Camber Vs Rocker.....what is the difference?

What is camber anyways you might be asking yourself? Camber is what gives your skis the bow shape throughout the middle of the ski. This shape gives you the best edge hold and carving ability on groomed hard pack surfaces. The camber also gives skis the rebound out of your turn, the kick back. 

Reverse Camber or Rocker is the exact opposite of that shape (think more like a banana). This provides the obvious benefit of floating in deep snow as the shape naturally will make the ski climb to the top while moving forward.  The trade off of course would be holding and edge and carving on a groomed run.  To counter that negative there have been many new types of reverse camber created which will blend the benefits of camber and rocker to create a whole new ski experience.

The profile above uses reverse camber in the tip (a.k.a. early rise rocker)  and traditional camber under the middle of the ski.  The early rise shovel will allow the ski to climb and float in powder and make the ski more maneuverable in bumps and woods.  Roll the ski on edge however and you will end up with traditional edge contact and carving ability. This shape is a great choice for a one ski quiver.

This shape uses reverse camber in the shovel and tail while once again using traditional camber underfoot. This will make the ski very quick in the bumps and woods as very little ski will be touching the snow. There is some carving ability as there is camber underfoot but definitely is starting to be a little more shaky at high speeds on groomed trails.

This shape above is full reverse camber. This will perform the best in deep soft snow as it will act like a water ski and surf along the snow. Try to carve this on a hard pack groomed run however and you will be wishing the thought had never crossed your mind. 

The choices may seem confusing at first but simply determine what terrain you like and there will be a reverse camber ski to suite your needs!

Winter Will Come!

I will be the first to admit that this has been an unusually slow start to our ski season in Northern Vermont, however, do not get discouraged. The fact of the matter is last season started out very similar. We got one storm in early December then it all melted off by New Years Day.  We hold our annual staff ski and ride day each year on New Years and last year we were stuck to just the man made snow while we looked at grass on all of our favorite natural snow runs! We were all thinking the worst of the season at hand. Come the second week of Januray the snow started and it did not seem to stop until late April! We skied lines at Mad River Glen that only become skiable with a great snow depth well into early April. Sugarbush and Jay Peak had snow packs into early May!  So fear not, take some laps on the mand made mayhem to warm up the legs and keep the faith, the snow will come!

Check Out This Video From Last Winter!

Cold Feet? Warm them up!

It's the question everyone asks.....are these boots warm? Of course you need to have the correct ski socks which wick the moisture away from your skin, and you need to keep your boots warm. This means not sticking them in the trunk overnight, or even in the trunk on the way to the mountain. Once a cold boot, always a cold boot.  If you follow those proper procedures and still are snapping icicle off your toes at the end of the day, well then there is only one solution....get some heaters! Hotronic's are the answer to everyone comfort. They can be installed in any footwear but of course we love to put them in ski and snowboard boots. These puppies can turn your cold and miserable day on the slopes into a dream come true. The saying goes, make the feet happy and everyone else will be happy!

Buy Hotronics Here!

Insane Performance and Comfortable??

Let's face it, ski boots are not always as comfortable as some people would like. You sometimes might choose a more comfortable boot which sacrifices performance, or choose a performance boot which might sacrifice comfort. Finally your days of cramped toes or sloppy fits are over! The Dalbello Kryptoon Boot line up with "ID" liners is your answer.  The secret is all in the "ID" liner which is manufactured by a company called Intuition Liners.  These babies are one hundred percent custom once we are  done with them. The liner gets baked in a convection oven for 15 minutes and expands like crazy. We then mold your foot in them with an extra toe cap on to generate just enough toe room so you can wiggle them. The rest of the foot is imprinted perfectly. The result is an extremely comfortable boot with a precision hold of the foot causing the ultimate performance!

Check the line up out here

Some Store Shots

This week I figured it's time show the world our store. For those of you who might not stop in our store in person you can now see where the coolest gear lives before we ship out to you anywhere in the country! 

Banshee Bungee and GoPro

Men's Apparel

Skis, Skis, and More Skis

Board Bindings

Smith IO....take the guess work out of goggle picking

It is a question we get here at our Vermont Ski Shop daily, what lens is the best?  There are lots of ways to answer that question but the bottom line is it depends on the day. What works great on the sunny day usually will make you suffer when the clouds roll in. Likewise what will give you the "x ray vision" to find the bumps on a typical Vermont cloudy day will usually leave you squinting and swearing at the salesman on a sunny day.  The lens that is marketed as a "do everything lens" usually is not stellar in the sun or flat light leaving you with fair vision in either condition.  The only true answer is to have one lens for the sunny days and one for the cloudy days.  In the past of course that would mean buying two pair of goggles which was great for ski shops, not great for your wallet. Smith has answered the call with their IO goggle.  This goggle is sold with two lens, one for sunny days and one for cloudy days.  They have made a frameless design which makes interchanging the lens a no brainer. Finally the one goggle which can truly do everything! 

