Probably the most asked question in all OR Show history is “Have you seen anything new & cool?”  This is kind of a trick question as most of the stuff there is new and cool, but the deeper meaning of the question is more like “Have you seen anything revolutionary?”  Most of the time, gear design is evolutionary, which means new colors, sizing or products designed to hit a specific marketing niche.  But occassionally, revolutionary new  products like plastic teleboots, multitools, portable solar power, hydration systems, shaped skis, camming devices for climbing or portable GPS units come out that change they way people recreate in the outdoors.   I didn’t see any such game-changers at this show, but in all fairness, I didn’t look very hard either.  Usually, if they are out there, you’ll hear about them.

However, there was some interesting gear that caught my eye…

Pieps Vector – I’ve been a fan of the Pieps DSP transceiver for the last few years and haven’t felt any reason to change until I saw the Pieps Vector.  The Vector has all of the great features of the DSP, but also includes GPS and weather data capabilities.  If the unit is on, it will track your location, which can then be downloaded onto a computer while the battery is being recharged via a USB port. This is more of a home-based beacon than for expeditions, but it is a nice combination of technologies.

Mountain Hardwear Chute Packs – I’m admittedly partial to these packs as I helped design them.  Available in two sizes, a 28 liter and a 15 liter, they are dedicated ski touring packs.  The Chuter 15 is for lightweight day tours or mechanized skiing, and the Chuter 28 is for longer outings, guiding or anywhere you might need to carry more stuff.

Voile Vector Skis – A moderately wide (92-96mm), versatile backcountry ski with rockered tips and a fishscale pattern embedded into the base which allows you to climb up mellow slopes without skins.  If you do need skins, you can still slap them on. These would be perfect for “farming” powder laps, but you could also easily take them anywhere else.

ABS Packs – There isn’t much new with the actual guts of the ABS airbag backpack system, but ABS has added a few new styles of “bags” and buffed out their existing design.  Unlike other airbag backpacks, the ABS has a “frame” which different sized “bags” can be zipped on/off of.  This also allows other manufactures, like Burton and Arva, to make their own bags which can then be merged onto an ABS frame.

BCA Airbag Packs – These have undergone a much needed facelift for 2012/13.  I tried the Float 30 and Float 18 last year, and although the airbag safety aspect was indisputable, as a pack they were lacking.  For next year, the bags have been redesigned and look nice.

Splitboards – I don’t know phukall about splitboarding, but it is great to see that those who do are getting faster, lighter and more dialed.  Jones Snowboards  looked well thought out, and the beautifully crafted Karakorum bindings are a pleasure to behold in all of their CNC’d brilliance.

GoalZero Guide 10 Plus – I bought one of these as a show special and they are techie little units that now come now come with a 10 dongle USB adaptor (not shown in the photo below).  The unit can be charged from a solar panel or a computer USB port, and then in turn can charge (or power) a variety of items ranging from camera or cell phones to just about anything else.

Sterling Hollow Block  – There is alot more to this little product than meets the eye.  It is a sewn loop of tubular aramid fiber which will work well as a runner or for a prusik loop.  The advantage of using this for a prusik loop is that the aramid fiber has a very high melting temperature, so if you are using it as a glacier prusik and take a long fall into a crevasse with it, it won’t melt or glaze like regular accessory cord.  Then, if you want to use it as a runner, it is good for 14kN.  Lightweight, low profile, simple and functional.

As an Industrial Designer (ID) by profession and education, it was interesting to see the explosion of ID in the outdoor industry. In the 1950′s ID was all about fins, steel and streamlined shapes, but the two-thousand-teens are going to be remembered for everything looking like an iPhone. You can almost hear the Sales Directors shouting “I DON’T GIVE A DAMN IF IT IS A CARABINER! MAKE IT LOOK LIKE AN APPLE iPRODUCT!”  What kind of apps does this binding run?

