Sam Atkins

I wore these from when they were brand new to the point where they more closely resembled sandals than tennis shoes, quite literally, my toes were poking out. I received the shoes in May, 2009, and put consistent 20-50 mile weeks in on them through out the summer (except for July - I was out of the country and didn't take these shoes), then certainly less after September, as running season was winding down (probably about 10-15 a week). I used them only as runners during this time, and I have no complaints with the support or other functionality, but they were a spectacular shoe both for training and racing. If you average 30 mile weeks for half of May, June, August, and September, 14wks x 30mi ~ 420 miles in the summer, plus a few weeks of fall running puts you at around 450-475 for when the shoe had the most amount of life. Towards the end of the fall I could feel that the skydex material in the heel was beginning to lose its pop, but the durability is equal to that of any other trail shoe I have used.
In December, I purchased a new pair of shoes (With slightly more cushioning for increased miles on pavement) and retired the Peaks to kickaround status, where they served valiantly until about two months ago.

The ST is quite a bit lighter (its all relative, but 200g can mean a lot for some people) the function and performance will otherwise be very much the same.

These skis don't have any rocker, so if that is what you want, I would click on some other skis. Ones to look at might be like an Armada JJ or ARG, Atomic Bent Chetler, 4FRNT CRJ, or Rossi S7. The hellbents are cool, but unless you are balls deep in pow, they are not the best choice. As far as length goes, I would hesitate to dip below 185 with a rockered ski, at 6ft, anything shorter will feel very squirrely.

Mounting position depends a lot on your style of skiing, how much switch riding, buttering, etc. you want to do, as well as the ski itself. If the ski is symmetrical, then a true middle mounting will work best, otherwise anywhere between +2 to +5cm will allow for a good mix of stability, flotation, and maneuverability.

The shells are quite similar in terms of flex, however, there are a few key differences between the boots. The Comp has no fittings for TLT bindings, thus limiting it to NTN only use, where the Pro can be used with TLT bindings. The comp also has no "Touring/Walk" mode, meaning it is largely designed for charging inbounds, whereas the lighter weight Pro is more of a hard skiing boot with hints of touring. The liner for the Comp is the Intuition Speed Pro. It has a traditional style tongue, and it is substantially thicker, but it is heat-moldable, meaning fit should not be problem. The Pro has the Intuition Precision High wrap around liner. And because the liners are different, the shell size that is best with one liner may change between the speed and precision liners.

Yes, when, using dynafits with any bellowed boot, it is a good idea to shim them.

Occasionally these shims can present an obstacle to functional use of ski crampons, but Lou Dawson has an answer figured out:
http://www.wildsnow.com/1181/or-2-new-tricks-from-bd-ski-gear/

The bindings themselves will fit ok, however, the necessary monster ego that comes along with these would not in a million years fit into the confined space of snowlerblades. You definitely would need something stouter.

The SNS system is not compatible with either boot design

Investigate this chart: http://www.alpinasports.com/Alpina_detail/Alpina_detail.php?product=73#, or perhaps visit your locally owned ski shop, and they can instruct you further

If you want to classic ski (a.k.a. diagonal, in the tracks, ski tour) these will be great, If you want to skate ski, these skis will not work very well, and I would suggest something like this http://www.backcountry.com/store/group/100000086/Skate-Skis.html

You should be on the 175cm ski

105cm. Just over 3 feet. And you can usually find a place to stash these on any pack without any problems.

I cant get the grip extensions off of my poles, and I don't know of anywhere that sells only the extensions... so my guess would be no. They are handy though!

Yes, these will mount cleanly on the Alpina Woody Skis

The 190cm length is flexed for ~154-209lbs. You will be on the upper end of that, but the ski will still be functional

This is significantly less stiff than the Legends, it is also much lighter. As a result, this may feel somewhat skittish underfoot, especially when the snow gets firm. At 185lbs, and having skied for 20some years, you will learn quickly, and may want to lean more on the beefier side of the tele ski set up, rather than go for a very soft beginner ski - because after your first season, you will really appreciate extra stiffness when skiing in bounds. You may consider the 174 BD Havoc, or the K2 Backslash, which comes in a 174 or a 181.

As for boots, I would recommend the Scarpa T2X, or the Garmont Ener G (its not nearly as stiff as they make it sound). An ideal binding would be a 22Designs hammerhead, because it has adjustable stiffness, so it can match your skiing abilities across a wide range.

The Ascensionist is thick polyester coated with Deluge DWR for wind and weather protection as well as water resistance. The result is a fabric slightly heavier than the Schoeller Dryskin(which I have borrowed for a day of skiing, and also found it to be a bit breezy), which would provide more insulation against air movement. It would be comparable to the Polartec Powershield (I have used both) and I don't believe there is a tangible difference in practicality for either fabric. One thing to consider may be the new Powershield Pro fabric introduced at the Outdoor Retailer's Trade show this year which may be an impressive leap forward in weather resistant soft shell fabrics.

These boots are crampon compatible, however, they are not exactly featherweight. But if you are using them for approach and climbing, you can eliminate one pair of boots. The evo's I believe are around 2lbs3oz, compared to these at 7lbs11oz

From a typical standpoint, Garmont boots are built for a wider forefoot,
HOWEVER: with modern thermal moldable liners, the difference is altogether negligible. There are other differences between brands/models of boots that may make a difference in fit (Namely: heel shape, as well as flex and cuff height/shape), but a proper boot fitting job can and will eliminate any problems that could arise from width. I have typically very wide, flat feet, and scarpas are traditionally the 'narrow' boot, but that has not had any effect on my T1s' fit or performance.

