Gilman Tunnels and River

La Sportiva Hi5 skis

I see that Lou over at Wildsnow finally let the horse out of the barn :-)



http://www.wildsnow.com/5292/la-sportiva-hi5-ski-review/comment-page-1/#comment-36675



Big help now as I really wanted the info a couple of months ago! I know Lou had the skis and wondered why he waited so long on the review. Likely out skiing. What was he thinking? Let me help make it a stampede of sorts.









If you follow this blog you know I hadn't skied much (as in none) for a decade or so. The climbing trip last winter to Chamonix was my cardiac jump start. The continued ski season (and terrible weather) here in the NW and with the resulting never ending snowit has allowed me to ski instead of ride my bike or rock climb.



Enjoying it actually. Getting togo back to several old spring ski haunts because of it.



I have been skiing on an assortment of old and new boards over the winter. Shaped, asymmetrical,super short, skinny, fat and in between. Lots of skis. They all generally turn left and right as required.My BD Aspects, Dyna Stokes and the Dyna Broad Peaks are missing from this picture. No huge surprises except one. And that one ski the Hi 5 has been an interesting education that continues.







I first saw the Hi5 at OR last winter and was more than a little skeptical ofthe newLa Sportiva Hi5 or La Sportiva in particular for skis. But I did want a pair of thoseall carbon race boots the STRATOS!Any way, hard to miss a bright green, giant ski that resembles a retro water ski more than snow ski.Or so I first thought. It was a ski that stood outin the ski racks at two "ski bars" and ridingthe trams in Chamonix over the winter. And of the La Sportiva Hi5sI did recognise, all seemed amazingly LOOONG in comparison to the other skisbeing toted around the valley.(from a distinct mental note taken back in March...and obvious ski/mtn gawds riding them)















Hugerocker on the tip of this ski. (well huge to me, the guy who had only skied one pair of rockered skis, these) a squared cut tailand a full 105mm wide at the waist. It is a 75/25 % rockered ski. My early production 188cms pair measure 135/105/125 mmand weight in at 8# 10oz.Light I thought for such a fat and long ski. But they will get lighter in the / production. The goal is 7#15oz for a pair of 188s. My skinny162cm Se7en Summits with arace binding weight 6# for the pair as a comparison, My 178cm BD Aspects are just over 7# with bindings.



The Hi5s are a good bit wider and longer than either with the resulting performance advantages.



In French here:



http://www.sportiva-fr.com/produits/catalogue7.php?id=74



- Longueur : 168 - 178 - 188





-Weight: 1.600gr - 1.700gr - 1.800gr - Poids : 1.600gr - 1.700gr - 1.800gr



- Construction: Sidewall Fusion - 75% Camber / Rocker 25%.Progressive sidecut Progressive sidecut



- Songs: ABS thermoplastic



- Core: Wood Light Karuba - Ame : bois de Karuba léger



- First layer: fiberglass tri-directional



- Second layer: carbon fiber bi-directional / fiberglass inserts



Almost nothing on the Net early on besides these:











Having been on the same hill, on those same days, lhave to admit I now really wanted to try thesefat boys out. But sadly, mine would show up in Apriland the closest I would come to a Cham pow day was a foot of nasty Cascade cement at Crystal that was doing point release slides under the lifts by the afternoon..







But that turned out to not be a bad thing. I wanted to get some skinning in on my lwt stuff but the new snow and avi danger made that problematic. So I stuck withthe Hi5s on the lifts all day. It seemed better than going home, as most did. The first steep I dropped into was 4 turns to the packed again. And I thought that was rather easy. Easier than expected for sure. Next drop I made 6 turns and was still not being pushed. Seemed too easy in the sloppy snow. Terrible snow to ski on but the kind of snow a good snow boarder loves So next time I dropped in the same place and did sixturns before the first tree. Holy shit! Are these really 188cm and 105cm wide? These will take some imagination and relearning what is possible was my thought that day.



Just say no to short skis ;)These are realskis!



No wonder the kidsin Cham were on head height or better skis lengths. These things turn like they are a150mm soft, skinny skis or a snow board. And maybe they are with that much rocker and flotation! What ever is going on here for technology, they sure are a hoot and super easy to ski on!



Check out the actual surface area being used on flat groundbetween my 162cm Se7en Summits and the Hi5 in a 188cm. That is SOME seriousrocker!



When you start looking at rockered skis you need to be really careful with the definition because the ski companies aren't. "Early rise", "semi rockered" and the other terms so easily bandied about generally aren't truly rockered skis. Real rockered skis, ski and turn like much shorter skis than their measured length would first indicate because there is less surface on the ground taking full weight.









When the tips of your skis set on the snow like the Hi5 obviously does, the ski is rockered. 410cm of rocker by my measure on the 188s. A quick example of the difference? A 173cm Stoke ski like a 188cm Hi5. If I cut hairs here, the 176 Aspect feels slower to turnthan thelongerand wider 188 Hi5. Most of that is rocker, some of it is the additional side cut of the Hi5. The pointis the Hi 5 turnslike a much shorter skis in my opinion. Surprizingly so and much to my personal enjoyment.





