and straps that pull forward to adjust hip belt snugness; a top pocket for snacks and small stuff; side mesh pockets for water bottles or apples or whatever; a flat items pocket on the front; an organizer pocket with key hook; nicely padded shoulder straps; loops and bungees for hiking poles; plenty of room for a first aid kit, fire starter, packable puffy, packable rain jacket, extra snacks, and other emergency items; and finally, a mesh trampoline back that keeps the whole back from sitting directly on your back.

Features that suck:  The top pocket for small stuff is almost inaccessible if the the pack is fully loaded; the hang loop for the bladder is small and awkwardly placed and the Velcro doesn't always stay hooked; there's no daisy chains or attachment points for larger stuff; the zipper on the organizer pocket is a single directional zipper that loops up and around the pocket flap so failing to completely zip it may allow stuff to fall out of that pocket; the adjusters on the shoulder harness refuse to stay put; and the hip belt pockets aren't quite big enough for standard snack bars.

I liked mine so much in the first 25 miles of use that hubby bought one for himself and we bought one for my mom as well (mine is red, both of theirs are blue).  We've now each put 50-75 miles on them, even using them for snowshoeing, and they're holding up really well.  Mine fits and carries so well I forget I even have it on most of the time.

I've had personal experience with Outdoor Products' "No questions asked lifetime warranty", and I must say that their replacement program is quick and easy and their customer service communication is stellar.

All-in-all, this pack gets a huge thumbs-up from me!!!

 

GabbaGoods SecureBuds Bluetooth Earbuds

It's been SO frustrating trying to find earbuds that work for me during high impact activities like running.  I have tiny little ear canals and regular earbuds won't stay in, even when using the smallest bud covers.

For the last 2 years I've been using a set of RBX earbuds that hook around the top of and behind the ears and are connected with a neck band, but I'm so tired of getting tangled up in the cord and having them pulled out of my ears, or trying to keep the headphone plug fully in the phone jack and not shorting out.  Plus, if I need to wear a hat or headband, the behind-the-ear loops dig into the back of my ear and rub them raw and cause pain.  Argh!!!!

Then, last week, I found a set of the GabbaGoods SecureBuds Bluetooth Earbuds at TJ Maxx for, get this, $12!!!!  I checked them out in the store and found the ear hooks go inside the ears and they're a super soft rubber.  A quick in-store try-on suggested that they would likely stay in my ears, and the controls seemed to be simple enough I could use them while actually running, so, at that price, how could they NOT go home with me????

Included in the box were the earbuds, a mini/USB charging cord, and a single page of directions (although I didn't find it until the following day, and I ended up not needing the directions at all).  I put the buds on the charger and about 2 hrs later, I grabbed my iPhone 6S and the earbuds, and attempted to pair them up.  Holding the controller's middle button turned the buds on and a blue light started blinking.  I opened up the Bluetooth settings on the phone and there they were, GG-BSB, ready and waiting.  With the earbuds in, I heard "Power on", and then "The Bluetooth device is connected successfully".  Wow, that was easy!!!

Tonight, I actually tried them for the first time and couldn't be happier!  The controls include a volume up button, a power on/off/phone answer button, and a volume down button and using them was pretty intuitive right from the get-go.  Music quality is about what you'd expect from mid-quality ear buds, with deeper bass and cleaner sound than I expected for a mere $12.  I used them for about 2 1/2 hours while tuning skis and had no issues with pain from the ear hooks or with the connector cable getting tangled up in things.  I even answered and ended a phone call with them quickly and easily.  Despite having the TV on in the background (which I couldn't hear at all with them in and the music playing), hubby said the sound quality on his end of the phone call was comparable to just being on the phone normally.  Wandering around with them showed I could go about 12 feet from my phone before the sound started to break up and crackle, and about 15 feet before it cut out all together.  Admittedly, the phone was inside the tuning shop, and I was outside, so I'll be curious to see what happens with distance given a direct line of sight.

A check of GabbaGoods' website show they're available in black, white, blue, and red, and retail for $29.99 directly from their site. It says they should go 4-6 hours on a charge, so we'll see how accurate that is.

Short-term update:  I've now used them around the house for about 4 1/2 to 5 hrs, and they went on the charger for the first time post-use. They appear to have fully charged in less than 2 hours.

2017 Midwest Test Fest - Women's All Mountain Masters

2017 MIDWEST TEST FEST

THE WOMEN’S All MOUNTAIN EXPERTS

Waists of 80-99

Skis arranged by waist width where possible – in some cases I couldn’t read the specs with my contacts in and on-line info searches yielded little or nothing.

* Blizzard Alight 8.0 Carbon, 156 cm (124-80-107, 12.5m)

JE:  The Alight was really heavy on the lift, and this one felt longer than I expected when skiing.  It was very easy to get on edge.

* Rossignol Temptation 80, 154 cm (125-80-114, 14.0m)

JE:  This one was hard for me to get on edge, and it wobbles a lot when not on edge.

