RTIC 36 Oz. Bottle

This week I thought that I would spend some time testing the RTIC vacuum insulated 36 Oz. Bottle. I got it a few months ago because it was so much less expensive than the other bottles I have used in the past. I've had the chance to use the Hydro Flask bottles and they are fantastic but they cost around twice as much as the RTIC bottles do. So, I pulled the trigger on the RTIC bottle and I am so glad that I did as it has ended up being one of my favorite water bottles.

This week I decided to do a test with the RTIC bottle, I needed some ice during my day at work and so I went to my freezer and filled my bottle with ice and hoped that the ice would last all day. It was an interesting test since the bottle ends up having a lot of extra space in it and isn't filled fully with ice. After 8 hours in the bottle and me using some of the ice in a drink the bottle was still mostly full.

I then decided to see how much water was left in the bottle and ended up only having a gulp of water in the bottom of the bottle. When I noticed how little water was in the bottle I chose to see how much ice would be left after 12 hours in the bottle.

After 12 hours in the bottle I still had a few full cubes left, but a majority of the ice had melted and I was left with around a half a cup of water. In the end of the little test I was super impressed with this bottle and I was so glad that I had pulled the trigger to purchase it. All in all I highly recommend the RTIC bottles and will probably purchase them in favor of their more expensive counterparts. Maybe one day I will purchase one of their coolers and then I will be able to review that as well.

Rossignol Experience 100 - 190cm

I figured that for my first review I would start with one of my favorite pairs of skis. I have had the chance to ski on quite a few pairs of skis including the Rossignol Soul 7s, the Volkl Mantras, the Blizzard Bonafides, the Head Venturi 95s, the Head Collective 105s and a whole lot of other skis that fall in the range of 95 mm under foot to 106 mm under foot. But each day, when I get up to the mountain, the skis that I go for are almost always my Experience 100s.

There are a few reasons why I almost always pick the Experience 100s, the first being that they are fantastic all mountain skis. The next reason is because they feel a lot like a World Cup GS race ski, and lastly they are a good ski in the powder. I can pick this ski on any given day and will more likely than not have a good time.

 I can ski on these in almost any conditions that the mountain has to throw at me, and I know that they will be fun in those conditions. The only exception to this rule is moguls. I was at Heavenly Ski Resort and decided to ski down the "Gun Barrel" and while it was a lot of fun the Experience 100s in a 190 cm length are really heavy, a bit fat for being a good mogul ski and really long. Because of this, I was gassed about halfway down the run. Luckily for me it was the last run of the day and I could take breaks every once in awhile. Though that meant that my wife, who took the chair lift down, was stuck waiting for me at the bottom of the hill. The point being, if I am uncertain of the mountains conditions this is the ski that I will pick.

The Experience 100s feel a lot like my World Cup GS race skis and they are so much fun to make fast, full speed turns on. They are a lot softer than my World Cup GS race skis, which makes them easier to ski on when I'm with others that don't have a racing background. With that being said I haven't had any problems keeping up with others that do have a solid racing background.

Lastly, while I said that they are fun in almost any condition, they are a lot of fun in the powder. They are 100 mm at the waist and 140 mm in the tip. To put that into perspective, the Rossignol Soul 7 is 106 mm in the waist and 140 mm in the tip. While the Experience 100 is 140 mm for a much smaller section of the ski they are still a great powder ski. They don't float as well as dedicated powder skis and the tip may sink more often then the Soul 7, but I know that if I go find some deep powder they will be a blast and, as long as I ski with good form, I will enjoy them.

All of this being said, the fact that they can ski in almost any condition makes them my go to skis, and not necessarily because of how floaty they are. I can ski in cut up powder (crud) and know that they are going to be stable, if I do hit a larger pocket of untouched powder I will still have enough float to enjoy myself. If I hit the groomers, I will be able to make nice large GS turns all of the way down the mountain.

Many people say that the Rossignol Soul 7 is Rossignol's "Quiver of 1"; I disagree. I think that it's the Experience 100. The Soul 7 gets a tip flap in the crud, and they don't do well at high speeds. As a powder ski, the Soul 7 is an amazing "Quiver of 1", but if you are looking for a true all mountain ski that does it all, I would highly recommend the Rossignol Experience 100.

Who Am I

Having worked in the outdoor industry in the past I have decided that I would like to do some "work" in the industry once more and I figured that it would be fun to review the gear I love to use during my lunch break, in the evenings and on weekends. But, who am I, and how do I have the knowledge to do gear reviews? Well, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up skiing for the Snowbird Sports Education Foundation, or the Snowbird Ski Team. I skied around 100 days a year and competed all around the west. During the summer months we would do other activities such as mountain biking and rock climbing. Two sports that I latched onto and now love almost as much as skiing. I also grew up as a Boy Scout and learned to love camping, but more importantly backpacking. I was able to participate in multiple 50-100 mile backpacking trips as a scout and loved every minute of it. It is something that I have continued to do now with my friends and family. While I was in college I worked at an outdoor shop called Out N Back, check out their site if you get a chance, it's not the best site in the world, but the guys at the shop really know what they are talking about. One of the best things I could have done for my knowledge of outdoor gear was to work at that shop. They have clinics with the gear reps once a week during spring and fall where they do nothing for a few hours except learn about the gear. The guys that work in that shop are some of the most knowledgeable people I have ever met when it comes to outdoor gear, and remember, I use to have clinics once a week with the gear reps. While I am now a sales/systems engineer I will always love the outdoors and I hope that by reviewing gear that I use that I'll be able to help others find good quality gear, and that I'll be able to do some "work" in the outdoor industry once again.