Grave diggin’ is over.

It’s about 6am this morning and my final graveyard shift is about to be over for good. In all honesty I’m not going to miss the experience at all. Other things are going on in my life that require a more “normal” schedule and I’m looking forward to having more time to focus on those in the coming months and years to come.

2 days ago I had the opportunity to head up to the On Snow demo part of the Outdoor Retailer trade show @ Snowbasin. It was a fun time other than I was rather exhausted from being up for 24 hrs. This is the first year that I am attending solely as a media representative rather than juggling the acts of athlete, filmmaker, and whatever other moniker I’ve somehow aquired in past seasons. It was both a great feeling to only have one objective, which was to gain info on new products and news, but at the same time it was a daunting task to look at how much work there actually was to do once I arrived on the scene.

A couple of highlights:

1. The boys @ 22 Designs have just released a preliminary version of the AXL touring Telemark binding. I haven’t skied the Hammerhead binding much in the past, but the similar AXL was a pleasant suprise. It utilizes 2 springs underfoot and has a very smooth, almost gel type flex that felt very natural when skiing. My feeling is that the binding with some fine tuning will be a great asset to their line of products and the touring element was well thought out and excecuted when they built it.

2. Voile Equipment suprised me a bit when I went by their tent. I’ve known these guys for many years and consider them good friends and was really stoked when they showed me their new BC ski, The Drifter. It is a reverse side-cut / reverse camber ski that reminds me of the shape of an Armada ARG. I was only able to ski hard pack, which sucked, but I’m confident that this will be a powerhouse on the powder days.

You can pick up a subscription to my Telemark webzine http://www.freeheellife.com for future reviews and more in depth stuff from the Outdoor Retailer trade show in the coming weeks.

The weekend is upon us. Safe travels to those on the road and may everyone keep their focus.

thanks for reading.
-jm