There are lots of ways to find out what gear is best. You can ask you buddies at the office. You could read a Ski Magazine Gear guide. You could google. You can also ask someone at a ski shop. But let me tell you a little secret, If you want to know what gear is really the best you need to check out what the shop rat's are using. We may be wierd, and we may spend a lot of our hauling old ski boots and handing out kids skis, but among our shop employees are some of the best riders on the mountain. While we're in the shop, we get paid to tell you that all of our gear is great, which is true, but not all of it is created equal. Every year I get to ride close to 30 skis, and I only buy the best one.
Over the next few weeks, Ill have some guest bloggers post about their personal gear favorites. You'd be wise to listen.

Duke's picks
Ski Choice: K2 Obsethed with Look Px 12 binding. This ski is the single most versatile ski I have ever ridden. Rockered tip and tail with camber under foot makes it fantastic in soft snow with out leaving me helpless back on the groomers. k2's full sidewall construction makes the ski durable, Stable and all out rippable. If they are good enough for Seth Morrision, they are good enough for me.

Boots- Full Tilt Bumblebee Pro with Intuition Powerwrap liners
I used to get such bad shin bang, it would leave me crying at the end of every run. That's not the case since I switched to Full Tilt. With a consistent forward flex and Stiff lateral feel coupled with a Liner that wraps itself snugly right around my chicken legs.I can ski all day pain free.

Helmet- Smith Holt W/skull candy audio
this helmet is light and warm and it was relatively cheap. I paid an extra few bucks to add audio right into my helmets ear pieces so I can make pow turns to the beats of soothing melody.

thanks for reading.... More to follow!

ESCAPE


There is a new ad from sprint that says something to the effect of “three skiers are trapped on a ski lift, luckily to save them from such a boring experience they have awesome phones so they can text and browse the web and make phone calls.” Every time my I see this ad I offer up a silent prayer of thanks to the ski gods that cell phones don’t work up here at the beav. Nothing is worse than having to listen to a guy tryintg to buy and sell stock on a powder day. If I were in charge of that ad it would go a little something like this… “ 3 people are trapped by there cell phones and unable to actually enjoy the winter wonderland that god made for them”

Truth is you’ve missed out on the full beaver experience if you haven’t ridden the lift with someone you’ve never met. It could be a 6 year old that is skiing for the first time and wants to tell you all about how awesome the sport is. It could be an inebriated snowboarder who calls you bra, and doesn’t mean you are a piece of underwear. Perhaps you’ll ride with one of the famous weekday morning crew who are still skiing even though they are pushing 90. I hope you’ll find some common ground in the love of the snow.

Speaking of snow…. There is a reason the blog failed to be updated last week. IT SNOWED 4 FEET. If there is one thing I love more than blogging about skiing, its skiing pow. Seriously, the snow is great the sun is out up here and the only thing missing is you.
By the way come in and see me to try out one of our awesome demo fleet. Here is what we have to offer:
K2
Free luv
Lotta Luv
Burnin Luv
Got Back
Side Stash
Hardside
Obsethed
Extreme
Pontoon

Volkl
AC 30

Atomic
Blackeye
Crimson

Line
Afterbang
Prophet 90
Prophet 100
Sir Francis Bacon
EP Pro

Rossignol
Phantom SC 87
Never Summer
EVO
SL-R
Legacy
Infinity
Lotus
Titan

Sometimes one picture says it all. the snow was Amazing today. I guess our sale worked. photo taken by our very own John Laughlin. Enjoy!
-duke

SNOW DANCE

Hello again from the slopes of Beaver Mountain! Remember us? Probably not. If you have been one of those unfortunate enough to be stuck in the valley all week, chances are you haven’t even been able to see the mountains through all the smog.

One of the reasons I love my job so much is because I pretty much get to stay out of town when our beautiful valley looks more like LA or New York than a pristine mountain community. While you are all enjoying the red burn days, lung filling filth and temperatures that would make a penguin cold I am laying tracks under blue skis and warm temperatures. Yep, Life is pretty good up here at the mountain.

The only thing I really hate about these inversions is that we usually don’t get much snow while they are going on. But rest assured my friends, we are working hard to bring in a storm that will bring on the powder and clear out the inversion.

First we tried going the Snow dance route. We stripped down to our skives and skipped around the lodge praising UllR the Norse Snow God. We stopped doing that when a group of Mountain Adventure kids skied by and looked horrified.

Next we decided to sacrifice a virgin. Unfortunately Ted informed us that would violate several rules in the employee handbook.

Finally we decided that if we all had brand new gear ready to ridden the moment the snow starts to fall, the snow gods would smile upon us with feet of new snow. So here is the scoop: This Saturday and Sunday and Monday (Jan. 16-18) we will be hooking you up with incredible deals on Skis, Boards, Outerwear, Beanies and whatever else we feel we need to bring the snow. You’ll see up to 50% some items. Get up here because we’re only going do this for 3 days. See yak soon!

