Ian M

Sure man, Mont Blanc sounds good! Who all is in? Ryan, Tab, me, is Deb coming? Lifts open at 8:30am on weekends, but I'd be happy to aim for 9. I just texted Rebecca who wants to slide tomorrow too..., Chris Dunn is going to stay closer to Ottawa with another birthday boy.

That's my home hill. My dad still patrols there. Great place :)

That's about 8.9m SCR That's about 9.0 SCR I <3 CAD programs :P

Wheeeeee! Who's up for riding on Sunday to celebrate Ryan's birthday? It should be nice temperatures by then again :) Birthday boy - where do you wanna go?

Great list Paul! You're the man :) Johnny - based on what you've said, you might be able to ride any of these four: 172 Coiler All Mtn Glass 21.5 waist, 10.5m, 7.7 Stiff! 174 Prior glass 4WD, 21.5 waist 10.5m need sharpening, still has camber but much softer than Coiler AM 165 Oxygen Apex...medium stiff, 20cm waist 11ish sidecut - Tentatively loaned already 160 Burton FP 19cm waist, 9.8m sidecut, stiff and very poppy You'll learn faster on a more manageable board though; either the 4WD or the Apex would be my suggestions. Pick stiffer boards for soft snow, and softer boards for hard conditions.

Hi maineboarder88, Tough question, as shoes sizes vary from brand to brand. Also, when I molded them I had an orthotic footbed inside, which took up all kinds of space. The most useful thing I think I can say to you is that the liner should fit a 28.0-28.5 foot well if using a thinner footbed. I'd call it a medium-volume liner, or just a bit thicker. Cheers, Ian

^ Right, then I highly suggest you don't ride the Proton that Tabby is very kindly offering. It is a noodle and will not support your weight and skill level. My loaner board would work for you, but it is spoken for during the sessions. Ryan's factory prime is under someone too, who else has a board that might work for Johnny?

^ Depends on size and aggression, Tabby. Johnny, how much do you weigh? Do you carve hard on soft boots, or are you more of a gentle sliding-turn guy at the moment?

Thanks Ryan and Tabby! It really is my pleasure to ride and work with all of you :D. I'm feeling pretty well today after riding last night, so I think... I'M BACK!!

Hi all, Further to all the discounts above, I just confirmed with OH that a night pass from either Cascades or Vorlage will get us $29 lift tickets any day, taxes included. The passes must clearly show the season and your photo, which the Vorlage one does... I'll have to check my Cascades one. SCORE :D

Hey Mark, Snow tires are good! I sure make mine work >:). I'm definitely planning to ride on the Friday before coming back, and think that most folk will do the same. Anyone else chime in on Friday plans?

^ Good point, a stiff board is a handful in tight, uneven terrain.

Hey kmartshopper, it sounds like you've thought that through pretty well. To me the speed difference between hard/soft boots is a combination of the boot stiffness and the high stance angles. When you're set up duck/freeride, you can push from heel to toe with more power and speed because you're moving your rear foot the way it's intended to move. Hard to describe, but try this: Pick a line on the floor, and plant both feet across it in a freestyle stance. Now keep your front foot where it is, and do a 'basketball pivot' moving your rear foot back and forth across the line. Easy, right? Now change to a carving stance, on the same line. Keeping your rear foot at the same angle (~60 deg forward angle from the line) do the basketball pivot again, and try to pivot the same arc you were doing 'softie'. Doesn't it feel slower and more awkward? The result of this plus the boot stiffness makes it very difficult to quickly pivot or pump from one edge to the other. Does this make sense? BTW I ride very flexy boots (courtesy of BTS), and while it helps a bit I think that the angles are really the more limiting factor. Cheers

6'2", 34" inseam, 65/60 angles, 3deg toe/heel lift, flexy boots. Result is 20.5-21in stance width. Lower angles = wider Softer boots = wider Toe/heel lift = wider (same with inward-canted soft bindings) snowboardfast - orthotics definitely help with balance, because they are firmer than regular footbeds. (Try balancing on one foot on a hardwood floor, then on three yoga mats stacked on the same floor)

NoirX252 - without seeing you ride, this thread will only ever be a general discussion. A quick video of your riding would be priceless. Otherwise, would it be helpful to get on the same page about what some of you mean by 'driving the knees'? To me, this can mean two different things: Moving both knees laterally to the inside of the carve to increase angulation, resulting in more edge angle Rotating the front knee into the carve, which is a lower-body steering motion Option number one is a key ingredient for carving on hard snow. Option number two is very effective for initiating sliding turns on freeride boards, but less useful for hard-boot carving. (The board generates enough steering from the combination of edge angle and pressure.) Cheers, IanM

TD3's are the most positive of the bunch, but with standard bails and yellow elastomers I find them very 'cushy' without losing any of their trademark responsiveness. F2's are a great second choice. Have you tried riding with toe and heel lift? This is the biggest reason to chose another binding over the IBEX. If you haven't tried it, I really really recommend it. Cheers :)

Now $130 :)

*Sigh*... <3 <3 <3

^ *confused* She... rides... that?

Bump - liners still for sale!

Day trip!

^ Getting to be a good-sized crew! Stoked :D

^ Well said bonzo

Fair enough, lowrider, it is a different situation when children are involved. The only legislation that makes sense to me would be a law that for a snow sport helmet to be sold in Canadian stores, it must comply with one of the existing standards. There is no need for Canada to create its own standard when something like the ASTM F 2040 exists, it would be a waste of time and money. This way people don't think they're protected when they are not. At the end of the day, even if the mountain has a mandatory helmet policy specifying certified helmets, it is up to the parent to ensure that the kid has a lid and that it's fitted and worn correctly as Jack mentioned.

I've been up for 26 minutes, and I just coughed for the first time! Progress!!