These bindings will fit just fine on a pair of Epokes, assuming they can be mounted far enough from previous holes.

Its not hooded, but Montbell thermawrap is a great option
http://www.prolitegear.com/montbell_ul_thermawrap_jacket.html

CH6 is the coldest wax. I suggest checking the recommended wax on the swix wax wizard, If you mus error, error on the colder rather than warmer.
http://www.swixschool.com/web/wizard.html?langInput=lang2&menuInput=subM2
Then apply a few layers of the wax, using an appropriately warm iron to crayon or dribble the wax on first, then run the iron along the base of the ski, melting the wax being careful not to let the iron rest in one place (you could burn your bases) Then, after the bases have cooled scrape with a plastic scraper until little to no wax can be scraped off. Then brush 5-6 ski lengths with a bronze/mixed brush, followed by another 5-6 ski lengths using a nylon/horsehair brush. This should yield a sufficiently quick ski for most conditions.

The Rossi Xium N1S1 is a comparable ski to the Fischer RCS, however they will have different handling characteristics. Much in the way that a Ferrari and a McLaren are both very fast cars, but they drive very differently. Also, brass brushes are used for cleaning wax from the base, the corse brush should be used before waxing, and a stiff nylon brush followed by a horse hair polishing brush should be used for preparation.

Yes, I have packed a Canon dSLR and lens in a LowePro soft case, canon 70-250 lens, tripod, flash, batteries, along with a jacket, maps, small first aid kit, and food for a day, while still being able to fill the bladder. It feels a bit stretched out when packed to the brim, but it still fits comfortably.

However, this is not designed to be a camera backpack. LowePro has some excellent options that will make accessing your camera easier, as well as storing it safer.

I have had the white frames and the sensor mirrored lenses for two seasons, and I had never noticed this problem. I just went to try them on to investigate, and there is a bit of reflection that occurs in the sunlight, but as I said, I have skied with these for a long time and never had an issue with them, so I doubt it will affect me in the future. I wouldn't worry.

The Pontoons have the 20/40 rocker, meaning they have lots of rocker, where as the Prophet 130s (the 2010 version mind you) has an early rise tip, not 'true' rocker. The Prophets also have decidedly more sidecut and a stiffer flex, resulting in a ski that will turn a little easier on hard pack. Otherwise, they have similar weights and underfoot dimensions.
Bottom line? these are both big powder skis, but the Prophet would feel slightly less out of place on hardpack.

I spent 2 seasons on the XRs, and I am now on my second season on the T1s, and I must say the T1 is a higher quality boot. Both in build quality and symmetry of flex, as well as durability. The comfort of each boot depends on the shape of your foot, and the quality of your fitting, but the heat moldable liners make that a negligible difference. My XRs had an issue with the power strap where the velcro was misplaced too far along the strap for any real benefit. I later had this altered to remove the slack, but it was a bit annoying.
Jack's comment about softening is on track for the Crispis. The XR tends to relax noticeably more than the scarpas, especially around the bellows. That is not to say that T1s dont get skied in at all, they certainly do, but small details such as these make for the difference between a great boot and a really great boot.

Geoff,
The problem with loosening originates from not having your bindings tight enough in the first place. Make sure that when you attach the heel piece (with your heel all the way down) so that 5 to 10mm of the inner arm of the cartridge is visible beyond the cartridge housing. This tension is known as pre-load, and it locks the threads in the cartridge keeping the bindings from loosening as you ski.
The instructions are available here:
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/uploads/black-diamond/files/MM5849_D%20O2%20IS_WEB.pdf

That is a tricky question that depends on a lot of variables. First, is where your friend plans on skiing. If he wants to end up in the park and the groomers, this ski can handle that, but if he wants to progress into a variety of terrain which may include softer snow, you may want to look at something like the Nomad, which is more versatile. Also, your friend should not base his ski choice on 4 years from now, say he learns quickly, and within one season wants a much beefier ski for big mountains, or perhaps you pick an expert ski for him, but then he does not have fun on said ski, and then no longer wants to pursue the sport. Also, the body dimensions of your friend should be taken into account when choosing. Good Luck!

If you ski aggressively, there should be no problem with using these in the trees, the reverse camber makes them ski effectively a size down, but you can not sit back and expect them to turn for you. That being said, the first time you take them in powder, it will blow your mind.

I agree with Lawrence, this is not a park/groomer ski. If you tried to use it for park/groomers, you would find the rockered tip and tail, along with a soft flex to feel weak and skittish.
I would say look at the Line Blends, or the 4FRNT MSPs. They will be far more fun for you.

At 6'2" 160lbs, I ski the 186's and have no complaints. They are very stable, yet nible edge to edge. The 'hookiness' may take some getting used to after a skiing on a non-shaped ski, but I guarantee the first time the first time you have to make a sharp turn to avoid an obstacle of some sort, you will immediately appreciate it. 186s for sure.

Jack is on the right track. T-Races are great if you are charging huge lines in bounds all day, or ripping it in the park, but if you ever want to put skins on, or even boot pack, the T-Race will make your life hell. The T1 sounds like a better bet for you.

I am 6'2" with a 6'2" wingspan, and the large fits a little bit snug on me. No functional issues, but its just that when i lift my arms up, the sleeves drop about 2inches. You may want to go with the XL