The World According To Laser: January 2008

As many people in my family know I'm a complete sucker for new bags, its a complete fetish of mine. Golf bags, duffel bags, backpacks, I just can't keep a bag for more then a few months because I always like to check out whats new(plus I'm still waiting for someone to create the holy grail where the pack I buy has everything I need and is designed perfectly).

If there's one company above all that I adore when it comes to ski packs its Black Diamond. I own a 20L Slide(retired) and a 45L Revelation and both have been fantastic. The slide was my go to pack for inbounds, and the Revelation has been an absolute workhorse on longer tours, but I've been finding that I really needed something to go in between the two.

The slide, and its replacement the venerable Dakine Heli Pro, just didn't handle all the gear I wanted to bring outside of a short lap in the sidecountry, and the Revelation just doesn't set up for short tours well; its an A-frame carry(which I normally prefer) but it doesn't work well when the pack is less then fully loaded. Plus a 45L pack just feels like overkill when you're just out for a short tour from the car or are doing corn laps in the spring after the lifts shut down.

I'd always wanted to check out a 28L BD Frenzy, but never found one in stores, and once the new Covert/Anarchist packs rolled out, the Frenzy and its smaller cousin the Maniac were discontinued. Finally through the wonders of the internet I found one that was lightly used.

The first thing I love about the Frenzy is how exceedingly well thought out it is. BD really thought about how to get the most out of the pack without adding pointless bells and whistles. The main compartment will hold 2 nalgenes, an insulating layer, spare gloves/goggles, and still have room for an extra base layer or your outer layer. Also included is a fairly large zippered pocket for smaller loose items like a headlamp, small first aid kit, matches, keys, powerbars, etc. Like the Revelation the Frenzy has the triangle shaped zippered access panel on the back with a mesh area. This is perfect for storing small items you might want to quickly get too(like keys at the end of the day). Not shown are the two hip belt pockets, again like the Revelation they're really not big enough to hold anything larger then chapstick or Gel energy packets. The Frenzy also has loops to allow it to pull a pulk or sled. I'd probably use my Revelation if I'm going to do an overnight, but for areas that have a well developed hut system, it might be nicer to bring the smaller pack. The pack is also hydration compatible, and will accept either a bladder or a nalgene bottle with hose as shown below.

But the most ingenious part of the Frenzy is its shovel/probe storage system, I always carry beacon/shovel/probe in every one of my packs, even when I'm just skiing low angle trees in the Massachusetts backcountry. Instead of space inside the pack, the Frenzy has a flap that folds down allowing you to keep the shovel and probe on the outside, thus preventing snow and ice from getting inside your pack.

As an added bonus your skins can also be stored in a small pouch outside the pack, which once again prevents snow and ice from soaking your "dry" layers inside your pack. This also means your avie tools are able to be deployed much quicker as they're on the outside of the pack. BRILLIANT design and good thinking Black Diamond.

But enough with that, I figure the best way to test what better way to test it out then to go skiing! One of my pet peeves with ski packs is fit, if it doesn't fit right its not getting used. BD's suspension system just plain works, its comfortable, snugs up to prevent any slop, and does a fantastic job of distributing the weight.

While touring, I'm always pulling stuff in and out of my pack, which means it has to compress and expand without getting sloppy or bulky and its here that the Frenzy really shines. The avie tool flap has 3 sets of compression straps that enable the pack to compress down to almost nothing while still allowing the pack to be stuffed to its full capacity. I've always said that the mark of a great pack is that when you're wearing it you forget its there, and this pack accomplishes that.

If I had to find negatives, the pack is not quite point and shoot when it comes to loading/unloading due to the compression system. It takes time to unbuckle the straps, and re-cinch them whenever you put something in or take something out. I guess that's the tradeoff you make for having a pack that compresses perfectly. There's no insulated shoulder strap for the hydration system, but it does make it easier to switch between a bladder and the nalgene bottle tube system that I have been using. Again, like the Revelation the hip pockets aren't big enough to hold more then energy shots, I'd really like to see at least one larger pocket for a digital camera. While I am a HUGE fan of clean packs, there isn't an intuitive spot to strap a helmet and jacket if you're not wearing them, and there might not be enough space to fit them inside. Only time will tell if this is actually an issue, or merely a figment of my overactive imagination. I haven't tested the ski carry outside of the living room, but it sets up easy and carries well. Whether thats the case when carrying a fully loaded pack is still anyones guess.

Again these are only my first impressions, but I'm glad I picked this up. It definitely is a departure from the norm when it comes to a typical backcountry pack, and might have explained its short shelf life. Only time will tell if it actually holds up to the gold standard of the Revelation.

With mommy stuck at work Sunday, mini-animal and I ventured out to take sample of the destruction that the sun and rains had wrought up on the land.

We arrived to find clear skies and gorgeous views at the peak

Expecting the worst with regards to conditions we were pleasantly surprised to find most of the trails were actually borderline pleasant. Most of the upper elevation runs skied fine, with a few icy patches, as we got lower we found re-frozen ice pellets and sugar snow, and in the higher traffic areas it was boilerplate with large piles of granular snow. At no point was anything that we were on "un-skiable" and most of the open trails had very good coverage. Perhaps I may have misjudged our new overlords. Their plan of opening and operating trails with greater base depths to provide a better skiing experience vs just blowing enough snow to max out the total number of trails open seems to have allowed them to weather the thaw better then other areas. To be sure anything that didn't have snowmaking/grooming on it was toast, or more to the point was covered by 4-5" of an impenetrable ice layer, but there's nothing that could have been done to save those trails.