We are seeing lots of interest and activity in the upcoming bus trip from Avie’s Ski / Sports to Bromley ski mountain on Sunday January 22nd. That’s great!
The long term forecast is showing snow in lower Vermont at the end of next week. That’s also great! That could make for some nice skiing and riding for those heading to Bromley as part of the Avie’s bus trip.
The bus is beginning to fill out, but not fill up quite yet. If you are interested in getting up to Bromley ski area on Sunday January 22nd, get over the Avie’s Ski / Sports and get signed on to reserve a seat or two on the bus.
No driving, no hassles. Relax and focus on having a fun day on the slopes. Chill out with a movie on the ride south at the end of the day. Trip price includes lift ticket and round trip coach class on the Avie’s charter bus.
Don’t wait. Don’t get disappointed. Be on the bus to Bromley!
Join an Avie’s ski and snowboard tuner on Wednesday January 18th in the Grey Sail Brewing Taproom at 63 Canal Street in Westerly, 6:00 PM. Grab a pint of your favorite Grey Sail brew. Enjoy an informal “How To” keep your skis or snowboard in tip top performing condition.
Why would you want to attend? Because Grey Sail has some awesome beers on tap. And Wednesday after work is a great way to say goodbye to the start of the week and to salute the coming of Friday and the weekend.
You will get the chance to see how, with not too much up front expense, and with a little effort, to keep your skis and snowboards New England worthy. Face it, New England sees incredibly varied ski and ride conditions. Ice, crust ice, icy crust, sticky and wet snow. Every once in a while nicely groomed soft snow. And heaven forbid—powder.
To get the most out of New England skiing and riding you need 2 things. (1) Sharp Edges. (2) the right wax. After the tuning demonstration you will know everything you need to know to be New England snow ready.
And what is a day on the slopes without a pint afterwards? Pay it forward with a pint of Grey Sail on Wednesday January 18th at the Grey Sail Brewing Taproom. Even if you decide ski tuning is not for you, having a great pint of beer is not such a bad conciliation prize.
See you at 6:00 PM in the Taproom at Grey Sail Brewing, Wednesday January 18th. RSVP to tuningshop@aviesskisports.com so we get an idea of numbers. Thank you.
Get on the bus to Bromley — Vermont’s Sun Mountain — Sunday January 22nd.
Get you, your friends and family, to Avie’s Ski / Sports early Sunday morning on the 22nd. Stow your skis and boards in the belly of the bus. Bring your boots on board for a warm ride north. Sleep, chat, break out breakfast. It’s all good on the mellow ride to Bromley.
Price includes lift ticket and round trip coach bus fare to and from Avie’s Ski / Sports in downtown Westerly, RI. You get to ski and ride all day long without a worry that you have a long drive home ahead of you. Chill on the mellow ride south—mellow because everyone on the bus is blissfully exhausted. Dinner and a movie? Yup. Got that on the way home. You bring along a packed dinner, or pick something up on the mountain, and Avie’s supplies the movie.
Conditions?
The long term forecast for the next couple of weeks, while not projecting Arctic blast temps (thankfully), is showing the north to keep the cold and to generally be favorable for snow-making as well as snow preservation. Lots of opportunities between now and then for a good dumping of snow. Even a couple.
Be Ready!
So get ready for the 22nd. Get those skis and snowboards tuned and waxed. Find those helmets and gloves and goggles. And don’t forget —
Get over to Avie’s and reserve a spot on the bus! No one is going anywhere if you don’t sign up.
Winter is here, though sometimes it doesn’t feel like it here along the coast. But there is white stuff to our north to play in, so let’s take advantage. We have passed the solstice and days are lengthening (yeah, they really are) and winter will be spring before we know.
Get to Bromley on Sunday January 22nd. Get there with Avie’s Ski / Sports.
After a hiatus of several years, bus trips to ski resorts in New England, originating from Avie’s Ski / Sport in Westerly, have returned.