I hear fat skis are a little tough to edge. Big, stiff boots will solve part of that.



Fat skis are not suppose to like light weight boots. I took that test and like the Dynafit TLT Ps with these skis. And I generally ski the Ps without the tongue, as I was doing in the skiing comments above. Add the tongue and there is plenty of boot for the Stokes or the Hi5s in any length. But I haven't bothered adding the tongue. Might be the fact the Hi5 is so easy to ski and not the boots. It is a question yet unanswered to my satisfaction. But I have the technology to find that answer and will come back to it when I do. I like to think of the Hi5 as my Aspects with power steering and 4 wheel drive if that makes sense. Lower geared, and easier to drive in shitty snow.





The only other fat ski in my quiver is a pair of the new Dynafit Stokes. Goodski as well.But neither ski is really FAT by today's standards. Can't consider the BD Aspect as fat either.I wanted some serious rocker just to see what it was like to ski. Butif possible on a more traditional ski with some side cut. Dbl rockered skis seem a little extreme. But may be I am wrong there. Traditional you say? Well no tail rocker (unless you consider the last 2" of ski rockered" and thereasonableside cut seems almost traditionalthese days. The side cut isn't that far off between the Aspect and the Hi5.BTW I simply haven't noticed the square cut tail. When you sit back there is good support and edge there...like a decentGS ski. Looks a little weird a first but then so does this ski.That was amazingly easy toget over. And amazingly easy to set tail first in hard snow if it is required. The Hi5 numbers made it looklike a more "traditional" ski with some added rocker...OK a lot of rocker.



(all factory numbers..not my numbers)



Mustagh SL 187cm6lb 9oz 122-88-111



Aspect 186cm 7 lb 2 oz 130 / 90 / 117



Drift 186 cm7 lb 10 oz 138/ 100/ 123



Stoke 191cm 7 lb 14oz134 / 108 / 122



Hi5 188cm 7lb 15oz 135 / 105 / 125



Wailer HB 190cm 9lb 4oz 141/ 112 / 128



Megawatt 188cm 10 lb 1 oz 153-125-130







My pre production pair of Hi5s are a few oz.over at a measured 8# 7oz. La Sportiva missed the mark early on by 4oz per ski in a 188. Close enough from my perspective for what I am getting in added performance. I actually made a special trip to Marmot just to check my own numbers again when I started listingthe weight numbers on the Aspect and Stoke. Part of that is the HI5 is a little longer and a good bit wider. And the ski performance matches the Hi5's bigger numbers. Bottom line is I don't care about the weight on this ski (within reason) compared to my Aspects or Stokes.The Hi5shave proven themselves asmy go to, "Hero skis" any any kind of soft snow. If I need a hero ski that particular day I'll deal with the marginal extra weight on the uphill. (Thank Colin at La Sportiva for correctingthe production numbers on the skis being shippedas of Sept '11)



Ithink, if given thechoice, you'll find fewwilling to ski a non rockered 175 or 180cm ski where you can so easily ski the rockered 188 Hi5. The rocker makesthat much difference.I like skiing a little longer ski again.It wasan easy sale after just threeruns.









This is the most funall aroundski I have been on for junk snow. Short of ice and really hard groomers anyway. They aren't GS skis. There is a definite speed limit. These are my hero skis for junk snow. Ski just about anything,anywhere on these and feel awesome while doing it. Might even be able to give my boarding buddya run for the money inwind blown. Which says a lot. No way I would have believed that if the only place I hadskied them was on Chamonix pow. Might be the only ski I use for the down there next winter though. Rippingright out of the gateon the Midiis a dream I intend to make real with this board.









Bottom line? If you haven't skied a fat rocker ..you should ASAP. Hero skis, plain and simple.. With adecade off line...I needed a hero ski ;-)

Enjoying the Local Beauty

I am still healing, but we are getting out and seeing some of the local beauty while here. We don't have to go very far for the beauty because we are on one of the water view sites.









The rest of the places are within minutes of the park.

At the Asylum: an Account of a None Too Sane Patient

Some of you might be wondering where I've been over the last couple of days, either concerned or outraged over my lack of regular posts. Well, if you must know I have been up for the past 48 hours, watching a certain Interview on Oprah again and again, then endlessly analysing it with my internet friends on cycling forums ("Did you see his left eyebrow twitch when he said 'absolutely not' for the 8th time?").




No, I jest. But speaking of analysing facial expressions, readers might recall that I am a psychologist by training and former profession. And you know us psychologists, we love to experiment (that's professional jargon for "mess with people"). Well, last week my PsyPhone - which had grown dusty from lack of use - suddenly rang again, and I was asked to participate in One Last Assignment. "Come on boys," I groaned, wiping bicycle grease off my hands to the sound of jazz in background, "You know that I'm out of that racket." But they wouldn't have it. They needed me. Reluctantly I agreed.




