Beautiful Sports

Tongue and horns ready to climb

 I spent my Sunday in the Church of the Great Outdoors with an old high school buddy, Dave.  We took in an awesome day at Powder Mountain resort, one the best (and last) real places to just ski.  Its a low key joint with a rustic couple of lodges, very few lifts, but access to about 7,000 acres of skiing.  Not to mention a lift ticket is only $65, a true bargain in today's reality if $100 lift tickets.

Among the unique amenities at Pow Mow is all natural snow and a $15 add on ticket for a ride on the snowcat.  The cat ride takes you to lighting ridge and its steep chutes and gets you access to the 25 minute hike up to James Peak.  From James Peak you can ski a good 3000 uninterrupted feet of quality, mostly untouched snow.  Its well worth the hike and the $15.

After a few warm up runs and waiting for the snow to soften in the sun a bit, we made our way to the cat and started our morning adventure.  My friend, who now lives near sea level, was a bit nervous about the hike.  It looks steep from afar, and in reality, it is.  Some people skin to the top but there's usually a well stepped boot pack as well.

Brand new Bontrager RL Road Cycling shoes, size 43, $140 (self sponsored ad)

We started the boot pack and Dave started to really feel the altitude.  Dave's in great shape, he's a cyclist and triathlete and an expert snowboarder, but 9,500 feet is a lot of elevation.  But he kept on, kept telling himself "the next tree".  We had caught up to one skier skinning up and he told us the summit wasn't worth climbing to because the snow off the top was in poor shape.  We were darn close to the summit though and with all the effort we had put in, especially Dave, we weren't going to stop our climb and bug out early.  we figured if the snow sucked from the top, we could always traverse over to the next face where the snow was better.

Dave on the summit

Once we got to the top, we quickly realized just how worthwhile the climb really was.  From James Peak you can see 3 Utah borders, the Uintah Mountains, the Cottonwoods, the Wellsvilles and the expanse of the Great Salt Lake.  On this day though, we could only see the top of Antelope island poking up out of the smog.  But we were high above it all, in the warmth of the inversion with bluebird skies above.  At that point, it didn't matter what the snow was like, it was the climb, the view and the company that made James Peak great.

There are many reasons why I do the sports I do, but one of the biggest ones, is just simply being out there.  The rewards of a long hike up a peak; the thrill of a big downhill line; the joy of sailing along under your own power in the middle of the ocean; the whine of your freshly home tuned turbo charged engine; and the sheer thrill of riding your bike in the open air.

With so much focus this last week on Lance Armstrong and his confession, I had to remind myself of why I do what I do.  I was a cycling fan long before who I knew who Lance was.  I had my first pair of spandex even before Lance's World Championship win.  Yes, I was a huge Lance fan once he started winning the Tour, but he was never my reason for riding.  Lance did great things to grow the popularity of cycling, but you know what the fastest growing sport in the world is?  MMA!  A world that has nothing to do with cycling.  Cycling was awesome before LA and it is awesome after.  I really think the non-cyclist fans of LA will look past his cheating and bullying and move on.  For the cyclist, I believe the love of the sport transcends one super star or multiple doping scandals.  While I love bike racing and putting on my kit filled with generous sponsors and col designs, what I love most, is simply being out there.  Its why I put on races, so others can experience that joy.  Just finishing the 157 mile Tour de Park City or the grueling Powder Mountain Hillclimb is a feat unto itself.  Add racing others in that journey and you have a beautiful thing.

I'm over Lance Armstrong.  He has his own bed to lay in now and his own problems to sort out.  I hope he does right by making amends to all the people he's hurt directly and indirectly, but I'm over it.  Its time to look forward to the next training ride, the new racing season, the next sail across the Pacific and the next epic powder day.  There is so much beauty in these great sports that to let the professional athletes dictate how we feel or participate would be wrong.  For those who love the stick and ball sports, are you going to give up your Thursday night pick up games because Kobe's an unfaithful husband, or give up your next golf outing because Tiger's a DB?  No.  And I will not give up riding my bike and helping others do the same because some of our heroes have falling.

So, here's to your next big thing, here's to your next epic and your next mountain to climb!

Fiber Friday

No, most of us do not have enough fiber in our diets, but thats a topic for Tuesdays.  Today's fiber is a set of videos giving us a look at how carbon fiber boats, bikes and an F1 car's monocoque chassis are made.

