Check out this up and coming shredder from Lake Tahoe!!!

Aspen Spora 2011 Edit

You have spent a couple of seasons racing Tahoe League and are ready to make the transition to Far West/USSA races. Or, you are a first time Far West racer this season.
Here are six items to help you get started.

1. 1.        You will need a USSA and Far West membership, required to participate in a Far West race.
   1. Go to the USSA website, www.ussa.org .
   2. Find the drop down menu on the right hand side of the screen, “membership tools” and then choose “become a member.” You can choose to do an online registration (the fastest way to complete a membership) or you can download an application, fill it out and mail it in.
   3. Please note that after October 15^th any returning Far West and USSA membership is assessed a late fee. The first time you become a member there is no late involved.
   4. 2.        Far West Skiing website, www.fwskiing.org. This is our local division’s website and is where you will find all of the information you need regarding race schedules, scholarships, upcoming events and

Influence 115:

The Influence 115 for 2012 is a modified version of last year’s Prophet 115. The new version comes with a slightly softer flex and a bit more pronounced rise in the tip rocker section. These are important changes as the Prophet was a little too stiff to really shine in light, deep snow and it was a little too wide for the preferences of many big mountain skiers for a daily driver ski. The changes have clearly benefitted the new Influence 115 and made it a much better powder than it was last year.

I tested an Influence 115 on two different occasions during March of 2011 when Tahoe was getting heavily pounded by big storms. Both times I noted that the 115 floated well and turned readily enough when in the deeper snow but it just wasn’t as nimble or maneuverable as softer double rise skis. On the other hand, when I skied out of the deep stuff and into shallower crud or back onto the groomers, the Influence was one of the most solid feeling skis in this width category. The Influence

It is safe to say that the Rossignol S7 has taken the world of powder skis by storm over the last two years.  This is the model that has been the highest in demand and shortest in supply during that time.  It is also safe to say that the S7 started out in the market a little slowly.  There was not much marketing behind the S7 at first, Rossi didn’t have a real high “cool factor” at the time, and it also looked very different than most of the other powder skis available at the time.  The current huge demand for the S7 came about slowly at first and it was mostly word of mouth.  Later, the S7 received a #1 ranking in a magazine review.  After that, it was the ski that everyone wanted but after early December (or so) nobody could get.  So, One might wonder……what is all that about?

At the time the S7 came out, there were not very many innovative designs available in the world of powder skis.  For sure, there were a few groundbreaking designs already on the mainstream market

Journaling isn’t just for detectives like Nancy Drew (and diaries aren’t just for wimpy kids like the wimpy kid that kept a diary).  Writing, journaling, diary keeping—whatever you want to dub the pages soaking the ink of your thoughts—is rad.  And if you want to be numero-uno down the road, a training log is a great key to long-term success.  If you track it, you’ll always be able to go back to it.  If you end every training session with a journal entry, you’ll begin to recognize patterns, and solve the issues when you hit a plateau

Writing is also a good way to problem solve.  Ski racing is full of confusing, convoluted lingo.  Believe me, there were many times when I had no idea what my coach was asking of me.  Don’t feel ashamed to ask questions, and in your journal, work through those questions.  Technical talk is often hard to understand.  When you work through a training session in your journal, you may realize, “Hey, I didn’t even know what my coach wanted me to

Boy or girl, we’ve all got bros that ski. Pant sagging, goggle gapping, and ski rapping—your bro-ski, man. You know who I’m talking about. It’s likely they give you a hard time for your ski strapping, goggle lens-packing, gate bashing style. And it’s likely you give them a hard time for—well, bro-ing. You love them for their different style, and their argyle one-piece pile.

Truth be told, we have a lot to learn from each other. To ski racers, technique is all discipline of the body. To free riders, technique is all creativity of the mind. Oftentimes, in the world of ski racing, the athlete gets very caught up attempting to travel past a gate the “correct” way. I’ve been a victim of this mindset, and I’ve watched kids ski stagnant trying to force technique. While there are basics to master, in the end, every skier has a different style, a different strength, and travels a different line.

Consider this common scenario: Your coach instructs you to move your hips forward in the transition.

Exercise is the healthiest thing since broccoli.  With that in mind, don’t make a full plate of dryland training so hard to swallow.  A dryland training program is all about balance.  The aim isn’t to look like Hulk Hogan or strap rocks to your back like Bode Miller.  The goal is to maintain a healthy balance of strength, cardio, and power training, all while having fun in the California sun.

