What Skis Are Best For Me?

Whether you’re looking to buy or rent/demo skis the following may be helpful information how to select the best skis for you. Valentines Day is a good time to visit big white Canada for a date skiing.

First you must decide what is best for you, to rent/demo (renting top of the line models, not rental stock skis) or buy? Beginning skiers or those just trying out the sport to decide if it’s for them, it makes sense to rent ski equipment. Once sure you’re going to spend enough time on the slopes to justify buying ski equipment you can invest in your own ski gear. Considering today’s economy and the cost to ship or fly with your equipment you may just want to rent/demo till things improve and our economy improves. You can demo top of the line skis for what it would cost you to fly round trip with you equipment- you may want to consider carrying-on your own boots.

What is the Best Ski for You? With a numerous skis to be had on today’s market, choosing can be overpowering. Deciding what skis will cater to your ability level, gender and your goals can be difficult. You must consider the ski conditions you will ski the most, your honest ability level, your terrain preference and type of skiing (racing, downhill, or off piste, for example), and how much experience you have – number of days, years on skis -when choosing skis. With honest answers to these questions you can start generating a list of what skis may be right for you.

Advanced technology in ski construction has allowed downhill ski manufacturers to make excellent skis for various skiers and conditions but understanding the different ski categories is essential. When potential buyers ask for suggestions, many skiers or shop personnel will recommend their personal favorites. What ski works for them may not necessarily work for you but interpreting your friend’s descriptions can be useful in helping you find the best ski for your unique needs.

Today the most popular terms I like to use in categorizing different types of skis are:

Technical, racing or carving skis are for skiers who engage primarily in technical carving on hard or groomed snow and skiers honing basic technical skills. These include all racing and race carving skis, cross skis and recreational carvers. This is the choice of many teaching pros and advanced expert skiers. Typical waist measurement is 71mm or less. Turn radii are typically 15 meters or less depending on length skied. Typically these type skis are skied short.

Tactical, multi-condition, aggressive all mountain, good everyday skis for skiers for whom the relationship of the ski to the snow is of paramount importance. These skiers roam the entire mountain, or at the other end of the spectrum, simply cruise around the groomed on flat edges. These types of skis are the most popular with wide-ranging selection to choose from. Waists are generally in the 68 to 82mm range, with a turn radius from approximately 15 meters to 19 meters

Freeride Skis are for those who enjoy the freedom of the backcountry. If you want a ski that can take you into the backcountry as well as the rest of the mountain this is the one current label that seems to work for everyone. Many do have twin tips and many can do double duty as deep snow skis and park/pipe skis. Still, in my view these wide skis focus on deep snow and crud expertise. Formerly called deep snow, or powder, or “big mountain” skis. Waist range from low 80’s to over 100 mm under foot with a turn radius from 15 up to 35 meters.

Specialty Skis – everything else, especially twin tip skis that fare best in park and pipe conditions and mogul skis. Most shops concentrate on more mainstream models and it’s been my experience that dedicated slope-siders and committed bumpers rely not on reviews but on peer-to-peer communication and coaches’ recommendations.

Hopefully you now have a reasonable working knowledge of types of skis and the criteria to determine what is suitable for your type of skiing it’s to time to put the info to use and head to the shop.

No matter whether you are renting, demoing or buying you need to find a shop that has knowledgeable technicians to assist you in your needs. You will find it hard to talk to a person that only has snowboard background to buy or rent skis and visa-versa. Experience of shop personnel not only in sales but in local knowledge of the area you are skiing will make the process easier.

More guests may be renting/demoing equipment this winter than ever before. Airline bag fees have sky rocketed with the increases of fuel prices and other airline problems. Along with baggage fees guests are trending to give up buying, lugging equipment through airports and taking the chance their gear will be at their destination. Under these circumstances shops need first-rate, well tuned equipment for our specialized guests. In the past shop have only provided rental performance skis and boots now have to provide better equipment.

It is common for shoppers to check out the stores and then go on line to look for cheaper prices. There are a growing number of web sites where new and older model skis are for sale at prices that can vary across the Internet. A lot of the difference in prices is due to the popularity of certain model skis that are designed for specific snow conditions. I only recommend buying online if you have already tested and know exactly the ski you want. You may find it difficult to find this year’s current gear on line till after Christmas or cheaper than the minimum advertised price determined by the manufacturer. Give your local merchants the business you may be surprised what deals are out there.

Don Jewkes, is a 32-year certified PSIA-RM level 3 Pro for the Ski and Snowboard Schools of Aspen at Snowmass, local resident and owner of Sunset Ski Repair. Drop him a line at donjewkes@comcast.net. Visit his website http://www.sunsetski.com.

