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I made it to Sugarloaf about a month ago and they had most of it closed down for high winds. What a pain. We didn't bother waiting in the lineup for a T-bar and a double..... Spent a couple days at Saddleback before that though... this one run called Tight Line was absolutely killer. Black diamond, steep, straight, groomed beautifully! greg

Any recommendations to use with Burton bindings? Is their Elevator plate a good choice? greg

The elevator plate is exactly what I was looking for! My Eliminator has a 24.5 waist or something like that. Of course I'm not looking to run BX courses; I just use it as a do-anything freeride/carve board. As such I carve on flats instead of banks, and I love high-G freecarving. But I'm definitely going to get a set, as lower angles would surely help with off-trail stability.... greg

Well now that it's an upcoming Olympic sport, of course there's more TV hype and I've been watching a fair number of races lately (Jacobellis is not too bad...! ;) ). Of course I can see why people are running in soft boots; just from the look of things I would think that having some ankle slop for steep drops and corrections would be necessary. But I've also noticed that people are riding some pretty park-style angles out there: a few looked to me like they were even running a slight duckfoot, but I just couldn't believe it! At the very least, it seemed that most had 0-15 rear and 15-30 front, although that was from quick mid-ride TV glimpses. I've been getting a few runs in on my 168 F2 Eliminator with soft bindings up around 48/42; I tried running them lower to get more stability, but consistently got too much boot-out (mondo 27 Malamutes). It seems to me they avoid this by kinda just skidding the turns...? Anyone got any explanation on this? Why are the angles so low, and why is that so much better? greg

I've got a fantastic Volkl ~205cm wheelie bag that has 3 internal fabric/mesh compartments for boots, bindings, etc. As others pointed out though, if you try putting all that stuff in there your bag will be far too heavy to fly anywhere. It's great on van/bus trips though.... greg

You can do IT-band stretching exercises on a regular (daily) basis as well which will certainly help. (I had to go to a sports physiotherapist a few years back because of knee problems while walking or going up steps, and I was fearing the worst... and that was the surprising diagnosis as well.) I don't recommend a chiropractor. No knock against any that might be around here, but I believe a physiotherapist is the best long-term solution. She told me that the basis stretch to do was as follows: 1. Lie on back, legs bent comfortable towards you (like this o_/\ ) 2. Put one leg over the other, keeping both bent (i.e. put your ankle over the other knee, making a sort of "figure four"... but don't go as far as your knee, which would be the traditional "crossed legs" motion) 3. Gently pull the leg towards yourself without straining (the leg that's still on the floor... which now has the other leg's ankle resting comfortably behind the knee) 4. Repeat with other leg, etc. etc. You'll notice yourself able to stretch it further as you keep doing this of course. I hope you can figure out what I'm trying to say here, but I'm sure you can find pictures of this on the internet. It's really easy though! In fact at first I had my doubts whether it was actually being effective because it didn't seem to be "stretching" anything, but after a couple weeks I didn't have any more problems. greg

I'm 5'10, straight legs, 3 front 3 rear, and this year I've been riding 21.5" on my Virus WCR 180. I'm still debating whether that's too wide or not. Unfortunately, once I get around to thinking about it, my TD2s are iced/frozen up enough to make it incredibly annoying to take them all apart and change. So I just shrug and keep going. :D greg

...Board is sold, and shipped out!

Out of mild curiosity, what do you consider "sane angles" on a soft-boot setup? For example, I've just started running size 9 Malamutes/Raichle soft boots on medium Burton Mission bindings on an F2 Eliminator (~25cm waist BXish board). Right now I'm at 48 front and 42 back, which sometimes seems a little unstable-high-angles-ish in freeriding conditions; but in hero snow I can lay down amazingly well on this board, and I get close to an inch or so of boot-out on my rear heelside binding. Do those angles seem too high/low for you on a BX board? greg

Picked up a last year's pair on eBay for $112 last month; worn so little there weren't even binding marks or fuzzies on the liner. greg

You're definitely getting old.

You're welcome! greg

Hitting up both Wentworth and (probably) Martock this year. Anyone else still riding these hills? I've been to Wentworth a couple times and didn't see anyone else riding alpine. greg

Out of mild curiosity, how does that not give you some significant toe-heel overhang? I'm thinking more of the Virus I got off you... I run about Mondo 26 or so, and I'm just slightly over at 59 heel, 63 front. greg

Yeah, it was definitely a black board he rode in Nagano; I still remember watching it. As an aside, when I watch videos again and browse around freeriding vids on his page I still don't like the way Rebagliati rides; wild, out-of-control upper body with arms flailing around his body. He kinda looks like me! :p greg

I think you may have exactly described what I'm looking for in a new board for next season. Very nice! Bruce, watch out.... greg

Sick, sick shape too! Great job all-around. greg

Oh, I so, so, so want these. I just can't do it! Someone buy my board for the love of god

Killer soundtrack! Well-show smooooooth riding on hero cord! Love it. greg

Soft knee pads/braces on both knees; also great help when you skid out on this East Coast corduroy-skating-rink ice. I've got an impressive case of Osgood-Schlatter disease and my rear (right) knee has a fairly impressive bone outgrowth on it, which has a bone chip at the top that just hasn't seemed worthwhile to have surgery on. I always find that they shift around on my knees too much however, and I've never been able to find a size that fits me without feeling life my circulation has been cut off. I've got small joints and relatively big legs, so things "fit" oddly (e.g. hard boots are too tight at the top, too loose around the ankles). I've taken to wearing a regular pair of shorts to the mountain, with long soccer socks. From a warmth-wise perspective it's probably not the best, but I've got decent pants and I find it really helps when your pants aren't all squished around in your boots, etc. etc. greg

Bumpity bump bump! Great price for the condition! You people are crazy! :D

Huh...article says that he "got back up and finished the race", but doesn't say that he got a re-start. I assume that's what happened, given that the gate didn't open when it should have? greg

Haha...oh boy.

Hear hear! I got a used pair of Salomon Malamutes cheap on eBay a couple weeks ago; the value was $100 US (declared). UPS charged me $57 in brokerage fees to get it across the border (from Boston to Nova Scotia). But, get this: included in that is a $4.50 fee for having to collect the brokerage fees C.O.D. when they deliver the package. Yes, that's right. They charged me… for charging me! Last time I ever, ever use UPS. Ever. Period. greg

I bet you're using old Burton antlers, aren't you... get with the times! New antlers allow for a stable ride down to the 200cm range!