How times change

Today’s job is putting up the Christmas tree. That involves climbing around in our storage space “loft”. We didn’t use the tree last year, so it’s now got 2 year’s worth of stuff in front of it. I feel like I’m digging back through my past to get to it.

I’ve just pulled out my previous pair of skis. 2m+ Salomon Superforce 2S. Straight as a very straight thing. Towering a good 8 inches above me (I know… but I was young, and keen, and they were wonderful at the time). How I ever skied them I don’t know. How I ever came down the moguls of Gunbarrel at Heavenly on them I don’t know (poorly and with no style, I think are the words I’m looking for). Even my current Salomon X-Scream Series look long now at 187 (just over head height), but it was hard to change down from 2m+ to 17xs which is what the shop recommended back then. But given that even guides and instructors are skiing skis that are below head height now, I expect that next time around I’ll be buying those 170s…