skiing – Page 28 – Ross Hewitt Guiding

Plum Yak Binding Review

14th Oct 2014by rosshewittguidingLeave a comment

Photo courtesy of Cedric Bernardini.Test Riding Plum Yaks in a Sluff Fest on Col d’Entreves

My dilemma was that I wanted a super phat touring set up for short tours with under 800 m vertical gain but was wary of placing a low tech on a ski that measured 125 mm under foot. The wide ski places a lot of force on the binding reducing its fatigue life and increases the chance of the binding ripping out of the ski. Enter the Plum Yak which has a base plate 50 mm wider than the traditional Plum guide and a 75 mm drill spacing. Plum recommend this for all skis wider than 105 mm.

Haven’t heard of Plum? (pronouced PLUME). Plum are the Felisaz familly owned French brand located down the Arve valley from Chamonix. The 45 year old company has its traditions in CNC machining high tolerance components for the automotive industry and even Rolex. In the factory one see’s a quality controlled process that transforms aircraft grade aluminium from stock bar to the individual components.

The Plum Yak resembles the Guide in all other aspects except for the mounting plates which include a heal support so that load transfer to the ski is not restricted to the just the pins. The binding’s tough blue anodised finish draws the eye to the beautiful metal work that has gone into producing this binding. All the strength bearing components are machined from high quality aircraft grade aluminium which provide a stiff frame for power transfer from the boot to the ski. Indeed the toe pieces are crafted from a single billet of aluminium providing a noticeable increase in responsiveness and power transfer from edge to edge. Do remember this is a low tech binding and does not have the dynamic retention of an alpine binding, and I am not comparing it to them. That said I often ski good snow with these unlocked and have not experienced the pre-release problems that mean I have to ski Dynafit fully locked all the time. In any high consequence terrain I lock them out just the same. Remember to lube the lever every so often so it doesn’t get sticky. If you are out skiing and find you can’t lock the lever and don’t have any grease (why would you?), just apply a tiny spot of sun cream to the area where the pin is. Also remember to check and/or loctite the base plate screws so they don’t work loose.

The Plum Yak resembles the Guide in all other aspects except for the mounting plates which include a heal support so that load transfer to the ski is not restricted to the just the pins. Especially nice if you jump. The heal post is rotated with a ski pole in the same way as a Dynafit Vertical ST but is bi- directional making it more ergonomic. A brake is also available if you need it.

All in all a strong and well made binding whose beauty lies in its simplicity. I skied it through 2014 season with no issues and am looking forward to getting back on them.

Forward and lateral release value 5.5 -12. 900 g pair (no brake)

Raised tow-piece to reduce ramp angle.
Built in crampon slot.
30mm heal adjustment rail.
For skis wider than 95mm waist.
CNC machined accuracy for a rigid frame.
Heel pad stiffens boot connection.

Black Crows 2015 Corvus Review

13th Oct 2014by rosshewittguiding12 Comments

A lot of people are starting to ask me what kit I chose and why. Anyone who knows me quickly comes to realise that I am really choosy about kit. The engineer in me looks for a well design product and the realist looks for a product that is robust and won’t let me down. On those big mountain steeps, you will only get away with kit failure if your really lucky and you never know when your luck will run out. Skiing is also a sport about sensations, and skis have to deliver a special combination of power, grip, dampening, agility and stability in just the right amounts to cut it. My skiing developed from an alpine slalom racing background to freeride and big mountain steep skiing. I’m definitely not into lightweight racing kit for ski touring and the chattery feel of those matchsticks. I’d rather put a bit more effort in on the up to be able to blast on the down without the worry of ripping the binding out or snapping a ski.

In the last ten years I have mainly skied Dynastar and Volkl before moving to Black Crows in 2013. I didn’t just move brand because they offered to support me, I went and tried out all their skis at an open day to see how they felt and if they could give me what I am looking for, just as you should. With the progression from cambered Dynastar pro riders to Volkl, Katanas, Kuros then Shiro’s you can see there is a general mix of performance with a growing trend of playfulness and agility. Long gone are the days you chose a big GS ski for stability at the sacrifice of agility, modern skis can do it all.

The Corvus has been Black Crows Sovereign ski since the brands conception, and with each year they have added some extra width to drive the market trend. We chose this ski to take on a 30 day expedition on Baffin Island to ski couloirs and here’s why. I wanted a ski that was reasonably stiff, had tip rocker a for forgiving nature, a classic tail for powering out of turns and edging, and at just over 4 kg for the pair light enough to do 1000 m a day, day in day out. This is a ski that likes to charge, and the harder you push the more impressed would will be with it stability as it shows its calibre. You can ski pow with dustbin lids but when its variable, crusty or firm then you start to appreciate the all round abilities. Its like a Mantra but with an extra 10 mm under foot fun added. It will be equally at home with alpine or touring bindings depending out what you want to do. I rated the ski on the 10 qualities I look for in a ski:

Chasing Tom Grant – Ford Wall, Baffin Island

Baffin Island Film Teaser

7th Oct 2014by rosshewittguidingLeave a comment

In April 2014, Marcus Waring, Michelle Blaydon, Tom Grant and myself travelled to the North East Fiords of Baffin Island which are situated between mainland Canada and Greenland. There we spent 30 days unsupported in the fiords, travelling 240 km using kites and skins and skiing 26 couloirs along the way. Many of the lines were first know descents.

Here is a teaser for our forthcoming film:

Let the Ski Season Begin

23rd Sep 2014by rosshewittguidingLeave a comment

I managed to sneak away from work for a few days in the hope of some mixed North Face climbing adventures but the weather over the weekend was miserable. As it cleared on Monday the mountains looked plastered and it seemed like I could combine an acclimatisation trip with a few turns. De Masi was keen so we headed up the Midi with no real expectations. As we descended the arrete it was clear that there was more than a dusting. I put on my skis for the first time in a couple of months and looked down the south side which was looking tempting but slightly loaded. A brief conversation followed along the lines of:

“Hey Dave, think it will stick?”

‘Dunno, what do you think?’

“I haven’t formed an opinion yet. I’m going to wait for those guys to walk past the bottom so they don’t get sluffed. The shrund on the left is gaping open, what is it like straight down?”

‘Dunno.’

“Eyes on then.”

First turn into the pow made me remember why I love skiing so much. Leaning over hard into smooth silky velvet… After that we went down Gros Rognan for a bit and cut back to the Valley Blanche and skinned into Cirque Maudit for a look around before skinning back to the Midi. That last bit felt like a slog with no acclimatisation and I was happy to get down the lift quickly!

Alaska 2009

7th Jul 2014by rosshewittguidingLeave a comment

For this trip we based ourselves in Cordova, ski touring on the Heney Range and flying with Points North on primo weather days in the Chugach. I was joined by Paul van Lamsveerde, Pete Benson and Evan Cameron.