Buenos Dias Amigos,
It has been a short 18 years & here we are on our way to again S.I.A for 2011/2012! It seems as if the dream just started and I still have all the energy as I did when I arrived here at Kirkwood in 1993.
New technology, color lines, stories, companies and ROCKER! Yes Rocker, we have an exciting four days of future shopping for you ahead of us… On the team Carolyn Reuter Cooper, Seasoned vet of Kirkwood and long time business associate & friend (don’t forget she’s my wife of 13 years! Yeah baby!) Then there is me! A passionate hippie always looking for the best way to roll or slide down the mountain.
What’s on our agenda, well hmmm?
We already have skied the Rossignol & Blizzard lines for 2011/2012, previewed Burton & K2. Thinking back to last week the best of the best!
Yep Blizzard – The Bodacious... It is solid, legit and brings a new camber/rocker technology to the market. ‘Flipcore”. Now the best part is can remember a day last spring here at Kirkwood with Clem, “The World Carve Off” Champion, Jed Duke, Dana Greenwood, Frank Shine & all the players were here on site. Oh did I forget Arne Backstorm? Yes I did. The story as I remember it goes, we skied the new prototype Stefano (from Blizzard EU) arrived with. Arne was the 1st on the new ski. Jed, Clem, Dana, Frank and crew all hit this new creation up and rated it top notch. Now for my turn, took it up Chair 6 (on hard pak) let it rip and was shocked! A new rocker storey, held on pak, easy and forgiving, quick edge to edge and rock solid! But wait this ski has 2 ½ sheets of Ti and is a full wood core? Named after Bulls that kick the hell out of you! Yep, rate this ski @ 118mm under the foot as grade A premium Austrian Beef! Now let’s get to flipcore, again. I digress to the name, “Flipcore.” So, here we are sitting around the Meadow Stone condo, partaking in a few libational beverages when Arne, Clem, Jed, Dana, & Frank start talking core profile. Arne drops “Upside down press”. Clem & Dana agree. Jed asks a few more probing questions. Stefano asks what we think about the graphic, and Carolyn launches out “Flipcore”! That’s my recollection here and I am stick’n to it!
So I digressed. Months later in May I get a call from Clem? Europe? Factory tour? Yep... Now it is always a stretch between the proto and reality. I was able to see the proto’s in Austria. But I was able to ski the finished production model this week! ROCKSTAR status and I’ll throw out a 10 on the stoke meter!
Seriously, a ski in the “must have” column of your just got to have it list! The Bodacious is stable, easy, clean and fun! A serious graphic and a 1 ski quiver in my mind for this Rare Earth we call Kirkwood.
We tested at Squaw on Tuesday last week. To be nice I’ll call it bullet proof… Seriously. The Bodacious handled superbly, easy on and off edge, quick and light. I might be stretching it here, but I would hope the other testers chime in? We were all surprised that a 118mm waist’d ski would and can hold on boiler plate!
Coop’s top ten - 2011/2012 picks! Bodacious!
Now let’s roll down Hwy 395 to June Mountain with Uncle Doug from Rossignol.
Rossignol steps it up with the Super7 dropping in to the 185 zone for the masses! The S7 was a sure shot for the 2010 season, a must have for the quiver and most likely the best Rossignol ski since the 1st B series hit the market a decade ago. Still so easy, forgiving and now add stability to the 185 & you have a no brainer when it comes to “want you want” with the Super7… Again a solid for your quiver for 2011/2012.
The Ladies get an updated version of the S7 with their own graphic and three sizes. Great ski, both Geneva & Carolyn were on the S7 with hard pack at June Man and loved the ease of turn initiation and the stability at speed. Also for the ladies, The Black Pearl from Blizzard, if you thought the Crush was in the top rankings just wait until you ride the new pearl. The Pearl is also in the “Flipcore” technology category and was a complete hit with all the lady testers. “Solid” “Easy” “Incredibly stable” “Nimble” & “Can I take home with me tonight?” were the quotes rollin out.
So here we are the night before skier & snowboarder Christmas 2012 at S.I.A. Lot’s to see and a load to absorb for the upcoming year. Heck its not even Feb 1st yet and we need to get into the next season?
We somebody has do it!
Liv’n the dream from downtown Denver…
Coop
