What's new at McU's

Hey all.  Hope you had a wonderful summer and looking forward to doing high speed laps with you on the Superior Chair.  People have been coming in since July asking us what is new for the 11-12 winter season and now that it’s here, we’re getting more and more excited.  These are a few of the things that are getting us excited:

Two words: portable heat.  For a few years now, most manufacturers have toyed around with battery powered jackets, pants and gloves with little success…until now.  Columbia has developed the Electric for men and the Snow Hottie for women using Columbia’s patented Omni-Heat electric technology.  With the push of a button a rechargeable battery provides 3 levels of core heat for up to 6 hours.  Combined with the waterproof/breathable shell, you’ll stay warn and dry all day. Hestra is coming back again with the Hestra Heater glove, one of our best sellers last season.  It combines Hestra’s warmth and comfort with their renowned dexterity and a 3 level heat button with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery to keep you warm (it also comes with travel adaptors for that trip to Italy this year).  Zipfit heated boot bags are back once again with their Classic and Pro models.  If you haven’t seen the warming and drying power of these bags, stop in as we usually have a warm boot in the bag at all times.  Many of you can attest to how hard and uncomfortable putting on cold, wet boots can be. Plug in your boots the night before a day of skiing and keep them plugged into your 12v outlet in your car and you will have warm, dry boots when you see Simplot Lodge.  You can keep your gloves, goggles and other items in there too!  They make putting your boots on easier and your feet have a better chance of staying warm all day.  Finally, Hotronic Footwarmer’s new e-series of batteries gives you a longer lasting battery and more control over the heat you need inside of your boots.  With today’s everything at your fingertips society, why would your warmth and comfort need to stay home?

Want to rid yourself of those annoying pole straps?  Then try out the Leki poles and gloves.  Leki’s Trigger S utilizes a loop between your thumb and forefinger to “click” into a lock on the pole.  With the push of a button you release from the pole to get it off.  It’s so easy not to mention safe.  A sharp pull upwards will release the pole from your glove, freeing yourself from potential wrist/shoulder injuries.  It’s the first safety binding in a ski pole. 

Ski boots from every manufacturer have delved into the “sidecountry” phenomenon.  What is sidecountry?  It reflects the skiers that like the ease of inbounds skiing but want the features of backcountry gear without making any sacrifices.  The Lange SuperBlaster and Salomon Quest 12 allow you to ski down in a high performance boot but with the flip of a lever, you’re transformed into a boot for getting back uphill.  These boots combined with Marker’s Baron or Tour bindings will let you go just about anywhere you want to go.

Snowboarders across America have rejoiced in recent years with the development of the Boa system for most snowboard boots.  Of the 22 snowboard boot models on our wall, 18 of them have the Boa system (some have two Boa systems).  While Boa used to be only in higher end models, prices have come down and you see them in most models of boots from top to bottom.  The Boa gives you a snugger fit around your foot with the turn of a knob.  K2 Snowboards has also come out with the Panoramic Package.  The Panoramic is a split board version of the best selling Gyrator and includes the board, Voile split kit and skins for backcountry riding.

Thule keeps innovating car rack systems and cargo boxes for just about any car and configuration you can think of.  Thule’s new car top carriers for skis or boards have increased in width up to 20% to accommodate today’s wider skis.  Fit more skis and boards in a roof top box to make more room in your car for the things that need to stay in there.  Slimmer, more aerodynamic bars have reduced wind noise and added a stylish look to your car or truck.

The winter season is upon us.  The air turning cooler, the leaves are turning and the winter season is upon us.  Join us at McU Sports for another fine winter and THINK SNOW!!!

Alpine equipment changes rushed through

Alpine equipment changes rushed through--from Skiracing.com - Alpine by Hank McKee

Skis on the 2012-13 World Cup tour will be longer than we have seen in a decade after FIS officials determine from injury studies many injuries are occurring because of shorter lengths and the tendency of the ski to “hook-up” and propel skiers off course. In a letter from the FIS to national teams injury studies begun through the “FIS Injury Surveillance System” established in 2005. Last summer the development of prototype skis - through cooperation with ski manufacturers allowed the definition of radius, length, standing height and ski plate dimensions for increased safety.

Among the results are a set of ski length guidelines that could radically impact race technique and individual style. The biggest change, of 10 centimeters or 3.9 inches, will lengthen the minimum for men's giant slalom skis to 1.95 meters. The minimum for women's GS skis will increase eight centimeters to 1.88 meters. Men will be racing downhill events on 218's and women on 215's, contrasted to 215 for men and 210 for women last season and this. Super G skis for both men and women will lengthen 5cm each. Slalom ski lengths will remain unchanged. Changes in radii are also being implemented with the men's GS ski again getting the biggest overhaul, with minimums jumping from 27cm to 40. These rule changes happened quickly after FIS officials met with manufacturers and were told changes to manufacturing molds would need to begin immediately in order to meet change deadlines. The implementing of the changes was to be discussed at upcoming FIS meetings, but the proposal was given to the FIS Council for an email vote with two days notice.

