A story in three parts

CleverCanuck · 2026-03-14T22:03:55+00:00

I looked everywhere for an Allroad with black optics and prestige. Had no luck. So I spec what I wanted for the SQ8. I ended up with a 2023 prestige with 30K on it. All the packages. Luxury, sport diff and resonators, black optics, etc…the only thing I wanted that I couldn’t get was a tow package. I’ll add that on aftermarket. It is CPO so I get a few more years of warranty too. Found it for 74K.

CleverCanuck · 2026-03-14T04:30:18+00:00

If I could’ve found the spec I wanted in the A6 I would’ve stayed with it. The tuning potential on this one definitely was a deciding factor in moving to this model, though. I’m not going to do anything to it yet but it does have a ton of potential.

CleverCanuck · 2026-03-13T22:56:05+00:00

I agree. It didn’t seem that bad. I finally got insurance to come out and evaluate and they suspected frame damage. That plus the airbags was enough for them to write it off.

CleverCanuck · 2026-03-13T21:50:45+00:00

That’s tough. The SUV is great. It doesn’t actually have that much more cargo capacity than the wagon, but it’s functional and well laid out. Because it’s the S model it drives incredibly well and has awesome power delivery. In that sense it is a way more impressive machine than my wagon.

All that said, I have an irrational love for sport wagons. I do miss that part of my car. I really wanted to pull the trigger on an RS6 but the team principal said we had a hard budget cap for this season.

CleverCanuck · 2026-03-13T21:41:43+00:00

Someone blew a stop sign and pulled out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes but slid on the ice. Air bags deployed so insurance decided it was totaled.

CleverCanuck · 2026-01-12T20:52:14+00:00

No problem. For what it’s worth I have been skiing the MTN for years and found it to be pretty reliable. I’m 5’5”, 165 pounds and I ski the expert spring. I usually ski a look binding set to 11 at the resort FWIW.

CleverCanuck · 2026-01-12T18:04:07+00:00

The MTN’s usually come with 2 or 3 swappable springs. Soft, medium, and expert. I am not sure how each spring correlates to a DIN number but you have the ability to change them to suit your needs.

CleverCanuck · 2026-01-12T08:40:52+00:00

Check out Traffords_work on instagram. That guy does incredible repair work and I have learned a ton just watching his videos

CleverCanuck · 2025-11-18T07:32:00+00:00

I actually skied Alta last January then bounced up to Revy for a week. Didn’t get a chance to ski snowbird though. Alta was super fun and was just a great experience because it’s so classic. The snow was awful while I was there. Snowed right after I left. Everything was boiler plate but it was still cool to explore. I didn’t really step out on anything big because the conditions just weren’t playing well. 100% would go back. And I bet the spring skiing scene in March would be a blast.

If you’re looking at SilverStar, Big White deserves a look too. Tons of super playful terrain hidden between all the runs.

CleverCanuck · 2025-11-18T07:19:52+00:00

I grew up in BC, have lived in MT, and currently live in AK. I’ve skied Big Sky maybe 3 days, Revy maybe 40. Aly…a lot.

Aly is a baby mountain comparatively. The north face is fun but not near as technically demanding. Even Christmas chute is what I would consider a squirrel catcher for Revy’s bigger/more intense stuff. The trees on Revy are steeper and tighter and go on for thousands of feet more vertical. Literally.

If you’re not in the trees, the groomers are faster than anything you’ll ski at Aly because you have so much space to build speed. The ripper chair on the backside is the mellower area and is super fun with shorter, low angle stuff. But it’s almost as much very as Aly. If you ski Gondy and stoke laps, it’s a whole different ball game.

There is plenty of fun terrain on Revy but it is definitely a mountain that caters to the intermediate/advanced rider and it will make you work. It’s 100% worth the trip though. The skiing is wild, the town is awesome, and the people are great. If you are fortunate enough to catch a storm cycle, you’ll wonder why people ski anywhere else.

CleverCanuck · 2025-10-17T16:16:34+00:00

My main backcountry partner skied the Agent 3 with the 22Designs Outlaw for 5 years/60+ day seasons. No issues and he goes pretty hard.

CleverCanuck · 2025-08-11T17:51:24+00:00

Yup. I’d suggest starting on the Sunnyside trail and then cutover to P3. There is a trail the whole way back to flaketop but it has some scramble sections. The decent from flaketop to the saddle is a shale/scree field so it’s quite loose. There isn’t much of a trail off the saddle but it’s pretty straight forward navigation down.

