Update: This was a little disappointing. Although some of the offers excited me, when I went to collect, two of the best offers were revoked, while others required difficult international transactions. In the end, I traded the skis for a case of good, red wine of my choosing. Some of the offers that stood out included a rare print of Muhammad Ali, gold-covered Rocky Mountain Oysters, some ski pants, WESC headphones, a case of authentic Russian vodka, a naked photo of a DJ from Small Town, B.C., some vintage waterskis, and a sick portrait of Eazy-E superimposed over a nature scene that my wife wouldn’t allow me to have. Overall, I was surprised there wasn’t more entries. I had thousands of hits and in the end the winner is getting pair of skis for a case of wine worth less than $250. I’m surprised that a great pair of skis like this is only worth that to people. Then again, I know the creator of the Eazy-E painting must value it at well above $250…either way, it was fun and I may do it again at the end of this season. Stay tuned to my Twitter feed. Thanks for playing. Mike
As I’ve noted before, being in the ski industry comes with perks like free gear and almost-free ski trips – it’s pretty much the only reason anyone does it. When the ski season starts and the new swag starts rolling in, us spoiled whiners are left with an overstock of last year’s gear and we need to get rid of it. Some give it away to friends, some sell it for dirt cheap to fund debilitating substance abuse problems, and some sell it at exorbitant prices to desperate children on Newschoolers, all clambouring over each other to own a piece of gear from a C-level “professional” skier. It’s an annoying process and, this year, I am not going to do it.
I am going to give away one of the pair of skis I used last year: 182cm Salomon Czars. In total, I used the skis for about 40 days. I loved these boards but they are a bit too short for my ample frame and powerful, Thor-like legs (Salomon has added a 190cm length this year). As I find with most Salomon boards, they are responsive, nimble and fun as hell. I am stoked to be replacing them with a longer, poppier Salomon Shogun for my in-resort, less-than-10cm days while supplementing them with something HUGE for big pow days. But I digress. The contest Czars come without bindings and have been drilled exactly between the ‘progressive’ and the ‘traditional’ mounting lines. There are some scratches on the bases but nothing substantial. Never hit a rail. Might of hit a few rocks. Hit lots of twister-spreads and poorly-executed 180s.
So, how do you win these bad boys? Three easy steps.
1. Follow me on Twitter. You can do this here.
2. Subscribe to my blog. You can do that here.
3. Once you’ve done both these steps, reply via Twitter or email me at mikeberard@gmail.com with whatever item or service you would like to trade for the skis.
I am looking for the trade which stokes me out the most. This is an important detail, I am not necessarily looking for the most expensive item (although that might help). I want the most interesting, unique, or downright awesomest thing you can offer. It could be anything; a vintage pair of skis, a box of Cuban cigars, a huge bag of mushrooms, a velvet portrait of Elvis, a day of heli-skiing, a caged unicorn, five hours of free tattoo work, a case of good red wine (or one bottle of incredible red wine), bindings (Salomon only), a face-to-face meeting with Jimmy Buffett, an internet video of you singing a self-penned song about why cats can’t be trusted, tickets to a Frightened Rabbit show, a first edition, Luke Rhinehart-signed copy of The Dice Man, a photo of your girlfriend naked, a photo of your boyfriend naked, a three-legged dog, an offer to clean my toilet for a year, etc, etc. It’s up to you to impress me with a trade that is more interesting everyone else’s. You get the idea.
Do this before my first day of skiing this winter (tentatively Whistler Blackcomb’s opening day). I will keep you updated via my Twitter feed. Naturally, I reserve the right to everything. I might publish your offers. I might take an offer of $0.01 over your offer of week of catskiing. It’s my decision. Depending on where you are, I might require you to pay for shipping.
So dig through your closet, your wallet or your Grandpa’s vintage pornography collection and find me something that is worthy – it might just mean some cool new skis for you. – Mike Berard
P.S. – Here’s the sort of sick stuff you can do on the Czars when you win them. Cody Townsend knows how to use them slightly better than me.
Flashing Hallways from Cody Townsend on Vimeo.
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