GeorgeS

I came into snowboarding from a surfing and windsurfing backround. I went to the local trade show here in SoCal(Action Sports) in the fall of '82 and came home with lots of snowboard info. So I ended up riding and selling Burton boards for a few years, starting with a blue performer, which I liked better than the next years model(I put edges on mine). The Performer Elite150?(fall '84) worked fine for me as I am a lightweight, but I heard of issues others have mentioned. The Elite (and others before it) were flat in the front going back to that sort of rounded v bottom, Sims had a similiar bottom design. Fins on hardpack just didn't work, I ground my blue board's fins down so they barely were lower than the board. I Removed the fins on the Elite(Sims and Burton still added fins when they started putting edges on their boards). The 1st sign of highbacks for me was at the '85 worlds at Soda Springs The burton team riders had pieces of white plastic(prototype highbacks) attached to the back of the same type of binding I had on my Elite. I didn't see anything on the Sims till the next season('85/'86) production boards when almost everone had highbacks. Those 1st 3 years only one larger resort allowed us in So Cal, so you would ride with the team riders for Barfoot and Sims or the Slicker guys I always rode with from San Diego. I already met Tom sims in the past but I had the pleasure to ride with him one day and he noticed my almost new Elite and he said he wanted to try it so we switched boards. I don't remember if he liked it or not but the next fall at the trade show I ordered a 1500FE. I Agree about the 1st Sims blade. That board was a revelation, I could do cross under type fast turns on the FE, like Tom in some of the old videos but that board had no flex. But the Blade was a ton smoother and was the 1st board that had any kind of "pop" at all, the vertical lamiation made it way more lively than anything I rode before. I went to the Worlds at Breck and I was really impressed with the one guy I saw on a asym(Jose?) just ripping slalom type turns. He was better than I was but I knew that was what I always wanted to do. My next board was one that has not been mentioned, the Nitro ameroslalom and the asmys that came out with it, I think 88/89?. This was my 1st board that never saw soft boots. Up to this point those of us who were more "carve oriented" were messing with angles and stance width and canting. I narrowed my stance on my Blade and had both feet angled forward but nothing like today. Guys were riding the Nitro with soft bindings with forward angles and a canted back binding. With my Nitro I put it all together with Kolflach boots and Emery bindings, even at 125 lbs I still broke the bails on the Emerys and ended up with about 4 pair just to keep me going. I still have the board and four pairs of (broken)bindings. Also the Nitro was the 1st board I heard of someone even trying a carved 360 on. To me, when I do a toeside turn on this one 90deg turn it always has felt almost the same whether on a Blue performer or my modern day boards. By this I mean it feels exciting and like I'm doing a big frontside turn on a wave. Of couse heelside was another thing with the old rubber waterski bindings!

Hi all Been home a few days now after surgery. A bit of pain at 1st but much better now, I should be up and around without assistance in 8 wks. Doc showed us the ct scan with a crack right through the surface where my knee rests and pivots on. This is the reason for the operation, to push that lower knee surface back up where it should be and there is a titanium plate to hold it in place on the left side of my tibia going up to the knee like a backwards 7. I also have a pic of Gunsmoke looking like a carpet after Andrea, Luka and I had our 1st tracks on it Sunday morning. See you all next season! George j

Thanks everyone. I'm just so mad at myself for not being more careful on an unfamiliar run. The doctor said I have more than a hairline fracture but my leg is straight so I may not need a cast but after a ct scan they will decide if it needs surgery. I've never gone off the side of a run and I've never broken a bone before now,so this is very frusturating sitting around and missing the rest of the season. Albert, thanks for the doctors number but they sent me to someone already this morning. I'm getting appointments as soon as I can to speed up this process. Terry, the patrol was great, they got there fast got me on the toboggen with out much fuss even though it was a pretty steep hillside. I saw the picture of you in your new red jacket, very cool! Erwin, you know where I live now so just stop by, I'll put the board on the porch:)

I had a great time Sunday, I finally got to ride a Coiler. Thanks Neil again for setting everything up. John, Erwin and I had a good Monday morning session going at Mammoth until I had to ruin it by sliding off a run into a small group of trees. I didn't even make to the trees as I was stopped by the end of a large tree limb sticking up at a shallow angle. I hit a couple inches below my kneecap and now have a tib/fib fracture. I want to thank John and Erwin for everything. John called the patrol right away and they got there quickly. Erwin loaded all our stuff in my car and then picked me up at the hospital then drove me home. Going to an ortho doctor tomorrow and I got a felling he won't let me ride on memorial day weekend.:)

I am bringing my F2 Silberfeil, my Coda 170 and maybe my Generics 156(mini stubbie)and my 180 Kessler w'TD2's(made for a 135lb girl! so it works well for my 125lbs) I will help man the board swap table.

BTW: thanks for shooting all those pictures and videos Céline. Since I could't be there it was nice to at least see everyone in photos. Good to see that Kerry and Lorrie made it!(come up to SNES Kerry!)