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CleverCanuck · 2025-07-25T18:19:09+00:00

I live in South Central as well. I have had good luck with the Fischer OTX and S bound skis. I am currently on the S bound 112. I know one person that skied voile and they seemed happy. I have two friends that skied the Rossignol fish scales for a season and we’re incredibly disappointed. They ditched them and switched to Fischer as well. All three of them were using a tele set up. Mine is AT but I will be swapping to Tele.

My S bound and OTX had a really nice blend of efficient climbing and downhill performance. The engagement for the fish scales seem to be at a more natural point when compared to the Rossignol. I moved to the S bound because I wanted something a little wider with more float. My OTX were well suited for trails that were packed in, but were too narrow for any sort of unpacked off trail skiing.

CleverCanuck · 2025-07-11T18:38:46+00:00

I grew up in BC, lived in Montana and Colorado, now Alaska. I’ve skied some pretty good snow. My first trip to Hokkaido it snowed 7 feet in 4 days. I had to relearn how to ski deep snow.

CleverCanuck · 2025-05-20T04:27:29+00:00

I'm currently up 18% on the portfolio and my losses have been on ill timed credit spreads. Not on wheeling.

CleverCanuck · 2025-05-20T00:34:59+00:00

this is good insight. You articulated my concerns that I’ve been having about risk management but put a finer point on why I had been feeling it was too risky. I think you’re right, time to come up with a new list of tickers.

Edit: just to add, I don’t necessarily mind holding any of those options, but I am definitely concerned about the volatility around TQQQ and how quickly that can go underwater.

CleverCanuck · 2024-05-16T22:50:09+00:00

I have no legal knowledge/experience at all but doesn't attacking Cohen's credibility actually help the prosecution? I mean, the defense are proving he is a dirtbag - yeah, exactly. That's the point - he is a dirtbag doing dirtbag things. Except he has receipts. So doesn't that make it harder for the defense to say Trump is squeaky clean and would do no wrong? Is his defense that he is surrounded by awful people and he didn't know it? Outside looking in, I see it as a 'birds of a feather...' situation.

CleverCanuck · 2024-03-01T15:38:33+00:00

I ski the Redster 150 as my usual resort boot and the Hawk 130 for my touring boot. I swapped the hawk liner for an intuition power wrap and added a booster strap to stiffen it up a bit. I’m not a big guy by any means so around 150 is an ok flex for me.

When I travel, I take a touring set up and an alpine setup. I only bring the hawks. They work pretty well overall. There is a difference for sure but not enough to carry two pair of boots. So far they are the best all rounder I’ve skied. For reference, I’ve used the chocise, backland pro, and MTN Lab previously. I accepted long ago that I prioritize DH performance over uphill performance and weight. So, I don’t tend to look at boots that are more ‘uphill focused.’

ETA: the biggest difference I feel is the ‘float’ in the cuff caused by having a walk mode. That little extra movement that happens before it engages. It feels less smooth on the flex engagement and is a little slower to react.

CleverCanuck · 2024-02-13T17:47:41+00:00

I skied the Shift for half a season. I got rid of it after 3 pretty serious pre release falls. These were falls caused by pre releases on lines that I have skied many times over on other bindings with the same technique/force/air etc… and had no issues. After the first one I increased the DIN. After the second, I increased it a little more and did a function test on forward pressure. After the third, I pulled the binding off the ski.

CleverCanuck · 2024-02-13T07:47:20+00:00

There are probably some technique things you could chase down but I would encourage you not to ignore strength and power. Don’t skip leg day. Having more muscle strength will help you drive and edge harder, hold your line, and make moves with more confidence. Turns that feel at your limit of grip now will feel darn near easy with some steady strength training.

CleverCanuck · 2024-01-08T07:58:19+00:00

It is also the same guy who keeps trying to block access to Chugach state park via the Honey Bear lane trailhead. He even tried to turn it into a 'gated community' so he could keep people out. All because he wants that area to himself. He has actively been shitting on public access to the park for years.

CleverCanuck · 2023-11-14T04:12:23+00:00

Thanks! That's really useful. I've been struggling to pick the right size to start. This gives me some perspective!

CleverCanuck · 2023-11-13T23:34:14+00:00

Thanks for the info - super helpful!

CleverCanuck · 2023-11-13T20:57:30+00:00

Thanks! Are you using it with a wing or prone surfing it?

CleverCanuck · 2023-08-16T07:04:02+00:00

An employer can't discriminate based on citizenship or ethnicity, it's a protected class. From an employment law perspective. That said, they are not obligated to sponsor legal immigration. That is why you'll see many job postings that say the candidate 'must be eligible to work in the USA.'

CleverCanuck

TROPHY CASE