General Archives | Race Ski Shop

Goggles and their Importance to Ski Racers

Good goggles are of utmost importance to both ski racers and recreational skiers. We have been watching the progression of goggle choices by world cup racers this season. You will notice that there has been a steady upwards trend of racers for the last couple of years who are now choosing goggles with the finest optics, (and double lenses) over the more traditional “single lens” race goggles of old. Most racers know that the single lens goggle was used to reduce the distortion that double lens goggles used to have. Well times have changed, and double lens goggles are now available from all of the major brands that have distortion free lenses. And with a double lens, you avoid all of the fogging issues that single lens goggles have.

Goggle size is also something else that has changed drastically. Being able to see well and having ski boots that fit perfectly are in our opinion the two most important things to concentrate on when you are outfitting a skier. Goggles have gotten bigger for a good reason – you can see more stuff with a bigger goggle. Frameless goggles provide great peripheral vision, and semi-frameless ones give you great vision, with a little more sturdiness in the frame. Say “No!” to tiny goggles and you will end up being a happier skier.

When choosing a goggle, you should always ensure that it has a seamless fit with your helmet. If you are purchasing both a new helmet and new goggles, start with the helmet, then find goggles that work with it. The Visual (aka Variable) Light Transmission (VLT) factor of the lens is an important consideration. A VLT rating of 42% means that 42% of the light will actually get through the lens to your eyes. If you ski mostly on the the east coast of the United States, a VLT in the range of 45-80% is where you should start looking. Skiers at higher altitudes in the western US, Canada, Europe and the southern hemisphere may need goggle lenses with a VLT number in the 10-30% range. On a snowy day, everybody needs goggles with a high VLT. Glare is reduced by mirrored coatings on the lenses – and mirrored coatings are available in a variety of thicknesses and colors.

Peak Performance Ski Shop carries goggles by Oakley, Smith, POC, Shred, Uvex, Briko, Scott and Bollé. Each company has worked hard to improve their optics and also helmet compatibility. Oakley has invented Prizm™ technology to increase contrast on snow, Shred’s NODISTORTION™ technology reduces distortion due to elevation changes. The liquid cast NXT™ option from Shred is used by the US Air Force. POC has recently partnered with Zeiss Optics to provide crystal clear vision and better quality lenses. Uvex stands for “ultraviolet-excluded.” Their lenses provide 100% filtration of UVA/UVB/UVC rays. Their decentered lens technology reduces edge distortion. These are just some of the examples of the technologies built into your goggle that you may not be aware of.

It is important to remember that lens choice is a very personal thing, and that everyone’s eyes are different. What works for your friend may not work for you – for a variety of reasons!

Alpine Ski Race Suit Care

It’s that time of year – where the race suits are getting heavy use, and the race suit owners are worried about whether the suit will make it until the end of the season.

Ski race suits are constructed with fabrics that are very stretchy, and susceptible to damage. The biggest culprit is Velcro – which can rub the suits and cause them to pill and run.

We recommend that you keep your race suit in its own compartment of your gear bag – away from any shin and arm guards with Velcro straps. If your bag doesn’t have a separate compartment, just put the suit in a separate cloth bag before you stuff it in your gear bag.

Machine wash your suit in cool water with perfume and dye-free detergent. Use the “gentle” or “delicates” setting on your washer. Hang to dry. We do not recommend dry cleaning your alpine race suit.

Don’t forget that Peak Performance offers race suits by Spyder, Arctica and Sync. Click HERE to see what suits we have in stock, or give us a call at (802) 422-9447.

The best ski boot bag

How to choose the best ski boot bag for you.

You try to cram your ski boots and all of your ski gear into one single bag per person to make the daily trekking to the mountain that you do in winter as easy as possible. Ski boots? check. Extra gloves? check. Helmet and goggles? check. Extra mid-layer/insulator and/or vest? check. Socks to wear and extra socks? check. And if you or your child are a ski racer, there needs to be room in the bag for a back protector, shin guards, arm guards, maybe an extra goggle and a SL helmet and GS helmet. By the time you get everything in the boot bag that needs to be hauled to the mountain, no one can even lift it!

Backpack style bags are best

There are many ski boot bags out there, some bigger than others, some better than others, but a lot that are really quite similar. We feel the most practical and viable – and therefore the best ski boot bags are backpack style bags. They make it easy to carry large volumes of gear and skis at the same time.

When purchasing a ski boot bag sometimes the decision on which bag boils down to the bag with the largest volume, sometimes it’s the print or color, sometimes it’s the pockets and organization, sometimes it’s the price…and sometimes it’s just whatever is left in stock at the time you need one.

