Steepest Ski Trails in Vermont

Steepest Ski Trails in Vermont

Upper Liftline - Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont

Smuggler’s Notch is home to one of the five triple black diamond trails in Eastern North America, the trail is called Black Hole and was on Travel and Leisure’s’ 10 scariest ski trails list, however an argument could easily be made that Upper Liftline is the trail that should have been put on the list, even though it does not carry the triple black diamond designation that was given to Black Hole.  However, Skiing Magazine did rank Upper Liftline #4 on their Eastern Extreme list in a February 1995 column. While the ranking by Skiing Magazine is old, the trail has not changed since the days when Green Day was topping the charts with their Dookie album, so yes, Upper Liftline is still an extreme trail beyond the ability of the majority of skiers.

The stats are impressive for Upper Liftline, it has a maximum pitch of 43.25 degrees and sustained pitch (over 300 feet) of 35.74 degrees with a vertical drop of 1460 feet over a trail length of 3790 feet and, as a kicker, the trail is only 56 feet wide.  Based on sustained pitch, Upper Liftline is the third steepest trail in the East with only The Slides (Whiteface) and Upper Bubblecuffer (Sugarloaf) being steeper. As the name implies, the trail is located under a lift, the rickety and timeworn Madonna I chair to be precise.   The location gives you the opportunity to scout the trail to determine your line that will best showcase your skills to the captive audience above who slowly pass over the trail or time to figure out how you are going to clean the excrement out of your North Face pants after you get down the trail.  However, it is not the steepness, narrowness or double fall line of the trail that makes it difficult, it is the rock ledges. Upper Liftline is a trail consisting of rock ledges after rock ledges that show no mercy with the occasional lift tower that gets in your way. After going over one ledge you will not have time to make a long runout and gain control, instead it is a couple quick turns down the up to 43-degree pitch and your airborne again over the next ledge.  If you miscalculate any of the drops, some as high as 15 feet, and you will find yourself cartwheeling more than an elementary school girl on the playground, but unlike the school girl you will not be sticking the landing. To be honest, it takes a rare talent to really ski this trail, not just go down it and fall off a couple of ledges, but to really ski it where you dance with the mountain. The mountain leads with steeps and ledges and you carve, turn and spin 360’s while turning this American Ninja ski trail into your own playground. 

Headwall on Upper Liftline on a thin cover day…Good Luck!

Smuggler’s does bill itself as a family mountain and has a mascot named Mogul the Mouse, but do not be fooled, the Madonna I chair serves up some extremely un-family friendly terrain and Upper Liftline just may be the hardest trail in all Eastern North America.

Smuggler’s Notch - www.smuggs.com

Tuckerman’s Chute - Jay Peak, Vermont

Tuckerman’s Chute is like going for a ride on the Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure, it is a high adrenaline ride, but a short ride that seems to end almost as soon as it begins.  Tuckerman’s measures a scant 311 feet in length. However, you may only need about 50 feet to get yourself into trouble on this trail, as the entry to the trail is usually wind scoured and the snow cover a thin as an emaciated Kate Moss.  If you are standing at the top of Tuckerman’s Chute and find yourself second guessing your trail choice or your skiing skills, you would not be the first, this trail was cut to give a true expert skier a challenge. Of the 655 double black diamond trails in Eastern North America the trail with the steepest average grade is Tuckerman’s Chute which measures 34.31 degrees from top to bottom.  There are trails that are steep over 300 ft or have a single steeper point, but from top to bottom Tuckerman’s is “the trail” and for that reason it should be on your list to ski. Granted, the trail is only 311 feet long, but it is covered in trees, ruts, bumps, rocks, scrub brush and roots and very rarely skis the same from day to day or month to month.

Tuckerman’s Chute on a powder day!

After disembarking from the tram, head right and you will find a snow fence covered in warnings in both English and French reminding you to ski the trail in groups of three, the trail is not regularly swept, it contains hazards and natural distractions and to ski with extra care.  If after reading the legal mumbo jumbo you still have the intestinal fortitude to push onto the trail you will find the trail opens to a narrow chute and then begins to splinter into two and then three lines. The chutes all merge back into one before dumping you out onto the intermediate trail where you could continue onto JFK, Alligator Alley and then test your mettle on Staircase Glade.   If you do not mind waiting in the long queues that can pile up at the tram, you can find powder in Tuckerman’s for a day or two after a storm.

