Gear Review - Alkai Hok 125 cm Snow Skis

I haven't done many gear reviews, but in this instance I feel compelled to do one, since this product will change my adventures.

One of the things that I've always felt that was missing from the market, and therefore from my bag of toys was a snowski... an alternate to a snowshoe.  Don't get me wrong, I love snowshoeing, but sometimes a better option (in my mind), would be a short ski.  Backcountry skiing is my number one passion, but there's been something missing from my quiver of backcountry skis.   Conventional backcountry skis are long and require the addition of climbing skins to be effective on the uphill portion.  Skins take time to put on the skis and they really slow you down on the downhill.  The real pain is when you get to rolling terrain or thicker woods.  It's not practical to take the skins on and off frequently and conventional length skis can be too long once off-trail.

Hence the snow ski... snowshoe alternate.  I'm surprised there are not more options on the market for such a product.  I didn't even know there were any options until recently.  There is a company called Alkai that makes a snow ski called the Alkai Hok.  It is available in two lengths, 125 cm and 145 cm.  The shorter one is meant to be more of the substitute for a snowshoe, and the longer one functions a little more like a ski.  The longer length gives more speed, but the trade-off is the added length takes away mobility off-trail.

The company also offers two binding setups; a "universal" binding which is almost like a snowboard binding and can take and boot,  a conventional heavy duty 3 pin telemark binding.  Of course you can mount whatever binding you like if you chose.

The universal binding gives less control, but you don't need special boots.  This is the version my wife Leesa opted for.  I wanted the additional control to do tele turns, so I got the 3 pin setup.  My bought the gear at The Mountaineer in Keene, NY.   They are super helpful there, plus you can rent the Alkai Hoks there if you want to try them out before you buy.  We did exactly that.  The Mountaineer recommended the shorter 125 cm ski for our purposes, snowshoe substitute, so we both bought the shorter version.   The ski is about 4.75 inches wide or 120 mm, which gives a nice stable platform for deeper powder. 

The hoks, have a built-in permanent kicker skin that covers the middle half of the ski.  It works fantastic.  I found that it gives exceptional climbing ability, yet there is still some glide left on the ski, which is what I wanted.                    

My 125 cm, 3 pin binding, Alkai Hoks  

Today I got my first chance to check out the performance of the skis in substantial new powder.  A storm 2 days ago dropped 12-18 inches of snow in the nearby Green Mountains of Vermont, so I wasted no time in getting to Manchester Vermont today.  Manchester itself had no new snow, but as soon as I continued east on Route 30 towards Bromley Ski area, that changed quickly.  I parked in the pull off lot where the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail crosses Route 30.  The elevation there is 1800', which is 1000' higher than town.   There was plenty of snow right from the start.  I opted to climb first, thereby heading north towards Bromley Mountain and the Bromley Mountain shelter.

  

I knew there was going to be one issue during the day... the temperature transition from below freezing to 40+ degrees.  I started at about 10:30 and it was close to 30 degrees.  I brought some Swix F4 wax with me, but didn't know if it would solve the expected problem of snow sticking to the skis. 

Within about 30 minutes, I had my answer... No.  The skis had glided wonderfully in the beginning , and I was skiing on on a recent snowshoe track.  About the time the snowshoer had turned around, leaving me with virgin snow, the temperature was right where I didn't want it to be.  Snow began to stick to the skis.  I was skiing in a foot of new powder, and with each step, the snow compressed and stuck to the skis.  I took them off and put on some F4, witch worked for 10 minutes or so, and then the snow was sticking again.  I knew it wouldn't be a problem on the downhill, and/or when the temperature climbed another 5 degrees.  This would be a problem with any ski,  so no discredit to the Alkai Hoks.  They were climbing beautifully.

     

After 2 miles I reached the Bromley Shelter, which was my destination.  I stopped there for lunch and put some more F4 wax on the skis.  Now it was time to go downhill.  It was fantastic.  Since I was gliding and not climbing, the snow didn't stick any longer.  The 2 mile decent was quick and the skis performed as well as I had hoped.  Great control, plus I was happy with the amount of speed I could get with such a short ski and had a climbing skin built into it.  I was stoked!

