Shot and edited by Brady Perron, check out his other work on his Vimeo account, or Google his name for some stylish freestyle skiing.
Gopro and Ion camera footage from the trip! Enjoy.
Company Trip Recap 1
We were lucky enough to get treated to an end of season vacation/company trip. We all are super appreciative of everything, and had an insane time. Here is a compilation of photos from most of the employees on the trip.
The whole gangs here.
Scenic Waterfall.
A REALLY large tree.
Waipio Valley (no rental cars allowed)
The hike down to Captain Cooks.
Surfing and skateboarding. Life’s good.
En route to Hilo.
Waipio Valley
Peacock on the golf course.
Underwater view.
The ladder to….?
South point. The ladder out of the water.
Skate tricks.
YerBoi scoping the cliff.
Some of the crew overlooking South Point.
The pot hole at South Point
Another angle of the Pot hole.
How nice, arriving to flowers in the toilet at the house!
Magic Sands beach. Boogy boarder paradise.
Green Sand Beach
Devin, hillbilly style to Green Sands.
Off Roading the Rentals.
AHHH SEEYAH
Magic Sands
Captain Cooks Monument.
Hike down to Captain Cooks
Artsy over the shoulder…
Hike down to Captain Cooks
Ridin’ the wave
PitViper Lifestyle
Clam #mahalomaster
Shaka
Offroading the rental car
Shaka BRAH
Green Sands Beach Pano.
COO
Layed out
Peterman bout to dip.
The loraxxxx. Sendin er
Nick jumping into the pothole.
Not a bad place to hang. ;)
Cliff jumping.
South Point
PitViper Lifestyle
L9 the Bomb dot com
Go to the beach, come home to this.
Dibs gearing up.
Uda the pizza chef.
Tyson, looking a bit less confident.
Another waterfall picture.
Home of a pretty good fisher I’d say.
Peterman was the best dancer of the bunch.
Chris floatin a gainer off the cliff.
Summer Ski Storage
Many people take pride in keeping their ski gear in top condition. It is understandable because skiing is quite the investment, and of course it is better to make your equipment last.
As the season winds down you are probably getting ready to store your skis and most likely not even look at them for about 6 months. Here are some tips and reminders to think about before tossing your skis into storage for the summer.
1. Get a tune. If your skis have any gashes in the bases, really dull edges or the bases are starting to show some white (dry spots) getting a tune at the end of the season is a good idea. Not only does this help keep your skis from getting worse over the summer, it also makes it so you don’t have to add another thing to the list when the season starts and all you want to do is get on the hill!
2. Clean and dry your skis. Take a damp cloth to your skis to get any dirt or salt off the top sheets and bases. (Don’t use any cleaning solutions, water will do) Make sure to dry any water you may have used, especially on any metal parts of the skis to prevent rust.
3. Clean your ski boots. Cleaning your boots is also a good idea, especially if you took them spring skiing because they could have some extra dirt on them from walking through the muddy parking lots. Taking your liners out of the plastic shell and letting them really dry out is a good idea as well. Sometimes mold can form in spots that are bunched up and take longer to dry when they are in the shell.
4. BUCKLE YOUR BOOTS! Make sure to put the liners back into the shell and buckle the boot up! Leaving boots unbuckled for long periods of time will warp the plastic and effect how the boot fits. Also chose a clean spot to store your boots as sometimes if you keep them in the garage or attic you will end up finding that a mouse or mildew are now calling them home.
5. Coat skis With Travel Wax (A thick coat of wax): If you tune your own skis, give them an end-of-season tune, then slather on a thick coat of cheap, soft wax and leave it (don’t scrape). This helps keep your bases and edges clean, rust-free and uncontaminated. (Don’t forget to scrape the wax off in the fall.)
6. The best place to store your gear is somewhere that is going to keep a decently constant temperature as well as stay clean from things like dust dirt. While storing your skis in the garage will probably be fine, it is good to check on your skis once or twice in the off season to make sure they are still clean.
March Snow on the East and Utah
I made it back to my hometown in Massachusetts for a day and a half to see my family last week. Turns out while I was home the east coast got hammered with snow. Unfortunately the day it snowed was the day I was flying back to SLC. I got to play in the snow but only to help my dad snow blow the driveway.
The drive to the airport was pretty slick but my dad’s an east coast for lifer and is an ACE at driving in the snow. Take a look at this guy who had a bit more trouble than us. Luckily the Manchester, NH airport is also more used to the snow and I had no delays.
When I got back to Utah, we were also getting one of those classic March storms. I live in Park City unlike the rest of the L9crew, so I hear endless stories about their bottomless days up BCC and LCC, while I’m stuck in the pits skiing lesser storm totals. So this time I decided to take my snowmobile out and make some turns with some friends in the backcountry to ensure I got some deep turns. Here are the few photos I took.
^The gal slashin’ a turn.
^Only a few turns long, but this zone is an easy 2 min lap from top to top with a snowmobile.
