Congrats Jared on your PSIA certification! And I am envious that you at Tahoe got so much snow! We have snow on Mt. Shasta, but not as much as last year. I'm still enjoying off-track nordic skiing here. Wondering what you might have to say about the Fischer S-bound skis and Alpina Alaska 3-pin boots for the off-track XC downhill experience?
Hey David! I appreciate the kind words :) And, yeah, we actually received quite a bit of snow! And there's some more in the forecast for Wednesday - Saturday. Not sure if this next storm will amount to much, but at this point in the season all of the extra precip is a bonus. As to your question, I run my S-bound 112s with the Alpina Alaska 75mm boots a lot in deep snow conditions. I like the setup as the boots offer a lot of support and the basic 3-pin enables me to exert a fair amount of pressure onto the ski. But the setup isn't so rigid that I'd ever worry about ripping out the bindings from the skis (due to too much pressure being placed on the bindings) or breaking the bindings (bail) altogether (like I've seen happen with hard plastic boots). I don't really have any other detailed feedback about the setup because the boots, bindings, and skis work just fine. Again, I use them when the snow is deep. So last year I used them the most out of all my skis/boots. My only complaint (which is minimal) is that the rubber duck bill can squeak a bit when there's wetter snow caught between boot and binding. Not a big deal though. Essentially, my litmus test for any boots/bindings is whether or not I notice them during use. And, when I say "notice them" I'm talking about noticing something that's off. If I can ski freely without feeling like something's lacking, the setup is good enough for me. And that's been my experience with the S-bound 112mm, Rottefella Super Tele 3-pin bindings, and the Alpina Alaska 75mm boots. They work great. All of that said, I did just buy a set of Fischer BCX Transnordic 75mm boots as a backup in case something happens to the Alaska boots. However, I haven't used them yet. They look and feel super awesome, though. Sorry I couldn't be more detailed in my review but, like I said, I have no real complaints about the setup :) Thanks again for tuning in, and for all your support!
@@JaredManninen Thanks for taking the time for such a thorough reply! I have a pair of Alaska 75's that I've been using with some pretty old Fischer Country Crown and E99 skis--and enjoying. But now that I've moved to the Mt. Shasta area, I keep thinking of going to wider skis with more side-cut. And, I'd also like to use the Fischer Easy skins--for climbing and descending in especially unfavorable conditions. You know how sometimes the snow is so bad you just want to get down in one piece. Jared, I hope you keep producing content. You and I and quite a few folks in the Mt. Shasta area are in the same game of doing the off-track XC downhill exploring winter thing. Keep at it!
@@davidpfurr4350 You're welcome, David :) Yeah, I'll definitely keep making videos. I think I'm just kinda slowing down a bit now that the season is tapering off (in spite of the fact that I'll be skiing for at least another month or two!). I think a lot of people just start to check out as spring rolls around. But I'll keep grinding - haha! I don't use my S-bound 98s as much as I thought I would, but I have a basic 3-pin mounted on them. So maybe I'll pull them out for this spring and try to run them more often. I use the Alpina Alaskas with those, too. I think you'd be happy with either the 98s or 112s as they're all around great backcountry xc skis. Maybe the 98s would be more in line with your needs, now that I think of it. Off the top of my head, I don't recall if the dimensions are too far off, but the 98s features a slightly more narrow waist. So better for initiating turns. Anyway, glad to hear you're still out there keeping the dream alive, too! Have a great season of spring skiing, and keep in touch :)
Jared, that's so great to achieve a goal and get your level 3 certification! Hopefully, along with the sense of personal satisfaction, it might even lead to more work and even $$$ 😉, if you want those. Such beautiful scenery on your drive with those snow laden trees. Our ski season came to a somewhat early end about 10 days ago with the minimal snow we had this year along with a stretch of some very hot days. My last ski was a combo ice and slush one, challenging but still a lot of fun. Take care and enjoy your it-never-ends skiing.
