It has recently come to my attention that not only is my equipment dated, but apparently - so am I.
It all started the other day when I was going through my winter gear, and decided that it was time to upgrade my
alpine ski boots. Not that the ones that I have don't work, necessarily, but they are circa early 1990's, and I believe I inherited them from my baby sister, who likely got them in used condition to begin with.At home, we've got all kinds of winter outdoor gear - a cornucopia of skis from the past four-plus decades, from alpine and nordic to telemark and antique wooden cross country, plus skates and snowshoes. And a variety of boots, from alpine to mountaineering/ice climbing to nordic skating. You'd think I'd be all set for any Adirondack adventure.
But it's fun to try out the newest gear; it's ALWAYS lighter, faster, warmer, easier, sharper and prettier. That's why you need it.
I ventured down Main Street Lake Placid to see what there was to see in the world of alpine gear, and popped into Maui North to look around. I was instantly overwhelmed with the variety, the colors; the shiny objects everywhere. Apparently, my bewilderment showed, as the youthful salesperson (Keith, I soon learned) came to my rescue just a minute after my arrival.
"Can I help you with skis?" he asked. "I'm looking for ski boots," I told him. He looked at me inquisitively and said "what sort of skiing do you..." I quickly and confidently interjected: "I can ski the whole mountain." He nodded with approval and took me to the rack with women-specific boots, which was not anywhere near where I was originally looking.
My father took me skiing on our Adirondack mountains beginning when I was 5 or 6, so I've been skiing downhill for most of my life. I'm no expert racer, but my body remembers how to ski even though I'm primarily a fair weather downhill skier now. (It's just like riding a bike, I tell everyone.) So I've witnessed a long evolution of alpine gear over the years.
Keith had me try on a couple models that he recommended; but not until after he diligently described every little feature they had; 3 buckles, women's-specific cuff, "walk mode setting", performance flex etc. I realize these things all matter to competitors, but as far as I'm concerned, the newfangled boots certainly are more comfortable and MUCH lighter than my old, heavy hand-me-down four-buckle boots. (I'm of course, also now averse to all boots with four buckles).
This is the bit that my coworkers are sick of hearing about. In the midst of the boot sampling, Keith and I realized that we had common friends from my hometown. Here's where the "Kim is now dated" part comes in: somehow, despite the fact that I obviously have at least 20 years on him, I was surprised when he assumed that I was friends with his friend's PARENTS, not his friend, and suddenly wondered if he had taken me to the old ladies ski boot section by default. (Never mind that his assumption was correct. I am comforted by the fact that he didn't assume that my contemporary was his friend's GRANDmother or anything.)
We laughed about it as he helped me regain my footing when I got up from the bench.
Of course, I picked out the best of the best of the boots, and I have my eye on some cool new gloves and a fancy ski helmet. I told Keith I'd be back later to pick them up. Not much later, though; while I'm certainly as young as I feel, Whiteface Mountain opens soon!
-Kim Rielly is the director of communications for the Lake Placid CVB, and a skilled chairlift rider.
