T2B: ZERO G

TO LIGHTEN UP.

Hilaree Nelson, In Memoriam

Words by Kimberly Beekman

As the world learned about the disappearance of Blizzard Tecnica athlete Hilaree Nelson in the Himalaya on Sept. 26, images of her standing atop summits or trudging up to them flooded our news and social media channels.

The two days that followed were excruciating. We hung onto bits of news like handholds on a rock wall. Whether we knew her or not, we were all trying to understand her, to make sense of how such a bright star could fall. Who was she, what drove her, how could she rationalize this risk, how did she accomplish so much?

Hilaree was one of the best ski mountaineers this planet has ever seen. She was also a woman, an identifier that seems simple but made her career path anything but. She was a partner in both love and adventure to her soulmate, Jim Morrison. And she was, most significantly to the two boys who will now have to live with only her memory, a mother.

But who Hilaree really was cannot be defined by these words, or any others. Because Hilaree was a force of nature.

SHE WAS DRIVEN BY SOMETHING UNSEEABLE, SOMETHING THAT PUSHED HER TO THE BRINK OF HUMAN POSSIBILITY

She was driven by something unseeable, something that pushed her to the brink of human possibility. You can find clues about it in the photos—in her ageless beauty, intelligent eyes, and oxygen-carrying veins that coursed through her forearms. But anyone who met her will tell you the force was more palpable than that, a power humming under her skin.

“I want so much from life—I want to do everything,” she said during an interview for an athlete profile we ran a few years ago. “I want the good things and the bad things. I don’t really like to make mistakes, but I can appreciate what I learn from them, and I want to keep learning my whole life.”

On Sept. 28, two days after she went missing, the rescue team and her partner, Jim, found her body 6,200 feet down from the summit of Manaslu. This was the final, terrible answer to our biggest question.

We may never understand what, exactly, that invisible force within her was all about. But we do know this basic law of physics: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it just turns into something else. Perhaps, then, those who loved Hilaree will feel her still. In the wind, the sun, and the snow—and in the gravity she fought so hard to conquer.

We, Hilaree’s Blizzard Tecnica family, are honored to have shared a moment in time with this remarkable human being. Our hearts are with her family, her friends, her ski community, and everyone who was touched by her. Her life was truly her own, and it was big enough to inspire us all.

you, Hilaree.

ZERO G PEAK CARBON

MSRP: $949.95

Size: 23.5 - 30.5

Shell: Co-Injected Carbon Fiber and Grilamid Cuff: Carbon Fiber

Liner: C.A.S. Light Range of Motion: 75° Spoiler: YES

Powerstrap: 40 mm light with Power Lock Buckles: 2 Bailed 6 Connection Adjustable Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber

Forward Lean: 13° (Default, 15° WITH SPOILER)

Weight: 990g at 26.5

ZERO G PEAK

MSRP: $849.95

Size: 24.5 - 30.5

Shell: Co-Injected Carbon Fiber and Grilamid Cuff: Co-Injected Carbon Fiber and Grilamid Liner: C.A.S. Light Range of Motion: 75° Spoiler: YES

Powerstrap: 40 mm light with Power Lock Buckles: 2 Bailed 6 Connection Adjustable Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber

Forward Lean: 13° (Default, 15° WITH SPOILER)

Weight: 980g at 26.5

ZERO G PEAK W

MSRP: $849.95

Size: 23.5 - 27.5

Shell: Co-Injected Carbon Fiber and Grilamid Cuff: Co-Injected Carbon Fiber and Grilamid, W Specific Shape Liner: C.A.S. Light, W Specific Shape Range of Motion: 75° Spoiler: YES

Powerstrap: 40 mm light with Power Lock Buckles: 2 Bailed 6 Connection Adjustable Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber

Forward Lean: 13° (Default, 15° WITH SPOILER)

Weight: 980g at 26.5

THE WEIGHT IS OVER

For a long while, there’s been a narrative that lightweight boots can’t deliver heavyweight performance and fit. So when we set out to create Tecnica’s very first sub-1,000 gram boot collection, our mission was to flip that narrative on its head. Multiple years of prototyping and a gazillion vertical feet later, the allnew Zero G Peak Boots have arrived just the way we imagined, and the way you deserve.

