Douglas Badrigian

My only down jacket and honestly its isn't bad but not amazing. Would use it in Central Maine winters and could wear a T-shirt under it. Great to walk to the gym in, or just throw on over your regular indoor wear.Must say I never used it as technical gear but for walking around a cold campus or city it does the job very well. Not a sleek as some of the other down sweaters out there, not really form fitting either but hey the price is right and I found it on the discount rack at the end of the year for about 40% off.For what this does the price is really not bad but I was not wowed by this jacket either, kinda one dimensional. Its good if you don't want to layer. Might want something a bit sleeker for a technical down coat. I've tried others that a like a bit more.

I have last years T2X which I am guessing is the same boot as this one just with different construction material (if it isn't please feel free to correct this review).I've taken them to the resort back east, and on some choppy east coast boot packs up and down Mt. Washington. I just skied 5 long days in the Wasatch last week, did the boot pack up Baldy to Main Shoot, the boot was comfy but my flat lander lungs were not.Although I bought this boot with a bit of a smaller fit (26 mondo instead of my regular 26.5) my feet and shins feel great. I've had problems loosing toenails and getting banged up shins before but these boots gave me control, and although a tight fit I still had some room to slip in orthotics. No nail loss or shin bruising either!Some tightness and pain usually translates to more control, and I have had a day or two when this boot has been a bit hard to wear but it gives me great power to push my heavy Rossi Sick birds (178cm 96mm UF) and ski a HH set on a 4. The tight fit makes it feel as if there is no air space between my body and skis which adds to my control especially when skiing bumps, something that I struggled to do with a softer boot. Also, the stiffness is supple but not agro which is what I was looking for.

If you can only own one tele boot and have a bit of a narrow foot this could be the boot for you as it is nice to walk in, although I am not a super boot packer, and it is still plenty stiff to drive big skis. It has made my skiing better and is a major improvement on the soft and old (wont mention brand) that I learned on.Hope this was helpful.

Everyone should be skeptical of dropping 100 bills on running tights that purport to cure your aches and pains with their magical webbing. The reality is these tights are the truth.Two knee surgeries have forced me to try a myriad of different braces but honestly these work better then all of them for distance running. For telemark skiing I have used them in conjunction with my baurfiend knee sleeve and I barely notice any discomfort/swelling in my joint. Great to use in the gym too!They are fine for cold weather (20F) runs, and for most ski days they are also fine. Maybe on an super cold day I would wear a second pair of tights over them. I think the insulated version would be over kill cold protection for most but then again my legs look like Douglas fir trees.I am 5'9" 155lbs and got the small...the mid section support might be a bit off but the knee, calf, and hammy support are stellar!