Uphill skiing

Its probably been 3 or 4 years since I last went out on touring skis. The season before and after the knee surgery I was too tender/nervous & last year I was too busy getting to know the resort, and well, just cruising.
My setup is now quite old, and uses the Diamir Fritchi bindings, combined with Dynastar  Legends, fantastic on the down (I hardly noticed any performance drop from my piste skis) but heavy on the up compared to many modern dynafit combinations. This year I've upgraded my boots to Dynafit Radicals, saving over 1kg per foot and creating less leverage on the knees if I ever progress to steep kick turns again.
For those that don't know how this works; the skis are slightly more flexible but work as normal for downhill. But when you come to uphill you pop them off, apply some (funky patterned) climbing skins, and are ready to head upwards. The skins have tiny directional hairs - so they flatten and glide forwards, but they drag and create resistance backwards - thus stopping you sliding and allowing you to climb. The bindings can release the heels - so now you can lift your feet without needing to lift the whole ski, practice leads to a smooth gliding and sliding action.
So that's the geeky bit...

But wow had I forgotten a couple of things;
Just how good it feels to be able to head up and choose where you go when nearly everyone else is working with gravity.
How wonderfully silent even a busy resort can be once you get off the beaten track and into the woods.
&...just how much hard work it is! Shattered now (hence blipping a day late as I fell asleep on the couch!)

Top Tips Tuesday
92% of avalanches involving people are triggered by people. This means that these avalanches happen through choice. Horrible as that is to read, especially this week in the Alps, its a message that has to be heard - if you're heading out then you have yo know how to read and apply the avalanche forecast - but vitally, you have to consider the human factors and be honest as to whether you are applying any of them. Familiarity,  Scarcity, Consistency, Acceptance, Expert Halo & Social Facilitation.

If you've stuck with me this far, and are interested in the subject, then the Avalanche Avoiding Kung Fu animations are the best easy learning tool I've come across. They're also hilarious.