Testing the $40 skis...

Saturday was ski opening day in Park City, so I patiently waited till 1:30 pm, drove to the parking lot, found a spot that had just been vacated by some early day skiers, parked my auto, walked 50 feet to the First Time lift and was on my way.

My main goal was not only to check if I still was snow-worthy, but mostly to test one of the two pair of “rock skis” that I had purchased at the Ski Swap, earlier this month. That day, I picked the cheapest of the two pairs, the Salomon XW Tornado that only cost me $40, with a pristine base and edges on which I mounted an old pair of Look bindings that have migrated from skis to skis over the last 12 years. I must say that this first day back on the boards was just perfect.

The weather was so cold that it kept the crowds away, the snow was excellent, my skiing felt as good as ever and the $40 skis exceeded my wildest expectations. Since I won't race the 2014 Hahnenkamm on these boards, but use them instead to weave myself through trees and fluffy Utah powder, they'll be just fine!