* Volkl FLAIR 81, 163 cm (128-81-109, 14.7m)

NW:  Fun, Fun FUN!!  Solid, easy, grippy.  Makes me feel like a hero!  Bomber!  I even took this on my steepest run of the week.

* Head Total Joy, 158 cm (132-85-113, 13.0m)

NW:  All the Heads I skied had floppy, chattery tips.  It must just be that I’m not a Head skier.

* Line Soulmate 86, 165 cm (125-86-111, 13.2m)

KS:  I asked for a ski in the 170-180 length category for a hard-charging skier, and the demo guys put me on this.  I figured I’d attempt to give it a fair shake, but it was most definitely too short and too soft for me, making it super scary and completely unstable in long turns at speed – I really think this was simply a function of length and stiffness for me.  In shorter turns and at slower speeds, it was super mellow, forgiving and poppy; damp, but not dead.  This would be a great intermediate to expert ski for lighter weight skiers who prefer shorter turns all over the mountain.

NW:  The Soulmate was just okay, and not really a standout for me at all.

* Nordica Astral 88, 165 cm (?-88-?, ?)

KS:  The Astral is a nimble, forgiving short turn specialist.  It lacked a bit of stability in longer turns and at higher speeds, and it’s really too light and turny to be any fun in cruddy snow or powder.  It clung to steeps and harder snow like it had claws and stayed engaged until deliberately asked to release.  It was competent and quick when carving short turns, but there was no encouragement for me to floor the accelerator.  The Astral would be a great training tool for the intermediate looking to make the jump to expert carving!

* Blizzard Black Pearl 88, 166 cm (126-88-110, 14.0m)

NW:  The BP was solid, fun, and zippy.  It didn’t have as much pop as I would have liked, but it’s otherwise a fine front side, mixed snow ski.  Intermediates just beginning to venture off the groomers or looking to make the leap to advanced skier will love, Love, LOVE it!!

* Fisher Ranger 89 W, 172 cm (119-88-108, 17.0m)

NW:  Maybe it was just that they were too long for me, but I felt the tips were a little floppy.  Other than that, they were fine.  I thought that with the rocker, that it would ski shorter.

* Head Wild Joy, 168 cm (?-90-?, ?)

KS:  The Wild Joy is new for 2018, and it fills the width slot between the Total Joy and the Great Joy.  I skied the Total Joy and Super Joy 2 years ago, and I really disliked the super light and stiff construction at the time, so I was excited to give the Wild Joy a try when I heard that they had made some changes to the series’ core material and construction.  Boy, I’m glad I did!  The Wild Joy was light yet stiff, but not so stiff as to be rattly or bouncy.  While slower speeds were doable without any fuss, it really shined at high speeds and in larger turns.  That weird vibration underfoot from the previous construction was totally gone.  What a complete surprise!!

NW:  The Wild Joy was just okay for me.  I found the tips to be really floppy.  This may be a ski best suited to bigger, heavier, more charging skiers.

* Volkl Kenja, 163 cm (129-90-110, 16.8m)

KS:  After years of skiing its big sister the Aura, and its very early predecessor, the Karma, I FINALLY got on the Kenja and I’m so glad I did!! What a fun ski!  This one got high marks across the board from me, although I could see that lighter/less powerful skiers might get bucked by its power.  It’s super flickable and rock steady, even though the 163 cm was definitely too short for me.  Still, it never got squirrelly or wobbly, it simply stopped going any faster when I hit its speed limit.

NW:  The Kenja was fun, but I liked the 90-Eight better, and I didn’t think it was as fun on the rock hard groomers as the Dynastar Intense 10 or Volkl FLAIR.  I Just didn’t feel like the ski was glued to the snow.

* Atomic Vantage 95c W, 170 cm (132-95-118, 16.8m)

KS:  SO LIGHT AND SO FUN!!  This ski excelled at all turns in all conditions, and even at a 170 length, I could not shake them loose at any speed.  Wow!!  Light, flexy, poppy, nimble, and super fun!  Highly recommend this ski for skilled skiers who want to take on the whole mountain!!

* Volkl 90-Eight, 156 (W) and 177 cm (133-98-116, 14.6 and 20.1m)

KS:  This was another ski that I tried 2 years ago and really disliked the construction, finding it bouncy, rattly, and unpleasantly stiff.  Just like the Head Joy series, all the Volkl skis with the 3D Ridge construction have had core and construction changes, and I was ready to give them a second look.  Again, just like the Joy series, the construction updates have totally changed the way the skis feel, in a VERY good way!!  With a 20.1 meter turn radius, the 90-Eight does not excel at short turns, but in medium and long turns on groomers, it was a rocket ship.  The ski is now more forgiving and well balanced, with plenty of grit for high speed carving.  Yee Haw!!

NW:  The 90-Eight skied a lot like my full camber Auras – solid and just goes through anything.