January 2009 Archive
Jan 24, 2009 · 01:13 AM
Before our ski trip a couple weeks ago, I'd never heard of Kjus. But on arrival in Aspen, I started seeing the swoopy "K" logo on every corner--what was this mystery brand adorning Aspen's fashionisti?
My curiosity was satisfied one evening when we happened into one of the local ski shops which was full of Kjus gear. So was my sense of smugness at decoding the Northern-European double entendre of the brand name. (As my Swedish aunt taught me, "KJ" makes the "SH" sound in Scandinavia, thus Kjus is pronounced "shoos" just like the German word "schuss"--a straight, steep, fast ski course. Get it?)
As it turns out the Swiss company is actually named after its Norwegian co-founder Lasse Kjus. Apparently, I'm not up on my World Cup Skiing.
While I was in that shop, I tried on the CIO jacket. I think it suits me--and the cool, all-the-way-up zipper hood seems like it would be perfect for scaring the dog.
Jan 22, 2009 · 07:54 PM
As I mentioned previously, having tried out the North Face Free Thinker jacket, I was a hair's breadth from making it my pick for the season. It's extremely well made, packed with features, and feels totally bombproof.
But then one evening I wandered into MontBell on Boulder's 29th Street and started poking through their parkas. The MontBell Freney Parka jumped out at me: it came in a highly visible green, the fabric was soft to the touch but durable, the weird Japanese sizing worked great with my body type, and it was $220 less than the North Face Free Thinker.
Jan 13, 2009 · 03:43 PM
I'm the world's best procrastinator, and usually it bites me in the ass. But once in a while it pays off. In this case, we called Aspen central reservations on the morning of our arrival and ended up with a hotel room at 20% off plus lift tickets for 25% off. Last month we looked at the same hotel plus lift tickets, so I can definitively confirm that we saved money by waiting. We'll see if it works for Telluride, too.
We picked Independence Square, which is located one-and-a-half blocks from the Ajax Gondola and is surrounded by much more expensive accommodations--like the Little Nell. I have to say, Independence Square is totally decent. A little retro, but quiet, comfortable, friendly, and the location cannot be beat.
Jan 12, 2009 · 09:26 PM
One of the perks on Sunday's Chicago Ridge ski trip was getting loaned a set of next years' Head Jimis. I don't have a ton of information about them, but as best as I can tell, they are next year's version of what's currently called the Head Supermojo 105.
The Jimis are a fat, twin-tip, reverse camber powder ski that feel soft and float like crazy. On powder, they ski almost like a carving ski and reward aggression and power. On packed powder, they felt solid and controlled, though I don't have the technique to make them really carve on hardpack.
Jan 12, 2009 · 09:59 AM
Yesterday we dragged ourselves out of bed to make the 90 minutes drive from Dillon to Ski Cooper for our inaugural day of ski bumming: a snowcat tour at Ski Cooper’s Chicago Ridge.
Ski Cooper is a county-owned ski area known best as a local’s hill. The base area is modest and low key—it reminds me a lot of my hometown’s area, Dodge Ridge—but the hometown feel is a good cover for the awesome Chicago Ridge snowcat operation.
Jan 10, 2009 · 03:33 AM
Tomorrow, we head out for a ten-day trip around the west to ski all the places we’ve been meaning to go but haven’t had time for. We start with a Snowcat tour at Chicago Ridge/Ski Cooper on Sunday and then go on to Aspen/Snowmass for a few days. Thence to the San Juans for more cat skiing, Wolf Creek, Silverton, etc.
There’s a chance the snow will be non-optimal, though, in which case we may skip the San Juans altogether and head to Utah or go further south to New Mexico. In theory, it should be a relaxing ten days with no agenda except finding powder—hopefully we’ll succeed despite the West’s impending high pressure system.
We’ll be blogging it all, so follow us here, on Twitter, and on Flickr.
Jan 06, 2009 · 01:11 PM
“In a bizarre incident…a skier at Colorado’s ritzy Vail resort was left dangling upside down and pantsless from a chairlift last Thursday morning.” Via the Smoking Gun
Jan 05, 2009 · 01:33 AM
I'm down to the last two shells I've tested and this one is my second favorite: the North Face Free Thinker II Jacket.
I expect the North Face haters out there are groaning now, but I've never gotten TNF hate. The North Face makes a range of products at a range of price points. The quality throughout the range is largely price-appropriate and aimed at different consumers--when you have ready access to 100+ days of skiing every years, it's easy to forget that not everyone finds utility in top-of-the-line gear. So, at the low end, TNF makes some run-of-the-mill gear and, at the upper end, it makes some great gear. The Free Thinker II Jacket is certainly latter.
