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What gear made ski life easier this year and/or which was useless?
- Thread starter SheSki
- Start date
PowderNomad
Certified Ski Diva
Winners:
1. Free the Powder Mittens: Bought these given the drawbacks of the Astis (discussed below). Only wore them a few times so far in the Tetons in March but they were great. I plan to take them to NZ this year.
2. MHM 32L Powderkeg pack: I needed a larger ski pack and used this one the most all year. Carries skis well and I love the back panel access to the main compartment. Has a nice fleece-lined compartment for sunglasses/goggles too.
Loser:
1. Astis Mittens: I have very cold hands and have tried many, many mittens. I loved these at first -- they are very waterproof and warm, plus they're fun to wear. That said, there are two drawbacks -- 1) no wrist retention strap and 2) powder absolutely can get down inside the mitten despite how long the gauntlets are since there is no closure. I thought they were great until skiing in very cold (-5 F) weather and deep powder in Hokkaido, Japan. Powder got down inside the mittens and my hands froze. The other issue is that the rockstar fringe isn't good for NZ where it can get caught in the tow ropes. I may sell mine.
1. Free the Powder Mittens: Bought these given the drawbacks of the Astis (discussed below). Only wore them a few times so far in the Tetons in March but they were great. I plan to take them to NZ this year.
2. MHM 32L Powderkeg pack: I needed a larger ski pack and used this one the most all year. Carries skis well and I love the back panel access to the main compartment. Has a nice fleece-lined compartment for sunglasses/goggles too.
Loser:
1. Astis Mittens: I have very cold hands and have tried many, many mittens. I loved these at first -- they are very waterproof and warm, plus they're fun to wear. That said, there are two drawbacks -- 1) no wrist retention strap and 2) powder absolutely can get down inside the mitten despite how long the gauntlets are since there is no closure. I thought they were great until skiing in very cold (-5 F) weather and deep powder in Hokkaido, Japan. Powder got down inside the mittens and my hands froze. The other issue is that the rockstar fringe isn't good for NZ where it can get caught in the tow ropes. I may sell mine.
SkiGAP
Angel Diva
Hey I know biofreeze! Yes, that stuff is pretty good.
Divegirl
Angel Diva
Winners -
1. I know he isn't "gear" but my boot fitter is a winner. We spent a lot of quality time together this year. He worked w/ me on my plantar faciaitis (sp) so I skied w/o a pain and he reconfigured my boots after a significant weight loss. He also spent a lot time w/ me discussing options for a 2nd pair of skis.
2. Discovering Boulder Gear jackets.
3. Columbia Omni-Heat reflective material - I have jacket and a pair of pants lined w/ this material and I was toasty warm on the below zero days and the one warm day I wore them, I was very comfortable not soaked w/ sweat.
4. Fac Warmers (https://facwarmer.com/) - Fleece lined bandanna style face warmers. They have an adjustable elastic band instead of velcro so you can wear them tight or loose, inside or outside your jacket. Every once in while the face masks made me feel like I was choking and the velcro got stuck in my hair and scratched up my neck. The Fac Warmers did not seem to get as damp and icky as the face masks and I could dry them real quick at the hand driers in the ladies room.
5. My new K2 Potion 74Xti - great carvers
6. Leki trigger poles - wasn't sure I would like them but they turned out to be my primary poles. Very light. They were a bit of a hassle when I fell, though.
Losers -
1. As someone else mentioned early - a bad batch of hand warmers. Ended up using toe warmers in my mittens a couple times when I ran out of hand warmers.
2. Celtek mittens - they had a cool design but they did not keep my hands warm at all even w/ glove liners and warmers. Only wore them when it got above 30 deg.
1. I know he isn't "gear" but my boot fitter is a winner. We spent a lot of quality time together this year. He worked w/ me on my plantar faciaitis (sp) so I skied w/o a pain and he reconfigured my boots after a significant weight loss. He also spent a lot time w/ me discussing options for a 2nd pair of skis.
2. Discovering Boulder Gear jackets.
3. Columbia Omni-Heat reflective material - I have jacket and a pair of pants lined w/ this material and I was toasty warm on the below zero days and the one warm day I wore them, I was very comfortable not soaked w/ sweat.
4. Fac Warmers (https://facwarmer.com/) - Fleece lined bandanna style face warmers. They have an adjustable elastic band instead of velcro so you can wear them tight or loose, inside or outside your jacket. Every once in while the face masks made me feel like I was choking and the velcro got stuck in my hair and scratched up my neck. The Fac Warmers did not seem to get as damp and icky as the face masks and I could dry them real quick at the hand driers in the ladies room.
5. My new K2 Potion 74Xti - great carvers
6. Leki trigger poles - wasn't sure I would like them but they turned out to be my primary poles. Very light. They were a bit of a hassle when I fell, though.
Losers -
1. As someone else mentioned early - a bad batch of hand warmers. Ended up using toe warmers in my mittens a couple times when I ran out of hand warmers.
2. Celtek mittens - they had a cool design but they did not keep my hands warm at all even w/ glove liners and warmers. Only wore them when it got above 30 deg.
DeweySki
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I finally wore my Nano Air last weekend in Tahoe when it got strangely cold and snowed 6 inches (???) and thought to myself, "Wow, the arms on this jacket are really long. I bet @lisamamot on Ski Diva would like it cause she has really long limbs." SO random. Glad you like yours!
