Lemonade

Since it's been snowing like crazy, I decided to go skiing. Note to self; get up earlier. It gets warm by noon but the skiing was better than I expected. It was a beautiful day of off and on snow on the mountain and green valleys below. Go for a walk but take a bike or some skis.

Value

I don't believe that money is something to gamble with. It is too necessary and should be more of a sure thing. To risk my life to ski an aesthetic line is another story. That line will only be unspoiled for so long and if you have the opportunity to ski it first you shouldn't knock it. It's a rare occurrence that all the factors align for you to bet there first on the right day. Rarity has value to me. Transient things like performances are live and only in the moment. You were either there to partake or you weren't.
When it comes to more durable assets, there are few things that I'll ever have exclusive use of that are competition quality. I'll doubtfully have a race car or a race-ready motorcycle. A dog, running shoes are possible and perhaps a tennis raquet could be had. Even a bicycle I would race could be bought. Skis, ah, skis are the one item that you can get that are of the same quality that racers get. Some skis, that is. Check your brand. See if your skis are rare. Take a piece of life when you can. Buy yourself the one luxury you can max out on. Get a video game console for the race cars.

Animal Update

The Bighorns have been down by the road for about week now. Two black bears, a mom & cub, crossed the road in front of me. The elk are herding in the low grasslands and the whitetails are grazing daily in the yard. The Rangers are hazing the bison back into the park. Spring has sprung.

What You Get Used To

Buy the best. You'll only buy it once. If you aren't satisfied with it, there is nothing that would satisfy you. Life is what you get used to. What do you want to get used to? Why not surround yourself with excellence? It rubs off.
For example, one day you labor over the purchase of an item and you enjoy your purchase until one day when you have a doubt. How do you know you'd have liked the other one better? You got used to using the one you bought. There is no way to have gotten them both and used them both equally to finally decide which one the the good one. Some things you can do that with. Underwear comes to mind. But by the time I decide I have some I like, there is no way to find it in the marketplace any more. Skis are the same way. They are transient things that will come and go in your life. Be sure not to fall in love with inanimate objects. They, too, come and go.
If you have to make a choice, choose the goods, it bring everyone up with you. Vote for the goods. Enjoy.

Six Foot Italian

If you're a six foot Italian, you probably want a fifty inch pole. Ski pole height is a preference, but the rule-of-thumb is that in your skis, on the snow with the tip in the snow, your forearm ought to be level with your elbow at your side. To fake it in the store, invert the pole and grab it under the basket with your elbow by your side. Your arm should be parallel to the floor.
Once you know your length, you need to decide on shaft composition. What is it made of, aluminum, carbon fiber or composite? It's a weight/strength thing. Also, the shape may be different. Fat, thin, tapered and corrective angle are all choices. For regular ski days I like thin, carbon fiber poles that are easy to sit on on the chairlift and don't suck the heat out of my leg, not to mention that they are light. For powder days or backcountry, I like adjustables, short for ascending, long for skating and uneven for traversing. Powder baskets are a must.
Grip choice is usually the one that comes with the shaft you like. Corrective angle grips are great as are styles that allow the strap to detach.
If they look good, too, buy them and put your name on them!

And over

With new snow in the mountains Saturday I took a day off but went back up Sunday. With the delusion that the boot track would still be there I took the same route, solo. Plod, Trudge, Seek, Rest became the ascent cycle for another three hours. Fortunately, the skiing was at least twice as good as Friday. So it went from one grade above 'Survival' to "Palatable". Don't be rushing out of your warm place to hit the slopes here. If you long for winter, seek out your local ice skating rink and take a spin during the public hours.

Comedy of Terrors

Today's adventure was an arduous hike and some lousy turns down the front of the local closed-for-the-season ski hill. My partner was Vermonster Iain Massucci. He's a young, strong telemarker who busted at least as much trail as I did. Three feet of sugar at the top tapering to three inches at the bottom. All we needed was one inch since it was so dense that you didn't sink more than an inch or you had a problem. The turns were poor but the hike was hard in a good way. The lesson of the day, however, is to budget for a pair of skins. The one hundred or so other slope tool users almost exclusively skinned past us often lapping us as we trudged upward. My thinking had always been that skins are useless in a chute but they do make the approach faster than any other method. Get some skin!