Thanks, Brad! I appreciate it :) And, yes, it does come with a bump in hourly pay too ;) I agree that the commute to Kirkwood XC is quite stellar, especially on a snowy day like this. It also can be pretty congested with traffic, though, due to everyone trying to get to the downhill aspect of the mountain on a powder day. I downplayed it in this video, but there was a huge caravan of tons of vehicles heading to Kirkwood this morning. But, I do my best to keep gaps in front of and behind me while driving in such icy conditions so at least I don't feel like I'm driving in a rolling traffic jam - haha :) That's a bummer that you didn't have much of a winter this time around. We've been gifted with a bunch of later season (Feb/March) snow, so it still feels kinda like winter. But it is jarring to go from 55 degree (F) days to a foot of snow and stormy conditions. I'm not going to say that I don't appreciate the boost to the snowpack, but I was enjoying some fine spring weather - haha! Looks like the forecast is calling for more snow during the second half of the week. So I guess it's not over yet! Anyway, thanks again for tuning in and for the nice feedback! I appreciate it :)
Hearty congratulations on your PSIA Certif. Awesome. I"ve always wondered if I should have tried for a CSIA Cert. Stoked you got so much snow. It's been a dry winter on my side of the continent so I just run the K's. to keep my VO2max up. You folks do put winter tires on, I'm sure?
Thank you so much! It's been a long process, to say the least, so I'm glad that chapter has officially come to a close. Moving forward, however, I'm working toward being on the USA Western Division cross country education staff. I'm pretty happy about the new snow, as well, but every storm feels a bit shocking this season because everything has been so late this winter. We had high temps and total sunshine for days, and then to see a foot of new snow just is a bit jarring. But it's all good, and especially great for the overall snowpack. As far as winter tires go, many people do swap out their regular tires for either a dedicated snow tire or one with studs on it. I've had all-season/winter-rated tires on my vehicles for a number of years, though, so I don't really change anything and they work just fine. Well, I also happen to be a lifelong winter driver as well (i.e. I grew up driving in snow/ice). Thanks again for tuning in, and for the nice feedback. I appreciate it :)
I'll still be working some shifts at Kirkwood XC for the next couple of weeks, but many of us have been asked to turn in our uniforms for Tahoe Donner Cross Country. So, it's just an ending of the season. I plan on working at both xc centers again next year (and for the foreseeable future). You're not the first to ask, so I'll start putting together some notes/plans to make some skate skiing videos for 2024-25. I've been putting it off for a long time because there's already so many skate skiing related videos on TH-cam, particularly by racers and former racers. So I just haven't wanted to compete with those videos. However, I think it's an appropriate time to publish some. Well, next season anyway. So, yes, I'll plan for that :) Thanks for the prompt!
Hi Jared - I know about the Level 3 Cert because I was out there with you, but congrats also on seeing all those birds. Enjoy the snow while it lasts - Janet
@@ecoengyabo Hey Janet! So good to hear from you :) It was a fun day to ski with you and the others. So funny that you just missed our latest snowstorm, too. Thanks so much for the kind words, and for tuning in :)
Congrats on achieving Level III - that is quite an accomplishment. As I mentioned before, you are inspiring me to improve my skills in cross country skiing. As far as this video, I was amazed at all the snow at Kirkwood and on your drive. I enjoyed listening to you as you drive. May I ask what kind of video camera are you using? I am considering purchasing a camera to use for both skiing and other activities. No hurry getting back to me on this as I know you are probably busy with wrapping up the ski season - getting on those days! So jealous. Thank you again for all your inspiration.
Hey Jennifer! Thanks so much for all of the nice feedback! And, as I've said before, I'm really glad to be a source of motivation to continue training and xc skiing as much as possible. Keep at it! Mostly I use an older GoPro Hero8 Black for my xc ski videos. It seems to do an adequate job, although I'm sure newer models will probably have some nicer options. But I'm now pretty familiar with this particular camera that I know what I can and can't do with it. Honestly, though, I don't do much by way of creative shots. I often just use whatever terrain and or simple mounts that I can come up with to capture some useable footage to tell a little story. And I generally only use three different transitions (dissolve frame-to-frame, dissolve to black, and straightforward cuts). Since I'm generally a one-person operation, I just keep things as simple as possible. As always, thanks so much for tuning in and for all of the kind words. I really appreciate it :)
@@JaredManninen Thanks for the tip on the GoPro. I am looking for something simple to use. Is this the camera you used to record you in your car as you drive?
@@jenniferwoltjen Yep, I was using my GoPro on the drive to work. It has a decent in-camera microphone, although I've recently picked up a set of wireless mics that I'll eventually have to test out. The problem with those mics, however, is that I need to use the "media mod" with it (because the mics have a receiver that needs to be attached to the GoPro). I also use a 12 inch bendable tripod as a short selfie stick and way in which to mount or place the camera.
Congrats Jared on your PSIA certification! And I am envious that you at Tahoe got so much snow! We have snow on Mt. Shasta, but not as much as last year. I'm still enjoying off-track nordic skiing here. Wondering what you might have to say about the Fischer S-bound skis and Alpina Alaska 3-pin boots for the off-track XC downhill experience?