Stainless Steel Black Carbon Fiber Band Ring (Google Affiliate Ad)

Once upon a time, I was a Mechanical Engineering major.  I love all the technical aspects of my sports, but turns out I'm terrible at advance math and couldn't pass calc II.  As my GPA moved closer to zero, I became a business student.  But my love for the technical stuff hasn't waned.

Carbon is really a super fiber.  Light, stiff and very resistant to fatigue.  Its why we use it in so many applications where weight is an issue.

For next week I'm working on some thoughts about Lance Armstrong's interview.  So far, I've been impressed with Big O's line of questions and after tonight's final segment I'll be sure to have something to say.

In the meantime, enjoy video Friday!

Marker Baron 13 AT Bindings

Today's installment of "what I use and why" I'm reviewing the Marker Baron 13 AT Binding.

In my years long build-up to purchasing my own alpine touring set up, I had the opportunity to demo and read about every binding out there.  5 years ago, their wasn't really a resort worthy, burly AT binding available.  The Fritschi Freeride was available as well as some options from now defunt Naxo.  But in the last few years, the options for AT skiers have exploded with offerings from Salomom, Atomic, Tyrolia and the company that started it all, Marker.

Backcountry Skiing Utah (2nd Edition) by Bradley, Tyson [Paperback] (Google Affiliate Ad)

When Marker came out with the Duke it really lit a fire under the industry.  Suddenly, people who worried about durability in their bindings or who didn't really want a lightweight set up, could free their heels for short tours and skin tracks.  While the model has its drawbacks, there really is no compromise in downhill performance and toughness.  In fact, the new binding outperformed many traditional alpine bindings.  The unique toe piece design has found its way into most of Marker's lineup.  The Duke was hefty, functional and expensive.  It came with a DIN of 16(!) to make sure the huck masters of the world blew their knees before losing their skies.

 When it came time for my own  purchase, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted.  I've had a few days on Fritschi Freerides and while they toured great, their durability was lacking.  Twice I rented Fritschi's and had them fall apart during my backcountry trips.  They're made to be light and they tour quite well, but having them break was disappointing.  I like the new offerings from Salomon and Atomic but budget constraints meant those were out of the picture.  I don't trust used bindings so my quest led me to the Marker Baron.  The Duke's I found in my price range were white, but in my experience white plastic isn't white for very long and I hate yellowing stuff that was supposed to be white.

The Baron is built very much the same as the Duke but with more plastic and less metal.  This lightens the set up by about a 1/4 pound for a weight of 2480 grams for my large binder size.  The Baron also has a DIN of 13, which is plenty for me and my weight.  I actually have them set on 9 so I have plenty in the binding.

Downhill Performance

When first stepping into the Baron, there's a solid, confidence building click.  More like a thud really.  You know your attached to the ski.  The stack height of 34mm is a taller than a traditional binding but that creates some leverage for turning.  The huck masters prefers something closer to the ski, but I appreciate the extra leverage.  With my Rossignol Bandit B94's and Salomon Quest 12 boots, there really is no sacrifice in downhill performance.  My set up is just as burly as any big mountain, high performance rig out there.  I can turn in any condition of snow, feel confident in moderate drops and I know they'll last with some resort abuse as well.

Uphill Performance

Just as with my Quest 12 boots, uphill is where the compromises come into play with the bindings.  While not as heavy as the Duke's, the Barons are still heavy.  If you're carrying your skis, its definitely noticeable.  The skin up also takes a bit more energy.  This may not be the rig for a week long tour, but my goals aren't really week long tours.  If I ever do that, I'll go rent some lightweight gear at REI.

The change between downhill and uphill mode can also be a pain.  The lever to switch from tour to ski mode is underneath the boot.  While this ensures a secure latching of the mechanism, it makes it so you have to remove your skis to get into downhill mode.  This is a time consumer more than anything as you touring pals may have other bindings that can be swtiched with the skis still on.  The Fritschi, Salomon and Atomic bindings all have that feature, just as lighter tech style binding do as well.  With those you can remove your skins without removing your skis.  Again, not the biggest deal but if you're racing for lines, this could be an issue.  It could also be an issue if your somwhere where removing your skis for the downhill would be dangerous.  In my experience though, those kinds of areas would have to be hiked to anyway, with your skis removed already.  The lever must also be cleaned of snow and ice before switching to ski mode.  While the system does have its drawbacks, the one big thing it has going for it is that there is no chance of the binding switching to tour mode while skiing.  That's something I have experienced on the Fritschi and it wasn't fun.

