philw

Cool - I was talking to the Secretary of the FIS Speed Ski Committee when we discussed this point, but I must have misunderstood. I have photographs which show that the "professional class" racers at this FIS World Cup event *did* use releasable bindings (the "downhill" class is explicitly different). Whatever, I must be mistaken if you've checked the rule book. Can you point me at rules? That will save me having to check with DT. I don't want to ask him to confirm if it's right there in the rule book for all to see. I'm putting together an article on this so I do need to get my facts straight.

The boards for the "professional" class are custom-built. Lengths looked like 2m or so to me, but I can check later. The bindings of the same class (not yet FIS but they're working on it) are releasable - there's a sort of lug in the middle, some ball-bearings under spring pressure, all that stuff. The riders mostly used Rachlie/Deeluxe boots. There's also a "production" class, where you can see people using F2 bindings (non releasable) and production boards. Here's a guy on a Sims Burner (you can read the logo on the original). Randy Sun Peaks: there is an FIS event there. I somehow doubt they'll fund me to visit with my camera, but you never know. I was describing the place to the Euros. I do know the FIS secretary for this if it helps. My email address is either in the Bomber profile or my web site has it wigglesworld. Mail me and I'll connect you to those guys - I don't have their addresses yet but I will when they see their pictures. The thing which looks like a riser on Peter's board is I think the releasable binding mechanism. He told me the make but I forgot it (not a big name manufacturer). It's grey and about 2cm thick. Falling: I was reminded of solo rock climbing. You don't want to fall. Peter B (the guy in white & blue who won this event) has only ever fallen once. This event only one guy fell, and it was right at the bottom of the deceleration area. He cratered big time in the safety fence, and he must have been going much slower than the peak. Scary. Body armour is worn by regulation. Catching edges: they ride with rounded/ blunted edges for this reason I think. Fogsmith In the professional class in Europe, releasable bindings are mandatory. I'll post a close-up of one once I'm done with the rest of the images. They have a bunch of FIS approved rules including this, although the sport (snowboard speed) isn't an FIS World Cup sport yet. Record-wise you need to pick your course, I'm told. Courses like (say) Les Arcs are designed to go to about 250km/h on skis. They're much longer than the Goldeck course and smoother. But the competition still works at slower speeds, I'm told.

There's room for everybody, but personally I find that the style where the rider *appears* to dive for the snow during each turn looks a bit odd. If you happen to be there, fine, but it's not exactly one of my goals. But anything which takes the sport away from sideslipping is good by me.

Here's Germany's Peter Bittner from this weekend's FIS speed ski event in Goldeck, Austria. This shot is from qualifying - I haven't processed the main event shots yet. Custom race board, releasable plate bindings, standard Rachlie 225s, 70 degree angles. Arms held in front to steer. Speed about 130km/h - this is a slow technical course. The record's 220 or something like that. Fast enough. There's also a production class. I have some shots of a guy on a Sims Burner, which lifted nicely off the snow at high speed so you could see the logo on the bottom. Excessively exciting I'd say. For the rider anway.

You can generally do it by dealing with all the images the same way, or adjust each layer by hand. The automagic way is: Image->Adjustments->Match colour Have fun

Powder boards tend to have different max/ min stance widths than piste (race) boards. I did find some problems with boards like the Salomon Fastback & Burton Canyon in that the stances are fashionably wide, so it can be hard to get comfortable even at minimum settings on those. These days I use the Fish, the inserts of which are "set back". I ride those centered on the minimum width setting. I've no idea what it is in any units, but it feels ok.