Hey David!
I appreciate the kind words :) And, yeah, we actually received quite a bit of snow! And there's some more in the forecast for Wednesday - Saturday. Not sure if this next storm will amount to much, but at this point in the season all of the extra precip is a bonus.
As to your question, I run my S-bound 112s with the Alpina Alaska 75mm boots a lot in deep snow conditions. I like the setup as the boots offer a lot of support and the basic 3-pin enables me to exert a fair amount of pressure onto the ski. But the setup isn't so rigid that I'd ever worry about ripping out the bindings from the skis (due to too much pressure being placed on the bindings) or breaking the bindings (bail) altogether (like I've seen happen with hard plastic boots).
I don't really have any other detailed feedback about the setup because the boots, bindings, and skis work just fine. Again, I use them when the snow is deep. So last year I used them the most out of all my skis/boots. My only complaint (which is minimal) is that the rubber duck bill can squeak a bit when there's wetter snow caught between boot and binding. Not a big deal though.
Essentially, my litmus test for any boots/bindings is whether or not I notice them during use. And, when I say "notice them" I'm talking about noticing something that's off. If I can ski freely without feeling like something's lacking, the setup is good enough for me. And that's been my experience with the S-bound 112mm, Rottefella Super Tele 3-pin bindings, and the Alpina Alaska 75mm boots. They work great.
All of that said, I did just buy a set of Fischer BCX Transnordic 75mm boots as a backup in case something happens to the Alaska boots. However, I haven't used them yet. They look and feel super awesome, though.
Sorry I couldn't be more detailed in my review but, like I said, I have no real complaints about the setup :)
Thanks again for tuning in, and for all your support!
@@JaredManninen Thanks for taking the time for such a thorough reply! I have a pair of Alaska 75's that I've been using with some pretty old Fischer Country Crown and E99 skis--and enjoying. But now that I've moved to the Mt. Shasta area, I keep thinking of going to wider skis with more side-cut. And, I'd also like to use the Fischer Easy skins--for climbing and descending in especially unfavorable conditions. You know how sometimes the snow is so bad you just want to get down in one piece. Jared, I hope you keep producing content. You and I and quite a few folks in the Mt. Shasta area are in the same game of doing the off-track XC downhill exploring winter thing. Keep at it!
@@davidpfurr4350 You're welcome, David :) Yeah, I'll definitely keep making videos. I think I'm just kinda slowing down a bit now that the season is tapering off (in spite of the fact that I'll be skiing for at least another month or two!). I think a lot of people just start to check out as spring rolls around. But I'll keep grinding - haha!
I don't use my S-bound 98s as much as I thought I would, but I have a basic 3-pin mounted on them. So maybe I'll pull them out for this spring and try to run them more often. I use the Alpina Alaskas with those, too. I think you'd be happy with either the 98s or 112s as they're all around great backcountry xc skis. Maybe the 98s would be more in line with your needs, now that I think of it. Off the top of my head, I don't recall if the dimensions are too far off, but the 98s features a slightly more narrow waist. So better for initiating turns.
Anyway, glad to hear you're still out there keeping the dream alive, too! Have a great season of spring skiing, and keep in touch :)
Jared, that's so great to achieve a goal and get your level 3 certification! Hopefully, along with the sense of personal satisfaction, it might even lead to more work and even $$$ 😉, if you want those. Such beautiful scenery on your drive with those snow laden trees. Our ski season came to a somewhat early end about 10 days ago with the minimal snow we had this year along with a stretch of some very hot days. My last ski was a combo ice and slush one, challenging but still a lot of fun. Take care and enjoy your it-never-ends skiing.
Thanks, Brad! I appreciate it :) And, yes, it does come with a bump in hourly pay too ;)
I agree that the commute to Kirkwood XC is quite stellar, especially on a snowy day like this. It also can be pretty congested with traffic, though, due to everyone trying to get to the downhill aspect of the mountain on a powder day. I downplayed it in this video, but there was a huge caravan of tons of vehicles heading to Kirkwood this morning. But, I do my best to keep gaps in front of and behind me while driving in such icy conditions so at least I don't feel like I'm driving in a rolling traffic jam - haha :)
That's a bummer that you didn't have much of a winter this time around. We've been gifted with a bunch of later season (Feb/March) snow, so it still feels kinda like winter. But it is jarring to go from 55 degree (F) days to a foot of snow and stormy conditions. I'm not going to say that I don't appreciate the boost to the snowpack, but I was enjoying some fine spring weather - haha! Looks like the forecast is calling for more snow during the second half of the week. So I guess it's not over yet!