The binding also features a 3 position climbing bar for 0, 7 and 15 degrees of lift.  The bar can be moved with your pole ends but not as easily as the Fritschi.

The walking movement of the binding is smooth and natural.  The binding actually moves aft a few mm's when in touring mode for a better stride.  To me, while heavier, it felt smoother than the Fritschi in the skin track.

So, in short, this binding is awesome for going downhill.  You really give up nothing in skiing performance.  You do compromise for the uphill but durability is awesome.  For most all mountain skiers who like the resorts but still want some BC adventure, this binding rocks.  If you're heavier or like to huck your meat, the Duke may be better for you, but the cost goes up about $100.  I haven't skied the Sally's, Atomics or Tyrolias. but they claim to have addresses some of the drawbacks of the Markers.  You may start finding some deals on those this spring and summer however.  If its the uphill your concerned about, the Fritschi Freeride may be your speed but again, good luck finding a deal.  Its also good to note that the Dukes and Fritschis require wider skies whereas the Barons require a ski of at least 78mm wide at the waist.

My advice is to demo all you can before you purchase.  REI and most college rental programs now have the Markers and Fritschis in their line-ups.  You may be able to demo the other brands at your local shop as well.  If a touring set up is what you want though, there are plenty of options!

Skate Ski Skooling

I love winter.  I love spring, summer and fall as well, but when I was living in San Diego, I missed having a real winter.  I love the snow, the cold, skiing.  Here in Utah, we get plenty of all of it.  Having ridden my bike so much these past 7 years has made winter an important time to get some much needed rest and cross training in as well.  Last winter was really mild and I rode my bike almost exclusively.  Not coincidentally I was burnt up by June.  This winter, I've made a concerted effort to mix it up a bit.  I've done some running, back country skiing, took in a sprint triathlon and this past weekend, took up skate skiing.  I actually entered a 10k race, which wasn't the smartest thing in the world.

I'm an athletic guy.  I think I'm coordinated and in pretty good overall fitness.  I've also been XC skiing a few times in my life and I consider myself an expert downhill skier.  So I figured skate skiing, while difficult, wouldn't be so difficult I couldn't do it for 6 miles.  Turns out I was wrong, very wrong.

I started my day early at my 5:30 am spin class.  A nice warm up for sure.  I then made the snowy drive to Ogden Nordic Center to rent some skis for my adventure. I took in a some practice runs but quickly realized  I had bitten off way more than I could chew.  But I already had my bib number on so there was no backing out now!

Once the race started, I was quickly and swiftly dropped.  North Fork Park out at the Nordic Center is not a leisurely place to skate.  There are steep and long hills and not a whole lot of flats.  It was on the first long hill that I started to question my ambition.  A friend and excellent skier lapped me before I had even finished the first of 3 laps.  I had put in a valiant effort and had already logged about an hour and a half on the skies so at the end of the first lap I decided I should take in some of the free lessons being offered that day!

I joined some friends and teammates just as one of the lessons was beginning.  That lesson was awesome.  And it pointed out some serious flaws in my overconfident technique.  Did you know there are actually names for the different skate skiing styles?  I didn't, but now I do.  Will I enter another race anytime soon?  Not unless there's some sort of beginner category.  But I had a blast.  Skate skiing seems like it would be an awesome regular cross training activity.  My quads, core, upper body and cardio system were all well worked.  I ended up burning more than 1000 calories on the day and got to take advantage of some of all this snow and beautiful mountains..  Which is really the only reason for having winter in the first place.

Frozen Friday

Its isn't too often schools get closed here in Utah, but last nigh'ts storm dropped enough, fast enough, to make today a snow day here in Davis County.  To enjoy all this white goodness, I'm actually going to enter a XC ski race tomorrow.  Weber Pathways and Ogden Nordic Center will have an awesome demo day, race and clinics for the whole fam.  I haven't been XC skiing in a long time so we'll see how well this goes.  I did watch a few videos on youtube this week to at least see someone skate skiing before I attempt it.  My fav of the night is below.

And for pure entertainment purposes, the second video comes from the frozen north where ice boating is king, or in this case, ice sailboarding.  Ice boating looks like a blast, but here in Utah, all the frozen water is covered with a few feet of snow.  I suppose a kite and my skis would work though.  Hmmm....

Be safe out there this weekend!