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The Scarpa Aliens have all the features and more that you might expect in a racing boot, including a quick release heel throw, BOA style forefront tensioning, a minimal powerstrap and some sexy lycra gaitors to help keep the liners dry.

In sailboat racing, certain classes of boats are designed to hit a set group of requirements, and the Scarpa Alien does the same thing with ski mountaineering race boots.  An alternative name for them might be “Barely Legal” (legalesse miminalissimo in Italian) and they are intended to be competitive right out of the box, although for $1,000 more, you can get a carbonfiber infested upgrade called the Alien 1.0 which shaves a few grams.

Although the Aliens are intended for racing, they also work well for ultralight ski touring, especially when coupled with short little skis and basic Dynafit bindings.  In Europe, this type of skiing is known as “Ski Running” which is an apt description of the activity.  It’s about as far from Freeriding as you can get, but considering you can double your vertical and halve the weight, it has its advantages.

I first got into skiing on racing gear after an aborted traverse of Baffin Island left us with no other options but to ski steep chutes on spindly gear.  I was initially paranoid about skiing committing lines on F1′s and 160cm skis, but after a few runs I got use to it.  The key is to be very centered, which is much easier if the snow is consistent.  Skiing punchy, crusty, gloppy snow on race gear is no fun, but powder, foam or corn are no problem.

Booting up the 40-50 degree "Terror Firma" in northern Baffin Island.

"Look Ma! No brains!" Hahaha. getting set up to ski Terror Firma on some F1's.

One very unusual thing about the Aliens, or F1′s for that matter, is that in steep terrain, they have the potential to actually be dangerous if the rear heel latch comes undone as the boot instantly, and dramatically goes into tour mode.  With many boots this isn’t such a big deal, but because racing boots have such incredible ankle flexation, this means you can end up flat on your back with no warning.

Details to follow once I get them molded to my foot and hopefully, when we get more snow.
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On our recent trip to Antarctica I ended up bringing two 30m ropes of different diameters and was very psyched on the flexibility of the system.  Glacier travel with 4-5 people on a 30m rope makes for some tight spacing, but then again, it depends on the terrain. Antarctica had lots of crevasses, but they weren’t the Mack Truck swallowing monsters that you can get up in Alaska, so the tighter spacing meant better communications and less rope work.  We used the Sterling 9.2mm Fusion Nano most of the time and swapped out carrying the lighter 7.8mm Sterling Fusion Photon as needed.

Five people on a 30m rope is tight spacing, but it worked for this type of terrain. Either the leader or tail gunner can carry the second rope.

For skiing, it’s nice to have two ropes as the first and last person can both carry one.  It doesn’t matter how long or strong a rope is if the person carrying it falls to the bottom of a crevasse with it.  Some people carry 5.5mm Spectra rope as a “drop cord”, but these ropes are so specialized they can’t be used for much else.  By carrying two dynamic 30m ropes of different diameters, you can tie them together if you need to extend spacing on a glacier, or for a full 30m rappel.

Roped skiing on a 9.8mm 30m rope. In this case, we had to add the second 30m rope to extend the total distance to 60m.

Ropes only work if you use them, and not having to deal with an entire 60m at a whack makes that much easier. Coiling a 30 on top of a peak.

Another nice feature of carrying two 30m ropes is that you can upsize or downsize depending on the terrain.  Or, if you get to an area where you are just carrying a rope as insurance, you can leave the heavier rope at the bottom and pick it up on the way back down.

In cases like this, you can leave one rope at the base (where this photo was taken), then use the lighter rope to cross the glacier to get to steeper terrain.

The disadvantage of this system is that it is harder to do a full 60m rappel on a single line as you have to pass a knot, and, you can’t do a 60m protected lead unless you are willing to run out the first 30m before your first piece. But, these seem like a small price to pay for the vast increase in flexibility, reduction in weight and simplicity of dealing with a smaller amount of rope every time you tie in.

