I used to have a daydream that I was locked in a toy store overnight. I'd play with every toy my mother never let me have - all of the video games, the mini kid's Jeeps that drove "like a real car," those sneakers that were really roller skates, and every last Barbie. Clearly, I had this daydream when I was about 10.
These days, I dream of a week of skiing with unlimited access to every last boot, ski, helmet, goggle, jacket and pant on the market.
What am I dreaming of making a skiing reality this year? Well, the nice folks (sorry, during this election season I really, really hate the word "folks") from Rossignol and Volkl are going to be at the party tomorrow, and I cannot wait to eye the candy.
I have never met a Volkl I didn't like. And I can't wait to meet the Aura, Mantra, Kendo and particularly, the Bridge. I have it from a very, very good source (my friend Trecker, who is a great skier and an engineer, and who is pretty ski gear obsessed) that the Bridge will be my new BFF. According to him, the Bridge is fantastic and quick in the bumps, super responsive in tight woods (is there any other kind of tree skiing in Vermont?) and yet they manage to hold their edge on icy steeps. He said he took them out on two days last year (the 2012 Bridge is apparently a repainted 2011) - the first was mashed potatoes, and the second was frozen mashed potato crud. Ahh, ski the east. Trecker said they were great on both days. Now that, my friends, is an all-mountain ski. Here's a review from the pros:
http://freeskier.com/gear/products/category/all-mountain-skis
I'm also in the market for new boots. Mine are fine - albeit held together with duct tape (really - I'll take a picture at some point). But like all things these days, I feel like I "just" got them, when in fact, I think I've had them for at least eight years. So here is what I can't wait to get my hands on and feet into:
The Rossignol Electra Pro Sensor 110. While I think ski boot manufacturers need to simplify their ski boot names, this boot sounds great. I have a very high arch/instep, and I tend to get terrible boot bang on the top bone in my foot. In fact, in the (painful) Lange Pink Panther years, my right foot came out of the boot bloody more than once.
Here's a picture of my feet so you can see the bone/bump on the top - which I took this summer on day when I wore two different shoes for three hours before I noticed. What? Yeah? Have twin boys and call me.
Here is a review of the Rossignol Electra Pros:
http://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/rossignol-electra-pro-sensor-inside-110-2012
Hopefully, no more bloody feet. And by the way, if you are new to the boot game, and have feet that are weird at all (and let's face, it, all feet are weird), custom footbeds could change your life. I skied into a boot fitter in Vail about 15 years ago literally in tears. Luckily, I knew the guy working there (thank you, Todd, you changed my skiing life) and when he pulled the footbed out of my boot, he said, "This is why you are crying." Trust me, I'm not a crying kind of girl.
The footbed looked brand new everywhere - except for under the ball of my foot. There, it was so paper thin that I could see through it. "You are skiing with 99% of your weight in one small spot - it's like you've been skiing in four inch heels," he said. Now, I am extremely partial to very high heels, but I not only would never ski in them, I barely like to walk in them (I have several pairs of shoes that are known as Valet Only because I am not walking further than curb to table in them).
Todd built me a custom footbed, and although I've cried since that day, it was mostly due to guys like J--- May He Be Hit By A Bus (name changed to protect that not at all innocent). But, as usual, I digress.
Gear party, here I come. I'll be the loser waiting at the door before it opens.
No snow yet, so unfortunately, I won't be taking anything for a test drive. But I'll let you know what I learn.
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