Degrees of Spatula separation...

[MotoBeak]

I bought my first pair of Chubbs because I was blown away by the way Shane skied the first time I saw him in a movie, and they instantly made me a better skier in all conditions. I bought spats the first year they were available and it was the same thing. I can charge harder with them and feel more relaxed than on any other ski I've had. I sold my first pair and got Pontoons, thinking it would be another step forward. They were unbelievable in the fresh, but I couldn't get along with them in the crud. I bought another pair of spats on ebay, and even after owning Praxis powders, the spats are still my favorite ski ever. I still ski them often and I will probably try to get another pair.

[verbier61]

I've seen (sadly not owned) only two pairs so far in yurp: one for rent at ski service in verbier, the second on sale at a ridicolously high CHF amount in a shop in amatt

[Roo]

I've seen one pair in Europe.



Under my feet.

Currently collecting dust in the attic.

[verbier61]

I thought you have bent them, right?

[Big E]

I've seen (sadly not owned) only two pairs so far in yurp: one for rent at ski service in verbier, the second on sale at a ridicolously high CHF amount in a shop in amatt

I hauled mine along w/ a pair of "normal" skis all the way to Italy (Courmayeur) this season and skied the final 2 of my 6 ski days on them when a storm rolled in (sadly, about 2 weeks before Shane died). Standing in the tram lines, I got the feeling no one had ever seen such a wacky ski. When I'd look around, it seemed like half the line was staring at the Spats. On more than one occasion, I'd hear a conversation that I couldn't understand going on either French or Italian, but then all of a sudden I'd distinctly hear the word "spatula"

[BCR]

I bought a pair off ebay and later sold them to Daryll on here to buy 138's, which I later traded for Lhasas. Not sure if he still has them though.

Met Shane in SA - he was on Chubbs and it never snowed enough while I was there for him to bust out his Spats.

[funkendrenchman]

I bought one pair from the Loveland demo fleet the very first season they were out. I bought one pair from Evogear about 3 years later. Hev is currently skiing the second pair I bought.

[^^^]

Bought a demo pair the first year, then sold them to someone on the old powder board a couple of years later.

[huckasoreass]

It was funny being on Spats at Krasnaya-Polyana in Russia 5 years ago. I certainly didn't understand what people were speaking around me, but in every liftline or near the huts, there would be all of this excited talk interjected with "spatoola". It was clear skiers there had heard of Spatulas but never seen them.

[fluffballs]

I had a pair, gave them to my brother so he could keep up when I bought praxis.

[soul_skier]

I have a pair that I got from MTT a while ago, has to be pushing 4 years now....

[trainnvain]

Bought a pair four years ago and proceeded to trade for a new fork to replace my blown one at the time.
Guy was still rocking em as of last winter.

[Super G]

1 pair here. Love 'em.

I love your pair as well. Nice Avatar!


I sold my Spats last fall for $150, bummer.

[alewi11]

I've got a pair. They get skied a lot. They absolutely increased my love of skiing from the moment I got them.

[Evil E]

i got my first pair from the volant rep the season they came out and i was sold from the first turn. I was filming an athlete's campers at silverton and broke them out on the first day. I had a very hard time containing my excitement and i remember skiing things much faster and more fluidly and with so much less effort. Truly one of the best times I have had as a skier was discovering what those skis could do that weekend. I was giddy. I skied those things until there was so much base damage they barely moved. I gave those away and bought a pair off evogear I think. I skied those until 08 when I lost a shoe under tower 3 at the bird. I dug and looked for over an hour and I remember feeling deeply sad when i realized it was a loss. It had a red s916 attached if anyone in UT ever found it. (skiing on one spat down all of snowbird is a very humbling experience.) I called snowbird a ton of times to try to reclaim it, but it never turned up. I do hope that its on someone's feet and they are enjoying i as much as i had. I finally did get a replacement spat that is awaiting a binding and I cant wait to break them out for a good day this year!

[BigJay]

I've got a pair that I bought off of Bum Z last year. They have made me a much better skier and I skied them the majority of my days at Alta.

[dookeyXXX]

1 brand new pair purchased from Helm of San Mateo after finding them still wrapped and hiding behind a pair of still wrapped Big Stix. Purchased for $400 (down from the $899 price tag!) in November of 2006. Have skied them 2 full seasons and don't plan on retiring them anytime soon (finally got the hang of them this season after 17 days in a row surfing spring slush @ Alpine Meadows).

As far as degrees of separation, I'm 1degree in terms of being the only owner and perhaps 2 degrees separated from Mr. McConkey, as I had his techs mount 'em at Porter's Tahoe City (at least I'm pretty sure they were his techs...).

[Big E]

Pretty cool hearing the stories behind them, seeing protos, etc. I was thinking about getting something different this season, but I've decided that as a tribute to Shane I'm going to stick with them for another season.

I tallied up the responses so far and I came up with 42.5 total pair so far accounted for (Evil E contributing the .5). I'm confident that there are a quite a few of the old guard that haven't seen or responded to this thread. I mean, off the top of my head I can think of another 6 folks that had at least one pair. Not as high a number as I expected, but we're still at somewhere between 5 and 10%.

[TyWebb]

No spats - sweet thread though!

[unofficialandes]

mark me down for one. Thanks Shane!

[Treycal]

I have a pair that I purchased from Pechelman around 2 years ago. I decided to pick up a pair after I used (and loved) them on my first trip to Chatter Creek. I've used them as cat skiing skis ever since. Unfortunately, I'm looking at picking a pair of S7s this year, so I'm not sure how action they're going to be seeing in the future.

[Roo]

I thought you have bent them, right?

Yeah, I snapped one in half. I then got another sent out to me and tore a binding out of it.

I think they can be resurrected.

Anyone need a durability tester?

[alto]

Thread Hijack - First Run

I bought my first pair having never tried them. I met Shane a few times as a young skier, followed him closely as lots of us did, and somehow you just know some things are right before you actually experience them. So I found a pair of Spatulas on eBay in Utah, picked em up, mounted em up, and headed to the top of Alta. I distinctly remember my first run.

It was one of those sneaker pre-season week days. Early December. Hardly anyone on the mountain. Blowing like hell to make it buff - pretty much as ideal as it could be for Spatulas. I headed out to Thirds off the High T, and looked down between those funky tips at a track-free line. The funny thing about that ski was, with all the talk about learning a totally new technique and how paradigm-changing the design was, there was virtually no learning period. You just just went, imagining what you wanted to do, and schmeaaaarrr you're a convert! That first run was the fastest and smoothest I'd ever skied that particular line, and it was my first time on the things. And it wasn't over yet.

From Thirds I wrapped around to Rope-a-Dope in Eagle's Nest. There are some nasty flute features below a rope that are normally just a thin veneer over edge-hungry rock. However, this particularly warm storm plastered that stuff with almost PNW-style powder. This may sound like a joke to someone familiar with Utah snow, but I tell you: On my first run on Spatulas, I found spines. Before or since then, I'm not sure if that particular run was ever again in such a condition, and there I was, looking down it with the only appropriate ski in the world at the time on my feet. It was laughably easy and logical the way I was able to flow down through that terrain, something that with traditional skis was such a precarious and ungraceful challenge. As I came out at the bottom at the Transfer Tow, I just looked down at my feet and shook my head as new worlds of possibility opened up in my imagination. Thanks, Shane.

[Big E]

That is most definitely NOT a thread hijack

[davieboot]

I have owned 2 pairs (both new when I got them) and have since given them away to friends who needed to be turned on to rocker. I am pretty sure they are both still being skied regularly.