At the end of last season, I finally got new skis and bindings (from Footloose, of course). My old skis were just too old — first generation parabolics; a GS ski with a really narrow waist and no rockers. How old, you ask? So old that no ski shop would work on them due to liability issues. That means no binding check, no nothing. Very risky, as I will point out below.
I demo'd three pairs of ski and fell in love with the Volkl Kenja's. They are so awesome, and I love how they perform. So much fun, and it is amazing how these power through the crud and anything off-piste. So, so different from the old GS skis, and I'm just scratching the surface on how they handle. I sure wish I had them for all of last season.
So this season, I got new boots. I went straight to Footloose, where they have a great demo and apply to purchase program. I demo'd two pairs over two days, and with the second pair, it was pure love. The Lange RX 110 have the perfect stiffness / flex factor, and they perform like my old boots. Once I decided on the Langes, one of the boot gurus over at Footloose blew out the toebox a bit, and shaved down my custom cork footbeds. Now they fit like a dream. I think it's cool that the boot guru's name is wait for it... Van.
On a side note, the first pair I demo'd were a pair of Salomons, and I had to push them really hard to perform; so hard that I had a really bad crash two days ago (the first ski day of the trip 😱). I smashed my head, jammed my shoulder super hard and banged up my arm.
Regarding the importance of a binding check at the beginning of each season:
Luckily, every time I changed demo boots, the shop had to re-fit and check the bindings. When my bindings were being adjusted for the Lange demos, the tech tested the torque release on both skis. After several tests on my right ski, he said my bindings were failing! What, exactly, did this mean???
He said the tension, while it was appropriately set for my weight, height and ability, was actually completely jacked up (my words), and it wouldn't release accordingly. Can we say fast-track to a broken leg or blown out knee? Luckily I demo'd boots and had to have the bindings checked.
Next thing I know, they were changing out the bindings as a warranty replacement. Keep in mind brand new bindings were put on at the end of last season, which translates to only four or five days of usage. I was so grateful for Footloose's level of service and care. And I was most grateful I purchased all my equipment at the same shop. We love these guys! This incident certainly solidified my commitment to get a binding check at the start of every season.
I bid my old boots a very fond farewell. They were so good to me and provided many fantastic days on the slopes. I brought them on the trip just in case I couldn't find the right new pair. So now that all is good with the new boots, I gave the old boots (what I think is) a proper goodbye: donate them to one of the thrift stores in town. On the way out of town, we dropped them off and left them at the door.
Farewell old boots. Thank you for all the wonderful days you have given me. I hope you bring as much joy to your new owners.
And the best news of all: 1der got his boots tweaked again at Footloose, and this seems to be the ticket🤞🏼. We'll know in the coming days whether his boots are completely dialed in, but for now, all is good. Yey!!!
Here are some shots from Chair 23... Today was our last day skiing at Mammoth (for this round; we'll be back in March). It was a beautiful day, and the snow was great.
Chair 23 - Mammoth. We LOVE this chair! We love the terrain it services, and I particularly love the dicey nature of it. It's the thrill-seeking chair — when it's windy or stops abruptly, it swings and you feel like you could get flung off. Can you say "GI Joe death grip"???
A panoramic view from the top of Chair 23. The series of jagged peaks in the background are the spectacular Minarets, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada mountains located in the Ritter Range. Last summer and the summer prior, we backpacked into the Ritter Range to Thousand Island Lake. So beautiful...
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