Monkey Bars MB-12 6 Cross Country Ski Rack (Google Affiliate Ad)

A Personal Porsche Tale

I recently picked up the February issue of Excellence Magazine, a US mag dedicated to Porsche cars.  I don't subscribe, but a few months out of the year I can't resist as the cars featured or the stories are just too good to pass up.

My dad's 1964 Porsche 356 SC

The February issue has the wickedly awesome Champion Motorsports Turbo S RSR I featured on Friday.  But more important for me was the article comparing the 1964 356 SC and the 1965 912.  The story instantly made me think of my dad and our own history with the 356 and 912.  Before touching on the personal aspect of this story though, the history of these two models is worth a note.

When Porsche introduced the 911, the 356 replacement in 1964, it was almost double the cost of a 356.  To keep a more budget minded customer in dealers, Porsche came out with the 912, which shared the 911's new body but carried over the engine and many other parts of the outgoing 356.  The final version of the 356 was the SC model, which carried the most powerful motor ever offered in a 356.  While not as powerful as the 911's new 6 cyclinder, the 4 banger from the 356 moved the 912 quite well and was lighter giving the 912 a lively feel.  1964 was the last year of the 356, 1965 the first year of the 912.

Now for the personal tale.

Pimp

In 1972 my dad owned a yellow 1964 356 SC.  It was second in a string of 3 awesome sports cars which included an Austin Healy 3000 and an Alfa Romeo GTV6.  He bought the 356 for $2000.  A year or so later someone offered him $2500 so he sold it.  I've lamented the sale of each of those cars but none so much as the Porsche.  There is just so much soul in a 356 and to think my dad had such a future classic in his hands and sold it has always made for good conversation in our family.  Of course my dad was just starting his family and a small sportscar probably wasn't the best option.  They sold the 356 and my mom's VW Beetle and got a Volvo.  How quaint.

My mom and the Austin Healy

Still pimpin' with the Alfa Romeo

More Ausitn Healy

At the same time, my dad was attending architecture school at the University of New Mexico and made a few good friends.  When my dad bought the yellow 356 one of those friends, Tom Tayor, decided to get a blue 1965 912.  The novelty of my dad owning the last year of the 356 and his friend owning the first year of the 912 wasn't lost on anyone.

My beloved MR2

Fast forward to my sophomore year of college at New Mexico State.  I had made a great group of friends.  One of those friends was Tyson Taylor.  Now, Tyson and I had no idea of our fathers' friendship.

When we returned to school after fall break, Tyson drove up to the dorms in, you guessed it, a blue 1965 Porsche 912.  Of course I was enthralled.  He told me it was his dad's and I shared the story of my pop's 356.  That night I called my dad and he related the above story to me.  Turns out Tyson's father kept the 912 all those years and passed it down.  I had no such luck.  Before, I was bummed about my dad selling the 356, but after seeing Tyson's car and hearing the tale, you can imagine how that has changed our family's conversation about those cars!

My fantasy's of my dad's cars are what got me into sportscars as well.  I briefly had a Porsche 924 then a MG Midget in high school.  When I got home from my mission in Chile, I got a Toyota MR2.  Someday I'll get another project and hold onto it, pass it down to my kid.

I've attempted to track down my dad's yellow Porsche.  There weren't too many SC's made in yellow.  I've found one or two that maybe the car but we don't have a VIN to make sure.  My ultimate dream would be to find the exact car, restore it and give to my dad.  What an awesome story ending that would make!

Premium 290-PORW Premium Remote Control Porsche GT3 RS White (Google Affiliate Ad)

TT Tuesday

Believe it or not, I only have one bicycle.  I have a road bike that occupies most of my time and budget but quite often people are surprised that I don't have a mountain bike, a cyclocross bike, a TT bike, a training bike, etc, etc.  Its not that I don't want to spend time with any of those other types of cycling activities, I just plain 'ol don't have it the budget.  I would love to have a quiver of bikes but bikes are expensive.  I actually sold my mountain bike a few years ago to buy more road bike stuff. Regardless, I've always been on the lookout for good deals.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to Matt at The Bike Shoppe in Ogden to be on the lookout for a cheap time trial frame.  Turns out he had one sitting in the basement that was looking for a home.  I sent the owner of the frame a text and 2 days later I had a 2007 Fuji Aloha CF1.  One of the things I love most about cycling (and sailing, cars and skiing for that matter) is all the cool gear and equipment associated with the sport.  Even though the frame is a bit older, its is perfect condition and has a very sexy clear coat over the carbon weave.