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This is perhaps a blessing as I recently had an opportunity to check out the 3D Atlas and posters from 2i3D, which provide a similar viewing experience for much less cost.  When viewed on a table, the images literally pop off the page in such clear, crisp resolution that it seems like you could slice your hand through them. This seems especially unbelievable as without the supplied 3D glasses, the images look fuzzy and muddled to the point that it almost hurts to look at them.

The computer generated imagery provides the equivalent of viewing the maps/images from a god-like vantage of 20,000′ and with eyes 5,000′ apart. The map data for the Wasatch Atlas book came from a 1998 Forest Service update which was done in anticipation of the 2002 Olympics, and as such is very up to date with trailheads, campgrounds and private property.  If you can follow it, there is a detailed explanation in the beginning of the atlas about how anaglyphic 3D maps are made, but it is hardly required reading as the images speak for themselves.

The Wasatch Tri-Canyons Atlas contains 21 spreads of 7.5 minute quadrangles. Each spread has an photographic image of the terrain on the left and then a complementary topographic image on the right. This is a cool feature as it is easy to see a nice looking peak or feature on the left, then instantly identify it on the right.

2i3D currently has two atlas available – the Tri Canyons area of the Wasatch Mountains $19.95) and Zion National Park ($29.95). The Zion maps are like virtual canyoneering and slots like Imlay and Heaps pop out in all of their glory.  There are also four posters available, including upper Little Cottonwood Canyon (Alta & Snowbird).  If you happen to have a pair of red/cyan glasses, the 2i3D website is also in 3D and worth a look.

The posters range from between $9.95 and $19.95, and like the books, can be purchased at 2i3D.com.  Since a CMH floor table model may never happen for me, I’m thinking of just taping a 2i3D poster to my IKEA table, handing out 3D glasses and calling it good.
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“Breaking Trail” is the latest offering from the Wasatch based PowderWhore production company and it is yet another good one from the Ho’s. Aside from breaking trail, they are also breaking with tradition this year by expanding outside of the tele world to include AT and Splitboard skiers/riders.   The tele purists need not worry – the deepest pow and fullest faceshots still belong to the tele segments with skiers like Paul Kimbrough, Jake Saxton and Noah Howell drowning in it.  As always, Noah seems to reserve the deepest of the deep for himself and I can imagine him turning the camera duties over to his partners on the truly sick days.  “This looks dangerously deep, but I’m willing to ski it for the team.  Here – take the camera.”

I like PowderWhore films for a number of reasons.  First, they feature a lot of Wasatch terrain, which is fun to pick out.  Second, the skiers/riders seem to be having fun and don’t take themselves too seriously, which is a painful short-coming of far too many ski films nowadays. Third, they find interesting local characters to include in their films,  like Tom Kimbrough and Bret “Kowboy” Kobernick which helps create a storyline outside of the gnarlysickbrobrahuckyermeat genre.  And fourth, in a misery loves company kind of way, I fully appreciate how Noah & Jonah are cursed with a creative artistic urge and a love of the backcountry.  They just can’t help themselves, which is good news for the viewing public.

Having been behind the scenes in a few PW shoots, it is fun to see how the Ho’s have adapted their style and equipment to enable them to get footie from deep in the backcountry.  Whereas a full-blown, heavy metal film crew might never make it further than a quarter mile from the nearest helicopter or base lodge, the PW crew has adapted all sorts of equipment to enable them to be able to travel relatively fast and light to get to the most remote areas.  A lot of times this is lost on the viewers, but to backcountry aficionados, it is what makes the PW films unique and real.

Last night’s sold out show was standing room only and the P-Ho Roadshow is about to get underway with a tour of roughly 837 cities.  Being on tour means the Brothers Howell will be missing out on tons of early season turns and there is nothing quite as sweet at scooping the Whores in their own backyard and sending them text messages about what they are missing.  However, they tend to make up for it later in the year.

