Would this make a good night-skiing setup?

[peteybaby]

I'd love to get a Petzl Ultra or something similar, to strap onto my ski/snowboard helmet for those times when I want to do an unlit run at night. Unfortunately, I can't afford a Petzl Ultra; not even close. So instead, I thought maybe I could get a Twofish Bike Block:

https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_66&products_id=340

and a reasonably bright and inexpensive MC-E or P7 light, maybe something from DX, with a "waist" so that it wouldn't slip out. Something like this perhaps?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16501

Any thoughts? It should work, shouldn't it? Are there any drawbacks that I haven't thought of? All parts included (bike block, MTE light, batteries, charger), it would be less than half the price of an Ultra.

Are there any other reasonably-priced (i.e. "cheap") lights that would be comparable or better?

Is MTE a good brand? Will the switch last a while?

 

[DM51]

There's another night skiing thread here which may help you. That one is about cross-country and yours is for downhill, so the requirement is a bit different and I won't merge them.

 

[jankj]

I'd love to get a Petzl Ultra or something similar, to strap onto my ski/snowboard helmet for those times when I want to do an unlit run at night. Unfortunately, I can't afford a Petzl Ultra; not even close. So instead, I thought maybe I could get a Twofish Bike Block:

https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_66&products_id=340

and a reasonably bright and inexpensive MC-E or P7 light, maybe something from DX, with a "waist" so that it wouldn't slip out. Something like this perhaps?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16501

Any thoughts? It should work, shouldn't it? Are there any drawbacks that I haven't thought of?

I am considering something similar, and think it should work out OK. I would never buy a 8-mode light from DX. Cycling through all those modes (with flashes, sos and everything) sounds like a total nightmare. Consider as fewmodes as possible.


Your needs are probably quite close to those who ride a mountain bike downhill at high speeds. Have a peek on the mountainbike forums . . . From what I've seen, the single 18650 battery, direct drive P7 lights seem to be the most "bang for the buck" for this application. Seems to be quite popular among mountain bikers, both for helmet and handlebar mount.


There are several budget P7 (or MC-E) lights available at DX and KD (kaidoman). This thread gives you probably more information than you want: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=215569
As a summary, the lights work very well for what you want them to do, but quality control is somewhat sub-standard, so there is a chance you will end up with an inferior ligth. Also, the specification may change without much notice. Someone calls this "the DX-lottery" :tinfoil:

And - I think you can scrap together a DX light, 2 batteries and a charger for somewhere close to $60. If you can find a Petzl Ultra (or similar) for $120, please let me know! :naughty: :twothumbs

 

[peteybaby]

DM51: Thanks. I actually did see that thread already, but they're discussing slightly different requirements over there. I already have a PT Apex (modded with SSC P4), which is pretty good for skiing and snowboarding, but just a bit more light would allow me to ski/snowboard without having to concentrate so hard on the terrain.

I was looking at the new run at Cypress Mountain last night (home of some of the ski/snowboard events for the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics), and was amazed at how brightly lit it was. It's brighter than daylight! That's what I want an MC-E or P7 helmet-light to do for me.

Jankj: Thanks for the link and the comments about 8-mode lights and mtn bikers. You're right that 8 modes is too many for me, but I was thinking that by turning the light off and waiting 2 seconds, I could turn it back on in Med mode without having to cycle around the other modes. Still, it might be annoying to do that.

What I'd really like in an MC-E/P7 light is for there to be 4 modes: Low, Med, High, then strobe. Especially with a light this bright, I want it to come on in its lowest mode first, because if you need a dimmer light, you'll have to pass through High first with this MTE model. Also, different lights cycle through their modes in different orders, including one of mine, so I'll probably be confused. If all lights started with Low and got brighter and brighter with each half-press, I don't think people would get confused.

Ha, yeah if I find an Ultra for $120 I'll be sure to buy one for each of us.

 

[3000k]

My friend made a helmet mounted HID setup for night skiing. It was the goofiest thing ever. He looked like a ghetto coal miner. Attached to the front of the helmet was a 3" reflector with HID bulb and the ballast was mounted to the back of the hemet. He had a backstrap device where the batteries were held. When I tried it out it worked quite well. After the fifth time out my friend crashed pretty bad and destoyed the bulb, reflector, ballast, and helmet, he was ok though. He had a 6000k bulb and 3000k bulb and after switching to the yellow bulb it seemed to work better, you could now see the bumps and divits in the snow better. So maybe you should test out a yellow filter on your light.

 

[jankj]

Jankj: Thanks for the link and the comments about 8-mode lights and mtn bikers. You're right that 8 modes is too many for me, but I was thinking that by turning the light off and waiting 2 seconds, I could turn it back on in Med mode without having to cycle around the other modes. Still, it might be annoying to do that.

Don't count on it to work that way - unless the specs are crystal clear. Many cheap P7 lights have an "offset mode memory", meaning you always start with the NEXT mode. But not all lights work that way. Some may remember the last mode, some may not. I don't think any of those lights will revert back to "first mode" if you leave it off for an extended period. And... somethimes the functionality changes without much notice. If you read the thread about cheap P7/MC-E and the feedbacks of the DX products you will see a lot of comments about irritiating mode functionality.

