Jake- what's your response on the foil or SLE question? i'd be curious to see what you think since you mainly ride SLE on the snow. Kenny- you didn't make the decision any easier for me.
so, i have a few more questions for everybody:
with all this talk of skins and AT binders, i wonder how much you actually get stuck out there. is this a weekly occurance? seasonally? i've never made the financial commitement to AT binders, however the Freerides look very tempting. i have no hookup though. i however, i use an old pair of treckers and skins for my backcountry adventures. they seem to work marginally well. is it worth it to carry this added weight in my pack at all times? how many of you carry avalanche gear when just out for a cruise, or is just those long treks? what sort of risk am i looking at? this might influince my kite choice as i would assume there is less risk of malfunction on a foil.
i'd like to hear some stories of "i was two miles out and had to walk back in snowboard boots in 3ft drifts." anybody got any?
as far as skis go, i think the gotamas will be my ski of choice, however i've got the old race sticks and some 190 B Squads straight off of Gordy Piefer's rack. i'd imagine those will only come in handy when it's really cranking and i'm trying to set a land speed record. from what i'm hearing though, 103MM isn't too wide underfoot for kiting. that makes me feel better.