jnshapiro

While nearing the bottom of a lift on the back side of Ski Liberty in Southern PA during a night skiing outing, the front of my skis (yes, skis. This was in '86 or '87 before I started snowboarding) were run over by an out of control kid. During my tumble, I totally lost track of the idiot. Also during the tumble my pole ended up planted in the snow as my mouth hit the grip end hard. Knocked out a tooth and knocked a couple mostly out of the sockets. Got a rush trip to an emergency dentist who was able save the teeth still in my mouth. One of the front teeth on top is a crown set on a steel post that is anchored to my jaw bone as a result of the bonehead who never made another appearance.

I'm looking at a possibility for Tuesday the 9th. Anyone got the day off?

Had a great day riding at Kirkwood. Saw another carver (missed you Steve) named Woody and managed a run with him. I saw him do a few turns and a light bulb went off in my head. The rest of the day I was railing carves! Not a single skid unless it was intentional. I'm not sure what I am doing different, but I've got the board up on edge now and having a lot more fun.

Steve, do you monitor any particular channel on your radio? It would be nice to hook up for a few runs at least.

Dang, if you were going on Sunday we could ride together. I can't add anything to what Hugh said. Have a great time!

Wax it. Learn to wax your board and do it often. Like before you go ride each time.

I don't think I've ever had a good cup of coffee at a Starbucks. It always tastes like the beans were charred a little in order to increase the flavor. Apparently, many coffee shops do just that in order to disguise really cheap beans. I've found my coffee nirvana. It comes from Vermont. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/ My preference is one they've labeled "Our Blend." And no, I don't work there or have any monetary interest in the company other than that I willingly send them money periodically in return for coffee beans.

Here's what I ended up doing. I sewed it up and then coated the threads, seam, and surrounding area with a seam seal (it's a vinyl glue I think, used for tent repairs and such). I covered that with a piece of red (my coat is red) ripstop tape. Everything is drying now and should be dry by morning. The back of the tube says to let it dry overnight. Once I'm sure that it'll work out, I have another idea (thanks to Randy Salzman who got it from Scott Ferrell - gotta give credit where due) for an easier release for Intec heals. If that works out, I'll post the items needed, procedure, and pics. Early testing is quite good. Thanks for the suggestions folks! It's handy having an REI nearby to pick up stuff like this.

Well, I did it. I hit a rock, hard. But it wasn't my board. It was my elbow , followed by my knee. Dang windblown crust. Put a hole in the elbow of my shell. I very gently melted the edges so it won't fray, but I'm not sure the best way to repair it. I'm thinking of sewing it up and using some seam seal. Anyone have some suggestions of DIY repairs? I'm also working on another project that will require putting a small hole in the leg of my pants with a grommet. Any suggestions for a way to make that hole that won't result in a mess? Thanks in advance, Joel

Cool beans! I got an Edge 305 this morning for Christmas. This is gonna be fuuuuun!

I don't bother. It wears off mighty quick once you hit the snow.

I was out on Thursday at Alpine Meadows. Really wet snow, poor visibility, though that had nothing to do with my tumble. I was riding flat (that's never good) and caught the healside edge. OUCH! Thank goodness I was wearing a helmet. Otherwise I'd have been knocked cold. When I got to the bottom, I checked my helmet for damage. Took a couple of days to clear my head. I had a similar fall at Snowbird about 10 years ago. Went down. Next thing I knew there was a ski patroller standing over me checking my pulse. He quizzed me to make sure I was ok. I was out briefly. Got to the bottom and went straight to the shop and bought a helmet. Can't wait to get out again on Wed!

I went to that show too, but in DC. The guys in that band are amazing musicians.

A perpetual KW thread My wife and I are off to KW this week (wed-fri) for a much needed holiday. I expect it'll be a bit crowded, but should still be fun. Post if you can make it.

I don't know if this will be much help, but my wife had a Protege from 91-96 I think. The car totally self distructed right after the warrenty went out. CV Joints failed, Transmission started slipping (automatic), and a host of other small problems that would have cost a bundle to replace. That car was junk. I'll never buy another Mazda (unless at some point I can get whatever the latest iteration in the RX series is). Subaru makes a much more reliable car for long term ownership. I had an outback for quite a while. Then we got a dog that was too big for the wagon and I traded it in for a Pick-Up (4WD, inside shift).

Maybe you could fly into SFO for a day and then head up to Tahoe and fly back out of Reno? Just a thought for a longish trip. I'm about mid way between SFO and Tahoe and we have a bed available (well, futon anyway). It's 2 hours drive from here to most of the resorts in Tahoe. A little farther to Mt. Rose. I tend to Kirkwood as I have a pass there.

Goodness! That's ugly. I suggest you let it heal, but I don't know how realistic that really is.

For whatever it's worth... Last week I went to a shop and bought a new pair of boots as my previous ones were too big. They were Raichle SB225's. Size 27. I wear a size 9 1/2 shoe. The boot fitter put me into a pair of size 26 Head's. He indicated that if I wanted to go with the Deeluxe line, I'd probably need a size 25. The 27's were way too big. I've ridden 1 day now on the Head's. The smaller boot made an enormous difference. I am going back to the fitter on Wed for a followup. The Head's feel really tight. They said at the shop that that's good. But I need just a little more room for comfy feet.

Yes, a booster strap will help.

I have no experience with the Prior, but I did get a Donex Axxess this year. Heck of a nice board! Way better than anything I'd ridden previously.

Sold. Thanks for looking!

Yesterday the Intec heals and conversion for my TD2's arrived in the mail. I promptly set out to install them. Banged out the nuts in the heals of my Head boots, installed the T-nuts. The heals went in with no modifications needed. So far so good! Pulled the board down and removed the heal and toe assemblies from the bindings. Installed the Intec compatible ones. Thought I'd start out using the same settings from the bail set. Perfect! Did the other one too. Tested. Dang, this rocks! I'm liking the step in! Now to the other boards. I had adjusted my Burton RacePlates for the new boots already, but thought I'd check the fit. Way too tight. On a whim, I tried the setting for my other boots (1 size larger) and that worked out real well. So I tried the Variplates on the M6. Perfect fit! No adjustments needed. I found that to be interesting. I don't know what your experience with setting bail bindings with Intec heels has been, but it looks like they get set for a boot that's a little longer. The heels lift the boot up more than the stock ones did. That must account for the difference.

There's more than 1 type of variplate? I bought these new and put them on a board that had been a Demo board but never ridden. A Burton M6. I have fond memories of riding that board and learning. I am thinking of dragging it out for a day or 2 this season. I received an e-mail that answered my question. Thanks folks!

I just bought a new pair of boots and they are a little shorter than my others. I'd like to get my variplates adjusted so I can use them on one of my boards, but I can't remember how to. Can someone shed some light on it? Maybe a link to an online users guide somewhere? Thanks!

That obvious, huh?