me: 5'11, 165 on the 186

last season, i developed a pretty serious case of rocker envy and picked up some early taper/early rise skis (BH maestros), thinking they would replace my prophets on the mountain. i love my rockered skis, but i love them for what they're for: skiing deep backcountry powder. 9 out of 10 resort days, i ski my prophets. the prophets like speed, bust through chop, are solid off drops, and absolutely rail groomers. let's face it, most days at the resort, the conditions are either rocky, variable, tracked out, dust on crust, dust on rocks, etc... and for that, i want the stability and precision that comes with traditional sidecut and having all 186 cm of ski pressed firmly onto the snow. and to the clown in the lift line rocking pontoons when it hasn't snowed in 10 days, you are a fool. learn how to ski.

bottom line: these skis haven't changed in a long time for good reason. they kill it.

i've had a pair of the tortoise/pola-green mirror for four months now and they are my go-to sunglasses. i have a medium to large head and they fit very well - don't fall off, and don't leave a mark after several hours of wear. lenses are excellent, at the beach, driving, and fishing. not sure exactly what the green mirror does for the optics, but either way i like it. this may be getting subjective, but i find the lenses clean up very well when dirty and as of yet, they don't have a scratch. asking price is steep, but there's always a deal out there.

i picked this tent up off steepandcheap last fall and have no complaints with probably 15 nights in it. the setup is quick and easy, it fits two comfortably, and the vestibule space is fantastic. also, the main fly opening has zippers on each side and can open from the top or bottom. i know this sounds a little weird, but in practice it's really nice. what separates this tent from the rest of the lightweight/2person/3season tents is how well it sets up shelter-style (groundtarp/poles/fly). it makes for a far roomier experience, and has kept me dry under rain and snow. the only reason i would bring the actual tent body is to keep out bugs. one thing to keep in mind is that on steepandcheap the groundtarp was included, while here it'll cost extra.

so yesterday it was pushing 60 degrees (temp, not slope) so i decided to bring the motorcycle out of storage, and for the life of me i couldn't find one of my riding gloves. wore these suckers and don't think i'm going back. great dexterity and warmth plus the texture of the back would definitely be good if you go down. also, the tan leather is pretty sexy under the cuff of a black jacket. oh yeah, these things are sweet on the slopes as well. 5 stars. and for those of you who struggle with disproportionately large thumbs, this glove is very accommodating - i usually go xl but the large was perfect.

like everyone else has said, these things are pretty great. i logged a couple days in all sorts of snow conditions with alpine boots with no complaints... but along with others, i've had issues when mounting AT boots (mine are scarpa denali tts).

issue 1: when the forward pressure is adjusted correctly (boot in and screw flush with housing) it's really difficult to click the boot in and out of the binding as the sole hits the top of the heel piece. this is a common problem and i had to back out the screw a click. now the screw top sticks out a little with boot in, but it seems pretty secure.

issue 2: the contact points on the heel piece of the binding are small and will leave serious marks on the heel of your boots. especially AT boots since most use a softer/lighter plastic. this isn't really a big deal, so don't worry if you start to see wear.

issue 3: when the toe height is adjusted using the paper resistance technique, all seems good, but because of the softer rubber sole, the toe can move up and down in the binding. i just cranked up the toe height until i no longer had any play, seems to work great...

summary: sweet with alpine boots, takes a little love for some AT boots. and here's a good thread if you're having issues:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116625