The DVD is available here, or new this season, you can torture yourself by watching it on an iPhone as a digital download.
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I don’t think I toured a single day last year in anything but Scarpa Maestrale boots.  For resorts, I have a pair of Scarpa Mobe boots, but I have yet to brave any touring with them.  I come from a long line of Scarpa boots dating all the way back to the leather Tele Savauge (yes, tele…) and have been very happy with the Lazer/Matrix/Spirit line of three buckle boots.  My first impression of the Maestrale was dismay as it was a four buckle boot – gasp – but it turned out to be lighter and toured better than the Spirit 3 it replaced, so I never looked back.  But still, I secretly yearned for a three buckle boot as I seldom if ever adjust the toe buckle on a 4 buckle boot, so it is kind of vestigial and needs to be dropped.

My prayers were answered this year with the Scarpa Rush.  The Executive Summary is that it is a 3 buckle version of the Maestrale, which makes it a bit lighter.  I have yet to actually ski it, but in flex tests and on carpet tours, it feels very much the same as a Maestrale.  Why would you get this boot over the Maestrale?  It is a little lighter (85 grams/3 oz), a little simpler (3 vs. 4 buckles) and a little less expensive ($549 vs. $599).  Dropping the toe buckle means that the toe profile is a bit cleaner, which is nice for booting and/or technical climbing as it is less cluttered. The bright yellow doesn’t match my eyes as well as the Day-glow orange Maestrales, but I can live with that.

The Rush covers all of the essentials - Vibram sole, tech fittings, top quality & top materials.

It is hard to discuss the Rush (right) without mentioning the Maestrale (left) as well. The Maestrale is one of the all-time classic AT boots and has won all sorts of awards - the Rush is a slightly trimmer version of the same.

Aside from the obvious 3 buckles vs. four, the Rush (left) has a solid ankle strap instead of the split version on the Maestrale (right).

I've removed the Powerstraps from both boots, but as the photo shows, they are very similar in height and construction.

Both boots have Intuition liners, tech fittings, Vibram soles, etc, etc..  For either boot, I use SuperFeet or FootBalance insoles, get the liners molded with lots of extra room in the toes for warmth and remove the power strap.  Aside from that they are 100% stock – no grinding, punching, tongue swaps, carbon cuffs or drill holes.

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For the past eight or so years, I’ve been using alpine climbing jackets and pants as I like the looser fit, stripped down design and generally better construction and materials.  I’ve found that most “ski” specific clothing is more geared towards riding the wire, and as such has too many doodads and is too hot for hiking.  This year MHW has come out with a line of clothing that is far & away the best they have ever produced.  A big part of this push has resulted from them moving to their own proprietary breathable membrane, Dry.Q, which has allowed them increased design flexibility.

Dry.Q is available in three different flavors with the Dry.Q Elite being the ultra smack-daddy membrane of the Alpine line. The construction, materials and detailing of this jacket makes my inner designer swoon with joy.

For outerwear this season, I am using a Jovian Jacket and Bokta Pants.  Both are gorgeous pieces of clothing, but I am especially excited about the pants as; a) they are red, b) they have full length zippers. The full length zippers are essential for taking your pants on/off over ski boots (or even while wearing skis), and taking other things, like visits to the outhouse.  In the past I’d often cut the powder cuffs off right away, but now I let them rock until they inevitably get torn & ripped to the point that they serve no purpose, and then remove them.  This usually takes about half the season and is 100% user error.  I wear soft shell Synchro pants as a baselayer, which fit over the boot top, and if I really need powder cuff protection, like for extended postholio sessions, I’ll cinch the cuff down with a Voile strap.

I love the simplicity and bomb-proof quality of these pants. In case you are wondering, Bokta is just east of Chindwin.

The Jovian Jacket follows in the tradition of the Beryllium and Vertical jackets – a clean, simple design with fantastic materials and construction. If I were god, I’d do away with the pit zips and bicep Chapstick pocket, but I can live with them.

The Jovian Jacket is all business with two large, front waist pockets and a big mesh inner pocket.

