Saturday, October 29, 2011
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Time to gear up for battle
It's that time of year again kids. Time to get ready for the onslaught of the upcoming winter. I'm pretty content with most of my outerwear so I shouldnt be grabbing anything there. However, after last season, my hardware is left in shambles. Holes in the bottom of boots, liners loose as slippers, and busted ass bindings with de-lamming skis. Of course I'll fix them up...but theres no way they are going to last the whole season. Most people look forward to christmas or their birthday as a time for goodies.....well this is my time of year for goodies. Lets get started.
First off, are the boots. I've been riding the same pair of boots for the past two seasons, which ends up to be around 310 days or so. They are disintegrating fast. Tecnica Rival HVLs. I've been using this particular model the past 4 seasons and have been very pleased. As they saying goes, if its not broken, don't fix it! So for this upcoming season, I will be purchasing another pair of the same, with a slight difference. Here is the Tecnica Vento 6 HVL. What is HVL?
HVL is for High Volume Liner. This is absolutely necessary for me cause I have such huge ass feet. Even with the biggest liner you can get, I will still have to get the sides punched out a bit on the shell for the best fit/comfort. These boots are also a little bit softer than the Rivals, which is what I'm looking for, as I am a 100% park rider now. Maybe a day here and there on the mountain, but that crap is pretty boring these days. These are also a previous year's model, so I can snag them for under 200 dollars, which is pretty damn good for ski boots if you ask me. Now, with that out of the way, lets get on to the skis.
That brings us to these lil guys. The Amplid Antidogma. Why these and not something else?
Well why something else? After having ridden all the major companies out there (Salomon, Volkl, Dynastar, Rossignol) I have been fairly unimpressed with any of them. Rossignol has treated me the best, as they have lasted through a season, where as the rest were either trashed at the end, or did not even survive the whole season. I had also ski'd on armadas two seasons back and was not impressed by the durability. You would think that being a huge company with lots of $$$ to chuck at r&d would result in bomb-proof skis, but that isn't the case. Most of the reviews I find, I usually take with a grain of salt. Yea, its good they are out there, for people who ride a normal season. There is no review that tests a ski 150 days a season, in the park. I am fairly convinced that almost no ski can really stand up to this without failing somewhere. Each season has been a test for whatever ski I have to see if it can live up to its claims. With a whole plethora of new smaller ski companies out there, it's almost baffling when you want to pick out a ski. There is pretty much no source for a good objective review, and wherever you look, someone's opinion always comes into play. None of those opinions are from people who ski as often as I do, so they dont help much. So really, why Amplid? Well because they are trying something different. The alternative materials and construction methods they have used interest me, and I believe them to result in a more durable ski. Of course I wont be mashing these on a daily basis as I have my other damaged pairs to use, but it's always good to have the "golden" pair for comp days...when you need to count on all of your edge being there. Some might say thats bullshit, but w/e. Skiing everyday beats down on stuff, FAST. I was considering Moment Reno Jibs for a while, as they come highly praised from a friend of mine, but then thought about riding a symmetrical ski. It's not really what I'm looking for. I would rather ride an asymmetrical ski centered, if that makes sense. I've been doing it for the past 5 years, and I am more than happy with it. Why change something if it isnt broken? I figured it was finally time for me to help out one of the smaller guys. Amplid, with their specifically park engineered ski, is the one I have chosen out of the array of new companies :)
Last but not least, we have the bindings. Sadly, the FKS w/ Pivot heel have faded off this planet. So we are stuck with Rossignol's Axial2 technology. This past season, I rode Rossignol WC MXF 150 Bindings, their world cup race binding. I have been a fan of these as they are much more durable than the standard Rossignol Axial2s. I have had a pair of the standard Rossignol Axial 120s, and managed to completely obliterate one of the toe pieces, straight up tearing the metal in half.....so I'm about done dealing with these weak things. In the spring, I found out that the WC bindings really were not the best choice. The excess plastic underneath the boot was really not made for the impacts of parks, as I have completely shattered it off one of my skis. Now I have a toepiece that is always vertically loose. It's still ski-able, but probably not the best idea. For this season, I will be shifting to the Rossignol Free 150, pictured above. Almost identical to the WV, but without all the plastic bullshit running underfoot. These are also bindings made for riding park, so I bet they will stand up to the abuse alot better.
As with everything, all of this crap carries a price tag. You just can't have fun in this world without spending money. Hopefully I'll be able to change that this season with the purchase of a video camera, and FINALLY the creation of a new promo, that I can put out there that shows my skills as of NOW, and not 3-4 years ago.
96 days until Breckenridge opening.
