Jonny

Bobby Buggs and I will be up tomorrow (Monday) around 11. Any ticket deals going that anyone knows about?

Welcome! First thing I think is to get boots which work, and if you're not used to skiboots and haven't worked much with hardboots the big risk is that you don't go SMALL enough. The boot needs to be snug or it wil really hold you back. A good method is to pul the inner out of the shell and slide your foot all the way into the bare shell. If there's more than about 3cm between your heel and the shell the boot's too big. Typically you'll go about two sizes smaller than your street shoe size - so a US 11.5/EUR45 would likely go into a 27 mondopoint shell. I don't think I'd go with intec heels just yet, although as you get more experience you may want them - they give a much stiffer ride. Once you have boots you can likely beg a ride from a lot of guys - most of us bring more than one board to the mountain and are usually delighted to have someone try out a spare. If you're looking to buy, realize that this isn't likely to be your long-term ride, so don't go crazy. Boards which were $850 five years ago are $200 now, lightly used, often with bindings, and they'll be great to get you going, so that you can make an informed decision about your next board. I'd look in the 165-175cm range, with a sidecut from 10.5-12.5m and a waist width around 20cm - a little narrower than most AM boards, but the narrower the board the more likely you are to get comfotable quickly on a true carved heelside, which is the biggest difference between hard and soft boots - heelside is incredibly positive with hardboots.

Fell in love with this model at ECES last year but missed out when that demo went on sale, and can't afford to order a new one just now. Can't imagine why anyone would want to sell one, but just in case... I'm in MA but can get to VT, NY, CT to pick up...

Fun time at Stratton today - skis in the AM, then a board in the afternoon. Pretty crunchy snow but once the sun hit it it held an edge pretty well. The piles of loose man-made snow are a pain, as is the limited terrain, but any day on the hill...

I'll be up on Thursday only, but if the conditions aren't ideal I'll probably just ski...

Sounds like your bootfitter might like to look at the inside of the shell under your forefoot to see if he can grind it down a little. This will lower just that part of your foot and might take the pressure off a bit. it will also likely make that part fit wider (you'll be in a wider part of the shell) so you may need to compensate for that in turn, but I doubt it.

Hoping to be up by 10AM on Thursday, just for the day unfortunately. Is Supertrail open? Better to start on the frontside?

I last skied it in 1976, on a pair of 210 Rossi ST650 skis. Bent the tip on one of them trying to scrub speed with a hard right turn after the landing. Looking at that I can't even remember what it was like being young, strong or dumb enough to have done it.

Good move, but if by chance you decide to drop down to something looser in stiffness do let me know and if it's the 180 I'll likely take it off your hands. I loved the one at ECES and will be ordering one like it once I have the funds set aside. At my weight (220) it's actually really smooth all the way through the turn, and the huge pop some riders have experienced is much less pronounced for me. I actually found the 170 to have more bounce at transition.

Closer to the Bastard, but don't expect an Alp to hang in there with you on an 85° carve. For less aggressive riding it's very similar, yes. Really fun in trees, for instance.

Well, I got to ride with Joerg a couple of days (the guy really rips) both at ECES and at Berkshire East, and I tried a couple of his boards. Took some flak about how tough the transition from my narrow Coiler was going to be, but I felt right at home, largely because the ride is so much like an Alp, on which I'd spent some time in the past. Similar sidecut, with minimal taper and fairly wide, so even at narrow stance widths it's possible to ride at angles like 51/45 or even lower. Similar easy flex, although as I mentioned the Pureboard is much more refined especially in terms of torsional stiffness.

I still ride an Alp 163 from time to time on soft snow and in trees when the coverage is sketchy. Edge hold isn't comparable to a modern board, but even at my 220lb weight it's a fun surfy ride and should do well for what you're asking of it. Performance is actually not dissimilar to what you'd get from a PureBoard - similar width and overall flex, although nowhere near as versatile. The real question wouldn't be the slow speed performance, which would be just fine, it would be the durability of the fiberglass layup and of the plastic parts (toe-lever, etc...) of the bindings

The Proteus 180 at ECES suited me better than any other board I've ever been on, but the 170 would fit your description perfectly, especially if you asked Sean to build it a little wider. Tremendous energy at the end of the turn. Nothing wrong with the modern glass boards, though, which incorporate current thinking on decamber and VSR, especially for more aggressive riders. I'm pretty sure AlexJ is riding Coiler glass for his main freeride board - check with him maybe...

Base, but that was where I knew there was Titanal only above the core not below. if the SG has two layers then top or bottom would work equally well I think (or not at all)

Slightly shorter parts list than Joe's - spray-bottle, hairdyer or heatgun set LOW, ice or liquid Nitrogen. Set the board base-up and get it REALLY cold - a lot of ice, snow packed all around it, liquid nitro, whatever. Clear the board off and run the hairdryer over the center for a few seconds. Wait a few seconds, then spray water on the base. You may see shadows where the inserts are located

At Huntington and Malibu they're shooting the pier At Rincon they're walking the nose We're going on Safari to the islands this year If you're coming get ready to go...

