Not sure you want to tackle the job- our professional staff can prep and wax you skis. As always we will be following the Toko wax recommendations for the race to ensure you have the best gliding ski possible.
$70.00 Spare no expense Toko wax recommendations for the race.
If you love the Rossignol X-Ium skate skis as much as I do, you may think that there is no way that you can make the ski feel better. That is what I thought too until the new Rottefella Xcelerator Spacer Plates came out earlier this season. The plate is a wedge that slides under your NNN skate binding and lifts the front part of the binding up while skating. The Xcelerator Spacer Plate was designed to change the position of the skier, shifting the skier into a more forward position. This change of position greatly improves the glide and edge pressure for pushing off.
The Spacer Plate is compatible with all NIS binding systems and is so easy to mount without drilling holes in the ski or altering the bindings at all.
So far this season the shop has over 130 kilometers on these plates and we are loving the performance of these plates.
The place that I noticed the spacer excelling the most was on a big climb on our local trails. I usually have a hard time on this climb at the start of my ski outing. With the spacer, I noticed that I was climbing a lot faster and the push off was super solid. I noticed that the spacer placed me forward on my boots which enabled me to really climbing well.
On the flats I felt the ski really free up. The glide was noticeably better although the balance was a bit weird at first, but about a kilometer it to the ski, I was able to adjust and get use to it.
After a long ski I wanted to try taking the spacers off and see what I felt without them. I took my “naked skis” for another loop and decided to turn around to put the spacers back on! I will be skating with them all the time now.
What to experience the difference? Here at Down Wind Sports we firmly believe in the concept of “Try Before You Buy”, Stop by and talk with Jeff….we can let you demo the spacers at no charge and let the Xcelerator Space Plate improve your glide and edge push off.
Weight: 90 g per pair Angle: 1,4º Height rotation point: 19,4mm Fits all NIS plate and Xcelerator bindings.
Jeff Stasser is in charge of our nordic department and is our lead instructor for our skate ski program at Down Wind Sports. Jeff skied competitively for Northern Michigan University from 199o-1994 and has competed on the international scene.
With the fresh snow and somewhat mild temperatures we are looking forward to a great Noque week! Hopefully everyone has been training hard and getting ready for the big race. I know Ross and Jeff have been having a blast on the Monday Night Skate Ski lessons and they are excited that some of their participants are challenging themselves by entering the race.
To have the best possible experience don’t forget to have your skis race ready by dropping them off and letting our professional staff prep and wax you skis. As always we will be following the Toko wax recommendations for the race to ensure you have the best gliding ski possible. Final drop off for the skis will be either Tuesday night by 7pm or Wednesday morning by 11aM.
$65.00 Spare no expense Toko wax recommendations for the race.
$15.00 Basic Hydro Carbon wax
Skis will be available to pick up Friday at the store from 12-8pm
Introducing the Kyoto Chill from Sanuk: The first truly year-round Sidewalk Surfer. Utilizing a patent-pending moisture seal, a rubber lug outsole, weather-proof Sunbrella™ material, and plush fleece lining, the Kyoto Chill is the headliner in Sanuk’s Fall 2012 Chill Collection. All the comfort, flexibility and style of the award-winning Sidewalk Surfer can now be enjoyed year-round — from the beach to the mountain to the city. The Kyoto Chill features Sanuk’s best selling “Chiba” pattern and is both vegan and vegetarian.
What do ya think….should we bring them in?
Sanuk has created some new comfy additions to its new Fall 2012/13 line. As usual they are bringing out fun patterns, funky style, and classic comfort to the winter season. We love the new Women’s Flurry….what about you?
Rechargeable headlamp with self-adjusting lighting – REACTIVE LIGHTING technology
The rechargeable NAO headlamp adapts its two high power LEDs instantly and automatically to the lighting needs for greater comfort, fewer manual interventions and longer battery life. NAO is the first Petzl headlamp with REACTIVE LIGHTING technology.
What is Reactive Lighting Technology?