Click here to check it out Smith IO

GoPro...Film From Your Perspective!!

The bragging about how sick your line was has now taken on a new dimension.  POV (point of view) cameras now enable you to not only tell people how sick you are but show them first hand.   GoPro  is leading the charge in the category with amazing HD video quality and mounting bracket which can attach to about anything you could dream of. Not to mention they are waterproof to 180 feet so you can do just about anything with them!  Check out the video above shot entirely with the GoPro HD, you will see what we mean, they are sick!

You can purchase on here GoPro HD Helmet Hero

The Banshee Bungee

It has been called many things in our shop by customers so far (a rubber band, double braided rubber, the human slingshot) but its really called the Banshee Bungee.  This is by far one of the coolest new products out there and one of my favorite in the store.  The basic concept is simple, to generate speed where there is none.  The Banshee Bungee can be stretched back by a few friends and send one lucky rider on their way to jibbing pleasure.  Have a backyard where you want to set up some rails or a jump but no hill? Perfect. Been scoping out an urban jib with no hill?  Perfect. The Banshee Bungee opens up a new world of what is possible.  Check out the video above to see it in action.

What is ski structure?

Ever heard people talking about ski structure and wonder what the heck they are talking about? Check out the pic closely, notice the small groves in the ski? Bingo...that is structure.  But what does this do you say? Think of a tire tread, on water the tread of a tire gives you traction and control. When you ski or snowboard you are creating enough friction that the snow melts and you are actually riding on a thin film of water. The structure acts like a tire tread and channels the water away allowing, the ski or board to have better contact to the snow. This enables the rider to have more control and glide faster. Structure is added to the ski by a process of tuning known as stone grinding  As the temperature changes we adjust the pattern on the stone accordingly. Warmer temps require a deeper structure while colder temps require a less aggressive pattern. Combine this with the right wax and you will be flying faster than ever.

Colorado Season Underway!

Game on!  A-Basin has just announced that opening day is tomorrow!  While they are not the first, Wolf Creek Opened last weekend, it adds more fuel to the fire that ski season is just about here! Check out their press release below for more details.

ARAPAHOE BASIN OPENS FOR THE SKI SEASON THURSDAY,

OCTOBER 13, 2011

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 12, 2011 – After a great week of snowmaking and several fresh inches of snow, Arapahoe Basin ski area officials announce that opening day for the 2011-2012 ski season will be Thursday, October 13, 2011.  The ski area has only been closed 100 days since last season ended on July 4, 2011.

Black Mountain Express will open to the public at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.  Skiers and riders can look forward to an 18-inch base on the intermediate High Noon run along with several features in the High Divide Terrain Park.  There will be no beginner skiing at this time.

A tribute to Arapahoe Basin founders Marnie Jump and Max Dercum who passed away this year will take place before the lifts open to the public.

Opening day adult lift tickets will be available for $59, youth tickets age 15 - 18 will be $49 and child tickets age 6-14 will be $30.  The ski and snowboard rental shop, tune shop, food and beverage service, the 6th Alley bar and retail shop will be open to the public.  Snowsports lessons will be available on a limited basis. 

Local radio station, KYSL will be doing a live morning show and giving away lift tickets on-air.  KSMT will also be on site in the base area with a live remote, playing music and handing out give-aways. 

A-Basin's Bonus Passes are available while supplies last for $389.  The Bonus pass holder receives unlimited skiing or riding at A-Basin for the 2011-2012 ski season and five non-transferable ski days at Keystone or Breckenridge.  One of those days can be used at Vail or Beaver Creek (some restrictions apply).  A-Basin only passes are also available at great prices.  To purchase your pass or check snow conditions go to www.arapahoebasin.com.

Get your 5th grader on the slopes!

5th Grade Passport

Vermont is the place to ski this winter if your in 5th grade!  Actually it has been for the past 11 years, with Ski Vermont's 5th grade passport.  The Vermont Ski Area's Association has rounded up all the ski resorts, nordic and alpine, to promote our youth getting outdoors and learning how fun the mountains can be. Check out the link for more in depth details and spread the word to anyone you know who is a kid in 5th grade!

