My name is Jake, I’m a born-and-raised Yooper with a degree from Michigan Tech University. I’ve been living in Colorado for about nine years now and am always seeking out new adventures, ways to show my Yooper Pride, and ways to get the most out of every ski season. I thought I was on a good path for all of these things until I saw Shaggy’s Da Ski’s last fall. Level Upped!
I was broke as can be after just purchasing a new pair of really fat powder boards and bindings to go with it. Then the Facebook post for the limited edition Da Ski popped into my feed somehow. I believe it was fate; sent from the snow-gods above! I had to have these skis and I didn’t care how much they cost! Come to find out, extremely reasonable for a craft-ski company! So I decided to “Charge It!”
Once the order was placed, I spent the next months getting excited and impatient. Ski season in Colorado begins within the first few weeks of October consistently, and I needed these skis on snow on day #1. They arrived a day before and there was no way to get them mounted in time, so I decided to show my excitement and bring them up to Arapahoe Basin for a photo shoot. My friends thought I was crazy, and then got extremely jealous. I received pair number five out of 50 made and I felt pretty dang special.
I mounted them up with a pair of Marker Duke alpine-touring bindings so I could take these bad-boys out into the backcountry with me all season long. Come November, my training was to begin with the National Sports Center for the Disabled at Winter Park Ski Resort. I was going to begin learning how to become an adaptive-skier volunteer and was concerned about how huge these new skis were and if they’d be a good fit for instructing adaptive sit-skiers. After a few warm up runs to find my center and test the limits, I was in love and the smile on my face was too huge for my own good. The other instructors began asking me a ton of questions about my plaid skis.
I couldn’t believe that such a wide ski could hold such an edge on icy, early-season, man-made snow. It was a miracle. In the 25 years I’ve been skiing, I have not ONCE found an all-mountain ski that could hold an edge on ice, and better yet, carve like a high-tech race ski. I’ve never fallen in love with a new pair of skis like I have with these. Ever!
As the season went on, I grew more in love with them every week and in every condition. Crud, hard-pack, powder, ice, you name it, they performed and powered through. I also continued to get even more questions and high-fives from strangers on the mountain. Even the Lifties were giving me high-fives. I knew immediately the skis had to be a part of our “in-the-planning-stages” plaid wedding! They were now a part of the family and I love them as much as my husband-to-be! (shh, don’t tell him)
We lined up our groomsmen, got them all to order Buffalo Plaid work flannels and light-gray dress pants/vests. Our gift to them would be some awesome plaid Arcade Belts and of course, a classic Stormy Kromer hat. We had to include as many Michigan items as possible. Shaggy’s skis were to be part of our special day and of course professional photo’s. Nobody in the wedding party or guests even questioned us for a minute. They assumed from the start that Da Skis were to be part of our day.
Check out our pictures from the big day, all photos taken by Adam of Brockit Inc. from up in the Keweenaw. Yes, even our photographer was from Michigan; it had to be.
Ski season is about to start here in Colorado in the coming week, and more Da Ski adventures await. Until next time….
-Jake Miller
Awesome, Eh !!!
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