NMU Alpine Boarder

The problem with that example is that BMW and other sponsors are willing to pick up some of the tab for USA Bobsled/Luge/Skeleton during Olympic years... And that is how they get over there... It's not like the BMW money goes to only bobsled, but not luge athletes... It's not a fair comparison...

To be fair with this, I caught the PSL Finals TWICE today... Once was on NBC Sports Network after the Men's Hockey game... Then I caught several runs on NBC's afternoon coverage as well... They will have another segment in Primetime on NBC tonight... I'm content with that...

Oh, with our sport, there will always be someone who is willing to work their rear off to make it to the Olympics... Winning a medal is a feat that will never be outdone... That draw alone is enough to get people to do the sport... It's great to see Bomber get behind riders like this... I was referencing that our sports sanctioning body barely acknowledges that our sport exists... The feeder system is horribly flawed... Once kids go through that, they are told that they have to have deep pockets to continue onto the world stage... That is not right... What goes on with USSA would be like USA Track&Field saying that they are going to give Sprinters more funding but they are telling the guys that throw the Javelin and do Triple Jump will have their funding cut because they aren't as popular...

Great to see Vic's success... Sad, but at this point, I am very, VERY worried for the US Alpine options going into South Korea in 4 years...

Unfortunately, all 3 of the places will require you to have a lift ticket to be out on the hill... I work as an Instructor up at Villa Olivia and we have several specials coming up that include rentals/tickets/lessons... We would be more than happy to get your child sliding around... I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you had regarding what we can offer you... One other thing I will say about the places you listed: Buffalo is the only place with a Magic Carpet... Four Lakes and Villa will be rope tows... If that may be an issue, I would consider Buffalo... But you will pay a good chunk more there...

I'd rock the Canadian jacket around Chicago... I like it...

I read this the other day... For the most part, I would say that I agree with the article... I currently work as an instructor at a small, park district owned, snow covered speed bump outside of Chicago... This season, we have noticed a significant drop in the number of kids snowboard lessons/rentals vs kids ski lessons/rentals.... Having worked for a Big Box sporting good retailer for 4 seasons, I think our sales there would back this up... Kids are turning away from the sport... They are going to skiing if they are going outside at all... I do think, however, we are going to see a change in the industry over the next couple of years... Look at Shawn White going into this Olympics... He has "grown up" a ton... He cut his hair... He wears a suit now... He sounds fairly educated with his interviews/public appearances... And he STILL wins and is the cutting edge of the sport... This is a good thing... Another thing that bugs me here: It seems that there is quite the anti-park sentiment here at B.O.L... Having been around here for 10+ years, I get it and fully understand it... I do think this is a blatant stereotype however, and is becoming less and less common as time progresses... Over the past 2 seasons, I have taken it upon myself to learn basic freestyle skills (switch riding, 180's & 360's, rails/boxes, etc.)... This was done so I can act as an ambassador of the sport while working with a large amount of 9-13 year old kids that I see while instructing... Through my time in the park, I have found that tons of people "get it" and are good ambassadors of the sport... Instead, we focus on the few idiots that wear their pants around their ankles and talk like idiots... It was an eye-opening experience for me... You have kids that used to be like we described, but instead of being 14-20, they are now 25-30 and have gone through the maturity learning curve that almost everyone goes through in their early 20's... These folks have been more than welcoming and very helpful as I progressed in the park... Many of them respected my carving background as I talked with them in the park and explained my origins... They were also very welcoming of me coming over to the park and very willing to help me learn/progress (just like many carvers are to people that ask questions about carving gear in lift lines and around the hill)... Even many of the "kids" in the park (under 20-21) thought it was cool to see a 30 year old in the park, working to improve himself... As the sport progresses, I see it breaking down the barriers of the past... People get bored and want to try new things... They are going to seek out new aspects of their sport, wherever they may be... Just give it time and enjoy the ride...

Your best bet would be to hook up with other carvers in your area... It's a rough go here in the Midwest... There are a few carvers across WI, a few in the U.P. and some below the bridge in Michigan... The greatest concentration of carvers seems to be around Minneapolis... Check out the ride board... It's always a treat to ride with someone else here in the Midwest... You can attend the S.E.S. or E.C.E.S and ride with other carvers for an entire week as well.... They do clinics during the event and tons of great people will be more than willing to get you heading down the right path.. You can also demo hardboot gear from different manufacturers to get an idea of setup....

