This piece is by Steve J. Steve has had more Skki time this year than any one who owns one of these puppies. Enjoy!
Grabbed my Skki gear and rambled on up Ski Run Road to Apache. It’s Spring Break now, and hundreds of kids and co-eds have sprung forth upon Ruidoso. Up on the slopes, it was a three-ringed obstacle course of chaos. The trumpet call has gone out that the mountain had two feet of new snowfall a day and a half ago. Every type of snow sport enthusiast was present. The temps are climbing in sync with the season so a lot of the snow was turning to slush. Amazed – again – at how the SKKI handles every type of snow and ice pack. I can charge across a groomed acre to amass speed, hit the edge and pop up and over into the thick powder – cruise through it like a speedboat – carve out a cashew pattern and fly back over to the glacier. My first run yesterday morning – flying down Capitan – which had a new terrain of large chunky mounds – gave me my biggest air and biggest thrill at just how fantastically awesome the Skki handles massive jumps. At top speed, I hit a good sized mound of the harder stuff, pulling up the handle bar right at impact — the Skki and I went zooming into the air – like a rocket jet – nearly straight up! Sticking the landing seemed impossible. I relaxed into the flight and let the machine handle the rest. I’ve never caught so much air and landed it with such ease. I really should have ended up in a ball of wipe out. The experience was so intense, it left me feeling shaky afterwards. On another run later in the day, me and my Skki came to another Skier’s rescue by carving around them to retrieve for them a lost ski or pole. I’m doing that a lot — dancing my Skki down and around to a fallen Skier who’s gear is fifty yards above them. I cruise by the ski or pole, slow up, reach down and grab the equipment – and cruise back around to hand off.
A Skier stopped to ask me (after seeing me take a run or two) – ‘Does that thing have a motor?’ I pointed to my plexus and said, ‘Yeah -me!’ Got my ‘Indian’ name from a local kid, ‘DANCES WITH SKKIS’! Speed is a major point of excellence on the Skki. Speed is what I love to achieve. From the very first I wanted to figure out how to control the Skki at lightening speeds. The rest is soda pop!
Steve Jongeward
