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Lots of interest, nobody has pulled the trigger yet on the last pair. So my last price drop - $130 plus shipping. Worried about not having center discs? Donek sells them for $19.00. I edited the photos so you can see the remaining pair. In the first two photos, they are the pair on the right. I have two sets on set of medium sized, F2 Race Titanium bindings, standard bail. They are in very good shape. I haven't ridden much in the last few seasons so I would estimate they have 10 days on them. They are identical except one set is missing the F2 logo on the toe bail and one set has a matt finish base plate while the other has glossy (chrome). The front binding is canted. The rear binding is flat with a heel lift. That's how I ride but additional lifts and cants are available from Donek or YYZCanuck. Both have the center disk cover (not pictured), as well. USD$175 each plus shipping. Reduced to USD$160 plus shipping. Now USD$130 plus shipping.

The one thing to keep in mind with these boots is that they are not Intec compatible.

FIS Rulebook: 2.1 Plate Systems that connect both bindings are not allowed in SBX (individual plate systems are allowed on each binding) I sat in a ski lodge bar in Quebec during a WC competition and had a national team coach berate me about "ruining snowboarding". He felt carbon fibre plates were too high tech and not attainable for the developing racer. I responded by asking him if $2000 custom Titanal snowboards were attainable for the developing racer. It wasn't long after that that FIS added rule 2.1. Don't know if anyone noticed but Jonathan Cheever ran Geckos in Pyeongchang.

As you surmise, the borrowed ski story was exaggerated. She and Shiffrin both ski on Atomic. The Atomic reps gave her skis that were prepped for Shiffrin but they were not actually Shiffrin's skis. It's not like she showed up without any gear and started begging for skis.

I can't help but think that the IOC and FIS just want alpine snowboarding to go away. The course itself was uninspiring, especially compared to the course at Sochi. They don't bother to maintain it. Then they go single run. Add to that the Kosir/Lee travesty. Lunchbag letdown. Jasey Jay showed a lot of class in his interviews. He made his feelings known but conducted himself like a pro.

That's not stopping "progression" in the halfpipe.

I tried almost every high end binding I could find two seasons ago. Burton Diodes, Union Forged Ultras, Ride El Hefe, Drake and Flow. I had exactly the same problem you had with the Flows. To get a secure feel, I found that I had to crank the straps down so tight that I couldn't easily get in and out of the binding - which defeated the purpose of the rear entry system. At the end of the day, my feet were sore. I ended up with the Drake Podium FF. Aluminum body. Traditional 4x4 insert pattern. Toe strap that stays in place. At Canadian Nationals, I noticed Maelle Ricker (coaching) and Kevin Hill both using the Drakes. Hard to find and expensive but worth it.

Pro tip: Go during Australia Day. The Aussies are too hung over to ski and the slopes are pretty much empty.

Keep in mind that if you want GS style courses, you need big mountains. Shutting down a GS appropriate run costs a resort a lot of money and the spectators are not there to help them recoup their costs. That's why places like Whistler and Telluride no longer host alpine snowboard events. The parallel format lends itself to a much smaller hill or even a completely artificial slope like Moscow. Smaller resorts are willing hosts because they appreciate the exposure and the modest revenue from the events. And costs are low. Even with the smaller resorts, the business model doesn't work if they lose a sponsor (Sudelfeld for example). GS type racing ain't coming back.

If you're looking for snap and pop, you're not looking for a race board. A race board is meant to be damp so that it stays in contact with the snow on a rutted race course. This is probably why you didn't like the Oxess. Jack probably likes his 168 Kessler because it's not meant to be a race board. It's a stiff, all round men's carver that is not unmanageable. Now, if you want something exciting, hop on a 185 Kessler and head down a steep, narrow run with trees on both sides. That will be an exciting ride for sure.

Andreas Prommegger and Roland Fischnaller are 37. Karl, Wild, Kosir, Marguc, Galmarini are all over 30. Success at a young age is the exception rather than the rule. Veterans stay competitive because the sport rewards patience and consistency rather than aggression. Push too hard and you'll crash and burn. I'll agree that there is something wrong with snowboarding though - it's the fact that all these veterans, with the single exception of Jasey, are from Europe. They can stay in the sport when Canadians and Americans have to leave in order to start careers and families. Euros can make a living and raise families without leaving the sport because of funding and off season income. North Americans are self-funded. You can't keep that up into your 30s.

He still carves, old school. Galmarini slides, then hooks into the turn which is the style that dominates the circuit now.

