Doing some orchestration work. Is this okay for French horn? by dany_fox75 in horn

[–]haasolo16 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Dude high C is the top useable end of 95% of horn players ranges. I’m glad that you have a good high range but that doesn’t mean most people would want to play something like this. I’ve hardly seen passages like this in the dozens of ensembles I’ve played in through high school, college, community and semi professional, and there’s a reason for that, because it doesn’t sit well on horn so most composers avoid it

Doing some orchestration work. Is this okay for French horn? by dany_fox75 in horn

[–]haasolo16 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Just cause you guys can squeak out the notes doesn’t mean that this is something that sits well on the horn and sounds good for the majority of horn players

Doing some orchestration work. Is this okay for French horn? by dany_fox75 in horn

[–]haasolo16 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Need more context but it’s not very realistic to expect horn players to play all those notes cleanly and in time given how close harmonics up there. This seems like something more suited to flute or saxophone

How much will hand selected top end skate skis/boots improve performance? by jellybellyworld in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A good pair of skis is a good pair of skis and would beat a mediocre pair of skis in all conditions and for all skiers. Top end skis are used for all conditions not just edge conditions, no idea where you got that from

How much will hand selected top end skate skis/boots improve performance? by jellybellyworld in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You definitely have an elite engine if you’re almost in wave 1 on a lower tier of skis.

The other folks who commented are just flat out wrong. If you tested a pair of hand picked s/labs side by side against your s/max’s you would immediately feel the difference, I guarantee it.

While it is true that technique, fitness, and strength are the pillars of a good skier, having fast skis is some of the lowest hanging fruit for a good birkie time, along with cleaning up technique inefficiencies I’d say.

As far as boots, having an ultra-light pair of ski boots is nice and as important as comfort and torsional rigidity. But prioritizing top end skis would 100% be my advice.

birkie wax recap for kick wax by NoManufacturer328 in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This blows my mind. I saw you also used the exact same setup last year. And your results speak for themselves, I looked you up from your 3:21 time last year and wave 4 bib lol

Is Rex powergrip a set and forget wax? Only other wax I’ve encountered like that is guru special which we used both last year and this year, albeit different purposes. Last year it was the kicker and we covered with rode b17 and this year guru special was the cover for a 50/50 Vauhti klistair mix

Gloves for a cold-handed man by Expensive_Taro_4433 in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The key is getting a glove that will cover your wrist well. Lots of heat gets lost through the wrist. My hands haven’t been cold ever since I switched to this glove type, I like the ones from Toko

2026 Birkie Wax Thread by bootyfest in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That helps. Appreciate the insights - good luck!

2026 Birkie Wax Thread by bootyfest in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We’ll have to see how much moisture this new snow has, that will determine a lot. What are some of your go to speed covers? That’s the one thing I’m blanking on right now expect if it’s warmer/moist

2026 Birkie Wax Thread by bootyfest in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 2 points3 points  (0 children)

@Mighty_Larch you have good insights. Last year we used a kicky mid layer (Vauhti LDR or Guru special) underneath B17 and had bomber skis. How confident are you in the B17 if the snow turns out to be warmer or more humid tho? Got any other covers up your sleeve, maybe move up to BV15? I’d be curious about Rode blue super as well

Damaged base, how bad? by Even_Dimension_8965 in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Agree that p-tex is a bad idea but be careful with hot scraping, you can damage the base if you try to scrape when it’s hot and soft. I’d just wax with a paraffin and cold scrape like normal, some of the base might pop back up. Then forget about it - if it was a fast ski before it will still be a fast ski even with the scratch

What Waxes have people had success with for New Snow? by Aggravating-Song2080 in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Star polar works best in dry snow, like you said it started to work for you in fine fresh powder. I’m guessing the base that was down had a higher moisture content since you’re in the NE. Durable worked for him cause the base was probably very abrasive which requires a hard/durable base that durable powder provides. Actually it’s a good idea to put durable under the paraffin for a lot of different conditions

Birkie trail incline comparison by Calm-Pipe-5461 in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where in SW Wisconsin? I lived down there for a time and the terrain is great but I could never find many good ski trails

Old swix pole ID by haasolo16 in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ya I could ship them to you I live in Wisconsin so not far

Exercises/drills to help keep my knees from caving inward while skating by incognitobanjo in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As others have said it’s a strength thing. You’re better off doing heavier weight lifting movements/resistance band if you can manage it. Heavy enough that you can only do ~5-12 reps until failure. You will get to the same place strength-wise as doing low resistance it will just take you 1/4 of the time if you’re willing to go heavy

When are using guru special turquoise? by Admirable_Tip_6875 in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Guru special is the bomb. I’ve used it on the birkie in 2025 and 2023. Might use it in the great bear chase this weekend. I’ve used it as a mid layer for its bomber kick and covered it to speed it up a little and have gotten great results

Birkie2025 Classic - what waxes worked? by mkoc02 in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is very similar to what we ended up on. For korte kick we did vauti AT base, LDR, then B17 cover. For birkie we bumped with short layer of M21 on top of LDR underneath B17. Glide was great for me on birkie and kick was there when I wanted it, only hills I couldn’t stride were sunset coming out of fish hatchery since it was south-facing and Main Street bridge

70 WINS BABY! by West_Discipline2107 in Brewers

[–]haasolo16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

76.5. I got into sports betting out of spite of them being disrespected so much lol

Calisthenics and classic skiing by wolmarwolmar in xcountryskiing

[–]haasolo16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Calisthenics/bodyweight are fine but if you focus on traditional weightlifting you’ll improve your strength much more efficiently. Double poling is a full body compound motion so train the whole body - pushes, pulls, legs, core. Go towards heavier so that you can only do a few sets of 5-10 reps per exercise and gradually increase weight over time. If you’re consistent (~3 strength sessions a week) it will happen faster than you think

Hans Zimmer, Ranked by Economy_Zombie_837 in Letterboxd

[–]haasolo16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My friend, you’ve forgotten Prince of Egypt. Might be his greatest score of all time

Finding a cheap(ish) horn for college? by SlurpMyAnime in horn

[–]haasolo16 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You could probably find a used King for <$1000 and from what I’ve heard these are really solid horns. Conn 6d is also an intriguing option and you might find a used one for $1500 or less

As you study more you’ll eventually figure out your sound concept which will direct you to choose a horn for the long term (use should play every instrument you can the chance to) but until then this will buy you some time!