First off, are the boots. I've been riding the same pair of boots for the past two seasons, which ends up to be around 310 days or so. They are disintegrating fast. Tecnica Rival HVLs. I've been using this particular model the past 4 seasons and have been very pleased. As they saying goes, if its not broken, don't fix it! So for this upcoming season, I will be purchasing another pair of the same, with a slight difference. Here is the Tecnica Vento 6 HVL. What is HVL?
HVL is for High Volume Liner. This is absolutely necessary for me cause I have such huge ass feet. Even with the biggest liner you can get, I will still have to get the sides punched out a bit on the shell for the best fit/comfort. These boots are also a little bit softer than the Rivals, which is what I'm looking for, as I am a 100% park rider now. Maybe a day here and there on the mountain, but that crap is pretty boring these days. These are also a previous year's model, so I can snag them for under 200 dollars, which is pretty damn good for ski boots if you ask me. Now, with that out of the way, lets get on to the skis.That brings us to these lil guys. The Amplid Antidogma. Why these and not something else?
Well why something else? After having ridden all the major companies out there (Salomon, Volkl, Dynastar, Rossignol) I have been fairly unimpressed with any of them. Rossignol has treated me the best, as they have lasted through a season, where as the rest were either trashed at the end, or did not even survive the whole season. I had also ski'd on armadas two seasons back and was not impressed by the durability. You would think that being a huge company with lots of $$$ to chuck at r&d would result in bomb-proof skis, but that isn't the case. Most of the reviews I find, I usually take with a grain of salt. Yea, its good they are out there, for people who ride a normal season. There is no review that tests a ski 150 days a season, in the park. I am fairly convinced that almost no ski can really stand up to this without failing somewhere. Each season has been a test for whatever ski I have to see if it can live up to its claims. With a whole plethora of new smaller ski companies out there, it's almost baffling when you want to pick out a ski. There is pretty much no source for a good objective review, and wherever you look, someone's opinion always comes into play. None of those opinions are from people who ski as often as I do, so they dont help much. So really, why Amplid? Well because they are trying something different. The alternative materials and construction methods they have used interest me, and I believe them to result in a more durable ski. Of course I wont be mashing these on a daily basis as I have my other damaged pairs to use, but it's always good to have the "golden" pair for comp days...when you need to count on all of your edge being there. Some might say thats bullshit, but w/e. Skiing everyday beats down on stuff, FAST. I was considering Moment Reno Jibs for a while, as they come highly praised from a friend of mine, but then thought about riding a symmetrical ski. It's not really what I'm looking for. I would rather ride an asymmetrical ski centered, if that makes sense. I've been doing it for the past 5 years, and I am more than happy with it. Why change something if it isnt broken? I figured it was finally time for me to help out one of the smaller guys. Amplid, with their specifically park engineered ski, is the one I have chosen out of the array of new companies :)Last but not least, we have the bindings. Sadly, the FKS w/ Pivot heel have faded off this planet. So we are stuck with Rossignol's Axial2 technology. This past season, I rode Rossignol WC MXF 150 Bindings, their world cup race binding. I have been a fan of these as they are much more durable than the standard Rossignol Axial2s. I have had a pair of the standard Rossignol Axial 120s, and managed to completely obliterate one of the toe pieces, straight up tearing the metal in half.....so I'm about done dealing with these weak things. In the spring, I found out that the WC bindings really were not the best choice. The excess plastic underneath the boot was really not made for the impacts of parks, as I have completely shattered it off one of my skis. Now I have a toepiece that is always vertically loose. It's still ski-able, but probably not the best idea. For this season, I will be shifting to the Rossignol Free 150, pictured above. Almost identical to the WV, but without all the plastic bullshit running underfoot. These are also bindings made for riding park, so I bet they will stand up to the abuse alot better.As with everything, all of this crap carries a price tag. You just can't have fun in this world without spending money. Hopefully I'll be able to change that this season with the purchase of a video camera, and FINALLY the creation of a new promo, that I can put out there that shows my skills as of NOW, and not 3-4 years ago.
