Febuary 21, 2005; black tusk/microwave towers, BC

So, did they work, and how were they? Show everyone proof that your ride was a success (or even a complete failure)!

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bigKam
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Febuary 21, 2005; black tusk/microwave towers, BC

Post by bigKam »

after skiing a few days at Whistler on the Ahmas (135-108-124mm), i decided to take them out for a ski tour with friends Amar Andalkar and Matt Swallows. we ventured to the Black Tusk area. the weather was incredibly clear and warm. our tour started out at ~2900 ft. and we skinned for ~5 miles on the microwave towers access road. by late afternoon, we topped out at 6600 ft. and decided to ski down from the towers. the snow along the west ridge leading to the Tusk was significantly wind hammered. the only good snow i found was on north slopes, but unfortunately, we didn't ski those slopes. instead, we survival skied back to the access road and descended on the road back to the car. overall, the descent was fun on the Ahmas, but climbing with them was somewhat of a chore. they weigh a lot and not the most idea boards for backcountry travel. so far i've skied about 10+ days on them and they are starting to show signs of wear and tear. most of the damage is occuring on the topsheet. the material we use isn't that durable. it chips rather easily, from sharp blows from the edge of the opposite ski. i think i'm going to have to consider using a different material, for example, p-tex, or finding more durable material. suprisingly, the camber is holding its shape well and the ski performs well inbounds. i skied them pretty hard at Whistler. anyway, here's a self portrait i made while ascending along the west ridge toward the Black Tusk (sharp pointy thingy). the terrain is amazing up there!

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