jnshapiro

Labels too. We (as in people in general) feel an insane need to classify and categorize.

I'd love to see it!

I bought a new Donek Axxiss (Olympic core) and TD2 bindings. Still working out the cant/lift thing. It'll probably take most of the season. Next year I'll likely get another board, but a longer. Also, bought a new helmet. My other one didn't fit well. Tire chains. Even though I have 4WD, chains are required in the mountains by state law. Got a BTS kit on order. Thermo molded liners for my boots and a power strap. I think that's about it!

Shaving sucks. I keep a full beard.

Cause it's just not the right thing to do. If I participate in a sport with inherent risks, then I accept the risks. If the sport happens to have equipment to use, barring actual manufacturing defects, the risk to actually use that equipment is mine. In other words, I don't hold anyone else responsible for my actions or lack thereof.

Hey Ken, that's an idea. I'm pretty happy with my boots though. Got a BTS kit on order. As for hitting Squaw or something, sure, that sounds great! Most of my riding will likely be mid-week. Tuesday and Friday day trips will work out best. Lonerider, thanks for the links. I went through those, but didn't get much info other than to just experiment. I'm looking for a good place to start. If a bunch of folks are riding a similar setup then that might be a good place to start from.

My board arrived! That bright metallic blue topsheet is something else! I waxed it up and am ready to install the bindings. I've a bunch of cant disks for my TD2's (either here or on order) and I'm trying to figure out how to set it up. It's been over 8 years since I've been out and I'm not sure that what I was doing is going to be best suited. So, out of curiosity, what is your setup as far as cant goes? Please specify as front/back as opposed to Left/Right. Oh, yes, I've read the articles. Thanks! Joel

Very cool Sean! Thanks. All I need to do is wax it and it'll be ready to rock. Now come on snow!

Thanks! That was a big help. I have a good idea where I'm going to start now.

Yeah, oops. Sorry about that.

What do you recommend for edge angles?

Looks interesting. Wonder how well it works?

JH is my all time favorite resort! The off-piste riding is great. We usually stay at the Hostel at the base of the mountain. Inexpensive and a reasonable room. Ride back down to the door, almost. And definately make the trip over to Grand Targhee. Well worth the drive. The tram is gone? Dang!

Whoops, this is for Aspen for SES. Sorry about the confusion. Joel

Metallic blue I think. To be honest I don't quite remember. I'll find out when it gets here

Got an e-mail today from Sean. My new board is on the way! It's an Axxess 172 with the Olympic core. In addition, the TD2's that are going on it showed up today. Can't wait to get this baby together.

Just booked a room at St Moritz. Still on the fence, pending my wife's work schedule.

Very nice! Can I change the color for my board order ? Joel

You could try to get some light loads and get her out to shoot. Failing that, a small safe or high quality aluminum case with a padlock might work. Generally, education is best. Of course, you could always move out

Interesting conversation. When I learned to snowboard, I was also another crossover from skiing. My knees had gotten so bad I couldn't walk after a day skiing. Snowboarding did away with the pain. However, I was never interested in half-pipes, rails, etc. I don't like all that stuff. I'd much rather ride the mountain. Groomers, off-piste, back country, powder, etc. Carving appeals to me as a end and as a foundation for general riding. As a result, I started with hardboots. I've never ridden anything else and don't plan to. I like the control and "locked in" feeling. I also teach. I don't teach snowboarding. I teach one of the competitive action shooting games. However, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn as to approach and outlook. I've had students that were just learning and others that wanted to improve. I even have one that won the World Championship after a little over a year of working together. Here are some of the things that I've learned. - In order to be successful, you need to understand the goals of each student. Is the student going to ride the pipe? Ride off-piste? Carve? etc. Depending on what it is that they are interested in, the lesson needs to go that way so that you can meet their goal. If it's a first timer group lesson, there are fundamentals that need to be taught, but everyone learns differently and your approach needs to be very flexible. That includes stance angles and learning to ride switch, etc. I would have had a very frustrating experience trying to learn from someone who's locked int duck and pipe. I sought out an appropriate instructor. - Equipment matters. Having the right equipment for the job at hand will make for a more successful outing and much less frustration for both the student and the teacher. Since I don't want to ride pipe, and do want to carve, I went stright away with hard boots and a Burton M6 alpine board. Trying to ride the way I enjoy on soft boots and a freestyle board just wouldn't be nearly the fun. - You can't teach unless you can convey the information at several different levels and in several different ways. If you are trying to teach someone to carve toeside, they may not understand the first or even 2nd attempt to convey the concept. You may have to try a couple of different methods to get it across. - Some things you want to teach, some folks will not be able to do, or will not work for them. There are alternatives if the instructor is willing to make the effort to look for them. In other words, everyone learns differently and has a different focus. Tailor your approach and be flexible. Otherwise both the student and teacher will be frustrated. Locking into one method closes the mind and makes learning much more difficult. Leave the doors open.

Thanks Mike. My wife is going to check her deadline schedule when it's available and then I'll have a better idea.

Get thee to a boot fitter! Someone that really knows how to fit the boots to your feet can take care of it. Might require blowing out the shell a little. Whatever it costs is worth it. Nothing worse than unhappy feet.

Hey, that'll be a lot easier for me to attend than SES! How many attended last year? Do you have an idea of numbers? Also, will there be some coaching available for a learning carver? Informal is perfectly fine. Thanks! Joel

Only when someone broke into my apt in the middle of the night. Ah the college days.

Wish I could. I'm hoping to go to SES, but I'm still not sure about that either. Dang life gets in the way