I’m thrilled to see jackets and pants like these, as from a manufacturers perspective, they must be a tough sell.  To the disconcerting customer, it appears you can get a jacket with more bullet-points on its hangtag for less money elsewhere, but if you are using these things on a daily basis in the environment they were designed for, their value quickly becomes apparent.

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Overview
A very well made and designed pack that features excellent detailing without going over-board on marketing features.  It is comfortable, carries well and has enough capacity to use as a day touring pack or for mechanized skiing.  The ability to swap out different “packs” onto a single base unit is nice.  The Powder 15 is lightest of the three packs I tested and its trim size makes you forget you are even carrying an airbag pack.  On the downside, it is the most expensive of the three packs I tested.

The ABS Powder 15. The eight plastic loops on the shoulder straps (four on each side) allow the trigger system to be moved to either side for left or right hand pulling, or up/down on the shoulder strap so you can have the trigger exactly where you want it.

Nitrogen Gas
ABS uses nitrogen gas instead of compressed air as the nitrogen is not affected by temperature or elevation.  “So what?”  you say, or at least I did when I first heard this, but it makes sense, especially for skiing. Deploying an airbag on Thompson Pass (2,800′) versus a Colorado 14,000′ peak, or in minus 20 degree  Montana weather versus a baking hot day in the Sierra’s will result in radically different amounts of bag pressure.  Nitrogen helps even this out, which is why it is also used for inflating race car tires.  For refills, you need to find an ABS dealer and then exchange the used cylinder/trigger kit for a fully activated one for a fee.

Explosive charge for trigger
Instead of using a wire cable to trigger the airbags, the ABS system has a small explosive charge in the handle that when detonated sends pressure through a tube running over your shoulder and ruptures a disk which allows the bags to inflate.  This has the advantage of fewer moving parts to break or freeze and also allows the handle to be completely removed for travel or loading in/out of cars, helis or trams.  It raises a big question-mark about air travel, but then again airlines allow hunters to travel with ammunition, so perhaps this is the same.

On the Powder 15, the handle contains an explosive charge which in turn ruptures a copper disk on the nitrogen cylinder and then fills the airbags. The handle can be completely removed for safe travel in a heli, car, snowcat, tram, etc..

The trigger has a velcro guard over it for times when you want the system activated in the "stand by" mode, like for skiing through trees or hiking up. The strap can be pulled off to the side to place the trigger in "full alert" mode, like when you are skiing a suspect slope. The "T" shape of the handle isn't ideal for use with mittens, but isn't too bad either.

Dual System
The Powder 15 uses the ABS Dual System, which entails two separate venturi valves and two separate 85 liter airbags.  The two systems work unison, but if one fails (say the bag pops on a rock),  it doesn’t affect the other.

A photo of the ABS "Dual System" showing the two red venturi valves (most airbags just have one). When inflating, 70% of the volume comes from air being sucked into the venturis from the outside, not from the cylinder itself, so the Dual System is like having two lungs instead of one and you get a faster fill.

Pack & Carrying Capacity
For a $1,152 pack, ABS has shown commendable restraint from adding tons of extra junky features to the Powder 15 pack itself.  There is a small top key/wallet pocket and then a main pocket with internal sleeves for shovel handles/blades and probes, as well as enough room to carry the basics (jacket, food, water). It is an easy pack to use and carries well. On the to-be-desired side, I wish it had more options for strapping gear to the outside and I prefer lighter fabric colors for packs as black seems to swallow all available light and make it hard to find things inside the pack.

The Powder 15 with its "bag" removed. The part on the right is all of the airbag mechanism and harness. Different size and purpose bags can be zipped onto the ABS frame.

The ABS Powder 15 "bag" taken off the frame and rolled up. It is very light, simple and basic, which I think is a big plus.

By nature, there's not much room in a 15-18 liter pack, so you often have to strap jackets or skins to the outside. The ABS Powder 15 could use a few more attachment points, but you can also make due in a pinch.

