Ski Lending Library 2018-19

[Vitamin I]

UPDATE: The borrowing started in Summit County, CO---JAN 12-21, 2019...and we'll see how it goes from there.
Confirmed: Will continue at Crested Butte area: JAN 22-24
and SLC area: JAN 25-27

EDIT: Early draft of candidate 2018-19 Tour Dates.

It's summer slow-season. Anybody want to read/advise/flame on this topic? If people show interest, then I will write out even more details.

This winter, I will be road-tripping for full-time skiing all winter long, driving multiple laps throughout the EpicPass resorts (but won’t go east of Colorado). I am happy to spend my rest days at NON-EpicPass ski resorts as well (as long as they’re not too far out of my way).

IF NO ONE WANTS TO BORROW MY SKIS FOR FREE: Then no worries, I will just ski solo on the 89-ski collection all winter long.

IF SOME INTEREST: Then I’m happy to lend to interested maggots at EpicPass resorts, and optionally ski with y’all (no obligation AT ALL for borrowers to ski with me). But at non-EpicPass resorts, I might just lend skis in the morning, then take a rest day working on my laptop in the lodge.
EDIT: To borrow my skis for free, all maggots need to do is actually bother to reserve a pair from the Library, show up in the parking lot to borrow it, probably sign a waiver, maybe let me hold your driver license card or some other creative assurance that you will return the skis later, then you go skiing, then return it at the parking lot at end of day. Free. No cost to you. Just like a book library. You don't need to lend your own skis to anyone. This Library is NOT a business, it's just me sharing with you.

IF DREAMLAND HIGH INTEREST: Then heck, the sky’s the limit. If businesses ended up wanting to borrow from the Library to publish A/B Test ski reviews, or to test how their new prototype’s performance compares to a classic Spatula, or whatever—might as well do it. Or, if people end up liking it in the first year, maybe this Library model & new website could later be refined and extended for all individual skiers to more easily borrow each other’s skis.

THE MOBILE SKI LENDING LIBRARY 2018-19:
- FREE to borrow
- The Library cannot afford the latest current ski models.
- Just sleeping in my Subaru Outback full of skis (maybe ~12 pairs inside, option to expand to ~17 pairs with a rooftop box, or up to ~22 pairs for shorter drives with skis occupying the sleeping area), touring the western states & British Columbia.
- Only 2 “distribution centers” where my Outback can swap from the 89-pair collection: at Whistler & Northern Calif. Option to expand with a 3rd “distribution center” (maybe at Silverthorne, CO?)
- BSL’s not near 314mm have limited selection in the current collection.
- Current collection leans toward “demanding” ski models (fat, heavy, stiff, etc.) in long lengths that are most appropriate for bigger guys. (If high interest in shorter skis, I could try harder to acquire more.)
- Simple Website: will have features to see the Library catalog, see BSL range for each ski, tour dates calendar, request/reserve skis, request resort visits, etc.
- Whistler will get slight preference for more tour dates than other ski areas
- More details: I can write it all out, if any interest.

CAR: Anyone interested in discussing a cheap custom shelves design for Subaru Outback, with intent to maximize number of skis inside (but also one person sleeps inside)?

NO INSURANCE, YES RELEASE OF LIABILITY/WAIVER: Anyone want to advise me on that? Would love it to be a "just friends" handshake, but seems like I really should protect myself with a legal waiver form.

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[Norseman]

Get a small trailer to tow with the wagon and bring more of The Library on the road. Build a sweet/simple rack system in it and put nice locks on the door and tongue.

Bring it to BBi19 at Alpy and Solitude.

[nickel]

I don't understand what I'd be participating in or exchanging...

[Vitamin I]

Get a small trailer to tow with the wagon and bring more of The Library on the road. Build a sweet/simple rack system in it and put nice locks on the door and tongue.

Bring it to BBi19 at Alpy and Solitude.

Yes, BBi19 at Alpy and Solitude are already on the tour dates calendar, with plan to drive to each BBI event directly from my best-inventory "distribution center" in Whistler.

Yes, for cars, please advise me like I'm a dumbass. I hadn't been thinking outside of plywood/MDF or whatever, but rack sounds superior, plus should drain better to avoid rusty ski edges.

Small trailer is great idea. Will look into cost & Outback towing capabilities, but only high demand from ski borrowers would motivate me to actually buy a trailer.

