Ski

Yes, exactly, you bastard! Twintip skis were first made in the mid-70's; Olin thought it made skiing backwards easier. Go figure. And back then, every tree, lift tower, and trail map had this sign: "NO JUMPING". Daffys and spread eagles were as stupid then as they are today, so we all learned to do helicopters on our 205cm skis. We jumped with he risk of losing our tickets. And we jumped as stoned and stupid as was humanly possible.

And this is why we all thank the admin gang for taking time from their busy days to put together this MB. Welcome messr2006, your bad attitude would have gotten you warned or banned from the CB MB. A fine first post, I say!

Wrong meaning top and bottom? I like the fact that you pull into the lot and park right next to the top of the slopes you are going to ski. Having the diamonds down at the bottom seems screwed up, but the temps are a shade warmer and there's MUCH less wind. In fact, I've been there when there were 50+mph gusts at the top and it was dead calm down at the bottom. Oh, sorry, yeah the park is up on top... Let's just hope the IDIOT county council buttheads don't close it this year.

The only Volkl I've ever been on was the P30, I think---whichever was orange. That was a long time ago. I don't remember a thing about it, so I guess it wasn't a memorable ski. My oldest raced on them in Maine and she loved the new Volkl's. And I remember Picabo used them pacesetting. Maybe they are chick skis, 'Dude?

Mark's a 15.53 HC, 'Dude. You smoked him, no? We should be listenin' to you!

Like the freaking honeycomb design under the Atomic race boots. Great boots, but you had caulk the bottoms or you walked around collecting snow. Major pain.

Moguls, Sib. There was a time when I skied lots and lots of moguls. Bumps had me cranking much more than any racing. Nothing freaks you out more than stepping out of a perfectly good binding during a perfectly good turn in the moguls. All of a sudden, one ski is MIA. Like being Wile E. Coyote chasing Roadrunner off a cliff...you hang there for a long second, then.......

Yeah, true, but every year I hear that a different part of your anatomy is more important to protect. Better rear release...better twisting release...better forward whatever...Or is it just the binding's durabilty? IDK, but the only binding I ever broke was from jumping off the Shawnee lift on a dare. I think prelease is the worst kind of release.

When Rossi makes a better ski than Atomic, then I'll buy it. My new rock skis are Rossi 9X Race skis. My backup slalom skis to my Atomic's are K2's. But I just wouldn't race on something inferior.

Aren't you supposed to crank your bindings to the highest number? Doesn't that mean safest? It sucks to have to go find your ski after you crash.

Hey, 'Dude, moving bindings a few cm makes a pretty big difference. They even recommend that women have their bindings set forward to make up for the difference in hips. I get all screwed up when I change my settings...

Okay, lemme get this straight: Atomic actually makes a shitty ski. Which is why it wins the most World Cup points by far. (Also, keep in mind that every ski innovation is created, tested, and implemented by racing. Racing is the heart of all testing because it's done at high speed, stress, and extreme base temperature/friction.) Atomic won 47% of the WC races last season, followed by Rossi and Salomon tied at 11%? What's your favorite GOOD ski? "Least safe binding on the market according to industry tests"---huh? That's, uh, just completely wrong. Somebody from Marker must have whispered that little nugget. Or maybe it was those fine Look reps that make waaaay better bindings than Atomic Race 6.14's. Ha! Which is also why their shitty skis in its off-the-rack version also win all the Masters races? And Atomic also pays Doug Lewis and Paul Hochman to give them good reviews in Ski Mag? And Hermann Maier, Stephan Eberharter, and the majority of the rest of the most accomplished race team in history elect to ski an inferior ski? Do the Head reps that come into your store and tell you that Atomic sucks have any understanding of the history of the Red Sled? I wonder if they any grasp of the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics and how Atomic changed the way skis were viewed, made and ridden from that race on? Dude, you can listen to salesmen from Fischer and K2 and Volant all you want. Me? I'd tend to go with real results. And I've skied a lot of skis. Best ski ever made? Atomic GS:11. Of course, as always, I could be dead wrong. On this, though, I highly doubt it.

