Jonny

I had the exact same board for a while (in fact this one looks like mine). Very smooth and reliable, very damp, I measured the radius at 13 meter, but could be off by a bit. Good nighttime Wachusett board for that guy from Auburn.

In that case, how about a Windsor custom touring bike, all vintage Campy with low-flange Record hubs and... Nah, just teasing - it's not for sale. Salut!

Can't buy anything right now - too many toys already, although it's impossible not to like that little razor blade you've got. You're not a golfer by any chance? I'm a first-rate amateur clubbuilder and could easily set up some kind of swap of equal value for a variety of clubs.

The patellar tendon graft has a somewhat higher risk of morbidity, apparently, and also introduces the risk of failure of what remains of the P-tendon, which is a very nasty injury - it comes up quite often in the NFL with players who had that form of reconstruction. The big problem with the hamstring graft is that you're stuck rehabbing both sides of the leg, but that's over in a couple of months. I reinforce what Noah said about presses - in fact it's probably safest to do only closed-chain exercises (leg-press is OK, leg raise is not). My favorite rehab tool was the ski exerciser callet the Pro Fitter. It sound to me like you're going to want to get this fixed. You do too much stuff which stresses the knee - pick your least favorite 10 weeks for sports and do it then. The CTI brace is what I used betwen injury and operation and it's excellent.

Sorry to hear about your injury, but don't be downhearted, you'll be riding before you know it. I tore my ACL windsurfing in 1993, and the second guy i saw (Bert Zarins at MGH) thought that with a really good carbon-fiber brace i could do most anything i wanted to. he did say that eventually the joint would become too loose, and that then surgery was the way to go, but that surgical techniques were steadily improving, so that by the time i really needed the surgery it would be a better procedure. I rode, windurfed, skiied, everything, for about 5 years, and then had reconstructive surgery, replacing the ACL with a hamstring. Rehab was damned uncomfortable, but I was on stage (I'm an actor) within 6 weeks and out sailing in about two months. The knee is now fully recovered. Go with a surgeon who deals with athletes, and make sure you're comfortable with the diagnosis. Good luck

Anyone riding Stratton this Thursday or Friday? I'm trying to shake loose for one of those days and should be able to get to the hill by around 10AM or so (leaning towards Thursday at the moment). (post title edited to reflect the fact that it's December already - duh)

Give Bomber a call - Michelle set me up with some OEM fittings when mine blew out last year. If she can't take care of you drop me a line - I may have an extra set.

Oftentimes a rider relatively new to hard boots, especially an athletic one, will try to get low by trying really hard to get his chest/shoulders low - reaching for the snow with the upper body. What this does is flatten the board and disengage the edge. If you commit to being really calm, letting your body respond to what the turn requires of it, you can add the thought of stepping onto your front foot and then getting your HIPS low. This creates a really strong but progressive engagement of the edge. You'll probably find that your body stays close to vertical, while your legs/hips are almost in the snow. As you do this at higher and higher speeds you whole body will start to lay out in response to the force the snow is sending up at you. That, and believe everything PSR tells you.