The not-so-calm before the storm!

While most of the northeast prepared for the first major snowfall of the season this past weekend, it was business as usual for vacationers, locals, and the avid skiers and riders at Maine's ski resorts. And while the snow guns were blasting away on terrain at a rate I haven't ever seen, Mother Nature threw a bit of a curve ball our way this past Saturday.
You always know who the hearty souls are out on the mountain. Aside from the telemarkers who are seemingly always the hearty souls, I include anyone who gets out and skis or rides when others shriek at the mere possibility of stepping outside. Granted, this is usually what happens in January as the mercury dips to below freezing and the winds begin to howl, but for a bunch of us, January came a month early and put on an early test of fortitude.
With temps hovering around five degrees and a steady wind of about 20-25 knots, the snow conditions were nothing short of amazing. With less humidity, the man made snow is drier, which makes for ideal grooming conditions and buttery snow on newly coated trails. So I found myself with a handful of friends, ripping down a trail that had just opened and jumping right back on the lift. It seems that not everyone gets excited about these wintry conditions and I understand. The bitter cold can really hurt, but the reward it well worth the extra layers.
And while Sunday brought more seasonable temps to the mountains of New England, it was for good reason as a front moved in and coated resorts like Sunday River with over a foot and a half of Mother Nature's finest. Yes, the storm came in while I headed back to the coast to work, but we can't pick when such storms are going to hit, nor can we pick when the weather is going to be bitter cold. What we can do is decide to make the most of whatever the conditions allow. That's what we did this past weekend and the smiles were all around!

The battle of the new ski boot blues!

It's seemingly every skiers nightmare - the anguish of breaking in or adjusting to new boots. On one hand, were told how much better we'll ski, but on the other hand, the honest boot salesperson admits that our new boot will hurt like hell for a while. These factors - along with the cost of new boots - tend to keep many of us in our comfort zone, which of course can mean that we are skiing in a boot that has been over-skied and over-flexed. Translation: We aren't optimizing the connection between the foot and the ski. And while many of us put this purchase off for any number of reasons, I can attest that while the pain can be intense, the upswing is amazing. Minimize the days of pain after the purchase by hitting the hill as hard as you would on your old boots. If you can get through this, it will be all downhill after day one. And while your front two buckles won't need to be tightened if the boot is properly fitted, you want to tighten your top buckles so that they're super-tight, but not pinching. While some people choose to go tighter and tighter each day, I did it within a few runs. And for an added bonus, you'll get some back stretching in at the bottom and top of each lift as you'll want to be sure to unbuckle before getting on the lift.
Remember to also be prepared for some residual effects on other parts of your body, mainly your knees. Why? Older boots - those with over 150 skier days, will lose much of their stiffness and thus your legs/knees aren't thrust forward like they are with a properly fit boot; so when you get into new boots with a stiffness of say, 90, you'll notice that when you put the boots on, you'll be forced forward. Your body will naturally want to sit back a little to varying degrees depending on how old and soft your old boots are. What this means is that you'll need to adjust your stance and get forward. This is how your stance should be anyway, and you get optimal performance with the proper stance.
Obviously, results will vary from skier to skier. There's a good chance that if you're a more aggressive skier, the time to adjust to new boots will be less, but again, the real x-factor in this is the boot you're leaving behind.
And before I forget, do yourself a huge favor and do two things to make sure you have the best new boot experience possible. First, read up on ski boots. There are a multitude of early season magazines that review the best boots for all abilities. Second and hugely important is that you get fitted by an expert. I chose Greg at Sunday River Sports. Greg's expertise is second to none. My last piece of advice to you is that you get the new boot blues over with and make the most out of your season!