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Spectacular Trips for People Who Love Surfing

Watching a surf contest can be a great stress reliever, seeing as you are constantly near water and water is proven to have calming effects on the psyche. Imagine yourself just sitting on your board, riding the waves the ocean provides and just watching the sea life around you. It seems almost magical, and a lot of surfers report that it is that “one-ness” they feel with the water that keeps them coming back to the sport. Surfing is also a great way to work up your muscles, since the paddling and constant balance it takes to stay on a surfboard needs a lot of strength and muscle endurance. Taking trips with your family to exotic locations is one other way that people get into surfing. They may not start out going on the trips for just surfing, but as soon as people see the water there is a strong desire to tame it and capture the beauty.

Beginning surfers may start off their journey by questioning other surfers or locals what the sport is all about. It seems that right away after the first couple tries to stay on that board, there is a determination that builds into a need to master the board and the water. After the initial meeting of surfer and board, the bond is set and the next part of the journey is to travel wherever possible in search of the coolest and most fun surfing spots. Traveling around the world is not only one pastime that most everyone wants to partake in, but it is especially daring for surfers wanting to ride on any water that they can. Some pretty famous surfing spots include the Gold Coast of Australia, the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa, Bali of Indonesia and Samoa.

Finding a surfing spot to call your own can be one of the most intriguing parts of being a traveling surfer. Constantly going to new countries and islands, discovering what they have to offer, and – if you’re lucky – finding a surf spot to truly call your own. Somewhere chill, where the swell is perfect and the waves are never-ending. A place not overwhelmed by tons upon tons of other surfers all trying to catch the ultimate wave. If you have a family, a nice place would be somewhere secluded where your kids can play or a nice rocky area where your wife can relax. Some of the best surfing spots are the best kept secrets, and there are still tons more out there claimed by no one. If you aren’t into the scene of competing, or just want a more serene ride, look into finding your own personal surfing spot.

International Surfing Day is on June 20th each year and is a fantastic time for surfers to unite and share their own favorite chill spots. As most of you know, the sport of surfing is an ancient one that has existed for thousands upon thousands of years before us. That being said, it is magnificent to think that we can still find spots that are brand new to us as modern age surfers. There is no status quo or stereotype that can be applied to surfers. People enjoy the sport no matter what ethnicities and religions they may be. Some places are united by surfing, such as California in North America. California has a very large surf scene and is home to many different surfing competitions worldwide. Australia’s Gold Coast is also a very popular surfing spot where people all gather to enjoy the same vibes.

Discovering new and exciting surfing spots has never been so easy with our modern age. The internet lets us share information indefinitely and will continue to be a great source for finding many new places to check out. If you want to try somewhere that has never been mentioned before and find an all new spot, I recommend just blindly putting your finger on a map and traveling to that country. Try and find a translator that may be able to show you the ropes and help you meet up with other surfers. See where they like to surf, and take it farther from there. Always make sure you surf prepared and be safe! Surfing is extremely fun but can be very dangerous at times. Never surf somewhere completely new to you without some sort of supervision. Surf’s up!

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Guide to Redesigning Your Kitchen

Good kitchen design starts early, even as early as locating the room within the house. If you’re lucky enough to be able to choose which direction your kitchen will face, consider orienting it toward the east or southeast, where morning sun will fill it with light. Unfortunately, in rehab, choosing the southeast orientation is not always possible, although we think it’s worth working hard to achieve. Nouvelle.com.au is a leading interior designer in handcrafted custom-made & luxury kitchens Sydney, bedrooms and bathrooms across the globe. Frameless shower screen cost is surprisingly expensive but my verdict I will go with expensive material for a lifetime use.

If this simply can’t be done, orienting the kitchen to the south or southwest is a good choice. If you go this route, provide some means of shading the room from the hot summer sun, such as deciduous trees or shrubs, awnings or overhangs above windows or even with good window blinds.

Once you get the kitchen oriented, there are some basic design principles that will help you with the layout.

Traffic

A house is not an island; it requires frequent contact with the outside world, much of which is accomplished by car. An attached garage closely adjoining the kitchen or a back door opening on the driveway can reduce the burden of carrying groceries in and the trash out.

A mud room can reduce kitchen traffic by acting as a staging area for trips into and out of the house. It offers a buffer from cold air, storage space for coats, hats and boots and even pantry shelves for items you won’t be using immediately. Taking all this activity out of the kitchen provides more room for cooking and eating, which are, after all, a kitchen’s main events.

