Buell
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Posts posted by Buell
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Thank you Phil! Best posts in a long time.
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Four people have died here in Utah in the last two weeks in avalanches. One of them was just out of bounds, but lift served, at Snowbasin. There is a very unstable deep layer and it has been snowing hard for the last few weeks. Very dangerous. If you don't know exactly what you are doing, I would suggest you stick to the inbounds terrain. There is plenty of inbounds, avy controled terrain, that you still have to hike, to get the goods.
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Looks like it is time to split a 200 Tanker!
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That is really funny. I almost asked you if that was your situation. Rebecca has a 22 boot and the cuff is 22-24.5.
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That's interesting abakker. We have the exact situation.
When Rebecca got her 225's fitted, they had to put a pad in the tongue very similar to yours. This helped, but I still had to drill the top strap and move the buckle back so she could get a good tight fit. She also added a booster strap above the top buckle. No problems any more. Hope the same goes for you.
Gecko, a bootfitter might have the pads specifically for this purpose (you may already be thinking this).
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I am curious.
Are you maxed out on the buckles, or is the boot shell molded wrong for your calf?
Buell
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Ah, no doubt, bjvircks has the best story. It probably happened too, after the gator was in Texas, Arkansas, and Florida, he just headed up to Iowa for some fun and a photo shoot.
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I expect you will be so stoked on that equipment, but that is just my opinion ;) (as I lie here, couch bound, staring at 183 and 177 Metals)
It is really hard as a beginner to sort through the amazing number of opinions about what will be right for you. Everyone has a thought. I have found that every company produces equipment that has its own feel. Every company has riders who love it, and recommend it, and riders who prefer something else, and recommend that. Let alone the different types of alpine decks that people ride and recommend.
Only 9 days until the equipment is in hand. That is a good feeling when it arrives. Hopefully only a few more days until you are on the mountain scaring the hell out of yourself on that first day! That is a great feeling!
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Went for it!
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So, what did you end up getting?
I will agree with D.T., but your soft boots at high angles success may depend partly on your binding / boot combination based on the number of opinions. 39f,36r is the highest that I like to ride on softboots. Beyond that I start to lose support from the highbacks.
Welcome! Sounds like you are going to enjoy the experience.
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On my Tanker 200:
"Man, that is a loooong board, how loooong is that thing, like a 178?"
"Uh, no, not quite" ;)
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I just don't let my boot touch the snow.;)
You need the Dakine Spike Stomp pad!
http://www.snowboardconnection.com/product_detail.cfm?CatID=126&PID=54484
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SEJ, glad you are enjoying the 4WD. It is an amazingly versatile board.
Pow, one should contact both BOL and Hardbooter about Prior Metals in stock. If they are both out of your size, Prior told me a few weeks ago that it would only take two weeks to get one built and shipped out (we ended up buying from Hardbooter).
There were no 'customs issues' when Prior shipped me a board last year.
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There is a chance of some snow through the period. If you are happy carving on the Coiler, bring the Osin. A good powder day is worth a lot of effort! http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?wfo=slc&zone=utz008&fire=utz427&county=utc043&dgtl=1&lat=40.639583333333&lon=-111.56625
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Hey Galen,
Check out Schweitzer if you get a chance. I really enjoyed our trip there last year. http://www.schweitzer.com/
Let me know if you want more info.
Buell
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rschneid,
Here is another good bit of info to add to cruiten's suggestions: http://www.alpinecarving.com/binding_setup.html#cant
Ultimately though, it is up to you. This year I went from using a 3f,3r to a 3f,6r and finally to a 0f,6r.
In other words, pick up some extra cant disc and experiment. Also, as your technique improves, you may find you like different combinations.
Enjoy.
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You need to move!
Come on out west and get yourself a GS board. Their stability at speed is wonderful and they are made to carve big, clean arcs.
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Thanks everyone.
Kirk, Rebecca and I actually had a great morning at Powder Mountain, but my phone doesn't work there. Glad you were getting the goods too. Thanks for the props.
