Decades ago, Mr. Young warned us that rust never snoozes. I’m pretty sure Neil was referring to ski edges. Snag-tears in your gloves and pants, and rust stains all over your matching kit: all nasty side effects of poorly maintained ski edges. Read More …
JGW
Jason has long hailed from Utahrdia, skiing powder whenever possible and always titillating the keyboard in new and interesting ways. Heroes: Captain Jean Luc Picard, Kilgore Trout, Karl Malone (#32 of the Utah Jazz).
How to Fix Core Shots and Deep Scratches with P-Tex
By: JGW | February 3rd, 2010Sharks, demons, and other ski-hungry beasts lurk beneath the clement whiteness that we all ski on top of. Believe it. If you’ve yet to hear the tell-tale crunch of a ski-vs.-rock core shot, consider yourself blessed. Rocks, stumps, and other hard sub-snow nasties want to eat your skis bases, and if you aren’t wary, they’ll eat your ski right out from under you. Fortunately, we have some triage tips for when the ski-eaters pounce. Read More …
Best Way to Wax Your Skis
By: JGW | February 3rd, 2010Fresh wax smells better than incense any day—just one of many reasons why you should regularly wax your skis.
A well-waxed ski runs more smoothly on any and every snow surface than non-waxed ski. While some novices may feel that a lack of waxing will help them from ‘going too fast,’ this is actually faulty logic. Read More …
How To Deburr Ski Edges
By: JGW | February 2nd, 2010Catching an edge on manky snow sucks. Deburring your ski edges smooths everything out when you’re making turns. Here are some easy steps to deburr your ski edges. Read More …
How to Detune Ski Tips and Tails
By: JGW | February 2nd, 2010Factory-fresh edges are magic underfoot, but let those tips and tail go untouched for long and you’re aiming to hook your way into edge-catch city and tip-dive town. Sharp, tuned edges are there to help you slow and control your descent on the mountain (and so you don’t die on East Coast ice). Thing is, while most of your ski is wrapped with a metal edge, you don’t actually use your entire tip-to-tail edge for control. In fact, the tips and tails of tuned and new skis often hook and catch on the snow, making for bad days on the mountain. Read More …
Backcountry.com Rosetta Stone of Rocker
By: JGW | November 24th, 2009
Nowadays just about every ski brand out there—mainstream and boutique—is getting on the rocking horse. Are you drinking the reverso-rocker grape drink? Just like with OJ, soda, and purple stuff—everyone has their own personal preference. If you’re into railing cords and frontside hardpack like Bode is, then a traditional shape and camber is your ticket. However, if floating on powder as well as being agile and nimble in the deeps and the cruddy chops is your flavor, and if you enjoy quick pivot stops, snowboard-like speed checks and smearable, slarvable dynamics in even relatively soft snow—then maybe you should try a sip of the reverse camber-rocker grape drink.
Avalanche Control on the 210: Flagstaff Foment
By: JGW | January 25th, 201038 Comments »
Rumors of ski-resort expansion have two unavoidable consequences: rejoicing amongst the piste-oriented pass purchasers and jaded, not-in-my-backyard derision from the skin-track-centered crowd. Stick this scenario between two incomparable gems (Utah’s Alta Ski Resort and the central Wasatch backcountry), and you’re bound for some ski-world fireworks. We’ve heard that working with fireworks—and avalanche artillery—can be dangerous, so we left the conversation to the pros. Listen to our interviews, become informed, and get stoked or jaded accordingly.
Read More …
Tags: andrew mclean, backcountry skiing, backcountry snowboarding, video, wasatch mountains
Posted in Commentary, Newsletter |