Gear Notes: Get Some Soul, Save Your Knees and Read Up on the Luxe Ski Life

soul pole bros — **Loving the skiing, and loving the Soul Poles, at Ski Portillo.**

Soul Poles

I’m a little bit jealous.

When Soul Poles offered me some of their classic bamboo poles (with hot pink grips and baskets), I was stoked.

And then, in a fit of uncharacteristic generosity, I arranged for the poles to go to my son. A ski junkie who is up on all the latest innovations, and ski industry news, he was already familiar with Soul Poles.

I also knew that he’d put them through their paces and give me honest feedback.

Too bad for him, but the poles, at 48” are the perfect size for my husband as well. And when we went to Portillo in August, said husband hijacked them. Now he doesn’t want to give them back.

soul poles made in utah — **Soul Poles: Sustainable, Renewable, Made In Utah.**
**Photo: Jonas Jungblut**

Here’s why:

1. Swing Weight

A good pole plant will improve your skiing. Making a good plant involves swinging the pole outward and extending it from your wrist.

Soul Poles weigh a bit more than my husband’s aluminum poles and he really likes the additional weight, finding it great for stability, rhythm and timing.

“Overall, Soul Poles are a stouter ski pole, and I like that,” he explains.

Soul Poles itself, tells a different story, saying that their bamboo poles are actually lighter than comparable carbon fiber poles.

Since we don’t have any carbon fiber poles, we can’t compare.

2. Comfort Grips

According to my husband, these grips fit his hands perfectly. And, I don’t think he’s saying that just so he can keep the poles.

A boxy, rectangular shape, the ergonomic grips are made of durable recycled plastic, in keeping with Soul Poles ethic of sustainability and simplicity.

3. Style

Soul Poles are eye-catching.

Pleasingly retro, these made-in-the-USA ski and hiking poles make people stop and take a second look. While my husband was skiing the classic poles – natural bamboo with blue baskets – you can upgrade to torched bamboo, or poles accented with more color.

But most importantly, you can have them engraved with your name or something else. I totally recommend engraving, and so does my son.

Because that’s the only reason he’s getting these poles back.

Opedix Knee-Tec Tights

opedix knee detail — **Check out the knee protection built in to Opedix Knee Tec tights.**

Despite running and skiing, I’ve got great knees straight from the deep end of the gene pool. Still, I have lots of friends who’ve suffered knee injuries over the years, so when Opedix offered me a chance to try their Knee-Tec tights, I bent my good knees deep and jumped at the chance.

Opedix Kinetic Health Gear aims to help athletes function at their best – for the long haul. Designed in partnership with orthopedic surgeons and biomedical scientists, Opedix tights are structured to keep our joints and muscles aligned in a harmonious “kinetic chain.”

When the kinetic chain is in line, we don’t get injured. Activity, fatigue and injury can throw the chain out of balance, and that’s when we get hurt, achy and stiff.

Opedix tights are designed with panels of stabilizing fabric to protect your knees from twisting forces at the hips and ankles. In some ways, they remind me of tights with built-in, super comfortable knee braces.

After a month of use, I love these tights. I’ve worn them trail running and to the gym for weight training. Come winter, I’m looking forward to trying them under my ski pants.*

And while I don’t have knee pain, I do appreciate the added protection my legs are getting from the dynamic alignment panels. If I did have knee pain, or was rehabbing after a knee injury, I’d definitely check them out.

(*BSM Note: I wore the Opedix tights today, while skiing at Arapahoe Basin (10.24.14). At first they felt a bit tight — definitely more support than any base layers I won — but once I started skiing they were really comfortable and I think they definitely offer greater stability.)

Opedix offers braveskimom.com readers a discount code for 20% off purchases made before November 21^st. Just enter “brave” at checkout.

SNOW Magazine

Recently, while waiting for my son at the orthodontist, I picked up a copy of SNOW Magazine and was blown away, by the stunning design and ski fashion photo shoots worthy of VOGUE.

The next day, I spoke with SNOW’s publisher Barb Sanders. Produced in Aspen, SNOW is published two times a year in October and mid-December. It’s available in Aspen or by mail with a $15 annual subscription. You can also find it digitally on Google Play and iTunes.

Read about ski racing in the Ivy League, luxury European lodging and streetwise fashion trends in the current issue.

And for continually updated content, visit thesnowmag.com, for the best in luxury destinations, fashion gear reviews and heli skiing beta. Think braveskimom.com, with nannies.

To facilitate this post, I received original Soul Poles and Opedix Knee-Tec tights to try and review. As always, all opinions are my own and are exactly what I would tell my family and friends.