Size does matter

More often then not, size is the most important factor when purchasing a ski boot bag. At Peak Performance Ski Shop, the bags we feel are the best ski boot bags are the: Athalon Everything Boot Bag, Swix Tri-Pack, Lo-Pro Tri-Pack and Tri-Pack Team Bags, Transpack XT1 and XT Pro, the Hot Gear Pro Bag, the Lange Racer Gear Bag and Pro Boot Bag, the Rossignol Hero Athlete Bag and Hero Boot Back Pack,and the Head Racing Backpack. We’ve put together some ski boot bag size information that will help to make your purchasing decision easier. Here’s how the ski boot bags we carry compare to each other:

There is no single ‘best ski boot bag’. The best ski boot bag is the boot bag that is of a quality that will hold up to several seasons of abuse, large enough to fit all the gear year want to carry, yet small enough that you (or your child) can still lift it!

Now is the time to buy a ski boot bag, while selection is best. Check out peakskishop.com for the best selection of ski boot bags and buy your boot bag now.

Ski race suit Information

Why do ski racers wear a ski race suit?

Ski race suits are often called speed suits or GS suits. The purpose of the ski race suit is part clothing, part equipment. The ski racer wears a race suit instead of multiple layers of clothing and a jacket and pants. The ski race suit provides protection from the elements and performance enhancement. A properly fitting ski race suit allows for the wide range of unrestricted movement that is necessary for the dynamics of ski racing. Ski race suits allow the ski racer to be more aerodynamic, which makes them ski faster.

There are two types of suits for ski racing: DH suits and GS suits.

DH suits are worn for racing the speed events of Downhill and Super G. They are not padded, so they have more stretch and can be worn tighter to be more aerodynamic. Because they have more stretch, they tend to fit a wider range of body shapes and sizes. A DH race suit can be worn for SL and GS racing as well, the racer would just need to wear separate body armor for protection.

GS Suits are for racing the tech events of Slalom and Giant Slalom. These suits are padded, and because of the way the pockets that hold the padding is sewn in the suit is less stretchy than a DH suit. The padding in a GS race suit offers additional protection from impact with ski racing gates. The padding in most higher quality GS suits is also removable. In order for the padding to offer the proper protection, the suit needs to fit properly. If the ski race suit is too big or too small and the pads do not line up to cover the areas of the body they are intended to cover, they will not provide the proper protection.

Both types of ski race suits are made from the same type of fabric: an (approximately) 80% Polyester, 20% Spandex blend. The performance level of the suit is determined by the porosity of the fabric or aerodynamic porosity. The aerodynamic porosity of the fabric used in a FIS certified ski race suit is lower than ski race suits used by younger, lower level racers. This means less air penetrates through the suit making it more aerodynamic. These more aerodynamic FIS certified ski race suits are also more expensive than the race suits made from higher aerodynamic porosity fabrics.

There are several manufacturer’s that make ski race suits. Here is a list of the more popular brands:

Spyder
Arctica Race
Sync Performance Wear (formerly Ski Racing Development – SRD)
Karbon
Louis Garneau
POC
Descente
Phenix
Energia Pura

For more information on the history of ski race suits, read the Ski Racing Magazine article: Fast and Curious: Once and Oddity, speed suits have become an essential piece of racing equipment.

At Peak Performance Ski Shop we carry the largest selection of ski race suits in Vermont and offer racer pricing every day of the year.

Post-camp summer ski wax

What should you do with your skis after summer ski camp?

After summer ski camp, properly cleaning your skis, prepping them and applying summer ski wax for summer storage is going to increase the lifespan of your skis and get you back on snow quicker and easier in the fall.

Follow these steps to properly clean your skis and apply summer ski wax:

Clean your skis. Hose your skis off to remove chemicals, dirt and organic particles and allow your skis to dry overnight. Glacier snow is very dirty and full of chemicals that are used to make the snow firm.
Remove the residual wax fluorocarbon from the skis. Once your skis are clean and dry, if you want to further clean the fluoros out of bases we suggest using Swix Glide Wax Cleaner. We do not recommend using a citrus based cleaner it removes wax and lubrication from the ski bases and dries them out.
Assess whether your skis need to be ground. If they need any base work have them welded, the edges set and fully tuned. We recommend our Elite Race Ski Prep (T3-STAGE-2).
Hand sharpen the skis. If bases are in good condition and there is no need to grind/machine tune the skis, hand sharpen the skis with diamond stones (sometimes called moon stones) or files to remove any dings, burrs, or rust from the ski edges. Use a Swix 2nd Cut Race File or 100 grit MoonFlex Diamond File and a 200 grit MoonFlex Diamond File to sharpen the edges, then follow with a 400 grit MoonFlex Diamond File and a 600 grit MoonFlex Diamond File to finish sharpening the edges and polish the edges.
Condition the bases. To truly pull all the fluoros out of the skis and properly condition the bases you can take the skis through several hot waxing and scraping cycles. To hot scrape; iron in a coat of Swix CH8 or CH10, and before the ski wax is fully cooled – scrape it off. It is ideal to do this to a point where you no longer see any dirt coming out of the ski base. Generally, one to three cycles of ski wax and scraping does the trick.
Wax the skis. Finish with a coat of summer ski wax or storage wax. Iron in a coat of Swix CH7 or CH8 all-purpose wax. Leave this wax on the ski until you ski again in fall/winter.
Strap and store the skis. Use ski straps to secure the skis base to base, and store them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Store them in a closet in the main part of your house or under your bed. Do not store skis in the basement or garage – the concrete floors will cause the edges to rust.