So far, I'm thinking:
1) Front passenger seat removed for accessories & random gear (not for skis).
2) Rear seats' upright cushions stay on, but remove the horizontal butt cushions to make the folded-down flatbed even lower.
3) Bottom Layer: Fattest skis directly on the full-width floor of the flatbed in back (max= 160mm Kuro/Mutant tips). Fits ~5 pairs skis???
4) 2nd Layer: Full-width platform is 160mm high (for Kuro/Mutant underneath), fits my sleeping body plus ~3.5-4 pairs skis (plywood for sleeping? MDF?)
5) 3rd Layer: 2/3-width rack shelf fits ~3.5-4 pairs skis
6) 4th Layer rack *might* fit with not-so-safe obstructed rear view (~2-3 pairs skis).

Car Security: Was hoping standard locks/car alarms will be enough. I don't think my collection of used skis is valuable enough to steal and resell, but I guess ski thieves might overvalue them and steal them anyway.

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[doebedoe]

Gonna be rad. I'm a non-Epic resort skier but hope to participate. The calendar will be critical.

Not sure how much time you've spent winter camping in a car -- but the roof boxes are critical for more than just carrying more skis. They give a lockable spot to put wet skis overnight rather than having them create to the difficult to manage moisture in a car.

[Vitamin I]

I don't understand what I'd be participating in or exchanging...

Sorry I was unclear. By "participate", I mean you like free ski demos enough that you would actually bother to reserve a pair from the Library, show up in the parking lot to borrow it, then you go skiing, then return it at the parking lot at end of day. Free. No cost to you. Just like a book library. You don't need to lend your own skis to anyone.

This Library is NOT a business idea. It's just me sharing with you. I could operate the whole Library idea on this TGR Forums website---but I'm gonna create my own custom website anyway for my next idea of a Ski Gear Data website, so might as well use my own custom database etc for this Library idea, too. Sure, this free Library might possibly get me some exposure for my upcoming Ski Gear Data website, which is intended as a hobby, but I suppose that one could possibly become a profitable business someday---but I don't see potential for this Library idea to become a profitable business, it's just sharing.

Oh, so far, I'm thinking I might need your signature on a waiver (can't sue me if you get injured), and a creative solution to make sure you return the skis (not a money deposit---maybe I hold your driver license card, or just a 5-second video "affidavit" statement from you that I could use for future public shaming if necessary, or a beatdown from Blurred).

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[Self Jupiter]

[nickwm21]

Double rocket box up top, so you’re not sleeping in a frozen puddle.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[OregonDead]

I'd like to try skis and I'm a 316 bsl. I'll share my snacks etc. Some people think I'm ok company and I know my way around. We have a pretty nice lodge up at my hill too.
I'm not by any of those Epic ski pass places but you should come ski with me in Oregon anyways.

[Self Jupiter]

I just found a huge box that was meant for sailing equipment on cl for $50. It’s 243cm long and fits pretty funny on my Cooper Countryman

[Norseman]

You need a good way to allow folks to check skis in and out of The Library without your presence.

You can keep skiing and not fuck around with shuffling gear every hour. And patrons can come and go, switching skis as they please.

Maybe put a heavy duty combination padlock on the trailer and send patrons the combo in the morning. Change it every night using a random number generator or something.

Clip board hanging on the wall of the trailer for status of each pair (name, phone, expected return time).

[cravenmorhead]

It may be worth clarifying that the library is geared towards med-large dudes; scanning through your list it looks like you only have a handful of skis <185 cm.

As for your waiver language, it may be worth grabbing a waiver from a demo shop for some ideas; your liability issues are probably similar to theirs'. From a fun-hating perspective, you may want to consider the fact that having a good, enforceable waiver might keep someone from suing you successfully, but it may not stop people from suing you in the first place. One of the things insurance would do is pay for lawyers to defend you in court in the event you're sued. Though I don't imagine many insurers would be lining up to insure this operation even if you were in the market. Just food for thought though; I'm obviously not your lawyer and this isn't legal advice.

[PNWbrit]

Sounds like you're adding a colossal pain in the ass to the already pretty arduous goal of sleeping in a station wagon all winter.

How many bad library experiences/low take up to make it a big regret? What are you going to do about damaged/lost skis?

You really think many people are going to hand over their ID/CC to you?

Presumably there will be a blog?

[Vitamin I]

I'd like to try skis and I'm a 316 bsl. I'll share my snacks etc. Some people think I'm ok company and I know my way around. We have a pretty nice lodge up at my hill too.
I'm not by any of those Epic ski pass places but you should come ski with me in Oregon anyways.

What's your Oregon ski hill of choice for this coming winter?

