Taos "Demo" Day, February 21, 2012

The present ski season is not over yet, and the new one is upon us. The strong Alpine Sports crew went to Taos to try next season’s skis and snowboards. Many manufacturers were represented and we had to really pick and choose what to try first.

We concentrated mostly on brands we carry at Alpine Sports: K2 skis and snowboards, Salomon, Volkl and Nordica skis.

There are no huge changes for next year in ski and snowboard technology. Most of them will have some kind of a tip rocker. Pretty soon it will be quite hard to find a ski with a traditional camber.

On the first day of Taos “Demo” our female testers, Kara and Ewa liked Salomon Bamboo, a little bit more narrow under the foot, than last year’s version. This is a little, playful, yet very strong ski. It is fun on the bumps and carving down the slope, even at higher speeds.

Marie Ann really liked Salomon Geisha, wide under the foot with a front rocker. Ewa also liked Volkl Charisma. This is a new ski for women, replacing Tierra. Charisma is softer and more playful than Tierra, and it is a lot of fun on the bumps.

Harvey Chalker, the owner of Alpine Sports and Hugh Casey, a ski instructor at Pajarito Mountain, enjoy German beer during their lunch break at "The Bavarian" restaurant at the Taos Ski Area

Testing new equipment is exciting, but it is also a lot of work. We all enjoyed our lunch break at “The Bavarian” restaurant. After eating Spetzle, Bratwursts and Schnitzel, we all felt energized and eager to get back to work:  to ski on new skis.

Afternoon testing went fast. Some of us wandered off the testing path of Porcupine and could not resist to try new Volkl Aura and Kiku  somewhere where those type of skis really belong: Lorelei Trees, then after taking Lift #4 and a short hike to Hunziker Bowl to High Noon to  El Funko. Tuesday’s snow was great in the trees and in the bowls. What a way to end the testing skis day.

See you all next year!

2012 Jones snowboards: The Flagships and The Mountain Twins are 25% off at Alpine Sports and on-line

Alpine Sports big sale is still on.

One of the best deals are Jones snowboards. We currently offer 4 models: The Mountain Twin, The Flagship, The Hovercraft (great powder board) and Jones famous split-board: The Solution.

We also carry special bindings for the split-boards made by Voile and skins by the same manufacturer. Those, however, are not on sale at this time.

2012 The Solution, a well-known Jones split-board is on sale now at Alpine Sports

Check out the current profile picture of Tubbs Snoshoe's Facebook Page. We all love it at Alpine Sports

Maybe this Valentine’s Day or coming weekend you will have a chance to go snowshoeing in the mountains. Snowshoeing is easy and fun and can be a good work-out as well.

Alpine Sports carries a wide assortment of Tubbs snowshoes for sale and to rent. Come in and try it. Daily rental of snowshoes costs just $15 a day. Talk to us about best beginner and advanced trails to explore. Snow is excellent. Go and snowshoe it!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all from Alpine Sports!

SALE is here at Alpine Sports, February 12, 2012

A sale is always good news for customers, but for skiers and boarders it means that the snow season is reaching its half-way point and some of us are nervous if we will hit our vertical records (counting the miles we rode through the season) on time.

Meantime at Alpine Sports we have some incredible deals on selected models of Kjus and Bogner, and Bogner Fire and Ice brands: 40% and 50% off regular price respectively.

Most of the winter clothing is at least 25% off: Mammut, Eider, Descente, Bergans of Norway, Orage, Parajumpers, Nau and some Patagonia.

All ski boots and skis are also on sale up to 40% off.

We want you to be safe on the slopes and for the first time this year we discounted all ski helmets 25%. Come in and let us help you to get the best fit.

Smartwool underwear and socks, Patagonia underwear, and all accessories are not on sale at this time.

See you at Alpine Sports!

Alpine Sports is having a SALE!

Mark and Felix reaching the Radio Towers on Tesuque Peak on Friday, February 10, 2012

If you have not gone skiing yet, or you think that the last 3 inches we’ve gotten is not enough, you must be crazy, very busy or just plain lazy. Yesterday was good; today, Friday, was even better. It was warmer today, the wind drifts softened up and with the wind moving all that snow around you could still find fresh powder on Cornice, Big Rocks’ chute #4, and the best snow today in Desperado Glade. We started calling it glade because it has so many great tree lines, we know of a least four, and some skiers told us you may find even more when the snow keeps coming and filling it in.

The highlight of the day: the short hike to the Radio Towers and dropping in above Cornice and working our way down close to the lower rope where the snow stays fresh and soft. A little back-country feel for sure!

The girls: Kelly and Laura are headed toward the Radio Towers on Tesuque Peak on Friday, February 10, 2012

SKILOGIK skis come with an owner’s manual which tells about how they were made and how to take care of them. It also gives mounting tips and general tuning suggestions.

Alpine Sports brought in only 3 pairs of this exquisite line: the Isis RL in 158 (featured in the picture on the right) and 166 lengths are all-mountain womens skis and the Rave in 182 length is for the guys. These are great looking skis indeed!
We also checked ther Facebook page and liked their profile pic. Go SKILOGIK!

SKILOGIK

The rental shop was busy today at Alpine Sports. Skis of all lengths and widths were going out to try that unexpected dump of 17 inches. And guess what? More is on the way. We at Alpine  Sports usually go to NOAA Weather. First we look up Santa Fe, NM and then we scroll down to the map, then we go up and to the right and  give it one plus and we see Lake Peak on the map and we click:

It looks like more snow is maybe on its way

Ian Troxell, from Alpine Sports, is dressing a mannequin in a back-country outfit

We are approaching mid-season; time is flying by. In the new window decor, we replaced well- insulated parkas with various shells from Mammut. The new window, designed by Ian Troxell, an AT skier himself, has a more “free-ride” and back-country feel.

We carry a wide assortment of back-country skiing products from Black Diamond: probes, shovels, skins of various sizes, and much more. Please, come and check it out.

New window has a more free-ride and back-country feel

If you need anything you forgot the first time you sent your kid up the mountain, just remember, we have it all here at Alpine Sports, just on your way up Hyde Park Road. Kid’s helmets, googles, new gloves to replace the lost ones, layering pieces to stay warm, ski socks, you name it. Alpine Sports has it all. Lack of some of these “goodies” can ruin your child’s experience. And this is no good. We want all kids to love to be outdoors, in the snow skiing or riding. Cold and snow are fun, you just have to be prepared for it and we at Alpine Sports can help you.

Youth Programs participants meet at the bottom of the Quad chair lift at the Santa Fe Ski Area, January 2012