I rode both those boards also - see my writeup in the Community thread. Proteus imo rides much more like the Carbon 179 than like the 185FC, except Proteus 180 is less demanding and less lively from the back foot to the tail. Slightly smoother as well, but not much. MUCH more prone to finish the turn than either of the other boards.

I had a fantastic time trying out boards for the two days I was at ECES. The only problem really was that the conditions on Tuesday/Wednesday were so perfect that I had to be disciplined about going back to my own board from time to time, just to be sure that what I was feeling was because of improvements in board technology, not just the result of the best snow I'd been on all year. In 2002 Bruce built me a Racecarve 180, which has been my principal ride since. It's very turny for a longer board (11.5 scr) but also very stable and pretty stout, at least for a Coiler, accomodating my 220 lb very well. Bruce was amazed at how well it's held up, but I've thought recently that the improvements in design, especially the use of metal/rubber, have made it a little dated. They certainly have. Boards I tried at ECES were Coiler 182 FC (more Taper) Coiler Nirvana (less taper - I think also 182), Coiler 185, Donek Proteus 180 and 170, Donek FC "Mistake", Donek Carbon Proto 179, Donek FC 185, Pureboarding 168 The big winner for me was the Proteus 180, which was the first board I tried. I kept going back to it just to be sure it was really as smooth and solid as I'd found it to be at first. I'd expected, based on its description on Sean's site, and my experiences with his designs from ECES 10 years ago, that the powerful tail would be blowing me into the woods on every transition. None of that, ever. I did feel that it wanted to finish the turn, all the way uphill in fact, and was a little reluctant to let go and change edges, but the main feeling was of total confidence to drive as hard as I wanted, wherever i wanted. One often hears about boards that want to be ridden right from the middle. The 180 probably does want that, but it's not an issue because that's right where I found myself all the time - it just created a very balanced, confident ride. Next was a carbon 179 proto, which Sean described as his "most fragile" construction. Great. But if there's ever a time to ride one of those it's at a demo event. Much more of what I think of as the Donek "DNA" - REALLY poppy off the tail, but still very very smooth compared with my own board, given that there's no Titanal in it. Very narrow board at just over 18 cm which I'm used to and like, rewards aggression, very nimble, but again. more challenging as the slope gets steeper. Next was the FC "Mistake" - Todd's personal board which apparently no one else much likes but Todd, and now me too. Longer SCR in the tail than the Proteus, and stiffer nose than either the Proteus or the production FC, so it's a faster board, but also smoother, if that's possible. I really enjoyed it but found it cumbersome at the lower speeds which my age, girth and timidity demand on steeper terrain. For me also (not for Todd) it felt just a little dead, which Sean said was a feature of the way the rubber was laid in. Wednesday I started on a Coiler 182, the version with more taper. Very smooth (I know I keep saying "smooth" but coming from an older glass board that's really the first thing that jumps out), but not as lively as some of the Doneks had been, and it had a tendency to just track out at the end of the turn. This was good information, because one of the things Sean and I had talked about with respect to the Proteus 180 was how to give it a little more release at the finish, and he'd suggested that increased taper might work better than decreased sidecut. Not so successful for me with the Coiler. Later in the day I was able to snag a similar Coiler with less taper, and that felt much more comfortable, in fact it was one of my favorites altogether. Then I got on a 185 Donek - pretty much I think the production version of Todd's Mistake board. This was the only board where I knew right away it wasn't for me - too wide, it really wanted a lot of fore and aft movement from me to get it working, not really turny enough for me to charge on anything but very gentle terrain. Really I suppose a board for a more aggressive rider. Next was a Coiler 177 21cm, which was fun but really I think just too soft, on top of which I couldn't seem to get out of my own way heelside. Toeside was great, so it was probably a setup/cant issue, but there was little time left in the day and too many other toys waiting... The Proteus 170 was finally free, so I grabbed it. Very different from the 180 for me - extremely lively and turny, like a slalom board really. Wanted to be bashed back and forth near the fall line, although it was possible to stretch it out for longer turns. Again it had what I think of as a Donek feel - cross-unders would bounce me into the air as the edges released. If my main hill were steep, narrow, and often crowded, this would be my first choice probably, but on very crowded days I tend to get my skis out instead anyway, so... At this point it might have been wisest to try one of the JJA boards, but Joerg had been generous enough to offer take a couple of us fairly experienced riders on a more focussed and perhaps more advanced introduction to the Pureboarding approach than would have been possible in his clinic - not the kind of offer I could turn down, since that style is taught so rarely hereabouts. (If there's a better exemplar of this sport, or any sport, than Joerg, btw, I'd like to meet him). Soooo, on to a 168 Pureboard, 24 cm wide and softer than anything I've been on in years, maybe ever - looked like a snowshovel or a cafeteria tray. It was amazing, though, how little the width got in the way - an active edge change was still plenty quick. The board is obviously designed for the technique - REALLY responsive to a lot of back foot toeside, which felt really fun right away. Heelside it wanted a lot of forward commitment and I struggled between too little which created a dead feel and too much which spun me out badly. I wished I could have spent another couple of hours working on the technique, on perhaps a SLIGHTLY narrower board, but the road was beckoning as the snowstorm moved in. Last run was on my own Coiler and like a nightcap with an old friend. Overall favorite was the Proteus 180. I would have bought the demo right away if it had been for sale. Perhaps not surprising because I'm so used to a constant-radius, fairly narrow board with little taper. Second and very close was the reduced-taper Coiler 182, which was slightly wider and had a more complex VSR and I wish I'd had more time with it. Third was the Proteus 170, which would be first if I knew I was only going to ride in conditions like we've had most of this year. I'm planning to buy the Porteus 180 if finances allow, and will have to decide whther I'd like it modified at all for a little less turniness and/or more pop like the 170 offers. Again, I can't thank Sean, Bruce and Todd enough for all their support and generosity - I've posted more fulsome thanks in the ECES folder: http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?36942-Changing-the-vibe-of-the-world

