Long before Jody Thompson started up Mt. Everest as part of the first all-American women's mountaineering team sponsored by Ford Motor Company in 2002, she was competing – and winning – plenty of telemark competitions in Summit County and beyond.

A testament to how hard Thompson charges on her skis, she hasn't missed an Arapahoe Basin Enduro race since 1992. She was part of the top-scoring women's team two of those years. Now, she charges with her 11-year-old son. Last year, they tallied 56 runs (ironically, her son was also 56 pounds) and the year before that, they matched his weight with 48 laps on the Pallivicini chairlift.

“It's so fun to be able to spend 10 hours with my son,” said the woman who is capable of snapping skis and breaking bindings.

In her gear tests, Thompson valued the ability to try different gear back-to-back. She's skied Volkl Auras for the past five years or so, and wasn't sure whether she'd like what came from the local manufacturers. She was pleasantly surprised with the bamboo-core Liberty Envy Powder ski, slightly wider underfoot than its all-mountain sister, but just as pink.

“It was awesome to get on a ski that's just as good,” she said. “The local skis are just as good or better than Volkl.”

She'd even go so far as to call them “shredtastic,” minus one little detail: The 105 mm waist makes it a bit harder to get on edge in the hardpack. Which is probably where the all-mountain Envy comes in.

Thompson took the skis into knee-deep powder when Beaver Creek opened Bald Eagle on Grouse Mountain in the last storm system, and gulped in the pleasure of tearing through the soft stuff in a lunge.

The 22 Designs Bombshell binding helped, she added. With “bomber” construction, she felt safe and secure headed downhill.

“I like the stiffness; it helps the ski turn great at high speeds,” she said, adding that the binding's cables have resistance versatility that facilitates uphill travel at the same time it can be adjusted to downhill turns.

When Thompson hopped on the Black Diamond Element, with its 115 mm waist, camber underfoot and tip and tail rocker, she wasn't a fan of skiing them on the hardpack at Arapahoe Basin. However, she said perhaps that's not what they're meant for. Perhaps, they're meant for the steep, deep late-April powder lines in Summit's Shit for Brains, or the somewhat controlled Professor – both considered backcountry. Basically, head for the powder stashes with these.

According to Black Diamond, the Elements are inspired by big-mountain powder lines, which Thompson said seems to be their specialty. But BD also claims they're great on the groomers, which wasn't what Thompson thought – at least not for the telemark gig. They do engage at high speeds, but expect a wide, arcing turn – nothing quick and snappy.

On the other hand, pop on a pair of Faction Heroines, much narrower underfoot, and rip up the resort all day long, Thompson said.

A ski she labeled “energetic,” the Factions were lighter and more playful in the bumps, and felt a bit wider than 92 mm underfoot.

“I made effortless, smooth turns,” she said, wondering, “Am I skiing this, or is it skiing me?”

All in all, Thompson was “shocked” to learn that Liberty's skis, based just over the hill in Avon, could appeal to her just as much as her Volkls. In fact, she might go so far as to say she prefers the Envy skis in the powder. As for her second-favorite, she'd say the Heroine, so long as she's headed for the soft bumps or steep chutes.