Based on what your criteria, Marquette Mountain sounds like it would be a great fit... Although since your trip is mid-week, you would miss out on the racing/fun of their Spring Carnival that is being held the weekend before... That weekend was always a blast when I was living up there... You would have the hill to yourself during the week... It's not guaranteed, but you could run into some significant snow that time of the year as well... Outside of the skiing, your other criteria would be met... There are several XC/Snowshoe options within a 20-30 minute ride... They also have some good micro breweries located in Marquette (Blackrocks Brewery)... Now, if you want to try your hands at something different, I would suggest looking into Mt. Bohemia as well... It's located an hour north of Houghton, MI... Bohemia is different in the fact that the entire hill is "in-bounds Backcountry" skiing/riding... You can literally ski anywhere you want on the hill... There is a reason the place is known as the Jackson Hole of the Midwest... They have the best terrain in the Midwest, hands down They won't have any racing and you would have to drive an hour back to Houghton to get into the local brewery (Keeweenaw Brewing), but it's well worth the trip...

So you are saying that we are now one step closer to seeing the Shovel Racing Dragster Sleds that were in the 90's Winter X-Games.... SOLD!!!

I'm another happy consumer that's using the Smith Blue Sensor Mirror lens...

That's exactly what they are... Usually in the 100-120cm range... The bindings are similar to what we use... They are non-breakaway...

Getting difficult to find mounts for these cameras since the company went under at the end of Summer... I have a Contour Roam and I love it I'm in the market for the Goggle Strap Mount... Can't find any online... Just curious if anyone would happen to know of any lying around... Any shops by you have them in stock by chance?

Whoa... I must have missed something, ha ha... Last time I was in the loop, USSA was shying away from events in the Midwest... Nice to see Buck landing a race like this

**sigh** Starting to sink in that at 30 I'm STILL one of the younger guys that rides alpine gear Really puts things in perspective

Best place in the Midwest, hands down... They got dumped on pretty hard for the past week... Looking to possibly get back up that way in Late Feb. or March... Man I miss Da Yoop :o :(

To be fair, there are some of us who work for "Big Box Stores" that know what alpine is and can do a good job tuning gear :lol: But yea, in all likely-hood, I would go elsewhere... From working as a tech here in the Chicago, IL area, I quickly realized that I was one of the most knowledgeable "Big Box" techs in the area... In the grand scheme of things, I still had a lot of learning to do however... A good tune should run $50+, and for the most part, you get what you pay for...

BOL - Ridin' hard N' Diggin' deep

The company was around last year.... I order wax and other tuning supplies from AR-Tech out of New Hampshire... In one of their e-mails they mentioned carrying race products from "Bomber"... Obviously I went right to the website to see Fin's products showcased, but only found the skis... No idea what law(s) would surround the use of the name, so no idea where to go with that... Just figured I would throw that out there...

Well, since there is a distinct lack of snow for most of the country in the Summer, I have entertained the idea of getting back into Mountain Biking... I started to get into biking back in 2002-03, but unfortunately had my bike ripped off just after going away to school... Since then, I really never had the money or time to reinvest in another setup of that quality (about $750-800 into a Specialized HR Comp)... Looked at getting a cheaper bike (about $300-400) but always balked at the the obvious quality differences between what I had and what I would get... Not sure if this would even be justified since I am still really a noobie, but it's just something that I couldn't shake... Currently I have a chance to pro-deal a Diamondback bike through work... I work in the bike department at Dick's Sporting Goods, and being around bikes all the time has made me want to get back into it... With the deal being about 40-60% off retail, I am thinking this might be my chance to get back into it... Just wondering what others' opinions of Diamondback bikes were... Obviously they are a "mass market" type of manufacturer... When dealing with an XC mountain bike, is there going to be a great difference in a bike from DB vs Specialized, Cannondale, Kona, etc. within a given price range? Right now, I am really intrigued by the Diamnondback Overdrive line... Specifically the Overdrive Pro... I like the idea of a 29er for use on the street as well as the idea that I can roll over pretty much anything that trails in the Midwest are gonna throw at me... Reviews of the bike just seem to be scarce, hence why I am slow on the uptake here... As always, BOL has smart folks who are willing to share ideas, so I am just curious if anyone has any input... Any good resources for bike reviews/info? Thanks

