My Gear
Meier Skis
Stoked to announce my new partnership with Meier skis! I’ve been working with them the last couple months to develop my own pro model ski, the “Leeper“
I tested out a couple versions last winter, some were too stiff so we mellowed out the taper and removed some thickness. The final version, available for purchase at meierskis.com is my perfect ski! Excited to be working with Meier, a local manufacturer out of my home state of Colorado. I get to fulfill a lifetime goal of mine to build my own skis, and even better, Haley designed the top sheet artwork! She based it off my ski line on Mt. Owen in the Tetons.
Cheetah Snowmobile Rack
If you are thinking about sled skiing, one of the best purchases i made was a decent rack to hold my skis on. I spent years using a custom rack that would break every couple weeks, took forever to take skis on and off and didn’t hold them very tight over bumps. The Cheetah rack system is well worth the money. It hold two pairs of skis, has quick ratchet straps and secures them so they don’t bounce around on the bumps.
Touring Skins
High quality touring skins are necessary if you don’t want to be left behind in the backcountry. Cheap skins can slip or come unglued on the skin up or after multiple uses. So grab a reputable pair and get out there.
Stoked to announce that i joined the
Swany Gloves
Swany makes so many different types of gloves, it’s easy to find one you like. I use the Swany X-Cell series the most, i prefer the under cuff style. They also have great lightweight touring gloves as well. For snowmobiling, i always keep an extra warm pair of gloves in my pack.
If you are looking for the best shop in Golden, Colorado and online to get new gear, check out Powder7.com, they have new and used skis as well as everything else you need to get out skiing.
Boots & Bindings
Connecting your feet to your skis is another very important part of skiing, if your boots don’t fit right or too soft for the type of skiing you want to do, it will be a struggle. For resort skiing I use the Lange RX 130. It’s an aggressive flex of 130 for hard charging and even comes with max grip soles to prevent slipping in the parking lot or walking across rocks in the backcountry.
For touring i use the Lange XT3, it’s also a 130 flex with tech inserts for touring. It is the most similar touring boot to my alpine boot I have ever skied. Everyone talks about how light their boots are, but I prefer to enjoy the downhill, that’s the whole reason I’m out skiing, so shaving a few grams off my boot isn’t worth the terrible downhill experience.
In both boots I use a custom fit Intuition Liner that makes the dreaded new boot pains a thing of the past. I used to have to go in 3 or 4 times to get my boot punched out, now I can ski my new boot all day right away. Intuition liners mold to your feet and prevent tight spots from cutting off circulation which keeps my feet warmer. I use the Power wrap and pro tour in my boots.
My favorite binding is the Look Pivot, i have yet to break a pair, i go with the 18 din because it has a beefier toe piece even though i keep them around a din of 13. For touring i use tech bindings, has a din of 12 and actually skis pretty good for a touring binding.
A Good DSLR
A good DSLR is necessary to capture the moments too far away for the gopro or your cell phone. They also provide much higher quality for editing in post. I use the Sony A6500. It’s compact enough to fit in my pocket but I usually just keep it in my backpack everyday in case i need it. It also has the fastest auto focus and highest frames per second so you don’t miss the shot and also shoots 4k video. Below is a great example of when you need a dslr. I put the camera on a tripod and set the timer to get this shot. Just make sure you have a good case to keep it protected when it’s not in use.