jpenn

I've gotta agree with you - the kids who are in the park, especially the regulars definitely have a great respect for the features, each other, and they feel like a part of the resort. Of course, the parks have been a boon to all the resorts 'cause just look at how many of these kids are coming in all the time. What cracks me up is this new gangsta look with the bandannas pulled over their mouths. Then they come up and say "Hey Mr. P" and you're supposed to know who they are!

You could say kids will be kids, but does that mean that the stuff we witness nowadays is the same as when we were kids (in my case, about 30 years ago)? Not sure about that. I'm sure that almost all kids are great when you're with them one-on-one, but once they're in a group, the group mentality takes over. I recently was riding a chair at the local hill and two instructor/kids/skiers were rocking the lift so bad, my life almost flashed in front of my eyes. If you have ever worked at a hill on an afternoon when the school groups arrive, there is never a moment of calm or chance to catch your breath. If you're on the hill, they're doing crazy antics there. If you're in the lodge, they're doing things like "french fry races" (dipping french fries in cheese sauce, throwing them at the windows, and seeing how long it takes them to hit the windowsill). The funny thing is I think we all know some adults who have never grown out of this! I guess what sets the a$$holes apart from the decent kids is how they respond to being reprimanded - are they contrite or do they give you a hard time. That's usually how we decide whether or not to pull their passes. - JP Need some snow here in CT!

Dear Ursle: Can you take that lunker in the park? I've got a C-box I'd like to try it out on. JP

Hi - thought I'd put in my two cents. If you go to your local hill enough, you get to know the patterns. Since I have regular hours at work, I can't get to the hill weekday mornings. But the weekend masses don't usually show up until 11:00 +/-, so that leaves us about three hours of carving time on Sat and Sunday mornings. Plus, all weekday nights are pretty nice, too, as the crowds thin after the buses leave, and Skisundown has an evening groom (oh oh, secret's out). Therefore, 7:30 till 10:00 is usually pretty sweet, too. Magic Mt was just shy of epic yesterday. Magician was open...need I say more? - jp

Excellent video! Reminds me of the TGR footage in the Continuum. I really liked the helmet cam shots - it's like we're right there sprayin' in up. -JP

Alexey - is that you in the video? Have you ever done the 100 cone challenge (slalom/longboard skateboarding)? You would rock that, man! Great style, love the video. -JP

I think we've had 4 at once at our little Skisundown. On race night, maybe even more. That's a whopping one hardbooter per 16 acres (I think we have 65 acres total). Is that more than Whistler?!? - JP

Craig Kelly is the Jerry Garcia of snowboarding... our spiritual leader...rip

So...just out of curiosity, what are the applications for a reverse camber board? What are the manufacturers saying about where to use them? I can't imagine using them here on the ice coast - or with any speed, either. Maybe these are like the old Olin ballet skis from the 70's...

That Epic IPA looks mighty nice on that coaster. I hope I don't have a drinking problem, but I feel a need to have one and it's not even seven in the morning. Hopefully it's because of the cup-holders and coasters - very stylin' JP

It just goes to show ya', we're making it a lot more difficult than it has to be.

Hey Queequeg: Awesome place for freeriding - though I've never carved there before. The trails tend to be kinda tight, though there are some that are a bit more wide open (under the Jet triple is nice and steep and a bit wider). If you're comfortable riding hardshells in powder, bumps, and trees, you'll have a blast, cause it doesn't get any better than Jay anywhere - especially on the east coast. Grampa Grunts is supposed to be a great, cheap place to stay - I hear it's more like beds in a dorm. Jay's new website seems a bit confusing, so good luck getting info out of it. JP

I have to agree with xy9 - these thieves generally steal new, turn-overable stuff. I don't think our type of gear has the market that they are aware of or that has the same kind of market demand as the softboot equipment. Still, it's not a good idea to take any chances with this stuff - the police will tell you that it is rarely - if ever - recovered. We've tried setting up sting operations at our local mountain, but these guys always seem to be a step ahead of us. JP

Hey chippermon - not sure what the area is like around you, but I hear there are some wild parking garages somewhere north of us. Our's is near perfect - down in Waterbury CT, there's a garage that's 6 stories complete with elevator, and is seldomly used except for event parking. Hope you can find something similar in your area. JP

Hey: Thanks for all the great insights as this is something I've been working on as well. I tried something this morning that seemed to help me a bit and I wanted to share it and get thoughts on it. It seems pretty small, but seemed to help me. On my leading hand (regular set up, left hand, heelside turn), I simply put my palm down and imagined that I was pulling myself through the turn with that hand. What it seemed to do was to help keep my shoulders where I wanted them as I initiated the turn - facing the fall line instead of parallel with the board. Hope it helps. JP

As a BOL-BTL, I've often wondered how many of us (BTL's) there are. I've been lurking around enough to recognize most of the user's, and it's great to read what's going on, but I usually don't have much to add. Like this thread, though. Any other BTL's out there who want to come forward? JP

I think there are at least that many in CT, though they don't come out much at Sundown (Tuesday and Thursday race nights bring out one or two hb'ers). JP

Wow. So what are you going to do the next time you're out? That sounds like quite a fall. Hope you're not spooked, and very glad you had a helmet on. TBI's are not reversible. I can't believe anyone is out there without head protection. JP

It's also ok to skid to check your speed before hitting that 60' rail, C box, or flat-down-flat double rail. Jibbers do it all the time...:lol:

Just another argument for man-made stuff - it's so durable! Jeez, we just had four inches of rain this week, then Friday night, the guns were going full-tilt, and this morning (Sunday) was incredible! In Connecticut even. Lets not forget the cats that groom this stuff to perfection, too. It's amazing what this technology can do for riding. Now if they could only extend the season a few months - well, i guess we have longboards that help us through the long summer months...:D

Hey: thanks for this great discussion - I'm going back out today after a lousy day yesterday (we only had four inches of rain this week), so a lot of my miserable trenches were a result of the conditions i was riding in. But even on the grom, I felt some heelside wash, so I appreciate the insights - Going to work on keeping those shoulders more level, especially. JP

whoa - what a sight, nice video. I can see a LB pilgrimage to Albuquerque in my future. Very smooth looking - do those step-like things come up very suddenly?

wow -they come in assorted flavors, too! Just in time for the holidays...

Hey: Isn't it funny how stuff you need eventually materializes somehow? A couple years ago, a friend (ski racer) let me borrow his alpine set up to get the feel for it - then let me buy it while i was frantically looking around for gear. Now I still can't wait to try other boards (currently riding a 158 Throttle which is definitely feeding my addiction), but stuff does come along even if it's not in your local ski shop. Happy carving! Any CT riders out there? - JP

Can you catch anything by sharing earbuds? Maybe you can catch something by being exposed to someone's earwax... I bet that hasn't been researched yet - is there protection for that?