We took our son skiing for the first last week at Lost Trail. I picked up some gear at the SOS Ski Swap in the fall. He has boots that are too big for him, and 67cm skis, which are the perfect size. He loves snow and rarely gets cold. The only problem, is that he's only 21 1/2 months old. He's probably too young and we don't want to push him into a bad experience. But the thought of waiting another year to put him on skis wasn't pleasant. We love to ski so we figured, why not? If he hates it, we will stop and try another time.
I started skiing at the age of 8. I had to wait until my brother was 5, so we could learn together and all go skiing as a family. I never learned to snowplow. What I mean is, I didn't learn to ski using the snowplow, or leashes, or anything to hold my tips together. I just learned how to ski straight and fast. When I wanted to stop, I fell over. Not ideal, but I learned how to fall without getting hurt.
We teach what we know, so that's how I taught our son to ski. No snowplow and no learning aides.
Keep in mind that this was his first time in his ski boots and his first time on skis. He knows what skis are and he has skied on my back before, but never on his own.
Playing with Mommy and Daddy's skis (@ 9 months old)
Lolo Pass (@ 9 months old)
He absolutely loved it! He was literally laughing the entire time. He picked it up immediately. Well, he actually fell after only a few feet, but he laughed and got right back up and asked to "Go Fast." Which he did, again and again. It was the perfect ski day.
Saturday at Lost Trail went so well that we went to Snowbowl the very next day. Expectations were still a little low. He may not like it on Sunday. He may not improve.
Wrong. He loved it even more and skied more runs. He was still laughing and having a blast. And so were we. No pizza for this kid. Just french fries.
I don't know if I have ever been so happy or proud (wedding day, and his birth immediately come to mind).
This winter hasn't shaped up like we all hoped it would, but watching my boy, was one of the greatest ski days of my life. I can't wait for the next one.
Every year we get a tree to decorate for the holidays. It’s a fun tradition. It’s also a good excuse to put our ornament collection on display. We have tons ornaments from our childhood and ones we have collected ourselves. We have snowflakes, cowgirls, Homer Simpson drinking Duff, skis, Santa playing soccer, nutcrackers, and many, many more.
Sometimes we buy a tree and sometimes we cut our own. We are slowly making it our annual tradition to cut our own the week after Thanksgiving. The sooner we get it done, the more time we have to ski, and enjoy our tree of course.
After an extensive email chain with a dozen friends and spouses, we had a plan. Meet at noon at the Safeway lot and head up to Lolo Pass. We picked up tree tags for $5 at the Ranger Station and parked in the upper lot on the Montana side.
We quickly built a small (and by small I really mean large) fire and cracked a few beers. The dogs played in the snow and dug holes looking for sticks to fetch. My little boy loved to jump into the holes the dogs left.
After a few hours of swapping ski stories and making plans for future ski trips, it was time to get down to business. We had to bring a tree home. We like the Charlie Brown style tree, not the Clark Griswold style tree. Lolo Pass is full of Charlie Brown trees and we found one quickly. It didn’t long to haul it out and tie it to the roof. The sun was setting and it was time to head home.
But no trip to Lolo Pass is complete without a stop at the LumberJack. The lot was full and almost every vehicle had a tree strapped to the roof. We ordered some food and settled in to watch some football by the fire.
It was hard to image a better ski day, especially considering it was my first day on skis since May. Lookout Pass, Lost Trail Pass, and Lolo Pass had all picked up 16-24" in the past week. Lookout Pass opened for the season on November 18th. I was super jealous of all of stories of great early season ski days. It was time to make some turns of my own.
Work and family obligations prevented me from skiing until Sunday. I was worried I had missed out on all the fun. I was wrong.
We left Missoula at 8am and headed up Lolo Pass. We were excited to ski, but expectations were pretty low. At the very least we knew we would get some exercise and fresh air.
Portions of the road were snow covered and the snow level was much lower than we thought it would be. We became a little more optimistic. There were no cars in the pullout and the previous tracks were almost completely filled in.
The clouds slowly gave way to blue skies as we started skinning. It had turned into a picture perfect day.
We took three laps. The snow was light and deep. Temps stayed in the 20s all day long. Despite all of the obvious logs, stumps, and rocks littering Lolo Pass, we didn't hit anything.
My dog, Pika, was chest deep every step of the way. She loves the snow and loves chasing me down the mountain. She would have much preferred our day ended after our second lap though. It was her first day of the season too and I have not been able to run her as much I usually do. We both need to get in better shape.
It ended up being very memorable day. Not just a good early season day, just a good ski day. Here's to many more this season.
The Marker Duke, Baron, Tour F12 and the new Jester Pro look like one big happy family.