It's a truism that "stance angles" (as opposed to "high stance angles") affect the way you snowboard. I don't understand the argument about muscles and things though. I certainly use all the muscles which you say I don't. I don't "steer the board" by pointing anything anywhere though: I just stick it on edge. "sweeping" sounds a lot like an action I recognize from watching sideslippers - how does this work? I've got a garage full of boards of various widths. My feet are sensibly sized so pretty much waist-width and stance angle are independent for me. For each board (except the early ones where you had to drill the board to change angles) at some time or other I've experimented with the various widths and angles. My results suggest different settings seem to work best for different boards (powder, GS, SL, carve). I'm sure that different people will find different settings useful (that's why gear is adjustable). The Extreme Carve guys will point out that it depends what type of riding you're doing: if you want to dive for the snow you're going to need shallower angles and a wider board than if you're a fall-line ski-style boarder. Does it make a difference? Yes. Does it make it better... not necessarily. My experience is that a perfectly matched board flex will project you from edge to edge faster than you'd like anyway, so the advantages of extreme narrowness are marginal. I'd love to do some A:B comparisions on boards of identical design (matched flex) in different widths, but I expect that the differences would be less than one might expect.

I haven't ridden either of those boards, but you might want to look at the Fish, which is the sort of powder board which people don't put down once they've tried. The Fish is pretty much standard issue at Wiegele's these days... it works really well in the trees and pretty well everywhere else. Of course ridden with hard boots. Powder Gun: Nils will tell you about those. I've never seen one used for two days in a row at a heli operator (I suspect because they're too big for the trees).

Correct, but you have to separately sharpen each layer if you do that.

I think the word is "sequences". Just shoot a sequence hand held. Nothing fancy with exposure or tripods or anything else. Get it all into Photoshop, then pick one or two shots to use as a "background". Typically one shot will be enough, but you may have to stitch a couple. Then take each intermediate frame one at a time. Drag it into the PS document with the background. It'll appear as a new layer. Create a layer mask and mask out everything except the rider (first fill the mask with black, then use the brush tool to "paint" the rider back in with white). You may have to move the layer about to get the rider in the right place. Flatten, resize, sharpen, save for web.

thanks - although I didn't take this one. Although my ego's driving me to think about it, sadly I haven't figured out how to actually be in the picture and yet take it at the same time ;-) Both ways ya can't have it. This season's stuff all comes from BC, Canada. I have occasionally figured out how to get paid, but these were funded off my last [software] contract. If I manage to sell any then I may be able to tax-deduct some of the expenses.... I suppose that's why I flash a few of 'em about. Although in this case it's illustrating a serious point, honest guv. I would like to get some good carving shots, but I've not had the luck to combine the right light with the right riders yet. One day.

Ouch. Sounds identical... if the boot had held slightly better I may have got away with it, but those damned cant things were junk. I augered the nose in on some crusty glacier snow at mach 2. I recieved hairline cracks and then good drugs, so I was quite lucky. I now have the Indy boots which look like they may be slightly better in this respect. And I ride carefully in crusty conditions. Fortunately I can't remember where the "my foot is broken" shots are, but here's a "there is a grabby crust about 15cm down in this stuff so I'm riding the tail" shot from a couple of weeks ago.

;-) 1) I don't understand the question. It's a bit like asking an expert skier why they don't snowplough. I do it because that's how snowboards work. If I wanted to do aerial ballet I'd get some skis and do it right. 2) Only when I'm forced to hire soft gear, at which point both the stance and the equipment is severly limiting. Granted I'm not interested in jibbing or boy bands. 3) As someone said... there are plenty of "slow speed" areas, I'd like a few "high speed" areas. I'd like to see designated experts-only areas (bumps & steeps) where you'd be able to let rip without having to slalom around the sideslippers.

Hmm, thinking about this, I remember that I managed to break my boot (Rachlie 225) and also my ankle whilst riding an Intec/F2 binding system. The boot remained fastened into the binding. Some may have bigger boots and fatter ankles, but it seems to me that this demonstrates fairly well that the bindings are strong enough, at least for me.

It doesn't cost much, because Donek include it in the price. They also pay duty, VAT etc. For new stuff obviously it's cheaper to go and get it, if you happen to be in the right continent. I've had a few race boards shipped from Blue Tomato in Austria and it doesn't cost much; a few tens of quid. But everyone in the uk seems to ride tricky-duckky...

I've ridden the fastback, which is a powder board. Probably not what you really want, depending on where you actually ride. As a powder board they're reasonably popular, but I felt that it was a bit too stiff for my weight.

Looking good. Try compensating your exposures by about a stop or maybe a little more.