The assignment was in the tradition of theRosenhan experiment. A team of us would infiltrate asylums throughout the country to observe and document their practices - from methods of diagnosis to treatment of inmates. I was assigned to the relatively newArtisan's Asylumin Somerville, Massachusetts.






Armed with notebook and camera, I approached the drab concrete exterior. The need for caution was immediately apparent, given this institution's stealth tactics. Tucked away on a side street lined with warehouses, the enormous building was hidden in plain sight in my very own neighbourhood. Thus it had managed to evade my attention despite being operational for an entire year.






I examined the street conditions to gauge inmate demographics. Bicycles of all types were locked up to every available post. It was clear that I too would require a bicycle, so a to appear a convincing inmate candidate. Luckily, I already had one with me.






At the front desk, several staff members were in place to scrutinise visitors. According to plan, I walked in presenting with vague symptoms of artisanry. Among these I listed: painting, knitting, sewing, persistent compulsions toward bicycle design, and a one time incident of framebuilding. I did not elaborate, I did not exhibit flamboyantly artisanal behaviours, and my hands and clothing were relatively clean. Yet the staff member required no further evidence to admit me. On a notepad I saw them quickly scribble what looked likepsychosis framebuildis, poss. acute. Then another staff member came to escort me.






The inmates call him Dr. Carson, but we never see his face. He, as the other senior staff members, wear welding masks at all times. He appears to be legitimate, even if his interaction tactics unconventional.






Another specialist is called Dr. Skunk. He interacts with inmates exclusively from behind a curtain. He too is purportedlylegitimate, and even runs his own clinic on the side.






Inmates appear well-kempt and not in apparent distress. Possibly they are medicated. Those who have been in the facility long term, enjoy a good degree of freedom. Some rely on two-wheeled devices to assist with mobility around the floor space.






However, new inmates are required to wear green polka dotted metal "gowns," so that they are easily identified by members of staff. This contraption severely limited my speed and range of movements, making note taking and photography challenging.






The interior of the Asylum is vast andlabyrinthine. Endless hallways connect shared spaces designated for inmate activities such as woodworking and metal working.






Private spaces are only partially walled off, allowing staff members to observe inmates.






Primary colours are commonly used.






Evidence of traditional (some might say outdated) treatment models, such as brazing activities, abounds.






Nutrition available on the premises seems limited to beer and coffee, which the inmates are required to brew themselves.






They must also make the tools and dispensers necessary for its production and serving.







Each inmate receives a thermos in which to store hot liquid meals.






Yet I also noted sculptural renditions of used dishes piled up in several communal areas,






which could explain why the premises exhibit signs of insect, rodent, and possibly dragon infestations, in metal and paper form.










A variety of instructional signs guide inmate behaviour. Voluntary compliance rates are considerably higher than I've seen in other institutions.





While I have not noticed any overt force or violence used on the inmates, some visual displays seemed designed as intimidation tactics to keep them under control.






After my tour of the premises, I noted the staff members administering a subtle series of tests to confirm my diagnosis. First, I was exposed to a disassembled vintage Bianchi bicycle in the traditional "celeste" colour scheme while a hidden video camera measured my pupil response.






This procedure was then repeated with tubing, then lugs, then finally some unpainted brazed joints used as stimuli. At the end, Dr. Carson shook his head and jotted down some notes, which I saw to be a confirmation of the initial diagnosis.As far as I can tell, no other steps were taken to probe into my history or consider the appropriateness of my presence at the Asylum.






Following a brief consultation among staff members, my fate was decided. My condition was serious. I was to stay at the Asylum and undergo intensive treatment.






Devises to be used in this course of treatment were shown to me.






Noticing I appeared to have familiarity with them, only confirmed to the staff members the correctness of their diagnosis.





"Much of this is our own technology, made inhouse," Dr. Carson said soothingly. "I believe it will be effective in addressing your needs."







He then showed me other inmates undergoing similar treatment. How happy they were, how engaged, how productive.






Having witnessed everything I came to witness at the Artisan's Asylum, at this stage I attempted to explain myself and depart. But denial is such a common symptom of the condition I was diagnosed with, that this proved to be challenging. I tried to present evidence contradicting my diagnosis. But the staff members only nodded gently. "The pupil test does not lie," said Dr. Carson. From behind his curtain, Dr. Skunk tapped out in Morse code: "you. must. remain."




At length I managed to get to a phone and contacted the project leader of my assignment. He listened to my report. A long silence on the other end then followed."But Dr. [Redacted]..." he finally said, "You have not worked with us for some time. We have no record of such a project as you describe."






What can I say, dear readers. Sometimes life takes us to strange places. Places that exist in pocket universes right under our noses. Places that have brazing and welding facilities (and beginners' workshops, for anyone local interested). I still think the diagnosis is inaccurate, and I am still not sure how I got here. But maybe I will stay a while after all.