Raisin' Heel Backcountry and Telemark Equipment
298 Bird Hill Rd. Bethel, Maine 04217
Business Hours
Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday / Sunday
Closed
Your Local White Mountain Adventure Destination
Balla is the word for a kid or child in the Altai Mountains so it seemed appropriate for our kids version of the Hok. The Hok is a playful ski even for adults, so we felt it was the ideal type of ski for a kid to learn to ski on. Yes, it is slower then a regular ski, but the Balla Hok is stable, easy to use, and can go up or down with equal ease. It is the perfect tool to just go out and play in the snow. The Balla has inserts that match the 3pin hole pattern used on the regular Hoks and also matches the Kuna universal we have designed just for kids. This binding has been in the works for a number of years and is now complete and ready to go.
We feel the Balla Hok, especially when matched with our Kuna universal binding, can be the first ski starting at age 3 or so and go up to 8 or 10 years old, depending on the size and proficiency of the child using it. We have had a lot of testing with some kids around our region and results have been really positive.
The Balla Hok comes with 3 inserts matching the 3 pin tele hole pattern (same as the adult Hoks) but no heel piece inserts. We have had people also direct mount kids NNN bindings and a standard 3 pin (like the old round bail bindings) would use the back 2 inserts and drill the front hole. The 3 pin we offer would fit the inserts as is.
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Rick Hesslein,
store owner
I've been involved with the "XCD"/BC ski scene for 45 years and in the business for near 20 off and on, starting with Voile' when they came out with breakthrough "Carbon Surf" powder skis. I am so impressed with the shorter, wider skis they and Altai (and others) have come out with for the niche of Backcountry/XCD that I enjoy, and do my best to share with others. I have also gained some technical and other specialized knowledge through the many years I've been doing this that helps drive the enthusiasm for this particular sport.
It is a small time operation for sure, but has gained some notoriety on the web kinda nationwide and have many inquiries and some sales across the country.. I am an official dealer for Altai Skis, TSL Outdoor and Big Sky Mountain Products; and will be working on certain other special products manufacturers.
Raisin' Heel Backcountry and Telemark Equipment
298 Bird Hill Rd. Bethel, Maine 04217
Business Hours
Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday / Sunday
Closed