Quiver

Ran across this shot last night from Winter 2008. Despite today's forecast of 64 and thunderstorms (wait, it IS the week of Thanksgiving, right?) it got me rolling for ski season. But it also got me thinking about my quiver and how it's ideal for the way I want to ski.

When I joined the world of modern skis (my Kastle 207's look pretty cool screwed to the ceiling in my workshop) I picked up a pair of Fischer RX9's. Great boards. Ski magazine's Ski of the Year for two years in a row. But, like most Fischer products of that era they were STIFF and all about fast. After a while I realized that I'm past wanting to do that all the time. Sure it's fun once in a while, but poking around on bumps, in powder, or in the trees on stiff race boards isn't that enjoyable.

Enter my K2 Public Enemies. Before buying, I did a lot of research. Despite being originally designed as a park and pipe ski, the Public Enemy quickly gathered a reputation as a great all-mountain ski that's surprisingly versatile. I picked up a pair at season's end (50% off -- thank you very much) with some sweet Tyrolia bindings and all set. Quickly I found that my Fischer's were almost never skied. So when a friend needed some new boards, they got sold. I've always loved K2's (remember the 712 and the balls-out VO Slalom? I owned both) and these are no exception. They just seem to do a lot of things really well. With the exception of the iciest conditions - where a stiff ski with an aggressive edge offers greatest advantage - I don't miss my Fischer's one bit.

A few powder days in Utah had me longing for some true fat boards. At 85mm underfoot, the K2's certainly no narrow-waisted supermodel. But I wanted some fat boys to enjoy the true float experience. I noticed my local shop has a pair of Line Prophet 100's in 184cm. A little online research reveals the Prophet 100 is the powder board equivalent of my Public Enemies -- a solid powder ski that's very versatile for all mountain skiing. Score! Wrangled a deal on these and some Marker bindings with brakes big enough to clear the width (not the easiest chore before the market explosion of fat boards) and I'm ready to rock. Once again, the versatility is shocking. Awesome in any powder from a few inches to a over a foot, rock-solid in crud, and even decent as things firm up. Their only true nemesis seems to be pure rock-hard ice. The soft tips just start to chatter too much and blow any hope of edge hold.

With these two skis, I can readily ski almost any conditions on almost any slope. Got a foot of fresh? No problem! Two-week old crust? Got it. Bumps? Cool. High-speed groomers? Can do! I've owned lots of skis over the years (LOTS -- did I mention I worked in a ski shop for a while?) but I don't think I've ever had this perfect a pairing.

Now, we just need to get that snow rolling...

-Sean-