By "Tracking" he means the more turned up nose of the Coda will grab and try to track back up the hill in a turn compared to a board with a decambered nose, so the nose may look like it's chattering a bit, not smooth like my Kessler. I haven't noticed this but I haven't been on much hero groom with my Coda, I think it would be less on harder snow. We compared trenches at Mountain High and mine was wider than Theos Coiler because of this. The Coda still sticks to hard snow better than anything else I have and will work better in powder!

I may be up later in the afternoon, around 2 pm. Still gonna be there? Defenseless? I've seen you ride!:)

I may be up later in the afternoon, around 2 pm. Still gonna be there? [quoteOr are you gonna leave a poor defenseless child to ride alone?! Defenseless? I've seen you ride!:)

Hi Neil This all sound great! I'll be up on the 28th and 29th. Running the gates sounds like fun. I think your list plus a BBQ would be perfect, I can help with the board sharing (my boards were mostly designed for lighter riders though).

Oh no! The secret's out:) The front face runs are awsome but short, Big and little bowls and The Ladder stay groomed because all the boarders keep to skiers right and go around them. Lower Wine Rock and Mambo Alley are great blue runs for carving.The main negative is the slow chairs. Maybe I should go there more often to get some rest, MH east just kills me with the high speed chair and long runs.:lol:

Hi Albert There are still monster jumps on goldrush but the widest one on the top section has been narrowed for a little more room, but it gets a bit crowded at the top. There is still good carving on lower Goldrush and all of Sundance. The snow was best in the middle of the day, I didn't do as well in the morning. It was fun riding with softbooters who know how to ride. Lance was trenching it up just like a hardbooter. Tyler took his 1st runs on alpine stuff and looked pretty good from his second run on. Hey Theo The Nastar racing was fun and cheap($10), I'm all for that! The course was perfect for our type of turns(GS). We need more alpine riders to do it.

It was nice to meet you Luka and Mary. Great 1st time riding on a carving board in the video Mary! That Brand new 146 was a great find. You guys should come up to Mountain High east with us this Saturday and try it out. There is a green run at the top that is great to practice on.

I'm planning on being there @ 8am! Red jacket, White/blue helmet, hard boots, etc... Free birthday lift ticket for you!

Hi Loc I rode it Sunday at MH east and it worked great, really railed turns, even on the steeper stuff. The 1st time I rode it I had the bindings more forward from the prototype I demoed and it didn't work as well. I moved the rear binding just in front of the top of the V and the front set at my stance width and I adjusted the cable for a slightly softer tail and now it just ROCKS:cool: Snow conditions were good with some harder spots but mostly real carvable. I also rode the Kessler:1luvu:, I think I set a personal speed record on it Sunday!:lol:

I went there today and there were more and bigger jumps than a few weeks ago, not much room with the crowd trying to all ski on the right side. The 3rd or 4th jump down takes up about 2/3rds or more of the width of Goldrush! I heard rumors that they want to expand it even more. Maybe a compromise would be to remove the upper jumps and start them where the trails split. That way you could ride down the top of goldrush and take Sundance down at the split. When they had jumps on Sundance a few years ago they were on the left side, the team wouldn't like that now. BTW Sundance was black diamond carving at it's best today(especially the bottom and the far right!):D

Cool! I talked to a few local skiers and some people on the race team about 3 wks ago to see if they had any pull with the managment, they said that they complained right away, so far to no avail. Maybe enough people will complain and they will remove the jumps or just leave a few small ones up. Goldrush and Sundance are my favorite runs, at least Sundance is still clear. Thanks George

I got firday off so I will be up at Baldy also. Reserved a spot too! I'll probably ride my Baldy special Nitro with plates.

Erwin! Sure you can try it, I'll be on my Coda. It's a 180gs silver topsheet with tiny edges from so much sharpening, but it was built for a 135lb female World cup racer from Canada, so it works for my weight. See you there. I'll be there at around 7.

I'm thinking that i'll be there. It should be pretty good. I'll know for sure on Friday.

Wow you guys went up there! Cool! I tried to make a reservation for Sat , 3 days early but they were already full. I was still planning on going, but it didn't happen.:mad:Didn't go anywhere on Sunday either. This is going to be a good year for them. Hey are you going up any nights this week? I may be up at MH tomorrow night.

Julian, you can add me to the list! Theo you can try my Kessler, it's made for someone 135lbs.;) You can EC on it. :lol:

How about the drift camera? I talked to a boarder using one, he liked it but not HD. Anyone here using one? It has a 1.5" screen and a remote, plus several mounts http://shop.helmetcameracentral.com/HC-DRIFT-X170.html

Keep an eye on the So cal ride board for the JPMCS thread. We should get quite a few hardbooters at Snow Summit on that Sunday. http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28356

I'm up for those dates. Maybe this year the visability will be better, if not at least I have better Goggles now.