OhD

Revy is a bucket list kind of place, and chasing James around for a day might give you a sense of just how close you might be getting to the bucket. It's a great mountain with huge vertical, a wide variety of lift-served terrain and good lifts. You could make a non-stop run of mostly laid out or at least solid deep carves for over 5000' - or a fall-line tree run. I'd have to take a few breaks... Kicking Horse is not a place I'd go for carving, but worth a day or two if you have all-mountain gear and skills. Some fine hike-to terrain. Panorama also has some nice steepish front-side groomers, mellow cruisers and hero bumps on both flanks and a big gladed back bowl if you get a powder day. Fernie is also not a real groomer paradise, but a little more relaxed than Kicking Horse. Nice town, too. Kimberly has a ton of narrow runs cut through the woods and big groomed collectors. I haven't been there in years but recall having a great day wolf-packing it down a bunch of the slotcar tracks in the woods with some local guys - on skis. Of course there's also the Banff areas - I had three great days there last winter, two boarding and one skiing. Plenty of culture and more cute shopping than really necessary. There are probably another half dozen other areas in BC/AB worth adding to a road trip, with no compelling reason but time to drive more than 4 hours per hop (given decent weather). Cell coverage is pretty good and there are numerous small towns with good food, good beer and coffee and numerous Air BnB's. We spent over three weeks last winter cruising around the area, starting at Whistler and ending at Red. One of the best winter trips we've taken in our 40 years of chasing around. It's all pretty well been discovered - not exactly a wilderness experience - but the natives are friendly, even to Americans.

I have an unused set. Send me a PM if still interested. I switched to UPZ boots and don't need them.

Nice video work, Sunsurfer!

Well - getting over here was technically easy but emotionally difficult. Thanks to Jack, Fin and anyone else who helped! I may have missed a few recent posts somewhere, but I am wondering what are the prospects for someone taking on the manufacture of Bomber gear and parts. My TD3's are pretty tough and might outlive me without any more parts, but FinTec heels need treads and cables now and then. I have parts to convert one pair to standard, but getting clipped into those after lunch is not something I'm looking forward to. Has anyone used Intec heels and receivers on TD3's? I found Intecs a little dainty compared to the TD2/3, but I was rather klutzier then. Is there any stock of TD parts extant that someone might acquire and make a little business out of selling to the community? Have any of the other retailers in the business been showing any interest in handling parts? Is there any prospect of licensing the designs (and tooling) and having the wearing parts manufactured?

Closer to your new home, check out Apex near Penticton.

REVELSTOKE looks fabulous. Skied today, carving tomorrow if weather holds and weekend crowd dissipates.Thousands of feet of steep, excellent groomers!

Great to see the real Bomber back!

Lots of variety at Powder Mountain, including a number of mellow groomers off Hidden Lake Express. There is a vast amount of cat-served or hike-to and road shuttle-served side-country, some of it pretty steep but most looks more moderate. Lots of lift-served gladed area too. Bring the whole quiver. Cover was good in early February (spent a day there enroute to ATC) and the grooming was mostly terrific. So was the chili. Off-piste was a little stale but still had numerous patches of barely-touched powder. Next day we hit Snowbasin, also a really big resort. I skied there (distributing the wear and tear) and thought it a little less polished than Powder, but still a great place to ride. I boarded there a couple of years ago, ill and in a near whiteout, and still had a good day of mostly AM riding with some nice carving breaks. The downhill course starts are up at the top of the Allen Peak tram, and if groomed would afford you a great steep run for carving. I don't know how often it gets groomed, but it had moderate fluffy bumps for us to frolic in. There had been a lot of small slides off the ridges, so many of the accessible bowls were pretty chunky and re-frozen. The lodges are quite splendid, as you'd expect of a Sun Valley resort. The terrain is generally more jagged peaks than Powder - more along the lines of Snowbird - and the views from some lodges are pretty striking.