Yeah, that's the letter. She saying that to properly prepair kids for the World Cup, they are better off on 175's and 180's at the age of 15, no matter their size. She's nuts. What's the equivalent? High school JV baseball players will only take batting practice in 100mph batting cages using bats that are 5 oz. too heavy. Making an unrealistic equipment rule is going to enhance the quality of junior ski racing? Yeah, lets not improve coaching and programs, lets just make them ski on the wrong size skis. Great idea. Dianne should be embarassed by that letter. At the little hill she now teaches racing, I'd like to hear her explain to the parents how 1st year J2 girls will be safer and have fewer knee injuries on 175's, instead of skiing the correct length.

~~~Hey, 'Dude, I gotta bust on you for this~~~ Insanity has been defined as repeating the same behavior over and over again, expecting different results. So after eating wet crap fries, you just had to have more? What motivated you to stand in line the second time? My dog eats dead stuff on the road, then barfs it up. And then guess what he does?

The irony was lost on you, Sib, because you've abandoned us for better places. Montage is just trying to set a record for laziest, least updates websites.

USSA followed the FIS regulations, which started a big fight. USSA just posted a "letter" from a former US Ski Teamer that explains their official position. They claim it's for safety reasons that they require the longer skis. That longer skis will force a better, forward position, etc... Their arguement misses a question a lot of parents have: if a 175cm ski is the perfect length for a 145 lb., 5'7", 19-year-old J1, then how is it also the perfect ski for a 4'10" 90 lb. first-year J2? Common sense is not all that common.

Yeah, but it's worth it. According to the web site, Montage is currently making snow and has spring-like conditions. Montage rules!

Jeez, Atomic, you sure seem to have balls...

A lot of coaches asked the same question. There is no good answer. Putting junior racers on skis that don't fit them is wrong and potentially dangerous. Perhaps it's a way of killing off the weak and small.

FIS regulated slalom ski lengths because grown men on 155's looked stupid. That's a translated quote. And I bet some World Cup men would be skiing 180's for GS if it was legal, 'Dude. 183 is long. What you're seeing on EBay is a place that buys up unsold overstock dirt cheap and sells it at good prices. It's a good price, but what difference does it make if it's too long, you know? The forerunner of the GS:11, the 10.22, can still be found all over the place in 190ish sizes for about $200. Mine were about $700 a few years ago. The GS:11 in either 171 or 176 is a perfect length for most people. The ski is so stable that you can run it balls out and it won't chatter, even in short lengths. It's a perfect world when a short, easy to turn ski can be raced at high speed. If you plan on skiing big mountains, then 183 could be just fine. That's a different planet than the East Coast. And pesky little Rangers would never catch you in a Chinese Downhill.

If you win a World Cup, then lots of women will want to sleep with you. That's a tradition! Like a rule, or something. And by the time they find out you are, er nut-challenged, it's too late and tough luck for them.

No, I didn't mean you sounded desperate---but that I've been desperate while trying to replace race skis, or upgrade too late in the season, and they nailed me. I waited to buy my my Winter Heat bump skis right before a mogul event and the place got me for over $600, without bindings because they had to order them. Like picking up a phone to your supplier and having UPS Ground ship them should cost $150?

Hyperbole, 'Dude. I wasn't really suggesting a true sacrifice. Maybe for a World Cup win, but not a PARA win. Just hyperbole...

Atomic dealers within an hour or so of you: Pinnacle 610-921-2371 Ski Bum 610-459-4778 Warming Hut 610-433-6051 Warming Hut #2 610-432-2323 Pelican 215-538-2922 Petersons 570-646-9223 Loft 570-586-7750 Salters 610-539-8003 REI 610-940-0809 Pelican 908-534-2400 Wicks 610-363-1893 Langhorne Shi Shop 215-295-4240 Sports People 908-234-2232 Country 570-824-0541 Ski Barn 609-530-1666 If a ski isn't in stock, any dealer can call NH and get it---that is, if there are any left in the warhouse. Atomic has gone to the trouble of contacting dealers in the region to find out who has what. Sounding desperate is not the best way to get a good deal, btw. I sure learned that.