The next time you need new ski boots, you won't feel so bad about spending $500 on them. Consider yourself fortunate they don't cost $2060... plus sales tax.
$2060 is what it takes to snag a pair of 444 gram (just under 1 pound!) carbon fiber ski boots made by Pierre Gignoux. Personally, I'd prefer dropping TWO GRAND over the course of a three month, third world surf trip... but that's just me.
A small group of skiers are willing to spend that kind of dough on boots in the quest for the lightest, techiest set up... all in the name of uphill speed. I speak of the hardcore Randonee Racers, members of the quirkiest spandex-clad sub-sect within the ever-growing culture of backcountry skiing.
If risking life and limb in the big mountains on floppy little skis is appealing to you, consider Randonee Racing.
If you treat skin tracks like race tracks and are perpetually passing in the bootpack, consider Randonee Racing.
If you enjoy feeling like your heart is exploding and chattering with screaming quads down icy steeps, consider Randonee Racing.
If things like connecting with the mountains,
enjoying the outdoorswith friends,
taking in the scenic vistas,
hunting for freshies,
and actually enjoying your backcountry experience all take the back burner to embracing one of the most ridiculous avenues imaginable by which one may claim having bested their competition (or wallow in the self-pityingly-pointless agony of defeat), consider Randonee Racing.
Intrigued? Come get a taste Saturday, March 20th at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. At 8 a.m. the US Ski Mountaineering National Championships kicks off.
A small group of skiers are willing to spend that kind of dough on boots in the quest for the lightest, techiest set up... all in the name of uphill speed. I speak of the hardcore Randonee Racers, members of the quirkiest spandex-clad sub-sect within the ever-growing culture of backcountry skiing.
If risking life and limb in the big mountains on floppy little skis is appealing to you, consider Randonee Racing.
If you treat skin tracks like race tracks and are perpetually passing in the bootpack, consider Randonee Racing.
If you enjoy feeling like your heart is exploding and chattering with screaming quads down icy steeps, consider Randonee Racing.
If things like connecting with the mountains,
enjoying the outdoorswith friends,
taking in the scenic vistas,
hunting for freshies,
and actually enjoying your backcountry experience all take the back burner to embracing one of the most ridiculous avenues imaginable by which one may claim having bested their competition (or wallow in the self-pityingly-pointless agony of defeat), consider Randonee Racing.
Intrigued? Come get a taste Saturday, March 20th at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. At 8 a.m. the US Ski Mountaineering National Championships kicks off.
Racers must climb over 7,500 vertical feet and find their way back down through some of the gnarliest terrain at the resort. Alta 1? Yep. Tower 3 Chute? Of course. The Crags, Rendezvous Bowl, the endless mogul field covering the North Hoback, and much, much more...
Thanks to the 8 a.m. start, conditions are guaranteed to be utterly icy, with gigantic moguls, countless exposed rocks, random dirt patches, and a slew of other hazards to contend with. First one up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, and finally all the way down... in one piece... wins.
Though I can't say I'm looking forward to it, I'll be racing. Frankly, I'm hovering somewhere between nervous, annoyed, reluctant, and terrified.
Of course, there's the option to keep it casual on the ups and descend conservatively. Excuses for taking it easy abound. I got my race boots for $10 at the Browse and Buy Thrift Store. My skis are 130mm... underfoot! Additionally, I hate being rushed... and feeling like my heart is exploding.
BUT.
In the interests of taking the piss out of über-competitive, over-achieving, mega-consumer gear sluts, I'll be giving it all I've got. If I make it down intact and beat just one guy wearing $2060 boots, we ski bums can claim a small victory... ironically, in the name of the truer essence of backcountry skiing.