  

The Bromley shelter

Rev is waiting next to the pack for more treats...

The skis are about the same length as my poles!l 

At the bottom I crossed Route 30 and headed south on the trail to get in a few more miles of skiing.  The snow was now warm enough that it was no longer sticking.  It was a beautiful afternoon.

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As far as the gear review, I can't say enough about these skis.  They are exactly what I was looking for.  I willing be getting a lot of use out of them in the coming years.  They have metal edges also so you can carve turns.  The picture below shows my skis on the left and Leesa's on the right with the universal binding. 

    

Here is a link to a review that is on the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) website.  They give the skis a more in-depth review than I did.  All I can say is the snowski snowshoe alternative has been lacking in the market and the Alkai Hok nicely fulfills that niche.  Try them out if you can!  You can also Google to see other reviews and some YouTube videos.  I'm a happy skier today.

Cheers!   

Ski Stats:

Total Distance:  6 miles

Total Vertical Gain:  1250'

Total  Time (including stops):  3 hours

Number 8 Hill - Pharaoh Lake Wilderness - 12/17/17

We had about 10 inches of snow on Tuesday the 12th.  Of course that made me anxious to get out on my cross country skis.  I spent some time on Saturday at the Lake George Rec Trails.  I skied most of the trails there, then followed the old jeep road up towards Prospect Mountain before dropping down to the Prospect Mountain Auto Road and a nice glide out.

Today I wanted a combo ski and hike.  I decided to repeat a trek I've made several times before.  Number 8 Hill in the Pharoah Lake Wilderness would be my goal.  I drove to the hamlet of Adirondac and parked at the trailhead for the Sucker Brook trail on the East side of Schroon Lake.  As I passed Schroon Lake, it looked quite magical with water vapor coming off the warm water and freezing in the cold air before crystallizing on the trees on the shoreline.  I didn't get any pictures that quite captured it, but it was a beautiful site.

  

A beautiful morning at Schroon Lake

The Sucker Brook trail is an old jeep road and is now marked as a horse trail, but it gets little use; in fact there were no tracks in the snow when I got there, and no cars parked.   I opened the hatch of the car and Rev leaped out, ready for adventure.

The sign at the parking area.

For my combo adventure, I was going to ski approximately 3.5 miles to the southern base of Number 8 Hill, then ditch the skis and climb the short distance to the summit from the south approach.  This is a lovely route, it I believe today was my fourth time.

The old horse trail discs.  I've never seen evidence of any horses here...   

It was quite cold today; 2 degrees at the start but winds were calm and the skies were blue.  I attached my snowshoes to my pack, put my skis on, and set off to get warm.  The old jeep road is smooth in the beginning, so 10 inches of snow was adequate.  About 2 miles in the road gets rougher, with exposed rock.  Although the rock was covered  in snow, I twice hit rocks that didn't move... so I did.  It wasn't pleasant having these abrupt visits to the ground, but it's the price to pay for early season skiing in the woods.  I also came to a few small drainages that I couldn't cross on skis so I had to take them off and carry them across.

By the time I got to the location where I wanted to jump off the trail, I was glad to take the skis off.  It was a short 0.9 mile climb up the southern ridge.  Most of my pictures were taken on the southern ridgeline or on the summit.

      

The open southern approach (this pic and the next five!)

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Rev on the summit, with Pharaoh Mountain in the background.

A better look at Pharaoh Mountain. 

You can't tell from my pictures, but there is a nice view of Hoffman Mountain in Schroon Lake and also the Great Range in the horizon.

Rev awaiting treats... then wanting to get moving again.  

A memorial of sorts... for a Grant MacDonald 

Brant Lake

I enjoyed a thermos of hot chocolate on the summit and patted myself on the back for remembering to bring it!  It hit the spot.  It was definitely worth coming back to Number 8 Hill a forth time.  The views are awesome and the bushwhacking is easy and enjoyable. 

Rev and I returned to the trail so I could get my skis.  The return trip trip was slightly downhill and I now had my previous track to glide in, making the trip out a little bit faster.  It felt great to be back on skis again, although as I type this blog post, I can tell I used some different muscle groups that haven't been used recently!

