Pre-season shopping and/or gear coveting

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Sooo, who is looking through summer sales trying to find great deals and/or coveting gear?
I'll start - I got TNF shell jacket and Marmot shell ski pants with suspenders. I got the jacket cause I have no shell jacket and it's a gorgeous purple color. Got the pants cause they were bright yellow with purple detailing and would go well with the jacket. Looking forward to getting that UPS package. Now I am really coveting some powder skis (like Nordica La Nina), but definitely can't justify the cost of those living on the east coast and all. A girl can dream.

 

[marzNC]

Stopped by the ski shop near my brother-in-law's house in Chicagoland while we were visiting. 50% off on everything from last season. Picked up Hestra and Swany gauntlet gloves. Really prefer to try before I buy.

Daughter found a purple fleece jacket she just had to have.

 

[tinymoose]

I'm being good this year. Spent WAY too much on gear last year. If I buy anything this year, it will probably just be additional base layers and maybe Zip Fit liners for the boots.

ETA: I say this before I've seen all the clearance racks at the fall tent sales. Ugh. Must be good, must be good...

 

[VickiK]

Has anyone considered organizing a Diva gear swap dealing in gently used stuff that's too big/too small/too meh?
Never mind this post - there's the gear section.

 

[mustski]

I bought new bindings to replace my much despised Squires. Other than that, I'm being good ... but I do feel a jacket craving coming on!

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Has anyone considered organizing a Diva gear swap dealing in gently used stuff that's too big/too small/too meh?
Never mind this post - there's the gear section.

Vicki,
I think that's a great idea. I should probably take advantage of the gear swap section too and sell my K2 Supefrees. I also have a jacket that's I didn't wear very much this winter since I bought it - maybe 3-4 times. It's a nice jacket it's just I like my other jackets better. I am feeling sentimental about my Superfrees - they are mys first pair of skis and they helped me progress so much, but I'm pretty sure I ave outgrown them ability wise. Thinking about keeping them as my bump skis - they make great short radius turns and I wonder if Superfrees would be better than Kenjas in bumps.

 

[tinymoose]

I dunno... I'm a Kenja homer, but I love their edge grip in the bumps.

Sent from my SGH-i667 using Board Express

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

I'm being good this year. Spent WAY too much on gear last year. If I buy anything this year, it will probably just be additional base layers and maybe Zip Fit liners for the boots.

ETA: I say this before I've seen all the clearance racks at the fall tent sales. Ugh. Must be good, must be good...

I'll probably get some more base layers at some point too. You can do it, Tinymoose! I am trying to be good too. Trying hard to convince myself that I really don't need powder skis even though I am going to Diva Week, and then to Whistler in April. There is also a conference in my scientific field in Taos in February, if I can convince my boss to let me go to that conference that would be 3 trips out west. Nope, I still don't need powder skis, I really don't. I might demo some at Diva Week though if there will be a powder day.

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

I dunno... I'm a Kenja homer, but I love their edge grip in the bumps.

Sent from my SGH-i667 using Board Express

I should try them back to back in bumps, when I get to the point I can ski bumps more or less ok (hopefully this winter). Kenjas were ok for me in bumps most of the time, but I just started skiing bumps end of this season instead of avoiding them like plague. So maybe with good technique Kenjas are quite capable bump ski, I just don't have good enough technique yet. I took a lesson and that helped a lot, but still have lots to learn. Skiing bumps is quite different than carving wide turns on hardpack groomers, which is what I am decent at.

 

[marzNC]

I'll probably get some more base layers at some point too. You can do it, Tinymoose! I am trying to be good too. Trying hard to convince myself that I really don't need powder skis even though I am going to Diva Week, and then to Whistler in April. There is also a conference in my scientific field in Taos in February, if I can convince my boss to let me go to that conference that would be 3 trips out west. Nope, I still don't need powder skis, I really don't. I might demo some at Diva Week though if there will be a powder day.

Better to do a personal demo day at a big mountain before deciding that you want to carry powder skis on a plane. Even a demo day at Mnut or Wgreen can be helpful to narrow down the options. The Charlottesville shop that provides demo skis has a surprisingly good selection of big mountain women's skis.

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Better to do a personal demo day at a big mountain before deciding that you want to carry powder skis on a plane. Even a demo day at Mnut or Wgreen can be helpful to narrow down the options. The Charlottesville shop that provides demo skis has a surprisingly good selection of big mountain women's skis.

I know, you are right. I'll be good. Besides Kenjas are pretty good in soft snow.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I have frankly found, over a "few" years, that the deals are actually better at the end of ski season, spring to late spring. MHO. Then they start to inch prices up a bit as fall approaches and people get in the mood. Rock bottom always seems to be in May-June, even into July, when few are shopping for winter gear.

