Review: The Other Stuff

Karhu Kondor

Telemarkers are notoriously skeptical of new elements in ski design, so when smart alpine innovations do land at their heels, you can be sure they're here to stay. Witness the metal edge, the plastic boot, and now the hourglass design of the Karhu Kondor ($385; 800-869-3348), a turn-happy counterpoint to those unforgiving boards of old.

What's unusual about the Kondor is its broad tip (96 millimeters), narrowish waist (64), and wide tail (86), dimensions that add up to 60 percent more sidecut than Karhu's best-selling Outbound. Combined with a soft yet resilient ride, the Kondor's shape makes it an easy-listening ski that allows telemarkers to carve sensuously round turns with considerably less effort. Built with a ceramic cap for torsional rigidity and snappy turns, it weaves delicious round S's down powdery fall lines with only a flick of the knee, and it bounces back to center with little effort. On hard-packed trails, however, the Kondor tends to skid much like a conventional ski. Incidentally, the narrow waist requires add-on binding risers to keep your hardware from suddenly snagging the slope when you really lean 'em over, a cartwheel-inducing phenomenon known as "booting out." That danger aside, the Kondor simply makes turning more fun, which is what it's all about — even for the skeptics. — David Goodman

Mountainsmith Armadillo Sled

Towing a backcountry sled may seem strictly the province of arctic expeditioners, but even winter campers with modest aspirations will find Mountainsmith's Armadillo surprisingly useful. A handy alternative to humping a backpack full of winter gear while skiing or snowshoeing, the Armadillo ($325; 800-426-4075) won't pitch you head-over-free-heels at the slightest loss of balance.

The 41-by-18-inch hull is tough polyethylene, the same stuff used to make rough-and-tumble river kayaks, meaning the ten-pound sled easily bears the brunt of hidden boulders and stumps. An expandable 500-denier Cordura cover that zips stem to stern provides extra cargo space, allowing you to fill the Armadillo with an unruly collection of otherwise hard-to-pack necessities: thermoses, lanterns, firewood. Pony up an extra $96 for Mountainsmith's Kid Kit — a windscreen and padded, high-backed child's seat that bolts into the hull — and you can throw a youngun into the mix. Two six-foot aluminum poles extend from the sled to a padded waist belt with leg loops, giving you firm control over your tow and ensuring it won't beat you down hills. Nonstick aluminum runners let the sled glide along quite easily, even with, say, 110 pounds aboard — a load that the most hardy of souls couldn't begin to portage in a pack. It even comes with a removable outboard skeg, which prevents fishtailing and serves as a brake of sorts, so that when you stop midtraverse the sled won't slide downhill. And since there's no load against your back, you'll be more comfortable. It's the next best thing to a yak.
— Gregory Crouch

Aftermarket Insoles
Gel inserts, terrain-specific treads, thermally bonded heel cups — these are the splendors of modern footwear. Good-quality insoles, unfortunately, are not. Luckily, it's easy and inexpensive to upgrade your new shoes, whether they be trail runners or ski boots, with an aftermarket insole. Choosing one means making a compromise between cushioning and stability, and you may want different insoles for different shoes. Long popular for its comfort, the Sorbothane Ultra Sole ($21; 800-321-4145) uses a layered rubber-and-plastic cushion to mimic the heel's fat pad, which deteriorates as we age. Spenco's three-quarter-length Arch Cushion ($14; 800-877-3626) offers cushioning that slips conveniently into snug-fitting footwear. For a balance of support and comfort, try Spirakut's FootFix Comfort Replacement Insole ($17; 800-642-3002), a cardboard-stiff insert molded with a supportive heel pocket and featuring a polyethylene wafer under the heel. For stability on the order of an orthotic, consider the Superfeet High Profile ($28; 800-634-6618), constructed of a three-quarter-length layer of molded polypropylene covered with a full-length foam pad and topped with synthetic leather for durability. — Douglas Gantenbein

Photographs by Clay Ellis