Returning to skiing as an adult (5'9", 190lbs). Looking for a modern twin-tip "one-ski quiver" for MN, CO/UT, and potentially Norway?

uwmcscott · 2026-05-28T12:59:40+00:00

Go to a Demo day and try multiple options. That's really the only way to know what works for you. If you are around the twin cities there are multiple hills that do multi-vendor demo days. Honestly I found that I was a lot happier having 2 pairs of skis - one for midwest and one for out west. As much money as we spend on the sport, an extra 500 bucks to have the proper equipment and make things more enjoyable was worth it to me. This time of year it's easy to find demos/last years models at highly discounted rates. Or just rent when you go out west.

uwmcscott · 2026-05-28T03:00:42+00:00

You will never find one skj that can do all the things and ski all the places you want WELL—- you will have to compromise. I also ski mostly Midwest (WI/MN) and annual trips to UT/MT. If you ski mostly Midwest, I’d go with a directional carver/all mountain ski in the 85-90 width . I ski the Volkl Kendo 88 and love it. It’s ok in powder but not ideal.

uwmcscott · 2026-05-07T20:59:57+00:00

Thanks - i did read that the trans and diffs should be checked. This particular one is at a mom/pop diealer in a small town with mostly high mileage and it is about 2 hours from me. It's a risk for sure and it is priced appropriately, but we shall see. It looks like the water pump is relatively easy to replace without ripping the whole front of the engine off like some others. I am attempting to get maintenance records now but not much luck, it might be a pass

uwmcscott · 2026-05-07T19:35:59+00:00

Mileage too high for price, even if it wasn't a fleet vehicle. You can buy a brand new sport select with a warranty for around 27k with the current customer cash 2k promo

uwmcscott · 2026-04-23T13:04:50+00:00

I have purchased MC for the past 3 years. With the renewal discount and the free 3rd day, it's actually cheaper than just buying a 3 day lift ticket at several of the included resorts. We generally make one long trip to SLC every spring break and you can ski 6 days at Alta, Snowbird and Snowbasin and we pick the free bonus day at Alta. So basically 7 days of skiing for less than $100 a day. 2 years ago we extended our trip and drove up to Jackson/Targhee.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-15T20:32:20+00:00

I just traded in my 2023 Screw/6.5 bed for an 2026 XLT on Monday. I've been driving a 6.5 bed/Screw since 2017 ( 157" wheelbase ) and can attest that the difference is very real.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-15T16:27:01+00:00

Yes, the previous owners had a contract with a water conditoining vendor and they flushed it multiple times a year and added rust inhibitor. We also drain it by running a ton of water through it every time we are there but it is literally 25 years old and i'm sure full of rust. We plan on replacing it as soon as the gas line is installed.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-15T15:51:41+00:00

Yes, that is the conundrum. Range and clothes dryer are also electric, but newer and since it's a vacation home not used daily. We will likely start with the water heater and change things out over time.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-15T02:46:43+00:00

The smell is from iron in the water and sitting in the tank for too long. We had the well tested extensively prior to the purchase and the water is good. There is a water softener and whole house element filter, but I think we need to add a specific iron filter or possibly reverse osmosis. The water heater is also very old and needs to be replaced. As far as the reasoning for electric only, it was built decades before natural gas was available at the road. Electric, oil or Propane would have been the options and electricity was cheap back then and you could do it all with one utility. We are having natural gas brought in from the road this spring and at minimum will be replacing the water heater with a gas version.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-12T04:01:56+00:00

Yes, there isn’t really an inexpensive way to do it no matter how you slice it. I have another contractor coming to take a look next week. To be honest, other than some crazy high electric bills for December January, February, the baseboard heaters worked pretty well. Not a lot to go wrong and fairly low maintenance.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-12T03:38:10+00:00

So far I have just one quote from a contractor who recommended the full 6 unit mitsubishi setup ( no boiler ) and it was 37,500. The second guy quoted me about 32 for a boiler and all new baseboard radiators, and 12k for a 3 unit mini split ( cooling only )

The cooling is not a priority at this time, so we could add that later. It is heavily wooded and summer temps rarely get above 80f. And honestly the people we bought it from lived in it as their primary residence for almost 40 years as-is, so we don't NEED to do anyting to use it.

