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Sitzmark flyer 2019

The 4th Annual Altai Skis Hok Festival at Sitzmark

Saturday, January 26th Once again we are having our Hok festival at Sitzmark Ski Area in Okanogan County, NE WA. Grab your Hoks or Koms, your tiak (or poles), your (3 pin)boots and come out and enjoy some up down and around in the Okanogan Highlands at Sitzmark. Map of the Highlands with notable points of (skier) interest. Looking North from SItzmark into Canada There will be clinics and pointers for those interested in skiing with the Hoks both up and down the hill, and on how to use a Tiak (single pole), a unique way to ski with the Hoks. We will have some demos there as well for you to try out, both Hoks and Koms as well as some Tiaks. Lisa touring south at the end of the day  Sitzmark Ski Area, is a great little ski area deep in the Okanogan Highlands of NE Washington and is close to the world headquarters of Altai Skis in Curlew. Checking out the skis Some lodging options are available for those coming from out of the area – There are some Tonasket Motels and lodging as well as some in Oroville if you are coming from up north. In Wauconda there is the Diamond Belle Ranch – good skiing and beds for more then 20 with kitchen too. Republic has some lodging as well.  Over an hour from Sitzmark, it is on the west side of Sherman pass (excellent skiing) and on the way home if you are coming from Spokane or points east.  Also of note in Republic is the Republic Brew Pub  Looking west from the summit of Sitzmark Sitzmark Ski Area Sooo….. Where is Sitzmark? From Oroville, where you would be if you came down through Osoyoos, BC. From Tonasket, if you were coming from the south on Hwy 97. From Curlew or crossing from BC at Grand Forks and also crossing at Midway. From Republic and Highway 20 (this is the very scenic route!). From Colville and traveling north on Hwy 395. Sitzmark:  Openning with a rope tow in the 1950s, Sitzmark  now has a double chairlift and a rope tow. The terrain is a mix of mostly beginner through advanced intermediate with some nice open forest. The area is very kid friendly and has rentals of alpine gear and snowboards for kids. We will also have some Balla Hoks (the kids hok ski) available as well as quite a few of the 125 Hoks. The lodge is small and cozy with a big fireplace. There is food and hot drinks available and brown bags (your own food) are welcome. SItzmark Ski Area

The new climbing wire for our custom heel pieces.

Climbing wire for the AS Hok heel pieces

  Many of you 3pin users may have wondered what those 3 sets of holes were in the base of the heel pieces. Well, our new climbing wire is done and just happens to fit in those holes…..We finished the wire design late last season and did our initial testing in the spring and early summer. We will test it a bit more to confirm the design again and then be offering them on our website.   Following our overall design concept, we tried to keep these simple, sturdy, and easy to use. As with the heel pieces, the climbing wire is designed to fit a range of boot sizes. We have tested the wires with a size 5.5 women’s boot (see picture) up through a men’s 13. There are 6 possible location settings with 3 sets of holes on the heel pieces and the 2 locations for the heel pieces on the Hok (3 inserts for  the 2 holes). Unlike a lot of climbing wires, the design is easy to use and relies on gravity, sitting  on top of the heel piece when engaged rather then depending on a spring or indents to hold it up and place. We find these systems to be finicky and hard to put up and down.               The wire is spring steel and stainless. Cost for a set of wires will be $9.75.

Hok-Vert-web

Altai Skis Press Release

    Our press release announcing Altai Skis to the World!       Altai Skis Press Release   CONTACT: Nils Larsen Francois Sylvain nils@altaiskis.com francois@altaiskis.com www.altaiskis.com   New hybrid ski and snowshoe introduced   North America (April, 2011): The Altai Ski Company is born. Altai Skis represent a convergence of utility and adventure in backcountry ski design. Altai Skis’ first ski, the Hok, is a hybrid of ski and snowshoe. The design is short and wide with a climbing skin integrated into its base. The ski allows for easy climbing and predictable downhill control by the user.   The Hok is incredibly maneuverable and easy to use, a great cross between snowshoes and cross-country skis. The skis is designed for use whenever and wherever there is snow and is the ideal tool for the pocket backcountry found out the back door and in nearby parks and woodlands. The ski is equally well suited for exploring the local hills or mountains.   Founded by Nils Larsen and Francois Sylvain, Altai Skis is focused on design inspired by the true spirit and utility of backcountry skiing.   Larsen and Sylvain are ski industry veterans who have worked extensively together in the past. They believe that the easily accessible, everyday backcountry is generally overlooked by much of the current equipment offered. “We believe that the term ‘backcountry’ can and should include the patch of woods behind your house or the hills just out of town. For many of us, this is the most accessible and affordable terrain we can get to on a regular basis.” says Larsen.   The name Altai Skis was inspired by the ski culture found in the Altai Mountains of northern Asia. Since 2005, Larsen has been documenting the indigenous ski culture in the region that dates back thousands of years. The local culture’s go-everywhere, do-everything skis are the inspiration for Altai Skis.   Sylvain brings 12 years of ski design and construction experience with Karhu and Line skis to Altai Skis. His designs are highly regarded in alpine and nordic ski categories.   Larsen has been at the forefront of the backcountry ski scene for the last 25 years and started working at Karhu Skis in the early 1990’s. Together, they developed the majority of telemark, backcountry, and XCD skis that Karhu released in the last 10 years.   More information can be found at the website www.altaiskis.com   .  

Welcome to Altai Skis

Altai Skis was conceived by Nils Larsen and Francois Sylvain in 2009.   We both have had extensive ski industry experience and had worked together designing nordic and backcountry skis for over ten years. We felt there was a great potential for skis designed for what we like to call ‘pocket backcountry’, the skiing many skiers have ready access to close to where they live. In both Quebec (Francois’ home) and NE Washington (Nils’ home), skiing out the back door or close to it offers us great and easy access to the winter world. We set to work on new designs, with the goal to create easy to use and accessible gear to match the often overlooked skiing terrain hiding in plain view.   Nils has been working on a documentary project on indigenous skiers in the remote Altai Mountains of Northern Asia since 2005. The ski traditions in the area date back thousands of years, possibly to the origins of skiing. The skiers in the Altai still use one ski design for all their skiing, whether it’s a short trip to feed their livestock, over the hill to visit a neighbor, or a two week hunting expedition deep into the rugged mountains. All skiing in the Altai is ‘backcountry’. This was the inspiration for Altai Skis, it defines the spirit of our company and it will drive our designs into the future.