GEPA photo

The 2012 FREESKIER Buyer's Guide is in the Works

The 2012 FREESKIER Buyer's Guide is in the Works: "

What goes into making the Buyer's Guide? More than you might think.

read more

Snowbird to Extend Utah Ski Season Through July 4th

Snowbird to Extend Utah Ski Season Through July 4th

Snowbird, UT - Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort in Utah will now extend its ski and snowboard season on weekends through July 4th, weather and conditions permitting, First Tracks!! Online learned today. Originally scheduled to close for the season this Monday following the Memorial Day holiday, Snowbird is still covered top to bottom with a base of snow measured at 177 inches at mid mountain, thanks to 760 inches of snowfall season to date including five inches received in the past 24 hours. Snowbird remains skiable from boundary to boundary thanks to the unbroken cover of deep snow. Some portions of the in-bounds ski area are now designated backcountry areas accessible through gates that open only when conditions permit. Snowbird has been operating Fridays through Sundays since scaling back its spring operations earlier this month. While the resort’s iconic Aerial Tram has been closed for the past two weeks for annual maintenance Snowbird has been operating its Peruvian Express, Mineral Basin Express and Little Cloud chairlifts for late-season diehards, with the Peruvian Tunnel open for walk-through only as the conveyor lift within the tunnel remains dormant. It is expected that Peruvian Express will close once the Aerial Tram resumes operation [...]"

Reggie Crist on K2 Backside Skis COBB Peak in Idaho GoPro Video | News | K2 Skis

Reggie Crist on K2 Backside Skis COBB Peak in Idaho GoPro Video | News | K2 Skis

GoPro Rentals at McU Sports

GoPro Camera Rentals now available at McU Sports.
Not familiar with GoPro cameras? GoPro is the world’s leading activity image capture company.

GoPro produces the famous HD HERO® line of wearable and gear-mountable cameras and accessories, making it easy for people to capture and share their lives’ most exciting moments in high definition. GoPro’s products are sold and rented at McU Sports.

No more missed memories because the camera was stuffed in the backpack or left in the car. Wear your GoPro and get the shot that makes you look like a HERO.

Many exciting new cameras and accessories are on the way. Sign up for our newsletter to hear about new product releases. No worries, we don’t spam and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Be a HERO…GoPro.

Rentals available at both locations. $25/day or $100 for a week. Rentals include camera, waterproof case, cables and a carrying case. Renter must supply (or buy) own SD card. Recommend minimum 8gb Class 4 SD card.

Ski Tuning by Matt Cantrill

The concepts behind tuning and waxing have been around for as long as we've strapped skis and boards to our feet. Whether you're doing it for fun, exercise, love of the outdoors or all of the above, a well tuned and waxed ski* can make you're time on the snow more enjoyable.

Everyone can benefit from skis kept in good running condition. Let's start with the edges: an edge provides the skier with grip on the various forms of snow and steepness of slopes that we encounter everyday. We rely on our edges to hold us through a turn from start to finish so we need that edge to be smooth and sharp in order to be effective. I believe smooth is more important than sharp. Run your fingers lightly down the edge of your skis. Do you feel burrs and a lot of inconsistency to the edge? They may still feel sharp, but an edge that is consistent from tip to tail is much more effective at holding than one that is not. For beginners, this can translate to learning at faster rate because it's easier to understand how to carve today's skis with a well tuned edge. For the more advanced skiers that are turning at higher rates of speed, this means better edge grip on steeper slopes.

The base of the ski is important for control of speed. If a base isn't in the proper condition, the skis can be harder to maneuver through various situations. When a ski comes into contact with snow, a very thin layer of water forms between the ski and the snow. This layer creates suction between the two, potentially slowing you down. Take a look at the base of your skis. Proper bases are flat, scratch free and waxed for the current conditions. If you've had your skis stone ground recently, you may see tiny grooves similar to those seen on a record. Those little grooves help break the suction. Those grooves aren't very useful, however, if the ski is not properly waxed for the conditions.

One of the more common things we hear in the shop is “don't wax my skis, I don't want to go too fast.” A properly waxed ski gives the skier better control and protects the base of the ski from dirt and contaminates. Keep in mind when we wax skis, we are conditioning the base with the wax and then scraping off any wax that did not get absorbed into the base. Leaving too much wax on your base can lead to inconsistent glide.

There are many types of wax out there for the many different types of snow, temperature and humidity. 99% of the population shouldn't worry too much about this. A “universal” wax will work for most of the season at Bogus. There are days that get very cold up there and a harder wax will work better. During the spring when the snow is melting off a softer wax is more appropriate. Any way you look at it, if you're waxing every 2-3 days, you and your skis are going to benefit from the results.

Stop by McU Sports and have one of our technicians take a look at your skis and give you an analysis of what would best suit you. Our state-of-the-art tuning shop can get your skis in ready condition for when the snow piles up.

*For brevity purposes: ski tuning=ski and board tuning.