Jay Peak - www.jaypeakresort.com

Steepest Ski Trail in Connecticut

Steepest Ski Trail in Connecticut - Satan's Stairway, Ski Sundown

Ski Sundown is a ski area located in New Hartford, Connecticut, approximately 45 minutes north west of Hartford, CT.   Ski Sundown originally opened for the 1963-1964, under the name Satan’s Ridge Ski Area, with both night skiing and snowmaking.  Management continued to invest in the area’s infrastructure, however by 1967-1968 the area closed and was put up for auction. The ski area was purchased by Channing Murdock, a Middlebury grad who honed his skills in ski area management while working for the creative genius Walt Schoenknecht at Mount Snow, VT and Mohawk Mountain, CT.  Murdock was able to reopen the ski area in 1969, under the new name Ski Sundown.  

As you would expect for a Connecticut ski area, it is small with 16 trails and 625 vertical feet. 

Satan’s Stairway is the moguled trail in the center of the photo:

Courtesy of Ski Sundown

Satan’s Stairway

In 2014, Ski Sundown cut a new trail, their first since 1981, trail was named Satan’s Stairway, which may be the greatest name ever for a double black diamond trail.  The name pays homage to the original name of the ski area, Satan’s Ridge. Sundown created the trail with the sole purpose of dedicating it as a mogul run. A move that is applauded, although a bit confusing since mogul skiing is somewhat of a bygone era from the 1980’s and early 1990’s.  To the point where moguls seem to be despised by the general public, which has led to resorts putting pictures of groomed corduroy on billboards and in skiing magazines, and marketing overgrooming as something desirable by everyone who skis. Ski Sundown markets the trail as a “classic New England cut” which is slang for narrow, the trail has an average width of 64 feet.  For comparison, the width is similar to Lookout Below (Whiteface), Extrovert (Blue Knob) and Le Bete (Mont Ste. Anne). Since the trail is so narrow, assuming the trail is skied by talented mogul skiers, the width would allow for only a handful of lines. The trail is appropriately named as a stairway because Satan’s Stairway has a series of three pitches that are flat, intermediate and steep.   The trail has an average steepness of only 18.68 degrees, however is does have a sustained pitch over 300 feet of 21.04 degrees. This isn’t steep compared to the big boys of the East Coast, but is similar to Boiling Kettle (Mont Tremblant) and Witch (Magic Mountain). The trail officially opened on January 10, 2015, made it the steepest trail in Connecticut and the only double black diamond in the state.

Loon Mountain Bird Sanctuary

Loon Mountain, located in Lincoln, New Hampshire is one of the most accessible ski resorts in the East with a variety of terrain that will suit every skier, especially if you enjoy park skiing.  Loon’s terrain parks grabbed top honors from Freeskier Magazine, claiming #1 Parks in the East for its mile-long Loon Mountain Park that is home to the only superpipe in New Hampshire. The pipe is massive and intimidating at 425 feet long with 18 foot high walls.  This is a park where you can really send it and if that isn’t your jam, it is still fun to watch some of these kids throw massive backflips off many of the jumps.  The resort is also known as a family mountain with a plethora of activities such as snow tubing on the Lil Sister trail, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or a thrilling 700 foot zipline ride over the frozen Pemigewasset River. However, if you are tired of doing laps on the black diamond trails and glades located off of the North Peak Express Quad and need a break or want to head over to Loon Peak, there is an activity that you will not find on the resorts website or one that the myriad of skiers who visit Loon every year even know exists.  So, what is this top secret, Area 51 activity?

The secret activity is...there is a bird “sanctuary” on the North Peak of Loon Mountain Resort where you can feed wild chickadees and nuthatches from your hand!  To access the “sanctuary” ride the North Peak Express Quad to the summit of North Peak and ski off to the right and proceed to access the blue square, intermediate trail Sunset.  The chickadee haven is approximately 100 yards past the entrance of the Sunset trail and located on the left. You will see a sign that marks the area as a place where you can feed the birds. There is a trail through the woods to a small opening where you can feed the birds.  

So, how do you get the chickadees to eat from your hand?  

