Waxless backcountry ski recommendations

"Bruce Freeburger" wrote in
message ...
KLydesdale,
I took private lessons from Lou Awdrey at Boyne Mountain Nodican on
how to turn with cross country skis once. Among LOTS of things I learned
we
1. "You don't need metal edges on cross country skis" - Lou
(I will qualify that statement in that he is talking about
track skiing on groomed trails)

I agree you don't need them for the conditions like you'd see at Boyne. But
that doesn't mean they're entirely useless in my part of Michigan.


2. "This will improve your downhill skiing" - Lou
He taught me to make ski turns by using my body positioning. I had been
downhill skiing for years using the downhill equipment as a crutch (as
do just about all downhill skiers below the elite level). After skiing
all day Friday on the cross country skis, Saturday was a MACC giant
slalom on Super Bowl. I got off the chairlift and made the first turn
with downhill boots and tuned GS racing skis. Wow! The skis turned! They
just STUCK to the snow and I was standing almost straight up. I made
several free skiing runs getting used to using my body to turn, rather
than the equipment, and tried to find the limit in how much further I
could lean in and carve GS turns. I got a second place in that mornings
race. It was my best finish of the year, and mathematically locked up my
third place standings for the season cup.

I also agree learning to do XC ski turns like you describe will help your
downhilling. Proper body position and balance over the ski helps whatever
type of skiing you do.


I did three laps of the Spring Lake + Ted Gray at Independence Oaks
Feb 26. Yes, there was ice. No, there was no ice where you had to turn.
Yes, there were often people sitting on their butts on the side of the
downhills as I came down.

Feb 26 of last year? I don't exactly understand your point here. But let
me say that or the last ten years or so, I've been lucky enough to get out
to Independence Oaks several times a week to ski in the periods when there's
enough snow on the ground. (I've gone 10 times alone in the two weeks
since the big snowfall we had on Jan 22.) Let me assure you that conditions
can change drastically in a week out there. Downhills that were a breeze
to ski one week can start to resemble icy bobsled chutes the next as the
snow get skied out and higher temps and sunshine get to them.



If the FIS World Cup Cross Country racers would go faster with metal
edges, don't you think they would jump at the chance to have that
advantage?

So who said anything about going faster? I want metal edges to help me go
SLOWER down bigger hills like on Ted Gray when I'm not comfortable with the
speed I pick up due to it being slicker and icier. Do you think that some
sort of edges on XC skis are useful? Well I do and I just want some that
are more durable for when I ski in less than ideal snow conditions out on
the trails at Independence Oaks, Stoney Creek, Metropark Pontiac Lake Rec
Area and on the local bicycle safety paths around my house. I think metal
edges would certainly do the trick here.



IF YOU CAN'T TURN, THEN TAKE PROFESSIONAL LESSONS

I'd add to that "Even if you think you can turn, take a professional
lesson".



Snake Bite kits:
The Independence Oaks massasauga warning sign is mostly to keep people
(usually boys) from trying to catch and pick up snakes.


[They are a "sit and wait" predator, they don't attack unless agitated.
They like to sun themselves in bright open spaces, and this is when they
are scene most often. Most massasauga bites happen at night when they
are stepped on by a human who is barefoot or wearing open sandals. A
massasauga bite, while rarely fatal, is still a medical emergency. Only
two deaths from massasauga bites are known, and neither person got
medical attention]
- the above just found online

But the fact remains that people in Michigan do get bit by them. I recall
reading in the Detroit News just a couple of years back about someone out
in the Saline or Ypsilanti area who got nailed by a Massasaua while walking
down by the pond on their property.

Anyway, those old
snake bite kits (and also tourniquets) are as obsolete as using leeches.
A medical "extractor" (sort of a syringe in reverse, with a toilet
plunger type nozzle), combined with getting the victim to an emergency
room, is the current best advice.
(I am saying this because you have them in your backyard. The rattles
fall off, by the way)


No need to tell me about the current best advice. My wife works with a
physician who rides with and trains Paramedics at the local fire station.
After her first encounter with a rattlesnake in the unmowed natural area of
our yard (she heard it rattle and got a good look at it as it slithered
off.) she asked him what the paramedics would do in case of a snakebite. He
told her about applying the extractor, keeping the patient as calm as
possible and getting them to an emergency room. He was the one who told us
about them being common at Independence Oaks before the signs were posted
out there. I guess the Parks e


To be fair to REI, I honestly don't know if they sell snake bite kits.

Then why mention something like this to disparage the skis they sell to
their customers? Especially when a simple search using "snake bite" at
www.rei.com doesn't find any of those old obsolete snake bite kits but does
find the newer extractors. The first aid advice given for snakebite on the
REI website also agrees with the current best advice so it certainly looks
like they keep up on what may work best for their customers. When I was
in the the Troy REI just after Christmas, I looked for metal edged skis and
I didn't find any on display. Maybe they sold them all already but I
highly doubt that based on the otherwise good selection they still had.



I will still continue to make the following advice:

DON'T BUY CROSS COUNTRY SKIS FROM A STORE THAT SELLS SNAKE BITE KITS!

What about ones that sell venom extractors?