lamby

The Pledge didn't seem to help much today. Conditions were firm, carveable groom, packed powder. Not much snow was building up on my top sheet, but snow was collecting and sticking to it just the same. Sounds like jp1 has tried it all. Too funny that lard might be the product that gets 'er done:lol: don't know if I want to go there either - maybe I live with the snow and just scrape it off from time to time.

We have some Pledge, I'll spray some on before heading up this afternoon. Will not put any on or near my stomp pad - good advice. C

I've tried Rain-x, paste wax, and silicone spray. All helped a little for a little while, but didn't last. My decks are cold upon arrival at the hill, so they should be good to go. Perhaps I should try some hot sauce or wasabi:eek:

:boxing_smI'll give that a try and report back to you. What's your number over there at Blaine Manor?;)

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. I'll give these a try.

oxy don't know, but I bet this is softer than an alp. I have a 163 alp, and it's stiff. Great to train on - makes for many demanding turns per run.

Awesome video! Thanks:biggthump

Does anyone have any suggestions for ways to make top-sheets not collect snow. On some days the snow really sticks to the top of my deck and it can start to get kind of heavy as it accumulates. Was wondering if anyone out there has any tricks for making their top-sheets shed snow. Some of my decks have glossy top sheets and some have rougher, matte-like, finishes. All seem to collect snow. Thanks in advance for any tips coming this way. Best, Chris

Burton's e decks/e series are considerably softer than the Burton's Alp line. I ride a 163 e deck and my wife rides a 156. We like these decks on powder days and when we want to go poke around in the bumps and crud. We found these to be good boards to learn to carve on too - forgiving and fun. I did a quick search - a 148 is for sale on eBay. Here is a link: 148 e series The 163 has a side cut radius of 9.17 156 side cut radius is 8.97 148 = 8.58

Wow. Sorry to hear about this. My sympathy to his family.

to bad you didn't have one of these things on your '92 Tanker when you smashed that stick the other day. It would have been the gunshot that was heard around the world:lol: more like: ppppffffffffffffftttttttttttttPOW:eek:

Yep, he took the gold:biggthump

I see that Bomber Store has replacement heel assemblies available, but is out of stock on toe bail assemblies. Anyone know of a source for new Burton/Ibex toe assemblies? Thanks

Congats to Graham Wantanabe on his recent win at Sunday River. SunValleyOnline article: Watanabe wins World Cup event in Maine

nuf said!:)

The condition of the snow is a huge factor, but higher skill levels allow one to enjoy a wider range of conditions. "Hero snow" makes everything so much easier. When the snow is perfect you could probably leave ditches with a soft set up on a lunch tray. I love it when the snow is awesome. When conditions are less than ideal they can still be extremely satisfying to ride plates on. When conditions get even more challenging it can be fun too. Variable conditions (scraped off groom/ice/other conditions) find me working on my patience. If I take my time and work on riding in those conditions I find that it pays off. I might not be having the time of my life that day, but I'm finding other aspects of the experience to enjoy. And, when I'm up the next time I may find that I'm stronger and better at this than I was the last time I was out.

Sometimes I find myself reading the threads about technique and equipment set up and wonder if the innumerable subtle changes in binding set ups and technique considerations are of much help to people trying to improve their riding. Maybe, maybe not, but if people have fun describing what they are trying, or thinking about, as they work on their riding then that is great. It can be fun to read those posts and chime in, or to read those posts and not chime in. Anyway, I think being stoked on this sport and striving to improve and doing a lot of riding will translate into improved riding. My wife and I took the sport up about 10 years ago. Learned on soft gear. Rode with friends who rode alpine. Rented alpine gear for a day (back when you could rent alpine gear at local shop SkiTek). Right away I dug the feeling of a carved turn. From there it has been a love affair that has seemed to have a life of its own. It is always pulling me back to the mountain. We sought out a lot of instruction where ever we could find it. Read everything we could get our hands on, took lessons (thanks Carvedog), followed better riders... All of these contributed tremendously to our riding. All very helpful. Now that things have come together for me to some degree I find myself thinking less about my technique and how to make that next turn happen. But, then again, if things don't seem to be going so smoothly I will reach back for a tip or technique consideration to work on. concentrating on one drill/idea can help me to remember how to have more fun with it all. I find it fun to read what everyone thinks and how everyone approached this cool sport. I think if you love what you are doing you are going to immerse yourself in it and get better. I agree with some of the earlier posts that it is incredibly helpful to one's riding to seek out other riders and to ride with them. Thanks for the conversations.

I think the key to getting really proficient at alpine riding is spending a ton of time on the snow digging the heck out of this sport.

The riding was a blast but it seems like the stars were lined up against us somehow:freak3:

Oh man, what a drag! Feelin' for ya as you and that 192 seemed meant for each other. Well, sounds like you'll still be enjoying it after repair. Good luck with the fix.

Hey Carvedog - Great riding with you, Guy and Scotty today. That was a blast. We dropped Olympic again and Guy broke a binding bail. Scotty was heading out to get some parts and tools and Guy headed for Lookout to await aid. Later on I was taking my second pass down Graduate and I broke a bail under the chair. The people on the chair had a great view of my wreck and were lovin' it:lol: I was gassed climbing up Graduate to gain College. Man that mutha is steep! You really get a taste for it when your sticking your boot toes into the slope and tip-toeing up that sucker. Glad for the Sunnyside chair and an opp to off-load the mountain. Winds blowin'. Bet things are filled in manana. Chris

Brundage Mountain is outside of McCall Idaho Tamarack is also in the vicinity of McCall.

Resorts I've ridden: Grew up skiing in Michigan - little hills outside of Detroit like Mt. Brighton, Mt. Holly, and Alpine Valley - those don't qualify as resorts of course, but the family did take trips to what we considered the big ski areas of Boyne Mtn, Boyne Highlands, and Crystal Mtn. Man those places looked big to me back then. In Idaho I've ridden: Sun Valley Pommerelle (ski hill between Twin Falls and Idaho Falls) Soldier Mountain (small hill about an hour from Sun Valley) In Utah I've ridden: Powder Mountain Snow Basin Poci, Idaho's ski area is Pebble Creek. Haven't been there yet, but it looks like fun. Haven't gotten around much, but looking forward to more travels in the future!

That is so cool George - it must have been something to come upon that stack of lumber at the lift! Thanks for the low down on what those guys are riding and what their set-ups look like. What a day - thanks for sharing it with us.

Bang - you've hit the nail on the head Jer. I've had that same sensation later in the day when things is getting more and more skied off. It feels like conditions have come around somehow. Seems like I should be tired and off my game, but things are getting better. Fun.