Silver Bullet

By the way, what is flegmatic carving?

This has been a most interesting conversation. There are so many possibilities and I don't want to waste a lot of time exploring. I do think that I will give the Reds a try. I took a few shots to the ankles last seaon due to the softness of the blues.

You've got to add the Snurfer to the list... Maybe that was pre 80's. Pre Snowboard even...

How about Gnu? Are they still around?

Any riders out there riding BTS with red springs. If so, how much do you weigh? Are you pre-loading any? I rode the blues with quite a bit of preload and am trying to figure out if I should spring for reds?

Wow... I've read this post 5 times and am still not sure what it says..

Come on... this is a great board. There are not even any inserts. You get to drill the board and mount the plates exactly where you want them.:D

Hey there, I ride at Snowbasin from time to time. How is the snow over there? Still pretty shallow I suspect...

I wished I had seen this post earlier. I would have told that the snow in Utah sucks at present and save your money. If you get a chance to call the hardbooter, they can set you up with a demo.

I have a Sims asym Race - goofy, that you can have. It's 16+ years old. It is just taking up space in my basement. Just pay the shipping;-)

There is a storm tracking through this week. Keep your fingers crossed. The Cottonwoods got a few inches last week. Bases are thin and runs are limited.

Solitude would fit the bill. Easy runs are much less crowded than PCMR. Two new high speed quads. Hotels are close to the lifts.

I was in the market for a Swoard until I tried one. I discovered that steeper angles are more comfortable for me. Low angles introduced a number of lift/cant issues that needed resolution. The transition for mondo 29 feet can be rather slow with low angles. I'm sure that I could get used to it and perhaps cross training different boards and angles is a good thing. I just didn't find that the Swoard provided me with an improved way of achieving fully laid out turns. For the same price you cand get a metal Prior....so I will.

I've been shooting with a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM on a 30D. The compactness is excellent, but a f/2 would sure be nice.

The symtoms you are describing mirror mine. I solved my problems with Surefoot Conformable liners (which hold your ankels down) and Booster Straps. I leave the top buck a little loose. Now I can on occasion feel my entire liner lifting in the boot. I hope to solve this by downsizing my shell.

What lens is this? Nikon? Canon? What does VR mean?

I really liked the OS2s. The quality was good and the service as well. I simply had difficulty keeping them fastened to my board. I am sure it was operator error. I did learn to check the binders regularly, which I still do even though I ride TD2s. It is a good thing to pay attention to your gear. I just noticed that my TD2 base plates are bent. Yikes...

Does anyone have experience with both the Prior and Donek Metal boards? I have ridden the Prior a number of times, but am intrigued by what sounds like a more lively, yet damp Donek. I am also interested in Donek because you can get any alpine board with metal.

Spent the day at Solitude... blue sky and 40deg... felt like spring... groomers in the morning... hero in the afternoon... 3 high speed quads running... no lines.... many laps... good legs from biking all summer... ah.... can't wait 'til next week...

I use a 6 front and 3 or 0 rear. All lift no cant. This allows me to widen my stance for a more stable fore/aft ride. The toe lift also eliminated the front leg burn that a 0 front afflicted with.

I've got some 29s. Blue Deeluxe Suzukas BTS System Intec Heals Shell Only 2.5 Seasons One Buckle with impaired spring - Still works $250 Will send Photos if interested. Email sdjames at mac dot com

I have 3 girls that are now 10, 8 & 6. All three began riding at 3. They were pretty good by the time they were 4. I was pretty motivated to teach them, because i didn't want to spend my weekends making paper dolls. I found that bribery and flat slopes worked best. Two or three runs a day for the first year. My girls expect hot chocolate in the lodge and M&Ms in my pocket until they were six. Now they are first and last chair gals and looking forward to hardboots. This is an image of Isabella, my 10 yr old back when she was 4.

This is a little off topic, but is worth discussing here. I've been bike commuting for well over a year now. I even sold my A4, so now I'm stuck. I found that my 30 Mile bike commute from work takes 1:20. The same trip in a car takes 50 minutes. I never took the time exercise when I drove. Now I get almost an 1.5 hrs of exercise in 20 minutes. Last winter, the strength and conditioning that resulted from biking had a remarkable impact on the number of laps i could take in a day. Biking through the winter keeps me fit and flexible. There were only 4 days last winter that I couldn't ride because of snow even though it was a record year in SLC. I felt like I was a kid again. I used to go home after lunch, but now it's last chair! I plan on doing squats and lunges as well twice a week.

Try increasing your angles. There is a point where the toes don't help much anymore. What is the board width and current angles? I have long feet that require 70 deg angles on a 19 cm wide board. At these angles all you can do is drive the knees. As for the steeps stay in the carve longer, come across the hill and even up hill a smidge to bleed off a bit of speed. You'll find that unweighting your body at the apex of the carve will be exhilierating.

Hmmm... Summer 09? Could do. I've been trying to find a reason to pay a visit. I was born in Hamilton North Island and have not been back since 1974.