Fun K2 Skis and Dalbello Boots, Where I Assume a Life Lesson

Skiing with brand new and super fun K2 skis and Dalbello boots should have been a most excellent experience this weekend. Instead, I left the mountain with my tail between my legs. Remember that old adage about a specific life lesson? Never assume since it makes an ass of u and me. Yep. Mistakes were made.

Assumption:

Something accepted as truth or as certain to happen without proof.

It all started with a major face plant on an easy greenie ski run last year. My left ski had become squirrelly. It bounced around like a donkey’s butt down a rocky slope. It would  fly out and would cross my right ski tip. Hard to control, it made both knees tired and sore.

After struggling at Lake Tahoe, I switched my skis at Breckenridge thinking it might help. (Since I’ve had them for a long time, I had a sticker on the left.) When I hit a really easy peasy part of a slope on Peak 7, my right ski flew out to oblivion. HOW??? I splatted face forward into a tumble where I landed in a plié; skis parallel pointing opposite directions only I was sitting to one side of them instead of standing. Yeah, it hurt. I’m not that flexible.

I yelled to Danny to release my bindings. That hurt even more. Luckily, my knees survived, but I swore I’d never ski on that twisted mother again, nor would I sell them to some poor unsuspecting victim. I planned to buy new equipment this year.

Fun fact for skiers:

Your equipment, boot and skis, last 150 days. For some that’s one season. For others, a lifetime. I’m somewhere in the 5 year range.

Your boots pack down in 50 days. You can buy new liners to replace them. Who knew?

First purchase: Boots.

Most ski boots are narrow at the toes. Feet are weird. Have you ever taken off your shoes at a party? Hilarious! My toes are squared off like flippers. They freeze when they’re crammed into the pointy toes of ski boots. I tried several uncomfortable boots at Epic Mountain Gear then spied the Dalbello’s on a shelf. “Can I try those?”

Enter Dalbello Kyra 85.

Literally. The tongue didn’t cut into my shins when pulling them on. And the plush lining? Ahhhh. Like slippers. The best part? They have a toe box. That’s right.

The other best part? I didn’t know this until I had fallen in love. The salesmen mentioned there’s small release on the back of the boot for walking. Nice!

I skied with my new boots last weekend while demoing skis. I lasted until the end of the day even though the temperature had plunged into the single digits. My digits stayed warm and toasty. It was the first time my left knee, which has a partial knee replacement, didn’t hurt. AT ALL.

Next big investment? Skis.

Technology has changed a lot in the last ten years since I bought my last pair of skis. I had 159 cm length skis, but discovered they had gotten shorter. At 5′ 4” and an expert skier, I would be in the 153 – 156 range.

I decided to rent demos and tried a pair of Black Pearls. They’re the most highly recommended skis. I felt like I had 2×4’s under my feet. I had to jump to make turns in the moguls. I read where they are for powder and groomers.

Responsive and telepathic K2 Alluvit 88

The following weekend I rented the K2 Alluvit and totally chilled in the bumps. It was as if they were on autopilot and could read my mind. The skis did all the work. In fact, after using those same words, I cracked up reading the same description on their site. They were surprisingly stable at higher speed straightaways and made big wide turns on the groomers. Super fun!

Sunday, I rented again, and tried out Nordica skis but they weren’t as responsive. I found out later that most skis were meant for corduroy groomers and general intermediate skiing. I switched back to the K2s and skied on them for the rest of the day. I was sold!

The $150 demo rental cost would go towards the skis purchased through Epic Mountain Gear. When I called them, the Boulder store didn’t carry the Alluvit. A few other affiliated stores did but they were pretty far away and I wanted to ski on them this weekend.

So, I called Christy Sports in Boulder. He had them in stock for $599. Yay! He deducted the cost of the the first rental too. I went back the next morning and bought them, then picked them up that night. I looked forward to skiing with my new setup this weekend.

When I arrived at the base of Peak 8 at Breckenridge on Saturday, a thought nagged me. I had never double checked the length. OMG! The skis were 163’s!! I called the same salesman and he said that’s what was in his notes. I told him there was no way I could ski on that length and reminded him that I’m a mere five foot four inches tall. Panic mode kicked in. My family stared at me with concern.

“Can I ski on them?” I brayed while watching snowboarders and skiers ride the chairlift.

“No. Bring them back on Monday and we’ll swap them out.”

Are you kidding me?

“GAH!!!” I turned around while kicking myself. (Not an easy feat while in ski boots and carrying skis.)

I could’ve so easily checked to make sure that I got the right size. So I’m up in the mountains with no skis. I feel like a silly ass.

Assumptions. Mistakes made. Sometimes it’s good to be OCD about everything and double, oh, heck, triple check. Well, at least check once to make sure you don’t end up as the silly ass who has to take the gondola back down without skiing.

Even though my weekend was a bust, I’m looking forward to a great ski season with my new setup. I’ll have to wait another two weeks for that to happen. *drums fingers* Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I check the length my Alluvits before I leave the store next time. No more silly asses. Hee haw!

Have your assumptions ever made an ass of yourself like mine? Are you in the market for new ski equipment? Do you think the donkey is happy or agitated? What’s up with his nostrils?