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Some more info on who I am

Hey guys, thanks for stopping into check out the blog. Being the first post I make, I’ll give you a bit of a background of my skiing experience.

The Beginning

I grew up in southern Ontario – not exactly a mecca of skiing. My dad was, and still is a racer, so as soon as I could walk he wanted me on skis. I didn’t ever take skiing super seriously and it was more or less a side hobby as I predominantly played hockey in the winters. As I grew up hockey eventually took over, and my ability/time to ski wore away. Nonetheless, skiing has been part of my life for about twenty years.

In those 20 years, I’ve haven’t had much time/money/resources to expand my horizons and get some serious mountain experience. A trip to Whistler tops the list, although it was during a hockey tournament in Vancouver, so it was very half-assed. Other western experiences include Cyprus and Seymour in North Vancouver. Aside from these brief visits west, the largest I’ve skied in the east are Bromont and Whiteface.

The Return

Once hockey had slowed down, my timetable had opened up a bit and allowed for skiing to pick back up. The winter of 2009/2010 was the year that my love for skiing returned and I began slashing turns again. The crux moment for this return to form came from a school ski trip. I started back up skiing in my dads old Salomon 1080 boots and my moms old Volkl skis. It was great to be back. From 2009 to 2015 my love for the sport continuously grew and I spent hours reading up ski reviews, watching edits and watching the pros throw down. I was inspired to become more involved in the sport.

I started working at my local ski hill. At first I was a rental shop grunt, setting up tons of old, sweaty and tired gear. I was lucky enough to eventually be promoted to working in the actual shop, where I learned to operate a rusty old Wintersteiger. Working on skis all day was something I really enjoyed. Being able to help people out and make sure their gear was all set gave me joy and I was able to take pride in what I did – even though I was really only doing a simple wax-job. Being a seasonal position, I was out of a job come May.

Where I am Now

The next season, I looked for something where I could learn even more about the industry and be more involved in tuning. I sent off a brief email to one of the only local ‘real’ ski shops in my area – turned out my experience on the old tuner at the hill paid off. They hired me on the spot and I was stoked to begin. To this day I remain at the aforementioned shop. It’s awesome to be a part in keeping skiing going in my community. There’s nothing better than getting a kid set up on some new gear before their very first season, or finding a new boot for the dedicated top-tier skier. There are so many great moments that come from working in a shop. Needless to say, I love my job at the shop – even through the long, tough days on the tuner.

Why Create a Blog?

You may be wondering, why would I create a blog?

The answer is pretty simple, it’s a very unique industry that I have grown a very deep appreciation for. When looking at the lifespan of skiing, and compare it to other sports, it hasn’t had a super long, or necessarily famous stint. However, over the course of it’s life the change has been constant. The industry is always changing and advancing. I want to explore and share these changes and all the things that have occurred to get our sport where it is now. I’m sure we’ll both learn some things through this!

Thanks for stopping by!

Featured

Who is Overcast?

I am a lifelong skier who has had an interest in the industry for years. From being a part of the sport, to working in a shop I have been able to see some of the good, and the not so good aspects of the two-plank lifestyle. This blog aims to look at numerous aspects of skiing, from the history of companies to when skis gained a sidecut to the growth of the sport. Although not an expert on the topics, I hope you can take something away from some of the posts. Cheers and happy reading!

Now That Was a Ski: Salomon 1080

The Snowboard Take-Over

It was the mid 1990’s and the ski industry had just seen the transition from straight skis to skis with sidecuts and turning radius’. With this, the ‘carving’ era of skiing was born. But skiing had become stagnant. No matter how well skis were able to turn thanks to the new shapes that were being developed, there was a bigger threat to the sport – snowboarding. By the mid 90’s snowboarding had gained an immense amount of traction and attracted a vast majority of the ‘cool’ young kids.

