Rotary786

Took my Megawatts out for the first time today. Had 10" of fairly heavy inverted snow that got pretty sun effected later in the day. In the untracked they were great, you could drive them as much as you wanted and the giant rockered tip would refuse to dive. They are surprisingly nimble in the trees but at the same time love to be opened up on the bowls. In the cut up crud at the resort they were hands down the easiest ski I have ever been on with their flotation and mass they just plowed through and over everything. While definitely not a ski for hardpack and groomers they still did just fine, although it probably wasn't the prettiest thing. All in all I am super happy with them and will probably ski them a lot more then I was expecting. The new Zealot is probably a better all around ski, but the Megawatt definitely does what it was designed to do extremely well while still being fun on everything else.

I picked up a pair yesterday. We are supposed to get some snow tomorrow so hopefully I can make it out in the BC and give you a better report but they definitely are a quiver ski. They are supposed to be great in powder (duh) and surprisingly good in everything else but hard pack. I'll let you know what I think tomorrow.

Given the scenario you said I would definitely suggest getting a pair of Freeride pluses. I have skied mine 140+ days so far this season (plus another 80 from previous seasons) without any problems. People complain about the slop but I haven't found this to be an issue at all, even on hardpack, and I ski pretty aggressively. I know several people on patrol who ski exclusively dynafit without any problems, but I dont have any experience with them, yet... Almost all of my touring partners ski Markers and here are my problems with them: -weight: they are about 11 ounces heavier per binding then the Fritschi's and approximately 11 metric tons heavier then dynafits. -inability to engage/ disengage ski mode without removing ski. People argue if this is really that big of a deal but I have noticed several situations where it did make a difference. The first is a local tour that requires a short sidestep in low snow conditions where having the ability to lock your heel was a big advantage. The second is if you remove your ski and put it in the snow the brakes cant stop your ski from sliding forward without the heel locked. And finally you can't remove your skins without removing your skis, although I usually find myself removing my skis anyway. -Heel elevation adjustment: Adjusting the elevation of the heel seems harder to do then on other touring bindings (this is a big one for my touring partners) -Difficulty getting back to ski mode due to ice buildup: The track that makes the markers so bomber in ski mode seems to be prone to ice buildup especially when the snow is wet. This often takes a while to clear out. My Fritschi's also have this issue at the heel post but I can usually whack them a couple times to clear it. -Durability: several people I know have had issues with their sliding AFD breaking, which apparently is a fairly common complaint. If you actually plan on doing some touring I would definitely lean towards the Dynafit or Freerides.

I would definitely go longer then what most of you guys are skiing. While its nice to have a light setup I definitely think its worth the pound or pound and a half weight penalty to have the versatility of a longer ski. I recently made the switch from 170 Mantras to 188 Coombas (I am 5'11", 17o lbs) and was amazed with how much more comfortable I felt on just about every backcountry condition (the only exception being in extremely steep sections requiring jump turns, but even then they still handle fine). As Maine-iac says, it definitely depends on how strong of a skier you are (although I would consider 172's way to short for his h/w) but I think if you give longer skis a chance you definitely wont regret it. My brother is 5'6" and on a good day cracks 100 lbs and when he made the switch from 155's (not sure what the ski was) to 167 Mt. Bakers the difference was night and day as far as his skiing ability. Longer skis take some getting used to but in the end are definitely worth it. Here is a pretty cool chart with ski weights: http://www.bentgate.com/skidiandwe.html

From reading the meadows blog and what was said in their article on the avalanche it sure seems like they would like to expand their permit area.

Anybody ever skied Judd Mountain outside of Oakridge? There is a really obvious line on the west face that is partly visible from 58. I was up there today scouting around and it looks pretty doable, although would require a bit of a bushwhack. Anybody have any info? Also interested in Fuji Mountain if anybody has skied that.

my issue was their complete denial that they had done anything wrong. After learning of their mistake i called several ski shops and they all agreed that Berg's should be held liable if it did pull out, when I mentioned this to the tech in the shop his reply was "I didn't screw up somebody else did!", despite the fact it was somebody else from his shop. I finally realized that I wasn't going to get any help from them, and only after withholding the other guys bindings (that they mounted on my skis) was I able to receive a refund. I had nothing but positive experiences with bergs before this but that was definitely the last and only straw with them. It seems pretty ridiculous to screw up like this and then not be held liable for it at all.

Thats what i'm most worried about is it pulling out in the backcountry and having to skin home on one ski. In my mind its pretty ridiculous that they can screw up like that and then not take any responsibility for it, it was a fight to even get my money back. ilooked, I agree about somebody else having my binding. When I got my ski's I had said I was trying to ski the next day and they told me to go ahead and ski on the other guys bindings as they had been fit to my boot. Obviously I didn't do this but makes me wonder if some guy got some turns in on my binding. Pretty frustrating experience all around.

The shop was Berg's ski shop in Eugene. In addition to mounting the wrong bindings they also mounted centerline when I asked for 1.5cm back so I will have to drill a second set of holes. Overall I had a very poor experience with them on this as for quite some time they were unwilling to admit they had done anything wrong. Definitely steer clear.

I recently had a shop mount my skis with a pair of Fritschi Freerides. When i got my ski they had mounted another customers Explorers on my skis and according to them my bindings on another customers skis. They also said that the other customer had left town which makes me worry that they could be skiing on my bindings. (they told me to go ahead and ski on the on the bindings I currently have as I had planned on skiing today). My biggest concern though is that remounting my bindings will use the same screw holes and risk being pulled out. From the shops I have been calling for opinions this seems to be a valid concern, and something that could seriously screw me if it happened in the backcountry. Anybody have any experience with this? Thanks

My car was recently stolen and while they recovered the car the thief made off with my ski pack. I recently picked up a used Granite Gear Vapor trail at the REI sidewalk sale but i'm realizing that its light weight material most likely wont stand up to the abuses of skiing and I dont think it could easily carry skis, ax, shovel, etc. I'm really dont know specific models but if anybody has anything lying around they would be willing to part with that would work let me know. The cheaper the better as I'm a broke college student but I know packs aren't cheap so i'm willing to pay for a good one.

I have no experience with the BD boots, but I do have a pair of Garmont Adrenalines that I absolutely love. I ski with bigger skis and aggressively and have had no issues with them as far as not being stiff enough, not to mention they are a joy to climb in after using alpine boots for numerous trips. If you can find them locally and can try various boots on thats probably the best way to go.

I have a brand new pair of Arc'Teryx Minuteman bibs size medium,with the tags still attached. I purchased them last year and never wore them and have decided to let them go. Price is $250 obo plus shipping. You could also pick them up in Portland before Saturday or Eugene thereafter.