The Work Triangle

For most of the 20th century, kitchens were organized around what’s known as the work triangle — the geometry determined by sink, range and refrigerator. Since most kitchen work is a dance among the three appliances, a good design will make the distances between them comfortable. If they’re too short, the work area will be cramped; if too far, the cook will become worn out trotting between them. The rule of thumb is that the three legs of the triangle should add up to between 12 and 26 feet.

There are three basic layouts for the work triangle: u-shaped, l-shaped and galley. In the u-shaped kitchen, there’s a triangular path from the sink on one wall to the range on another, to the refrigerator on a third. In an l-shaped kitchen, one element of the work triangle is against one wall with the other two along another. In very tight circumstances, all three points are arranged along the same wall, like the cooking facilities on-board ship, thus the name galley kitchen.

Ideally no traffic should pass through the work triangle. Nothing is more irritating than having people crash into you when you’re trying to cook. If there’s going to be an island or table in the room, place it where it will neither obstruct the work triangle nor be too far to be a useful work station itself.

Keep in mind that people not directly involved in cooking often need access to the kitchen, particularly the refrigerator. Of the three components of the work triangle, the refrigerator should be located at the triangle’s outer corner for easy access. The sink should be accessible as well, but the cooking surface ought to be as protected as possible, and therefore at the most remote point of the work triangle.

Necessary Gadgets

To function well, the sink, cook top and refrigerator each need to be surrounded with a certain amount of floor and counter space. The refrigerator door needs a clear swing and, if possible, enough room for two people to reach in simultaneously. The doors of any cabinets around the fridge should not conflict with its door. And the refrigerator also needs an 18-inch run of counter as a staging area for foods going into or coming out of it.

By custom, the sink is placed beneath a window, both to provide daylight for chores done there and to give one a view outdoors. I suppose the custom derives from the days before dishwashers, when the task of washing up was a tedious affair done by hand. Yet working at a sink with a window is still much more pleasant than working at a sink without one. Designers often place the sink first and lay out the rest of the work triangle from there.

Minimum counter lengths are considered to be 36 inches on one side of the sink and 24 on the other, which gives you a staging area for dirty dishes on one side and a drying area on the other. It seems logical to locate the greatest expanse of counter on the side of the sink closest to the cook top, since that is where most foods prepared at the sink are destined.

The optimum location for the cook top is along an exterior wall, rather than on an island or peninsula. With a stove on an outside wall, it’s easy to install an effective hood and ventilation system, essential to expel grease, smoke and combustion gases. The stove or cook top needs a 21- to 30-inch overhead clearance so cooks can readily see and access rear burners and the ventilation system can do its work efficiently.

If you plan to install a dishwasher, place it close to the sink. Where you choose to put it might depend on whether you’re right- or left-handed and on the path dishes are likely to take when cleared from the table. Also consider the choreography of two people loading and unloading the machine.

Storage Areas

Glassware and dishes should be stored in cabinets or shelves near the sink. Frequently used pots and pans could be stowed between the sink and cook top or from a hanging rack.

Consider locating your silverware drawers close to the drying rack or dishwasher but out of the primary work triangle so that someone can set the table without interrupting the cook.

Professional cooks, who spend a great deal of time in their kitchens, prefer to have their utensils within easy reach. (Julia Child stows her knives on pegs above her sink.)

Shelves or cabinets above the cook top can hold foods that aren’t affected by warmth, such as pasta, rice, and cereal. A shelf just below these cabinets but above the cook top can transform the space into a cooking workshop, providing a handy resting place for timers, spices, cooking supplies and implements.

A large volume of kitchen goods can be stowed in a pantry, an efficient, relatively inexpensive means of storage. Since a pantry is essentially a closet lined with shelves, it’s easy on the budget. Also plan to reserve part of the pantry as a utility closet, where mops, brooms and cleaning supplies can be easily stored.

Eating In

Islands can serve as tables for informal meals. If it’s the height of conventional counters—36 inches—you’ll need stools and an ample overhang of about 12 inches to comfortably accommodate sitters’ knees.

If you’re thinking about placing a table in your kitchen, here are some basic parameters: A rectangular table with a seating capacity of four to six should measure 2½ feet by 5 to 5½ feet. You’ll need 2½ to 3 feet of clearance all around for chairs and adequate circulation. A round table takes up less space but can accommodate more people if need be. Remember that a small increase in radius makes for a big increase in the circumference of the table and therefore the floor space it will take up. Click here to inquire about your kitchen design.