Friday, June 19, 2009

Lyngen Alps in Northern Norway

Group photo on top of Rieppetind in the Lyngen Alps, from left: Odd-Arne, Johan, Stefan, Bjorn, Line and Kristine


Line and Stefan on the way down, with majestic spike peaks in the background


Bjorn letting the Voile Asylums do their stuff in the Lyngen Alps


Thanks, Bjorn for sharing your photos with us!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Falling is not an option.


Jarrett Luttrell was kind enough to forward his trip report of a hair raising steep ride down (on a Voile Mojo 66) Pyramid Peak near Aspen, Colorado. I must admit after reading his TR, I was puckering up a bit. Click on the photo for the full TR. Thanks Jarrett!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Next season's Voile Mojo splitboard available now!


Although no changes to construction or dimensions, Voile is pleased to have the sought after Mojo splitboard back in stock with fresh new graphics for the 2009-10 season. Going into its 3rd season, the Mojo has proven to be an all-mountain performance splitboard that you can rely on for all conditions from deep and soft to steep and hard.


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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Voile's SX gets Turbo'd - by Craig Dostie



Had a chance to check out a long desired improvement to Voile bindings yesterday. To be more specific, a more active, turbo-charged version of Voile's popular Switchback binding. Making the binding more active could be done by 1) moving the pivot point back further, and/or 2) increasing the spring rate of the cartridges used.

Voile opted to test a SX binding with the pivot moved back 3/8". I've been testing telemark bindings since 1993, and have recently been involved in comparing what's new for next season, in particular 22 Design's free pivoting HammerHead, a.k.a. Axl, and Rottefella's NTN binding with their various spring cartridges. Against these, and other more active bindings Voile's offerings seem underpowered. That would only be at a first glance, for the reality is, while some telemarkers may desire more power from their binding, most of us are quite content with what we have. Voile's bindings fall in the contented category, but having a bit more power wouldn't hurt either.

This beta version of a turbo charged SX skied beautifully. It had noticeably more power, but not so much that I felt it might compromise sensitivity in soft snow. Part of that is due to the side routing of the cables which seems to consistently deliver a very smooth engagement. Some might call it slow, and indeed it is slower to turn on the power compared to tele bindings with underfoot cable routing, but that isn't always a good thing. It is also a subtle difference that takes time to recognize.

Bottom line: This turbo SX binding skis great. On the HammerHead scale, I'd say (without a side by side comparison) the turbo SX is about HH#3.25. The normal SX/Switchback is more like HH#2.8. Can't wait for Voile to adopt it for the Switchback. If you thought it was too much power, it would be easy enough to simply back off on the pre-tension a bit so that engagement was a bit slower, but overall power remained higher.

Dostie


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Friday, April 3, 2009

Voile Asylum's on Pointe de Revedin, 2,750 m, Wallis, Switzerland


Ulrich Hausmann, a Voile fan and enthusiastic skier of the Voile Asylum and Switchback, sent us these photos of a backcountry ski tour at Point de Revedin, near Wallis, Switzerland. Spectacular! Thanks Ulrich!









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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Splitboard Spain!

From our friends in Europe, splitboarding in Aran Valley, Spain. Enjoy!






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Thursday, February 26, 2009

5th Annual ScrubFest

This years gathering was fantastic thanks to good friends, great riding, perfect conditions, and wonderful rustic lodging in the heart of Wyoming! It was amazing to see splitboarders and skiers converging together comparing gear, swapping stories, and enjoying the mountains.

The crew all offered their sincere thanks and gratitude for all that Voile has done for splitboarding. Without Voile's invention of the splitboard, the sport would not be were it is today. Voile is unique in bringing backcountry snowboarders and skiers together. We all owe you a toast and thanks!
Sandbox Rocks and surfing pow:
Big climbs with the crew:

What is there not to love skiing in the mountains on bluebird days?

Thanks to Voile-USA and our sponsors for help making this event so successful. May Ullr continue to keep it white, fresh, and deep well past spring!