Another nice day out.  Rev and I didn't see another person all day.

Trip Stats:

Ski Distance:  7.2 miles

Hike Distance:  2 miles

Total Vertical Gain:  1200'

Trip Time:  5 hours (including stops)

XC Ski - Wilson Pond - Blue Ridge Wilderness - 1/30/16

With this January being what it is, we had to do a little traveling to find some snow worthy of using our cross country skis.  Saturday found Leesa and I in Blue Mountain Lake.  We chose the Cascade Pond Trail (#55 on the National Geographic Northville/Raquette Lake map #744).

Roadside signage

We parked on the shoulder of County Route 19, but we could have driven into the parking area.  We first skied the short distance to the small picnic area on the west side of Lake Durant, then we started down the Cascade Pond trail.

Trailhead sign for the Cascade Pond Trail.

Sign at the picnic area on Lake Durant

Blue Mountain from Lake Durant

Bridge between Rock Pond and Lake Durant

We crossed the bridge shown above and then started the uphill ski towards Cascade Pond. Unfortunately the trail had rocks that weren't covered by snow.  We decided it wouldn't be worth the climb becuase it would be tough to ski down.  We turned around after 1.4 miles and made our way back to the car.

We came up with Plan B which was to drive a couple miles west and try the Wilson Pond Trail (trail # 57). This turned out to be a better option.  There seemed to be a little more snow, plus there were fewer rocks and obstacles on the trail.

Spring on the south side of Loon Brook 

This was Leesa's first day out on skis this winter.  She skied along with me until we were about a half mile from Wilson Pond, at which time she decided she was ready to turn around.  She told me to go on ahead and see the pond and lean-to and she'd see me back at the car.

Wilson Pond

The island on Wilson Pond.

We had been following the snowshoe tracks of two guys who had signed in ahead of us.  As I came over the last rise before the pond and lean-to, I could smell smoke in the distance.  I suspected that the two guys were camping at the lean-to and they had a fire going.  I soon found that I was correct. As my dog Rev and I approached, we saw them tending a campfire at the lean-to and having some coffee.  

Wilson Pond lean-to.

Wilson Pond lean-to in use.

I chatted with the two guys for a few minutes, then headed back to try and catch up to Leesa.

Some blue skies arriving...

The sun came out as I was skiing back, and it was nice to see.  The temperature remained in the 20's so skiing was good.

I made it back to the car just as Leesa was unlocking the car.  Perfect timing.

XC Ski Stats:

Trail Distance:  5.8 miles

Ski Time:  3 hours

Total Vertical Gain:  ~700'

The routes

XC Ski Mount Marcy (5344') - High Peaks Wilderness - 2/11/15

It's been (gulp) 18 years since I last skied Mount Marcy.  I couldn't believe it when I discovered it had been that long, especially since Marcy is the premier mountain ski trip in the Adirondacks.   Not only is Marcy the highest peak, it offers the best ski trip to a summit that I can think of.  There are other excellent backcountry ski trips but none that reach a summit that compares to Marcy. 

This route has been written up many times over the years in books such as "Ski and Snowshoe Trails in the Adirondacks" by Tony Goodwin and "Best Backcountry Ski Tours in the Northeast:  50 Classic Ski Tours in New England and New York" by David Goodman.   

I had planned to take Wednesday the 11th off from work and I wanted to do a big ski trip.  I was considering a through ski of Flowed Lands and Avalanche Pass from Upper Works to Adirondac Lodge, but then I looked at the summit forecast for Marcy.  The prediction was for partly sunny, mid's 20's and only 5 mile per hours winds (a rarity on Marcy).  That sealed the deal.  I left the Lake George area at 7:30 and was on the trail before 9:30.

I started from the High Peaks Information Center (HPIC) at the southern end of Adirondack Loj Road.  Another great option would have been to park at the barricade entrance to South Meadow Road and ski in via the old truck trail.  I did not carry snowshoes with me, but I had microspikes for the last part of the hike.  The summit is often too windblown to ski.