For starters, the colder the temperature the better because birds need more fuel to warm their bodies in cold, winter weather. In the cold winter weather the birds are more courageous when foraging for food.  Thus, this is a dead of winter activity, since the colder weather increases your chances of luring one to your hand. However, you will also need some patience and sunflower seeds (you need to bring your own).  Step one is to get comfortable, stand still and be quiet and let the birds come to you. While the birds at Loon Mountain are accustomed to eating from skier’s hand, it is still a matter of trust. The birds will flutter around you and check out your offering, but stay motionless and quiet because it is only a matter of time before these feathered- friends eat from the palms of your hands.  Eventually, they will swoop down and grab the seeds, some will stay for a nano-second and others will get more daring and stay on your hand for many seconds. As the birds get comfortable with you, see how close you can move your hand toward your face and still have the birds land on your hand - you will be surprised how eye to eye you can get with the Black Capped Chickadee.

So, next time you are making a trip up one of America’s great ski highways, Route 93, on your way to Loon, be sure to include a bag of sunflower seeds for everyone in your party, so you can take advantage of this rare opportunity, that everyone is sure to remember.

How Do I Become a Ski Instructor?

The life of a ski instructor has been glamorized over the years as a jet setting profession practiced by dashing people who get to work with super attractive individuals and sometimes get to teach the rich and famous how to turn on skis.  The occupation was showcased this way in the film, Aspen Extreme, when T.J. Burke and Dexter Rutecki head off to Aspen to secure positions as ski instructors and along the way meet a couple of beauties in Bryce Harper and Robin Hand. So, if you are like many die hard skiers, or you have seen Aspen Extreme one too many times, you may aspire to become a ski instructor.  However, in order to answer the question, you need to know what you really want out of becoming a ski instructor. Meaning, do you want to work at your local mountain, so you can get a pass, make a little money (e.g., $15/hr.) and ski as much as you want. Or, do you want to make skiing instructing a career and work where it pays really well (France) and then chase the snow to Chile, Argentina or New Zealand, so you work year round?  They have two very different paths. Today, I’ll talk about how to become an instructor at your local mountain.

Become an Instructor at Your Local Mountain

Quite frankly, somebody who is a good (not great skier) with no previous racing, coaching or teaching experience can become a ski instructor at a local mountain (defined as non-resort - think West Mountain, Bolton Valley, Windham, Gore, etc.).  Generally, these areas will post ski instructor positions on their websites in the fall and conduct clinics in late November and early December. During these clinics the Director of the Ski School and Sr. Instructors are evaluating the candidates in two main areas, which are:

• How well you communicate

  1. Can you talk in an entertaining fashion with strangers of all ages (3-103) and varying demographics?

  2. Do you have the ability to deal with difficult people?

  3. Can you explain the same thing nineteen ways from Sunday?

  4. Can you provide clear, concise, and respectful instruction and feedback utilizing time effectively?

• How well you can ski

  • You don’t need to be the second coming of Marcel Hirscher, the evaluators are looking for proper technique.  With that said, you should be a confident double black diamond skier. During these clinics the evaluators will be looking to see if you can:

    • Control pressure from ski to ski, control edge angles through inclination and angulation and control your skis rotation (e.g., turning, pivoting, steering) with leg rotation.

    • Demonstrate an accurate visual representation of the specific movement being taught.

In the instructor clinics I have attended, the evaluators have had each participant free ski down a novice and/or intermediate trails using long and short radius turns with various turning and stopping techniques, but they have never asked the group to ski bumps, a race course or a park - those lessons are given to seasoned and certified instructors. Keep in mind, the largest population of ski school lessons are kids learning to ski and school programs that offer lessons.  Therefore, most of the lessons rookie instructors teach are to newbies and novices. You will become very familiar with the magic carpet, red light/green light, pizza and french fries.

If you are hired, you will be expected to participate in clinics and free-skiing to constantly improve your personal skiing skills, attend PSIA (skiing) and AASI (snowboarding) clinics, and take appropriate exams, on an ongoing basis.  Additionally, in some cases, the mountain requires instructors perform alternate functions from time to time, both within and outside of their assigned department, particularly during peak periods such as holiday weekends. Also, keep in mind that you will not get rich being a ski instructor, a rookie instructor will make about $15/hour and you only get paid for the hours you are instructing!

What you should do now:

• If you are too young to be hired by the mountain (some areas require a H.S. diploma), investigate if the area has an instructor in training program.  For example, Gore Mountain, has an instructor in training program that teaches 13-15 year old kids, the skills and knowledge required to become a ski or snowboard instructor.  I would also assume going through a program like this would give you an inside track to getting hired.

