25 March, 2006 (Saturday)

Becoming a ski bum
It is official – I am a ski bum. I splurged on Saturday and now I’m the proud owner of, not one, but two pairs of skis. Yes, they’re pretty. Yes, they’re different. No, I have no idea how I’m going to get them home. My next purchase was always going to be a ski bag. Know any deals on mailing package across the globe?

My newest babies are a pair of 168cm Rossignol Scratch FS’s (Free Style). They’re season old twin tips that I acquired via an ex-rentals sale. The top-sheet (upper part of the ski) is a little scratched, but the bases and integrity of the skis are tops. Twin tips, being niche skis, apparently don’t get as much time out of the shop as all-mountain carvers.

In the end I paid $CAD256 (including tax) for them (this converts to around $AUS320), which isn’t bad for skis and bindings at this level. As far as use goes, while they carve relatively well, they’re not made for hard-core slopes skiing but are more suited for the terrain park – plenty of flexibility, twin tips (which means that the back edges curve as well as the front) and un-waxed bases mean that they are more forgiving on jumps and provide cleaner contact on the rails (if I could actually manage to mount the rails properly in the first place). I think of it as part of my education here at Big White. (Picture: On the snow - my Head Monster all-mountain carves)


Try before you buy
I did take them out a few times before I purchased. The first night Pez (rentals) escorted me out to the park and gave me some tips on launching jumps, spins, jump 180s and hitting the rail. I have a long way to go, and a lot of bruises to collect, before I can do any of these things properly, but I guess it's a good way to pass the time.

With the jumps apparently it’s a matter of timing, speed and stability. You have to pop up when you hit the lip of the jump, holding a compact shape for most of your air-time until you pencil out at the end. Apparently. It seemed to work. The rails and boxes require a slow entry, popping into a side-on stance, weight centred and toward the front. I can still hear the echo of the laughter from the chairlift going past. Yet to get one of those… but then, I don’t think I’ve committed to throwing myself at those metal plates.

The second time I took them out I was night skiing down Sunrun. It was a little icy. Compared to my Head all-mountain carves they (unsurprisingly) didn’t hold an edge as well, and had a tendency to jump, the extra spring translating into an energetic bounce, especially at speed. Nevertheless, the different feel also meant that they were easier to land and managed to hold a decent pace. (Picture: Sunset on the Sunrun)

I haven’t had much opportunity to take them out since, but I think I’m due some park time in the next few weeks. Just have to let my bruised shins heal a little.