John E

I don't know how much this is a Denver / Colorado / I-70 phenomenon or if it is a trend throughout the country. Not only has the economy recovered but a lot of people have moved to the Denver area recently and have a desire to head up to the mountains on winter weekends.

Great riding & filming. Thanks.

Very nice. Thanks!

Remember the good old days? You know - back in 2008, 2009, 2010 when the economy was in the dumps and the traffic on the roads to the ski areas was pretty light? Now, weekend traffic on I-70 between Denver and the ski areas is a nightmare. No matter how good a day you might have had, you've forgotten it completely after spending so much time sitting in traffic.

Made it up yesterday. Pretty cold all day (single digits in the parking lot). Saw Don, Oddjob, Arne and Dustin. Snow was very good. About 12" new. First run was very slow. Board felt like it had a Velcro base. After that, it got better. Ran Ptarmigan about 4 runs, Lift 4 about 6 runs then over to #8. Lift 8 opened about 10AM but the mid-station liftie on #4 didn't change the sign until 11AM. Someone (?) was pulling a trick on us. By the time we got to #8, it was pretty evident that it had been open for an hour or so. None the less, we got in a lot of runs. Toward the end of our day (after 12) we were going skiers far left and still finding nice stashes of lightly tracked snow. Called it quits about 1:20. So, we got in 4+ hours of solid riding. How did everyone else's day go?

The guys on the softies are really good. Any special equipment (boots/bindings/board)?

I discovered a new method to heat moldable boot liners. I've tried the two listed on this forum but had trouble with both. I got some turkey cooking bags from the grocery store. I put one into each boot. I boiled about 3 quarts of water on the stove. I poured the hot water into the turkey bags. I let this stand for about 15 minutes, poured out the water, removed the bags and buckled my feet in. From there this method is like any of the other methods. I think that it worked pretty well. Last year when I tried the hot rice in a sock method, I found that it was difficult to get the rice all the way down into the toe of the boot. Earlier this season when I tried to heat the liner in the oven, I found it difficult to get the hot, soft liner into the shell & then get my foot in without wrinkling the liner. I got the larger (turkey) bags because I needed the length to get the bag all the way into the toe and still have some bag sticking out beyond the cuff. This might also work with some other type of plastic bag but I wasn't sure what type of plastic will withstand boiling water. Has anyone else tried this method?

Watching Corey's video reinforces something that I had to discover on my own. When I am carving badly, I'm traversing a wide slope on my uphill edge and I slowly roll the board onto the downhill edge, wait for it to engage and try to ride it around to the next transition. This usually results in big-radius curves, high speed and skidding to control my speed. What I'm trying to make "muscle memory" is when I am traversing a wide slope on my uphill edge, I "throw" my weight downhill to firmly engage the downhill edge. Once the downhill edge is engaged, it easily carves on its own around the turn. This usually results in tighter turns and lower speeds. However, I find it very unnatural to throw your body downhill. This seems go against all sense of self-preservation. However, I find that if I trust that the edge will engage, it works out pretty well. Also, when you think about it, it makes sense: a turn should initiate about 1/2 way across a traverse - not at the end of the traverse. I think this is apparent in the video when you can see the bases of the boards from uphill (on the riders that are doing this correctly).

First - I've NEVER thought about any ski or snowboard boot as 100% comfortable. For me this is an unattainable goal. The secret to happiness is reduced expectations. Also, I wonder if "foot change" occurs more during the season or during the off-season. Do we just get to the point of tolerating the discomfort by the time the season ends and take the time in early season to re-mold liners?

I'm no expert but I do suspect that feet do change shape over time. I tried re-molding my liners recently. I tried the "hot rice in a sock" technique with limited success. It is hard to get the rice all the way into the toe. What method do you use?

Looks like Saturday was the pick day (though not for carving). Once again, I didn't make it up at all last weekend. How was Sunday (conditions, weather, crowds, driving)?

Heard about this on the news last night. Thought about the quake that hit Christchurch (5 years ago?). That was terrible & it sounds like this one was much bigger. Hope things go well for all of you Kiwis.

I find that if I keep doing the same run, I can concentrate on my technique and try to improve instead of focusing on the terrain.

For those fans of thin, rock hard, narrow, crowded runs.

Record temps in Denver. 83 deg F last Friday. I think the whole state is warm & dry. A-Basin may be open but I think it is just show (not snow). Other areas have planned opening dates but I think they are based on schedules & wishes - not on snow on the ground.

I'm partial to the Coiler with the snow cat graphic.

Here in the Denver (Front Range) area we are having a very warm, dry October. I think the whole state is unusually warm & dry. Arapahoe Basin has opened up but I think they are entirely on man-made snow. In Denver we have not yet had freezing low morning temperatures. I came to work this morning in shorts. I think it is supposed to be 80 deg F this Thursday (10/27). Does not portend well for snowboarding.

I thought it was interesting: A spokeswoman for A-Basin is telling people that "early season conditions may not be for beginners". I don't consider myself a beginner and I don't even think about going up until they get complete coverage. Early season conditions are not for me. Maybe A-Basin feels that they need to warn all of the newcomers to the front range.

My great-grandfather invented Saltines! I am greatly offended - and even though he is dead - I am offended for him as well. THE NERVE of you to suggest that Saltines are "average"!

Looks like Angie, Kevin & Norm at the top of Big Burn (right?). I recognize some of the others (but don't know their names). ATC2016?

Saw this photo in a recent Patagonia Catalog. Caption says that it is Forrest Shearer (don't know who that is). Photo taken by Andrew Burr. Great photo. My first reaction was that he was yelling "who-hoo!". However if you read the caption, you see that he crashed into the photog - causing serious injury. So - he must be yelling "Oh Sh__!". Bluebird day with perfect cord.

The tribe may or may not be dying off. But it seems like the remaining members may still want to communicate on some venue (facebook, ???). I signed up for facebook several years ago to try to find info on a possible high school reunion. Since then, I haven't re-visited. From what I can discern the signal-to-noise ratio of facebook is way too low. But maybe that is where some of the remaining hardbooting communication is taking place. I saw the thread on the Madd killer but I paid no attention because I never rode a Madd (so I don't get it) and my only impression is that it is the ugliest board ever produced. Or maybe the tribe is just dying out.

Hardboots are for old guys.

I think that I posed this question before and I think the thread was (accidentally?) deleted. Traffic on this site seems to be way down from this time of the year in earlier years. Do others sense this or is it just my imagination? Have hardbooting discussions moved to other venues? If so, where? Have hardbooters just stopped communicating? Has the tribe thinned out? What gives?

Sounds like Mario is planning some time at ATC. I may attend this year again but need to decide soon if I'm going to buy a Classic Pass. If I do, it will be the 4 Day Pass. Anyone else planning on attending? If so, any interest in sharing lodging (& maybe transportation)?