Alta, UT 4/1/2007

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Day 60: April Fools on groomers

Another lazy day, but with a big purchase at the end. I met up with Bob Dangerous, Marc_C and Pat at Collins at 10:15. There was a stiff westerly breeze, and an overcast that started thin and got progressively thicker throughout the day ahead of tonight's cold front. That meant that things weren't going to soften the way that they normally would, so we started our day skiing groomers off Sugarloaf that were actually quite a bit of fun. Extrovert, freshly groomed, was the standout with its southeasterly aspect. We made one ill-advised foray into Yellow Trail and Backside, but that was about an hour too soon, and things were still stiff and chunky.

We took another ride on Supreme (Rock 'n Roll), Collins (Mambo/Pinball/Low Boy), and Wildcat before meeting up at 12:30 at GMD for lunch with Val and Amy. The conversation there turned to the Lift House, which is having a half-price sale on 06/07 skis this weekend only, and I quickly decided to end my day early after only 8 runs and 10,770 verts - I've been in the market for some big phattie, big mountain skis, and I've now got them.

There were two pair of the Movement Goliaths left, and Acidchrist was there buying the other pair. This is one big honkin' ski that, quite frankly, scares me just a little: 135/108/124, in a 191 length (the only length they come in).

http://www.movementskis.com/en/specs/spec_gol.html

I suspect that skiing these things will mean pointing 'em downhill and hanging on for the ride, but the reviews I've read all say that they're surprisingly easy to ski, but I guess that everything is relative. I'm just wondering what Acidchrist is going to do with his pair for patrolling at Greek Peak. :lol:
 

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Admin":3e0xutbd said:
I'm just wondering what Acidchrist is going to do with his pair for patrolling at Greek Peak. :lol:
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You refuse to come to terms with the steepness of the trees at Greek Peak.
 
jamesdeluxe":2kvsoup4 said:
You refuse to come to terms with the steepness of the trees at Greek Peak.
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:lol: Yeah. And with a turning radius of 32m, I'd like to watch Acidchrist thread those trees.
 
Acid Christ called me and asked me what I thought about this potential purchase (the day before he sealed the deal). He was still pretty delirious from a day out rippin with Paul and Admin. I looked them up and thought "sh*t, is he nuts?!?!" Well, the answer to that is solidly "yeah, he's f*ckin nuts" and by the time I received the phone call the following day he was the proud owner. DON'T TELL HIS WIFE!!!!!

He won't be able to make more than a couple of turns at Greek Peak, and if they are as fast as he says, then he'll be spending an awful lotta time on the lifts and very little time on the slopes. It's really a stupid ski to have for Greek Peak. I think Bob Dangerous has been setting a very bad example for our dear AC. Boys will always love their toys and they won't be happy until they have the biggest, fastest, baddest toys of the group.

I presume that he will use this ski mostly when he's out west, probably on the biggest powder days. And if I'm with him...he'll likely be waiting around for me at the lift while I make many 15m turns on my Pocket Rockets as I take my time enjoying as many turns as I can in the fresh powder.

So Marc...did he have bindings mounted yesterday? Is he testing them out before he leaves Utah?
 
Yep, they told him they could have them mounted in 20 minutes. I think he's driving back before using them, however.

It wasn't so easy for me. I declined to let them mount mine as they don't have a Silvretta jig. I took them to REI, but they're on an 8-day shop backlog due to the arrival of bike season. I'm going to call both Black Diamond and Wasatch Touring today to see if I can get them mounted more quickly - not that we're going to get big snow this week or anything, but I want to be able to fondle them. :lol:
 
What were those big black planks Bob D was on in early December?

Nice guy, and after all these years in Utah, still with a NH accent that can peel paint.
:wink:
 
Bob's on Volkl Gotamas in something like a 190, but he's hardly the poster child of sensibility.
 
After a couple of comments about Bobby D I feel obliged to chime in about his skis. Yes, Bob likes to ski fast. Yes, he likes big lines. Yes, he wants skis that are able to handle it. However....

After his Volkl Explosives were retired, he went to the Volkl Mantra, ostensibly their replacement ski for the out-of-production Explosive. After they were retired, his next ski was the Volkl Gotama, somewhat wider than the Mantra but with a softer flex. Interestingly, when Ski Magazine did their reviews, they gave the Mantra a 90% power and 10% finesse rating. They gave the Gotama a 60% finesse and 40% power rating - meaning they felt the Gotama, despite being wider, was a significant improvement over the Manta and much more of a go anywhere, do anything, all-mountain ski.

As always, pure dimensions don't tell the whole story - you also need to add in skier weight, height, skiing style, and ski flex characteristics to get the full flavor. Of course, YMMV. But with that said, 191 in tight trees simply isn't going to ski the same as a 180, esp. with a 140 lb. featherweight pilot. :D
 
Tight trees? Who said anything about tight trees? I'm not dumb enough to try to fly these suckas through tight trees. Hell, they're bigger than the trees. :wink:

These things are a one-trick pony, I know that. That said, I think these'll be a heluva trick in that situation.
 
Admin":27sgyial said:
Tight trees? Who said anything about tight trees? I'm not dumb enough to try to fly these suckas through tight trees. Hell, they're bigger than the trees. :wink:

These things are a one-trick pony, I know that.
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Yeah, but I know you! You get greedy!
 
Great, next year when we are at Alta looking for fresh snow after a storm in Susie's or Fred's, we'll hafta listen to him whining about how he's on the wrong skis. :roll:
 
Sharon took the words out of my mouth. Any one who's seen admin ski knows he's always looking for those rabbit warrens. I wonder how much powder he'll miss swapping skis (multiple times?) in the middle of the day :lol: .
 
Acidchrist here. Well, I got on those Goliaths at Geek Peek. The first thing I did was straightline 900vert. at 50mph. The next thing that happened was that my patrol director yanked me off the hill by my ear, said I was setting a bad example and that I should stop scaring "old people", 'specially if I'm wearing my patrol jacket. That was pretty cool. Yeah, these boards are definately bringing out the worst in me. That's pretty cool too.
Tmrw I'm gonna find the steepest, tightest trees that I can. Maybe throw in a few bump runs as well.Time to retire the DP's forever...well, maybe not forever. These are now my swiss army skis, anything and everything, whenever, wherever...I mean, c'mon... :twisted:
 
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