Magnatude
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Weirdly, because I'm not normally a sucker for gadgets, I found the turbo-fan version of the Smith IOX goggles to be a lifesaver this year. They were a last minute desperation purchase (at a huge discount at the Level Nine store in SLC) after my contact lenses started giving me grief during our Utah holiday in Jan/Feb. So I went looking for some OTG goggles as a fill-in measure until I could wear my contacts again, and I ended up buying these, fan and all. And it (the fan) worked, which I was initially really skeptical about, since my face routinely gets hot and sweaty during skiing/hiking.The main drawback is that the fan is very quiet, so it's hard to tell if it's on or not, unless you listen very carefully (but that's probably more of a bonus than a drawback since it would be distracting otherwise). Also, the goggles are big, and borderline too big for my face, but not to the point that they're uncomfortable.
Tiger balm -- I do my best to ban this stuff from our house because I can't bear the smell. Unfortunately both my husband and daughter love it for headache relief (rubbed into temples).
Tiger balm -- I do my best to ban this stuff from our house because I can't bear the smell. Unfortunately both my husband and daughter love it for headache relief (rubbed into temples).
VickiK
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Good idea, I'll use it. I like arnica cream too.
MaineSkiLady
Angel Diva
@Magnatude - I also had to go the OTG goggle route initially this past season when an eye inflammation prevented contact lens use. Since it was (at least I hoped) temporary, I didn’t want to spend tons on goggles. Wound up with Giro - and was pleasantly surprised that there was very minimal fogging. No fan or anything else, just straight-up.
Re: Biofreeze, etc -
Re: Biofreeze, etc -
This. Ow.
Magnatude
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I can't help picturing a Tiger Balm in the eye scenario, combining the two discussions above. My eyes are watering just thinking about it, but the thing is, it is completely possible to do. (Says she who has been known to chop chillis before taking out her contacts).
sibhusky
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Speaking of watering eyes.
Twelve years back, we were making the cross country drive to move here to Whitefish. Day One naturally was a disaster, with pouring rain, a late start, etc. The rain is coming in torrents and I'm in my car, with the husband driving the RV we rented for the move (three dogs I refused to put in cages on a plane in August). It's the wee hours of the night, trying to get to the first campground reservation and my eyes are dry as anything and with contacts that means you can't see. Eye drops were not working. I ended up grabbing the Bio Freeze (scratch that, it was Mineral Ice in those days) and rubbing it on my cheeks to make my eyes water and rehydrate the contacts. WORKED LIKE A CHARM.
In case that ever happens to you...
Twelve years back, we were making the cross country drive to move here to Whitefish. Day One naturally was a disaster, with pouring rain, a late start, etc. The rain is coming in torrents and I'm in my car, with the husband driving the RV we rented for the move (three dogs I refused to put in cages on a plane in August). It's the wee hours of the night, trying to get to the first campground reservation and my eyes are dry as anything and with contacts that means you can't see. Eye drops were not working. I ended up grabbing the Bio Freeze (scratch that, it was Mineral Ice in those days) and rubbing it on my cheeks to make my eyes water and rehydrate the contacts. WORKED LIKE A CHARM.
In case that ever happens to you...
alicie
Angel Diva
I'm loving my skis.
And goggle insert, it fogs up less than my glasses though pops out of position occasionally but apart from that it is perfect.
I need to find some other gloves, my gloves are fine, plenty warm enough for me, but I don't get cold easily at all so when I stop and take the gloves off the lining half comes out as well, which is really annoying.
And I need a ski jacket that has a ski pass pocket in the sleeve as it's awkward trying to get the pass to work when it's in a chest pocket and the reader is being a tad awkward or is lower than usual.
And goggle insert, it fogs up less than my glasses though pops out of position occasionally but apart from that it is perfect.
I need to find some other gloves, my gloves are fine, plenty warm enough for me, but I don't get cold easily at all so when I stop and take the gloves off the lining half comes out as well, which is really annoying.
And I need a ski jacket that has a ski pass pocket in the sleeve as it's awkward trying to get the pass to work when it's in a chest pocket and the reader is being a tad awkward or is lower than usual.
Skivt2
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Good stuff:
Skida neck warmers
Spanky goggle wipes
Black pearls -168 length
Flylow daisy insulated pants and a Charlie jacket from last summers sales
Stoic wool boxers for women for base layer
Fleece nose warmer mustache
Atomic centuries 2013 model in a 168 length
Ibex wool pants for skiing in 80+ degrees to protect skin and be breathable
Smartwool spring gloves
Nordica hells belles in a 162?
AT gear - dynafit one boots, fritchi freeride bindings on Rossi S3 skis with skins = fun
Not so good:
Bad hand warmers lasted like 2 hours. We were going through 2-3 each per day
Can't find waterproof gloves
Need a very very breathable well vented helmet for 80+ degree skiing as my smith varient brim is not vented well enough.
Need to cut my poles down for bump skiing as they are too long by a whole grip length.
Skida neck warmers
Spanky goggle wipes
Black pearls -168 length
Flylow daisy insulated pants and a Charlie jacket from last summers sales
Stoic wool boxers for women for base layer
Fleece nose warmer mustache
Atomic centuries 2013 model in a 168 length
Ibex wool pants for skiing in 80+ degrees to protect skin and be breathable
Smartwool spring gloves
Nordica hells belles in a 162?
AT gear - dynafit one boots, fritchi freeride bindings on Rossi S3 skis with skins = fun
Not so good:
Bad hand warmers lasted like 2 hours. We were going through 2-3 each per day
Can't find waterproof gloves
Need a very very breathable well vented helmet for 80+ degree skiing as my smith varient brim is not vented well enough.
Need to cut my poles down for bump skiing as they are too long by a whole grip length.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
What's a goggle insert?
It's a prescription lens that inserts into your goggle, so you don't have to replace the actual goggle lens. I have them, and they're great.