Oregon is definitely possible, because my body will need days off, and also I will want rest-day laptop time (at any resort anywhere) to be working on my other Ski Gear Data website idea. Also, I need to be shuttling skis a few times between Whistler and Northern Calif, and Oregon is on that route.

Keep these non-Epic resort requests coming.

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[doebedoe]

Keep these non-Epic resort requests coming.

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Loveland at some point. They've got a bar with cheap beer and a pay-it-forward board we can put your name on.

Plus you could overlap w/ the On3p guys that are there ~3x a year so we can AB classics vs new.

[OregonDead]

Hill of choice is Skibowl but I will be at Timberline more than anyplace just because they are open sooner and later than anyone else. I'll have the fusion pass which is good for Skibowl and Timberline. Hoodoo is just as close to my house though so I'll be looking for an excuse to ski up there too. Hoodoo has a thrifty Thursday ticket deal and they're closed Wednesday so if it snows a bunch on Wednesday that is a pretty sweet arrangement.

Also wow, I just looked over your quiver and that is a lot of fun looking skis. I love big freestyle pow skis.

What's your Oregon ski hill of choice for this coming winter?

Oregon is definitely possible, because my body will need days off, and also I will want rest-day laptop time (at any resort anywhere) to be working on my other Ski Gear Data website idea. Also, I need to be shuttling skis a few times between Whistler and Northern Calif, and Oregon is on that route.

Keep these non-Epic resort requests coming.

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[Vitamin I]

Sounds like you're adding a colossal pain in the ass to the already pretty arduous goal of sleeping in a station wagon all winter.

How many bad library experiences/low take up to make it a big regret?

Good feedback. I hear ya, and you might end up being right. If the lending starts to ruin my winter, then I can quit lending, and just keep road-tripping and skiing on all the skis myself. On 3 past trips, I've slept in my car >30 consecutive nights each trip no prob with 6 pairs of skis in my car, and this time it will help that I can take breaks from the road as needed in a cushy Calif home (especially on holidays, etc).

I could be wrong, but my guess is the Library will be low interest. Sometimes people get excited about an idea, but then they don't actually bother to participate. Like, maybe I will ski solo Mon-Fri with zero interested borrowers, and then maybe 2-3 borrowers on Saturday might choose 1 pair of skis each. We'll see. I think "wasted days" will feel like no big loss to me, because surely I will get my basic selfish needs met. Strangely, "chasing storms/powder" will not be high on my priorities during my most mobile winter ever. I know, that's sacrilege, but I just want to slay ALL conditions (with strong preference for decent visibility and biggish terrain)---not much powder fever lately.

What are you going to do about damaged/lost skis?

You really think many people are going to hand over their ID/CC to you?

Presumably there will be a blog?

My attitude is "We'll figure out solutions."

I was hoping the community would help come up with answers that work for us. I will try to think of policies to minimize damage to my most cherished subset of skis, and people are free to hate me for refusing to lend out my precious Spatulas on November rocks. But I have plenty of skis that I won't cry over if they get damaged---I will just try to fix any damage. Maybe the community can help think of a policy to prevent and/or punish for lost skis. And if the community doesn't want to give me their driver licenses/credit cards, then maybe the community will suggest a solution that works. (EDIT: maybe just a 5-second video of you making a "affadavit" statement, so I have leverage for future public shaming if necessary.) I'm not offering my skis to the entire world here---I posted this thread on TGR in summer, to like only tens of tens of us Tech Talk Nerds, haha.

I've never done a blog. I can code a full-stack custom website, or just use TGR Forums, or a combo, or whatever. No desire to make it fancy. I do indeed want my upcoming Ski Gear Data website to have fancy function, but with zero fancy form.

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[PNWbrit]

If you end up at Crystal I'll buy you a beer.

[Self Jupiter]

I got news for ya, baby, you’re looking at the man!

[Vitamin I]

It may be worth clarifying that the library is geared towards med-large dudes; scanning through your list it looks like you only have a handful of skis <185 cm.

Good call. I have declined many free pairs of used shorter skis over the years. Biased towards long skis, I still need to learn which types of ski models people might like in shorter lengths.

EDITED original post to include:
- Current collection leans toward “demanding” ski models (fat, heavy, stiff, etc.) in long lengths that are most appropriate for bigger guys. (If high interest in shorter skis, I could try harder to acquire more.)

