Back yard cruisers

[Uphill Plodder]

After a couple of years shuffling around out the back door on a set of Marquette Back Countries I just ordered a pair of Altai Hocs. I find these things to be the greatest for setting tracks doing trail maintenance and just cruising around the bush in my extended backyard. I can pick up a 1000 feet of vertical pretty easily but the down is often pretty nasty in tight aspen and lots of grabby stuff lurking below. I found the Marquettes relative slowness downhill and great manoeuvrability when paired with first generation maroon T3s and Voile 3 pin cables to be just the thing for managing seen and unseen hazards and putting a smile on my face most winter afternoons. Hopefully the Hocs being a little lighter will be more nimble yet.

[cesare]

My professor at Hokudai, Shimizu-sensei, used these Ainu skis called "stoh". They were really similar and he skied circles around me at age 70 when I was in my mid thirties. His were modern, sandwich constructed skis that were 130cm long and 130mm wide with real seal skins glued and pressed into the bases. He used leather work boots and bear trap bindings. I skied with him every day for two winters and he always disappeared ahead of me with ease. He shredded tight deciduous trees at the Toikanbetsu Research Station like he was skipping through a flat park. A shop in Sapporo, Shugakuso, used to have them and I have vowed to get a pair next time I'm back. I'd mount them with TTS bindings and ski them in F1s.

[MoreGear]

The Hocs look very similar to the Karhu Meta of a few years back. Have a pair with 3 pins sitting over in the corner, maybe I should give those another try this winter