The Jester Pro has several added features that make it the ultimate binding for the competitive freeskier. With an 18 DIN range, The Jester Pro is burly enough to take the biggest hits you can stomp. The toe features a horizontal torsion bar reinforcement, enhancing the power transmission and lateral precision. The Jester Pro's AFD is fixed, which increases both retention and power transmission.
If you shred harder than your bros, you need to be on the Jester Pro.
“The Jester Pro is exactly what the professional freeskiing community has been waiting for. This binding has the weight and specifications that meet the needs of skiers on supremely challenging and diverse mountain terrain.This binding can handle it all,” said freeskier Dash Longe. “The last thing I ever want to worry about is losing a ski. With the Jester Pro, I don’t.”
The Jester Pro has quickly proven itself on the competition circuit, with some impressive results:
Russ Henshaw, Silver Medal – X Games Slopestyle, January 29, 2011 JF Houle, Gold Medal – Euro X Games, March 17, 2011 Nick Goepper, Winner – Dumont Cup, March 26, 2011
This is the first in our series of gear reviews to be rolled out all winter long.
MFD is changing the way we can use our alpine ski bindings, and for the better. The Salt Lake City based company has designed a system that allows skiers to use their existing downhill bindings (Tyrolia, 4FRNT, Rossignol, Look, Atomic, Salomon, and Liberty) as alpine touring bindings to ski backcountry stashes and resort sidecountry. We’ve been waiting for this.
MFD has combined what we love about alpine bindings and touring bindings. We love the performance and security of our alpine bindings. We also love the ability to free the heel on AT bindings. But we are continually faced with tough decisions. Do you shoulder your skis, use snowshoes, or alpine trekkers to tour the backcountry? That is not a fun day. Can you trust your AT bindings to ski super hard and take a beating? Not 100% of the time. So we are forced to sacrifice performance or function. Those days are over now, thanks to the All Time touring plate. The MFD All Time is the first touring binding that you can trust to ski any mountain, anywhere, ALL-THE-TIME (hence the name).
The All Time is a plate that you mount to your ski, and your alpine bindings mount to the plate. Each plate is pre-drilled for specific bindings. You now have the performance and durability of an alpine binding with the ability to tour the backcountry. It’s the best of both worlds.
I had a chance to ski the All Time last winter and was immediately convinced. You can't even notice the plate when you are skiing. The ski flexes as it should and everything feels full locked in. The conditions were less than ideal. We skied hardpack at high speeds. Not something I ever like to do in my touring bindings. While I did not get a chance to tour on the All Time, I did unlock the heel on the way to the chairlift. The stride felt natural and the climbing was super easy to engage.
I realize the All Time may not be for everyone, but it definitely has its place. Anyone who has a compatible binding can get an easy touring upgrade and use all of their existing gear. That’s a nice convenience. And for those interested in exploring resort backcountry gates, the All Time gives them the freedom to do so.
All Time with 4FRNT Deadbolt 13
For those of you who like to geek out on techy stuff, here are some important specs.
-Three climbing bar positions: O, 6 and 14 degree. No other AT binding on the market has a 14 degree climbing bar.
-Weight per side: 600g or 1.6 lbs.
-Construction: 6061 T6 aluminum, Dupont Zytel
-Free Floating Chop Block (All Time heel piece) allows the ski to flex more naturally
-Pole activated climbing bar is truly easy to use, unlike the similar claims from other companies that turn out to be false.
-Lowest stand height of all DIN AT bindings.
The MFD All Time is compatible with the following alpine bindings:
Tyrolia Peak T.H. 15, X T. H. 18
4FRNT Deadbolt 13, 15, 18
Liberty 515 Freeride
Head Mojo 11, 12, 15, 18
Salomon STH Driver 12/14/16, STH 12/14
Atomic FFG Team
Rossignol FKS 140/180
Look Pivot 14/18
I’m sure you are all asking, “How much does the system weigh compared to other AT bindings?”
Binding Weight Comparison Per Side (not per pair):
Marker Duke Large with 110mm brake - 3.0 lbs.
Marker Baron Large with 110mm brake - 2.8 lbs.
Marker Tour F12 with 110mm brake – 2.2 lbs.
Naxo NX 22 Large with 100mm brake - 2.8 lbs.
MFD All Time plate Large - 1.6 lbs.
MFD All Time plate Large + Tyrolia 15 DIN binding with 115mm brake - 4.0 lbs.
Concerns about the durability of such a new product? Fear not. The All Time has been tested by pro skiers Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Chris Benchetler and Daron Rahlves, along with many industry insiders for the past year. They all say its good enough for them. I know I will be mounting the All Time touring plate on a pair of my skis very shortly.
Backcountry Racks & Skis will have a pair of Liberty Double Helix 182cm skis mounted with 4FRNT Deadbolt 13 bindings and the MFD touring plate for customers to test out all winter long.
Best of all, MFD manufacturers the All Time in the USA. For more info check out the MFD website.
