Category: Articles

Articles

The Ski Journal: New Ski Porn Hits the Newsstands

The Ski JournalLooking for an authentic magazine to drool over that focuses on skiing issues rather than the skiing institution? You can skip such commercialized standbys as Ski, Skiing, Powder, and Freeskier that cater more towards advertisers than readers. Fluff free and mostly subscriber driven, The Ski Journal is an amazingly beautiful production that looks and reads more like an anthology of ski literature and photographs than a typical ski magazine.

Published by the same outfit responsible for Frequency: The Snowboarder’s Journal, The Ski Journal is a new quarterly periodical that shuns typical magazine production techniques on both the front and back end. The magazine is printed on thick high quality paper that brings to life its exceptional photography and beautifully designed layout. Photographs are matched with generally well written articles that range from one page quick shots to double digit page numbered in depth articles without commercial interruption. While The Ski Journal does take advertisers on for revenue, the ads are limited to full pages and generally relegated to either the front or back of the magazine, never breaking up content or articles (sixteen full page ads out of one hundred and twelve pages in Volume Two Number One–compare that to Ski, Skiing, Powder, Freeskier, or even Backcountry).

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Articles, Gear

Fall Tent Sales: Lincoln, NH

Ah, the wonders of the Fall. Cooling temperatures, refreshing crisp breezes, new ski movie releases, and huge gear tent sales. Skiing equipment does not get any cheaper than the pre-season Fall Tent Sales. Excellent deals were spotted in the Lincoln, NH area this afternoon including Rogers’ and Sport Thoma’s annual tent sales in Lincoln and North Lincoln. Rogers’ tent sale is located across the street from their well designed new building. No longer a claustrophobic old building, Rogers is now a three floor spacious warehouse full of the latest in winter sports gear.

Prices for last season’s skis were particularly low under the tent next to the new building but cheap skis from last season were also located upstairs. Examples include used Dynastar Legend 8000s for $400 mounted with demo bindings, Legend 8800 unmounted for $400, and last season’s Legend 8000s for $400. All fantastic prices for one of my favorite ski lines. If I did not already have 2.5 pairs of the 8000, I would have taken a pair of their hands!

Get out there and buy some cheap gear from last season while you can!

Articles, Gear

Volkl Mantra Demo Review

On March 21st, I visited Stowe, VT and experienced a long desired demo with the Volkl Mantra (177cm). Sporting a Radius of 20.3 and a sidecut of 130/94/113, the Mantra is billed as ideal one ski quiver for those that enjoy front side and back side skiing. My opinion is that the Mantra compromises too much to be an East Coast quiver of one. Ironically, I found the ski was more akin to a wider Supersport in having excellent carving ability while lacking in the powder and tight turns required of East Coast tree skiers.

Prefacing my full review are my personal preferences, physical specifications, current quiver, and testing conditions. I stand tall at 6’1″ and tip the scales at 210 pounds. My build is athletic but not bulky and despite my size I prefer finesse to power although I am an ex-college racer that at one time preferred brute force. My favorite terrain includes all natural snow terrain but most specifically New England tree and glade skiing with a preference towards powder. I have the ability to carve serious arcs when powder is scarce and I can bash bumps with the best of them. My current ski quiver includes the Dynastar Legend 8000, Dynastar Intuitiv Big, and Volkl P50 Motion. Testing conditions included a bit of everything including groomers, wind blown hard pack, bumps, soft natural snow, powder, trees, etc.

I really wanted to like this ski. It is one helluva ski. It really is. And even though it was not the right ski for me, I recognized instantly the skis’ power and prowess. It is an interesting feeling being both amazed yet disinterested in a ski at the same time.

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Articles, Ski Movies

A Review of Snow Gods by The Meatheads

Snow Gods
The Meatheads are a small and independent Ski Film production out fit from Burlington, Vermont. Snow Gods is the fifth DVD released by the Meatheads and continues the unique exclusive Northeast skiing focus. Despite a lack luster season, the Meatheads managed to put together a solid production including a variety of powder shots. But the film fails to offer substantial improvement from the previous year’s offering, Born From Ice. Regardless of comparison to past productions, Snow Gods is an excellent addition to any East Coaster’s ski video collection.

Snow Gods opens with scenes of rain and running water melting away sheets of ice. A fitting visual montage for the early months of the 2005-2006 ski season. Joe Morabito, who carries the movie with excellent powder and tree skiing, introduces the movie with a ski sacrifice to the Ski Gods during the latter days of a snowless January. While the Snow Gods did not respond immediately to the sacrifice, The Meatheads would find more than enough snow and powder eventually.

Since the rain and warm weather continued into February throughout New England, a small troupe of The Meatheads plotted a course to the Chic Chocs of Quebec on the Gaspe Peninsula. A variety of backcountry scenes ensue including some big mountain open bowl skiing, knee deep powder chutes, road side debauchery, and a side of hucks and jumps. Plenty of behind the scenes footage is included demonstrating that a trip to the Chic Chocs is just as much about the adventure and trip itself than the skiing. A few minutes of various natural and man made jib, rail, and park skiing end cap the Chic Choc segment before the movie switches gears to the highlight of the film at Jay Peak.

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Articles

There Really Are Friends on Powder Days: A Creative Work of Fiction

With two quick cuts, Mike plunged into the narrow chute which opened up into a steep double fall line stash. Checking my six to ensure we were not being watching or followed, I charged in after him. After the initial steep pitch, we found ourselves balls deep in the trees skiing the lightest fluff of the season. Mike has never sampled this line before and I was feeling generous with the untracked. Perhaps the old adage doesn’t always hold true, there really are friends on powder days.

Blurry eyed from hours of research and starring at our computer monitors, we made our decision the night before. Pouring over dozens of forecasts and weather models, the decision was made via Instant Messenger to meet at Cannon’s Tram Station promptly at 7:45 A.M. First Tram at Cannon leaves the Station at 8:15 A.M. and is often crowded. But if your ass isn’t in line by 8 A.M. on a powder day, you might as well be grabbing first chair at Peabody Lodge cause you’re in for a long wait.

Restless energy finally gave way to slumber. However, I would not entertain dreams of deep powder and blue bird skies. Dreams are meant to be lived and skiers who dream of such things while sleeping usually aren’t getting any. Real dreams begin when you wake up.

The alarm clock was poised to spring a rude awakening upon me, but such emergency back up devices are hardly ever needed on days like these. Lunch was already packed and the ski clothes laid out. I ran through the morning routine and found my gear and skis in the ready position by the door.

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