Official Sign of Fall : Mad River Glen's "Green and Gold"

We have been waiting for that first official sign that fall is upon us. While there may have been many around like frosty nights, soccer games under the lights, and very hairy caterpillars, we are never fully ready to say its here until one monumental weekend each October.  Finally it is here, Mad River Glen's "Green and Gold" weekend!!  This weekend they will be spinning the legendary single chair for a vista of Vermont's great foliage atop General Stark Mountain.  While our crew has been busy whipping the shop into ship shape, a few of us lucky ones will be taking a time out to celebrate the coming of winter this weekend atop one of our all time favorite mountains! Check out the video above for all the details, and we will see you atop the mountain or maybe in the pub for a nice cold pumpkin ale!  Welcome fall!!

Work Gloves with a Twist

Ever seen the patrollers or lifties wearing work gloves and wonder how their hand stay warm and dry? Well the  FlyLow tough guy glove answers your questions. These babies are waterproof and insulated, but work glove tough. And retailing at only $28.00 you can afford a pair for the morning and a pair for the afternoon! Make a fashion statement and snag some.

Smith Helmets Now Teaming Up With Boa

Smith Optics charged into the helmet scene only a few short years ago but has quickly become one of the biggest players in the game. With their latest move to team up with BOA technology they should continue to dominate the market. The BOA technology improves the fit greatly on any of their adjustable fit helmets (think Variant Brim and Vantage).  Previous years had a horizontal slider to adjust the fit which worked decent but still left room for improvement. The BOA dial adjustment not only adjusts much simpler (all you have to do is spin the dial) but improves the fit on just about any shape head. Team this up with their Smith integration, matching goggle venting with helmet venting, and you have a slam dunk combo!

Just In From Rome

Premier season is only two weeks away with our crew at Rome getting things started!!!
Rome Tour Set!  - Click here for all the details

Killer Sugarbush Pass Deal

http://www.sugarbush.com/content/cm.asp?pid=437

Are you under 30?  No longer in school? Do you love to ski or ride but can't afford to get a pass because you can not get any deals? Well look no further, Sugarbush Resort in Warren, VT is making probably one of the biggest moves in recent history to attract a younger clientele to the Mad River Valley this winter!  They have just created a pass deal for only $299! That's right only $299 unrestricted access and no black outs! This winter is looker sweeter by the minute.  Couple this new deal with the already popular "Triple Major Pass" (college students only) and the bar scene in the valley is surely going to get a much needed jolt of youth. So hurry up and grab this deal as is goes away September 14!  Bravo Sugarbush!

Teton Gravity Research's New Trailer

As summer is entering its last month we all now have our sights set on winter! While the first shipments of new skis are arriving we have also been gearing up for our annual movie premier. We are proud to say we have once again teamed up with Teton Gravity Research (TGR) to premier there newest ski flick, "One For the Road."  TGR consistently puts out one of the best movies every year to get us all physched for the those rains to freeze! We will be adding more events and sponsors as we approach the fall to set up one amazing kick off to the season weekend! In the mean time follow the link to check out the trailer.

Arbor Trek Canopy Tours - Summer Adrenaline at Smuggs!

A new zipline canopy tour company has opened up in cooperation with Smugglers Notch Ski Resort called ArborTrek (www.arbortrek.com). After our first try of going on this awesome adventure was called off due to lightning (these guys always have safety as there number one priority) we lucked out and got a perfectly sunny afternoon, a rarity this summer! The main guys behind this operation have been designing and building "zip courses" for a very long and their professionalism shows on the project. The guides were great and built confidence in all of us from the moment we met them.  The tour lasts just over two hours and includes two rappels, one sky bridge, and 4,500 feet of ziplines!  They offer three tours a day and just about anyone can go! Any fears you have will be diminished in the first orientation of ground school and next thing you know you will be flying through the forest! Check them out for an experience you will never forget!

Welcome to the beginning!

Welcome to Fuel the Addiction! We will be keeping up with everything going on in the north east ski world. Our Home is Montpelier, Vermont and we get to ski the best of what I may call the underrated East Cost. We will be bringing first hand ski reports (with photos of course), gear reviews, and keep up with current events. This summer we will try to find out whats new at the resorts we love for next season and what they offer for summer time activities, even when the snow melts the mountains are tons of fun so stay tuned....and once again welcome to Fuel The Addiciton!

www.slopestylevt.com