Praxis Skis!

http://praxisskis.com/



One of the many fun things about writing this blog is getting to meet the great people who enjoy what I enjoy. Hard to believe from reading here and the pictures (ad nauseam) but I am not really a very social person.



So meeting folks from all over the world in weird places, be it skiing or climbing is always a thrill to me.



The blog also points me in some weird directions for gear. Which in turn I like to relate to the blogosphere.



If you haven't noticed I like bespoke clothing and boots, Randy's CCW packs made to order and gear of that quality and attention to detail. That attention to detail is what makes the best...really the BEST.



Same thing with skiing. Narrow your own focus and wants in ski gear and you run into similar minds.



Enter Keith Keith O'Meara and his company, Praxis Ski.



"Praxis Skis are “Handcrafted in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.” Our factory is located on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, where the mountains are our backyard. Our skis are constructed by inspired skiers who take pride in producing the perfect ride for a variety of individual needs and styles. By designing skis that work for you, we aim to elevate the experience of skiing by reducing fatigue and increasing the amount of time you’re on the hill."



I look at the forums and blogs as much as anyone. And the name Praxis kept/keeps coming up when you are talking skis with hard core users. Annoying at first, then enough chatterto make me look around again.












Didn't hurt that Drew Tabke won the World Freestyle Championships on "his" Praxis ski, the GPO,this year. I wasn''t the only one late to the party and now taking notice. Notes below from .



http://praxisskis.com/custom-skis/tabkes-competition-quiver-of-a-world-title-/



But seriously, I like to ski and I aint hucking *anything*. So what I am looking for may not be what Praxis is selling or what you are looking for.



Gotta love the top sheet colors though! And seemingly a model for ever use. Sound familiar?







Then the term..."TOUGH"....keeps coming up, along with "durable and incredible build quality". Come on? How long can you ignore that kind of stuff? I have a friend who destroys numerous brand name skis per season and he'd be lucky to weight in at a buck and a half soaking wet! He too now wants to get on Praxis.



"As some of you have already heard, Praxis has decided to offer incredible customization options to our entire - lineup. In our continual pursuit to progress the sport of free skiing by providing the most progressive and well-built, handcrafted skis out there, we want to offer folks a custom ski experience like no other."



*Ok, that got my attention!*



http://praxisskis.com/custom-skis/praxis-customization/



"A Guide to Praxis Customization:

*** The ski specifics shown and references to weight and flex are for the standard “stock” models. Depending on chosen custom options, specifics may change.

How to Order your Praxis Custom Skis:

Step 1: Choose your model and length. Please feel free to contact us with any question or for advice on what model is best for you.

Step 2:Decide what topsheet option you would like. We have 4 options available.

A) You can order the ski as shown on the website

B) You can pick any graphic from our graphic library at no extra cost. Choose “graphic from library” on order form and add one of the graphic options from the library to your shopping cart. If you have more than 1 pair of skis on an order simply make a note on the order form what graphic goes with what ski.

C) You can create and submit a custom graphic! Give your ski a one-of-a-kind look that you created. Click here for more info on how to create a graphic to fit your ski. This option has an additional cost of $175.

D) Top your ski with a real-wood veneer. We have 2 different types of wood veneers available; Birdseye Maple and Bubinga. This option has an additional cost of $250. Testing over the past couple years with these wood veneer tops has gone really well as they are probably the most durable topskin option we have used and in our opinion look the best. To order a wood veneer topsheet select “wood veneer” from the top sheet design drop-down menu on the order form, and make a note on the order form what type of veneer you would like.

Step 3: Choose your preferred flex. Please feel free to contact us for advice on the best flex for you. You have the option from 4 different ski flexes. See below to our number flex system in reference to the soft, medium, medium/stiff, and stiff options.

Soft = 5 – 6 Medium = 6 – 7 Medium/stiff = 7 -8 Stiff = 8 +

We recently used our flex testing machine to test the flex of some common industry skis, here’s what we found."