My original goal was to see how much of this bike I could build with just parts from my garage.  While I have a ton of parts lying around I managed only to find a Dura Ace crankset, bottom bracket, aero bars and some brake and shifter cable that would be compatible with the build.  The derailleurs I had were 8 speed and the brake calipers were too ancient.  Brake levers and shifters for a TT build are pretty specialized, but I knew I would need those.  So, the search began for some cheap parts.

Matt manged to find some spare parts in the basement at the shoppe for a great price.  I've also scored some killer deals online finding a Shimano 105 front and rear derailleur for cheap.  Some brake calipers, shifters and a saddle are all I need now.  I've got my awesome 58mm Mercury Wheels but will get a 80mm or even a disk for the rear soon.

The real fun will be putting this thing together myself.  I have the tools but my wife may have an issue with me building the bike in the living room...its 30 degrees in the garage right now!

The Aloha CF1 is an interesting bike.  Its super stiff with aero tubing but Fuji made the bike with standard road bike geometry, namely a 73.5 degree seat tube versus a steeper 78 degree measurement found on most TT bikes.  The bike was stiff enough for pro sprinter Ivan Dominguez to spec the frame for his road set up a few years back.  This may make fitting the bike in the aero postition a bit more difficult, but luckily there's a forward-set seatpost available for the bike if I need it.

While there is no substitute for a good motor, having a TT bike will lob off a few ticks of the clock in time trials.  I'm stoked and I'll keep you posted on my progress on the build.

Pearl Izumi Pro Softshell 180 Cycling Jacket - Men's - Black In Size: (Google Affiliate Ad)

Lance to confess??

So the big cycling news over the weekend was the New York Times article stating Lance Armstrong was considering a confession.  While I think its a possibility Lance could confess, the confession would certainly be rife with passing the buck and self-victimization.  His confession would also need to include some serious apologizes to a number of people.  See, over the past few months, my opinion of LA has changed quite a bit.

I used to be very pragmatic over the whole "did he or didn't he dope" argument.  I figured if he did dope, then good for him, he was the best of all the dopers, since nearly everyone at the top of the spot during that time.  If he didn't, and somehow he was the only clean one, then even better for him.  So when USADA came out with their decision to ban LA for life, it really wasn't a surprise.  But after reading the decision and some of the evidence and combining that with some of Tyler Hamilton's revelations, I decided it wasn't just that LA doped, it was that he was the ring leader, the bully, the mafia boss that would destroy anyone who dared speak against him.  He ruined careers, he ruined human beings.

His first apology would need to go to Besty and Frankie Andreu.  They, Besty really, were the first to tell the truth about what LA had told them about drug use.  They have also bore the brunt of LA's wrath and super powered spin team.

His next apology needs to be for Greg Lemond.  When Lemond dared to some out against him Lemond ended up losing a bike licensing deal with Trek.  While I have my own doubts about Lemond's cleaniness from PED's, he's never shied away from calling a spade a spade.

Sigma BC 1909 HR Cycling Computer with Heart Rate (Google Affiliate Ad)

He needs to apologize to Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton, whom he skewered in the press and public.  He then needs to hand out personal apologies to all his teammates over the years, for not backing them up, for pressuring them to dope.  He needs to apologize to every cyclist who decided against a pro cycling career by choosing not to dope.

He needs to apologize to every fan, including me, who bought into the lies, and purchased Nikes, Oakley's and Giro helmets because of him.

He needs to apologize for a lifetime of bullying a deceit.

If he's going to continue to profess all the good he has done for cycling then he needs to own up to all the damage he has now done as well.

I have my doubts though  that a confession is coming.  A confession would open LA up to all kinds of legal action.  He's already being sued by SCA Promotions for the $5mm bonus they were forced to give him.  I'm surprised there haven't been defamation lawsuits and more sponsors coming forward asking for some money back.  Wouldn't he be purge-ring himself as well?  I'm pretty sure he's professed his innocence under oath.

Whatever the reasons LA may have for confessing, if it happens, it needs to be more than just an "I doped, lets move on."  For a confession to stick for me, he'll need to spend the rest of his life repairing the damage he has caused to sports in general, cycling and most importantly to the lives he has destroyed in the process.

