Hi Treemore, it's hard to say if the instructor was right w/o seeing you ski. I've seen beginers that look like they have most of their weight on the rear ski and are having a hard time commiting to the lead ski. It looked to me like they were coming from an alpine backround. If I were teaching some...

For anyone interested, check out "Alaska performance backcountry skiing" It has a lot of info on long ski expeditions in Ak. on light gear.

As far as winter camping goes I need a tent with a wood stove in it anymore. It's nice to get some heat going before you get out of your sleeping bag. It also dries out the condensation in the tent and the moisture in your clothes.

They look interesting, rockered skis work great in the bc even on the up.

I love turns. Making telemark turns is fun especially. I don't know why such simple meandering movements can keep me locked into. :-) e It's a scientific fact that physical motion causes changes in the brain in the pleasure area, I saw it on tv. Mike with light boots and bindings carving is the onl...

When I got my first metal edge skis my goal was to make it safely down hills controlling my speed and avoiding things using tele turns. When I got to the end of a run I was happy to be in one piece and still standing. Then one day I made some turns and the light bulb went off and I thought this is h...

Yeh I'm not sure what your point was or mine either for that matter. I just want to comment on what you said earlier about getting board after a couple of runs on the same hill and it may have to do with your skis. The reason I want to go back up for another run is because it feels so good. That bei...

There is no hill too small for me to have fun on, I've also learned a lot on them. The better you get the more fun it is.

Mike, I can't blame ya for using what you've got but I wouldn't consider heavier gear a crutch. It is just another tool to make more of the snow you have more skiable. I was back in NE Pa. last month and the snow cover was fantastic but there were buried crust layers that made it less than ideal off...

I hear ya Mike, my wife is fanatical about her merrils and 30 yr old xcd-gts but she just didn't know what was good for her. She resisted touring in plastic boots for a long time. Skiing heavier stuff made her a better and safer skier and now she loves it too. I know we all have different goals, but...