Yep, I am a sucker for "custom" even when I don't know exactly what I do need, I often know what I don't. Add ingood customer service. And the fact that I'm very much in tune with my Scotch heritage. Praxis allows a 50% down and 30 days to settle the bill, makes buying a custom ski even easier than lay away at your local brick and mortar store. I have two pair coming. Hard to squeeze a nickle out of me. Few companies can manage that. But those that have...actually earned it.



More to come shortly on my personal choices in customPraxis skis.

Chainsaw Art

On our outing today we stop at the Pueblo Montano Trailhead area and took a walk around to view the chainsaw carving done by firefighter Joesph Mark Chavez after the fire of .. that killed so many big, beautiful cottonwoods. He used his chainsaw to make the sculpures and to remind people to be careful with fire. Unlike so much of the art work seen around Albuquerque that has cost the taxpayers untold amounts of money, these were done for free by someone that could see the beauty that the dead trees held even tho no one else could. Thank you Mr. Chavez.

Mesa Verde :: Cliff Palace

It would probably seem to be a good bet that from Hovenweep I would go to visit the “cliff dwellers” at Mesa Verde National Park, located near Cortez, Colorado and about 50 miles east of Hovenweep. The park contains over 4,000 known archeological sites including cliff dwellings and the mesa top sites of pithouses, pueblos, masonry towers, and farming structures although many of them are not accessible to the everyday visitor.

The first stop was the campground. Even though I was assured by the Ranger at the entrance station that the campground never fills up, I wanted to make sure that I had a site for the night. After securing my site I drove the dozen or so miles winding up the mountain side to the visitors center. A ticket, for the nominal sum of three dollars, is required to tour the cliff dwellings. The number of visitors on each tour is limited as are the number of daily tours to each site. There were several slots available for the two dwelling sites that were open – Cliff Palace and Balcony House – and I obtained tickets for Cliff Palace that afternoon and Balcony House the next morning.

There are signs posted at the waiting area for the tours warning that “Visiting the cliff dwellings will involve strenuous hiking and climbing. If you have any health problems do not attempt.” Dire warnings, indeed. But the trail is only a quarter of a mile long. How difficult could it be?

A portion of the Cliff Palace seen from the top of the trail. A large part of the dwelling is off to the left and much of it is barely visible in the shadows.

Several of the towers are four stories high. Park literature states that “The cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde are some of the most notable and best preserved in the North American Continent. Sometime during the late 1190s, after primarily living on the mesa top for 600 years, many Ancestral Puebloans began living in pueblos they built beneath the overhanging cliffs. The structures ranged in size from one-room storage units to villages of more than 150 rooms. While still farming the mesa tops, they continued to reside in the alcoves, repairing, remodeling, and constructing new rooms for nearly a century. By the late 1270s, the population began migrating south into present-day New Mexico and Arizona. By 1300, the Ancestral Puebloan occupation of Mesa Verde ended.”

And, “Recent studies reveal that Cliff Palace contained 150 rooms and 23 kivas and had a population of approximately 100 people. Out of the nearly 600 cliff dwellings concentrated within the boundaries of the park, 75% contain only 1-5 rooms each, and many are single room storage units. If you visit Cliff Palace you will enter an exceptionally large dwelling which may have had special significance to the original occupants. It is thought that Cliff Palace was a social, administrative site with high ceremonial usage.”

It was fascinating. And the trail really wasn't so bad. A metal stairway leads to a series of uneven stone steps of varying heights. Then the path goes along the edge of the cliff making its way around to a 10-foot ladder going up to the next level. From there, you had to go back down a ways along a stone and dirt path finally reaching the area of the cliff dwellings.





The park Ranger preparing to climb the last of the ladders back to the top.

At first glimpse, and from a distance, the final ladder climb looks scary. This was taken from the trail waiting area before going on the tour. But, as you can see from the previous photo, the ladder hugs the wall and it was a relatively easy climb.

