Help-a-Noob: 12sets skis for case Budweiser
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 9:33 pm
Acquisition
Day Progression
Questions
So last season looking for skis on CraigsL on a lark I sorted $$$$->$ and saw as dozen skis for $1,234. Interesting number. So looking at the ad the guy was clearing them out (personal quiver) "for a case of budweiser". As it had been posted within the hour and a snow storm was moving in, I convinced a friend we had to go now in spite of snow.
"Let's go after the storm." That's my point, going now will beat the pack thinking the same. So I confirmed via text and asked what drinks when he prefers a beer. Trip to liquor store and off we went in the wagon laughing-all-the-way as if this can't be real.
I walked up to the house with a "two four" in hand and he came out with two pairs, more leaning on the outside wall to the side of the front door. Hand off Budw and get two pair in return. Come back with 6er of Alaskan Amber and walk back with two more pair. Walk up halfway and wife meets me with two more pair.
10 were drilled once and sans bindings including K2 downhills, ScottyBob Bobtails, a couple Nordics, more downhils...
2 had bindings, a waxed blue Karhu with 3pin and another downhill-esque with cables. The day before or after I had a pair of leather 3pin boots. Boots mated up fine to 3pins and with a little adjustment to the cables.
Day 1: Went to the Nordic park (Breck/Dillon???), mounted up and skied the open flat a bit with each, then went on the trail (groomed and with pair of Nordic ruts) and went about 1/4mi up then down with both. Karhus glided a bit, others were glopped with stick wax. Hell, not complaining for the price. Balance was tricky when skiing down and I found it easiest to stagger feet for balance.
Day 2: Got on the Summit Co. bus to go up to WIldernest where there are two trailheads, one leading back down to near I-70. Winds were up and it was snowing, so I made the break across the snowed over meadow for tree line. Wasn't getting much glide so stopped and scraped off snow and put on some liquid was I bought (sponge applicator). Was going well XC and wax was holding snow to go up some stuff, but trail was getting thinner and fainter until near the lakes it was GPS only as everything was snowed over. I had stopped again when sun came up, stuck skis ala sundial so black bottoms got direct sun, which melted off snow, then I scraped kick wax with a gift card and re-glide-waxed.
The lakes was a hybrid of "skiing" and "snowshoeing" as I was making trail the best I could. While some may think it stupid to go into USFS solo with new gear, I had a good happy pack of stuff suitable for being on a mountain for 12hr including two nice full thermoses, oh and alternate layers, etc. Later I found the snowed over trail, basically a faint "cut" and or "corridor" among the aspens and was happy to be going downhill, but wasn't getting any glide. Aggressive giftcarding to get all the brown wax off and re-glide-waxing helped, but I had to redo one -- imagine the downhill fun of a narrow wooded trail in leather 3pin boots on narrow Karhus with one ski sticking and the other gliding away. Awkward.
Finally I got both to glide. Now I've downhilled (alpine) a lot and am fine with blacks (the ski runs...), and was digging the learning curve of all this. Next up: falling. Well, there's so much give in 3pin leathers I found (with a lil' forethought) that falling sideways is fine, forward is fine, and if backward try to sit or fall sideways. The binding can both be clamped and released by pushing on one tab or another with my ski pole (BD FL Z-pole, a folding trekking pole with snow baskets zip-tied on = baller).
Where there was no track, I tried snowplowing, and I tried parallel with staggered feet for balance. What I morphed to was a Staggered Snowplow to control speed and balance. I figured things would "come together" as I got this balance thing down (balls of feet, balls of feet, balls of feet) to snowplow-->parallel, and I could even up my ankles when balance got better, and or work on alternating.
As I expected, the lakes being the farthest from the trail heads saw the least traffic, and as downhill was to another one the trail became clear again, even found re-affirming signposts. Now, 20mph may not seem fast on a bicycle, but it sure does on a skateboard. Likewise 5mph on downhills *yawn* but on this pair-of-tight-ropes Karhus *yippee!* While I wasn't dropping a knee, I was getting a stride-stride-glide... stride-stride-glide... thing going on.
Back at the low trail head (a different one), I caught the bus and took it back. Basically you can use public transit (free) like a backcountry ski lift, which was my plan knowing of these XC ski trails. A good day all in all.
Day 3 (not sequential, just day 3 of using tele's): A friend sniped a night at the Friends Hut on Boreas Pass, basically a snowed over road from Breck' up to it. Did just fine being uphill all the way. Didn't have any kick wax so I occasionally herring-boned it. Friend was using skins and frame bindings. I walkie-talkied and it was agreed for me to get to the hut and get the fire going, and a "head back down trail if no-show" after 60min. I got to the hut around dusk. We ended up fooding/partying with the folk in the Section House next door.
