LanceHCook

H2OSKI Duh.

I totally agree, those guys are great, even that silly wakeboarding Jimmy kid. Great facility, awesome lake, boats and people, the vibe and attitude is all about fun and learning. I was especially grateful for their work with my 15 year old son who came on my last day. The kid doesn’t always take instruction well but he was totally dialed in and loved it.

I was in exactly the same situation as you this past winter--except I'm 50. I went to The Boarding School and got coached by Freddie Winter which was a fantastic experience. I have decades old bad habits which are really tough to unlearn and it seemed like all the coaching I got while sitting in the water exited my brain by the time I had re-started and was heading toward the course. Freddie was great because he didn't overwhelm me with jargon or a laundry list of critique, he concentrated on fundamentals. If I had any advise to give it's don't get frustrated, understand that it's a learning process and tape the shit out of your hands, mine were oozing puss like a hooker at a leper convention.

If you saw my mug, you would assume facial.

I have had PF a couple times over the years, I run, XC ski and am generally pretty active all year. The first time I had it I went to a podiatrist who gave me the injections, recommended Super Feet and taped my foot. I think I had 3 injections and after about 2 months it got better. I wasn’t impressed. Next time I got it, my new GP who is a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) offered to fix it while I was at an appointment for an unrelated issue. He wrenched on it and the next day it was better and it stayed better. I went back for a follow up 2 weeks later and he didn’t even have to do his D.O. magic because it was still better. It’s still better. A year or so after that, he fixed some shoulder pain. There is something to the facial manipulation these guys do and if you can get to a D.O. to have a look at it, you might save yourself weeks of recovery time. Maybe he’s just manipulating my insurance company, and I’m pretty cynical about “alternative” medicine, but right now, I’m a believer in these docs.

Are you thinking a pellet, gas or charcoal grill? I’ve heard all 3 have their merits.

Weber Genesis. I use it weekly year round for everything. Even figured out how to bake cookies when the power was out for 5 days. Gets hot enough to do a great job on pizzas too. Super versatile, low frills.

Birch Hill, Fairbanks, AK

Never ask a question you don't know the answer to. Dumbass. Yes, you have created more work for yourself, but both formats are helpful, the video brought up different points than the written and Buford adds a great new dimension.

I'd like both.

No snow yet, but it's coming.

My dad bought this Bayliner Runaway when I was in 6th grade. The engine got upgraded in +-1984 to a 90 horse form the original 75 horse. I always thought dad had bought it for himself, but after all those years of him pulling me skiing and me and my buddies using it, I get it that it was for me. The boat still lives and is my ward, but gets skied less as the 2015 TXi gets all the pulls in and out of the course. I will always love free skiing out in front of the neighbor's cabins up and down our public lake. Our season in Fairbanks is short, but my uncles and aunts still ski 1-4 times a year, though dad is more content to sit in the boat or work the grill.

There's a guy named Thomas Wayne in Anchorage, Alaska who has created a beautiful handle guard. I'm surprised no one on this site has talked about it. I think they are commercially available, I've seen several recently on local ropes. Really first class construction and the design is pretty ingenious.

Living in Fairbanks, AK with 1 retail ski dealer and no demo program, I think a $200 demo fee is pretty amazing. I've never been able to demo a ski and have always ordered from out of state with the faith that I'd like whatever ski I purchased. I have no idea if the ski I've bought is the best for me, have just had to adapt to whatever I had decided on. Any demo program is great, in my opinion.