John E

I have very little comparisons but I've used Flow and K2 Cinch bindings almost exclusively. I really hate having to sit down to buckle in. Where I ride the lifts are quite short and I get in & out of my bindings 15 - 20 times a day. I think that I like the K2s better than the Flows but I don't have a direct comparison and I don't think the Cinch is available anymore. When I get off the lift I step in, pull the strap & I'm off. Just as quick getting out. I may have them clamped down pretty tight but it has been a long time since I have ridden traditional bindings so I don't have a comparison. I have some older Ride bindings with aluminum baseplates. They are supposed to be quite stiff but I don't know because I have never ridden them. I'd like to get bindings that allow me to softboot carve at my best but I am pretty addicted to the convenience of "step-ins".

It seems to me that the people most likely to attend future Expression Sessions are the folks that were here this year. I'd guess that only about 20 cavers were in attendance. Most of those that attended had to bear significantly more effort and cost than I did. If the conditions this year had been fabulous, attendees would be somewhat likely to return again next year. Since conditions were mediocre at best, I'd guess people are questioning attending next year. It sounds like Fin has little interest in running Bomber and probably no one else is interested or competent to run it. Are we going to fall below Critical Mass?

Should FinTecs be Bomber? If they never broke, how could anyone make money selling them to such a small audience? Actually when I realize that if they were fail-unsafe (instead of fail-safe), that would be a scarier situation.

Carving at West Buttermilk is a lot like doing a Cannonball in the kiddie pool: 1) It's a lot of fun 2) It really impresses the little kids 3) It pisses off the parents 4) The real Divers realize how little skill it takes 5) It's a lot of fun (that's why we did so many runs there)

"Heard it in the LiftLine": Michigan Mike, Jim Cheen & I were riding West Buttermilk on Friday. Conditions were mediocre. We were standing at the top of the lift and a 16 year-old (ish) snowboarder came up to us and said "Excuse me - do you guys feel guilty for leaving all those trenches on the slopes?". First off - these weren't really trenches - a few grooves maybe 3" deep at best. Not Mario scale trenches. After I picked up my jaw I responded "No!". He continued to complain and Mike started to engage him. I just rode away and thought of many snappy replies that I wish I had said. Like "Do you feel guilty for scraping all the snow off the slopes?" Or "You have mistaken me for someone who cares". Or "Get Off My Lawn!".

Thanks for the write-up. A thought on this: Once you remove the old bushings, use the correct sized reamer (or closest drill bit) to remove the dimples. Then, once the new ones are installed, make 3x new dimples with a centerpunch. That way, installing the new bushings won't gouge them up.

PCDenver is a Radio Star! Driving in my car today listening to Colorado Public Radio I hear this familiar voice talking about how he donated his old truck to CPR. I thought "I know that guy"? Pete - will you be autographing boards for your hoards of fans?

The truth embarrasses me.

Mario will be there early Monday. I will likely be there around dinner time Monday. Mario & are are rooming at the Inn at Aspen. I will get plans from him Monday PM. - John

This may be off topic but has anyone employed a "dash cam" device like on the back of their jacket or helmet? This wouldn't prevent a collision but might help establish fault in the event of a collision. There are several billboards along I-70 advertising "ski lawyers". I'm sure that if one could provide proof of fault (better than he-said / she-said) to one of them, they would gladly take the case. Another possible side benefit would be that if everyone knew that there would likely be evidence of their bad behavior, they might think twice about doing stupid stuff. The dash cams are getting really cheap.

If they are a standard size, McMaster-Carr has a LOT of hardware.

Well - most avalanches are a last run (whether they are called or not).

Left at 5:40 and took 2 hours to get to Loveland?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I feel waaayyy better about staying home. Went to Vail last Thursday & Friday with some college buddies. 1/2 price lift tickets were ONLY $95 and the snow sucked. Please Sir, can I have another? We left Vail on Saturday AM. Roads were dry. Westbound I-70 was bumper-to-bumper from Beaver Brook to Idaho Springs at 8:45. No thank you! Mario - hope you get over your crud. No crud at Aspen Expression Session.

I've heard the "don't call the last run" from many people. This seems like a lot of superstition. It's a little like saying "I found my keys in the last place I looked". Well, why would you keep looking once you found them? If you get significantly injured on a run, why would you keep riding? That was your last run by definition. I have been skiing / riding for 50 years and I don't buy into "don't call the last run".

Did anyone go to Loveland on Sunday? By many accounts it may have been the best (non-carving) day of the season.

If I am carving: 1) Groom conditions no longer ideal 2) Slopes getting crowded & dangerous 3) Getting tired 4) Worried that return traffic jam is getting exponentially worse. If I am softbooting: 1) Powder is getting lumpy & beat up 2) Have done so many runs that I can hardly stand anymore 3) Getting hungry 4) Worried that return traffic jam is getting exponentially worse.

Try the Inn at Aspen, Molly Gibson or St. Moritz.

Mario & I will be arriving Monday afternoon 2/5. Want to meet up at the Bumps restaurant in the lodge at the base of Buttermilk? Maybe 4PM or so? We can decide then where we want to ride the following day and where to meet up each day after.

Hope all heal quickly & completely. About a year ago, I was softbooting in lots of fresh powder & poor visibility. I hit an unexpected ditch and threw my right arm back over my shoulder. The WORST pain I have ever experienced. I was certain that I had dislocated my shoulder. However, after a bit the pain subsided and I realized that I could move my arm pretty normally. That day was shaping up to be the best powder day in a long time so I kept riding. It was GREAT. My shoulder continued to hurt when I tried to push my range of motion. I had an MRI & they suspected that I had dislocated my shoulder but it had immediately re-located. My shoulder has gradually gotten better but still now, a year later, it hurts a bit. My experience is that joint injuries take a long time to heal.

You could "stickerize" these with double stick tape. These are on about 0.020" thick aluminum. They are 8" x 12". I can easily make smaller ones if people are interested.

A variation on the theme:

I hope as many can attend as possible but I understand those that can't. By all reports the snow isn't very good right now and (hopefully) will improve.

So, I count about 17 so far: Corey, Mario, BarryJ, Breezomatic, Megatrimix, Me, Bob, Ldbaustria, Segarator, Pow4ever, SEJ & Gretchen, Acoustic Boarder, Colozeus, Jim Adams, Norm & Diana. I'm making up some engraved plaques to hand out to the attendees:

I tried this again last weekend on my boots. I had some turkey bags left over from last season that I re-used. Again, this method works GREAT except: make sure that your bags don't leak. I think the old bags I used had some cracks in them. Though I didn't know it, near-boiling hot water leaked into my boot liners. When I put my feet in, the hot water was REALLY hot!. I had to take my feet out to let the water cool a bit and then put my feet back in. I think the reason this works so well is that: 1) Water has a very high heat content. The liter or so of hot water really heats up the liners to the right temperature (190 - 210 degrees F). 2) You don't have to try to stuff a hot, noodly liner into a cold hard shell. Try it. I think new turkey cooking bags are safest but maybe regular old plastic bags would work as well.

Do you carry your board on the outside of the car (I always carry it inside). The snowmelt chemicals they use on the roads here are really hard on any metals.