Arcade Belts Review

I’m keen on what gear ski pros use because I want to use the best gear I can for myself. After all, skiing isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Gear can make the difference between enjoying a great run or suffering badly.

Arcade and Cody Townsend

Over the last year or so I’ve become a big Cody Townsend fan. If you don’t know who he is, I highly recommend checking out his YouTube channel and The Fifty Project, where he is skiing the 50 most iconic lines in North America. Cody started up a belt company for skiers, ski mountaineers, hikers and the like. He saw a need and a niche that wasn’t being filled and Arcade Belts was born.

Getting in Shape

I’ve since acquired a total of SIX arcade belts and love them all. I have numerous reasons why I have these belts in play, one being their flexibility.  You see, since winter of 2018-19 I made a decision to ski a lot more, both downhill and backcountry.  I knew I’d need to be in better physical condition, so in 2019 I made a big effort to “move more and eat less.”  It worked!  I lost nearly 40 pounds and several inches off the waist.  The problem with that is that none of my apparel fit anymore.  Good problem to have I suppose. Belts needed.

In Action

The Arcade Belts flexibility and adjustability has allowed me to milk some more use out of some of my old ski pants.  Plus, the flexibility of the belts has really helped me with my movement and comfort while skiing.  The belts move with me, and stretch when they need to.  If I’m taking a jump, bending down low to absorb bumps, or simply bending over to buckle my boots, my belt doesn’t choke me out.

I’m also using Arcade Belts on my pants and shorts, not just my ski pants.  I’ve got a lot of pants/shorts which would simply fall right off my body without my Arcades. Plus they look great!

Style

Not only are Arcade Belts super functional, they’re very stylish.  There are dozens of different styles, designs and colors to choose from.  With my arsenal of Arcade Belts I’ve got a good match for most outfits I wear, but I’m surely not done.  I need more.

Final Thoughts

Hats off to Arcade Belts.  They’re a great belt for outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, camping, climbing and so on and can go straight from the mountains to a night on the town.

First Look: Osprey Kamber 32 Men’s Backcountry Riding Backpack

Now that’ I’m getting more serious about backcountry skiing and in general, being better prepared on or of piste, I needed a better and bigger pack.  After a lot of research I settled on the Osprey Kamber 32.  This pack is designed for backcountry enthusiasts and holds 32 liters of gear, snacks, drinks.

32 liters is a good fit for slightly longer day tours or even overnights. This pack came in very handy for me during my 4-day Level 1 avalanche training course.  I was able to store all my needed avalanche gear, roughly 60 ounces of beverages (hot and cold), as well as all the snacks, cameras, and other gear I needed in all-day sessions.  Here’s the Kamber 32 in action:

I’ve had the Kamber on the mountain a few times now.  I have a hydraulics reservoir on the way and will be implementing that as well. Stay tuned for me review soon.

First Backcountry Tour in American Fork Canyon

I usually tell people that when it comes to backcountry skiing, my limited experience is that it is harder going up than it is going down.  That may not have been the case a couple of days ago in American Fork Canyon though.  After attempting and failing to go downhill skiing at Alta Ski Area, my ski buddy and I decided to do American Fork Canyon. It is close to where he lives.

The canyon isn’t super high in elevation.  I’m guessing 6-7K. As such there wasn’t a 100 inch base, but there was quite a bit of snow in many areas, especially at the peak of our tour at Silver Lake Flat reservoir. That section of snow was deep and we were cutting our own skin track. My calves and knee have been quite unhappy about that since. Vitamin I (ibuprofen) and CBD oil are in play.

Overall the skin up was fun and challenging. The ski down was not worth the effort though. Not enough snow on any slopes worth skiing. So it was mostly skiing back on an access road which was flat in many areas.  Navigating flat road without skins on and skis in downhill mode is probably harder than skinning up.

6+ miles, mostly work. There were THREE nice pow turns I made though, right off the cornice on the reservoir’s dam (video below).  All in all a fun day, but the reward was small for the amount of effort.

First Look: Arva Axe Snow Shovel

As I get deeper into the backcountry skiing world I’m learning more about the gear needed.  One of the most important parts of a backcountry setup is a good shovel.  I’m currently testing out the Arva Axe, seen below.