REACTIVE LIGHTING technology is a revolution in hands-free lighting. A built-in light sensor adapts the headlamp’s beam pattern and light output instantly and automatically to suit the user’s needs. This means the user gets an ideal amount of light with minimal manual adjustment required. This self-adjusting lighting mode also results in longer burn times, due to more efficient use of the rechargeable battery.
Adapted lighting
The shape of the beam and the power of the headlamp instantly adapt to the need (lighting for close, medium or long-range vision), so the user always has the right amount of light.
A minimum of manual adjustments
The headlamp automatically adapts to changes in surrounding light conditions, allowing the user to remain focused on the activity at hand without worrying about adjusting the headlamp.
Longer burn times
REACTIVE LIGHTING technology increases burn time, due to more efficient use of the rechargeable battery. Lighting adapts to suit the need, reducing the use of wasteful, unnecessarily powerful lighting.
How It Works For You!
On the headlamp the integrated light sensor is oriented in the same direction as the eyes; it measures and analyzes reflected light in order to instantly and automatically adjust the headlamp’s beam pattern (wide and/or focused) and light output to the user’s needs. Volia! No need to fumble around and try to adjust the switch- the Nao will automatically do it for you!
When looking at an object at close range, for example when reading a map, tying a knot or setting up a tent, the beam is very wide and less powerful. When you are walking, running, or skiing, the beam is wide and has medium strength in order to illuminate obstacles in the path.
When raising the head to see into the distance, looking for a trail marker or an anchor on a climb, for example, the light output increases and becomes more focused.
Another incredibly busy day in Salt Lake where the outdoor companies are rolling out new products for winter 2012-2013. Another day was spent in appointments and perusing the aisles looking for the unique items that would be fun and exciting to bring back to Marquette! After years of looking for a source for ski jouring equipment we found it at Ruff Wear! The Omnijor Joring System is designed for any dog-pulling activity such as skijoring, mountainboard-joring, skatejoring, bikejoring, or canicross. The complete system includes dog harness, human hipbelt, and towline. The components are designed to work together to maximize comfort and enjoyment.
We are really excited that a new offering from 22 Designs will be the Vice tele binding. Borrowing from both the Hammerhead and Axl binding the Vice is destined to be a solid performer. Can’t wait to test this one out!
An interesting find was from Outdoor Technology- the Turtle Shell Wireless Boombox. The Turtle Shell from is a boombox that comes with a load a features; including a wireless capability. The Turtle Shell allows users to pair the Turtle Shell with virtually any Bluetooth enabled device such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It also features a built-in mic for speaker and phone functionality. The Turtle Shell is both shock and dust proof and comes with OT flexible cord allowing you wrap it around a set of handlebars, a tree limb, or just your desk. The tiny device is designed to fit in the palm of your hand, but while it might be small, it’s built to provide some big sound. I think it will be the perfect sound system for a beach day this summer down at McCarty’s Cove!
One great thing about Outdoor Retailer is it is the largest gathering of outdoor individuals in the world. It’s not unheard of to see Bear Grylls walking down the isle, hear Reinhold Messiner giving a talk, or share a beer with Glen Plake. Today we hooked up with climbing legend Fred Beckey who was signing his new book: Fred Beckey’s 100 Favorite North American Climbs. Fred recently presented a slide show in Marquette and it was great to catch up with this 89 year old climbing bum! (Photo on the wall behind Fred look familiar? It’s an Aaron Burr shot of ice climbing at Pictured Rocks!)
Running all over the Salt Palace, today was a day jammed packed with appointments. Outdoor Retailer is an opportunity for manufacturer’s to show off their new innovative products and today we saw many cool new things.
New from Crescent Moon is an amazingly light racing snowshoe- the Kilo coming in at only 2.2 pounds! The snowshoe is a carbon fiber composite and truly is as light as a feather. This will be the perfect snowshoe for our runners racing in the Noque Snowshoe Race!
For our light weight fast packers the Titanium Stove from Industrial Revolutions caught our eye. The foldable Esbit Titanium Stove is ideal for ultralight and minimalist hikers and weighs only 0.4 oz! Priced at $14.99 this stove just might make a few of my trips coming up this summer!
