Jonny

Game changer for me was my first custom board - a 2002 Coiler Racecarve 180 with an 11.5m sidecut and built very stout for me (then) 210lb weight. Crazy smooth compared with shorter boards, and would turn inside a lot of sl boards if asked politely. Finally replaced it last year with a Proteus 180 by which time the Coiler almost had bevels pounded into it. The Proteus is burlier and better on ice but that first Coiler had more charm and versatility

It was so nice to be able to see so much TV coverage of the Worlds at Solitude this week, but so frustrating that the Red side of the course was at such a clear disadvantage both in GS and SL. The lower 200 meters gave Blue (right side) a much less turny track for both events, or so it appeared. Was there not something the course setters could have done between the two days of racing?

It's hard to explain to a softbooter so I usually don't explain. At most I'll say "Yeah, its strictly for carving and it sucks riding switch". Anyone - softbbooter, skier, sightseer, anyone - who sees a carved heelside turn made with full aggression has an immediate understanding more vivid than any explanation could offer. I still remember the first one I saw. I was on a Burton Cruzer 165 (with center fin removed and the stance tweaked forward to maybe 35/0 btw) in 1987 or '88, following some guy on a Hot Logical down Wachusett one evening, and keeping up pretty well. Then he made a left turn and was GONE. I was at Madd Mike's buying a used Logical the next day, and really haven't ridden softies , or any angles under 57/54 since.

Well, how about a video series on the DEVELOPMENT of the MK170? Seriously, Curt, as eager as I would be to test the new board against my Proteus180, I'd be just as eager to watch you ride the prototypes... There are, so far as I know, only a couple of youtube videos of you on snow, and a whole bunch of videos of some Russian dudes doing watered down CMC-impressions - they get the wide gunslinger-arms and the big hip-angulation but not the fluidity - so it's not like there's a glut of footage. We've been on the snow together just a couple of times - I followed you down Lower Standard and Suntanner a few times around 2003, and down Sunriser Supertrail a couple of time somewhat more recently, and apart from the sheer enjoyment of it, I took away enough things to work on to keep me busy for years.

Catamount has much more demanding terrain and several really good carving trails with one short run good for doing laps quite close to the base area. Butternut's beginner area is probably better for an absolute beginner because the slope is gentle and very short (and Will Ketchum is the best loader in the world and he works the beginner lift). There isn't much else in the area now that Bousquet (excellent little hill for carving) is closed. Jiminy Peak is OK but from Ct you'd be better off driving a little further to Berkshire East or Mt Snow.

Yeah, you can, and I've ridden one on a borrowed board. I bet a lighter rider would enjoy it but at 105kg it scared me half to death - I could feel the thing flexing in every dimension, even more than a Burton with a plastic disk. I would really love a boot which I could move from skis to board and back, which those Deeluxe look like they could do.

That board should still be working well if it's tuned up. If you like the way it rides on good, uncrowded terrain I wouldn't change it, but change my setup instead. On crowded, narrow trails you don't want to be making a pure carve, no matter what the radius, because you're going to deflect across the hill much faster than people expect and you're just going to take damage from overtaking skiers and riders (especially at Hunter where they're a real L.I.E. mentality!). You need a setup which allows you too sketch, check, skid, wedel, sideslip, slarve, more or less in a straight line so that you are in rhythm with the rest of the crowd. This means that high angles are not your friend. With a 21.5 waist on MP27 you should be able to set your back foot at 47-50° with little or no overhang,and your front foot not much steeper. I you have a lot of ramp canted into your back binding take it out and get both feet as flat as reasonable. These tweaks will allow you to check your speed much more easily in the crowds until the slopes open out. That said, no power on earth would get me to take a carving board onto Hunter - just too many lunatics and the hill really isn't optimized for carving even with the crowds. I watched a skier get cut off and driven into a snow fence on one of those freakin' cat-tracks and he bled out in my arms with absolutely nothing to be done for him. Windham's a little better but I'd drive the extra to Plattekill for instance, or come east to Catamount, both GREAT carving layouts.

Feel free to drop me a line if you decide to switch liners. I have a brand new pair of Low Volume Intuition Dreamliners - never ridden, never molded. I tried them in my AF600 and just decided I was better off with the overlaps I have.

I haven't got much to contribute to the "pedaling" question except that it does seem to me that the independent commitment to the new edge may do something good to the body position even if the actual twist imparted to the board is minimal. For me at least it seems that my back leg becomes more active in the edge change when I'm on a plate. Some of this may have to do with the one big disadvantage I'ver experienced with the one plate I own (an old duckbill SGP/Lowrider) which is that it's really easy to overpower the nose at the initiation of the turn, perhaps especially for heavyweights like me. During the turn or when cruising that plate was nothing but an advantage, except for the hammering noise in a deep carve when the board was flexing up into the bumper on the duckbill. Worth it because of how much smoother the ride was in chop. If I were able to ride only perfect groom I don't think I'd use a plate at all. That was all on an older Coiler Racecarve 180. I now ride a Proteus which is stiffer anyway. I haven't yet tried it with a plate but I have a BBP V2 waiting for me when I get home (Thanks Yamifumi) and am very curious to find out how those two interact.