Proper cleaning and ski wax is essential to prolong the life of your skis. Taking care of your skis in the summer will make getting back on snow in winter quicker and easier. When you return to snow in the fall/winter, just scrape off the summer ski wax and you are ready to ski!

Happy Father’s Day ski racing dad!

For your tireless efforts on and off the hill, we thank you ski racing dad.

To all the ski racing dads out there, we recognize how much you do to keep your kids ski racing. We see you early in the morning picking up skis so that your kids have sharp edges and the proper wax for racing that day. We see you in the evening after having spent all day on the hill in the freezing cold, to drop of skis so they can be properly tuned for their next use. We appreciate the time and effort it takes to get your child into the proper gear they need for the season and get them out on the hill each day.

Ski racing dad and his daughter enjoying a non-race day skiing together. The skills she has learned from ski racing have enabled her to ski in the woods with dad comfortably. — Ski racing dad and his daughter enjoy a non-race day together.

Spending time in a ski shop with a child trying on helmets, goggles and race suits can be a thankless job, especially once the season is in full swing and selection is depleted. You’ve put up with it all – making sure they have the helmet brand and style that meets racing rules and that meets your child’s criteria too (none of their friends have that color…or some other kid who is a really good ski racer has it…or some other reason that no one will ever know), and the race suit that they want not only fits, but fits with a little room to grow (but not too much room, so they will actually wear it this year) and hopefully it will last more than one season. And for the 50 pairs of goggle you have endured them trying on to finally find one that fits their little faces and comes in a color that they will wear – only to lose them from the lift a few weeks later.

Ski racing dad, we know what you go through, and we appreciate you! Happy Father’s Day, ski racing dad!

Race Ski Rules 2015-16 for USSA and FIS Alpine Racers

Need help determining the 2015-16 race ski rules?

Every year the USSA Congress meets in May to review (and revise) the standards for FIS and USSA ski racing. Watch this short video: Alpine – Sport Committee Recap- USSA Congress for a brief overview of all changes to the race ski rules for alpine ski racing. After the meeting they distribute a new equipment matrix that details the alpine race ski rules for the upcoming ski racing season. The USSA and FIS Alpine Equipment Rules Matrix 2015-16 (ver 6) shows the ski length and radius rules for each age category for the 2015-16 season. As you can see from the image below, this matrix can get pretty confusing, so we have interpreted the chart for you.

U14 Racers (racers age 12 and 13 years old)

Race ski rules for ski length and radius have not changed for U14 athletes 2015-16 season.

U14 athletes SL and GS there is no ski radius or ski length requirement.
U14 Super G there is no length or radius rule but the recommendation is to use a GS or SG ski that is 10 – 20 cm longer than your GS ski.

U16 Racers (racers age 15 and 14 years old)

Race ski rules for ski length and radius have not changed for U16 athletes 2015-16 season.

U16 athletes SL there is no ski radius or ski length ski requirement. Most athletes this age should be skiing 150cm or longer slalom ski.
U16 athletes GS there is a radius requirement of 17m or greater. This enables the U16 athlete to use most skis manufactured from 160cm on up (with some companies having a 155cm ski that is greater than 17m for GS). That being said, most athletes this age should be starting to look to adult skis 175cm – 188cm with a radius of 23m are greater for GS. This will make their transition to U19 much easier.
U16 Super G skis will need to be 183cm or longer and have a radius greater than 27m. All Super G specific skis on the market today that are 183cm or longer conform to this regulation of 27m or greater. In many cases athletes use GS skis for Super G and most GS skis will have a radius greater than 27m, but you need to double-check the ski.

U19 Racers (formerly called U18 – racers age 16 years and older)

For the new age designation – U19, which replaces U18 for athletes age 16 – 17 and 18 years old, there are different requirements for men and women. These race ski rules are different from last year.

