First Look: Yoziss Goggles with Interchangeable Magnetic Lenses

I just received some new SG73 snow goggles from Yoziss for review. I used them this past Saturday and Sunday during some sunny bluebird weather, which also included some high winds.

The goggles come with two magnetic lenses, one for bright light and one for low light. The lenses are easily swapped, by just pulling them off. No latches, unlike my Smith 4D Mag goggles. I’ll post a short video demoing the magnetic lenses soon. Since it was so sunny this weekend I used the bright light lenses. The lenses performed great. They reduced the glare and brightness and kept my eyes comfortable, even in very bright light.

I’m also very happy with the fit and comfort of these. They seal well and the thick padding is comfortable on my face. They’re also sharp looking. I dig the colors of the lenses.

So far I’m thrilled with my new goggles. I can’t believe how reasonable the price is. They’re under $70. My comparable Smith goggles were 4-5x that price!

First Look: Stance Performance Socks for Hiking, Skiing and More

I’m happy to report that I’ve got some new socks in for review from Stance. There are several models/styles for varying sports.

Performance Socks

For general sports the “Performance” model is the stance offering. I’ve got some tab height nylon blends in black, gray and white. I just tried my first pair on a mountain bike ride this evening. I just happened to bag my biggest ascent ever. Coincidence?

Hiking Socks

I can’t wait to try out the mid cushion Jimmy Chin model hiking socks, and the merino wool blend hiking socks.

Skiing Socks

It’s 105 degrees here, but it’s never too early to get the gear ready for next ski season!  I’ve got a couple of pairs of Stance ski socks to try out when the snow flies.

Gunsight – July 16th 2023

My summer tradition of skiing Gunsight at Alta Ski Area continues. I hit Gunsight a couple of days ago and it was, uh, not good skiing.

The chute was full of large sun-cups, rocks, pine cones, branches, and even one lady’s season pass to Jackson Hole. When I got home it took me quite a bit of time to rub off the pine sap from the bottoms of my skis.

The summer road wasn’t open yet, so I had to hike up from the Albion parking lot, which added about another 2 miles round trip of hiking in the heat. At the start of the hike it was 80 degrees and when I finished it was 85.  Very hot for up there. By the time I got to the top of Gunsight I was asking myself if my season was finally over due to the ever worsening effort to reward ratio.

Little Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche Destruction – May 28, 2023

Captured some of the avalanche damage in Little Cottonwood Canyon today with my latest drone, a slow flyer which is designed for more “cinematic” filming. Only flown it a couple of times so far but I’m digging it. The damage is stunning, including of parts of Tanners Flat Campground. Below are two versions of the video, a long and a short one. The short one is going viral on Twitter, at over 40K views in 24 hours!

Long Version

Short Version

My Tecnica Zero-G Boot Boards Fell Apart! I 3D Printed Replacements

My Tecnica Zero G backcountry boots were extremely expensive. I was very surprised and unhappy to find that my boot boards, also known as Zeppas, had completely fallen apart. I had taken my liners out to let them air dry since they were wet with sweat from a tour and found the carnage:

I called the Tecnica dealer that I got the boots from and they did not have my size (25.5).  I called other local dealers and none of them had replacement Zeppas either.  I looked all over online and nothing. I called Tecnica and I was happy to hear that they would replace them under warranty. One problem. The replacements will not come until some time after November 1st.  It is may, and we have a 165 inch base. There is a LOT of backcountry skiing left this spring, plus fall of next season.  Waiting until November means missing out on potentially dozens of backcountry ski tours with my Tecnica Zero-G boots.

Solution!

I’ve been into 3D design and 3D printing as a hobby for quite some time, and this was a perfect opportunity to put some of those skills to good use.  I designed up a new version of the Zeppa and did some test prints, revising and printing numerous times. Eventually I came up with a satisfactory design so I printed the Zeppas in a softer rubber material that has some cushion to it, like the original boot boards.

Replacement boot boards for Tecnica Zero-G boots.  Zeppas
3D printed replacement Zeppas (boot boards) for Tecnica Zero-G boots

The work awesome! Better than the originals!

Need Some?

I’ve had many people reach out to me who apparently have the same problem and want me to print them.  Sounds like a business opportunity!  Let me know if you need some.  Reach out to me via any of the social network links in the header.