I agree about Stowe (especially Perry Merrill and would add Nose Dive on the main mountain to the list if it's groomed) but the truth imo is that the best riding at Stowe, Smuggs and Jay is off-piste. If you have a wide AM board or softies see if you can hook up with people of similar ability who want to go into the trees or hike the upper chutes at Stowe. DON'T go in there alone but with the right group it's unforgettable. Wish I could join you - Stowe is magnificent.

My favorite so far this year was after I burnt my legs out pushing through slop on crust on my Proteus and switched to skis. The 19 year old liftie, who'd been very encouraging all day, says: "Yeah, of course you'd do both..."

Thanks Pierre! That was me alright. My two days in Vermont this year, most likely, but there's a slight chance I'll get back north again in March and I'll definitely drop you a line if I do. Tough to ride two days a year - by the time you're warmed up you're worn out! Sorry to have missed you - I saw some tracks that looked like they were from a slalom board on Wednesday, but never saw the rider. On Thursday there was one dude from WVa...

Not all that close to Westchester but near the Catskills if you ride there at all - Garrett at Steiner Sports in Valatie is outstanding. I think they have a store in Hudson also. He spent three hours with me getting my ski boots perfect and would be just as good with snowboard hardboots.

Intec into Bomber receivers or other steel receivers works fine. Fintec heels into aluminum receivers such as those on stock Cateks will destroy the receiver very quickly. It's not difficult to adapt Bomber receivers to work on Catek bindings if you have a drillpress, a Dremel, and a 15/64 bit.

Boots are sold!

I agree with Neil - think seriously about step-ins. As I've gotten older the process of bending over to latch in has less and less appeal. It's not the same as latching into softies because higher angles make it much more awkward. I ride Cateks with TD3 receivers because I like weird canting angles but the F2 and Bombers are good also. If you're still in Vt you might want to stop by the shop at Okemo - they have the Donek Metal FC in stock at half price. Not sure it's the same board as you pictured but it's the same graphics and a 20cm waist. They also have the Proteus 170 which you might like - old-school pop out of the turns with metal smoothness.

Rode Okemo yesterday and today. A few death-cookies up top but overall in respectable shape. One other hardbooter on the hill each day. There are some bargains in the Snowsports shop at the base. Donek Proteus 170 and 175 and Metal FC 167 and 171, and a Rev 175. All were brand new and under $600. My sense was that they're really trying to clear the stuff out so if you found the right manager I bet you could make an offer. No demos, though. I was riding my Proteus 180 and mighty happy on it, so I wasn't tempted. That board really is a revelation.

Sold to Soybomb pending paypal. They're double-boxed and ready to go in the morning. Should be in Darien by Monday!

I'll be there Wednesday and Thursday 12/19-12/20. Pretty stoked - haven't been there in 25 years. Bringing skis and a Proteus.

I asked Sean about the OS1 before buying the board and he was fine with it. I will ask about the OS2, though. I get to try the stuff out this week - I'll be at Okemo Wednesday-Thursday!

Thank you! I'm 105kg and prefer a very rigid connection so for now I'll try the receivers on the old plate and see how I do. It's shocking how much more positive the engagement is on clicking in to the steel frames, compared with the aluminum receivers, and how much easier it is to click out, at least on carpet. I'll try them like this with the Intecs before putting the fintecs in the boots. Thanks again!

I've been riding step-in Olympics forever, and recently picked up a pair of the OS2, which included modified Bomber steel receivers (well, one's modified and I'm doing the other, so I can replace my old intecs with Fintecs) Can anyone offer information on the advantages/differences of the OS2 vs Olympic apart from the obvious difference in how they adjust? Anything I need to watch out for? Those silicone bumpers look pretty sketchy - do they really stay on without adhesive? They'd be going on a Proteus 180 without a plate, if that matters. I could just put the receivers on my old bindings just as easily. Thanks!

I picked these up on the 'bay hoping to replace my vintage AF600 but the UPZ are just too tough for me to get into. They're in nice overall shape - liners show little wear and heels no wear at all. I believe them to be size 27. Liners are marked Flo size 8 and the inside of the shell tongues are marked 7-9.5. I get not quite a one-finger fit in the bare shells with my size 11.5 feet so I'd say a size 10-10.5 would get a nice snug fit. I prefer a race fit and could ride these very happily but as I say that tongue design makes it tough for my aging body to get them on. Let me know if you need other pictures or info. How about $150 plus actual shipping?

Eric Brammer - PSR on this site - is a ridiculously good coach.

I'm hoping some of you have some experience in getting snug UPZ to fit well. I've been using AF600 27.5 which are comfortable but just a little too sloppy for best performance. My heels tend to come up on toeside turns for instance. I picked up a lightly used set of five-buckle UPZ (I think an older RC10) which are 27 shells - same size I wear for skiing on my 11.5 EEEE feet (my ski boots are Speedmachine 130 blown out to about 106mm). These UPZ shells give me about a one-finger fit without the liners, which is the same as my ski boots. I think I SHOULD be able to get them to work by having the forefoot stretched a little wider IF I can get liners which fit properly. I Imagine the best choice is Zipfits but those are brutally expensive and also there's no one near me who fits them - I'm 2 hours from Stratton. Has anyone had good experience fitting tight shells with the LV Intuition liners - either the Dreamliners or the Plug Race? I normally wear old cork Superfeet orthotics if that matters. Thanks!