Getting Gear

For the past several years the kids have skied using older gear, including skis, boots, bindings, helmets and goggles. Actually, for goggles they had new ones but they were the cheapest I could find and sort of looked the part. I figured while they were learning and growing, it didn't make sense to drop a load of cash on gear that would last a year, at most. Furthermore, new gear looks cool, but it doesn't make you a better skier, that's for sure. Using this logic to justify my frugality, they skied on used ski equipment, which worked just fine.. To the kid's credit, they never complained and if anything, they said they didn't need new stuff because it worked fine. Don't you love when kids talk like that?

Gradually over time, however, much like with hockey equipment, I felt like they were deserving of newer stuff, which also meant cooler looking, not that seemed to matter to them. To be perfectly honest, I think they are always deserving of newer and nicer stuff because they are good kids, but it's also not desirable to spoil them. Either way, I've slowly replaced their used stuff with new stuff. It started with A's snowboard, then N's skis. For the record, A still has second hand skis, but she doesn't ski much, and N has a second hand snowboard, but he doesn't board much.

The other day we were able to hit the slopes early and I couldn't help but notice that N's helmet and goggles didn't quite look right. I asked him if they fit and he said they work fine but his helmet has always been a bit loose and his goggles seemed to be squeezing his face. Mind you, he wasn't complaining, I was just making an observation. I decided that maybe the time had come to get them decent helmets and goggles. In years past A has mentioned that she has trouble keeping her helmet out of her eyes because it keeps slipping down, but whenever I mention getting her a new helmet she says it works good enough. What am I supposed to make of this?

I went with N to the ski lodge where they have a ski shop and I get a discount. The helmets were a decent price, and we found one that he liked and fit him well, but I waited. I figured that since it was so early in the season I had some time shop around, and that's exactly what I did. I looked pretty much everywhere in the area but couldn't find a better deal. That is, of course, until I went online and found things a lot cheaper, plus I could get free shipping. Since he was able to try on the exact same brand and model, I knew what to get. I also found killer clearance goggles for about 1/4 of the price I was seeing in the stores. Say no more.

Now they're geared up and ready to hit the slopes. I think I'm done buying equipment from here on in. They have all the hockey and ski stuff they'll be needing for awhile, so I can focus my OCD on other areas, like surfing, which will be the new frontier. Check back with me in summer.

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Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Valeria Zolotoreva for the pic.