Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
Paul, the reason your skis have the same dimension as mine is because (drum roll, please) they are the same ski.
Where I had the traction problem was on a hard pack road that was a bit icy in spots. I will have to try climbing with and without the skins. I have BD Glidelite skins-the ones that look like blue and white cowhide. I don't have tails on them-just use the glue, but I may put tails on them at some point.
I've got Voile 3 pin bindings sitting on their release plates. Never been downhilling to see if the releases actually work, but they do give me a bit of lift off the ski and I hope will actually work if need be.
Have you tried tele skiing with them? That's my next goal-nothing super steep, just bunny hill stuff.
Edited by TomD (09/30/0901:48 AM)
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Don't get me started, you know how I get.
Actually, I don't tele, I ski paralell - or wedge turns when I'm desperate. If I was a better skier I'd be able to tackle some pretty challenging terrain on these skis. As it is. I've done some nice tours in the sierra on them, and I'm planning a long trans-sierra trip for the coming spring.
So this past weekend I picked up a pair of Atlas snow shoes from a neighbors garage sale for $25. They look almost new, a couple small dents on the bottom of shoe, on the outside "rail".
No corrosion just a couple little dimples really.
Good score for learning or did I waste my $$. They are red, can't find a model name anywhere
Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
$25 is a total score. New, the cheapest Atlas shoes retail for around $130. So you got yours for at least 80% off retail. You may have done way better than that, depending on the model.
The newer shoes have a fancier strap system that is more like a slip-in shoe, while the older ones like I had, just have straps, which works just as well, but takes a bit more fiddling to tighten up. Maybe an extra 2 minutes, so no big deal. Mine were 1025s I think. I'm pretty lightweight, so I got small ones.
Look on the Atlas website, if they aren't too old, the same model might show up. Measure them to see the size, then compare that with what's on the website. They make different models for trail and mountaineering use.
You got a good deal. That's generally about a $125 to $150 pair of snowshoes, on sale. As long as you're not very heavy, or the snow powdery, you'll do fine on them.
Atlas makes nice sturdy snowshoes. I had a pair of 1025 shoes for a while until I sold them and bought skis. You should get a lot of good use out of them.
There is an online snowshoeing magazine at www.snowshoemagazine.com. It has some tips for beginners.
The next thing you will want are poles of some kind. Inexpensive ski poles work fine. Whatever you get, make sure they have snow baskets on them like ski poles do. Otherwise, expect to fall over a few times when the snow is really soft.
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Don't get me started, you know how I get.
Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
I think REI will have the Leki baskets. That's where I got mine, I'm pretty sure. I had another pair, but they were for some other brand and didn't fit; might have been Komperdell. Get the right ones otherwise you'll be taking them back.
As far as thermals, there are lots of posts here on them. I have old midweight Capilene I really like, but other people love Merino wool. I wouldn't think you'd want expedition weight, unless you are really far North in subzero weather.
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Don't get me started, you know how I get.