As someone who got a degree in Sports Marketing/Promotion, I've kicked around ideas that we could use to further our sport... As Michelle has already mentioned, money is a huge hurdle to clear for many ideas... I do think there are some possibilities out there however... First and foremost, social media ain't going away... I do believe that companies like Bomber, Donek, Apex, ect. should be trying to utilize these outlets whenever possible... It's an outlet to post photos, videos, product info, etc... This can be done with little to no startup cost... The trick is getting people to come out and add you on Facebook... These pages need to appeal to both the hardcore alpine nut who owns a plate, 2 pair of boots, and 4 metal boards, but at the same time, they need to catch the eye of the new carver... Your new carvers will likely only know that they saw some dude or dudette laying trenches at their local hill and that it looked cool... From a PR perspective, these are two vastly different groups of people and each has their own preferences... Retaining both is not easy... Meeting people on the hill is another aspect that I've put thought into... I'm going to catch some grief for this theory, but here it goes... I think that if you want growth, the most "untapped" potential is sitting here in the Midwest... No matter where I ride at in Southern WI, IL or MI, I always seem to catch people's eye... You stand out like a sore thumb... Last year, I had a buddy do the Burton Learn to Ride program out at Chestnut Mtn. in NW IL... I rode my carving gear while he was in his 2 hour lesson... When I met him afterwards, I got the usual comments/questions about alpine from the 3 instructors that were working with the LTR group... All 3 thought it was very cool... Fast forward to October this season... I attended the Windy City Ski Show... I'm walking around in street clothes and go up to the Chestnut Mountain booth... One of the instructors that worked with my buddy is manning the booth... He instantly recognized me as the guy with the raceboard... As we get to talking, he tells the other Chestnut workers how cool I looked and how awesome it was to see someone ride like I did... According to them, I was the ONLY alpine rider that went to Chestnut last year... For that guy to pick me out, in street clothes, 8 months later none the less, shows me that I made an impression on him by exposing him to alpine... So what was the point of that story? Here in the Midwest, a lot of people don't know what a "good" rider is... They aren't up to date on the latest tech either... But if you are on Alpine gear, you instantly fall into that category... It's instant credibility... If a shop out here was to maybe carry a few (as in 2-4) carve boards, I think that shop would have a very unique conversation piece... Alpine gear is way up on the "bling" scale... Plates and metal boards catch eyes... Would it translate directly into sales? Not necessarily, but it would expose our sport... It would however, get people here in the Midwest to check out websites, facebook pages, ect... You could then use those as your hook to catch possible sales down the road... That is where you can tie in that Demo Tour... I think in the East and West, there is much more of a skiing/boarding "upper class" that knows about alpine and chooses not to partake... I think here in the Midwest, our sport has a better chance to grab a hold since no one knows about it... Look at what the Minnesota guys have done with the G-Team... I know that I kinda babbled and this got long... I had to multi-task while typing this, but I hope my ideas came across.. If there is anything I can do to help promote the sport, I am more than willing to be a part if it... Like I said, I have a degree in PR and can always use an extra project to put in the resume...

Bumpity bump bump... Boots only have a few hours on them... They are like new!

I have a pair of Salomon Impact 10 Ski Boots for sale... These are a pretty beefy boot that I bought thinking that I could "Progress Into Them"... Unfortunately, their 110 flex is just too stiff for my liking... They are size MP 27... Liners were actually a good fit right out of the box, so I never had them molded... They can be heated and fit however... This is a stiff, responsive freeride boot... Asking $225 shipped in the Lower 48...

Terje Haakonsen still thinks so... Is this really any different from the original arguments that happened in the 1990's when the sport was first introduced to the Olympics?

I would think that extra weight would be a problem once you got bounced around... A heavier system would be harder to recover if you get knocked or bounced around... I would also think that you would lose your ability to soak up rollers and whatnot... Extra weight means less vertical jumping ability...