Silver Bullet

Burton Performer 140 (red w/ no edges and moon boots!) Burton Performer Elite 140 Burton Cruzer 165 Sims 1710 Blade Sims Switchblade Sims Asym Ace 165 Sims Race 165 Asym Burton Frontier 175 K2 Recon Riser F2 Silberpfeil 172 F2 Speedster RS 183 Wow I've got a small list. I though I was a gear head.

How peculiar that this thread was started. I was about to pose the same question yesterday. I went to REI the day before last and picked up a pair of Burton Driver X's (their stiffest boot) and a binding set up to mount on a Burton Frontier big mountain board. I took the board out Wednesday morning to float around in the POW and hated it. It seemed like my feet were taking incredible abuse from both the boots and the bindings. Also, my size 11 feet were hanging way too far over the edges causing boot out and my joints were hurting. I suppose that a few tweaks to the binding could have fixed the discomfort, but the payback did not warrant the effort. I went back to the lodge and picked up my BTS Suzukas with conformable liners and had a fabulous time. It is funny how one's body adjusts. I had ridden soft boots for 20 years. I guess those were my tougher younger years. Thank goodness for REI's 100% satisfaction guarranty! I returned the setup that evening. I am now in the market for a more floaty alpine board;-)

I was at Solitude on Saturday riding up the Powderhorn Lift while chatting with a teleski buddy. My ankle started itching, so, in a momentary lapse of reason, i reached down and wiggeled the intec strap. When that did not ease the itch, i pulled.... Then proceeded to watch my board sail the 50 plus feet through the air before burying in the snow. Luckly at the top the ski lift operator and patrol thought I was an idiot skier;-) I had to wait at the top of the hill while my buddy skied down to the cirque to retrieve my board.

Yeah, that was me. We missed you last year. WTC was my foray into the hardbooter world and I've become a bit of a junky since then. I'll be there again this year. sj

I'm already assuming that your boots fit and your edges are in good shape.... How about this one? Bending at the waist instead of knees or Angulating too much and not decambering the board or Boot out or You boot is not centered on the board - Too much space between the boot toe and the edge - angles too steep or You are initiating you turn too late and forcing your board across the hill while you momentum is still carrying you down the fall line. I have a hard time thinking the issue is resulting from being back too far on the board.

I usually frequent Park City, Snowbird, and Solitude. There is not much open yet at Park City. Snowbird's Little Cloud chair is a good carving lift. I'd head for Regulator Johnson - a long steep straight shot. Grooming can be a bit spotty because of the winch groomer they use there, but the hill is fantastic for laid out carves. There are plenty of easy blues that are fun and relaxing in Mineral Basin and the Peruvian Gulch. Stay away from the lower mountain. Less carver friendly and often rocky this time of season. Too many people as well. I really enjoy Solitude. The signature carving run there is Diamond Lane off the Powderhorn Lift. The Eagle Express lift also provides access to a handful of fun blacks and blues such as Sunshine Bowl, Inspiration, Sundancer and others are great slopes. If you are interested in Solitude, let me know. I'm off work until January so I could head up with you. sj

I suspect that there is not enough pressure on the back foot, and this prevents the back half of the board to track with the front. I seam to recall that this happened to me a time or two until I figured out how to evenly distribute my weight on both feet. The imbalance in my case was due to heal lift on both feet. Fin suggested that I lift the toe on the front foot, and it centered me well over the board, with added benefit of no front leg burning.

Try riding a bike to work. With clipless pedals the push/pull workout is inevitable. I started bike commuting the 1st week in November. It's 12mi each way. My legs felt great the first day on the slopes.

I just sent a message.

It eliminates front leg burn and keeps the leverage on my bag foot heal edge.

I'm riding the Suzuka shell. The conformable feels harder than a thermoflex and sliding the foot in and out feels awkward because of the contours formed around the ankle. However, once they are on they fit like a glove. Filling with foam was a bit of a challenge for the technician who had not done Deeluxe shells, but he figured out where to put all the tubes and the process turned out fine the first time. The foot comfort is second to none. I used to get foot cramps from the thermo liner with an orthotic. Now it feels like carving in Birkenstocks;-)

I do not recall exactly how much. They were in the $250-$300 range. Oh, I forgot a point in my initial post. 7. No ankle irritation from the Intec heal release strap.

I had a chance last weekend to try out the new boot liners that Surefoot in Park City set me up with. I picked a pair up because I bruised my heal last season packing out the heat moldable liners that came with the Deeluxe boots. Heal pain still persists when bumped 8 mos later. This is what I found: 1. Warm feet 2. Very comfortable toe box. 3. Heel stays in place. 4. No need to over tighten boots - probably related to warm feet. 5. Very Responsive carving on hard snow - confident feet. 6. No heal pain. I'm also riding blue BTS and a 3 strap Booster. If anyone is having feet trouble, check out this setup. sj

I would suggest going straight to the race board. Your angles do not sound very steep at all so you shouldn't have any rotation/counter rotation or balance issues. This is what plagued me at first, but my angles were set at 68 degrees. You will get a better sense of the "norm" on a board with more torsional stiffness. Your hard boot setup may overwhelm and twist the softer board which could prove difficult on heal side turns. If you are a confident rider who can carve well in soft boots, then jump in with two feet and let her rip! Good luck and let us know how it goes

I find music distracting and go to hills every weekend to get away from the noise.

Is it Titanal?

Hey powell1.8, Come to the Wasatch Trenchin Convention at Park City in January and pick up a pair at Surefoot. So where do you ride in the TC's? Welch? Highland? Buck? I lived in the Seward-Longfellow neighborhood for a few years while in grad school. I never did make it to any of those places in the winter.

Come on RDY. In a market economy you've got to be quick on the draw. SJ

I just sold them to eaglez. sj

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?t=17104 Did you see this thread? Write me at sdjames@mac.com

I used to have a pair of lace up Koflach boots in the 80's that were sweet. They were pre neon - charcoal gray with blue laces even. They looked great with my Sims 1710 Blade.

Here is the other one.

Steve, Here are the bindings. I have not used them that much. I purchased the Cateks with the bails to ride hard boots on my powder boards. I find that I do not ride the powder much any more. I know it sounds odd, living in Salt Lake City and not riding powder. The groom has got me hooked. Stephen James

This conversation just got me thinking that since I have the replacement screws, I should probably fix them. Perhaps I'll do this today.

The threads are not stripped just the hex nut heads used to adjust the size. I fussed with them too much when setting up the system because I did not realize that my Deeluxe boots and Head boots were different lengths. These could easily be tapped and replaced. I think I have the replacement screws already. The plates are long as my boots are 29.5 mondo. The plates are OS2s with the toe bail. I don't think that I clarified this in my earlier post. sj