Sigma BC 1609 STS CAD Cycling Computer (Google Affiliate Ad)

Movie Friday

Today's internet time wasters are varied.  If you've got some time this weekend, check out the awesome 1 hr Isle of Man TT documentary.  For shorter bits, there's some quick Porsche porn with Champion Motorsports' Turbo S RSR, a $400k, one off project inspired by the race version 997 RSR.  Next, check out what it takes to set a sailing record from New York to San Francisco in the middle of winter as Giovani Soldini takes the Maserati sponsored race boat around the horn this week.  Finally, scope out what Sailing World Magazine thinks is the Boat of the Year.  They announced their winners last month.  I warn you, the Sailing World vid is terrible in terms of production, but it does highlight the latest and greatest in performance sailboats.

Enjoy!






PUMA Volvo Ocean Race Graphic Sailing Hat (Google Affiliate Ad)


PUMA PUMA Ocean Race Challenger Sailing Spray Top (Google Affiliate Ad)

Tunnel Creek

Today's post really isn't my own.  But if you have 30 minutes or so, the link below is worth your time.

The story is of a dozen or so expert skiers and industry pros who, for various reasons, ignored or at least overlooked local avy conditions in the Stevens Pass backcountry.  Its a somber tale but with so many people, me included, earning their turns for a more wild experience, its good to be reminded of the dangers that lurk out there and we need to be smart and careful.  There's nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution and turning back.

The story comes out of the NY Times and is a few months old, but a friend just recently turned me on to the story after hearing me rave about how much I love the BC.  Wait for the story and animation to load.  Again, its a sad story, but one that should be told.

Tunnel Creek Avalanche

Salomon Quest 12 Boots

For the past few years I've been renting and demo'ing alpine touring equipment, surveying the latest products and trying to dial in my choices.  Cost is what was mostly holding me back and the fact that I haven't skied nearly as much as I would've like over the past couple of seasons.  So when I finally pulled the trigger on my own AT kit, I tried to do so for less than $600.  While this limited my choices somewhat, my homework from the last few years really paid off when it cam time to shop for gear that may be a few seasons old.

I scored a huge deal on some never used Rossignol Bandit B94's so that allowed me some extra money for boots and bindings.  I don't trust used bindings and the boots I found we also NIB, leftover from last year's stock.  Today we'll discuss my boot purchase.

With a little extra money I discovered used boots were not much cheaper than buying "new" 2012 boots. But that also depended heavily on the brand.  The best AT boots I've demo'ed were from Scarpa.  I loved the Tornado Pro's and Typhoons but I couldn't find Typhoons for less than $400 and the deals I found on Tornados were cosmetic 2nds.  The cosmetic 2nds wouldn't be such a big deal but the issue was yellowing of the white parts of the boot.  My last set of Rossi boots had a huge piece of white plastic that yellowed over time and I hated the way it looked.  I know, trivial, but I had waited this long to buy my AT gear and wanted to get it just right.  I also felt that while the Tornados were just a bit too "touring" focused and not "alpine" enough.  The Typhoons would have fit the bill, but again, no luck on price.  I've demo'd Gamont's as well, but they really did not agree with my feet.  I never had a pair feel quite right and I always had pain in various parts of my feet and shins.  I never had a chance to wear anything from Black Diamond.

So that led me to the more traditional alpine brands that are now carrying alpine boots with grippy soles and a walk function.  The formula is simple, providing stiff, bomber freeride boots with just enough functionality to tour.  These types of boots are much heavier than offerings from Scarpa, Garmont and Black Diamond, but you really give up no downhill performance.

I narrowed my search to Lange Blaster Pro's and Salomon's Quest 12.  The Lange's because I've had Lange before and they fit well and the Sally's because they have a big local Ogden presence and a good reputation. The other good thing about the Sally's is that the 2013 Quest offerings aren't much different than the 2012 boots and I could try a few on before settling on a size.  I really, really wanted the Quest Pro Pebax, with its lighter weight and rockered sole, but missed out on my size waiting to decide.

With a few trips to Alpine Sports in Ogden, I narrowed in on a size, 27.5, and found a deal that was $100 better than any Lange's I found so I went with the Quest 12's.

The Ride

"ski mode"

The Quest's come with 3 buckles and and huge power strap that really serves as the 4th buckle.  I assume this design is to save weight.  I think they should just go one step further and get rid of the small first buckle on the the forefoot as well.  I've never skied a pair of boots, AT or otherwise, where that small buckle really made much difference.  I think a single oversized buckle across the foot would do just fine and save a few ozs.  There's a super grippy rubber sole on the bottom with the requisite slick DIN part for compatibility with alpine bindings.  The liner has a nice Boa type lacing system which keeps the liner snug even when the boots are loosened a bit for hiking and touring.  The rest of the boot is solid traditional overlap construction.

