Silver Bullet

I remember being in a similiar situation a number of years ago. I could not decide between an F2 Speedster and a Silberpfeil, so I bought them both. I am glad that I did. The boards were very different. The Silberpfeil was very turny and easy to learn on and great for crowded slopes, the Speedster is fantastic for letting 'er rip at high speeds. That said, if there would have been a Prior Metal board back then I would have gone that route. That board is very forgiving, yet rips in all conditions. Think Indy car grip with a Cadillac ride. I have not ridden the other two you mention, but I am saving up for a Prior myself. Best of Luck, sj

I'm surprised to see no goggles! When I get down that low, I'm usually pelted in the face with icy missiles.

Die Welt Title - Boarding was then, Extreme Carving is now! ...... Extreme Carving takes your breath away...... I'd translate the rest, but it is a vrey long article. sj

Make friends with a good photographer. Time and angle are everything. When we shoot it's at 8 frames a second. 1 in 20 shots is okay. 1 in 100 is great. sj

Boots SOLD

Head Stratos Pro - 29.5 Black Intec Heals Purchased last season. Ridden approx. 10 days. $250 OBO Email me if you are interested. I can send photos.

How cheap is cheap? I've got 29.5 Head SP's

Carving can be great at the Bird. I usually take laps on the Little Cloud lift and ride Regulator Johnson. The place gets a lot of snow, so after storms it will take a few days to get it groomed. It is steep enough to require a winch (sp?) groomer. The slope is around 40 + degrees and great for EC. Mark Malu and Mineral Basin also have good groomers on sunny days. The grooming is generally not as smooth or consistant as Park City or Solitude, but can still be fun. I really enjoy Solitude for carving. Runs such as Diamond Lane off the Powderhorn lift and almost any run off the Eagle Express lift are great. Brighton gets a bit crowded. The Great Western lift has a few good carving runs. sj

Good deal. I'll see you there. I'll be in black with a red helmet.

Sure. Any thoughts? How about the top of King Con at 10:00 a.m.?

Is anyone heading to Park City Saturday?

Thanks a great action shot. My girls are 6,8 and 10 now. They have all been riding since 3. I've been riding since '84.

I have found that you can EC on any equipment. It is all about body position not equipment. sj

I think that reads 90% is 42 degs.

This is a great thread. I'm with Bordy. 45+ is definitely carvable. One must simply feel comfortable accelerating quickly and hang on while the board takes you for a ride. I've found that a lot of leg strength is required to bleed speed on the steeps. It can also get a bit hairy when you carving edge is above your head. I have on occasion done the 1,000 vert Pete Rose, because the nose of my board didn't swing around like I had hoped;-( I'm taking the protractor and level to measure some of the slopes I usually ride in Utah. A few steep groomers I've enjoyed recently are Regulator Johnson at the Bird which has a pretty steep roll 1/3 down from the top, the first third of Silver Skis, or is it Silver King at PCMR is quite steep, the last third of Diamond Lane at Solitude as well. There is a pretty steep drop of the Wildflower Downhill at Snowbasin. Does anyone know the pitch of any of these runs? I'm not sure if they exceed 45 deg, but close. Are there any other steep groomers out there in the Wasatch?

Bordy, Which metal board was it? The custom Prior?

Who is coming? I am stuck at work on Thursday, but I'll try to make Friday and Saturday.

I understand the pants thing. I find that I can pull the Intec release through the pants. I've also just pulled the snow skirt around the boot and left the Intec release hanging out there. The ease of stepping in is well worth it, especially if you are riding with kids like I am. As for the stiffness, I started with TD2s and never had a problem with them. Not sure what the ride difference is between the 1's and 2's.

This has been an interesting thread. I started flat and was extremely uncomfortable. I found that my front leg burned like the dickens. I introduced 6 degree toe lift on the front foot and 3 degree heal on the rear. Paired with a fairly wide stance, I feel comfortable and balanced and have no problems carving aggressively in many conditions. I think I'll try flattening out again and see if I can tell a difference.

Thank you for reminding me of this. I've been meaning to check my boots for some time. I've just replaced the inserts in my boots and discovered that the T-Nuts that come with the Intec heals have a longer nut thereby engaging more screw. To get the old nuts out, I simply set a screw into the threads a few turns and hit it with a mallet. Quite simply really. Do any of you remember if the screws that come with the heals are painted black? I've been going through my spare parts trying to make sure I have the right stuff installed.

This is all new to me... PSIA/AASI. Do any of you remember the SWSSA? It stands for Southwest Surf Ski Association. It was a race and ride certification in the 80's. I remember needing a certification before I could take my Burton Performer on the lift at handful of mountains in Utah.

What is the difference between the 29 and 29.5? Is it just the liner or shell as well?

I had a buddy that I used to ride with. We discovered snowboarding together in the early 80's. He died a few years back. He was only 34. I have a bit of an empty spot when I ride now.

DG, This was at Solitude in Utah last Spring. I hear southern Colorado has a lot of snow. I'll have to head down there sometime.

The run in this image is ranges from 35 to 50 degrees. Carving it definitely taxes the legs. What this photo demonstrates is that you using a push pull motion with your legs, you can bleed speed at the first third of the turn so that the forces are not so extreme when your body swings around. By the time your board is parallel to the fall line, begin to pull your knees in. Anyhow, this photo starts to show what David spoke of in the previous post.