Poles really help when you're recovering from any kind of lower-body injury. I used them after knee surgery for half a season, likewise after hernia surgeries. In terms of riding, the best thing is in bumps or powder and/or trees, where a pivot/swivel turn is the call, with you body remaining pretty much over the board. Biggest deal, though, especially if you're at all banged up, is when locking in to your bindings, when waiting for other riders and when skating around from place to place. You DON'T want to use them in normal aggressive carvinging as they're used in skiing to initiate the edge-change - the extra bump uphill at the start of the turn could easily blow you off your board. Just let them trail behind your hands and they don't really get in the way.

On the shopping list, in case anyone's thinking of bringing spares to sell: UPZ boots - I assume 27-28. I wear 27 Raichles. Don't need inners since I can probably reuse my TFs. I guess I'd be curious to try Heads or Northwaves also - the 224s are just not holding me all that solidly anymore... Intec heels Catek OS1 base-plate to use as second (third) board kit I'll only be at Stratton Tues-wed, unfortunately.

1. jimcheen: Traditional carve Wednesday morning. Intermediate 2. Mark Bennett: Pure Boarding Wed. morning. Intermediate, Traditional carve Wed. afternoon. Intermediate. 3. Mark Brown: Traditional carve Wednesday morning. Intermediate 4. Tabatha: Traditional carve Wednesday morning. Intermediate 5. jp1: Traditional carve, Wednesday morning, Intermediate 6. Michael Mercurio (aka lafcadio), Pure Boarding Wednesday Morning, traditional carve Wednesday afternoon, Novice/Intermediate 7. Stéphane Paquette (Surf Quebec): Traditional, Thuesday morning intermediate 8. Bill Coates (wiremaker): Traditional carve Thursday Morning, intermediate 9. Jean-Philippe Veilleux : Traditional Carving Wednesday morning. Novice/intermediate 10. Derek Bonser(powdahbonz): Intermediate Traditional Carve Wednesday morning-PureBoarding Thursday morning intermediate 11. Ken Pure Boarding Wed morning, Traditional Carving Wed afternoon, novice 12. David W. PureBoarding Wed AM. Traditional Carving Tue or Thursday AM novice/intermediate 13. Khanh Vu : PureBoarding Wed morning. Traditional Carving Wednesday afternoon. Novice 14. Hilux: Traditional Carving Wednesday A.M., Pure Boarding Thursday A.M, intermediate 15. Deb: Traditional Carving Tuesday A.M. Novice 16. John: Traditional Carve Thursday A.M., Intermediate 17. Dan Lambert: Pureboarding Wed AM, Traditional Wed PM, Intermediate 18. Chris Hampton: Traditional Carving Wednesday AM, Pureboarding Thursday AM, Intermediate 19. Mark Temple Traditional Thursday am Intermediate 20. Kevin Arruda: Pureboarding Thurs am Intermediate 21. George Saon Traditional Wed AM, Intermediate 22. Ed Griffin:Pureboarding Thurs am intermediate 23. Jasen Vioral (Mellow Yellow) Pureboarding Wed AM, Traditional Thurs AM, Intermediate 24. Stephanie Juhasz, Pureboarding Wed AM, Intermediate 25. Alex Juhasz, Pureboarding Wed AM, Intermediate 26 Marian Dziak, Traditional Thrs AM intermediate or advanced 27. Kubo Dziak, Traditional Thrs AM intermediate or advanced (10 years old) 28. Gabe Tung, Traditional Wed AM, PureBoarding Thurs AM, Intermediate/Advanced 29. Lisa Chiovaro (LiLi), Traditional Wed AM, PureBoarding Thurs AM, Intermediate 30. Brad Franckum, traditional Wed PM and Thurs AM with Eric, intermediate 31. Todd Bowman, Traditonal Wed AM/PM and Thursday AM/PM Beginner/Intermediate 32. Glenn Lloyd, Traditional Thurs. am ( with Eric) Intermediate 33. carvercutie, Wed. a.m.: Pure Board: novice, Wed. p.m.: novice, Wed. night after-party:advanced! 34. Nolan Watts, Wed AM-PM Intermediate/ Thurs AM-PM Intermediate 35. Johnathan VanSkyhawk, Thurs AM PureBoarding Intermediate, Thursday PM Traditional Intermediate 36. Brian Barrett, Wed. AM Pure Boarding, Novice,. Wed PM Traditional novice 37. Jonny Epstein, Wednesday AM Traditional Carving - Intermediate

