Thanks Gene. Not to rule out technique completely, but I should have mentioned that last week up in Quebec I had an opportunity to compare my skis with a similarly entry-level (Rossi Zymax)rental. The rentals, while not great, ran appreciably better. In fact, I think that's the only reason I was able to do 32k in one take that day. Just two days prior I was completely wiped out after just half of that on the same trail using my Zynex, and the trail was in better shape. Not sure what kind of care rental skis get there, but this experience made me wonder whether my Zynex is hard-wired for warmer temps.