Karhu Announces
A New 7tm "Power" Tour Model, As Well As A Low Cost
Upgrade Kit For Current 7tm Tour Owners
March 14, 2006-- Reportedly
largely in response to feedback from users posting to the Telemark
Talk Forum, Karhu and 7tm designer Reinhold Zoor have come up
with a a "Power" version of their free pivot Tour
model. "The success of the 7tm Power led us to develop
the Power-Tour with more downhill performance," says
Karhu general Manager Charlie Lozner. "The new 7tm Power-Tour
is thirty-percent more active than the original Tour,
bringing its downhill performance up to the same level as our
Power model." Lozner continues, "With increased turning
power added to the only DIN certified releasable tele design
on the market, as well as a free pivot tour mode, our newest
7tm model offers important safety advantages over the bindings
offered by our competition. Freeheel skiers can now enjoy these
safety advantages in a much more active binding with terrific
uphill touring perfromance, as well as outstanding control on
the descent."
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The 7tm Power-Tour will replace the current
7tm Tour in Karhu’s product line for 2006/2007 and the new
model will ship to dealers in Fall 2006. Karhu will also offer
a Power-Tour Upgrade Kit for skiers who purchased the original
7tm Tour during the previous two winters that it has been on
the market.
The Upgrade Kit includes two new tension
straps and two power pins, along with detailed instructions for
making the switch.
The Upgrade Kit will also be available
in Fall 2006, and sources tell us Karhu expects the kit will
retail for as little as $40.
As with the 7tm Power, users of the new
Power-Tour will be able to choose between active performance
and a more neutral feel by simply pulling the power pin out of
the binding. |
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While 7tm skeptics and hardcore fans of
more active bindings are likely to scoff at the reported 30%
increase in the activity level of the Power-Tour model over its
non-Power siblings (we can almost hear it now, "30% of nothing
is still nothing"), much respect is due to Karhu and Reinhold
Zoor for their willingness to respond to an important and progressive
segment of the market, this while continuing to further develop
and refine one of the most, if not the most, innovative,
unique and advanced tele bindings
currently available.
Committed backcountry skiers who commonly
tour in avalanche country understand and are aware of the important
safety advantages to be found in a DIN releasble binding. Utah's
Wastach Range USFS avalanche expert and respected author Bruce
Tremper says flat out: "Always wear releasable bindings.
The human body is about three times as dense as flowing avalanche
debris, and as such it tends to sink. Imagine jumping into whitewater
rapids with a snowboard or skis attached to your feet and holding
onto poles and you'll realize why it is so important to get rid
of them if you get caught in an avalanche."
With that in mind we think it's safe to
say this more active freeheel binding, in combination with a
free pivot backcountry tour mode, and along with a dependable
DIN release mechanism, will likely be seen by many as significantly
altering the telemark binding downhill/uphill/performance
vs. safety equation, making the new 7tm Power-Tour a far
more attractive choice for modern, hard charging backcountry
tele skiers than previous 7tm models. We are looking forward
to skiing the Power-Tour here in this just beginning second-half
of the 05/06 tele and backcountry skiing season. Stay tuned to
Telemarktips for a full on-snow performance review very soon.
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