BadBrad

I used to have a Rossignol Throttle. They were great boards in their day. I recall it being kind of stiff for me, so I sold it and got a Burton Ultra Prime.

I'm also surprised by the in-boot injuries. I hurt my ankle when I first started snowboarding, but that was in Sorrel hunting boots and strap bindings. I've observed that most snowboarding injuries are upper body, such as shoulders/collarbones and wrists.

Same here. I took clinics from Dan, Ian, Eric and his other brother Eric. There were different styles and philosophies, but I benefited from all of them, and my carving definitely sucked less at the end of the week than at the beginning. Brad

Those look like rebranded Burton race plates.

I was checking out the equipment used in the Olympics PGS events. Noticed lots of Kesslers, plus a few Oxess and SG boards. Bindings mostly looked like F2 to me, but I couldn't get a good look from the TV. Maybe even a couple of Burton/Ibex bindings as well. It seems like a lot of the carvers like Bomber TD2/TD3 bindings, but they aren't favored by racers. Is this correct? Do racers usually prefer bindings with more flex? I'm curious because I've mostly used Burton Race Plates, but I got some TD2s a while back and feel like I might be more comfortable and smoother on the old Burtons because they have more flex in the bails.

Yeah, even skis didn't have much sidecut in those days. I eventually graduated from the K2 Gyrator to a Burton Asym Air, which did have some sidecut. Then an Asym Alp.

This was my first.

I have a Burton Alp exactly like that. I'm bringing it for the retro session since I no longer have my old asym boards (used to have an Asym Air and Asym Alp). I always thought that particular Alp was the best carving board of its era. If yours sells and someone else is interested in one, I'd probably be willing to sell mine for cheap. It's probably not in as good condition as yours -- mine is very well-used and had a base repair at some point. Brad B.

Prior 4WD 164, 9.5m radius, ~21cm width. Forgiving, makes tight turns at moderate to slow speeds, easy turn initiation, easy to skid when necessary, and good in crud. Madd 158. Not as easy to skid, but makes very quick, tight turns.

I'm a perpetual struggling intermediate, so it would be great if I could learn something to get me to the next level. I can carve okay on gentle to moderate terrain, but when it gets steeper I have a hard time controlling my speed. And lately, for some reason, I've really been struggling with transitioning from edge to edge (turn initiation). Brad

3 boards: Prior WCRM 173 (won at SES 2008 raffle) Prior 4WD 164 (bought new from Prior) MADD 158 (bought used) Using old Burton Race Plates on the 4WD and old TD2s on the others. Boots are old Burton Wind.

1. Mark Brown, M-F 2. Jim Cheen, W-F 3-4. Andrea, Dave & Lillian Morgan, M-F 5 GeoffV, M-F 6. Michael Mercurio, M-F 7. Stephane Paquette, M-F 8. Derek Bonser-M-F 9. Tabatha M-F 10. Brad Burns M-F

I made reservations for the week. I was at ECES 4 years ago, and I've only been on the slopes a couple of times since then, so hopefully I can get in a few days locally and get in good enough shape to enjoy the week. Brad B

For flexibility/mobility training, check out Eric Cressey's Magnificent Mobility. It's better than just static stretching in that it gives you functional mobility for athletic activities. As others have said, basic whole-body strength exercises with free weights will build real-world useful strength and challenge the core. Various squats, deadlifts, lunges, and step-ups will especially help strength for carving. In addition to pure strength, strength-endurance training helps keep me from petering out mid-day (or mid-run). These are weightlifting sessions with lighter weights, higher reps, and little or no rest between exercises. Look up "complexes" or "cardio strength training". These do a lot more for my carving endurance than steady-state cardio. For cardio, cycling is great. I prefer mountain biking. I think hard intervals or hill repeats work better than steady state for carving fitness, whether it is cycling or running or elliptical or whatever.

No, this is the beauty of Olympic lifting. You get that awesome physique!