Review: Part 2 - 2018 Dalbello Lupo AX 120 Ski Boots

Brand: Dalbello
Model: 2018 Lupo AX 120
Flex: 120
Last: 100mm

I should have written this at the end of last season, but my season kind of fizzled out with a slight knee injury.  You can read my comparison of new vs old boot in Part 1.  I put about 25 days on the boots, enough to give them a good shake down.  In summary, they ski great.  The 120 flex is perfect for me and I like the responsiveness of the new cuff design.  The shape of the spine, and the higher top buckle, really hugs the back of your leg, and there is no 'dead spot' between the shin and tongue of the boot.

Review: Part 1 - 2018 Dalbello Lupo AX 120 Ski Boot Comparison

Brand: Dalbello
Model: 2018 Lupo AX 120
Flex: 120
Last: 100mm

So I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a pair of 2018 Dalbello Lupo ski boots and will be testing them until the end of the season.  Part 1 of my review will be a direct comparison of the previous model that I currently ski on, the Lupo 110.  Part 2 will focus on on-snow performance.

Review: 2018 Blizzard Brahma

Brand: Blizzard
Model: 2018 Brahma
Length/Radius: 173cm/15.5m
Dimensions: 127-88-111

Wow, what a ski!  Let me preface my review by first telling you the conditions I tested them in.  Early March at Stowe after a couple of freeze thaw cycles and no new snow.  The high for the day was about 15°F with a wind chill of around 0°F.  Kudos to the grooming team at Stowe, but the snow was firm!

Counter-rotation: What is it and when do we need it?

Counter-rotation should be evident in nearly every ski turn to varying degrees.  The only time I would not expect to see counter is in a very basic wedge turn, or in children that have not developed fine motor skills yet.  So what is counter-rotation?  According to the PSIA, "counter-rotation describes the movement when the upper body turns in one direction as the lower body (legs) turn in the opposite direction".  Out on the hill, counter-rotation is observed when you see the legs turn across the hill towards the end of a turn and the upper body stays focused facing more down the hill.  This is also known as turning the feet and legs against a stable upper body.  Counter-rotation is greatest during the transition between turns and smallest in the fall line.

Getting out of the wedge and into parallel (via a wedge christie)

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I teach a wedge turn, the primary fundamental input I focus on, and some reasons why a student might struggle.  You can read that post here.  Following on from that, how do we make wedge turners into parallel skiers?  There's a little step in-between called a wedge christie.  This is when the inside ski of a wedge turn spontaneously matches the outside ski and is parallel.  The key word here is spontaneous.  It is not forced by the skier and can happen at any point during the turn.  It will only happen if the skier is making effective and efficient movements that allow the skis to perform on the snow.