Details:
Velcro waist belt – This is a small, but nice detail.  Airbag packs forgo dainty Fastex buckles and use a beefier two-part metal buckle for the waist belt which becomes a pain to get into and out of over the course of doing it ten times a day.  The ABS packs allow you to Velcro the waist belt together, which not only makes it easier to eventually buckle the harness, but also works well for ascending safe lines when you want to just have the waist belt on loosely.  The steel buckle on the ABS pack is a nice trim little unit that stays out of the way.

A close-up of the Velcro waistbelt and steel buckles. The Velcro is great for skinning up as it holds the pack comfortably in place and keeps the buckles from dangling around like wind chimes.

Helmet Hammock – The Powder 15 comes with a detachable 4-point exterior helmet hammock on the back.

Ski Carrying Method – None, although it is easy to rig a diagonal/vertical strap system to the helmet hammock buckles with some foresight.

The Powder 15 doesn't have ski carrying straps, but they can be jury-rigged using Voile straps.

No Gauge on the Nitrogen Cylinder – Unlike the compressed air cylinders on other airbags, the nitrogen cylinders on ABS packs do not have a dial gauge telling you what the tank pressure is.  As a life-saving device this is a bit disconcerting as there is no visual way to ensure the cylinder is full, aside from taking it out and weighing it, which is what ABS recommends.  The plus side of this is that it weighs less and is smaller.

The ABS nitrogen cylinder on the bottom and a BCA air cylinder with dial gauge on the top for size comparison.

Flying with Nitrogen & Explosives - This could potentially be a concern if you were flying commercial airlines to go on a heli-skiing trip.  Personally, I wouldn’t take an airbag pack on an expedition (too heavy), so this isn’t a big deal for me.

These small airbag packs are mainly intended for mechanized skiing, but if you can live with minimal carrying capacity, the Powder 15 works great for touring as well.  The Powder 15 is lightweight and trim enough that I would carry it for the majority of my Wasatch skiing, which is a key issue for me.  If a pack is too heavy or uncomfortable, I won’t use it all the time, which you need to do in avalanche terrain.

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My love affair with the BCA Float 30 was short lived. She had a fine personality, was well built and sleek, but put on too much weight. I used it about five times before deciding the entire package was just too heavy and sold it at a slight lost. The clincher for me was when I switched over to a superlight pack during a stable spell and then had a hard time getting motivated to take the Float 30 back out. An airbag system adds about 4-6 lbs to a backpack and when coupled with the Law of Luggage (the amount of stuff you carry will expand to fit all available pack space), it became a spirit crushing load that had me thinking about an exit strategy for the day on the first climb.

This led to a slash & burn weight reduction program which I’m still working on, but didn’t diminish my belief in the virtues of airbag packs. Fortunately, the three major players in the market all have 15-18 liter packs which will work for touring.

Left to right: ABS Powder 15, BCA Float 18, SnowPulse ProRider 15. These are all on loan, which is good as they represent almost $3,000 worth of packs.

These small(er) packs can be used for touring, but are mainly intended for mechanized skiing (heli, cat, car shuttle, etc.), sidecountry or snowmobiling.  I’m not sure if the manufacturers include the airbag system in the sizing, but in general, the majority of the volume in these packs is taken up by the ballon(s), cylinder and regulator, and they have very little room to carry anything, which is just the way I like it.

All I carry (or can fit) for a day of backcountry skiing with a 15-18 liter pack. K2 shovel, 1 liter of water, 1st aid/repair kit (red), food (yellow) puffy down jacket (blue).

To get a reliable comparison between the packs I carried the same kit (above) in all of them.  Some of the packs had slightly more room than others, but for the most part, things like jackets or skins had to be strapped to the outside if you wanted to carry them on the pack and there was no room for thermos, extra gloves, donuts, etc..  All of these packs came with a removable way to carry a helmet which I immediately took off as I’m not a helmet guy for general BC skiing.