Thanks Mark - all the more fun tomorrow! Hope eveything comes through the big blow OK. Pretty breezy down in Lenox, too.

Mark - are you likely to be able to post in the AM on driving conditions? I'm wondering what will happen to the roads if it gets cold enough to freeze. Not worried about the hill, just about getting there... Had a chance to try that plate yet? Thanks! Jonny

WOW. Gorgeous. If I weren't 220 lb these days I'd jump just for the smoooooth. Did you try listing them on Epicski?

1. Shred Gruumer (aka: Ralphie) - Arrive Sunday 26th Depart Friday Mar 2nd 2. Helmut Karvlowv (aka: Mr. Asswipé) -Arrive Sunday 26th Depart Friday Mar 2nd 3. Fishrising (Ben - Tall One) - Arrive afternoon of Wednesday Feb 29 Depart evening of Friday Mar 2nd 4. CaRtharsis - Arrive Sunday 26th Depart Friday Mar 2nd 5. Jack Michaud - Arrive Wednesday night, Depart Friday night or Saturday morning 6. Geoff Vincelette - Sun-Sat 7. Alex Juhasz - Sun - Sun 8. Steph Juhasz - Sun - Sun 9. Glenn Chapman Wed-Fri 10. Michael Mercurio - Sun-Fri (hope my legs hold out!) 11. Powdahbonz-Derek-arrive Tuesday night, leaving Friday evening 12. jp1 - Sun-Sat/Sun 13 Surf Quebec with Dan, Redia and Claude, arrive on Sunday depart Fraiday afternoon 14. Mark Brown - Sun-Fri 15. *Ace*, Christopher Chabot - Monday + Thursday + Friday(tentative) 16. loupa5 - Mon-Fri 17. Scott Johnson - Wed-Fri 18. Tabatha Mon-Friday 19. Dingbat! Wed-Fri 20. Queequeg Sat-Sat 21. CMC, Wednesday or Thursday 22. jburrill, Wed-Fri. 23. Lili Mon - Fri 24. Ian M Sun(pm)-Fri Woo hooooo! 25. Hilux and Co. Sun-Fri/Sat Woo hoo too! 26. Dan Lambert (Sun-Fri) 27. Real Lafontaine (Sun-Fri) 28. Claude Fagnon (Sun-Fri) 29. SnowRider (Thurs-Fri) 30. George Saon (Tue-Wed) 31. Pat Moore - Thursday dinner and Friday Race 32. Paulk (aka: The deer hunter) All week. 33. Mellow Yellow (Sun-Fri) 34. Khanh Vu (ktv) (Sun-Fri) 35. Gleb Budilovsky (Thursday-Friday) 36. Clebner Wed-Fri 37. Upnorth70 Wed-Fri 38. Chad Kirchner Thurs-Fri 39. 5 Pa. Planktons; Mike T. wed - sat 40. Marc P. wed - sat 41. Chris T. tues - sat 42. Tony M. (Tony Sono Bone') tues - sat 43. James N. (Salad) tues - sat 44. CT Carver aka Brian Barrett Sun-Thursday 45. Jtslalom (Mark) 46. Cafercr (Joe) 47. John 48. Dave 49. shaggy Mon-Thurs (am) 50. Glenn (Glenn) Wed.-Sat./Sun 51. Todd Brown Sun-Sun 52. Vanessa Brown Sun-Sun 53. cafercr35 Thurs-Fri +3 below 54. Jt slalom Thurs-Fri 55. Dave Thurs-Fri 56. JohnnyLo Thurs-Fri 57. Erik J arrive late Sun-Wed, maybe Thurs & Fri AM 58. Jonny - Tuesday only :^(