RyanL

I am headed to Breckenridge next week and am looking to rent a alpine board. I currently own an Ultra Prime and am looking to try some other boards out. I have looked online and on the forums here and haven't seen anywhere where I can do this. I am staying in Breckenridge, but will have a car and can go to any of the resorts in Summit county. Does anyone know of anywhere where I can rent/demo a board?

As far as tritium releases go nuclear plants are allowed to release trtium. There are EPA established limits for how much tritium a nuclear plant can release. A similar tritium leak cause a large amount of press at the Braidwood station in Illinois (1,600 picocuries Source: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/tritium-radiation-fs.html) This tritium leak was the equivilent as one one thousand the level of background radiation. So it was 1000 times more dangerous to be alive anywhere in the US (except at higher elevation, you are exposed to more radiation at higher elevation) than drink water from the release site. Tritium releaeses are typically used to scare people away from nuclear, but in a scientific way have not shown any significance. I am not familiar with the levels that were released at Vermont Yankee but I would assume it is similar to Braidwood. People who work in the nuclear industry know we are one accident away from having all plants shut down. Due to this there is a really strong safety culture. I dont know why someone would lie about any issues knowing it could have such large concequences. I am not making excuses, but if you have ever seen a diagram of pipes in a nuclear plant it is HUGE. A nuclear plant costs between 5 and 10 BILLION dollars to build without fuel. That is a HUGE amount of pipes. It is possible that someone at a plant wasnt aware of a pipe they are not responsible for and misspoke. Also all ground water has tritium, but I believe ocean water has a higher percentage of tritium but there is tritium in all water. So you drink tritium everyday (as well as walk past tritium filled exit signs, americium smoke detectors, and breath radon filled air etc). You are exposed to radiation all the time, the press just doesnt focus on thing like flying causing you to be exposed to a higher level of raditation because it doesnt make as good of a story.

As far as wastes goes the technology to recylce the waste has been around for about 40 years. This reduces the waste about 95%. You can also reuse the fuel in breeder reactors, which is a technology that the US is just starting to really look at. Also billions of years ago there was enough uranium in africa to start a chain reactor, basically a naturally occuring reactor. After a few billion years the plutonium has moved about 10 feet or so. So if you opened up a waste container and spilled it on the ground the chemistry is such that most of the isotopes wouldnt move far. Source: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/factsheets/doeymp0010.shtml Another thing to remember is that everything around us is radioactive. So no matter how much reprocessing or recycling you cant get waste to 0 radioactivity, but then again everything around us has radiation in it. But like I said before no technology is perfect and the waste is a problem that needs to be looked at. I dont think we should have only nuclear, but nuclear is a cheap, no carbon emitting, baseload energy source that we should use.

I actually work at a nuclear company (Westinghouse) that designs nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel. My degree is in nuclear engineering, and I am goin back to get my masters in nuclear engineering, so I might be able to help. Tritium is actually naturally occuring in ocean water, and the levels that are released by a nuclear power plant are significantly bellow what is dangerous. If you feel safe in ocean water than you shouldnt fear tritium from a nuclear reactor. Texas actually has a plant that is very far along in the approval process, STPNOC is building a Toshiba reactor (Advanced Boiling Water Reactor). If you google STP 3 and 4 you can get to thier website. There are pluses and minuses to every technology, I could explain more of why, but there is no silver bullet. You are correct that there are many reactor designs. In reactors that are designed to boil you need water in the top part of the core. The "tube" is there to make sure water gets to the top before boiling. But it doesnt help with once the fuel is discharged. Nuclear fuel that is used in American reactors uses enriched uranium which means there is more Uranium 235 than in natural uranium. The fuel is loaded into the reactor and lasts between 1.5 and 2 years. Operating temperatures can get as high as 650*F and when the fuel comes out of the core it is still producing heat. It is cooled in a pool for 10 or so years and placed in cement canisters that let air through. The canisters are then placed on a pad on the grounds of the site. If you guys have anyother questions let me know.

I have been riding for about 6 years now, and I ride a Burton Triumph (stiff board) now. I try to ride my rails alot, but it isn't a carving board, and will give out if I push it to hard or hit ice. I am looking to go up a level in riding, so what kind/size board should I be looking for?

I have been riding for a long time and would like to start riding hardboots. I am 6'1 155lbs. I am looking for a cheap board to start out on, and some bindings. I have a aggressive riding style. Any help would be appreciated.