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Testing and development of the Kōm.

When Francois and I created Altai Skis, our main goal was to make accessible and affordable skis that worked well in the winter backcountry areas that lie close to where many of us live. We call this backyard backcountry. Maybe its not as glamorous as the terrain and skiing found in the ski movies of the day, but its way easier for many of us to get to and with the right skis, lots of fun.   The Hoks were clearly our first and main project. We did look beyond that though, and had the Kōm ski in our initial vision as well. The ski is wide and short like a Hok, but in the continuum between a snow shoe and a ski, the  Kōm is much more on the ski side of the mix. Our initial concept was simple. A short wide ski  with a length between 155 cm and 165 cm, and between 95-100 mm under foot. We would also use some of the design ideas we incorporated into the Hok. The tip has some rocker, allowing us to reduce the sidecut a bit while keeping the ski easy turning. The binding and geometry  are a bit forward then a traditional skis design as well. This keeps the balance and swing weight even, and the ski sinking more evenly when breaking trail in deeper snow – a condition we all seek out whenever possible!   The Kōm is also faster gliding then the Hok, as it uses a no wax (fish scale) base. The base we are using along with the ski design is quite aggressive  for climbing, more so then the normal nowax base, but not as grippy as the Hoks with their integrated skin base. As a solution we are also developing a dedicated removable skin – more on that later.   The name – Kōm – comes from one of the main towns in the Chinese region of the Altai Mountains, and is one of the hotbeds of traditional skiing. The graphic we are working on is also inspired by the Altai region, we will get that up as soon as it is finalized.   Right now we are planning to build the Kōm without inserts so users can mount the binding of their choice on it easily. We have gone back and forth on this but that is our current plan. We are testing with the Voile 3 pin cable  – a light and sturdy free heel binding we have used a lot in the past. My testing rig so far has been the Voile with a Scarpa T4 and occasionally a leather lace up (works well unless the snow is hard or funky).   We will be producing the Kōm in a small factory in Quebec, and should have finished skis coming out by late summer – good timing for next season!   Below is a video I put together on some recent testing of the Kōm – to be continued…..    

Open-house-flyer

Open House and Demo

We will be having a open house at the new Curlew digs this Saturday starting around 4 PM – we have a little ski museum and will have some beer from Republic Brewing CO and snacks as well. Come see us! Earlier in the day – starting around 10AM – we will have some demos locally. These will run through the day. you can call for more info, we are waiting to see what the weather brings us….. attached is our flyer. The art work is by Hannah Viano, and is also featured on our long sleeve t shirt this year.  

Keith Wakefield

Single Poles for 2012-13 season

I have become so enamored of skishoeing with the Hoks and a single pole that we will sell them this year on the website. A few of us have been out scouting and cutting this summer already (see pics) and are getting quite the stockpile. Lodgepole  pine is the wood of choice, very strong and supple. There are lodgepole thickets high the mountains around here where altitude, rocky soil, and tight stands conspire to keep growth rates incredibly low. I just measure a lodgepole less then 1.5 inches in diameter and it is just about 50 years old (hard to count the rings they are so tight)!   I have experimented with size and length this year and have decided that 12-16 inches taller then your height is a good length. Once seasoned they will be peeled and prepped for use. The poles will be finished with a penetrating oil and have a cord through the handle end. The base end will have a wedge cut in, handy for scraping snow off the top of skis. We are also having a small ‘AS’ brand made that will go on the handle as well. Like the Hoks the Tiaks (tīăk – the Altai word for their single poles) will be simple, durable, and easy to use. They will look great too!     Why a single pole? Traditionally the ski poles we use for both nordic and downhill have several uses, on nordic skis the main one would be propulsion. With a smooth based ski you can get a lot of glide with a well executed pole push, and when climbing your poles can reduce your back sliding. On nordic skis the effective push is reduced when breaking trail in deep snow and in these conditions many skiers revert to using their poles for balance, problematic because with two poles you are constantly throwing your weight from side to side.  Using two poles effectively is not intuitive, and I have spent days trying to teach both nordic and downhill skiers effective poling.   Downhill skiing uses poles a bit differently. The poles are shorter and are used primarily as a timing device for turns and as a way to position and move our bodies (our center of balance) down the hill into the next turn. As a lesser use, since we are on skis with zero grip we also use them to gamely try and push ourselves around as best we can.     At the point you put a climbing skin on the ski you reduce free gliding enough to make the pole push more of an energy  draw then gain, and with the climbing skin back slipping is much less of an issue. But the biggest advantage of the single pole is its ability to form a tripod with the pole and your two skis. Tripods are inherently stable in a simple intuitive way, and when one of the legs is moved (the pole), very adaptable to uneven ground. The use of a pole puts the skishoer’s center of balance a bit back on the downhill, creating a really stable position in a wide variety of snow conditions. The Hoks are short (particularly the 125), a great plus for maneuverability and turning but the disadvantage of a short ski is less stability fore and aft. The single pole quickly eliminates this problem.       Of special note is the use of the single pole on downhills. Despite seeing modern telemark skiers switch the pole from side to side as they make turns down the hill, the single pole is not moved from side to side while turning and is kept on the favored side on a downhill run, with the end of the pole drifting from side to side behind you, providing the balance where its needed at any given moment. The only time I found it useful to switch sides is on a steep sidehill, where the pole support up hill is excellent for a stabilizing a steep traverse. There are many other uses I have come up with for the single pole. It’s great for clearing branches of snow when moving through the forest. It’s great for breaking low branches too – perhaps on your favorite ski run. It’s a great probe….   I will write more on this later. Suffice to say, I am looking forward to a great winter of skishoeing (Hoking!) and the pleasures of a single pole.    

February 27th Availability Update

February 27th update !   We are sold out of skis and bindings in Canada for this season. We have a fair supply of both sizes of Hoks and the custom 3 pin bindings in the US, and have sold out in the US on Universal Bindings and the adapter plate.   I can ship in the US and internationally, but international shipments (including Canada) will come with all taxes and duties collect. I will have to price shipping outside the US on a individual order basis, so email for a quote if you are interested.

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   .