Since skiing is an alternative sport in this nation of football and baseball, use alternative ways to train.  Don’t think you need to jog and hit the gym every single day for a lift.  Not only will you be bored to death, you won’t be prepared for a season of ski racing.

Why not?

Skiing is unpredictable.  The elements are constantly shifting, throwing curve balls day in and day out.  When you’re carving out a pre-season fitness program, keep the inherent nature of the arc in mind.  Making a sweet turn is about strong instincts, quick thinking, and powerful moves.  The mountain is

Click Here to see the updated Volkl RTM 84 Review

The entirely new Volkl RTM 84 is the successor to the long running line of AC 4/AC 40/AC 50 skis that date back several years.  Those past models were pretty stiff at the start and got continually stiffer as the years passed.  Recent skis like the AC 50 may have been dubbed “All Conditions” but they were not much good outside of firm, packed slopes.  The RTM 84 changes all that and does so in a big way, this is not just an incremental change to an existing model.  At first glance, the raised shoulders and top deck geography look fairly similar to past skis of the AC group but when you pick one up and flex it, it feels very different.  The flex of the RTM 84 is still pretty firm but it is much more balanced and somewhat softer than in the past.  In addition, the RTM 84 uses Volkls’ ELP full length rocker.  This is a continuous tip to tail rocker profile and is one of the very few skis in the narrower widths that uses rocker

Seasoned ski racers and ski professionals understand the importance of finding skis that bring out the best of their individual style while mitigating some of the potentially unproductive aspects of their skiing and racing.  Ski testing is necessary in order to identify which ski most enhances performance, and Mt. Hood, Oregon is a great place to figure out which race skis to purchase for next season.  Below are some key considerations to ensure a productive and accurate ski test.

When is the best time to test 2012 race skis?

In a perfect world, ski testing would be done on winter snow and in winter temperatures.  The reality is that next season’s race skis are not typically available to test until April or May.  As a result it is difficult for the Eastern and Midwestern skiers to test on home turf.  In the West you have greater opportunity to test.  For example, in California there is still very good snow at Squaw Valley and Mammoth Mountain.  For summer skiing, Mt. Hood

The Blizzard Bonafide comes in at 98mm at the waist and features the “Flipcore” construction of the Freemountain line.  The Bonafide has conventional camber in the center section of the ski with modest tip and tail rise and 2 ½ sheets of metal.  This construction with layered metal laminates allows Blizzard to build a ski with a thin profile.  This thin profile along with a lightweight center stringer in the core allows the Bonafide to be much lighter than expected for a ski with this much metal.

My first experience on the Bonafide was at Squaw Valley in early January on very hard snow.  The layered metal gave the Bonafide near ice-pick grip in the conventional cambered section and the ski was remarkably damp on the near bulletproof conditions.  Rolling in and out of varied turn shapes, it was easy to see that that the Bonafide changed turn shapes easily and would finish turns smoothly regardless of the radius.  The even flex blends the rockered sections into the overall construction

This 2011 season turned into one of the most powder filled seasons in the history of skiing.  The “Season of Powder” continued long into June, with local skiers still getting face-shots on the 6^th of June.   Needless to say, the Volkl Shiro was the perfect tool to for those insanely deep days we had Squaw and across the country this year.

My first day on the Shiro was in February during one of the biggest storms of the season.  To put this into perspective I’m 6’5” and the snow was above my chest.  Although the Shiro is not the widest powder ski on the market it provided an unrecognizable amount of float.  The tips of these skis are nearly impossible to burry!   This ultimately is due to the tech that Volkl has associated with the Shiro.  Volkl has brought together the best tech within powder skis to build the Shiro.  So let’s brake this down the Shiro has fully rockered construction, giving you maximum float without feeling “planky”.  From there Volkl knows that taper

As the temperatures warm up the countdown to flying south to Chile’s premier ski resort, Portillo, begins.  Some people ask, why the heck would you fly all the way to South America to ski during the summer?  Simply put, because it’s awesome.  If you like to ski and you like to have fun, Portillo is where you need to go this summer.  It is an experience that has the potential to change you.  Not only does it offer an escape from the heat and mundane but you enter a world that is so different than anything you would find in North America.  Here the sky is a cobalt blue hue, the sun shimmers powerfully down on you as condors glide gracefully through the sky.  The Andes rise up all around you, like the towering walls of a fortress.  As the Inca Lake and its surrounding peaks lure you into an almost hypnotic state of tranquility you begin to believe in its mythical legend.  Your spirit soars to new heights when in Portillo, you just can't help it, as you get this incredible