It seems that like many other people, I have always had what you might call a
love-hate relationship with ski equipment. When it comes to equipment, ski
racers can generally be categorized under two types: The first time is your
classic technology nerd dork. The second is the Zen Master Hippie. The
technology-dork, from certain perspectives, seems more interested in equipment
and technology than in actually racing or skiing. If you visit their basements,
you are likely to find industrial storage systems put to good use looking after
bulk quantities of things like Maxi-glide Speed Powder, which for those of you
old enough to remember, was the hottest glide wax around for about 6 months
back in 1993. Oh yeah, we put that on all the time. A nameless coach from this
part of the Great White North has actually installed an infra-red light in his
wax room. Apparently, cooling the skis under this light slows the cooling time
of the skis, maximizing absorption. Finally, one technology-dork I know has
been spotted at a New Year's party, after one too many, with his pants around
his ankles madly squeezing skis together in a vain attempt to determine flex
patterns. Ok, so people like that are technology dorks.