Shells the obvious questions?

Lee climbingin RAB's Neo Stretch Jacket and Xenon insulation layer

As thethree of us sat on my truck's tailgateyesterday afternoon a group of the local Seattle Mountaineers wandered by. Of course we did a full court press handing out cold pizza and beer to the survivors of their alpine ice climbing field trip.



First questions from those that had read been reading Cold Thistle (btw thanks for the support guys) was, "what was the best and how durable are they?"



"Best" is a tough choice. With the three fabrics listed I think any one could well be the "best". As much as it might seem so, I am not trying to get out of answering the question here.



All the fabrics have some stretch to them. All are water proof or nearly so. And all breath better than any traditionalGoretex shell I have used. And all have totally different features as garments. Those features and how the designs work with the fabric is what makes this all a real horse race imo.





Wetted out shoulder but no leaks yet on the Gortex product



Shoulders on the Mountain Hardware jacket showed no wetting on the *Dry Q Elite*

*Dry Q Elite* and *Active Shell * comparison above



*Active Shell* and *Neoshell* comparison above. ThisNeoshell is 9 months old and just starting to wet out a tiny bit in the shoulder area.

Three days out on the rain is not a test of long term durability or for that matter long term performance. Only my Westcomb APOC made of Neoshell can claim anything even approaching reasonable and it is only 9 months old and I haven't used it that much. Even the difference in9 months of use on Neoshell compared to new Neoshell showed clearly on the "wet through" pack strap and back comparisons we made.



The newest Goretex Active Shell will be an exclusive Outdoor Research product for the first season starting in theSpring. So that material, as good as it obviously was o our trip, isn't even available to the public yet.



But back to the basics...design.



I found it amazing that only one of these jackets had a double slider on the front zipper. That would seem to be a no brainer for a designer on a rain jacket. Obviously to me NONE of the designers ever hiked in their own products in a real rain storm. Because if they had, trust me here, ALL of these jackets would have double sliders on the front zipper!







You'll have to forgive the water logged photos..even my camera was wet at this point.

I like really technical jackets. Not a huge fan of pockets but no pockets or poorly placed pockets is simplyfrustrating in a $300+ jacket. Thankfully the use of a helmet in skiing has everyonemaking shells and insulated jacketsdesigned with afunctional helmet capable hood. It was a longtime coming for climbers. How the pockets are placed and designed make s huge difference on how any of these jackets function, vent and perform for breathability.



The wrong kind of pocket or an overly built jacket will limit much of the fabrics ability to stretch let alone breath. So not every Polartec Neoshell or Goretex Active shell garment is going to perform the same, sadly enough.



The Mountain Hardware jackets of *Dry Q Elite* should at least have similar advantages with their own proprietary fabrics. But I have no idea how far that guess really applies to reality.

New England Bicycle Expo!

Last weekend we visited the New England Bicycle Expo - held right here in Somerville, MA. We weren't sure what to expect: Would it be a handmade bicycle show? or a trade show of larger manufacturers? Turns out, it was a bit of everything: a mix of local framebuilders, artisans, manufacturers, and various cycling-related organisations. The show was relatively small and had a "country fair" feel to it - which was pleasant and personable.

The Expo was held at the Armory - an old military structure, refashioned into a community arts center. I did not have the right lens on my camera to photograph the entire building, but you can see ithere. The Armory basically looks like a cartoon castle, and I always get excited upon seeing it in what is otherwise a normal, residential neighbourhood. It's just so unexpected: House, house, house...castle!

Booths were set up pretty much all over the place, making use of the interior's pre-existing structures.Some areas were well-lit, while others were cavernous, which created interesting contrasts and a sense of mystery, but made it all darn difficult to photograph.



Some exibitors set up their spaces inside tents, which contributed to the country fair vibe. Wandering around the tents, I found myself craving a corndog on a stick. Ciclismo Classico had a large information tent.