96 days until Breckenridge opening.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
epic-ness
So while I was in steamboat, I acquired quite a love for longboarding. It is almost my summer equivalent to skiing in the winter. It is so sick, I love it, I would just go out and hike for hours and then cruise down hills. But that was steamboat, I got over that shit, and now I'm back in Breck. Well I found out that skating on the streets is illegal in breck, which is a horse load of poop. You get yelled at and get a $50 fine. Bunch of honkey stuff if you ask me. But as I'm down at the liquor store, as I am now on every sunday since colorado recognized the 21st century, the clerk there points out the front page of the paper. It revealed to me, nothing but pure awesome-ness. http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080726/NEWS/280237797/1055 -Thats about it. Stoked to see this finally happening. I don't know too much about other skaters, but I keep to my own zone and dont hog the road, like some POS road bikers who ride in the middle of the lane pretending to be a tour de france contender. This is awesome news. Already road my board today like a rebel down to the beer store. It will be that much more awesome when I can do it and not be worried about getting fined.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
6am, hungover, ramblings
So its 6am. I'm hungover. Can't really sleep to well when im like this, so I figured I might as well yap about some crap. Quite honestly, the most fascinating thing that happened was, I went to a keg party with a friend of mine, played miserably at beer pong, but thats besides the biggest fact. It was at this a-frame house here in breck.....and the house..........had..............an................elevator! It was insanely sick. I felt so compelled to drink beer just so I could take the elevator to go to the bathroom, then take it back to return to the party. I somehow managed to royally eat shit walking back, even without my longboard. And through out all the mess, I only scratched / cut up one finger. WTF. How the hell was it just one finger and not my entire arm.....I am baffled. Tonight is not going to be any better. I've got two friends comin into town and they only have one thing on their mind, and it sure as hell aint havin tea and tellin stories. Or maybe it is, whatever. I just wish I could sleep right now....cause its going to be 1110x times worse tonight.
Friday, July 25, 2008
some wheat evolution
I am awakened on this friday of July a little bit earlier than I am used to. Apparently some fruitcake thought it would be cool to practice his saxophone at 7am in the lobby. Maybe if something was actually played instead of a bunch of random practice notes I wouldnt be so pissed. So thats it, I'm awake now, might as well go eat some breakfast. My favorite as of late has been
Not just your ordinary frosted mini-wheats, but with a nice flavor of maple & brown sugar. Its a nice thing to have first thing in the morning. Ever since I've gotten back to breck, I've been on a health binge for some reason too. Of course that's short lived cause I have friends coming into town this weekend and that will of course involve copious amounts of drinking. So much for staying healthy. I'm even drinking v8 for christs sake......ok fine its that new vfusion stuff....but it tastes damn good.....and is good for you! Chowin down salads as well, trying to straighten out after a winter/summer of eating the all american crap diet of burgers, brats, etc....and not a single veggie.
So as I'm sitin there eating my maple & brown sugar frosted mini-wheats.....I'm thinking...Ok. these are mini-wheats. The mini always have to come after the regular. It's not like midgets evolved first, then man...or was it? Anyway, I did some digging on shredded wheat evolution.
In a rather nasty photo (looks like this one is taking a shit) I find the original shredded wheat. Something the size of hand.....obviously you cant eat it how it is, so you have to crumble it up into the bowl first, then eat it. I sit here wondering who the hell even eats this stuff anymore. I can barely get the cereal into the bowl let alone be worried about having to crush stuff up just to eat it. And what the hell...no frosting? Plain shredded wheat would taste like you're eating sandpaper.....or a non-flavored triscuit. That shit's nasty. I am more than satisfied with my maple & brown sugar frosted mini-wheats. Thank goodness for the evolution of shredded wheat. Without it, I would probably still be eating crap like pizza or lucky charms.
Not just your ordinary frosted mini-wheats, but with a nice flavor of maple & brown sugar. Its a nice thing to have first thing in the morning. Ever since I've gotten back to breck, I've been on a health binge for some reason too. Of course that's short lived cause I have friends coming into town this weekend and that will of course involve copious amounts of drinking. So much for staying healthy. I'm even drinking v8 for christs sake......ok fine its that new vfusion stuff....but it tastes damn good.....and is good for you! Chowin down salads as well, trying to straighten out after a winter/summer of eating the all american crap diet of burgers, brats, etc....and not a single veggie.So as I'm sitin there eating my maple & brown sugar frosted mini-wheats.....I'm thinking...Ok. these are mini-wheats. The mini always have to come after the regular. It's not like midgets evolved first, then man...or was it? Anyway, I did some digging on shredded wheat evolution.
In a rather nasty photo (looks like this one is taking a shit) I find the original shredded wheat. Something the size of hand.....obviously you cant eat it how it is, so you have to crumble it up into the bowl first, then eat it. I sit here wondering who the hell even eats this stuff anymore. I can barely get the cereal into the bowl let alone be worried about having to crush stuff up just to eat it. And what the hell...no frosting? Plain shredded wheat would taste like you're eating sandpaper.....or a non-flavored triscuit. That shit's nasty. I am more than satisfied with my maple & brown sugar frosted mini-wheats. Thank goodness for the evolution of shredded wheat. Without it, I would probably still be eating crap like pizza or lucky charms.
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