Bordy, we thought about you the other day when there was a kite at Powder. You get well quick too. Hope your surgery went well and there is NO WAY I am racing you at anything! I go under the knife in the morning, it will be good to get it done and start moving forward on the rehab.
Jim, I am planning to ride hard in 07/08. ;) Must be a good winter surfwise in your neck of the woods this year. Hope you are catching some good days.
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The arc a board carves will also be determined by the stiffness of the board, not just the sidecut.
The Prior Metal series is softer lengthwise than most other freecarve and race boards, but quite stiff torsionally. This makes it very forgiving as a freecarver. The effective edge of the Prior is also shorter for a given length when compared to other race boards because it has a longer nose and a turned up tail.
I ride (until yesterday anyway) the 183 Metal and find that it turns tighter for me than my Donek 175 GS Olympic. It also releases easier from the carve. The sidecuts of the two boards are the same, the effective edge is very similar, the Prior has significant taper and is much softer than the Donek. I have also ridden the 177 Metal (Rebecca's board which she loves) and it can turn noticeably tighter than the 183.
I am not advocating a size for you as I do not ride in the east or know how you ride, I am just offering a few thoughts on my experiences with the Metals. I weigh 145 pounds.
The AM boards, as Gecko mentions, are great to learn on as well. They, like the Prior metal, also have shorter effective edges (the important number) relative to their overall length.
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Thank you all for the kind thoughts.
Blackbird, I'll see what I can do about those x-rays. I haven't seen them yet myself.
Mike, looks like Rebecca has a hell of a quiver to choose from for the rest of the year.
Skully, if you didn't get our email from a few days back, can you drop us a line through our profile?
Thanks,
Buell
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SW,
I think you have covered some great thoughts in your post. The speed that one will build up pure carving compared to skidding is amazing!
It requires a lot of discipline and patience to ride the slopes that one can improve on as a carver. Those that will really make you focus on your riding, but that you can still pure carve down. Even if this is the easiest green on the mountain for a while. Once I started carving, the whole mountain looked a lot steeper (except on a powder day
)!Buell
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Well, my wonderful quest for 100 solid days of riding this year came to an abrupt halt yesterday at a respectable 56. I managed to shear off my lateral condyle of the femur (one of the two knobs at the bottom of the femur). It was a rather freak situation, but basically, the board slowed dramatically and the weight of my upper body drove into my front knee. I don't recommend anyone else trying this, it is very painful and rather inconvenient. Especially on the best powder day I have seen in Utah since we got here in mid December.
I am scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning to put the bone back in place and screw it in. That will be followed by 8 to 10 weeks of non-weight bearing. Fortunately it appears that the knee ligaments survived, including my ACL graft from '94. It is also nice that I will have a removable splint instead of a cast.
I want to say thank to all of those who have helped me progress this year as a carver; from simply riding with me, to offering clear and helpful advice, to having demo fleets so I could try different boards. It has really been a great year of learning to carve for me and I look forward to next winter.
I will definitely miss riding with the Oregon crew this spring. Hopefully, Rebecca can get away from her caretaker duties to make some turns. Looks like it will have to wait until next year unless I can get a couple of tentative turns on the Mile in early June. Make some turns for me!
Buell
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Isn't it funny how each big advance requires a corresponding increase in leg strength! Congratulations.
Gear for nearcountry/backcountry riding?
in Carving Central
Posted
Hey Zoltan,
I think you have already mentioned the main things for riding in the trees. I think the main one is, as much as possible, visual contact. I just blew my knee, for the year, at the bottom of a wonderful powder tree run. Luckily, we were in visual contact, so someone could go for help quickly. I will admit though, that visual contact is often temporary in the trees.
As you already mentioned, radios. We are planning to get radios for the trees for next year. Mike T has said that he and his wife will use them in the trees at Mt Bachelor and they work well.
A whistle is certainly a good idea.
We do not ride with a shovel as crucible suggested, but Rebecca managed to slide into a tree well the other day, luckily board first. She had to unbind one foot to climb out. Be careful.
The snow is finally getting good (so I hear anyway). I think you will have a great trip.