Like all Tecnica products, performance and fit come first—made possible with a powerful overlap cuff design and customizable CAS liner-shell system. Carbon and grilamid combine to make the shell both lightweight and rigid, and the Zero G Peak Carbon edition offers an extra-stable carbon cuff. Yes, skimo racers and world-record-setters will love the Peak boots, but that’s not why we made them. We made them for any skier ready to move better in the mountains and rewrite the lightweight narrative.

WRAPPING SHELL CONSTRUCTION

It’s no secret that boots with an overlapping shell design simply ski better. In keeping with Tecnica’s “performance first” ethos, the new Zero G Peak blends high-performance, overlapping-shell technology with the walkability and weight savings of a touring boot. The result: Uncompromising downhill performance from a sub-1000 gram boot.

T-HIKE MECHANISM

T-Hike is a lighter interpretation of the Double Blocking Mechanism used in the Zero G Tour series, offering a strong, progressive flex as well as great lateral power transmission.

POWER FRAME & CARBON CO-INJECTION

The Power Frame construction of the Zero G Peak increases stiffness and torsional rigidity of the boot while also reducing the thickness of the shell. This allowed us to create an exceptionally strong boot while avoiding any unnecessary weight penalties.

C.A.S. LIGHT LINER

Our Zero G Peak liners are anotomically pre-shaped to deliver the best fit out of the box. The dual-density, C.A.S. microcellular material around the heal area is positioned to deliver maximum heel retention. C.A.S. material can be grinded and thermo-molded for additional personalization.

The new flex structure on the back of the liner provides an even more effortless hiking experience. In addition, Recco technology is included for added safety in the backcountry and the waterproof, breathable membrane ensures your feet will stay warm and dry all day long.

C.A.S. SHELL

Finally, a true light touring boot you can work on. C.A.S. dimples on the shell reduce surfance tension and help to facilitate the thermo-customization process. So go ahead and grind or punch these babies up to 2mm for that perfect fit.

The design of the shell and cuff, as well as shallower toe and hell lugs, make walking easier. For the toughest ascents, the Zero G Peak is designed to accept crampons.

WATERPROOF GAITER

The waterproof gaiter fabric keeps your feet warm and dry for all-day comfort on the skin track, and the elastic top makes the boot easy to step in and out of.

CARBON REINFORCED SOLE

The sole of the Zero G Peak is reinforced with a sheet of bi-directional carbon fiber, resulting in a boot that is 10% torsionally stiffer than similar boots in the categoy, according to tests conducted at the University of Padova.

In addition, Zero G Peak boots feature a dualdensity Vibram sole for ultimate durability and grip in variable terrain.

CARBON FIBER CUFF

The Zero G Peak Carbon features a carbon fiber cuff, providing for a stiff-yet-progressive flex demanded by the strongest backcountry skiers.

Softer flaps on the front ensure the cuff wraps perfectly around the leg.

Performance has never felt so light.

It’s about the experience. It’s about the adventure. Once you feel it, you will never get enough. A simple truth lies at the heart of what we do and who we do it for - Discovery happens when you get off the trail.

The Zero G collection pushes the boundaries of what a lightweight boot can do. Unique use of carbon, an innovative new Mobility Cuff System, a creative buckle system and anatomical liners and shells combine for a ground breaking, lightweight boot that stays true to the Tecnica promise of downhill performance.

