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The Performance Leader in Telemark Bindings
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Atheletes - Team 22Justin Ayer
Where are you from, when did you begin skiing and telemarking, where do you ski most now?I grew up in the suburban, yet redneck, city of Barre, VT. I began skiing in my grandmother’s yard when I was three years old. Then in kindergarten I started going to a local ski hill once a week for gym class every winter. The poma lifts, one-piece nylon snowmobile suits and copious amounts of hot chocolate were too much to resist. I was hooked. I was strictly an alpine skier until I broke my back in the winter of 2000-2001. Years of bump skiing combined with a spinal fracture culminated in me saying to myself, “I gotta find a ‘kinder, gentler’ way to ski or I’m never going to last.” Then telemarking came to mind. When I was a kid we used to call the local leather-booted telemark skiers “Earth People” because they were always touching their knees to the ground. They all seemed “kinder and gentler,” a little stoned, and very mellow, so off I went on a pair of Black Diamond Toute Niege’s and leather lace-up Merrell’s. Now I call Grand Targhee and the Teton Range home. More particularly, at Targhee I usually find myself in the terrain park or on Peaked Ridge with the Grand Targhee freestyle team. When I have time to tour, I’m usually… Oh yeah, that’s a secret. What are your favorite boots and skis?My favorite boots and skis of all time are, drum roll: a pair of 210cm Kniessl White Star super G skis that hide in my closet most of the time and the Salomon SX91 Equipe Jr.’s I got for Christmas when I was twelve years old. What skis and boots are my favorites for daily turns?
My favorite boots are the Garmont Syner-G’s. They are light, warm and more than enough boot for everything I do. I can tour comfortably in them and with my HammerHeads cranked down to position 4 or 5 can still point it, land switch and grind rails without any trouble. Besides, all the boot companies charge another $100 for that fourth buckle. If I needed four buckles, I’d go back to alpine boots. What do you like about HammerHeads?I like the fact that they have zero fashion sense, are made in the U.S. under the watch of some basic labor and environmental legislation, are not owned by a marketing firm disguised as a ski industry manufacturer, and will do whatever I ask them to without ever, ever breaking or ripping out of my skis. Another big selling point is the fact that I can take someone who has never telemarked before and start them with the binding adjusted to be very neutral. As they improve and become more aggressive, they can slide the guides back to get a more active flex, or keep the bindings flopping around like a pair of three-pins, whatever they like. The skier can evolve without having to buy three different pairs of bindings. What do you like to do for fun when you’re not skiing?Not as much as I would like. I spend a lot of time working so I can ski when winter arrives. When the time allows, I’m usually rock climbing, reading a book at home, or stuffing myself at one of our ubiquitous potlucks. Accomplishments, awards, and sponsors 1991-VT State High School 130# Wrestling Champ and National Qualifier. Other SponsorsNone The Other Members of Team 22:Alison Gannett | Espen Berg-Johnsen | Justin Ayer | Matt Kaso | Ove Netvold
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Justin is a strong tele skier from Driggs, Idaho. He enjoys tearing up the park as well as the backcountry. He also teaches the next generation of telemarkers how to fly through the air in style. In the summer, he likes to obliterate old forest service roads. As you can see, he also enjoys answering questions such as these:
I have two favorite pairs of skis. My 4FRNT MSP187’s are tops for kicking around the resort, jibbing, and any “ski abusive” types of behavior. They’re nice and stiff, very durable, have a real hardwood core and are downright ugly. The other favorite is a pair of 183cm Volkl Gotama’s. They not only have a wood core, but beautiful wooden sidewalls, a buttery smooth flex, 105mm’s of underfoot girth, and the mother-of-all turned up tails for the accidental over/under rotation. Does anyone know where I can find another pair? Without the Ginsu 2000 graphics?!TwentyTwo Designs | 335 N. 5th East | Driggs, ID | 83422 |