Geekhouse booth - shaped like an actual house, with an actual geek in it. Those guys do not disappoint.



Royal H. Cycles took the stage - literally. There is a stage in the Armory, and that's where he set up. Naturally, the crowd kept expecting a performance.



Instead, they got to look at Bryan's beautiful bikes, including the Randonneur we are collaborating on.



Those curious about framebuilding got to see a frame in progress, with filing marks visible and flux still caked onto it.



Icarus shared the stage, the delicate details stunning anyone who examined the flawlessly fillet-brazed frames.



The finishing on Icarus frames is just amazing.



Tiny stainless steel feather details in unexpected locations on the frame and fork are his trademarks.



Folk Engineered displayed a very memorable bicycle that was designed to look like it was stitched together.



Like this!



The seams are not painted on; this is a fully tactile experience. And I believe that's a rendering of New Jersey on the seat tube.



ANT had some new mixte basket-bikes built up, with lots of nice custom touches. A few of us rode one of the bikes and I will write about that at some point in the future.



An aerial view of "ANT Bike Mike" (the framebuilder Mike Flanigan), looking very cool in his shades and cap.



And another local framebuilding legend, Christopher Igleheart.



I was impressed with the Igleheart bicycles we saw on display - in particular this unique Randonneur, built especially for Paris-Brest-Paris.



Notice anything unusual here? Hint: Look at the handlebars. There are two sets of shifters, enabling the cyclist to shift both while on the hoods and in the drops, without changing hand positions. You would think such a set-up would be clunky, but here it is executed so elegantly, that nothing even seems out of the ordinary until you look closely.



Two sets of shifter cables, neatly routed.



Another interesting feature this bicycle had was this button built into the stem. It's a switch for regulating the headlight beam. I want!



More Igleheart work. How about these dropouts!



Dynamic chainless bikes were giving presentations.



These bicycles use shaft drives and have enormously wide bottom brackets. People were test-riding them outside, but we didn't have a chance to.



Alongside the framebuilders and bicycle manufacturers were makers of cycling accessories. I really liked the Alchemist wool jerseys.



2nd Suit cycling caps were on display, made of thrifted garments.



I found the colour and textural combinations they used appealing.



Very popular at the Expo was this belle of bicycle helmets. Belle helmets are handpainted in acrylic, with the coolest motifs. Although you may have noticed that I neither promote nor wear this particular accessory, I can't help but want to promote a fellow artist.



There is one painted like an apple. An apple!



An apple(!!) The ridiculously realistic rendering is just awesome. It makes me imagine some giant accidentally biting off a cyclist's head.



Speaking of edibles, Zipcar was at the expo, giving away mints. I reviewed my experience with Zipcar here earlier.



And a cafe was set up by the entrance, selling coffee and surprisingly healthy food.



Lots of people brought their own interesting bikes to the show as well.



Owners of the above Bullitt- Brian P. of Bummels and Jaunts, with family.



Interesting wooden trailer, belonging to another family.



Vintage cruiser advertising a gas and oil company.



And a true piece of history - an 1895 Eaglewith curved seat tube.



Wooden grips and spoon brake. There are many more picture of this bicycle here, if you're curious; it's really something.



Expo organiser, Rob Hill. This was a great event he put together, and I hope it continues for years to come.



If I have to assess how the expo turned out, I would describe it as small, friendly and low-key. The upside of that, is that the atmosphere was comfortable, open and inviting. The downside, is that it was perhaps too small and low-key for what the name of the event suggested. Frankly, I think the expo could have been promoted more extensively, and could have benefited from more media coverage. Boston has a huge cycling culture, and I saw only a small fraction of it reflected among the attendees. Many people I told about it locally simply did not know it was happening, but would have loved to go. Perhaps that is something to consider for next year - and I hope very much that there will be a next year! This was an exciting and promising beginning that I would love to see become a local tradition.

Additional images of the New England Bicycle Expo can be viewed here. There are more coming, and they will be added to the same location.