Getting mulched in an avalanche is surprisingly violent, and as such the waist-belts on airbag packs are more like a climbing harness with a secure metal buckle and heavily reinforced construction.  They also come with crotch loops which might be alright if you never take your pack off, but for general BC skiing, I found the crotch straps to be a pain in the ass (or that general area) and never used them.  In all three cases, the crotch strap can be fully removed and stored in the pack.

The business end of avalanche airbag packs - ABS Powder 15 (left), BCA Float 18 (middle) and the SnowPulse ProRider (right).

The trigger handle design for airbag packs is trickier than meets the eye.  It has to work with gloves or mittens, be easy to find & grab without having to actually look at and have a secure mode for travel,  yet at the same time not be prone to snagging when skiing trees or being handed in/out of a car or helicopter and triggering an accidental inflation.  All three packs use different designs.

Three different trigger designs.

To hit critical mass as a consumer item, I think airbag packs need to be light enough that you don’t really notice them while skiing and be affordable.  All three of these packs meet the lightness criteria, but as a friend commented when I told him how much they cost, “Do you get a free Porsche with that?”  They are not cheap, but the money spent will be irrelevant when/if you go for The Big Ride.

Speaking of Big Rides, I freely admit that I ski slightly more avalanche exposed slopes with an airbag than without.  This is not so much huge slopes with monstrous consequences, but more  on smaller slopes or in questionable avalanche conditions.  I have yet to deploy one in a slide and a common scenario might be to skip a cautious ski-cut, center-punch a slope that I might otherwise nibble around the edges on first, or offer to go first “because I have an airbag.”  I know… I know.  At least I’m conscious of it. It is hard not to feel safer when wearing an airbag pack.

Next: The ABS Powder 15 in detail.

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Black Diamond has had a few bad batches, but for the most part, the glue they use on their skins (Ascension) is killer.  I took this for granted, but came to appreciate it more when a group of European Ski Mountaineering racers came over for the Wasatch PowderKeg and had two unusual shopping requests – Snowclaw shovels and Gold Label glue.  They wanted the Snowclaw shovels as they were the lightest shovel that met the ISMC requirements and the Gold Label because Europe had some sissy laws about using or selling highly toxic chemicals, such as meat-eating skin glue.  Here in Utah we laugh at toxic waste and rejoice at the chance to use products that can cause brain damage in small children.

Gold Label previously came in dainty little cans with a useless brush, but is now available in a tube.  As is says on the box, it intended “For ski skin touch-ups.”  I’ve tried it on skins which have had all of the glue removed, but it seems to soak in to the backing so much that it would take many, many coats to get a working surface.  If I’m completely redoing a pair of skins, I’ll use BD Glue Renew and take my chances.  But, for touch-ups, or for putting down a tacky layer on top of wimpy Euro glue, Gold Label works great.

The Toxic Tower of Adhesive Power. Prepare to get sticky.

Start with as clean a glue surface as you can.  If you suspect your skins need some extra ummph, don’t wait until they are all pine-needled and dog-haired to do it.

Clamp down the skins on a flat surface and lay some tracks. Squiggles or straightline - it's up to you. Go nuts.

It doesn’t take much Gold Label to freshen up a pair of skins and I get about three pairs of skins our of a tube.  Once tracks have been laid, spread it thin.

Any flat, stiff spreader will do, like a credit card or Deer Valley season's pass.

I’ve found the tails of my skins take the most abuse from being grabbed with gloves, so I lay it on a bit thicker in the ass end.

Extra sticky tails.

This is a pair of glue enhanced skins with about 30 days on them. Not quite virgin, but 100% useful.

This is a pair of skins with a horrendous glue job that I did myself. The fact that they still stick like mad dogs says something about the quality, or lack of it, that is required to apply a touch-up. Sobriety is optional.

Gold Label is suppose to dry overnight, or 8 hours, but I’ve found that the longer they dry, the better, up to about 24 hours.

If the glue is too tacky, try detuning it on a carpet covered in dog hair.
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