The Arva Axe shovel is quite cool.  It breaks down into 3 pieces for easy storage in a backpack.  It has two shovel modes, standard and hoe mode.  Hoe mode is in the photo below.

I’ll be putting the Axe to the ultimate test in my upcoming Level 1 avalanche training course next week.

After I’ve had enough time in the field and shoveled enough snow to formulate my opinions, I’ll post my full Arva Axe review.  Stay tuned.

 

First Major Backcountry Session of the Season

I’m hammered physically, but in a good way. Had a great skinning session in Little Cottonwood Canyon up Grizzly Gulch to the top of Patsy Marley. From there I went along the edge of Wolverine Cirque, which is a spectacular sight to behold (photo below).

I de-skinned at the top of Wolverine in brutal high winds, then traversed through some south-facing gnarly wind blown crusty junk snow to drop into Alta Ski Area. My legs were hammered.

Had a hard time controlling my left ski and I attributed that to fatigue. When I got to the parking lot I noticed that my left boot was still in walk mode, not ski mode.  Duh.

 

Armada ARV 116 JJ UL Zero Ski Review

I was fully engulfed in ski mania last spring. I picked up tons of new gear, including the Armada ARV 116 UL Zero skis. Unfortunately in the spring there were never conditions which warranted gaming the the JJ’s. I did take them up for a day of spring skiing just because I was so excited to have them, but sticky slush groomed runs were far from off-trail big mountain deep powder.

About the ARV 116 JJ UL Zero

The JJ’s feature an “AR Freestyle Rocker.” These are light, big mountain freestyle skis rockered tips and tails combined with a positive camber underfoot and an ultra-light core.
This design shines in powder and unpredictable conditions. They ride on top of the power or even thick muck. Riding on top makes the ski so much easier to control.

The flex of the ski is somewhat stiff in the tips, and a little more stiff in the waist.

Bevels on the tip and tail help the skier transition in deep snow.  The tips are like boat hulls!

Dimensions

Size (cm) 165 175 185 192
Tip Width (mm) 139 139 139
Waist Width (mm) 116 116 116
Tail Width (mm) 135 135 135
Turning Radius (m) 17 18 19

In Action

I’ve now had a few more sessions with the JJ’s this winter, and experienced some great powder days. Last weekend as absolutely thrilling with about 10-14 inches of fresh pow. The JJ’s performed tremendously.

It didn’t take me long to get used to the JJ’s. I felt like I was floating on the clouds. I had fantastic feel and control, and the skis never EVER ducked under the powder. They were always floating on top. It made skiing pow so easy and effortless.

In the video above you can see the Armada JJ’s in action. Note how smoothly the move through the powder and choppy conditions.  They always float.

Conclusion

I’m thrilled with my JJ 116’s.  They make powder even more fun, which I didn’t think was possible. I can’t wait for the next big storm.  In fact, the next storm is coming over the next few days. 48 inches possible.  My JJ’s and I are ready to roll.

First Look: Arcade Belts

I’m thrilled to have a set of Arcade Belts in for review. I originally found out about Arcade Belts through professional skier Cody Townsend.  Cody founded the company.

What attracted me to the belts originally, is their flexibility and the fabrics they’re made from.  I’m not a big fan of stiff leather belts.  I want a belt that moves and stretches with my waistline.

Stay tuned for a full Hike.Ski review of Arcade Belts coming soon.

First Look: Arva 18 Liter Ski Backpack

Now that I’m going to be doing some backcountry skiing, I need a pack.  That pack needs to hold my avalanche gear: shovel, probe, skins and so forth. I picked a light bag to start as I’m going to start out with some shorter tours which won’t require me to carry several days worth of supplies and gear.  I chose this Arva 18L pack.

Here’s a shot with some of my avalanche gear inside:

I’ll be posting a full review after I’ve had ample tours and time on the slopes to evaluate the pack.  Stay tuned!

First Look: Smith Vantage Men’s Snow Helmet

After about 50 years of skiing, it’s time I got a helmet. I have to many years of knowledge crammed into my cranium to risk a blow to the head now. For the job I’ve got a new Smith Vantage ski helmet.

I’ll be putting this helmet to good use backcountry skiing and downhill skiing this spring and next fall/winter, then posting my full review then.

Stay tuned.