The rental shop was busy today at Alpine Sports. Skis of all lengths and widths were going out to try that unexpected dump of 17 inches. And guess what? More is on the way. We at Alpine  Sports usually go to NOAA Weather. First we look up Santa Fe, NM and then we scroll down to the map, then we go up and to the right and  give it one plus and we see Lake Peak on the map and we click:

It looks like more snow is maybe on its way

Ian Troxell, from Alpine Sports, is dressing a mannequin in a back-country outfit

We are approaching mid-season; time is flying by. In the new window decor, we replaced well- insulated parkas with various shells from Mammut. The new window, designed by Ian Troxell, an AT skier himself, has a more “free-ride” and back-country feel.

We carry a wide assortment of back-country skiing products from Black Diamond: probes, shovels, skins of various sizes, and much more. Please, come and check it out.

New window has a more free-ride and back-country feel

If you need anything you forgot the first time you sent your kid up the mountain, just remember, we have it all here at Alpine Sports, just on your way up Hyde Park Road. Kid’s helmets, googles, new gloves to replace the lost ones, layering pieces to stay warm, ski socks, you name it. Alpine Sports has it all. Lack of some of these “goodies” can ruin your child’s experience. And this is no good. We want all kids to love to be outdoors, in the snow skiing or riding. Cold and snow are fun, you just have to be prepared for it and we at Alpine Sports can help you.

Youth Programs participants meet at the bottom of the Quad chair lift at the Santa Fe Ski Area, January 2012

The table is set Thursday evening at Alpine Sports

For as long as we can remember, Alpine Sports has been not only a retail operation, but also a hangout place for skiers and snowboarders who would “ski and board-talk” and “snow-talk” for sometimes extended periods of time.
Alpine Sports has a couple of missions: to educate costumers about new products and to sell them. Yesterday evening was a perfect example of the first one. We invited skiers participating in Women’s, Men’s and Senior’s programs offered by the Santa Fe Ski Area. The ski instructors and ski school officials did a great job encouraging people to attend. Alpine Sports provided a great seminar explaining the new rocker technology of skis and the new technology of ski boots.
Dick Oursler, “the first officer” of Alpine Sports’ boot-fitting crew (Harvey Chalker, the owner, is our captain), gave a great review of this season’s Nordica, Salomon, K2 and Volkl skis for men and women.

Dick Oursler is explaining the rocker technology of new skis at Alpine Sports Thursday night, January 26, 2012

There was also time to shop after the seminar, between delicious bites of cheese and fruit and sips of wine. It was a good apres ski party indeed!

It was a great apres skiing party at Alpine Sports Thursday night, January 26, 2012

As of today, selected models of Kjus and Bogner clothing for women are on sale in the store and on-line. This is a great opportunity to refurbish your ski clothing attire with some new pieces at phenomenal discounts of 40 percent.

Northern Lights Women Parka, featured on the left, is one of the most beautiful Kjus designs. It is on sale now at Alpine Sport store and on Alpine Sports’ website.

Snowy drive to the Santa Fe Ski Area on Sunday morning, January 22, 2012

Many did not make it to the Santa Fe Ski Area Sunday morning. Hyde Park Road was extremely icy and many drivers were turning around. This came as a surprise since this road is usually pretty well maintained.
Those who completed the voyage, were rewarded with fabulous ski conditions. Even the cruel wind in the morning did not keep us from skiing the upper mountain. There were many favorite runs: Cornice for some, Desperado trees for others.

What a view from the top of Fall Line trail! Santa Fe Ski Area, January 23, 2012

The answer to most of these questions is “no” or “not much”.

Let’s start with the age of the skis and the bindings. Skis, if properly maintained, can probably be skied “forever” , but the bindings are another story. Most of the binding manufacturers will give the pair  of bindings a”legal” life of 10 or 15 years. What this means is that certified ski technicians can move , adjust, and test them following the manufacturer’s guidelines. Eventually , though,the manufacture declares their bindings obsolete and the  ski technicians can no longer work on those old bindings. Does not matter how much you love them, you cannot have them adjusted to your new boots. If  you love your skis very much, keep them, but you will have to buy  new bindings. This is the reality.

If your skis and bindings are 10 years old or older, come to Alpine Sports and make sure that the bindings can be serviced before you put them on Craigs List, give them to your friend, or donate them. If the bindings are “out of date”,  do not worry. You can always start building  an old-ski-coyote-looking fence or a bench or a chair.

Generally speaking, skis are like cars. They lose their value over time. Skis last, bindings do not.

An old friend's old skis. They are still cool looking!

The Santa Fe Ski Area offers a variety of programs for young skiers and snowboarders. They are held on Saturdays or Sundays for 6 weeks. Children ages 5 to 12 may enroll. Tomorrow, Thursday, January 19 is the deadline for on-line and in town registration. Please, take advantage of those great programs and sign your kids up. For more information call 505.983.9155 or visit www.skisantafe.com.

Below there is at great clip of a 3 year old “really” skiing in 2007. Watch her progress by clicking 2008 and 2009. Great fun!

Dennis CdeBaca's ski boot blew-up after skiing in Santa Fe on Saturday, January14

We all agreed in Alpine Sports that “we have never seen anything like this before”.
Denis CdeBaca from Lubbock,TX, entered Alpine Sports Saturday afternoon ready to buy a pair of new ski boots. His old ones “blew-up” while he was walking back to his car after skiing all day at the Santa Fe Ski Area. We all wanted to see his old pair, but what we saw totally exceeded our expectations of a “cracked, old ski boot”.

Immediately, one of our experienced boot fitters took care of Dennis and he ended up, quite happy, with a new pair of Salomon Impact 120 CS. This is a really great boot for a type III skier who wants to not only cruise fast, but likes to jump into steep trees and bumpy chutes.
“I am a happy customer”. Dennis said and he was more than happy to pose for a picture for Alpine Sports’ blog.