During periods of elevated avalanche hazard or when there's only poor quality snow, I like to go ski for conditioning rather than seeking downhill turns. And since my AT setup is more suited for climbing rather than cross-country travel, I've been intrigued by the Altai company's Hok skis for several years, and after
testing out a pair at the White Pass Nordic Center in February 2022, I finally took the plunge and purchased
a pair of the 145cm Hok skis, 108mm in the waist. I chose a 3-pin cable 75mm binding for these skis, and bought a new pair of
Scarpa T4 telemark boots, shell size 25, since I used to telemark ski. With a permanent skin attached to the middle third of the ski (i.e., directly underfoot), these skis are best suited for rolling terrain, but depending on your boot and binding choices, can also handle mild downhill turns.
I plan to use this setup for a 3-day trip in March 2025, going from hut to hut managed by
Three Sisters Backcountry, since the focus will be on traveling, rather than ski descents. To prepare for this trip, I heat-molded the telemark boot liners-- but I still needed to test out the setup. A cloudy morning with no new snow on Mount Hood's northeast side presented the opportunity to try out my new boots and skis. The Tilly Jane sno-park offers your choice of a more rugged, steep ski trail that connects to the Cooper Spur zone and Timberline Trail, or the gently ascending Cloud Cap Road, which is closed in winter.
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| Tilly Jane Sno-Park |
When I arrived at the Tilly Jane Sno-Park, it was bustling with activity since the
Crag Rats all-volunteer search and rescue team along with personnel from the Hood River County sheriff's department were there with sno-cats for a day of mountain rescue practice. Each group had their own sno-cat -- then I also saw a US Forest Service volunteer driving an older Tucker sno-cat along the road while skiing. How do you get that volunteer gig?!
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| Crag Rats sno-cat |
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| Mountain rescue training underway |
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| Obligatory selfie |
I opted to ski along the closed road, detouring into the woods a few times to test out steeper slope angles and untouched snow. It was about 37 degrees F. and the snow was wet and firm, with crunchy, icy granular textures. I did have to pay more attention to my balance and stance, since the tips of the skis do not provide any grip, unlike AT skis with full-length skins attached. However, I had no problems traveling cross-country or along the road. The cable bindings have 2 settings: a looser setting for traveling and a tighter setting providing more stability for downhill turns. I tested out both settings and refreshed my memory of telemark turns as best I could, given the snow conditions. The outing was a successful test and I am not only feeling prepared for our hut-to-hut voyage but I'm also dreaming up other trips that would play to the strengths of these Altai Hok skis! A circumnavigation of Crater Lake? Point-to-point on Icicle Ridge? Another fire lookout trip? Many possibilities!
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| Altai Hok skis |
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