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There's been a lot of buzz around K2's new ski boot line for 2013-14, with some pretty exciting innovations for both alpine and backcountry ski boot design.

What you haven't read is that Start Haus owner and one of the country's best boot fitters, Jim Schaffner, had an opportunity to provide design input in the all-new K2 ski boots. Jim is well known for his experience in ski boot R&D, as well as boot fitting and performance tweaking at the highest level of our sport.

"I had my first test in the prototype boots September 2011 in South America," Jim said. "From there I was invited to be involved in some of their debrief/design improvement sessions, and the re-testing process as design changes were made. Basically providing feedback on fit, skiability and performance."

Pro ski mountaineer David Rosenbarger stopped by the Start Haus to get a new pair of Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro backcountry ski boots fit by our experts, and took a few minutes to talk to us about why they're the boots he's been waiting for forever.

Sponsored by Blizzard and Tecnica and a Patagonia Ambassador who splits his time between Tahoe and France's ski mountaineering mecca, Chamonix, Rosenbarger puts his ski equipment to the test.

Rosenbarger depends on his Blizzard/Tecnica ski gear when he's going deep into the mountains above Chamonix across glaciers and down steep, technical couloirs. He was picked for his expertise to lead famed pro skier Seth Morrison down the Col du Plan off the north face of the Aguille du Midi during the filming of "The Ordinary Skier" about Morrison.

Here's what he had to say about the Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro:

And here's what he had to say about his two favorite skis, the Blizzard Kabookie, a versatile new backcountry ski based on the Blizzard Bonafide, and

(Photo Credit: Marcus Caston)

By Lesley LeMasurier

Former World Cup Skier, National Champion, and Rahlves' Banzai Stop Winner.

Only two athletes hold these multi-titles, one male and one female.  Funny thing is, the latter looked up to the former when she was a kid.

Montana Girl

For Keely Kelleher, skier Daron Rahlves is the man.  “I loved going off jumps pretending to be him when I was a kid,” she reflects.  “I tell all the kids I coach now, Just Daron It!"

Just Daron It! is something Kelleher has been doing her entire career.  As a young ski racer, Kelleher was on the smaller side of the field.  “All my coaches called me birdlegs.  I could create these outrageous angles, but I was not fast. I developed so much later than most the girls I was racing against,” Kelleher reflects.

Her first year of FIS racing, Kelleher was a mere 95 lbs and pushing her birdlegs to compete against fully developed phenoms, like fellow 1984’s Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Vonn. Kelleher’s road to

What do most skiers say when they arrive at the Start Haus for their boot appointment?  "Hey man, where are your boots?" Oh, there are plenty of boots—they just aren't on display. The fact that there is no traditional boot wall in this race-focused bootfitting operation highlights the Start Haus philosophy that the boot-buying and bootfitting experience should be entirely athlete-based.  Everything starts with an initial assessment of both the athlete's performance needs and a close evaluation of their foot, lower leg and biomechanical range of motion that determine which boots will be considered for try-on.  According to owner/operator and board-certified pedorthist Jim Schaffner, what starts with a bit of trepidation quickly turns to full cooperation as the shoes and socks come off. "We're not about leading with specific products, instead we let the athlete's story dictate the direction we go," Schaffner said........

Read more at http://www.skinet.com/skiing/photo-gallery/15-best-bootfitters?pnid=124285

Milliseconds, Milliliters

Megan McJames and Chelsea Marshall aren’t just World Cup skiers, they’re world-class quantifiers.  They became Olympians by sifting seconds down to deci-seconds, down to centi-seconds, down to milli-seconds.   With their knives, they leveled off the top, and carved a recipe for success.

But this isn’t exactly a story about ski racing.

Megan McJames and Chelsea Marshall, in a perfect metric-systematized world, know that milli’s matter in more ways than just holding a tight tuck across the flats.  Measure a milliliter too much of milk, and the frosting won’t spread.  Use too many grams of flour, and the dough sticks.

Physics 101          

Newton’s third law of motion states: “For every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction.”

Born in the mid-eighties, raised by ski instructors and taught by the mountains, US Ski Team members by their mid-teens, and first-time Olympians at Vancouver by their early twenties, these two are sisters by symmetry.

Sierra Jim of Start Haus interviews Nat Fresnois and Andy Miller on the evolving design of 2010 and beyond Dynastar skis.  3 Part YouTube clips.