 

[mustski]

I know, you are right. I'll be good. Besides Kenjas are pretty good in soft snow.

Your Kenjas will be fine in powder. If we get lucky and have a super deep day, it's a great excuse to demo all the new powder models!

 

[Jilly]

I think I have a pair of skis on order, haven't checked with the shop recently about them. Don't need them now, so if not ordered, great!

Might look at a new suit or at least pants that match a 2 year old jacket. The tailor took too much off when they shortened them for me. Not bad, but I don't like! Black would go, but the red matching pair were great. Want to try some Salomon goggles with my Salomon helmet to get a better fit. That's about the only need purchase.

Other than maybe some sport bras.....which are always in need, not much else this year.

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Your Kenjas will be fine in powder. If we get lucky and have a super deep day, it's a great excuse to demo all the new powder models!

Agreed!

 

[mustski]

Let's start the snow dance and then we can demo together!

 

[linesout]

Sooo, who is looking through summer sales trying to find great deals and/or coveting gear?
I'll start - I got TNF shell jacket and Marmot shell ski pants with suspenders. I got the jacket cause I have no shell jacket and it's a gorgeous purple color. Got the pants cause they were bright yellow with purple detailing and would go well with the jacket. Looking forward to getting that UPS package. Now I am really coveting some powder skis (like Nordica La Nina), but definitely can't justify the cost of those living on the east coast and all. A girl can dream.

We can be twins! Be careful though...you might get accused of being a Lakers fan haha.


I'm planning to get new boots this year. The fitter said what I need are junior racing boots, and that I should come during their September sale to get fitted, because otherwise the racing teams would clean him out of the sizes I'd need. Hurts to pay full price but I think it'll be worth it - besides, my skiing has improved so much that I probably need a bit stiffer boot anyway. I also got the custom footbeds already made and need to pick them up when I go to get the boots. Hoping for relatively few trips back there for tweaks, because every time I go I feel a compulsion to get new base layers or gloves or something....

How do you guys tell if you need new skis? I loved mine this past season so I prob. won't mess with a good thing this year, but I'm curious if I'm missing out on something even better now that I'm more confident on challenging terrain...

 

[altagirl]

I definitely need new ski pants. I tried on the pairs I was wearing this past season and they're so huge (YAY!)

Of course, at the rate I'm going, I'm kind of afraid to buy anything too soon. I keep buying new skinny pants and then they're too big again a few weeks later. I probably won't shop for ski pants until late fall.

I've owned these Arc'teryx pants for 12 years now. They've generally always been somewhere between body skimming and maybe an inch or two of space (and sometimes have been too small to wear) - they're definitely that european style articulated fit that isn't supposed to be baggy. Now I'm swimming in them.
Pic of how they normally fit - I'm the 2nd one in on the left:

2nd pic of me holding all the extra fabric around my butt and thighs this morning.



This pair of pants I will keep forever. I've had them so long they're like a part of my skiing history. But I do have 3 or 4 other pairs that are almost new and now way, way too big for me. I'll have to take some pics and post them up in the swap section! I totally forgot about that!

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

We can be twins! Be careful though...you might get accused of being a Lakers fan haha.
View attachment 1822

I'm planning to get new boots this year. The fitter said what I need are junior racing boots, and that I should come during their September sale to get fitted, because otherwise the racing teams would clean him out of the sizes I'd need. Hurts to pay full price but I think it'll be worth it - besides, my skiing has improved so much that I probably need a bit stiffer boot anyway. I also got the custom footbeds already made and need to pick them up when I go to get the boots. Hoping for relatively few trips back there for tweaks, because every time I go I feel a compulsion to get new base layers or gloves or something....

How do you guys tell if you need new skis? I loved mine this past season so I prob. won't mess with a good thing this year, but I'm curious if I'm missing out on something even better now that I'm more confident on challenging terrain...

Yay! Yellow and purple rules! I got new boots and new skis (Kenjas) in the end of this season. I got new boots cause the old ones weer sized incorrectly - too big. The reason why I got Kenjas is because I demoed Kendo (men's version of Kenja) and really liked them. The biggest difference I could tell was I could really open up and carve well on a hardpack slope on Kendo and they felt solid whereas on my first skis (K2 Superfree) the tips were really vibrating on the same slope, it felt unstable and not fun. I love my Kenjas and I fully agree with what everyone is saying that it's really important to demo skis before you buy.

 

[mustski]

Now that's a great problem to have AG. I'm dieting so I can sure that I will fit in all my ski pants this season. By the end of last season, I only fit my "big" pants. Yikes! As much as I love an excuse to shop, I don't want to go down this road.