Blackbird

I use a small bench belt sander to do my scrapers....very light pressure though

Yep they are Australian... A friend gave me the address of these guys and they're over in Melbourne ...They used to be in Perth if I remember correctly... The overlord has the coolest topsheet I've seen in a while... but there sizes are somewhat limited.. I think the longest alpine deck they make is a 168 be nice if they made 170+ or even 180+ decks... don't think it would hurt to ask though... And they are cheap too... dunno anyone who has ridden these decks but they seem promising.....

That's text book carving... Initiate the turn with a forward weight shift and gradually shift rearward during the turn... Called "feeding the dollar bill" That's how it's supposed to be done.... Also how much you shift depends on the deck you ride, you're stance and where you're bindings are relative to your insert pack.. (Setback).... It's a case of setting up and tweaking until you get it right...

Don't think like that.... Gradually you may give up jumping... But what happens when you get 3 feet of fresh and a nice natural kicker.... I know I wouldn't walk away... I'd BOOOOOOOST off it with all I got.....you only live once.... Hindsight has a habit of catching up with you later in life.. I don't wanna be 50-60 years old and think back wishing I tried this or tried that.... It'll prolly happen but I know when the conditions are right I'll learn new moves...It's what brings me back year after year... Jake Burton is on to something here... it's called progression! but having said all that ...since I broke my tailbone... I haven't even attempted backflips.... (at a ripe old age of 32) I still jump on the freerider But am much more picky which I'll hit and which I pass on.... in Australia we don't get a hellova lot of snow... and save the big stuff for when it's soft and fluffy... (read: forgiving!!!) I think practicing natural hits and general screwing around only helps your technique as a rider cos' you never know when you could be carving/riding at speed and you suddenly find yourself airborne... BTW I think that carvers that switch edges mid air look super cool!! Just something in the way it happens that really gets me...

Indeed!! How much do you trust your board now??? It's a great feeling isn't it??

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Where abouts on the shell did they crack?? Do you have to crank you bindings shut with more than one hand?? How many days do ya think they had on them?? I have 2 pairs of Furnaces and they are tough and stiff as nails!! Never heard of them cracking....

At 22 your Fear Glands shouldn't be fully developed just yet...!! you should have at least 5 more years to go before that happens.... Hope you have a speedy and complete recovery man.... Funny you said how hard core some riders are here... I'm pretty blown away by that too......

Pretty much every reply so far is spot on the money.. Injuries come and go... the body heals... the mind however takes a bit more to heal.. My advice.. When you are ready after you're all healed up (Next season or whenever) Get back on that horse and rein her in... you'll be a better rider for it!!!! I broke my tailbone so bad on an overrotated backflip that it needed surgery to have it glued back into it's position... (a Bit of gory detail follows so be warned!!!) Due to the nature and location of the incision, It wasn't possible to stitch or staple it closed again..So I had a 5" open wound from the middle of my butt up to the top!! So I had to have a nurse every day for almost 3 months pack it with gauze while it healed up from the inside out.... a 5" incision...basically looks like a butt crack extension!! First night home from hospital I took a nice hot salt water bath and lost 2 litres of blood... I passed out trying to get out of the bathroom and I was back in hospital... ... I'm a MUCH stronger rider now... I love the sport much more deeply.. I will never EVER let an injury destroy my love for MY sport... I'll ride better and better every year till my body can take no more!!!!! Another way to explain... I raced BMX for 9 years.. Last year was the last one. I'm retired... (At 32 LOL) in 2004 I came off during a celebrationary ride after the Australian Titles (I got 6th) and I over shot a jump, and clipped the front wheel on the landing went over the bars and landed on my left shoulder... smashing it... I had a plate +6 screws, some wire installed holding it together.. I was off work for 4 months....missed an entire season snowboarding!!!! The next year I trained so hard to work on my weaknesses and ended up taking the #1 spot in The State Titles.... Trust me... you may feel like doom and gloom now... but when you're all healed up... all the pain you feel now will be a distant memory!! keep your mind occupied and the pain killers coming... don't sneeze or cough (I know what ribs are like to break.!!) You wanna know whats worse than breaking ribs?? Splitting the cartledge in between them!! Trust me I've done that too!!! All the people here will tell you the same.... Just remember the first time you linked a turn.... the first time you railed your deck from heal to toe..... Would you really wanna give that away???

One of the guys here said that Burton made a limited stock quantity for their pro riders..... He bagged a few pairs and says they are the goods.....