WHAT
Same fun deal. Leave Avie’s parking lot early Sunday morning for the ride to a ski resort in New Hampshire or Vermont. But you don’t have to drive. Sleep, relax, have a leisurely breakfast. Just chill for a few hours before delivery to the slopes. Walk off the bus and hit the trails.
At days end, return blissfully tired to a warm and comfortable motor coach for the return trip to Westerly. Have a snack, or dinner you picked up or brought along. Relax. Chat with others about the great day on the slopes. Kick back and watch the movie, read, or take a well deserved nap.
WHERE
This season Avie’s will run trips to Bromley in Vermont, and to Waterville and Loon in New Hampshire on select Sundays throughout January, February and March. Dates, destinations, and details can be found by clicking HERE.
Same great deal. Cost of motor coach to and from, as well as lift ticket cost, are included in the price. It is a great way to enjoy a day on the slopes—the only work you do is having fun!
HOW
One major change is how the bus company is handling bus confirmation. In the past Avie’s had to commit to running a trip by the Thursday before the Sunday trip. This season Avie’s must commit to bus use by Friday the week BEFORE the trip is scheduled to run.
Bottom line is that if you want to go on a particular trip date, sign up early. If sufficient people have not signed up by the Friday the week before, unfortunately, the trip is likely to be cancelled due to lack of interest.
Go check out the trip list and get yourself signed up. As always, last trip of the season is the Customer Appreciation Trip. Sign up for that one early, it fills completely every year.
The weather is finally tilting towards cold, even here along the coast. Ski areas to the north are now open and expanding trail counts.
If you haven’t already started thinking about hitting the slopes—seriously, you haven’t? Well, you should. Now is the time to get your gear in shape to hit the slopes so you can turn thought into action.
A good way to do that is bring your gear to Avie’s Ski / Sports and have one of the shop techs get it all set for you. It’s an easy way to get it done and over.
For those of you however, who may want to take a more active hand in getting gear not only ready for the season, but keep it in great performing order the entire season, there is another way. Do-It-Yourself ski and snowboard tuning.
Why DIY? Two major reasons:
This is New England and we get a real mixed bag of conditions to ski and ride on. Sure, Avie’s will put an all purpose wax on your gear which helps you slide along pretty okay. BUT if you DIY, you get to wax your gear according to conditions so that your gear slides WAY BETTER, every time all of the time. While others are skating, poling, struggling, and saying not nice things about how “sticky” the snow is, you will sail right by at a nice speed with a big smile on your face. Seriously.
This is New England and there is almost always icy surfaces involved. When you leave the shop with your newly tuned gear the edges are sharp and hold great in the turns. After one or two times out on the slopes the edges are already becoming dull. Here in New England you NEED SHARP EDGES. From crusty and crunchy to downright glacier ice, it’s there, everywhere. And it eats edge sharpness just like you did with turkey on Thanksgiving Day. If not turkey, then definitely with pie. Who are we kidding? Probably both.
Ski and snowboard tuning is not difficult. And not expensive if you don’t want it to be. Sure, you can go all out and get all the gear and have the best of the best. But you can also modify stuff you have around the house, or maybe build a couple things out of scrap lumber. Outside of a few “must have” items, how in depth you want to get is up to you.
Where to start?
Come to Avie’s Ski / Sport on Sunday, December 11th at 2:00 PM and take in a FREE demonstration by one of Avie’s tuning techs to see what it is all about. At the demo you will see and learn:
What basic equipment is needed to get started waxing and sharpening,
How to use that equipment properly,
Options regarding accessory equipment that makes things easier, ranging from free and easy to expensive but wicked cool,
Learn about waxing alchemy so you know what wax to use, when, for best glide,
Learn the few things you should not do.
After the demo, should your interest be tweaked and you would like to jump into ski and snowboard tuning, get 20% off tuning supplies and equipment at Avis’s Ski / Sport right then and there.
What could be sweeter?