ZERO G TOUR PRO

10185301328

Size: 22.5 - 30.5

Shell: Grilamid

Cuff: Carbon Fiber co-injected

Liner: Ultralight - Light Fit with laces

Spoiler: Velcro Spoiler

Powerstrap: 35 mm light with hook

Mobility Cuff: Double Hook Self Adjusting System Buckles: 4 light Magnesium Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber

Extra Features: Forward Lean Adj Weight: 1345g at 26.5

ZERO G TOUR SCOUT

10185401100

Size: 24.5 - 30.5

Shell: C.A.S. - Grilamid

Cuff: PU

Liner: Ultralight - Light Fit with laces Powerstrap: 35 mm light with hook Mobility Cuff: Double Hook Self Adjusting System

Buckles: 4 light Magnesium Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber Extra Features: Forward Lean Adj. Weight: 1395g at 26.5

ZERO G TOUR

10185501383

Size: 24.5 - 30.5

Shell: C.A.S. - PU Cuff: PP Liner: Pro Light with laces Powerstrap: 35 mm strap

Mobility Cuff: Double Hook Self Adjusting System Buckles: 4 Micro Adjust with Hiking Lockout Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber

Extra Features: Forward Lean Adj. Weight: 1500g at 26.5

ZERO G TOURSCOUT W

20153201394

Size: 22.5 - 27.5

Shell: C.A.S. - Grilamid

Cuff: PU

Liner: Ultralight - Light Fit W, with laces

Powerstrap: 35 mm light with hook

Mobility Cuff: Double Hook Self Adjusting System

Buckles: 4 light Magnesium

Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber

Extra Features: Forward Lean Adj. Weight: 1395g at 26.5

ZERO G TOUR W

20153301200

Size: 22.5 - 27.5

Shell: C.A.S. - PU Cuff: PP

Liner: Pro Light W with laces Powerstrap: 35 mm strap

Mobility Cuff: Double Hook Self Adjusting System

Buckles: 4 Micro Adjust with Hiking Lockout

Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber

Extra Features: Forward Lean Adj. Weight: 1500g at 26.5

ZERO G TEAM

10185801350

Size: 22.5 - 27.5

Shell: C.A.S. - PU Cuff: PP

Powerstrap: 35 mm strap

Mobility Cuff: Double Hook Self Adjusting System

Buckles: 4 Micro Adjust with Hiking Lockout Cuff Buckles: With hiking catch Soles: ISO 9523 with low tech inserts, VIBRAM® rubber Weight: 1500g at 24.5

Port to Peak

Port to Peak

Lengths:

Rocker:

IT’S TIME TO LIGHTEN UP

The Zero G LT 80 packs 70-some-odd years of alpine performance you’ve come to know and trust from Blizzard into an 80mm-waisted, sub1000-gram skin track assassin. At the heart of the LT 80, the uber-lightweight TrueBlend Tour woodcore ensures the ski is soft and nimble where you want it, while remaining stout and stable where you need it if things get dicey on a descent. The unidirectional Carbon Drive LT provides tortional strength and forgiving flex for improved performance on the down, while carbon reinforcements at the binding mounting points assure unprecedented edge grip, power transmission, and improved binding retention. Whatever far-out peak you dream of reaching next, trust the Zero G LT 80 to get you to the top and more importantly, back down safely.

CARBON

TrueBlend Tour Woodcore

Engineered specifically with the world’s most exposed and challenging lines in mind, our TrueBlend Tour Woodcore is specifically designed to be ultra lightweight and nimble without compromising on stability.

TrueBlend Tour woodcores blend Poplar for strength and Paulownia to shave weight. Poplar bands are concentrated underfoot and towards the tail to provide a stout, stable platform, then taper towards the tip. The result is a ski that is strong when and where it needs to be yet forgiving and nimble when things get dicey.

Stiffer Flex

Softer Flex Softer Flex

Lengths:

Sidecut:

Sidewall

Lengths:

Sidecut:

Rocker:

Lengths: 150, 157, 164, 171, 178

Sidecut: 115-85-99

Radius:17, 17.5, 19.5, 21.5, 22

Rocker: Tip-Tail Rocker

Rocker

Sandwich Compound

(Carbon)

ZERO

Lengths: 150, 157, 164, 171, 178 cm

Sidecut: 117-85-101

Radius:17, 17.5, 19.5, 21.5, 22

Rocker: Tip-Tail Rocker

Sandwich Compound

Drive

(Carbon) Carbon Drive