Re: Swap Links
I, like Xanta, have a background in FIS racing so I'll try to come in and check on this thread from time to time. Through highschool I think I spent more time traveling to/competeing in races than I did in school in the winter months.
Maulik,
As far as books go, given you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals I would recommend The Athletic Skier by Warren Witherell. The book is a bit dated and comes from a racing point-of-view, but most of the information is still relevant to anyone who wants to further their progression as a skier. It really harps on getting a stance alignment from a good boot-fitter (which is something I recommend to everyone reading this thread). I haven't really seen any other books that I've thought are worth any time.
As far as maintenance goes, if you're just going out-west a few times in the year just get a pre-season tune-up. They'll set you a mild base texture, touch up your edges, and give you a general middle of the road wax job. Getting into tuning your own gear takes a fair ammount of reading on the subject, can cost a pretty penny (that's not to say it can't be done economically because it can, but if it weren't for connections I have my tuning kit would cost upwards of 5k; half of that in wax alone), and requires a space you don't mind [censored] up with p-tex/wax/metal shavings/etc. The sum of these thoughts is that its not really efficient for your now-and-again skier to set up a tuning shop in his basement. If anyone is still interested though, I am also willing to give my thoughts.
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