I’m a gear head. There are worse, but I rank. Now I’m not one of those dudes that has pretty stuff up on the shelf; I like to use my stuff—all of my stuff. Here’s the other thing: I like black stuff. I like how it soaks up light and feels heavier, except the bike—that feels lighter, yet still substantive. The plain black t-shirt goes anywhere. My grandmother-in-law suggested I get married in one. (I didn’t.) So here are five black beauts that I think are indispensable for this, the first-ever Johnny Come Lately Springtime Gear review:
Black Diamond Verdicts
Spring is backcountry time. It’s lift-serve slush time. It’s
Tuckerman’s or Keene Valley Time. When I was 13, I erratically refused
to click down my heel anymore. So I bought a pair of Karhu XCD-GTSs
from a ski swap and started to regress to the third-world turn, as my
alpine skiing friends like to call it. Thanks to Steve at the
Middlebury Mountaineer, I’ve moved on to my biggest tele skis yet. The
Verdicts are meaty (102 under foot) with the signature 01 binding for
speedy and free ascents. I like how these skis tear around on all types
of snow. I like how they run at speed. I like how they feel mid-hop
turn before slamming them into gear and weighting the tails for another
arc. These skis rock. And they are black. ($559.00)
Moleskine Tablets
They advertise that they are the notebook of Hemmingway, Picasso,
and Van Gogh. For me, it’s about the sturdiness of these things. I like
how the paper takes the ink, though typically my observations are
grocery lists, project lists, or lists of waxes to test. (I like
lists—look at this column.) Simple elegance is hard to come by, and
Moleskine kills it with this book. Mine is black. ($12.95)
Chaco Flip Flops
I used to have the older, thicker Chaco sandals—the ones that looked
like I should be in a Charlton Heston film driving chariots. I liked
them but used to lament how restrictive they were. I longed for a flip
flop. As a teacher in Colorado, I ended up teaching the son of the
owner of Chaco. I remember a hike in Death Hollow Canyon, Utah, when he
told me that a flip flop was in production. I don’t think a grown man
has ever loved a hypothetical shoe so much. Now I love the real thing.
They don’t wear out (they shouldn’t, for 50 bones), they have good
support, and they leave bitchin’ tan lines, and they come in black.
This is my shoe of choice from as early as March to as late as October.
($49.95)
Cannondale System Six
I know that Cannondale has released an update to this bike, but I
like this one. I like how it climbs, sprints, and looks. I like the
meaty head tube and the angles. I just love this bike. It’s lively and
quick, but without any edgy Britney Spears action in the ride. (No fake
British accents, either.) Mostly, I like that when I hop on the ride, I
forget about it until I unclip and settle in for a post-ride cup of
coffee. Did I mention it’s black? ($ A lot)
Espresso Shots
Any hard-hitting local espresso: the type that demands things of
you. I like it served with a saucer—I’m dainty like that—and with a
thick natural crème that comes from long brewing. Holy crap, I want one
right now!
