In the first three parts of our four part series, “Understanding & Choosing a Ski”, we’ve covered the major classes of skis (carving, all mountain, freeride, and backcountry), all of the most important characteristics of each particular model (waist width, sidecut, stiffness, and length), and even touched on why people make the decisions they do [...]
Posts tagged as:
gear
In part two of our four part series, “Understanding & Choosing A Ski”, we discussed the four major varieties of skis - All mountain, freeride, carving and backcountry. While these definitions can be helpful in narrowing things down, there’s still a lot left to think about. Within each of these categories, there are literally hundreds [...]
Have you ever seen someone getting off a plane or bus picking up a bag full of skis and pondered… why do they need three pairs when most of us get by with just one? It’s a question that leads us into part two of our four part series: Understanding & Choosing A Ski. This [...]
In the five years I’ve spent on the demo circuit, one thing that never fails to surprise me is how little some of the most experienced skiers I come across know about their equipment. Skiing is a gear intensive sport, and you’d expect that most people (especially those who strive to get better) would have [...]
Let’s start with a little imagery that we can all relate to. It’s late at night, and you are in your car. It’s packed to the gills, so to speak - there’s a wall of stuff behind you, granola bar wrappers in the cupholders, and perhaps a GPS stuck to the windshield that has no record of the road you’re driving on. The road is rough and covered in snow, and your headlights are only reaching a dozen or so feet ahead. Every corner looks the same, even if it’s a trip you’ve made a hundred times. About 10 miles after you start thinking you must have passed it, you come upon the access road - a winding mountain pass that’s a straight shot from the last real road right up to the hill.
A lot of people talk about taking their first turns of each season - the exhilaration, the anticipation, the excitement that an entire season lies ahead. It’s always started a little earlier for me - when I take that first turn onto the access road. This is, in large part, where the spirit of skiing and riding lives - not just under 24 inches of dry powder, but out here; in the bars with affectionate and nonsensical names, and the local shops that have been around for decades. Read More…