Given the forecast, I was excited to revisit Marcy on skis.  The added wrinkle on this trip would be skiing with my dog Rev attached to me via a flexi leash.  I often ski with her, but not on a mountain where she is required to be leashed.

The snow conditions were perfect.  I skied past Marcy Dam in 35 minutes.  In 55 minutes, at the 3.1 mile mark, I passed the trail to Phelps Mountain.  I also passed two groups of three skiers also headed for Marcy. 

At the 3.5 mile mark, I crossed the bridge over Phelps Brook.  This is where everyone always stops to put skins on their skis, and I did this here.  It is exactly the halfway point in the trip.  Once past the bridge, the trail begins to climb more steeply and a ski trail splits off from the hiking trail.  I stayed on the hiking trail for the ascent.  My skins worked well on the packed powder and I climbed as effortlessly as with a pair of traction snowshoes.   

Rev, as always, helped to move me a little faster on the flats

After 90 minutes, I passed the herd path to Tabletop.  The ski trip and hiking trail reunite near that spot.  At the 5.8 mile mark, I passed the Hopkins Trail.  I was 2 hours and 10 minutes into the hike.  I hadn't expected to climb this quickly on skis, but I was feeling good.

Before the Phelps Trail junction at the 6.3 mile mark, I passed a lone snowshoer.  I could now tell that I would be the first one on the summit, as there were no more fresh tracks in  the snow.  I passed the Phelps junction in 2 hours and 30 minutes and I only had the final push to the summit left.  This is where the going gets tough in bad weather.  You are exposed to wind and the elements above the Phelps junction.

I believe this sign was near the Phelps Trail junction

On this day, it was pure joy to climb above the treeline.  I got within 200 feet of the summit before I took off my skis and switched to microspikes for the windblown rock finish.  I reached the summit at exactly the 3 hour mark from when I started.

Heading up above treeline

  

I stayed on the summit for 30 minutes and enjoyed sunshine and no wind!  I mean absolutely no wind.  I couldn't feel a breeze at all.  I drank a hot chocolate and had some snacks and just enjoyed my first time here under these conditions.  Finally the snowshoer reached the top and I left to surrender the summit to him for awhile.

I took a bunch of pictures and below are a sample of them.  I made my way back to where I left my skis and soon ran into the other skiers who were now nearing the summit.

Mount Colden and the Macintyre Range

Mount Skylight

Mount Haystack (and little Haystack)

In the far background is the Santanoni Range (behind Henderson) and also the Seward Range

Mount Skylight

I was contemplating how to descend the the steep upper part of the mountain with Rev.  If I took my skins off, I was afraid I'd be going too fast to manage her on the flexi.  It would also be tough to look out for any hikers or skiers who were climbing.  I decided to ski down the upper half of the mountain with the skins still on.  I still went surprisingly fast since there are a couple locations with a 35% grade.  At these locations, I reached 20 mph (even with the skins still on)!

Lots of pictures here, but I wanted to include them all for those who never get to see places such as this.

I did have two locations where I sat down on the back of my skis when objects loomed in front of me that put some fear into me.  I also did one face plant.  This occurred when I hit a mound of powder (with my skins still on ) and lurched forward.  Lastly I had two collisions with Rev.  I did one somersault over the top of her to avoid hurting her.  We both came out OK in the end.  

Looking back up on the way down.  It was getting even more sunny!

Once we got back down to the upper bridge over Phelps Brook, I took my skins off.  From there, it took 8 minutes to ski the 1.2 miles back to Marcy Dam!  This was a great stretch of the trip.  

From the dam, it was another 30 minutes back to the HPIC.  This time I took the old Marcy Dam trail from the Algoquin split to Heart Lake and back.  Back at the car, I was grinning from a day well spent, and it wasn't even 3 PM yet.  I hope I don't let another 18 years go by before I do this trip again! 

This route should be considered an expert level trip.  It is intermediate level for the first half.  After the last Phelps Brook crossing (where I put my skins on) it is considered difficult.

Ski Stats:

Ski Distance:  14.0 miles

Ski Time:  4.5 hours + stop time

Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 3400'  

The route for the day (click image to enlarge)

The route on the NG map