Another gotta have item was found in the Black Diamond booth. The Megatron carabiner What’s so special about Magnetron Technology? One word: magnets. Yes, that’s right—locking carabiners that utilize magnets and not twistlocks or screwlocks on the gates. Smooth and easy to use this is hands down the sexiest biner on the market!
Now this is something that would really be cool on the climbing wall at the University. Lighted climbing holds to mark the routes!
We also caught up with former employees Hans Linna showing off the new line of insulated boots from Vasque, and Jake Hase who is now working with K2. It’s back to the grind tomorrow- don’t forget please give us some ideas of what new products or vendors you would like us to carry. leave your suggestions on our facebook page and the best advice will get a sweet piece of swag mailed to them!
Twice a year staff from Down Wind Sports attends Outdoor Retailer, which is a buying show located in Utah. All of the leading outdoor manufacturers gather to show off their latest gear and clothing at the Salt Palace in downtown Salt Lake City. There is also a unique opportunity to test telemark skis, snowshoes, and cross country skis at the on snow demo located at the ski resort Solitude.
DAY ONE ON SNOW DEMO
Solitude Mountain Resort is located a short 40-minute drive from the Salt Lake. With over 1200 acres of skiable terrain, Solitude is one of Utah’s most intimate and inviting winter resorts. It is a unique opportunity because it allows us to test the gear so that we are able to select what we think would be the best equipment for our customers for the 2012/13 winter season.
The drive up the canyons this morning didn’t show any signs of the fresh snow we were expecting so it looked like it will be another day of skiing groomers and looking for those hard pack skis to demo!
All of the leading ski and snowshoe manufacturers were set up in the Solitude parking lot offering up their latest and greatest for next years season. Our first stop was at the La Sportiva booth to check out the Hi5 Ski
Massive Hi-rise shovel rocker combined with a flat tail, traditional camber and 105mm underfoot make this ski the most versatile powder- backcountry skis on the market. While designed for deep snow this ski was one of our favorites as it held an edge and actually carved on the bullet proof conditions.
A sneak peak at the new G3 tele binding with adjustable settings!
One of the vendors getting a little lovin’ was Dave O. of Marquette Backcountry Skis making their debut at the On snow demo!
Something that was getting the most “what is that?” was the Snow SUP from Kahuna Creations. Based on the success of their “Big Sticks” now you can Stand-up paddle surf on your snowboard! The Snow SUP allows a boarder to ride faster on flats, carve deeper turns, and get a whole new steez in terrain parks.
Our favorite skis of the day were defiantly the new offering from DPS – the Whaler and Nina. Based on the award-winning Wailer 112RP platform, the Wailer/Nina 99 exhibits similar versatility in a narrower package. Arni rocked the Whaler as I summoned my inner feminine side and skied the softer flexing women’s version the Nina.
The DPS PaddleTech Geometry allows the skier to engage the skis slightly cambered 18m underfoot turn radius while charging g-loaded carves on harder snow. Exactly the conditions we were experiencing! The Whaler and Nina were by far the best of the 8 models that we tested as they were able to hold their edge in the wind blown, hard packed, midwest like conditions- just as advertized! Mark these skis down as a must try!
Melanie Stasser looking good testing out her Black Diamond Stilettos
By the end of the day the predicted snow storm had arrived and was starting to dump much needed snow on the area. Just our luck…….another 12 hours and it would be a spectacular powder day!
On snow fun is done but we have some really good ideas of what new skis we will be bringing back to the U.P. for the 2012/13 season….now off to soak these tired legs in the hot tub!
Arni and I made it to Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer show and thought we would stretch the legs and see what snow we could find. It seems that Utah is in a snow drought unlike any they have ever seen before! With no “Utah Powder” we would have to settle for groomers so we headed up to Deer Valley to see what we could find.
Brutally cold temperatures greeted us and our search for “fresh” snow was in vein. It is what it is, so we stuck to the groomers had had a blast on these deserted, super long runs, under blue bird skies.
Tomorrow we head to the On Snow Demo to test out the new 2012/13 skis and snowshoes. And the good news…..snow is on the way and it sounds like they will be measuring in feet not inches!