Day 4: From the pass all down hill or flat. I was happy to re-use the inverted rail tracks I pounded in on the way to make for some skiing on the way down. Glided... Glid... Skied where I could then did the striding thing (opposite of the "skating" method, whatever that's called) when I had to.
Sooo....
Staggered Snowplow: anyone ever do this? Is it a Rodney Dangerfield "... hey, but it looks good on you!" where it may not be textbook, but if it works for me?
I've read it's easier (more control) to use those downhill-esque cable ones. They need a de-waxing, as I think someone kickwaxed them versus using skins, and use them for downhill. Oh, and they squeek with one boot.
Yeah, yeah, all the Sven/Ollie pros have three irons, seven types of hard wax, and a tackle box ski-dialing gear that's make any fisherman in the Ozarks blush (turns out I met the HS/College nordic ski team/club in the parking lot on Day 1... got some "oh..." looks at my skis). I'm not in this to be elite, I'm in it for fun, to get into the back country on skis versus snowshoeing, and snowshoed up enough snowed roads to get to the summer trail head to hike a peak in winter to have said "damn, I wish I had skis" enough times.
This season, I plan to play more with the 3pins and cables (once cleaned up) at resorts for downhill practice and Nordic parks (for form) before another place which is a 15mi snow-road (closed to wheeled vehicles in winter) in along an old railroad grade more or less, hike a peak or two (no skis), then 15mi back the next day.
I am NOT going to throw $$$ at this, as that defeats the point -- you don't have to be Daddy Warbucks to have fun on skis or in the backcountry, and it's good to continually learn new things throughout life. I can see maybe an iron and hard wax, and some kickwax + glide for BC tuning, yet want to keep the Adventure/Fun factor greater than the Nerd/Moolah factor. I also already bought a pair of Ascension skins (ebay cheapies) a month or so ago to play with on approaches.
I've alread I.L.L.'ed Allen and Mikes book. I get it. Good ski form, touchier ski gear needs better form, etc. It doesn't bother me to learn on harder-to-learn skis (I like challenges).
As Donald Rumsfield said, "There are known knowns, known unknowns, unknown knowns, and unknown unknowns (black swans)" so I throw out, anything else I need to know (death), good to know (helps), or nice to know (trivia)? If so, please let me know which and what.
Non-tele: When I re-visit my ski stash, I'll map out all the drill/insert holes with a digital caliper to figure out what bindings I can slap on them to get more miles-of-smiles out them (vs. landfill) to avoid re-drilling if possible. Them Bobtails look... interesting.
Thanks!
Day Progression
Questions
So last season looking for skis on CraigsL on a lark I sorted $$$$->$ and saw as dozen skis for $1,234. Interesting number. So looking at the ad the guy was clearing them out (personal quiver) "for a case of budweiser". As it had been posted within the hour and a snow storm was moving in, I convinced a friend we had to go now in spite of snow.
"Let's go after the storm." That's my point, going now will beat the pack thinking the same. So I confirmed via text and asked what drinks when he prefers a beer. Trip to liquor store and off we went in the wagon laughing-all-the-way as if this can't be real.
I walked up to the house with a "two four" in hand and he came out with two pairs, more leaning on the outside wall to the side of the front door. Hand off Budw and get two pair in return. Come back with 6er of Alaskan Amber and walk back with two more pair. Walk up halfway and wife meets me with two more pair.
10 were drilled once and sans bindings including K2 downhills, ScottyBob Bobtails, a couple Nordics, more downhils...
2 had bindings, a waxed blue Karhu with 3pin and another downhill-esque with cables. The day before or after I had a pair of leather 3pin boots. Boots mated up fine to 3pins and with a little adjustment to the cables.
Day 1: Went to the Nordic park (Breck/Dillon???), mounted up and skied the open flat a bit with each, then went on the trail (groomed and with pair of Nordic ruts) and went about 1/4mi up then down with both. Karhus glided a bit, others were glopped with stick wax. Hell, not complaining for the price. Balance was tricky when skiing down and I found it easiest to stagger feet for balance.
Day 2: Got on the Summit Co. bus to go up to WIldernest where there are two trailheads, one leading back down to near I-70. Winds were up and it was snowing, so I made the break across the snowed over meadow for tree line. Wasn't getting much glide so stopped and scraped off snow and put on some liquid was I bought (sponge applicator). Was going well XC and wax was holding snow to go up some stuff, but trail was getting thinner and fainter until near the lakes it was GPS only as everything was snowed over. I had stopped again when sun came up, stuck skis ala sundial so black bottoms got direct sun, which melted off snow, then I scraped kick wax with a gift card and re-glide-waxed.
