The Official Skiing / Snowboarding / Playing in the Snow Thread

[imatlas]

I feel like stiffness is not just for racing and hucking (actually, I think a lot of park rats opt for softer boots). More about your own skills and your ability to transfer energy into the ski.

Accurate. For this reason, size and strength play roles as well, and in general a stiffer ski will require a stiffer boot to drive it. One of my all time favorite ski quotes came from a crusty old Austrian ski tuner who sold me a used pair of super stiff Stockli skis with the comment, "I hope you know how to bend zees."

However, keep in mind that there are no standards for "flex". One company's 115 may be more like 125 at another (if not 105), so you can't really compare across brands without putting them on and trying to flex them.

I like relatively stiff boots, and I've got a pair of 130 flex Salomons that I love. Like most of their boots, the entire shell is thermoplastic so the entire last can expand several millimeters after baking. They were pretty awful at first, but I baked the shells twice and put in Superfeet insoles and now they are extremely comfortable, and I can, in fact, bend those Stocklis. I haven't pulled them out in a couple of seasons but they are amazing on icy days.

I'm starting to think about putting together a teaching rig, which would be a short pair of "frontside carvers" (so I can more easily straddle a student's skis) and a pair of comfy and soft boots like the Nordica Sportmachine 100. My only hesitation is adding more equipment to my already crowded quiver.

 

[imatlas]

Most of us spend too much time in the back seat as well (particularly my younger kid). I did focus on keeping ‘dem hands up at ***** today and although it makes me feel like a nerd it does help my fundamentals.

These two things are strongly connected. Keep in mind that our arms weight something like 15-25 pounds each, large enough that our center of mass shifts as they move fore and aft. If we tend to trail the planting arm coming out of a turn, it pulls our torsos into a rotational movement that we don't want.

Keeping arms up and forward (remember "like you're carrying a cafeteria tray") helps move the COM toward the ski tips, where we generally want it, and pole plants should lead the COM down the fall line, rather than pulling shoulder and torso backwards.

 

[Numbernine]

More the opposite of that. I wouldn't say my boots are comfortable so I'm mostly wondering if I'm missing an opportunity to have actual comfortable but still high-performing boots. Getting the footbeds gave me a nice bump in performance and I had a hot spot punched out last year that helped with one particular pain point so it's mostly just general discomfort that I can somewhat alleviate through unbuckling on chair lifts. As much as I love skiing, I would be lying if I didn't say that the absolute best part of my ski day was taking off my boots. I am just wondering whether that has to be the case. Also, this wasn't explicit, but my wife is definitely getting boots and I'm just entertaining the idea at this point.

Yeah you don’t need that . I don’t even un buckle at lunch or break . The only time my boots bother me at all is when I’m skiing out of form or tense for some reason . It only takes a little time in the backseat and they’re killing me but it took me a while to grasp that.

 

[Numbernine]

Got the first days of the season in Tuesday and Wednesday . Couple inches of new on Tuesday but impressive coverage for a 49 inch base. Perfect for scraping the rust off the chops. 74 and skiing as well as ever

 

[imatlas]

At 81 my Dad skied better than he walked.

Goals.

It’s dumping hard right now. Conditions should rock for the next several days at least - I’m stuck in town for a couple of days but am planning to head up on Monday or Tuesday.

 

[Numbernine]

At 81 my Dad skied better than he walked.

Goals.

It’s dumping hard right now. Conditions should rock for the next several days at least - I’m stuck in town for a couple of days but am planning to head up on Monday or Tuesday.

Drying up till monday night after this storm. Should be a total shitshow this weekend, new snow, dry roads and holiday. I'm up Monday night, tuesday..........

 

[imatlas]

I had to be in town for my wife to have a colonoscopy this morning otherwise I'd be there right now. I got the "Upper Lots at Alpine Meadows are full" notice from the app at 9:10 this morning, so I'd be standing in a lift line with everyone else.

 

[UnFacconable]

My wife is up there with the kids right now. Traffic was awful in town with the locals flooding the hill before a holiday weekend when their passes will be blacked out but the conditions sound great and it's my kids' first bluebird day!

 

[Numbernine]

Last Wed. when we got back to the truck I opened the back and my, not cheap or old, powder skis were gone. After stomping, cussing and kicking around my buddy says " I knew you wouldn't be using them today so I put 'em in the garage before we left this morning" I was already thinking about which new ones I would get.#gearwhore

 

[imatlas]

Just got on the funitel at *****. The snow is lovely, but visibility is terrible. I have zero depth perception.

 

[imatlas]

Pretty damn good day. Siberia Express was a howling blizzard but Shirley Lake was sheltered and by the end of the day there was a respectable accumulation. Should be great tomorrow - hopefully I won’t spend the day on the bunny hill.

It’s military week so I’ll be working with disabled vets for the next couple of days.

BTW what do you think of my fit?

 

[Newcomer]

Lookin good! Hestra Heli for the win.

 

[Newcomer]

You could do better with the goggles though, you got a little bit of a gaper gap

 

[Joffrey]

Planning a trip to Toronto in March. Got any recommendations for a good, nearby resort for a first timer? I'd only do a day trip and will take a class. FYI a google search shows multiple resorts so looking for additional thoughts or personal anecdotes.

 

[imatlas]

You could do better with the goggles though, you got a little bit of a gaper gap

Damn, I was hoping that would slip by ?