Actually, the sweetest thing will be when you go charging down the mountain, beating friction, holding turns over crust and ice, and sailing across all those flat runouts that you used to dread!
If interested, RSVP to tuningshop@aviesskisport.com so we can be sure to have adequate space for all those interested in attending. This is a free event and requires no purchases.
We look forward to seeing December 11th; 2:00 PM at Avie’s.
Actually two tips. Maybe best stated as Twin Tips.
Avie’s Ski / Sports has a Twin Tip ski set up guaranteed to bring a smile. Ski, bindings, mounting and adjustment — $499.
Choose between a pair of Armada ARV twins, Nordica Soul Rider 84 twins, or Volkl Bash 81 twins. Pair your choice with a set of Marker Squire 10 bindings and you are ready to hit the slopes with some new fun sticks.
Why twins? Do you play in the park? Love the quiet of the woods? How about just like to get goofy and ski backwards, just for the fun of it? That’s why twins. They make being off piste that much more fun. And face, if you play in the park, or aspire to be a park rat, you simply gotta have twin tips.
So here is a way to get that pair of twin tips you have been pondering over. ARV — go anywhere do anything. Soul Rider — slays the groomers as well park play. Bash — light and poppy for the dedicated park rat.
Stop in to Avie’s and check out the twin tip deal. It’s a steal. But it is limited to inventory in stock, so the longer you procrastinate the fewer options you might have.
Oh yeah — don’t forget to bring along a ski boot. The Avie’s certified technician will need that to mount and adjust those new Marker Squire 10 ski bindings to your boot.
Avie’s Ski / Sports has a great opportunity—for both men and women—to rip into some brand new ski gear for the upcoming season. Avie’s “Ripper Package” point you in the right direction to rip up the slopes this season. Here’s the deal.
For this deal — men or women — you get a choice of Nordica Unleashed 90 or Volkl Revolt 86 ski. Once you decide which of those two are most desirable — not an easy choice — Avie’s will mount — at NO COST — a pair of Marker Squire 10 bindings onto the skis and adjust them for your ski boots. Yes, free mounting and adjustment.
Nordica Unleashed 90 — you guessed right, 90 mm at the waist — are a set of lightweight, yet stable sticks designed for wherever you point them. With full camber underneath the binding Unleashed 90 are lively and poppy. In other words, a lot fun and easy into and out of turns. A bit of rocker in the tips is like steering assist to get into and out turns quick and easy. Does that make them fun in the woods? Oh yeah! And with a 90 mm waist, they will do pretty will on those days when the light and fluffy is falling from the sky.
Volkl Revolt 86 — yeah, 86 mm at the waist — is a true twin tip that is designed for playing in the park, but not so much that it isn’t comfortable on the groomers. Having rocker in both tip and tail, these sticks are super “turny” and nimble. Because they are so very nimble, Revolt 86 will be sheer bliss in the bumps and in the woods.
Oops, almost forgot the price! $569.95 for skis and bindings. And don’t forget, mounting and adjustment is included.
This one is a tough choice because both are such excellent and fun skis! If you tend towards playing in the park, or if the woods are your thing, you won’t be unhappy with Revolt. If you tend a bit more towards the groomers with lots of forays into the woods the Unleashed will keep you smiling.
Sizes in both skis are limited to existing inventory at Avie’s Ski / Sports, so stop by soon and check out this ripping ski package deal. The season of white is not so far away—the snow guns are blazing on Superstar at Killington—so get that new gear now while the getting is good.
Avie’s Ski / Sports has a great opportunity—for both men and women—to get into some brand new ski gear for the upcoming season. This gear will be sure to help you blaze down the groomers—or woods or bumps—because you will be clicked into a pair of Volkl Blaze 86 skis. Here’s the deal.
Women — Pick your desired length of Volkl Blaze 86W ski. This is a system ski, so the integrated binding is already attached to the ski. No need to fret about a binding selection. For a new pair of ski boots, find your size in either a Roxa R-Fit 85W or Tecnica Mach Sport 75W HV.
