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When Blizzard built the new Freemountain series for 2012, they really threw out the rule book on ski construction. Most skis have their camber and especially their rocker shaped via heat and pressure in the molding process. This creates the shape, but it also creates stress in the core which translates to uneven pressure distribution when the ski flexes. The Blizzard “Flipcore” skis take the opposite approach by using a core that is basically built upside down. The molding process then does not have to place stress into the core when the rocker is shaped. The effect is a more even pressure distribution from tip to tail. The result of the Flipcore technology is a group of skis with remarkably even flex characteristics and a flex pattern that marries perfectly with the sidecut and the rocker profiles. The Flipcore models from Blizzard were the skis most universally accepted by our staff as personal favorites. When we select our personal winners each season, it is seldom that there are several

We are very proud to announce that at the 2011 Ski Show in Denver, Colorado the Start Haus crew was voted as the Most Knowledgeable Staff in the ski industry.

We strive to uphold this title every day through our commitment to staff education and training along with hiring only the best and brightest. Read more about our story, history and staff.

The Start Haus Ski Camp is an all-inclusive, high-caliber summer race camp created by Jim Schaffner & Danielle Nichols.  This is an opportunity for athletes of all ages to experience excellent coaching and daily access to the best boot and ski service in the country.

Start Haus Services

• Dedicated Start Haus boot and ski technicians on site
• Fleet of 2012 demo race skis prepped daily
• Retail race gear available at discounted prices
• Tuning clinic

Camp Facilities & Activities

• Centrally located houses in downtown government camp where all meals will be prepared daily
• Daily afternoon activities, dryland training, & video analysis
• NCAA and Elite FIS athletes on staff

Program Includes

• Meals, lodging, tickets, coaching, dryland training
• Transportation to/from Portland Airport & at camp to training and off snow activities
• Start Haus Ski Camp Mt. Hood 2011 Sweatshirt

Camp Director/Head Coach; Danielle Nichols

Coaches; Colin Moffatt, Mark Engel, Jake Scannell, Jacqui Lebel and additional coaches

Check out our current sale here

40-50% off retail prices
$399 Jr. Race Ski Packages
$649 Adult Race Ski Packages

Starting on Saturday April 3rd and ending on Sunday April 11th we will be having our Spring Clearance Tent Sale in front of the Start Haus ski shop.

40-50% off retail prices

Applies to all Skis, Bindings, Poles, Helmets, Goggles and Race Protection gear in stock and on hand.

25% off all 2010 Boots, 30-70% off older models

Applies to all boots, in stock and on hand. Additional fitting charges may apply.

50% off all Apparel

Applies to all Race Suits, Jackets, Pants, Base Layer, Gloves and Hats in stock and on hand.

$399 and $649 Race Skis with Bindings

Any 2010 Race ski with a matching binding will be marked down to these special price brackets during this sale only. All junior race skis with binding are $399, and all adult skis with binding are $649. We still have plenty of sticks left from Atomic, Blizzard, Fischer, Head, Nordica, Rossignol and Volkl.  Keep in mind that the

At the Start Haus, we have reached a distinct philosophy on what it takes to get speed skis to run fast. Our experience has taught us that in combination with hours of prep work, it also takes a considerable amount of snow time for skis to become their fastest. Occasionally there is an element of luck, an unexplainable phenomenon that causes certain skis to run fast right out of production. Luck aside, our philosophy is that fast skis are the product of hard work, diligence and years of experience on and off the hill.

Every new ski receives an inspection of its grind, finish shaping, and overall condition from the factory. Once a ski has been assessed, we can start the shaping process. The base edge is shaped first, with the majority of our speed skis being prepared with a 1 degree base bevel. We then highly polish the base edge for maximum glide. The base is then protected with vinyl base tape to make sure that no metal, aluminum, or fiberglass gets ground into the surface while shaping

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.

The Blizzard Titan Cronus is in the middle of the width range for our “medium” all mountain category. This ski is also in the middle of the range as far as soft snow vs. hard snow capabilities so it might well be the ultimate “tweener” ski in the tweener category. The 2010 ski has been upgraded over the prior year with a bit stiffer flex in the midsection of the ski. The new version also utilizes the IQ max system which integrates the binding into a wide channel milled into the ski. As an added bonus, you can get the Cronus without a binding and utilize the IQ max “slider” which is a blank plate that slides into the channel. The plate offers the ability to mount any new binding and most older ones on it. This plate can then slide fore and aft in the channel allowing seven different mounting positions. This is a great benefit for those that like to “tune” their position on the ski for different conditions or preferences. We think that the slider plate is so versatile that we have decided

Virtually every ski today comes from the factory with a high quality stone grind, and often the base edge is “relieved” from the base material. This is a description for a factory process where the base steel is made roughly parallel to the base material, but set very slightly below the level of the plastic. When you, your coach, or your favorite shop inspect the factory base bevel, be sure to determine if the base side steel is actually angled (and how much) or if it is relieved.

One way to check your base bevel is to lay your true bar across the ski and carefully hold the bar flush against one base edge, testing in several spots along both edges of the ski. If you can lay the true bar flush against the steel, you have a base angle. Does the true bar just touch the corner of the steel & the base material? If so, you have base edge relief. Now examine the gap that is present on the other side of the true bar. Measure this gap in several places along the length of the ski. Ideally, it is

A serious online presence has been on our "to-do" list for a few years now. We are proud to finally launch this new realization of starthaus.com. Make sure to check out our two biggest additions.

• Online Store
• In-Depth Articles

A good friend said to me recently, “wax is like a language.” The best World Cup technicians work with only 1 (about half) or 2 wax languages, never 3. However, waxing and tuning skis is their job, and they are the best in the world (just as their athletes are the best it the world). You should strive to learn simply 1 waxing language.

Take a look at the waxing chart that you are using with the wax you have. Examine how your system deals with the variables: snow temp, snow humidity, event, air temp, air humidity, and snow structure. The nature of the waxing system, its language, will be revealed.

Generally, most systems rely on snow temperatures as the primary info that you need to have. However, how many parents and coaches alike listen to the weather report for race day and make the wax decision based on the weatherman? One good thing in your favor is that snow temperatures are very slow to change, unlike air temps. So a thermometer in the snow at Stowe will be quite accurate (for junior