ANOTHER COMMON EXPECTATION:
If people expect to test 4 ski models in one day---that's not what I had in mind. But we can do that if we come up with a solution, like maybe Norseman's idea of a combo lock to allow folks to check skis in and out of The Library without my presence. Not sure yet.
EDIT: One skier could borrow 4 reserved pairs in morning, put them all in the public ski rack (split up pairs to reduce theft, or ski locks), then swap all day long while I'm absent. Might work best for skiers willing to accept responsibility to learn how to adjust bindings properly themselves.

...having a good, enforceable waiver might keep someone from suing you successfully, but it may not stop people from suing you in the first place. One of the things insurance would do is pay for lawyers to defend you in court in the event you're sued...

Yes, please keep the legal talk coming, even from armchair non-lawyers. With discussion, I think we'll figure out a solution. I already see how we can try to selectively screen for "trustworthy maggots", "vouch for friends", etc...but even that would be insufficient, when surviving heirs can sue against the wishes of the deceased (knock on wood).

I didn't pursue this next idea yet, but one ludicrous brief thought was to make it a club with private membership, and the stated solitary objective of the club is for members to intentionally suffer loss & injury to self and others while borrowing skis, so you pay the club $1 (or whatever bill you have on you) for that injurious service, and you receive your refund every time the club fails to deliver injury & loss. But if you suffer injury & loss to self and/or others, then you got exactly what you wanted and paid for. My defense would probably get laughed out of court if a surviving heir sued me (I mean they would win, I would lose).

EDIT: Also, the Library will operate under both Canada laws and USA laws.

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[PNWbrit]

didn't pursue this next idea yet, but one ludicrous brief thought was to make it a club with private membership, and the stated solitary objective of the club is for members to intentionally suffer loss & injury to self and others while borrowing skis, so you pay the club $1 (or whatever bill you have on you) for that injurious service, and you receive your refund every time the club fails to deliver injury & loss. But if you suffer injury & loss to self and/or others, then you got exactly what you wanted and paid for. My defense would probably get laughed out of court if a surviving heir sued me (I mean they would win, I would lose).

EDIT: Also, the Library will operate under both Canada laws and USA laws.

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Mandatory maggot arbitration clause.

Here's some wording... https://www.ada.org/~/media/JCNDE/pd...ment.pdf?la=en

[Vitamin I]

Mandatory maggot arbitration clause.

Here's some wording... https://www.ada.org/~/media/JCNDE/pd...ment.pdf?la=en

Sweet. That's definitely going into the Library waiver. See, fake arm-chair non-lawyer talk helps!

Unlike for-profit businesses, who don't want a waiver to be so one-sided that it scares off paying customers, I can make my waiver ridiculous and long and one-sided in my favor...because people like free stuff, and I hope they can trust my intentions as a free operation. OBVIOUSLY, I will do my very best to keep all the gear operating safely.

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[Self Jupiter]

I sign that I hold ye harmless and consider thee indemnified

[nickel]

This is really cool. You sound like good people. I'm Whistler based and would love to try a number of things in your quiver. Always nice to ski with new folk as well if you're keen. I might even have a couple things you'd be interested in... or not.

[Vitamin I]

The responses here help me think about possible ways to do this.

You need a good way to allow folks to check skis in and out of The Library without your presence...

After some thought, I’d like to avoid towing a trailer, and now I’m more interested in storing half the collection near Silverthorne, CO, and half in Whistler.

This idea would provide me the best access to skis while I focus the majority of my days in those 2 primary zones this winter. Also, if the level of local interest in those 2 primary zones ends up inspiring a local maggot in each zone to volunteer to become the designated “Local Librarian”, then that volunteer could provide more frequent access to each half-collection in a storage unit whenever I’m away at other zones.

I think it would be acceptable that all other zones would get access to only my 1 car-load of skis every time I drive a lap through those other zones. For my early-winter laps, a side-objective would be to incrementally move half the collection from Whistler to Colorado. For my late-winter laps, a side-objective would be to incrementally move the ENTIRE collection to California by closing day of A-Basin (~June 2)...
...EDIT: OR potentially extended to a much later date until Mammoth closing day, with a 2019-20 IKON Pass that grants early access to Mammoth/Squaw starting ~April 8, 2019.

Sorry, now I’m thinking minimal visits to Tahoe this winter, because Tahoe will get all my focus the following winter 2019-20 (which will be Squaw HQ, hopefully with IKON road-trips). Still, if the level of Tahoe interest ends up inspiring a Tahoe maggot to volunteer to become the designated “Local Librarian” this winter, then that volunteer could hold a small number of skis and provide access while I’m in other zones pretty much the whole winter.

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