Anyway, thanks again for tuning in and for the nice feedback! I appreciate it :)
Well done on the Level 3 Certification!
Neat news about the hawk too.
Thanks so much! I appreciate it :)
Agreed! I was so grateful for the call, and that it was still hanging out :)
Wow!! Congratulations, that is huge!
Thanks so much! It was a great day :)
Hearty congratulations on your PSIA Certif. Awesome. I"ve always wondered if I should have tried for a CSIA Cert. Stoked you got so much snow. It's been a dry winter on my side of the continent so I just run the K's. to keep my VO2max up. You folks do put winter tires on, I'm sure?
Thank you so much! It's been a long process, to say the least, so I'm glad that chapter has officially come to a close. Moving forward, however, I'm working toward being on the USA Western Division cross country education staff.
I'm pretty happy about the new snow, as well, but every storm feels a bit shocking this season because everything has been so late this winter. We had high temps and total sunshine for days, and then to see a foot of new snow just is a bit jarring. But it's all good, and especially great for the overall snowpack.
As far as winter tires go, many people do swap out their regular tires for either a dedicated snow tire or one with studs on it. I've had all-season/winter-rated tires on my vehicles for a number of years, though, so I don't really change anything and they work just fine. Well, I also happen to be a lifelong winter driver as well (i.e. I grew up driving in snow/ice).
Thanks again for tuning in, and for the nice feedback. I appreciate it :)
Congrats on your Level 3!
Thanks, Dave! I appreciate it :)
Echo on the Congrats. Nice shots - Awesome car ride.
Now, were you hanging up your coat at the resort for the season or forever? Hoping I could request some skate ski videos for 2024-2025, lol!
Thank you :) I definitely can't complain about the commute other than it's a tad long for my liking, but the views rock!
I'll still be working some shifts at Kirkwood XC for the next couple of weeks, but many of us have been asked to turn in our uniforms for Tahoe Donner Cross Country. So, it's just an ending of the season. I plan on working at both xc centers again next year (and for the foreseeable future).
You're not the first to ask, so I'll start putting together some notes/plans to make some skate skiing videos for 2024-25. I've been putting it off for a long time because there's already so many skate skiing related videos on TH-cam, particularly by racers and former racers. So I just haven't wanted to compete with those videos. However, I think it's an appropriate time to publish some. Well, next season anyway. So, yes, I'll plan for that :) Thanks for the prompt!
Hi Jared - I know about the Level 3 Cert because I was out there with you, but congrats also on seeing all those birds. Enjoy the snow while it lasts - Janet
@@ecoengyabo Hey Janet! So good to hear from you :) It was a fun day to ski with you and the others. So funny that you just missed our latest snowstorm, too. Thanks so much for the kind words, and for tuning in :)
Congrats on achieving Level III - that is quite an accomplishment. As I mentioned before, you are inspiring me to improve my skills in cross country skiing. As far as this video, I was amazed at all the snow at Kirkwood and on your drive. I enjoyed listening to you as you drive. May I ask what kind of video camera are you using? I am considering purchasing a camera to use for both skiing and other activities. No hurry getting back to me on this as I know you are probably busy with wrapping up the ski season - getting on those days! So jealous. Thank you again for all your inspiration.
Hey Jennifer!
Thanks so much for all of the nice feedback! And, as I've said before, I'm really glad to be a source of motivation to continue training and xc skiing as much as possible. Keep at it!
Mostly I use an older GoPro Hero8 Black for my xc ski videos. It seems to do an adequate job, although I'm sure newer models will probably have some nicer options. But I'm now pretty familiar with this particular camera that I know what I can and can't do with it. Honestly, though, I don't do much by way of creative shots. I often just use whatever terrain and or simple mounts that I can come up with to capture some useable footage to tell a little story. And I generally only use three different transitions (dissolve frame-to-frame, dissolve to black, and straightforward cuts). Since I'm generally a one-person operation, I just keep things as simple as possible.
As always, thanks so much for tuning in and for all of the kind words. I really appreciate it :)
@@JaredManninen Thanks for the tip on the GoPro. I am looking for something simple to use. Is this the camera you used to record you in your car as you drive?
@@jenniferwoltjen Yep, I was using my GoPro on the drive to work. It has a decent in-camera microphone, although I've recently picked up a set of wireless mics that I'll eventually have to test out. The problem with those mics, however, is that I need to use the "media mod" with it (because the mics have a receiver that needs to be attached to the GoPro). I also use a 12 inch bendable tripod as a short selfie stick and way in which to mount or place the camera.