EDITION NUMBER 8
Fresh news…
DO YOU KNOW :
- Avalanche’s first three contracts were Le Relais, Stoneham and Mont Ste-Anne.
- Today, we serve more than 600 corporate, institutional and associative clients!
SKI BOOTS
Would you like boot liners with that?
One of my customers would hang his ski boot liners over an electric baseboard to dry them overnight. This barely did the job. Then one night, a liner fell onto the baseboard. By morning, the heat had contracted the insulation, making the liner unusable.
What to do in that event?
- When the ski boots are relatively new, the liner can often be replaced by an identical one. But it’s quite expensive, and the price varies greatly from one manufacturer to the next. Also, unless the boots were purchased very recently, both liners will need to be replaced. And there is quite a long lead time to get them.
- The liners can also be replaced with generic liners designed to fit a variety of boots. The boots may have moulded to the skier’s feet over time, so we can sometimes achieve an even better result than the original boot, especially if it is a few years old.
We also have customers who love their boots but whose liners have lost their thermal qualities or are simply worn out. Replacing the liners is often recommended in those cases. The good news is that it doesn’t take as long to break in new liners as it does new boots.
The above customer whose liner fell on the baseboard opted for generic heat-moulded liners, which are adjusted in store.
I also sold him a quality boot dryer with the capacity to dry two pairs at a time, so as not to make the same mistake twice!
Rudy Guidez
Conseiller ski et représentant des ventes
SKI ACCESORIES
If the glove fits?
Of all the ski accessories, quality gloves and mittens probably have the best price-use ratio. When it’s cold, if you’re wearing Avalanche clothing, your body will be warm, but your cold hands might urge you to the chalet to warm up. So it’s worth making a smart purchase.
Take a look at your old gloves to determine why they’re not doing their job. Were they cut by the ski edges? Did the stitching around the fingers come undone? Is the insulation compacted? Is the leather dry? Are they too big for your hands? Too short? Are you unable to use your cell phone without taking your glove off?
There’s nothing warmer than a quality mitten. For greater dexterity, opt for lobster mittens or ones with an internal glove. They’re a little better but you won’t be able to do very precise work, like surgery! My personal criterion: I have to be able to do everything without taking off my mittens and exposing my skin to the cold.
As for materials, leather is supple and highly resistant, especially if it is allowed to dry slowly. Fabric dries quickly and breathes well. Hestra combines Gore-Tex and goat leather to make a great outer layer.
Compare the reinforcements with those on your old gloves. Better, right?
Can you use your cell phone without taking a glove off? Many gloves are designed for that, and given how connected most of us are, it’s greatly appreciated.
The most efficient insulators are by Dupont, Thinsulate and Thermore.
Choose a glove or mitten that fits well. Now grab a ski pole: can you feel it? Perfect! The Swany company textures the palm of their gloves for a better grip. They’re always a safe bet.
Quality ski jackets are designed so that the wrist of the glove/mitten fits inside the sleeve. Hiking jackets, on the other hand, are designed to have the wrist of the glove/mitten slide over the outside of the sleeve. In any case, a good alpine ski glove will quickly be much too hot when hiking. One pair of gloves for going up the mountain and one pair for coming down. Save a little space in your backpack!
Come see us in store! You will be pleased with our vast choice.
Jean-François Caron
CEO Avalanche