Keenan

Whenever a skier asks why I'm on hard boots I ask them if they would like to ski in soft boots. Whenever a snowboarder asks me why I'm on hard boots i tell them "I always ride on acid and I can't tie the laces right".

Aren't you retired?

Where do I get a Wax Whizard? Google search pulls up nothing.

In the late 80's I would sometimes meet up and ride with a guy at Mt. Bachelor named John Calkins. He rode for Burton and one day showed up on hard boots and a Safari prototype. I would ride behind him and try to match his carves, which I couldn't do. A couple of years later he was a founder of HCSC, one of the first snowboard training camps (maybe the first) on Mt. Hood. I grew tired of breaking laces and buckles because I could not get things tight enough. About the same time the first Snowboarder magazine came out with Damien Sanders on the cover, I made the switch and haven't looked back. On a slightly different note, I just found the 1990 TW Snow Buyers Guide, it had 10 different plate bindings featured.

Every time I drive by the local skate park all of the kids are sitting on their boards looking at their phones. WTF?

The hills where I live are too big to pump up. Most of them are too big to ride down.

I have my SUP on consignment, it was fun but just too slow. So I bought a Boosted electric skateboard. I am not a great skateboarder, I could never do a kick flip, but I can make nice turns. The only other skate I own is a Loaded 38" bamboo long board, which happens to be the board that the original Boosted platform was built on. With the new generation they are building the board, wheels, trucks and mechanical stuff in house. It came packaged like an Apple product and already charged. The first thing I noticed was that this thing seems rock solid, and it's kind of heavy. My first ride I realized that there is quite a learning curve, it accelerates fast and brakes fast, then a yellow jacket flew into my helmet and stung me in the head. That ended the first ride. Now that the swelling has gone down and I can wear a helmet again, I just went on the second ride. I carved circles, toeside and heelside. I carved uphill. I rode down hills that I would have never considered before, because I have brakes. I am glad I didn't spring for the stealth model which goes faster. It is kind of spendy, but it's less than a new Oxess or a Kessler. I can carve in the off season now - finally.

That would explain the compressed discs in my spine. And all these years I thought it was from off road Hippety Hopping.

I wear a "Blind Skier" vest and I scream a lot.

I've seen this board in action. It has a beautiful top sheet, it rails, and it's in great condition. Asking for the secret is like asking KFC for the secret recipe. The price is right. nols

When flying last summer we hit some turbulence and I yelled "Earthquake!". Sometimes I get weird looks from strangers.

If you take a plastic drinking straw and cut an inch off, slide it over the cable before you put the handle on, it will keep the cable from rubbing on the plastic footbed and fraying.

That's just creepy.

Joining the USASA would be a good start. https://www.usasa.org/

If he's not there he will never live it down.

I'm not sure why Sean didn't post here but they are doing a Mt. Hood camp this Summer. It looks like fun. https://www.donek.com/product/carving-block/

Do you remember who the coach was?

I'm surprised that they don't have a bridge. That means they have to remove the bindings from every board they grind, mark the position and re-mount. I would think that the one time cost of a bridge would cover the time it takes the tech to deal with the bindings after about 20 boards. Jburke: I talked to The Mountain Shop, they said they can adjust the pressure of the grinder and you shouldn't need to remove the stomp pad.

If you want more race specific training, give Gavin a call http://www.snowperformance.com/index.php/hidden-pages/summer-camp-timberline-mt-hood and let him know your goals. He has some snowboard coaches but even if you take a camp/lessons from one of the ski coaches it will improve your technique.

I take a piece of 60 grit sandpaper, face up, then a guide with a 90 degree angle (in my case a first aid kit), then run the scraper back and forth with pressure and it will sharpen back up.

May 25, 53 degrees, overcast, no lines. Superconductors in the slush. Thank for riding with me JBurke. My legs feel funny.

Do yourself a big favor, Spring/Warm wax. I'm hoping to get mine up to T-line next week if it isn't raining.

Is this a review or an ad?

I'm heading to Timberline tomorrow, there is supposed to be an inch or two of new. I just found out the 2nd annual Nitro "Turning and Burning" limbo fest is happening Saturday, May 26th. I can't seem to post the link.

I was with you up until this point. Maybe you should put down the Titanal crack pipe?