Glow's Ski Gear

[keefe]

Glow's Thread on Ski Mountains made me think of Ski Gear. There is such a huge selection out there it might be useful to compare notes.

Skis: I usually take two pair of skis to the mountains to address different snow and terrain.

I have two pair of AMT skis but my trusted standby is the Volkl Gotama. I have skied Gotamas for ten years and I have grown to appreciate the Gotama's versatility and incredible handling. It took a while to adjust to such short fat skis but once you master the camber and full rocker attitude you'll swear by it. Gotama's will take you anywhere on the front and back side. Before you start going crazy with this type of ski you need to get a feel for the camber on a nice blue cruiser because they handle completely differently than traditional boards.

My other AMT ski is the Rossi 98. The Rossi mimics the Gotamas' performance on hard snow but differentiates by delivering superior edge control in high speed runs. The Rossi also performs better on the front side because of its dynamic edge grip. If there is a lot of powder then the Gotama is the better choice for an AMT.

My weapon of choice for powder is the Volkl Shiro. The Shiro offers incredible performance in the steeps and at this point in my life I index more towards control than speed when hurtling down a chute. If you really want raw thrust then this is not the ski for you. But if you want control and exert a lot of leg muscle to achieve that then the Shiro is the finest full rocker ski out there. I won't kid you though - this is a rugged ski and the ride isn't sweet but these boards aren't for cruisers. The Shiro is for navigating quickly and cleanly through rocks and trees and if your leg says turn these cut beautifully.


Boots: I've worn them all but my last purchase was Black Diamond Factors and I will never wear another boot. These were recommended to me by the ski dude at the Seattle REI Flagship and his advice was spot on (the great thing about REI is they'll let you take them out for a test drive so you are completely managing your risk...I am a huge fan of REI.) The Black Diamond factors perform beautifully on both sides of the hill and are as comfortable at 1700 as they were at 0900.

Boots are wholly personal but my best possible advice on boots is to spend the dough. Guys will spend $1,000 on flat boards then try to go cheap on bindings and boots. I have never understood that mentality and when someone starts bitching that their feet hurt I know immediately they are wearing cheap shoes.


Outer Shells:  I always pack both a soft and hard outer shell when I head up to the hills. The best Hard Shell I have ever owned is my current Arc'teryx Carden. I prefer Arc'teryx but my strongest advice is, regardless of brand, make sure it is Gortex.

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