From: georgew@hspice.portal.com (George J Wu)
Subject: Opinions on Equipment
Organization: Meta-Software Inc., Campbell, CA
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 02:33:32 GMT

-
     I figured it'd be easier to look good on the slopes by just buying a whole
passle of equipment rather than actually skiing well.  :-)  Therefore, I've
aquired quite a few things, much of it recently.  Here are my experiences.

 o Atomic ARC 864EX/M skiis, 190 cm - I picked these up at TriCity in Fremont
   for $180.  I demoed them last year on the recommendation of the folks at
   Granite Chief (for a bump ski that was still versatile).  The Solomans were
   better in the bumps, but very soft in the shovel.  These opinions apply for
   an upper intermediate skier who weighs less than 99% of everyone out there.
   I'm still getting used to the extra 15 cm, so this isn't exactly a balanced
   review.

 o Lange X8 boots - Two words: cold and stiff, but they fit my feet.  I tried
   on maybe a dozen pairs of boots, and these easily fit my feet the best.  Too
   bad I have several complaints about other things.  First and foremost: they
   need better insulation.  I know it's the boots, because my feet get cold
   while I'm skiing and warm up on the lift.  On groomed slopes, I can feel the
   heat seeping away through the soles.  In deep powder, things get *really*
   chilly.  I've got enough room for boot heaters; anyone save those comments
   email me?  Being a front-entry boot, these boots are very hard to get on and
   off.  Once clamped down into them, I don't loosen them even for lunch.
   Finally, although these aren't a race boot, they are pretty stiff (for my
   weight and skill level).  I removed the shin stiffeners, but I still had to
   modify my bump style to not hit the tops so much lest I get thrown around.
   Oh well, I'm alot smoother for the change.

 o North Face Extreme Z jacket - I bought this Goretex jacket at the discount
   warehouse outlet four years ago.  I shudder to imagine the real price, since
   the outlet took $160 of my dollars.  Features include a zip out down vest
   (Nope, not for backcountry.), velcro sleeve closures, velcro storm flap over
   the main zipper, two zippered outside pockets and one inside, and a hideaway
   hood with drawstring.  I do wish it had more pockets.

   I've been very happy with this jacket.  It's worn very well, always kept me
   dry, and breathes about as well as any other waterproof jacket on the
   market.  I wish the vest was slightly more compressible or the pockets a bit
   larger, as it will *not* fit in a pocket on those spring days.  The inside
   pocket is awkward to access with the vest in place.  One side of the velcro
   sleeve closures is starting to come off, but it's on the flap, so I can just
   sew it back on myself without compromising the waterproofness.  (Outlet
   stuff is not backed by North Face's lifetime warrantee.)

 o Sierra Design Bib Pants - When I saw these pants going for $100 at the
   factory outlet, I got very interested.  Clearly, these pants were made to
   be functional.  Both sides have two zippers running the full length.  There
   is a velcro storm flap over the zippers, slash resistant material in the
   inside cuff, extra material over the knees, two zippered side pockets and
   a larger zippered breast pocket, quick release buckles on the shoulder
   straps, a zippered fly, and more stuff I don't remember.  The material is
   Sierra's Hocus Pocus, which they claim is waterproof and breathable, and
   won't wear out no matter how many times I wash it.

 o North Face Extreme Gloves - I've found one fault with these Gortex gloves:
   the plastic ring and clip.  They're made of plastic and the ring is a bit
   too large to fit in the clip and still easily clip onto my jacket.  Worse
   still, the clip is plastic, and it gets stiff in the cold.  Due to the size
   and my lack of nails, I had to use the corner of my thumbnail to release the
   clip.  I tore off the corner of both nails!!!!  I quick trip to the hardware
   store should fix this.


     Well, those are my comments for equipment I've used and liked.  As an
aside, does anyone have a tip on keeping washer fluid from freezing?  The
"winter formula" I buy around here doesn't work very the really cold mornings
up in Tahoe, and after a while, the alcohol evaporates off anyways.  I've tried
adding rubbing alcohol (methanol), which only helped a little, and led to some
pretty nasty fumes getting in the passenger compartment.

							George


-- 
----
George J Wu,  Superior Maker of Technical Snafus,  georgew@metasw.com
Meta-Software,  1300 White Oaks Road,  Campbell, CA 95008,  (408) 369-5400
Never be the first to believe.  Never be the last to deceive.  ---  Chess
Newsgroups: rec.skiing