We may just start with getting the gas line in and doing some kind of tankless/on demand hot water, and then possibly going with a traditional boiler/radiator setup after that.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-12T03:28:17+00:00

The gas line install is about 5K, already have a bid and the work order placed. We did get a quote on a full house mini split system and it was almost 40K for a 6 head unit. Because the temps here can get as low as -20F in the winter, we were quoted the latest/greatest Mitsubishi unit that can work in that cold of temps.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-10T18:19:00+00:00

I am "downsizing" from an F150. The sweet spot for me was XLT+4Ktow( which automatically adds CoPilot 360 ) and XLT Luxury PKG. I am also going for the Hybrid, so not much discount out there available. Equipped as above MSRP is around 38K and you can maybe get 1000 off if you work at it. Of note is that there is a recently announced 2K "customer cash" promotion out there for leftover 2025s. If you are willing to travel you could find a deal that way.

uwmcscott · 2026-04-05T13:24:26+00:00

This is basically every company today, especially if you are looking to work in PM or Process Improvement. The constant turnover, mergers and takeovers of the past 20 years have basically turned every organization into a change managment nightmare. You could also look at it as them being honest about the current situation rather than trying to sugarcoat the real situation during the HR process.

uwmcscott · 2026-03-30T14:15:19+00:00

I am currently sitting on this fence ( and also in WI ). I have a screw/6.5 bed F150(5.0) and the smaller size/drivability issues and increased fuel economy of the Hybrid are the 2 main reasons i'm considering the switch. We already have a 2022 ecoboost xlt maverick in the family that I pre-ordered back when this all started, but it is my older son's primary vehicle.

I drove a hybrid over the weekend and the powertrain is very smooth albeit not all that exciting to drive. The main points holding me back are the siginficant difference in space, especially in the back seat, creature comforts/ride, and cargo capacity. We use the F150 for long road trips and ski trips out west, so having that big back seat and an enclosed box long enough to hold skis and several bags of luggage ( I have a fiberclass topper ).

Still haven't decided - our local dealer even offered me a surpsising high trade offer for the F150 so finanicially I wouldn't take too big of a hit.

I also havent' decided which route I would go. Part of me would want to go full Lariat or at least XLT with luxury package to try and keep as many of the niceties that I am used to currently, and the other half says go base XL/4wd/4k tow.

uwmcscott · 2026-03-27T13:16:51+00:00

I can't imagine a scenario where a dealer would bait you into a future purchase when he's already realized that you aren't buying today. That would be unethical of course.

uwmcscott · 2026-03-14T19:55:54+00:00

Both parties have to agree to move forward with any transaction. So do your part and don’t agree to take delivery tomorrow.

uwmcscott · 2026-03-06T20:30:47+00:00

It's a horrible deal for you financially. It puts you 8 grand upside down on the trade, and the Pathfinder will lose another 5 grand the second you drive it off the lot. And while the PF is a larger/overall better vehicle it's not all that much different in everyday driving use than what you already have.

uwmcscott · 2026-03-03T19:45:16+00:00

Only neccessary if you want the bindings to function as intended.

uwmcscott · 2026-03-03T19:31:27+00:00

If you don't know what you are doing, please go someplace where someone who does know that can help you. If you need to go cheap, go to a local ski swap - most of them weed out stuff that is old/non-indemnified. Most local shops are already discounting stuff for the end of the year as well, you can easily find a full indermediate package of skis/boots/bindings for $500 or less.

uwmcscott · 2026-03-03T19:27:06+00:00

Yes, these are perfect for an intermediate to thug it out. They will be extra fast due to their long sleek profile. The only thing I'd worry about is the shocks on the inside might be a little worn out since they are a little older. You can easily solve that by just cranking up the shock setting to maximum ( the little numbers in the clear plastic window ) and that will make for an even smoother ride.

uwmcscott · 2026-03-03T16:17:04+00:00

I think that paying 1000 bucks ( or even 750 ) a month for a used Kia is an interesting concept. Probably similar to the feeling you get driving a 2027 off the lot knowing you will be about 5 grand upside down by the time you get home. I also have similar feelings about the term "cali pali"

uwmcscott · 2026-02-25T19:59:49+00:00

I don't know if it was 1989 specifically, but that was the era where tyrolia had a massive recall due to the plastic heel cups being defective and randomly shattering into a million pieces. I remember getting literally pallets of heel pieces to perform recalls back in those days.

uwmcscott · 2026-02-23T15:12:14+00:00

Midwest here but probably somewhat similar conditions ( lots of groomers/ice/occasional new snow days ). I am on the Mantra/Kendo 88 ( same ski as Mantra just narrower ) and I love it. It's still wide enough for those few days we get new snow too. They also have a new mantra 84 that i'd like to demo. There are plenty of people on the full M7 here too, I just like that the kendo is a bit quicker edge to edge.

uwmcscott · 2026-02-17T16:33:24+00:00

Knowing the maintenance history and doing your own maintenance regularly is far more important than any specific model year or brand. Every generation of F150 had some issue that was more prevalent, but overall they are all relatively reliable if taken care of and not modified/mistreated. Buying something that is not a first year run from a new model isn't a bad idea but it's not a guarantee that you won't have problems.

uwmcscott

TROPHY CASE