bigdyno

In case there was any doubt as to how hard we were riding at NES this past weekend, this is the result. It must have happened late in the day Sunday, as none of the parts were too gouged up. Not to fear, new parts are on the way and should be waiting for me at WTF.

That's because we OWN the hill. The trenches Saturday proved it.

I'll be at Nakiska all three days, see you there if you dare. That isn't supposed to mean anything, it just rhymed.

In case anyone hasn't made concrete plans for sleeping: http://www.fairmont.com/banffsprings/HotelPackages/Ski/Skithebig3ForFree.htm

Here is a link to a guy that would probably be shot if he were in the US: http://www.youtube.com/user/cveitch#p/c/54E742FCDBA04FCE/1/mzyPMx1Yx8o I think it is alarming the way Law Enforcement is headed these days.

As it turns out, the only caveat is you must be an Alberta resident. Not sure why, but this may exclude some from the fun. Thursday was a great day, great temps, good snow and no crowds. The runs are a little icy underneath and the traffic that was there pushed the fresh stuff off by around 2. There was also a fair amount of small rocks everywhere, but my board didn't catch any that were big enough to leave bite marks. If you do go in February, I suggest being there just before 9 to get excellent parking and the freshest snow.

Norquay is celebrating its 85th birthday and to celebrate, the first Thursday of January, February and March they will only be charging 85 cents for a lift ticket. You read that right. So take back those New Years Eve empties to pay for this one and hopefully we can have some hardbooters representing. http://banffnorquay.com/whats-happening/whats-new/ It's outlined near the bottom of the page. If you happen to be a senior (I'm getting close, depending on who you listen to) you can buy a season pass for $85. Fake id anyone?

Hogtown down on King west, across the street and just west of MEC. They have a fair amount of selection but the prices aren't anything to write home about. I have bought from them in the past and was reasonably happy with the gear.

I just picked up some passes for a friend at Costco, they are two for $99cad. They seem to be valid for the full season and they are two individual passes so they can be used by one person on several days. I am not sure how long they will have them, but if anyone is coming through Calgary and doesn't have a Costco card, I could probably try to make something happen.

Here is another link to the "official" Zermatt site: http://www.zermatt.ch/en/page.cfm/service/webcams?utm_source=Startseite&utm_medium=Quicklink&utm_campaign=Webcams There is a lot of info on the site and it's worth taking a look. I have been twice and wish I could buy property there (it's a closed town) but I can't wait to return. Check out the many places that have dinner packages as we went to one place and had a 13 course meal that ended up about 50 CHF per person, tax and tip included. The train up to Gornergrat is a nice trip, even if you can't board down. If it is open, there is a toboggan only run from Rotenboden to Riffelberg that is tons of fun. You need a lift pass for the train and you can rent tobaggans for about 15 CHF per day. We had a 8 in 10 pass and used one day for the tobaggans, it gave us a day off our legs and we had a blast. Oh, fyi, the X1 t-bar (Gandegg) is VERY long, something like a mile or so. Good luck

If anyone says anything, tell them you are Team Such-and-such and the jackets match for intimidation purposes. Or pose as private instructors and it will cost $10 per question from now on. Time is money.

This is the view that everyone should have from their office. I got snowed on last weekend in Yellowstone and ziplined at Big Sky in the snow. I can't wait for more.

http://www.uncrate.com/men/gear/misc-gadgets/hops-holster/ It's even brand specific for you guys.

I towed cargo trailers twice last winter with my 08 FJ Cruiser (same chassis and powertrain as the 4Runner) and had favourable results. The second trip from London to Calgary weighed in @ 6200 lbs and the truck is rated for 5000. I didn't have any problems and it handled quite predictably, I just drove it with some caution. Gas wasn't too bad, considering the load and if you aren't towing with it everyweekend you should be fine. Mine was 42K loaded otd with the 4L V6 manual and the only problem I have had so far in 85000km is one broken wheel stud that was broken during a tire rotation. Pm me if you have any specific questions. Oh yeah, the 10s have more hp and less torque as they have VVT on both cams now.

The fuel rods are in a shielded tube that is filled with water. The heat to turn water to steam is developed by pulling the fuel bundles out of the shielding. If the fuel is fully shielded, there is minimal heat generated in the system. This is specific to the reactors that I have experience with and they are not all the same, but I expect they would all be similar in this respect.

Until the power demand of N.America is put in check, you can build all the windmills you want and it still won't keep up with demand. If you think Hydro is the answer, take a look at the Three Gorges dam. Wind and solar both require battery banks when used at the household level, and both are also dependent on outside factors (weather/not night). Bio needs land and if we can't feed people, what makes you think we can grow enough to make a difference in power generation? I spent four years working in nuke plants and I can tell you that repeats of the TMI and Chernobyl are very (read almost impossible) unlikely. Chernobyl was, in fact, a human error. An individual over-rode several failsafe systems. TMI was faulty equipment that lead to further development of redundancy systems. There were key factors of the NRC policy that were not followed, so human error could be cited as a factor here as well. There is a large windmill project underway on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. This is also the home of Bruce Power, an 8 unit nuke plant. The residents have complained about wind turbine syndrome and they make a very noticeable change to the landscape. Each unit generates about 3mw when the wind blows. Each reactor at BP generates about 780mw rain or shine. 260 windmills take up a large amount of real estate, would you want them in your back yard? Nuke plants don't produce emissions, but let me tell you about the waste they do produce. Anything with any radiation (no, most of it isn't glowing green) gets sealed in drums and put in storage facillities for ever. That's a long time. The retube at BP produced 200+ flasks the size of full size vans that contained waste from the reactors. They are designed to contain most of the radiation, but they still have to be stored somewhere. While I am a proponent of nuke power, it isn't perfect, but neither is any of the other options. The biggest thing we can all do to make a difference is use less power.

I'm not a fan of the B&M watches, but they are nice. I saw a watch in Zermatt, CH, that was left in the window overnight that was priced at $145,000 chf (about 135,000 US). A little out of my league but I have a nice Omega Ti that I can show you if we meet here is Cow town sometime Neil. Which Seiko do you have? I have a Kinetic Ti that I am quite fond of, nice and light.

I noticed that there was a significant amount of talk regarding the equipment technology and tweaking during the men's PGS. It was the only event I heard any reference to the technology, mind you I didn't really watch that much. I also found this article in the Toronto Star, talking about the clothing technology: http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/772783--did-we-win-by-seam-of-our-pants Is everyone ready to reconsider the $1500 jacket thread? It could make you faster.......

I agreee that the big factor is having the "special" facilities. I lived in Calgary in '88 and saw the influx in participation in things like the sliding sports and speed skating once we had world class facilities. Same with ski jumping and the Canmore Nordic Center. If you had to travel several provences or states away to train, it would eliminate a lot of potential participants.

Just saw an interview with JJ on CTV, good interview if you can find it. I know that here in Calgary you can see all the olympic coverage free on PPV.

I worked for a commercial/corporate system installer and our designer loved the Totem line. They have a bunch of different models that are compact and columns. Take a look, they are worth it.

I do, but I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with the movie files in post. I had it in Aspen and got some ok footage, but still haven't been able to do anything with it. I have a underwater/sport case for it too, but it's pretty big with the case. Stupid sony.

Yes it is.

Neil, E-mail me about the pass, bigdyno at hotmail dot com. I tried to reply but you have the "piss off, don't bother me" setting on.

Just before christmas I had two packages going across the continent, one east and one west. They were mia, one for four days, the other for five. I called and asked about them, knowing the guy I was talking to would tell me what I could already see, but twenty minutes after the call both packages magically reappeared. WTF?