How much of a gear person are you?

[mattchuck2]

I am currently a gear person, but only because I can afford it right now. Back when I was a bit younger I didn't really care what I had.

I agree with this. My gearheadedness is directly proportional to the amount of disposable income that I have. I can go years without buying gear, but as soon as I get a raise, it's on a brand new Flexon.

 

[Grassi21]

I got the bug bad.

First it was lacrosse. Now that I am coaching more than playing I've calmed down a bit.

Then came skiing. This is my second season on my current boards and I am dying for a new pair. Will end up upgrading at the season's end. Boots should last me at least 3 or 4 more seasons. The custom foot-beds are worth it. Add in clothing, bag, etc and I start to feel guilty. ;-) When it was time to buy wifey gear I had a better idea what to look for. She has a nicer set-up than I do.

Finally, kayaking. But in my defense I got hooked up with a very generous gift card from the HS lacrosse booster club. Combine that with my birthday and I found a new hobby. I ended up with a used 16' touring boat, good paddle, PFD, safety gear, etc. Hoping the booster club will come through this year for a pair of boards.

I'm not sure if I'm addicted to these activities as much as addicted to the gear. I love researching, experimenting, and finding the perfect whatever. As I write this I'm planning on putting on my boots tonight and will make sure wifey does the same.

 

[millerm277]

I'm not much of a gear person. For clothing...duct tape fixes all. Skis get replaced when destroyed, and I haven't worn out a pair of boots yet.

 

[Trekchick]

How much of a gear guy / gal are you?

Is that a rhetorical question?

 

[gorgonzola]

i'm a gear head wannabe but am forced to keep it in check and constantly search for value (=last years model , maybe not exactly the models that i want, ride'm for 3-4 years etc.) to keep myself, the wife and kids outfitted for skiing (5prs/1snwbd) mtb's (8 right now) ice hockey (son and i both playing) lacrosse, field hockey, long board, tiddly winks, etc, etc......

 

[Greg]

I'm not a total gear whore. I usually get 2 or 3 seasons, at least, out of a pair of skis. I bought my first pair of specialty (bump) skis this year which I'm excited about. BTW, boots and a good boot fitting with custom foot beds are not overrated. They may very well change the way you ski....for the better. Good quality, waterproof clothing is also not overrated. I skied a cool rainy December evening at Jiminy a few years ago and after getting soaked, vowed to get better ski clothing. Since then, I've skied in all-day pouring rain as well as -30 wind chills (-15 air temp) and it didn't phase me.

 

[riverc0il]

I am into having the right tool for the job. Some might suggest this makes me a gear person. Marc points out that I buy skis like it is going out of style, but in the past four years I have broken three pairs of skis (two manufacturer issues with one covered under warranty and the third hit one too many rocks). I also appreciate the performance of Alpine gear compared to AT and prefer having a different setup for touring. And I am a firm believer that mid-fat > than fat when there is no fresh powder, so a quiver containing an every day ski and powder ski works for my preferences. So then I need two pairs of boots and touring brings into consideration a crap ton more gear issues including poles, packs, skins, layering, clothing, etc. etc. etc.

Skiing is my passion. Some men build home entertainment systems or buy cars that equal their yearly salary and put in multi-thousand dollar stereo units. I buy a crap load of skiing stuff and usually manage to do it on the cheap. Nothing wrong with that and size of the gear closet certainly has nothing to do with skill. Not like most of us are running out and buying SKI Magazine's mid-fat of the year every single year and only skiing two or three days. I get in 30+ and hope for 50+ this season and beat my gear up.

 

[prisnah]

too much. I got so much gear laying around that I'm worried I might not get to use it all this season. Anytime I see something that's a bargain and I can use, I jump, figuring I'll use it a few times and then sell it on a discount. Although then when its time to get rid of it, I just can't bear the thought of dropping something from the lineup sometimes. Just too much sentimental value....although I'll get over that soon enough when I realize having a ton of gear doesn't help me pay bills :sad:

 

[snowmonster]

Pretty much bitten by the bug. I guess I'm like my father who had all these tennis rackets when tennis was hot in the 70's. Basically, I'm in the process of upgrading my gear. I got into the sport when money was tight and had to buy the cheapest stuff I could find at a time when I had no knowledge about what I was getting. After a while, my starter kit was just not enough.

Anyway, aside from the "quiver," I invest in tuning and waxing equipment too. I like taking care of my gear so that they take care of me out there.

 

[tequiladoug]

boots=5-6 years old, finally bought new skiis last year (left overs marked way down), my poles are ancient.......I cant even tell you what brand any of them are.

 

[Vinny]

Hmmm, let me think.

I have the same rear entry boots that I've been threatening to upgrade every season for the past 10 years. This is the year...I promise! But the real kicker was when my wife and I were in Vail this past summer (hiking not skiing) and found my wife's K2's on display in the Ski Museum! That definitely got her in upgrade mode.

So I guess, no, we're not gear hounds, but the fun quotient is no less.

 

[DEVO]

boots=5-6 years old, finally bought new skiis last year (left overs marked way down), my poles are ancient.......I cant even tell you what brand any of them are.

I can tell you every brand of every piece of gear I own. I can tell you lengths of the poles (even the ones I cut down a little), every dimension of all the pairs of skis I own and their turn radius, the flex index of all the boots, the DIN limits of all the bindings and what they are each set at AND where on each pair of skis they are mounted, what degree of bevel all my skis have been tuned to, what temp wax is on each pair at any given time....

shall I go on.....

 

[koreshot]

I can tell you every brand of every piece of gear I own. I can tell you lengths of the poles (even the ones I cut down a little), every dimension of all the pairs of skis I own and their turn radius, the flex index of all the boots, the DIN limits of all the bindings and what they are each set at AND where on each pair of skis they are mounted, what degree of bevel all my skis have been tuned to, what temp wax is on each pair at any given time....

shall I go on.....

You know all this stuff about your gear... so why do you suck at skiing so much? ... the only decent skiing I have seen from you is shredding some stupid woods and doing 360s at looney speeds. Pathetic.

 

[DEVO]

Ugh... sarcasm on forums never works.

http://forums.alpinezone.com/17416-quiver-pics.html

You know all this stuff about your gear... so why do you suck at skiing so much? ... the only decent skiing I have seen from you is shredding some stupid woods and doing 360s at looney speeds. Pathetic.

OK, now that attempt at internet sarcasm was better....at least I hope that was "internet sarcasm"

 

[koreshot]

OK, now that attempt at internet sarcasm was better....at least I hope that was "internet sarcasm"

Thanks, working on it. There is some seriously good skiing in those videos.