I spend a lot of time staring at my skis.
On the skin track Ive spent countless hours lost in my topsheets, only looking up for kick turns.
A little steel, maybe some carbon, and a bunch of epoxy.
But they all carry a history, and its hard to separate the baggage from the physical manifestation.
Good skis are an expression of art.
But topsheet art is just the obvious tip of the much larger iceberg.
A well-designed ski delivers that experience through every turn.
And beyond that, the athletes on a ski shape our perception of it.
Would we all have tried a bunch of 180s into powder if IDEA hadnt ever come out?
How much of the overall Hellbent experience do we have to thank Andy and Pep for?
Pollard showed us how to ski a swallowtail.
How much of the CRJs appeal was thanks to CR?
But most of it comes from the experiences skis help deliver.
I remember glancing down at my skis, shocked, stoked that theyd helped make that happen.
I kept them for four more years, displaying them prominently in every house I lived in.
Those images burn starkly in my mind.
Good apres bars always have ski decor, usually with some epic story behind them.
The shop I frequent has a pair of Tanner Halls skis displayed prominently, relics of some video part.
you’re able to look it up, go watch them smash pillows.
Theyre relics of a moment.
Just a year in Im already losing track of how many incredible days theyve accompanied me on.
Drive through any mountain town and youll probably run into a ski fence or two.
Every pair mounted there has a history, can trigger some fond reminiscence of long ago turns.
Im a wall ski guy.