^The girls lapping each other around.
And to make my point clear, this is what Park City looks like already after that storm. Seasons coming to an end, get out there and enjoy it before all you can do is dream about it!
Spring Skiing
Springtime is my favorite time of the ski season believe it or not. As far as I’m concerned March and April are the standout months of the ski season. Spring, especially in Utah, means sunny days and still the occasional chance of a powder day. Warm weather brings sun and slushy conditions and overall higher vibes around the mountain.
The best part about spring skiing in Utah is that, because of Utah’s great snow pack, the slush comes but usually the bare spots and grass hold off until the very end of the season. Because of this, its some of the best spring slush you can get.
Here are some reasons why spring is, in my opinion, the best time to ski or visit Utah.
1. It’s not only acceptable, but also comfortable to shed your jacket and wear a sweatshirt. (Remember though, cotton is not waterproof, and the sun is POWERFUL when it glares off the snow, which can cause some fading in the color)
2. Sunglasses are hot right now. We choose PitViper to ensure we are looking stylin’ on and off the mountain. But all in all, the best thing about wearing sunglasses is the breeze in your face, helping to keep your comfortable in the sometimes 60 degree weather. (Definitely either wear NICE sunglasses or keep your goggles on, as the glare from the snow is too intense and can lead to vision problems if you don’t wear any protection.)
3. Utah is known for its sometimes sneaky end of season storms. Be prepared to ski one day sweating in all your gear from the warm weather and beating sun, and the next in 10 inches of powder.
4. Spring slush is nice heavy wet snow that makes falling much more forgiving as well as getting your legs sore even when you think you’re in shape.
5. Make sure to not only apply sunscreen before you go out, but a few times throughout the day! The sun is not only strong, the snow acts as a reflector, making the sun rays even more powerful and dangerous.
Get out there and enjoy the sun! Make sure to enjoy the apres skiing as well, especially since you get longer days to enjoy the weather! If you are visiting Utah this spring, make sure to swing by our Salt Lake City ski shop!
Head RD 96 SH3 Boots
We have been cutting prices on so much gear it is crazy. The more crazy part is just how cheap some of the gear is. We have been getting questioned especially about the Head SH3 ski boots. Most people are used to paying more for sneakers than the $39 and $79 price points we are currently selling these at, but there is a catch.
The bottom line is, the type of skier that would use a boot like this is really a very very good skier. Professional skiers, competitive ski racers, or just guys (or gals?) that rip really really hard, really really fast. The RD stands for “Racing Department” which basically means business, serious business. The technology in this sort of boot is literally the best that Head can provide without sponsoring you and designing a boot specifically for you.
The fact that we have these boots in your size, and they are the best bang for the buck on the internet does not mean they are for you! These boots are some of the stiffest on the market as well as only having a 96mm instep, which is very slim. These boots are race boots, they fit like race boots, and they perform like race boot. They really made for an extremely aggressive skier to buy 2 sizes too small and then bring to a boot fitter (whom we have a great one) to get them blown out and custom fit, for the tightest most performance fitting boot you could think of.
Basically all the above information should be not only fair warning, but a red flag if you do not consider yourself an expert skier. These boots really are made to service racers and extreme chargers. This really shouldn’t even be an option for beginner and intermediate skiers.
We hope this information helps you, and give us a call if you have any more questions.
New Brand: Fischer
We just got a whole bunch of new gear from Fischer; both boots and skis, and we are offering them at quite the steal of a deal.
We are really excited about this deal because with the gear we got from Fischer, we are able to offers some intermediate-advanced skis at classic L9 prices (insanely low!).
The Fischer line of skis is so versatile; they have skis for rippin’ groomers, one ski quivers, and powder specific skis. Really anything you could ask for.
If sticking to groomers and making hard turns is your style of skiing, check out the Fischer Motive line. These skis are a bit more narrow under foot than the other Fischer’s we just got in stock, but are made as a high performance carver ski for those skiers who are looking for a bit more stability than those intermediate skis but don’t want to sacrifice any side-cut.
The Fischer Watea series is what we are really excited to bring to the table. With a good amount of these things getting bought by our staff, jump on these quick, because at the prices we are offering these there is no way they are going to last. We have a few different versions of these skis, from full camber and less than 100mm waist width to rocker profiles on the wider skis going up to 120mm at the waist. The Watea series is more of a freeride series, meaning it is going to perform great on groomers as well as in the crud and trees. Fischer has really done a great job with these skis. If you are a west coaster or east coaster looking for a one ski quiver, look no further. At prices like this as well, there is no reason to back down from trying out some new technology.
All of the Fischer boots we have are more intermediate-expert boots made more for performance but without sacrificing too much in comfort. There are options for advanced ladies and men, as well as a freestyle boot with some extra padding in the foot bed to make stomping landings more comfortable on your feet and body. Lots of great deals here as well.
Let us know what you guys think about your new Fischer boots/skis in the comments!
