Blog

There is much confusion in our marketplace on how and why a ski should be ground a certain way.  Not all grinds are created equal.  Even two different shops with the same machine will turn out different results depending on the specs that are used on the equipment, and by what technician.  Whether race gear or rec, this brief side by side comparison should help you cement your decision to bring your equipment to the specialists:  Start Haus!

Please note:  These images are not doctored (other that the addition of text or illustration) and have been uploaded in full resolution for you to better see the detail.  Click on em to see the detail!

Here is a side by side with a pair of skis ground by our techs, and a pair ground by the "other guys".  Both grinds are a pattern WS09.  The ski ground by the Start Haus tech is smooth, consistent, and otherwise perfect.  The grind by the "other guys" is far too deep a pattern, inconsistent, and was done with multiple passes creating

A couple of skis we're excited about here at Start Haus.  Just a sneak peak!  More reviews in the pipes:

2016 Volkl RTM 84

2016 Nordica Enforcer

The heart of the boot story for the 2015 season has most certainly been advancements in ski boot liners.  Several manufacturers have spent significant research and development on creating liners that do three main things; ski well, fit comfortably out of the box, and resisting packing out (feeling too loose) too quickly.

The result of all the hard work is some interesting technology that is sure to trickle down through lines across the board and dictate design trajectories in the future.  First a short history lesson is in order; in the dark ages of boot design vague shell shapes and inferior liners were the obvious issues with performance and long term fit.  Foam injected liners became the primary solution; if you were a serious skier you had to have a serious liner, and spend some serious coin while you were at it.  Foam injected liners still exist and people still use them, however they are far less popular than in years past.

Stock liners have improved by leaps and bounds in

The Anon M2 goggles have been getting a lot of attention this year, thanks to their magnetic interchangeable lens design. They're touted as the easiest lens change on a ski goggle, and playing around with them in the shop, it's hard to argue.

But I decided to put them to the test over the weekend on the snow, skiing in bright and overcast conditions, mild temps and in a cold wind. My normal goggles are photochromatic - which change darkness in response to ambient light, so swapping lenses would be a change of pace.

First off, the fit. These large goggles have great coverage that also translated into a wide field of view. The face foam is comfortable and without any gaps to let in cold air, and no pressure points to make them uncomfortable. A person with a smaller face may find these pushed down too low by their helmet, but that's why you should try on goggles with a helmet when you can.

The optics are great. I'm not normally a fan of a gray base lens, but these are sharp and without distortion,

At the Start Haus we don't bring in new boots lightly, and when we bring in a new brand, we do it after serious testing and consideration.

This year we brought in Scarpa, specifically for their new Freedom SL. The Scarpa Freedom SL (also available in a women's boot), in our opinion, strikes a great balance between tourability and skiability, perhaps better than almost anything else on the market.

Their are backcountry boots that are stiffer for the downhill, there are boots that are lighter for the uphill - but if you want something that will perform in the skin track on the way up, then feel close to your alpine boot on the down, the Scarpa Freedom SL is worth serious consideration.

Start Haus is well known for our World Cup caliber downhill ski tuning and waxing, but what you may not know is we bring the same level of excellence to cross country skis. One could argue (maybe not with a World Cup ski racer) that a proper tune and wax is even more critical on xc skis than on alpine because you have to work for every inch of movement, rather than with the aid of gravity.

First thing on a cross country skiers list should always be the bases - are they flat? A concave base, sometimes caused by lack of waxing, makes the ski slower and harder to turn. A convex base, caused by normal usage and wear, is also slow and makes the ski unstable. A grind will flatten out the base, clean up any nicks or dings, and take away oxidized base material that can make it harder for fresh wax to stick.

The grind also sets the pattern of the base - critical to the glide of the ski in different snow conditions. Using our Wintersteiger grinder, we can set different patterns - two of which are

One of the questions we get a lot in the boot room is, “what is your most comfortable boot”, or “what is your best boot?” The answer to these questions is an infuriating, “that depends entirely on your foot.”  What’s good for the goose may not always in fact be good for the gander, if you have a wide foot a narrow boot is obviously not going to be comfortable and vice versa.

However, one boot we have extraordinary luck with for the intermediate or advanced woman skier is the Lange RX 90W. The Lange RX 90W is 100mm wide at the forefoot, and has a medium instep height. If you truly have an average foot shape the RX 90W is one of the most successful boots we have in the category.