My first outing on my new boots began with the skin uphill.  So my first assessment is of the tourablility of the boots.  I knew they were going to be heavy so there was no surprise there.  While the walk function is simple (flip the lever up to walk, down to ski) I am disappointed with the range of motion in walk mode.  Its hard to tell if the boot is actually canting forward and back or if I'm just flexing the boot or moving a but with the buckles loosened.

"walk mode"

That's the only issue I have with the boots though.  Once we packed up the skins and got into ski mode, the boots performed just as good as any stiff alpine boot should.  They drive my 94 mm waisted Rossi's with ease in the deep powder and the hard packed cat track back to the car.  They busted through the crud of my first outing and drove me down the fall line in Saturday's knee deep.  I couldn't be happier with their downhill performance.



2012 vs. 2013

Why am I reviewing last year's gear?  Well, as I said before, there's no real difference between the 2012 Quest 12 and 2013 Quest 120 other than the color.  Both are rated at a 120 flex.  Also, if you're like me and looking for a deal, its nice to know someone has used the gear you might be looking for.

There is a Quest 120 Max, which comes with a heat moldable shell, not just a moldable liner.

Now, there is some bad press out there about Sally's AT offerings, but those issues had to do with the Dynafit compatible soles of earlier offerings, NOT the traditional soled AT boots that I have.  Salomon has been building boots a long time and I trust them.  While their early foray into tech fittings was bad, their AT product looks like it will serve me well.

Conclusion

While the Quest 12's are on the heavy side for touring and the walk function could be improved overall I'm happy with my boots.  I care more about the down than the up and with my traditional alpine skis, I wanted a boot that would drive my skis without issue.  I tend to get into some rowdy terrain and I want a bomber set up that will get me home safely.  It looks like there's still some deals on Quest 12's out there but the new Quest 120's and Max's look like an awesome set up as well.  When buying boots however, I believe fit is the number one concern, so go try some on or hit your local resort's demo days.  If you're willing to forgo the "newest and latest" there are deals to be found everywhere.  Just be sure to give your local shop some love when it comes time to mounting and servicing your gear!

Happy New Year!

Wow!  What a year 2012 was!  I'm always amazed how fast time flies and here we are again, with 2013 already to go.

I like New Years.  It gives us a chance to renew, recommit and reconnect.  Its a great time to set goals, analyze the past and set a course for new and better things to come.  Before we look forward, lets look back a bit.

While 2012 headlines were filled with  too many tragedies, storms and the downfall of a sports icon, we also saw great triumphs of the human spirit and things that left an inspiring mark on the year.  One of my favorite moments was watching Felix Baumgartner make his record breaking freefall.  The fact that we got to see it live and hear his words as he stepped into the atmosphere, just made it all the more dramatic.  Red Bull can sponsor some wacky stuff but this feat to me was on par with many of the great adventures of our time including Steve Fossett's records and roving Mars.

I hope in the New Year we can remember those we lost but look forward to making our world better.  Hopefully we continue to find the things that will inspire each of us to do good, reach our goals and treat people better.

With a new year comes new goals.  I'm willing to bet that most of us have some sort of weight related aspiration to attain in 2013.  I started my weight loss plan about a month ago.  While the past 2 weeks have been difficult with so many parties and family dinners, I'm happy to report that last week I managed to maintain my weight from the week before.  Counting calories really makes all the difference and the numbers don't lie.  I've mentioned MyFitnessPal before and I'll mention it again, because it truly is the tool that has helped me reach my goals.  Its great to have all the nutritional info available right there on the site and planning your food and exercise for the day becomes second nature.  It takes less time than checking your email and your results are front and center for you to analyze.

With counting calories, food quality becomes so important.  You start to realize that in order to make it through the day on the calories you're limited to, you can't waste 50 of those calories on a mini Twix bar or a heavy lunch with no nutrients.  Feel free to "friend" me on the site if you'd like.  My username is "sailtowery". Then we can track each others progress and reach our goals together.  Having a partner in any quest is helpful!

Many years ago, a reporter in a Porsche press conference asked Dr. Ferry Porsche what his favorite Porsche car was.  One of his executives, Peter Shutz, sensing some discomfort is Dr. Porsche simply said "we haven't built it yet".  (Excellence Magazine #200) What that says to me is that no matter how great we may have been in the past, its nothing to what we may yet become.  May 2013 be your best year yet!

Mega Monday!

