I bought a couple of those cheap Cree XML lights on ebay this
year as an experiment. So far I'm very happy with the result.
Great light and run time for night skiing or trail riding. At
a cost that allows me to shrug off any quality issues from
Chinese suppliers. I used to use NiteRider lights and have had
to throw out a couple because replacement batteries either cost
too much or were no longer available with the right connectors.

I've tried home brewing replacement batteries with spliced in
connectors and I'm very happy to move beyond that crap.

The number of skis I've been responsible for on race day took
a jump this year. So I will put in a plug for fluorinated
paste waxes, and the Fast Wax Slick Pro line. There are a
couple of pursuit races this season where I expect that stuff
to really save my can.

Bob Schwartz