• Join PSIA (US) or CSIA (Canada) and begin reading their materials 

• Scour resort websites for job openings and tryout clinics

Good Luck!

How Do I Become a Ski Patroller?

How Do I Become a Ski Patroller?

Let’s first define the job responsibilities of a Ski Patroller to ensure you understand what you could be signing up for.  Most people perceive that ski patrollers are the “ambulances” of the mountain and that patrollers ski all over the mountain looking for injured people or responding to calls of an injured skier.  While this is their most glamourous responsibility they are also responsible for more mundane and less appealing roles. Their day is job includes activities such as: securing perimeter rope lines; raising or lowering tower pads; creating and installing warning signs; dealing with dangerous skiers and snowboarders.  Here is an excerpt from a recent Ski Patroller post by Sugarbush.

Patrollers perform a wide range of safety activities including: 

• conducting trail checks

• marking and removing hazards

• planning and implementing trail maintenance work

• openings and closing trails

• inspecting and maintaining equipment/ropes

• completing daily paperwork

• identifying injured lost, out-of-control or reckless skiers/snowboarders

• responding to first aid calls

Additional duties may include:

• transporting equipment around the mountain on skis

• operating snowmobiles

• engaging in day and night search and rescue

• evacuating guests from chairlifts

• employing basic chainsaw work

Emergency response will include providing stabilizing care and transportation of injured guests, completing accident reports, and maybe reviewing/documenting accident scenes. Patrollers will be expected to maintain their training and certifications throughout their employment.

However, in order to be successful ski patroller you need a strong desire to help others, learn emergency care techniques (most patrollers don’t have first aid experience prior to becoming a patroller), improve their skiing and snowboarding skills, and enhance the safety and enjoyment of snow sports for all. In a nutshell, it is much more than just a routine day on the slopes. Although, there are benefits such as being outside (although many of the days will be frigid, very windy, sub zero temperatures and rain and snow)  for the majority of the day, getting fresh tracks when the rope drops, proform discounts, wearing a cool red jacket with a white cross and getting last chair to sweep the slopes.

In order to become a ski patroller you should?

1. Join the National Ski Patrol (NSP) as an associate membership.  The NSP is the official organization of ski patrols in the United States and provides certifications and classes for its members.  The cost of membership is only $60 per year. Additionally, the membership comes with direct and indirect benefits. The membership will provide you:

• An annual subscription to Ski Patrol Magazine.

• The ability to purchase all NSP Online Store items except patrol uniform-specific items.

• Access to all Pro Deals, excluding Black Diamond and including limited Patagonia discounts.

• The ability to participate and be credentialed in NSP training or education programs, per the above guidelines.

• Comprehensive support services.

• Online resources.

• Annual updates.

Additionally, many ski companies offer discounts to folks who work in the industry.  For example, JSKIS offers a 20% pro deal discount to individuals who work in the ski industry, including ski patrollers.

2) Enroll in the Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) class.  The Outdoor Emergency Care class is the signature course offering from the National Ski Patrol and is required by all patrollers.  In fact, the OEC course is considered the “gold standard” training for emergency care in the outdoor environment   The three primary objectives of the OEC course are: 

• Performing safe and effective stabilization and extrication of injured persons in the outdoor environment

• Scene safety (identifying hazards to both responders and visitors)

• Safe and efficient use of outdoor emergency care skills to prevent further injury to visitors

The skills taught are basic emergency skills taught include using airway adjuncts, assisting patients with medications, splinting and bandaging, providing emergency care for environmental illnesses and injuries, using special equipment and techniques particular to non-urban rescuers, and managing prolonged transport.

The fee is $60 and an annual refresher course is required to maintain certification. 

While the National Ski Patrol and resorts offer other training, such as avalanche and mountain rescue, they are not required at most resorts.  The remainder of the training is done on the job such as toboggan training and lift evacuation procedures.

3) Get in Shape!  Ski patrolling is not a cubicle job, it is a job where you are conducting physical activities day in and day out in harsh conditions. Here is another excerpt from the recent Sugarbush job posting.

Patrollers must also be in sound physical and mental condition to perform their job duties. Patrollers must be capable of lifting 100 pounds or more as well as possess strong (expert level) skiing or riding skills- capable of safely skiing/riding all terrain in all conditions including wooded and gladed areas.