What a week it has been!  Utah was graced with some deep snow and sunny skies for the Christmas holiday.  Add to that the fact that my wife took a week off of work and you have a recipe for some great days in the backcountry.

On Wednesday the 26th, I headed up to meet some friends for another trip up Grizzly Gulch but they bailed on me with the snow coming down hard.  I was already half way there, so I decided to go anyway and try to meet up with someone in the parking lot.  Sure, enough, there was another guy there who came up solo and was looking for a touring partner.  I'm still not that familiar with the area and neither was he so we took it easy.  Visibility was poor as well so we trekked only to areas we could actually see.  For us that day, that meant Patsy Marley, a mellow peak (on its north face at least) that we could get to realitively easily.

We skinned our way to the ridge and topped out at the summit, but the north side of Patsy's is short if you want to ski the fall line.  We had some fresh tracks for the first pitch then made our way through the trees for some nice shots and back down the cattrack.  We skied one more 300 foot line down into the creek that leads back to the parking lot.

The guy I skied with was visiting from Rhode Island.  He had been to the Wasatch before and was never disappointed.  What a cool thing to be able to just show up and have some companions to tour with.

The snow kept coming down and ended up dropping about 18 inches in the Cottonwoods from Wednesday to Friday.  With the greenlight from the fam to take in another day I met some buds once again at Grizzly Gulch on Saturday.  With avy danger hovering on the Moderate side, we felt a little more adventurous.  We crested at the Solitude resort boundary and decided on some 500 foot lines into the Twin Lakes area wedged between Solitude and Brighton.  While we weren't the only ones there, there were plenty of fresh tracks to be made.  We skied one lap then had one in our party have to head home.  So with 2 of us left, we skinned a bit higher and found a steeper, longer line of untouched.  There were some dudes building a kicker just above us so we hugged the trees to keep their landing area pristine.  They were appreciative and I hope it earned us some good BC karma.

The skin out of Twin Lakes was steep and we contemplated our last run.  We had thought about heading up to Patsy's but on our way found an incredible, even steeper and deeper chute to lay some tracks on.  It was run where I wish I had my GoPro.  It was truly a hero run, with the kind of snow and pitch that dreams are made...snow blasting up against your chest, effortless turns and just the sounds of the wind blowing through your helmet and soft, light and fluffy flakes battering your body.

It was too good to last however.  Our final skin out was hampered by frozen skins.  I had made the rookie mistake of getting snow on my skins before putting them in my backpack and they wouldn't stick to my skies.  Then, in a effort to clean them, I lost the metal clip for the back strap.  So, I tried boot packing with my skis on my pack but that effort was futile.  The skin track wasn't near packed enough to boot it.  So at the suggestion of a passerby, I put my skins in my shirt to thaw then out.  While it made for some cold, wet minutes, it did the trick.  My skins stuck and we made it out just fine.

Our last run of the day was back to the parking lot but we manged to find some fresh shots in the trees on the way.

Our day began at 9:30 and ended at 3:30.  It was an amazing day that left us with about 2000 feet of skiing, all fresh lines.  We could see some of the runs in the resorts, all of which were tracked out and already filled with moguls.  I felt lucky to be out in the BC and earning turns.  While I didn't get in as many runs as I would at a resort, each run I had was quality.  Even with a crowded day in one of the most popular BC spots in the Wasatch, I never skied over anyone else's tracks.  I would much rather so that than spend $70+ at a resort skiing moguls and fighting for fresh-ish lines.

Part of my enjoyment as well is the workout you get touring.  You gotta love the up as much as the down if you're heading out into the BC.  You also have to be ready to call it quits or ski mellow terrain if avy danger is too high.  So you may end up skinning alot and not even ski!  Regardless, its about being out in the sun and snow and having a great time with your friends.

With 3 days now on my new equipment, I've got some things to say about for sure.  Tomorrow will talk nutrition and then Wednesday I'll review some of the equipment I'm using in hopes it will help your next gear purchase.

Until then, Happy New Year!!

Late Friday!

Hey folks.  Today's video segment give you plenty to distract you with.  First, check out the video section of the Rolex Sydney-Hobart yacht race.  Wild Oats XI took her 6th line honors victory and bested her own course record set in 2005.

Next up we've an awesome trailer for the year old premiere of a Patagonia film and to honor some of the awesome freshies we saw this week, a short segment from GoPro.  I'll be posting some of my own GoPro video, as soon as I figure out how to use the thing!