"Broken Old Men... Burritos Every Run"

Grand Targhee may have the best carving runs anywhere, under ideal conditions. This is Floyd's Fancy, a blue run, under the Blackfoot chair. Arrowhead is on the other side of the chair, usually a black but perfectly groomed. I tipped over giggling with happiness about 3/4 of the way down Floyd's on the first run.

Friday photos computer: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC-2017-Friday/n-2ns9K8 mobile: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC-2017-Friday/n-2ns9K8?mobile=true slideshow: https://eaud.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=rggRrn&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&clickable=1

It seems my smugmug links are a little more general or a little less specific than I thought. You are welcome to view anything on the site (if the previous links get you into the whole place) but if all you're interested in is this event, use the following. If these still get you into the whole site, just search there for ATC2017 or ATC-2017. Here are fresh links to a gallery for each day: Sunday computer: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC-2017/n-xPMLd9 Sunday mobile: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC-2017/n-xPMLd9?mobile=true Sunday slideshow: https://eaud.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=GNXHHX&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&clickable=1 Monday computer: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC2017-Monday/n-t8MDMW Monday mobile: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC2017-Monday/n-t8MDMW?mobile=true Monday slideshow: https://eaud.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=wdpKPG&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&clickable=1 Wednesday computer: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC-2017-Wednesday/n-W9wqdh Wednesday mobile: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC-2017-Wednesday/n-W9wqdh?mobile=true Wednesday slideshow: https://eaud.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=8vTgQ5&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&clickable=1 Thursday computer: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC-2017-Thursday/n-KsNMmV Thursday mobile: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017folder/ATC-2017-Thursday/n-KsNMmV?mobile=true Thursday slideshow: https://eaud.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=gpM6Cv&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&clickable=1

Wednesday Photos https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017-Wednesday/n-W9wqdh mobile: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017-Wednesday/n-W9wqdh?mobile=true slideshow: https://eaud.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=8vTgQ5&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&clickable=1

This 172 is available for $75 at the consignment store at the foot of Mill. Looks pretty sound on an admittedly cursory inspection, plenty of edge and base. Bruce has no records for it. The stiffness is 6.5.

Where's the box of Sharpies?

Got the rest of the Monday keepers posted. Enjoy, and feel free to download. There's a little "play" arrow icon over toward the right of the Smugmug screen that will start a slideshow if you don't want to pick your way through the pictures. https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC2017-Monday/n-t8MDMW The following link should present the gallery as a slideshow, but this is a beta test for me. Let me know if it works okay. https://eaud.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=wdpKPG&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&clickable=1 Finally, this link is supposed to be best for mobile devices: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC2017-Monday/n-t8MDMW?mobile=true If you want a good photo of yourself, a few tips: Come at me one rider at a time so I can track you for a ways without distractions. Look for a break in general traffic unless you really think a flailing skier makes a good background (and sometimes it does provide some comic contrast, but it's devilishly hard to compose). If you can give me a wave and get an acknowledgement wave before you come by I am more likely to have a live battery and be able to start tracking you in time to have you in focus when you do something photogenic about 50-100 feet away from me. Ideally you will be doing photogenic stuff throughout your pass so I will get shots of several turns. Ride by at a reasonable distance. I generally have a long zoom telephoto lens mounted and it's hard to keep you centered in the focus area while zooming out and back so you fill about half the frame through the whole pass, and if you come very close the focus and your apparent size change quickly. I usually will shoot in burst mode at 6 frames/second so the autofocus should track you accurately if I can keep you centered while zooming. You can try out a few expressions, your favorite hand jive, or whatever. If you want to make a tight turn around me and get a sequence, set it up in advance (stop in sight and call me at 509-366-1286) and I can put on a shorter lens and spray you from as close as you want to get (be forewarned that if you get too close your head will look fat - like about 99.9% of the GoPro selfie footage out there). Autofocus wanders off to follow any distraction if I don't keep you centered or if I pause mid-burst. Sometimes I fail to get a rider focused at all, but it usually works best with a fairly consistent approach and not too close of a pass so I can track you going by without having to pirouette on snow in boots. Just because I've pointed a fancy camera at you as you zipped by doesn't mean I got any good photos. I'll try to post regularly but it does take some time to a) pick the 10% or so of frames worth keeping, and b) develop those shots into presentable images (cropping, exposure adjustment and often a little tweaking of color balance and contrast). If you keep all the above in mind you won't overthink the riding part and I'll catch you doing things you never thought you could do. I'm doing this for the fun of it, and would generally be happy to work with anyone who wants a particular shot or a sequence. If you want nice steady video talk to Johnasmo (the onesie wonder - or the Montucky oneder). I can shoot video from a stationary point but it's not going to be a steady as his work and you might have to listen to me grunting and gasping. I don't think John ever gasps. I'll set up within sight of chairlifts so you can hail me if you plan to come by and hope to find me shooting, and try to find spots with good approach views, lighting angles and backgrounds. Photography is a great way for me to cope with antiquity and altitude, but sometimes I just want to ride or need to go pee. It's been fun having so many great-looking riders around to watch, learn from and photograph, not to mention hang out, drink and eat with. All the best Dennis