Ahhh It's the Aussie Tradition!! Go hard son...... Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!!!! Sorry couldn't resist

Goggles for sure... Spy Blizzards/Alloys/Targa II's (They're pretty much all the same.... the lenses are identical... Frames are super soft for my monster head!! 4 different lenses to choose from.. Clear mirror -single layer lens Yellow -single layer lens Chrome mirror -double lens (My Favourite!!!) Persimmon -Double lens Glasses make me tear up like someone sprayed my eye balls with pepper spray whist watching the saddest movie ever.....

Champ.... get ye to the doctor.... it's the only way to find out WTF is happening in your knee... it could be a simple little sprain or it could be a warning that something has happened and if you don't get it looked at it could get much worse.... One thing was the hardest for me to break the habit of self diagnosing what the hell I've done to myself injury wise... I'm sure Dr D would agree.....

If your file guide can open enough to mount them.. for sure.. I've been doing that for ages to touch my edges up with a bit of precision.. They tend to lose their abrasive qualities after a few passes but you can freshen them up on a belt sander with a bit of care... so they don't end up all crooked etc...

I do all the waxing and edge tuning myself...Have all the tools for this sorta work.. There is something therapeutic in looking after your decks.. Never done any delam repairs as I've been lucky I haven't needed to yet but I have a buddy here in Syd with a boardshop that can do base grinds and repairs Having all the equipment helps...

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Funny you say that I own a 90 model Toyota Cressida and I swear this thing is possessed by a demon god from hell on PMS... It's never major stuff... just creaks, squealing brakes, an auto transmission that has absolutely no idea what it's supposed to be doing (Clumsy) the list goes on... and on..... But she'll start first time every time... I service everything on that one.. My other car an Evo 6 Makinen Edition is just something else... I bought it as a weekend car for cruising (at Mach .98 ) and that is the most wonderful piece of machinery I have ever had the honour of owning.. Servicing costs next to nothing and It hammers .... HARD I'll never grow up .... EVER... though the G/F loves the Evo.... No-one drives it except me....

World Cup PGS here we come!!! If you miss a gate... you can run over spectators.....!!!

Casper is where the PGS is held... or so they tell us anyways... Good thing I'm bringing a freerider and the racer.... from what everyones been telling me and the pics I've been seeing it does look intense.... Hopefully see you around the MTN... Cheers PS: I love the way you said to spend your nights boozing.... hmmm don't mind if I do!!!

How beautiful does that view look........ hmmmmm wheres the white stuff????

After flying to/from Europe from Australia with boards etc... All I'll say Pack them very well with extra padding.. The Carvers Almanac said it too... I use 2" high density foam around the nose and tail 1" at the sides near the nose and tail and 1" at the waist... make sure if the bag can be strapped down so it doesn't move do it... basically you want to prevent impact from any angle the bag may fall on... Like was said above... pack it like you're preparing for war. So far no airlines have damaged anything... I'm flying over to The States to Jackson Hole on the 24th Feb and finding details on what's allowed and what's not allowed on US carriers can be a little confusing.. I'm flying United... I should be under the 50lb rule for my bags... BTW has anyone been charged for having one extra board in thier bag..(Total of two boards) Just wondering as the majority of airlines only "allow" 1 board... I'm taking two and was wondering how strictly they enforce that rule......

There's a brand new set on ebay at the moment....$4.99 starting bid http://cgi.ebay.com/Burton-Old-Plate-Bindings-for-Kids-1998_W0QQitemZ230085066949QQihZ013QQcategoryZ21248QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Scott, Your Almanac made me rediscover hardbooting all over again.. It's the most addictive read anywhere on this planet.. Thankyou for all the work you put in completeing and continually updating it!! Brilliant work!! Cheers

Yep you're not wrong !!!! It's been steadily creeping up here in Aus... The more people seem to use the stuff the more they jack it up.....

Depends on the break Sinecure... if it's half serious then falling on it again could cause misalignment and/or worse... Could become a compound fracture where the bone(s) pierce the skin....meaning surgery and metal hardware put into the wrist/hand to help it heal better... and ask anyone who's had a metal plate with screws into their wrists what it does for their movement and sensitivity to cold..... Also it's worse as you get older... it takes longer to heal once you get over mid to late 20's 30's etc... I know I did my shoulder and ended up getting a plate and 6 screws to hold it together... I missed one season because of it... I mean I didn't even get a chance to ride at all for a year..... I say let it heal up before you start riding again... you don't wanna tempt fate.. Well unless you get 3 feet of powder that is...