The RX 90W has a superb liner which does a great job of combining comfort and performance, meaning the liner skis well and isn’t lumpy or obtrusive.  Usually when a manufacturer makes a comfortable liner it is too soft to ski well, and many a high end “good skiing” liner is uncomfortable for the advanced skier

Several years ago out in the Mount Rose backcountry I had my first day of real backcountry skiing in Tahoe.

At the time the Marker Duke was introducing a new generation of skier to the backcountry, and I was part of the new class.

For that first excursion I was using my regular Lange alpine boots clicked into the Duke, I was relatively comfortable in an incredibly heavy set up, and having the time of my life. My friend and partner that day had Dynafit bindings on backcountry skis and some super lightweight touring boots.

Watching him come down 30+ inches of fairly damp pineapple express snow, one thing was obvious, the boots weren’t a great fit.

Normally a very aggressive skier, he struggled to find the sweet spot in his boots to drive the ski through the snow. With downsized Lange boots custom fit for me, by me, I was not having the same problem.  However, going uphill was a different matter; with no releasable cuff I got fatigued much more quickly than I would when I got my first pair of touring boots.

I am pleased to say touring boots have improved about 100 percent since that day; companies like Scarpa and Dynafit are building backcountry ski boots with a much more precise fit than ever before, perhaps a trickle down from the major manufacturers getting in the touring game.

At Start Haus, we have some of the most passionate, knowledgeable and savvy customers around - but everybody makes mistakes. Over the years, patterns emerge, and our top ski testers, bootfitters, tuners and experts weigh in on the most common mistakes - and how you can avoid them.

Ski Tuning:
1: "People don't wax their skis often enough - most of the bases that come into Start Haus are dry. That makes them slow, the bases aren't as well protected, and if they get really dry, the bases can get warped. Some people wax every time they ski, but you should at least every 2 or 3 days on the snow." - Collin, ski tuner.
2: "Not drying skis off and leaving them on the roof rack or in the car all night is another big one - the edges will rust and ruin your tune. Wipe them down with a towel and keep them inside. It also helps to pull them apart instead of storing them base to base." - Collin, ski tuner.

Ski Buying:
3: "Skiers need to be honest with themselves and realistic about where and what

The Lange XT 130 LV is a high-end expert ski boot with a great snug fit and a hike/ski function that releases the cuff.

Now on its second year, the XT has proven itself as a workhorse boot, and is an excellent choice for those who’ve been skiing performance fit boots or race boots and shudder at the thought of going to a mushy roomy alpine touring boot.

As a western (Tahoe) based ski shop, we at Start Haus have a lot of demand for wide-ish waisted, soft snow biased skis, and for sure, we carry a wide array and sell a lot of stuff in the 88-110mm range.

However, even on a “normal” year in this snow-rich area, there are periods when it doesn’t snow for a week or more. For the 2012-13 and 2013-14 ski seasons, we just didn’t get much snow at all for most of the season. For the hard snow periods in those mythical “normal” years, and then especially for seasons like the last two, it really pays to have a good hard snow ski.

For the last two seasons, we have had a lot of demand for this category of ski in Tahoe because they put fun and excitement into a day on the groomers. We also shouldn’t forget that there are many skiers who just prefer this type of skiing, regardless of the year, and there are places in the country where these firm conditions are the norm basically most of the time.

One of the bikes everybody is talking about for 2015, Giant or otherwise, is definitely the new Giant Reign 27.5. Updated for the coming year, the Reign got the tweener 27.5 or 650B wheel size, 160 mm of travel, front and rear, and new geometry that epitomizes the modern all-mountain, enduro-inspired genre.

Jared, a Start Haus sales person and resident paddle sports guru, has spent the fall on a new Reign 27.5, and his experiences have reflected the glowing reviews bike magazines and websites have been posting up. He came from a 26 inch wheeled Trail bike with shorter travel.

"I wanted more travel without compromising on pedaling too much on longer rides," Jared said. "I wanted to be able to hit bigger stuff and go faster, and I don't need to race uphill."

The Reign didn't disappoint, not giving up ground on the uphill, thanks to the efficient Maestro suspension design. "There's almost zero bob," he said. On longer climbs, Jared flips both the