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jpenn

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Posts posted by jpenn

  7. Snowpro Race Bindings

    in For Sale

    Posted

    Thanks! I wasn't planning on Berkshire East this weekend, butI'm sure we can figure something out. The bail distance on my Raichle's is about 11 1/2", (from toe to heel where the bails fit in) but i have no idea how you would measure that on the binding. What size boot did you use in them?

    JP

  9. Da ultimate challenge: 360 carve on snowboard

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    I'm not sure if anyone posted a comment on this, (i didn't want to look through all 11 pages of comments on this thread) but I saw a beautiful 360 carve on during the olympic coverage made by none other than ...the AFLAC duck! Who knew this bird had so much talent? It definitely lightened things up from watching Jacobelis not finishing the final round.

  10. Riding moguls

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    My wife and I have a passion for riding the moguls. We both ride fairly short Rossignol all mountain boards with magnetraction (she has a Diva 144 and I have a JDub 154) with relatively stiff softboot setups. The maneuverability of a shorter board, with the edge grip of magnetraction helps us to enjoy the bumps, regardless of how fast and/or icy they are.

    It's been my goal for a number of years to get really good at moguls and I've gotten quite a few pointers from this thread and RCrobar's old thread. I never put too much thought into where I was scrubbing speed on the bumps, but my eyes were opened by this thread. Last weekend, I started scrubbing on the uphill faces and tops of the bumps, instead of the downhill (icy) sides. Wow! What a difference!

    At first, I thought it was going to change my entire line through the bumps, but after a few runs, I discovered that my line was really the same as it has always been, it's just where I choose to skid that changed. I could either skid down the back, icy face, or skid on the nice, soft face. Tough choice... :sleep:

    In addition, while at the top of the mogul, sliding sideways on an edge, you make the appropriate direction change to get you pointed at the next mogul below. The two motions of skid and direction change happen so smoothly, you don't really think about it.

    Of course, the skidding to scrub speed is in addition to soaking up speed via contraction/extension over the tops of the bumps. This is what so many good mogul skiers seem to understand so well. Is there even a name for this voodoo speed scrub technique that somehow converts excess kinetic energy back into potential energy? It's the exact inverse of what pipe riders do when they push off of the slope of the pipe into the flat and gain speed because of it.

    At any rate, the contraction/extension is enough to keep speed in check when the slope is shallow, but the skid really comes into play on steeper slopes.

    Hey Sooperburd - thanks for summing it up - I like your perspective, and now I am dying to try bumps on a smaller board (right now I use a Nidecker Legend 164 - a bit long but flexy and able to cut tight turns).

    JP

  13. Softbooters stay away.

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    I know I want to say something really profound here... I just can't come up with anything tho. At first, I thought the original comment was funny and intended as that, but for some reason, it really pushed a few buttons out there. Maybe these soft booters who everyone seems to dislike are just at the age where image is everything and looking cool with pants around your ankles is where it's at. But they are a product of where companys like burton and billabong and hurley etc have taken the sport. Image is everything for them, but we have achieved enlightenment - we are into the sport for the sheer pleasure. Their day will come, hopefully, when they realize there is more to life than image, more to riding than what you wear or how you try to impress everyone. Ah, so much for profound thoughts, my apologies for rambling...

  14. What a day!!!

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Hockey2, we have a situation here. You may be developing a serious addiction - there is no 10 step program or patch to help ease the pain of withdrawal that summertime brings. You may find yourself watching snowboard vids in a curtained room in the middle of July while the wife and kids are off at the beach, or endlessly playing some snowboarding video game for an artificial high. The saddest part is drooling over skiing mags that come out in August that are specifically for two plankers but are read by us with a serious addiction because we see the snow, the mountains and we can picture ourselves carving the lines...

  15. Riding moguls

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Bumps are where it's at. There is nothing like hitting Stowe or Sugarbush late in the season, when the groomers are running over 2% of the terrain and everything - especially the steeps like Star, Goat, Steins, or Ripcord are full of bumps the size of volkswagons and the snow is soft and forgiving. Moguls are like a giant terrain park with a thousand features and every time you ride through it, there's a new line to try. Personally, I put away the hardboots for this just because I feel more comfortable with my softies. Balance is key - a snowboarder's center of gravity should be just like a good mogul skier's - very little movement, which can be tricky if you find yourself setting hard turns.

    Right now, CT has had very little snow. Our local mountain has a mogul run but the bumps are very hard and icy in between. Natural snow helps a lot, warm weather does, too. You guys near areas with large snowfalls are sooo lucky. Soft bumps all the time!

  22. Poll: How good are you?

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    With your avatar in mind, I'll have to change my "Special Olympic" category.

    Welcome to the small club with of gifted athletes.

    Like that, eh? I crack up every time I see that pic (I can't even take credit for it - it's not me and I didn't take it, though it is a friend of mine - I think it is his good side) He's a special guy.

  23. Poll: How good are you?

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Yeah Bumpyride: let's hear it for riding moguls! There are a few of us out here who live for bumps - me and my son especially! Just had a bump comp at our mountain, and besides the 60-70 skiers, there were four riders! Nothing better than soft spring bumps! Had to put the alpine gear away, though...

    Personally I don't know another boarder, aside from my son, that stays in the bumps 90% of the time (though I know there's a few others), I had to put in Olympic/World Cup because I'd be in my own "Special" Olympics. (Special not as mentally/ physically handicapped-if being 60 is not considered a handicap-way)

    oh yeah, I'm a complete hacker in hardboots. Is that a category?

  24. Do I have "spaz arms?"

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Hey Shawndoggy: Love the video - wild camera angle. Speaking of spazzin arms (which I don't think yours are), there are lots of jibbers at our local hill who ride around with bunny arms - their arms are bent up and then their wrists bend down. I'm not sure what to make of it. Does anyone else see this? Hope y'all are enjoyin the spring riding. The bumps at Sundown are incredible!!!

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