Men — Pick your desired length of Volkl Blaze 86 skis. Just like for the ladies, no need to fret about a binding selection since these are a system ski setup. Instead, fret over the new pair of ski boots. Pick from either a Roxa R-Fit 90 or Tecnica Mach Sport 90 HV.
Once we find your desired length ski, an Avie’s boot fitter will help match your feet to a perfect fitting boot. Then an Avie’s certified technician will adjust the ski binding for your new boots for free. Yes, that’s included in the price. All this for under $950.
Volkl Blaze skis are lightweight, poppy, all around fun skis. The 86 mm waist makes them incredibly good all around the mountain and in all conditions. Light and springy enough to bump the bumps and dodge trees in the woods. But they still have the stuff to lay down tracks on the groomers. The 3D radius technology makes these skis—despite their width—incredibly turn-worthy, even in short, tight turns. Big fun no matter where you take them.
Sizes in both skis and boots are limited to existing inventory at Avie’s Ski / Sports, so stop by soon and check out the blazing Blaze ski package deal. The season of white is not so far away, so get that new gear now while the getting is good.
Spring has sprung. Days are longer and temperatures are climbing. Flowers are popping through and tree and shrub buds are swelling. And yes, the snow is melting.
While that does not mean that the ski and ride season is over with, it does mean that it is winding down. If you are, for whatever reason, already at the end of your ski and ride season, then it is time to do a couple very simple tasks to ensure that next winter your gear is ready to go.
The thing you do not want to do is simply chuck your boots and skis or snowboard into a closet, basement, attic, or whatever lonely space you chuck your gear into. They will be very sad come next winter. They will look like the image on the right side up above. Rust will form, ski or deck base will get a whitish, sickly color, and boots will be disfigured and maybe even kinda smelly.
If you want to avoid all that—and your gear looks like the image on the left up above—here are a few things to do that will keep a smile on your winter toys.
GOOD
Lightly buckle your boots so they keep their shape. Take a damp rag and wipe the outsides and the metals buckles to remove dirt. Do the same with your skis or snowboard. Put them in a space that is NOT subject to lots of humidity. In other words, a dry, airy space.
BETTER
Do everything under GOOD, plus the following. Pull the liner out of your boots and be sure it is allowed to completely dry and air out. After a day or two of freedom, put the boots back together and store them as above. Take your skis or snowboard to Avie’s Ski / Sports and have them do “The Works.” This will sharpen the edges, recondition the base and repair any major cuts and gouges, and put on a coat of wax. Put them in a dry spot for the summer and next season you are ready to go.
BEST
Do all the above, plus the following. While you have your boot liners pulled out, give them a spray with a deodorizing, non-scented boot/shoe product. This will keep them nice and fresh. Once they air out for a few days, put the boots together and store them in a dry spot. Bring your skis or snowboard to Avie’s Ski / Sports and ask for them to be “Summerized.” We do The Works as above, but iron on a coat of wax and leave it there. That wax protects the base as well as soaks into the base so that any wax applied after lasts that much longer. Put your skis or snowboard away for the summer. Come fall bring them back to Avie’s and we scrape off the wax and then brush the base out to a beautiful luster. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Sure, you can do nothing and chuck your gear into that convenient dank, dark hole for the summer. Yes, Avie’s can resuscitate your skis or snowboard come fall. But at a price to your gear—we have to use a pretty heavy hand to remove deeply embedded rust and to restore a base that is heavily oxidized. That heavy handed method removes a couple years of life from your gear. Sorry, but we cannot “de-stinkify” boots.
If you have relatively new gear, or gear that you really like, consider treating it to an Avie’s “Spa Day” at the end of the season. That gear gave you it’s all and put a smile on your face all season long. Giving it a nice tune up before letting it relax for the summer is a very, very nice way to pay-if-forward.
