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Long Live Singletrack
04.30.08 | Author: Kendall Card | No Comments

Few things are as fulfilling as buzzing down a nicely buffed out section of single track. Wind in your face, trees rushing by, dust kicking up and you're almost flying. Capturing that moment, the feeling, is something or a rarity. To that end, IMBA (the International Mountain Bicycling Association) just announced their first-ever "Celebrate Singletrack" short-format film contest. Mountain bikers from around the world are invited to submit 3-5 five minute film or video shorts that celebrate the spirit of mountain biking. As the platform for upload they've enlisted YouTube by making a Celebrate Singletrack group which once you've ...
Trip Report: Dinner Reservation for Two in Powstash Bowl
04.09.08 | Author: Kendall Card | 1 Comment

This has been an epic winter by any measurement. Alta has received 638" so far with another storm on the doorstep. Mid elevation stashes like Mt. Aire are still enjoying full winter coverage. Nearly all of Utah's ski resorts are still open but most of Utah's skiers have biking/hiking/running/golf on the brain. For me, when April rolls around and the ski resorts start to to shut down it's like the seventh inning stretch rather than the bottom of the 9th. Monday dawned white with Alta reporting 3", The Canyons 5" and a storm on the doorstep. It ...
Garmont Axon Alpine Touring Ski Boot Review
03.30.08 | Author: Kendall Card | 1 Comment

Until this season finding a solid 4 buckle alpine touring ski boot with Dynafit binding compatibility has been a short shopping experience of 1-2 options. These few options have primarily been soft flexing boots with a less than stable ride for bigger skiers like myself. So until now I've cut back to 3 buckles for conserving weight, accepted the fact that my backcountry skiing experience would include a soft boot and I've adjusted. Thankfully those days may be coming to an end. When it comes to shopping for alpine touring ski boots having selection should be the name of ...
UK Vizion 3AAA eLED Headlamp Review
02.27.08 | Author: Kendall Card | 1 Comment

The UK Vizion 3AAA Headlamp is new to the outdoor market which is stacked with headlamps. Seems like everyone wants in on the LED market and slapping your logo on something mass produced out of China is the method most use. Seriously, just looking at my gear closet I came up with 7 different models of headlamps from 3 different manufacturers. So when I first set eyes on the UK Vizion at the Winter Outdoor Retailers show in Salt Lake City I was skeptical that a new entry to the market could give me anything more innovative and useful ...
Dynafit Bindings Review: An enLIGHTtening Experience
02.26.08 | Author: Kendall Card | 3 Comments

It's been three seasons now since I made the switch to Dynafit bindings. That first season I kept a pair of skis mounted up with Fritschi Freerides but after a few months of touring with Dynafit bindings I pulled the Freerides, promptly sold them and bought a second pair of Dynafits. I had become a Dynafit Disciple. I realize that it's hard for some (ahem... Jason) to envision themselves skiing on a binding that looks so...primitive and so...simple, but making the leap is putting yourself on a path of enLIGHTenment, about 2-4 pounds lighter that is. I've skied ...
Utah or Colorado?
01.27.08 | Author: Kendall Card | 3 Comments

It's no secret that we favor skiing in Utah. Each year I have friends from Washington, Canada, Colorado, Jackson who all ask if I'm going to be making a trip to ski with them. It's not that I don't want to explore new areas and it's not that I don't want to ski with my buddies. Truth is every time I do want to ski somewhere else it means sacrificing easy access and generally better snow by leaving Utah. That's not to say that I haven't scored the goods elsewhere. There was the time that Jason and ...
Video Update: Scarpa Typhoon, Domina and Skookum A/T Boots
01.16.08 | Author: Kendall Card | No Comments

A couple of weeks ago Jason posted about some of the new AT boots from Scarpa that will soon find their way to store shelves and hopefully onto some of your feet. As a Dynafit Disciple I can't wait to ski the Skookum with it's alpine style tongue, booster strap and reinforced "power ribs". It looks like a dream for the predominantly backcontry skiing crowd who will play in the slackcountry once in a while, spinning laps on the lifts to get the goods. Here's a little video that goes down the features of the boots that Jason covered ...
Freakin’ in the Foothills of Mount Aire
01.05.08 | Author: Kendall Card | 1 Comment

It's been a few seasons since the lower elevation snowpack has been this abundant this early in the year. As I was driving home from Alta on New Years Day having skied with Jason I got looking around and was seeing coverage better than I recall in areas on Grandeur Peak, in Parleys Canyon and then near Mount Aire which sits at the mouth of Lambs Canyon. I even spied a couple of tracks down the main bowl of Mount Aire's sub peak. Upon seeing that and the 2-3 feet that lay in on the side of ...
Mountain Khakis Original Mountain Pant Review
12.29.07 | Author: Kendall Card | No Comments

When I first set my eyes on a pair of Mountain Khakis a couple of years ago at the Outdoor Retailer show I couldn't figure out the hype. A beefy pant that looked like Carharts yet built for mountain bound people like myself? I wasn't buying it. Then I landed a pair and put them through the ringer and 2 years later after many climbing, bush-whacking, canyon country and other outdoor adventures including building my house with them I'm a believer. Not only have they held up but they are one of the most comfortable pants ...
Wolf Creek Pass to Myself
12.19.07 | Author: Kendall Card | 1 Comment

It seems more rare than common for people to say with enthusiasm, "I LOVE where I live!". Honestly, I LOVE where I live! I've got 3 backcountry skiing spots in 3 different directions within 20 minutes of my house. Weber Canyon to the north, Mirror Lake Highway to the east and Wolf Creek Pass to the Southeast. Add to that Park City is 20 minutes to the west and I'm in a backcountry skiers mecca. But don't tell anyone, mmmk? It's about 2 miles to the south and another 15 to the east from my house to ...

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