The lakes was a hybrid of "skiing" and "snowshoeing" as I was making trail the best I could. While some may think it stupid to go into USFS solo with new gear, I had a good happy pack of stuff suitable for being on a mountain for 12hr including two nice full thermoses, oh and alternate layers, etc. Later I found the snowed over trail, basically a faint "cut" and or "corridor" among the aspens and was happy to be going downhill, but wasn't getting any glide. Aggressive giftcarding to get all the brown wax off and re-glide-waxing helped, but I had to redo one -- imagine the downhill fun of a narrow wooded trail in leather 3pin boots on narrow Karhus with one ski sticking and the other gliding away. Awkward.
Finally I got both to glide. Now I've downhilled (alpine) a lot and am fine with blacks (the ski runs...), and was digging the learning curve of all this. Next up: falling. Well, there's so much give in 3pin leathers I found (with a lil' forethought) that falling sideways is fine, forward is fine, and if backward try to sit or fall sideways. The binding can both be clamped and released by pushing on one tab or another with my ski pole (BD FL Z-pole, a folding trekking pole with snow baskets zip-tied on = baller).
Where there was no track, I tried snowplowing, and I tried parallel with staggered feet for balance. What I morphed to was a Staggered Snowplow to control speed and balance. I figured things would "come together" as I got this balance thing down (balls of feet, balls of feet, balls of feet) to snowplow-->parallel, and I could even up my ankles when balance got better, and or work on alternating.
As I expected, the lakes being the farthest from the trail heads saw the least traffic, and as downhill was to another one the trail became clear again, even found re-affirming signposts. Now, 20mph may not seem fast on a bicycle, but it sure does on a skateboard. Likewise 5mph on downhills *yawn* but on this pair-of-tight-ropes Karhus *yippee!* While I wasn't dropping a knee, I was getting a stride-stride-glide... stride-stride-glide... thing going on.
Back at the low trail head (a different one), I caught the bus and took it back. Basically you can use public transit (free) like a backcountry ski lift, which was my plan knowing of these XC ski trails. A good day all in all.
Day 3 (not sequential, just day 3 of using tele's): A friend sniped a night at the Friends Hut on Boreas Pass, basically a snowed over road from Breck' up to it. Did just fine being uphill all the way. Didn't have any kick wax so I occasionally herring-boned it. Friend was using skins and frame bindings. I walkie-talkied and it was agreed for me to get to the hut and get the fire going, and a "head back down trail if no-show" after 60min. I got to the hut around dusk. We ended up fooding/partying with the folk in the Section House next door.
Day 4: From the pass all down hill or flat. I was happy to re-use the inverted rail tracks I pounded in on the way to make for some skiing on the way down. Glided... Glid... Skied where I could then did the striding thing (opposite of the "skating" method, whatever that's called) when I had to.
Sooo....
Staggered Snowplow: anyone ever do this? Is it a Rodney Dangerfield "... hey, but it looks good on you!" where it may not be textbook, but if it works for me?
I've read it's easier (more control) to use those downhill-esque cable ones. They need a de-waxing, as I think someone kickwaxed them versus using skins, and use them for downhill. Oh, and they squeek with one boot.
Yeah, yeah, all the Sven/Ollie pros have three irons, seven types of hard wax, and a tackle box ski-dialing gear that's make any fisherman in the Ozarks blush (turns out I met the HS/College nordic ski team/club in the parking lot on Day 1... got some "oh..." looks at my skis). I'm not in this to be elite, I'm in it for fun, to get into the back country on skis versus snowshoeing, and snowshoed up enough snowed roads to get to the summer trail head to hike a peak in winter to have said "damn, I wish I had skis" enough times.
This season, I plan to play more with the 3pins and cables (once cleaned up) at resorts for downhill practice and Nordic parks (for form) before another place which is a 15mi snow-road (closed to wheeled vehicles in winter) in along an old railroad grade more or less, hike a peak or two (no skis), then 15mi back the next day.
I am NOT going to throw $$$ at this, as that defeats the point -- you don't have to be Daddy Warbucks to have fun on skis or in the backcountry, and it's good to continually learn new things throughout life. I can see maybe an iron and hard wax, and some kickwax + glide for BC tuning, yet want to keep the Adventure/Fun factor greater than the Nerd/Moolah factor. I also already bought a pair of Ascension skins (ebay cheapies) a month or so ago to play with on approaches.
I've alread I.L.L.'ed Allen and Mikes book. I get it. Good ski form, touchier ski gear needs better form, etc. It doesn't bother me to learn on harder-to-learn skis (I like challenges).
As Donald Rumsfield said, "There are known knowns, known unknowns, unknown knowns, and unknown unknowns (black swans)" so I throw out, anything else I need to know (death), good to know (helps), or nice to know (trivia)? If so, please let me know which and what.
Non-tele: When I re-visit my ski stash, I'll map out all the drill/insert holes with a digital caliper to figure out what bindings I can slap on them to get more miles-of-smiles out them (vs. landfill) to avoid re-drilling if possible. Them Bobtails look... interesting.
Thanks!