Monday photos, about one third of them. https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC2017-Monday/n-t8MDMW

A little OT, but my guest here noticed this and thought some of us might be interested. https://www.facebook.com/events/1838950782985568/?ti=as

Hmm. Embedded isn't too impressive. Try this unless you see something with pictures: https://eaud.smugmug.com/ATC-2017/n-xPMLd9

Got out the camera for the last two hours of the Buttermilk session. You can view and download from I'll add to this gallery as time and opportunity allow. Enjoy! Some party Angie, Jim and the gracious co-habitants of the Bomber House!

Level Half Pipe gloves with seat belt webbing glued to the palm and urethane sealant on the fingertips have lasted me for 6 years, I think. Getting a bit raggedy and velcro is dying for second time so I just bought two more pair. I like the wrist guards, they are pretty warm, and reasonably water resistant.

Consider setting your back binding so the boot sole and most of the shell is entirely inboard of the edges. Then stand on the board in your boots with a small block under your front foot to match your binding height. Stand there and flex naturally as though soaking up bumps or dropping into a turn. Watch and feel what the front boot is doing relative to the board. Mount the front binding as close to the angles your feet naturally want to assume. If it is possible with your bindings, rotate the cant plate and the upper structure independently until you can keep the boot sole on the binding while doing the flexing, without feeling that the boots are trying to rotate your feet or push your knees into unnatural positions. The closer you can get the cant (pure toe/heel lift at 0 orientation angle), cant orientation, and foot angle (angle of the boot axis to the centerline of the board) to what will allow your foot to stay stationary with respect to the board while you flex, the better. Another trick I learned at a softboot instructor clinic is to simply jump straight up and land in what feels like a natural stance and freeze. Look at the angles your feet have settled on. Start there. For softboots, I found +12/-5 (where I landed) was in fact much better for me than the +15/+5 I had been riding. This technique might be modified with cants taped to your boots, as they may influence your foot angle. Here's Mike T and his cowboy stance - looks weird but it suits his body and works great!

Pretty low mounting angle limits for we Sasquatch.

If you intend to do some traveling this winter as well as making it to ATC, take a look at the Mountain Collective deal: http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a694a2af344032d5c02945c88&id=c491a2c207&e=bfbcabcbc6 Karen and I have found it to be a great value and quite easy to use (never more than a few minutes at the ticket window or Customer Service desk to get the local tickets). In 2015 we used it at Aspen (for the SES), Snowbird and Alta, Squaw and Alpine Meadows, Jackson Hole and Whistler. Last year we used it only at Whistler and Sun Valley and still came out ahead of any other deal available. This year they've added Telluride (some great carving terrain) and Revelstoke.

Helpful patrol!