What I'd really like in an MC-E/P7 light is for there to be 4 modes: Low, Med, High, then strobe. Especially with a light this bright, I want it to come on in its lowest mode first, because if you need a dimmer light, you'll have to pass through High first with this MTE model. Also, different lights cycle through their modes in different orders, including one of mine, so I'll probably be confused. If all lights started with Low and got brighter and brighter with each half-press, I don't think people would get confused.

Yes, that's the way I like it to work, exept I hate strobes and SOS (unless you hide them in some backward corner of the menu). Fenix has got it right on the LD series (low ALWAYS comes first, then add more light as needed.) I don't think any of the DX/KD lights work that way - high seems ALWAYS to be first. But if you have a "chinese offset mode memory" it doesn't matter - the light will always cycle through the modes anyway, so it's more of an unpredictable cyclic thing. But you will probably get used to it... I would stick to high and low, that's about as much perpetual mode cycling I think I can cope with.

Oh, and if you do this - buy _*protected*_ 18650 batteries and a charger that can charge the cells _*individually*_. (In some chargers you have to charge two cells at a time in parallell. Seems like a doomed prospect if one cell is empty and the other is halfway full).

 

[jankj]

My friend made a helmet mounted HID setup for night skiing.


After the fifth time out my friend crashed pretty bad and destoyed the bulb, reflector, ballast, and helmet, he was ok though.

That sounds EXPENSIVE Glad your friend did OK

On the other hand - downhill skiing without a fall is not skiing - it's transport. If you want to have fun, you should stretch those boundaries (of your skills, mentality etc). But that's probably easier to say for me - I prefer to do my crashing off piste, the snow is MUCH softer there... My friends and I actually have a rating for crashes: An official approved fall is to the FRONT, not the rear. If you fall backwards it is a clear indication that you tried to defensively "back away" from the situation. A forward fall means you tried your very best to aggresively regain control of what you were doing. Sideway falls are only approved if they are of exceptional spectacular nature... This simple system did wonders for our skiing skills


A relatively compact torch mounted on twofish should be a much more robust setup than a "classical" high performance headlamp (big reflector hinged in front etc). Most probably, the twofish will be flexible enough to avoid much of the damage. Anyway, it will probably feel better to wreck a $35-40 light than a HID . . .

 

[3000k]

That sounds EXPENSIVE Glad your friend did OK

On the other hand - downhill skiing without a fall is not skiing - it's transport. If you want to have fun, you should stretch those boundaries (of your skills, mentality etc). But that's probably easier to say for me - I prefer to do my crashing off piste, the snow is MUCH softer there... My friends and I actually have a rating for crashes: An official approved fall is to the FRONT, not the rear. If you fall backwards it is a clear indication that you tried to defensively "back away" from the situation. A forward fall means you tried your very best to aggresively regain control of what you were doing. Sideway falls are only approved if they are of exceptional spectacular nature... This simple system did wonders for our skiing skills

Well it was an $85.00 ebay HID with a $35.00 yellow bulb and $60.00 helmet. The HID kit was from the used car he bought, he switched back to halogen. What was expensive was his light-weight carbon fiber skii pole which bent and snapped in the crash.

As far as the falling proceedure I no clue what it is like, I snowboard, otherwise I would make a lighted helmet. As for now I stick to daytime snowboarding.

 

[peteybaby]

Yep, I've got my protected 18650s and charger sourced already... just trying to decide on a light now. Also trying to decide if the few times that I'll use this setup are worth the expense! If I get it though, at the very least, I'll have this hopefully really bright light.

 

[jankj]

If you try this - please post a review of how it is working :twothumbs

As far as the falling proceedure I no clue what it is like, I snowboard, otherwise I would make a lighted helmet.

There is no falling procedure - you just fall But the direction of your fall (backwards/forwards) is a clear indicator of what you were trying to do the moment balance was lost for good. Focusing of always falling forward is a surprisingly effective way of improving your attitude and your skills. Essentially you're learning a slightly off balance? Just try a bit MORE kind of attitude.

So if you're looking for some fun skiing, falling is part of the game, and the light would have to tolerate quite a lot of falling.

 

[peteybaby]

Okay so I did end up buying the MTE light, except I got sku 16500 instead of 16501 (I don't plan to fight anybody while skiing). I didn't get a mount, because my ski helmet and bike helmet would require different mounts and I wasn't sure if the twofish mounts would work better than what I dreamed up. I used cable ties through holes in the top of my ski helmet to make tight loops, and ran velcro straps through the loops and around the MTE. Two velcro straps holds the light pretty tightly.

Tonight wasn't the best test of the MTE though--it was very foggy and snowy, so all the nearby light (city lights, mountain lights, moonlight) scattered and made the sky pretty bright even on the unlit runs. Still, the MTE did help for sure. If I can manage to get out for more night skiing on a clearer night, I'll post more comments.