U19 Mens SL regulation is to have a ski 155cm or longer. Full sized males will probably be faster on a 165cm SL ski and should probably move to this as soon as possible.
U19 Womens SL require a ski that is 155cm or longer.
U19 Mens GS USSA requirement is for GS skis that are 180cm or longer and greater than 23m. (If they are racing any FIS races, follow FIS rule.)
U19 Womens GS USSA requirement is for GS skis that are 175cm or longer and greater than 23m. (If they are racing any FIS races, follow FIS rule.)
U19 Mens Super G ski requirement is 200cm or longer and greater than 33m radius skis. What this means is that all SG skis that have been produced in the last 10 yrs 200cm or longer are legal – none of these Super G skis are FIS legal though, only USSA legal.
U19 Women Super G ski requirement is 195cm or longer and greater than 33m radius skis. What this means is that all adult SG skis that have been produced in the last 10 yrs 195cm or longer are legal – none of these Super G skis are FIS legal though, only USSA legal. Be aware, there are some Junior Super G skis on the market that are 195cm that have 27 – 30 meter radius. These skis are not legal for USSA U19 ski racing.

The 2015-16 race ski rules explained above apply to athletes who are only participating in USSA races. All U14 and U16 athletes ski USSA races only. These athletes should concentrate on the USSA ski regulations. At the U19 level athletes have a choice; they can ski USSA races only, they can ski FIS races only or they can ski both USSA and FIS races. Some U19 athletes opt to ski USSA races only, these athletes should use the USSA U19 ski regulations. Some U19 athletes opt to ski in both USSA and FIS – it is recommended for these athletes both men and women conform to the FIS regulations for both training and racing USSA and FIS events. The above mentioned rules do not apply to U19 racers skiing in FIS races only.

FIS Racers (racers age 16 and older)

FIS race ski rules, which apply to athletes 16 yrs and older that are skiing FIS races have not changed. These race ski rules apply to all athletes skiing any FIS races.

FIS Mens SL requires skis that are 165cm or longer – all FIS men use a 165cm ski.
FIS Womens SL requires skis that are 155cm or longer. SL skis are available in 155cm, 156cm, 157cm, and 158cm (length varies by manufacturer) – which are all suitable sizes for women.
FIS Mens GS skis required are 190cm or longer with a radius greater than 35m. (Most male athletes use the 195cm GS ski.)
FIS Womens GS skis required are 183cm or longer with a radius greater than 30m. (Most female athletes use the 188cm ski.)
FIS Mens Super G skis are required to be 205cm or longer with a 45m radius. (Which means Super G skis that have been produced within the last 3 years.)
FIS Womens Super G skis are required to be 200cm or longer with a 40 m radius. (Which means SG skis that have been produced within the last 3 years.)

The race ski rules can get pretty confusing. If you are unsure which skis your kids need to ski, give us a call at 802-422-9447.

Is Shipping Really Free?

Free Shipping is an important buying decision for most people.

Written by Wayne Collier of www.fljean.com

The free shipping phenomenon started when shopping on the internet became a popular past time for millions of people around the world. In the beginning days sellers would have the best price but hit you at check out with an inflated shipping cost. Most would get very disappoint and swear off internet buying. The major market places realized this right away and offered discounts and encouraged their sellers to offer free shipping. Not to be left behind major shipping services offered free shipping supplies to help offset the cost of shipping so sellers would use their service.

Shipping is not free to the sellers; we pay the shippers to deliver your clothing to you. However everyone involved agrees how important free shipping is and has done something to help offset the cost of shipping to the sellers.

Shipping to a buyer might be free if you pay attention to a few key factors. Key points to watch for are:

Number 1 compare prices on same product to make sure the clothing is not inflated to cover shipping cost.
Number 2 awareness of where the product is shipping from. Some sellers ship from overseas and those shipments run a high risk of getting lost. Your ability to track your package from an oversea seller offering free shipping could be limited by language bearer, different time zones or fine print might state they are not responsible for lost shipments.
Number 3 is check a sellers rating or buy from a reputable business. Look closes at this you might think you are buying from a major company but in reality you are purchasing form a sub seller on their website. This practice has become increasing popular in today’s market place.
Number 4 is make sure free shipping is free no matter how much you spend not based how much you purchase.

These four facts will help you get the real free shipping you deserve.

Free Shipping can be a great thing for an internet clothing buyer, just read the fine print before you click the buy button. Buy often and buy from a reputable internet seller our world depends on it.

Welcome to RaceSkiShop.com!

This is Peak Ski Shop’s new blog – raceskishop.com.

We are excited to announce our new online presence – RaceSkiShop.com to keep you on top of the latest developments and trends in ski racing, race skis and race ski equipment, as well as allow you to interact with us in a brand new way.

Through our new blog we plan to identify trends, share our philosophy and passion for ski racing and skiing and what inspires us. We not only plan to talk about our own work, but the work of other performance driven people who are doing interesting and relevant things. We aspire to provide an interesting, easy and convenient way to stay informed, learn, network – and get educated and inspired!

We’d love for you to join the conversation. If you’ve got an opinion on something you read here or a related topic – feel free to click on “Leave a Comment” and share your thoughts.

Thanks,

Enjoy!