It should be noted that you need to be a strong skier, defined as, being capable of skiing any trail on the mountain.  You will need to be confident that you can get to and evacuate skiers and riders from any trail. Otherwise, stories like this happen… In 2009, a skier hit an unmarked bare spot on Lower Ovation at Killington, fell and slid into some rocks which resulted in a broken leg.  While broken legs are not common anymore in skiing, it was not a noteworthy accident, until the Ski Patrol arrived on the scene. When the injured skier was being transported off the trail the Ski Patrol snowmobile and toboggan flipped over!  The snowmobile accident further injured the skier. The incident did result in a lawsuit, which Killington settled in 2012 for an undisclosed amount of money. 

Lastly, you do ski patrol for the love of helping people, being outdoors and skiing.  If you do get paid (would need to be at a large resort) you will barely make enough money to pay for your gas to get to the mountain.  However, a great way to get your foot in the door is to volunteer at your local mountain and get some experience. If you have a desire to make ski patrolling a career you will need to get as many courses and certifications as you can, including advanced EMT (AEMT) training.  Additionally, it would benefit you to become multilingual, as this would allow you to work at destination resort.

Good luck in your pursuit of becoming a patroller.

Skiing Season Goals

The sport of skiing has brought me a great deal of happiness, satisfaction and achievement over the years.  I believe this is partly due to the fact that I set goals for each ski season. Some of the goals are goofy (slide a rail), some are expensive (take the family to Val d’Isere, France), some are physically demanding (ski La 42 at LeMassif non-stop), some take some time and travel (ski all 5 triple black diamond trails in Eastern North America), others take some skill (become a ski instructor, become a race coach) and others have been life changing (teach my four kids to ski).  Having goals for everything we do, whether big or small, is part of what makes life good. It gives us a sense of meaning and purpose, points us in the direction we want to go and gets us interested and engaged, all of which are good for our overall happiness and in this case our love for skiing. So, without further adieu, here is a list of ideas that may generate a few goals for your 2019/2020 ski season.