-Duke Grewe

To leave comments or Follow this blog please visit: Beaverskishop.blogspot.com

Listening In the Lift Line

I don’t want to tell my wife I’m going skiing I tell her I’m going to do some “market research” for the ski shop. To make sure that I am being honest with her I talk to skiers and boarders in the lift line and ask them what they like and don’t like about there equipment. Gathering info from the Skiers and Boarders at the Beav is one of the factors that goes into our buying decisions.

I have never recorded the statistics form my numerous “market research” outings but because this is a blog I can make up whatever I want. I am going to say that 90% skiers and many boarders as well, hate their boots. I remember being grateful for the 12 minute lift ride to the top of the hill, because it gave my feet time to stop throbbing,

There are a million different things that could make a boot uncomfortable… they could be too small, too big, too stiff, too soft or you could just have goofy shaped feet. The fact is , our feet are like our finger prints, they are unique. Boot Manufactures try to make a generic boot that is comfortable right of the box, but that is a huge challenge that has never been successfully mastered.

There are a huge variety of fixes for uncomfortable boots. Traditional boot fitting is an effective, but laborious and expensive method. They can stretch shells and punch out liners and correct foot problems. However, for a new custom fitted top of the line boot could pay upwards of $1,500.

So we have brainstormed and researched and stressed over how we could take the Number 1 complaint of our guests and find a solution. We have done it.

We are now Cache Valley’s only dealer of intuition custom moldable liners.

Intuition Sports is based in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.The Concept is simple, they produce fantastic liners made of thermo-forming closed cell foam. We install the liner into the boot, Heat it up and it molds perfectly to your foot. Along with the perfect fit, intuition liners are probably a pound lighter than the liners in your boots. Also, because the foam is closed cell, say goodbye to cold feet. Best of all, if your not satisfied with the fit of your liners, the liners can easily be remolded to fit your foot or your new pair of boots.

I am extremely excited about this new product. Don't waste another day of skiing lost in the clutches of painful boots. If you have questions about Intuition liners, come visit us at the shop or email us at Shop@skithebeav.com

Not Ski-Mart

Not all ski shops are created equal. The way I see it there are basically two types of places to buy skis. You can buy skis or boards at your local sporting goods mega store, where the skis and boards get lost in a sea of athletic cups and power bait. On the flip side, you can buy from a dedicated ski and board shop.

There is no doubt that the mega retailer provides a good price. But that’s all you get. You can’t expect great ski knowledge from the kid that may have to go sell a sports bra in 5 minutes. So you grab a ski from the wall, take it to the register; pay your money the deal is done. You may never see that guy again (unless you need to buy a new Frisbee in the spring).
Up here at the Beav we are not that kind of shop. We pride ourselves on providing complete buying experience for our customers. Here is our plan to do that:
1.We won’t feed you full of B.S. You don’t need a 3-hour lecture on external ski dampening systems. You also don’t need a salesman who just makes up what he or she doesn’t know and pumps you full of BS.
2. Try before you buy. Retail prices on skis are usually around $1000 dollars. With an investment of that size you need to be sure the product you buy is the one you love. You will have no buyer’s remorse after you demo 4 or 5 skis and find the one that works for you.. If you decided to buy from us we will apply up to $50 in rental fees to the purchase of the ski.
3. When you buy from the Beaver Mountain Ski Shop, we will wax your ski for as long as you own it for FREE.
I’ve tried for a long time now to come up with a catchy slogan that could describe our ski shop. You know… stuff like “skis you can believe in” or “Have it you’re way.” Frankly, that’s just not us. We aren’t advertisers or salesmen. We are passionate skiers and boarders who want to share the world’s best gear with you.
Pray for snow!
-duke grewe
Assistant Shop Manager

I AM NOT BODE MILLER...


.... but sometimes I like to pretend that I am. Like it or not, Beaver mountain is not always buried in the powder that made us famous. We have days between storms where the snow is firm and sun is shining. On these days, I hang up my fat skis, strap on one of our amazing demo skis and lay trenches into the corduroy.

It is a unique thrill to be pushing your limits, cruising down one of our freshly groomed runs. As I focus in on the mountain, the next turn or the upcoming roller..... I am not thinking about work or school or the doldrums of life. I'm simply having fun.

Here in the ski shop we want you to experience the thrill of great cruising skis. Come up and rent our demo package and you will get to try several of the following:

1. K2 Apache Crossfire- a ski with no speed limit. You'll need that 12 minute lift ride to recover from your 30 second run from top of the mountain.

2. Volkl AC 30- This ski is damp and stable. German engineering makes it one of the best skis in the world

3. Atomic Blackeye- I love this ski because of its energy. Load it up going into the turn and the ski will take care of the rest. Ready... set... See ya!

4. K2 Burnin' Love- There are few things I love more in this life than Females who can carve a turn. The burnin' love helps them take it to the next level.

We are up and running here at the beav! Hope to see you all soon... keep doing the naked snow dance!
-duke