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http://kootenayskier.wordpress.com/
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SKI TOURING
GUIDEBOOK
Welcome to
alpinetouring.com, a site dedicated to
touring the world's greatest mountain ranges.
It is also the
best
place to purchase the Kullu Valley ski tourer's guidebook.
SKI TOURING
INDIA'S
KULLU VALLEY
The
world's first and only skiing guidebook to the Himalaya, targets the
Kullu Valley in northern India, in the mountains around Manali. It
arrived at the end of 2003 after six years behind a keyboard and
contains indispensable route information on a variety of brief day
tours to complex multi-day expeditions on some of the most spectacular
terrain imaginable.
◦
An intriguing and comprehensive guide to
a
beautiful part of the world.
- 'The Ski Mag' (winter
2003)
Campbell
 Spooner
at alpinetouring.com
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Patagonia Powderbowl Jkt
Jan 2010
Although I
have half a dozen, excellent ski shells in my basement, none of them
were perfectly suited to lift skiing, that is, durable and
completely waterproof. So after much debating and researching the
internet, I purchased the new Powderbowl Jkt through Patagonia
Pro-deal. It was possibly the removable hood that sealed the deal,
as I find that I never use a hood when riding lifts, finding a
helmet/light balaclava combo completely capable in the severest of
storms.
I have now used the
Powderbowl for a month of pounding Red and while it is a beautifully
crafted jacket with almost tailored fit, I can't help but highlight
the faults and criticisms. Foremost is the hefty weight, 1154gms of
material that surprises me everytime I lift it from the rack. Much
of this weight can be attributed to the ridiculous amounts of
pockets, powder skirt and primarily, the 7.6oz canvas polyester
shell, whose burliness is simply overkill. A 5oz poly shell would
have been appropriate. The powder skirt may sell more jackets but I
rarely fall and in 20 years of hard skiing cannot recall a day where
I have had more than a handful of snow around my abdomen. The jacket
also is adorned with 5 external and 3 internal pockets, an
unfathomable amount considering that I never have 8 different
objects to stash on my person at once, requiring their own separate
pocket. And finally, my beef with manufacturers for 2 decades is the
need for pit zips. In my case, underarm zips are never used (if I'm
slackcountry touring in mild weather, I take the jacket off!), will
stiffen the arm flex, will add to the weight, will add another water
entry point, will complicate construction and add to the price.
Simplicity is much better in this case.
While it is easy to find
fault with the Powderbowl, its positive features are less obvious.
The chin guard/neck line zone is clutter free, comfortable and
excellent height designed for inclement weather, not warm, sunny
skies where there's too much material in the way. The inner pockets,
particularly the large, elasticized pouch is thoughtful and handy
for bulkier items such as goggles and toques. The canvas polyester
outer has a gorgeous feel and accepts DWR better than the nylon
equivalent, however, I would have been better served by the Primo
Jkt, which had rollaway hood, lighter, 4.2oz nylon, simpler design
and almost half the weight at 652gms.
by Cam
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