"New"? I think I was late on this particular one by getting the stuff in 1997. New it isn't. I've never had a problem myself, but if you're worried then why not just buy some traditional stuff.

I have to confess that I'm currently unemployed. Seriously I need to get my finger out and find a job before the cash runs out! He wasn't hanging about. I think Dave* was the fastest I saw on the hill. Unfortunately the light wasn't that good. Dave* : Sorry I lost you on Thursday.... I couldn't figure out if you were ahead or behind. Anyway, I hope the rest of the season goes ok... I'm back in the land of plastic ski slopes for now... ;-)

I presume you mean the Intec boot cables, which aren't actually anything much to do with the F2 Titanium bindings. I've never broken a cable. I think I used my first pair from 1997 until this season. I replaced the boots and both cables from the old boots look fine. Now I have spares. I never bothered greasing the things or otherwise messing with them. Fit and forget..

That's a good image - he's not actually bent over at all: you can draw a line down his center of mass and it'll go right through the middle of the board. Some carving "styles" seem to be to involve throwing oneself down at the snow. Thats a neat trick, but it's getting cause and effect the wrong way around, in my opinion. A bit like novice skiers trying to ride with their feet bolted together...

Spotted in Whislter 05/01/05: Not good light I'm afraid. Perhaps there'll be more today..

I'm 62kgs/ 140lbs I think, but I'm an agressive little sod also. I used to ride 168 Supermodel-type boards off piste, and I ride 163 Slalom boards on it. So I think that you might want to try a 160 at much more than my weight. I know Ian D (RSS) tried a 156 and it was too short for him, and I'd guess he's about 200lbs or so. Khyber I took one out (160) for a powder day last week so I can write some crap on them. As stated, their plan shape is identical to the Malolo. The nose is slightly different, and the camber/ flex are different but work pretty much the same I think. These are compromise boards: half way from Burton Canyon to Fish, if you see what I mean. All ridden by me on proper (hard) boots of course. I rode the Khyber mostly on glaciers, where it was ok and noticably faster to accelerate than the Fish. But, of course you can go as fast as you like with any board, so I'm not hugely fussed about accelleration etc. Summary: does what you'd expect, but that's not radical enough for me. Perhaps a board for people who hack on/off piste on the same board. Swallows As someone said, they'll go faster on flat glaciers, which are places I don't spend much time. I think the reason that they're never seen at places like Wiegele's (heli) is that most runs are either all trees, or a mix of glacier, trees, and log cut. So whilst the swallowy thing will work in the open, you're stuffed lower down the mountain. The tree line in Europe is different, which may account for the different perceptions there. Tom Pfleger (SP?) I think still has the daily vertical record, which they got back in the day on a Nitro swallow I think. These days he rides... a Fish. But it's all good: I hate conformity... that's why we're not all riding edgeless pipe boards.

Fish. Swallowtails don't seem to work in the trees. I ride my Fish exclusivly on hard boots. There's a bunch of images of this working on my site and one here... Don't compromise: use decent boots & bindings. You could also look at the Malolo/ Kyhber; I have a review of those to write somewhere. More of a compromise than the Fish.

I just use the camera's matrix (or whatever they're calling it these days) metering system. Modern pro cameras work pretty well on this.... just shoot a couple of frames and check the histo. Then dial in whatever you need to make the graph look right. Think of it as a modern exposure meter. Then bang away, checking the histo every so often in case the light or what you're shooting varies. You'll need between plus 1/3 to about plus 1 2/3. I always shoot RAW for quality reasons anyway, but it also gives you more latitiude than trannies. Really exposure just isn't a problem these days, IMHO. Ditto colour balance and focus. So there's all that time and effort available to worry about composition... ;-) Fill flash works well in the uk where the ambient is not high and the plastic isn't as reflective as snow. But in the mountains it doesn't seem to help much. Don't worry about using it with professional boarders though - it's expected and they can handle it. The main problem with flash (assuming you're using a modern system) is recycle time - even the best systems cycle at about 1 frame a second. I'd like to shoot some more carving, but there are so few people able to do it these days that I seldom meet anyone ripping it. Here's one from today.