1. Become ski instructor

2. Become a ski patroller

3. Win a NASTAR medal

4. Enter the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge

5. Exhaust all the days on your IKON Pass

6. Exhaust all the days on your EPIC Pass

7. Ski the steepest trails in NY, VT, NH, ME and Quebec

8. Teach your kids to ski

9. Learn to telemark

10. Skin up a trail

11. Drop the ledges on Devil’s Fiddle

12. Ski Upper Liftline at Smugg’s

13. Ski DJ’s Tramline

14. Enter a Master’s ski race

15. Ski the Powder Highway

16. Ski the Vallee Blanche

17. Ski Opening Day and Closing Day at Killington

18. Learn to do a 360

19. Ski at least 40 days

20. Start the long journey to become a certified French ski instructor

21. Go to the World Cup at Killington and cheer for Mikela

22. Go to Kitzbuhel during Hannekamm week

23. Ski one or more of the bucket list trails: Corbet's Couloir, Delirium Dive, La Chavanette

24. Ski the new trails at Magic Mountain and Catamount

25. Ski every trail at your home mountain

26. Call in sick on a powder day

27. Ski the dry slope at Powder Ridge

28. Go monoskiing

29. Ski every double black diamond at a big resort (e.g., Stowe, Killington, Sugarloaf)

30. Throw a bra on a “bra tree”

31. Participate in a pond skimming contest

32. Ski all 5 triple black diamonds in Eastern North America (Mont Sutton, Le Massif, Smuggler’s Notch)

33. Ride the single chair at MRG

34. Score GNAR points by yelling to someone you are the best skier on the mountain prior to pushing off

35. Ski Tuckerman’s Ravine

36. Learn to ski switch

37. Launch yourself above the coping in a super pipe

38. Visit Lahout’s in Littleton, NH - the oldest ski shop in America

39. Learn how to butter on skis

40. Learn some old school Glen Plake tricks 

41. Ski 25 laps on Outer Limits or Stein’s Run when bumped up (see Gunbarrel 25) 

42. Join a ski club

43. Learn to snowboard if you ski and learn to ski if you snowboard

44. Participate in a demo day

45. Eat maple taffy at the base of Mont Tremblant

46. Participate in the Sugar Slalom at Stowe, VT

47. Go cat skiing in the Chic Chocs

48. Go to a ski area/resort that you have never been to

49. Go rodeling at Le Massif

50. Ski the men’s and women’s downhill courses at Whiteface

51. Ski the Slides at Whiteface

52. Ski in every month of the year

53. Go inverted

54. Ski with your Dad and/or Mom

55. Create a “sick” season edit

56. Join R.A.S.T.A. and ski some backcountry lines

57. Ride a T-Bar or Poma lift

58. Take a lesson or clinic

59. Get first chair on a powder day

60. Enter a skier cross race

61. Go kite skiing

62. Go backcountry skiing in the Notch (between Smuggs and Stowe)

63. Buy a pair of grass skis and ski on your local golf course

64. Ski the “Front Four” (Stowe, VT)

65. Feed the chickadees at the Loon Mountain “bird sanctuary”

66. Become a shareholder at Mad River Glen

67. Backcountry ski Wright Peak or Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks

68. Ski the Bruce Trail to the Matterhorn Bar (Stowe, VT)

69. Participate in a torch light parade

70. Buy shares of Vail Resorts (MTN) and become the owner of a ski resort

71. Scout some tree lines before the season starts

72. Take an avalanche safety course

73. Ski Katahdin

74. Drink a beer at the Wobbly Barn (Killington), The Matterhorn (Stowe) and Le P'tit Caribou (Mont Tremblant)

75. Learn to tune your own skis

76. Explore the Brackett Basin sidecountry at Sugarloaf 

77. Ski without headphones and talk to people on the lifts

78. Learn to self arrest with a ski pole

79. Ski 24 hours straight at Ski Venture

80. Ski and Golf in the same day

81. Snow ski and waterski on the same day

82. Ski Paradise at Mad River Glen

83. Ski all the trails off the Castlerock chair at Sugarbush

84. Tell someone on the chairlift how great of skier you are and then fall when getting off

85. For 500 GNAR points, tell one of the World Cup racers at Killington - "I'm so much better than you"

86. Join the Adirondack Powder Skier Alliance

Best Selling Ski Equipment for 2019

Every year the Snowsports Industries of America works with NPD to determine the bestselling ski equipment for the past year.  So, if you are in the market for skis, boots or bindings this list is a good place to start - after all, millions of people can’t be wrong - can they?

Here is the list:

• Marker Griffon ID Binding

• Salomon XPRO, 100, Men’s Boot

• Blizzard Black Pearl 88 Skis, Women

• Marker Squire 11 ID Binding

• Nordica Enforcer 100

• Salomon XPRO, 120, Men’s Boot (Powder Magazine 2019 Boot of the Year)

• Marker Griffon Binding

• Nordica Speedmachine 110 Boot

• Nordica Enforcer 93 (Powder Magazine 2019 Ski of the Year)

• Volkl Mantra M5 Ski (Freeskier Magazine 2019 2nd place ski of the Year)

Here are my impressions of the list.

Bindings

• The Marker ID bindings can accommodate alpine and touring boots which may be a reason why it landed on the top of the list.

• I find it Interesting the only binding company represented as Marker, especially since there are two Salomon boots on the list

• Strange that bindings are top of the list, folks must be putting bindings on previously drilled skis.

• Look bindings are highly reviewed by all the magazines, popular with the park crowd and sold with many of the indie skis, but didn’t make the list.

Skis

• Shocking that he Blizzard Black Pearl was third overall on the list 

• Surprising that the Blizzard Black Pearl was the best selling women’s ski., I would have guessed the Nordica Santa Ana, considering that the Enforcer landed on the list twice.

• Surprised there are no Head skis on the list since they are a favorite among the World Cup racers and the Head Kore 99 is highly rated.

• No skis fatter than 100 cm, even though the magazines lead you to believe everyone is skiing on skis fat skis.

• No specialized skis (e.g., powder, race or touring) are on the list

• No indie skis cracked the top 10 (e.g., Shaggy’s, JSKI, etc.), which is not a surprise

• All Mountain skis rule the list with rocker/camber/rocker profiles - which leads me to believe most people are a one ski quiver skier.

Boots

• Best selling boot has a flex of only 100 and there were no boots on the list with a flex of 130

My final comment, is it doesn’t appear all the buyer guides from Powder, Freeskier and SKI magazines have much influence on what people buy since seven of the ten items on the list did not were not on their “best of” lists.