Indian Summer is here and while that means warm weather for us Bay Area resident’s, that also means that  the Fall Equinox has passed us and the days are becoming shorting.  This means, if the snow gods are watching over us, SNOW will soon be upon us!  Now is the time for skiers to start thinking about dragging your skis and boards out from your storm and root cellars and  having them serviced.

Ski bindings should be calibrated at least once a year by a certified ski technician.  Snowboard bindings should have their screws checked and tightened, strap and cables, if any, checked for cracks or signs of wear.  If you have rust on your ski or board edges, have them “edged” to remove rust and to put a nice sharp edge on them!  For skis, visually check for check the binding’s  anti-friction device’s (AFD)  condition.  For fixed AFDs, check for cracks or broken pieces. For moveable ones, ensure that they glide smoothly.  If the AFD is damaged or doesn’t operate smoothly, have them replaced.  Do NOT adjust ski bindings yourself even if you think you know the DIN setting.  The DIN setting is only a starting point. When a ski technician calibrates the release, the amount of force required to release the binding is measured and the binding is adjusted until the correct amount of release force is achieved, taking into consideration the skier’s age, weight, skier type and boot sole length.  Lastly, your board or skis will appreciate a nice smooth slippery coat of wax and if necessary, flat filed or stone ground.

Coming events –
  • Mountain View Buddhist Temple “Oh What a Night” dance – Saturday, October 19
  • SNOWBOMB  – a festival of : ski area information; learn about the new equipment and clothing;  buy gear; Waren Miller movies; and of course, stop by the NSC booth.
    • Nov 9-10 at AT&T Park San Francisco
    • Nov 23-24 at the San Jose Convention Center
    • Web site: http://www.snowbomb.com/festivals-main/
    • Karen Soo and Curtis Otaguro are volunteering at the SF event and Armand will be staffing an NSC table at the San Jose venue. If interested in helping out, see Armand’s monthly President’s Message for contact information.

Last but definitely not least, we have Armand’s monthly President’s Message and his membership & Sun Peaks report.

See you after Halloween!