This had impacted the ski industry heavily. It goes further than the sales side of skis vs. snowboards as well. In 1997, the very first winter X-Games was being held – with no forms of skiing on the list. Snowboarding was clearly winning on the marketing side as well. The image of this sport was planted into the minds of more people and it was the new, fresh way of getting from the top of the mountain to the bottom.

In the 90’s, terrain park as we know them today, were something exclusively for the snowboarders. For the most part, having it be an exclusive place on the mountain worked. However, the freestyle skiers at the time, mostly mogul skiers (ski ballet can be left out here), were working their way into these parks to have a taste. This sparked interest and ignited the desire for skiers to be able to have their own special made equipment for this kind of terrain.

The Idea

The idea was thought up by a couple Canadian mogul ski coaches – Mike Douglas and Steve Fearing. They wanted a ski that would allow their mogul athletes (and themselves) to be able to ski the terrain parks of the time and push the boundaries of freestyle skiing. At the time, freestyle skis did exist, however, they were essentially snow blades which seriously limited the magnitude of the tricks that were able to be performed. Essentially everyone involved in the freestyle ski community was pressing for a more capable ski. Developing and creating an entirely new rendition of a ski wasn’t a simple process. Numerous companies shot down the initial promo video titled “Air Carving”, and it appeared the dream to develop a new style of ski had vanished. It wasn’t until Salomon replied with a yes that the idea became a reality. And so, the 1080 was born.

The Impact of the Ski

Salomon had hit a home run with the ski. The 1080 certainly became more than the sum of it’s parts as it totally flipped skiing on its head. The true freestyle movement had begun, and new school skiing was taking the fight back to snowboarding. The success of the Salomon 1080 blew up the market. The freestyle ski community had what they needed and as a result – and viewing Salomons success many existing companies, and new companies began to take the twin tip design and play around with it. It’s hard to imagine where skiing, especially freestyle skiing would be today if it weren’t for the developments of the Salomon 1080.

The Ski Itself

Being the catalyst for the freestyle movement, Salomon kept the 1080 in the line-up for many years. From 1998 to 2007 the 1080 was Salomon’s most predominant park and freestyle ski. The ski was built up with Salomons ‘Spaceframe’ construction. Having a modern look at this ski may show that this ski wouldn’t hold up to today’s standards. A composite core surrounded by cap construction – certainly not one of the most durable skis out there, but let’s remember this ski is from 1998. The sidecut was respectable for a freestyle ski coming in at 114-80-108, with a 14 meter radius. Over the lifespan, the 1080 never saw a complete overhaul. It was like an American Car company holding onto one its former darling children, even though they knew it eventually grew old and tired they didn’t want to see it go. 2007 marked the end of the 1080 reign in the market, with the Salomon Foil taking over for the 2008 season.

The Final Take

The Salomon 1080 is a legendary ski – not only for what it allowed people to do on the hill, but how it shaped and morphed the industry into what it is today. A true catalyst to the freestyle movement. A ski that pushed and pressured industry leaders to follow suit simply to keep up and a ski that caused the formation of countless small brands. The Salomon 1080 may just be the most important ski to have ever been created.

https://www.salomon.com/en-ca/athlete/mike-douglas, https://www.newschoolers.com/reviews/847/1080 , https://www.freeride.com/gear/skis/2008/salomon/ , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKkyygSGa0U , http://solomon1080.wikidot.com/how-to-edit-pages , https://www.xgamesmediakit.com/read-me

My Current Gear

K2 Mindbender 108Ti

Hopefully will be putting a Pivot 18 on them – once I can get my hands on a pair. These skis will likely be the daily drivers. Some say they’re too wide for tiny ice-coast hills. I beg to differ.

J Skis Allplay

The former daily’s. Had them Mounted -4cm from centre. They’re a loyal skis and grip the toughest of ice. Fun to throw around all over place. Mounted up with a Pivot 14.

Line Future Spin

The ski that brought me into the park. My first ski since my resurgence in skiing. It gets mixed reviews with the the Griffon’s on them, but they got me stoked to ski. A true centre-mount was interesting at first, but had (have) an absolute blast on them.