Oldsters rejoice. The Old Man wins his first World Cup in eight years. And young Sebastien Beaulieu, who is *not* going to Pyeongchang, placed a career best 7th. http://www.fis-ski.com/snowboard/alpine-snowboard/news-multimedia/videos/video=veteran-jasey-jay-anderson-ends-year-drought-bansko-pgs-highlights.html

The soft boot carving movement has two effects on our niche - 1) it makes carving respectable and, dare I say it, cool. 2) it drives alpine equipment further down the niche hole. Sure, you can carve hard and faster in alpine gear but at what cost? A second set of everything which means getting used to different angles. The incremental advantage of alpine gear is not worth it for a lot of people. The alpinemanufacturers who recognise this trend and run with it are going to be the winners. Bruce is making more and more BX and soft boot boards. Donek has a foot in both sides. And the guys falling farthest behind? The companies that refuse to adapt. I don't want to name names but we know who they are. Who knows, maybe they are happy just selling to racers Personally, in the past two seasons, I've found myself in soft boots over hard on about a 5:1 ratio. I still love carving my Kessler or Coiler alpine when the conditions are right. But that's the problem - conditions are rarely just right. And I find my softie rig is just more versatile and forgiving. Last spring, I spent a day alternating soft and hard boots. At my local mountain, you can almost ride right into the rental room so I set up my boots on the floor for quick changes with the staff's blessing. I found myself having way more fun in my soft boots. No, I couldn't carve as hard but when I started hitting those mounds of soft snow in the afternoon, I wasn't getting pitched over the nose either. It helped that I was on a sweet Korua deck too. Those guys know how to make a soft boot carver. It took a lot of experimentation to settle on the right combo of gear. For me it's a Korua Tranny Finder 157, Gecko Stealth plates, Drake Podium FF bindings and Burton Driver X boots.

Nideckers are sold.

Lots of interest but no deals done yet. All bindings still available.

Updated with sold items. Only the Yes Snowboard left.

It's incredible how the gear can accumulate in a family of four snowboarders. From the "they don't make 'em like they used to" department. All size large. Left to right. Prices are USD. Convert to CAD using Google. 1) Flow bindings with three hole (!) and four hole discs. No binding screws. $50.00 2) Nidecker Carbon 900. Includes screws. Burliest bindings ever. Will probably outlive all of us. SOLD 3) Burton C60. Still sought after by SBX racers. Stiff, strong. Ankle straps are worn (just the cover, the padding inside is fine) and the chrome trim is broken. No screws. $75.00 Payment by Paypal Friends and Family or Interac e-transfer.

Colin, do you need replacement Apex decals? PM your address and I can arrange it.

UPDATE: Everything sold except for the Yes snowboard. Someone pick up this sweet deck for $200. I'm slowly trying to empty the gear room and get down to a single alpine and a single soft boot board (ya, good luck with that). Gonna post multiple items as I pull them out. Descriptions and prices then photos at the bottom of the post. All prices in USD. Convert to CAD using Google. Payment by PayPal friends and family or Interac e-transfer. Location is Toronto if you want to arrange pickup. 1) F2 Bindings standard bails, size large. As you can see from the bottom of the bindings, they have seen little use. Centre disks, screws, manual included. Can't find the original leash. One of the F2 logos fell off a toe clip. $180. SOLD 2) Single Intec heel, 2 extra cables and 2 extra handles. Easy to switch this from left to right. $25. Photo shows three heels but one pair has been sold. SOLD 3) Raichle 324 boots, mondopoint 27.5. Good, used condition. One of the heels is in fair shape. Solid but might need replacing next season. $100. SOLD 4) Warning: soft boot content! Bought this Yes Tadashi Fuse Ghost 156 in 2015 and never used it. Still in plastic. This is considered an all mountain twin with traditional camber. Flex is considered a 4 out of 5 according to Yes. Made in Austria in the GST plant before it was shutdown (same factory made Kessler, SG, Jones, Swoard). 294.8mm waist. $250. Price reduced to $200. More stuff coming!

I used to get this question a lot and without a single exception, the problem was that the user was not pushing down hard enough on the centre disc to engage the screws. Be very careful about getting longer screws. I've seen more than one brand new board with screws punched through the base.

Power Snow Angel - catch heel edge and slam downhill with arms spread.

As of 2018 season, Kessler boards ship with only 4x4 inserts. All other insert patterns must be specified at time of order for an additional charge. This was communicated by Kessler in the spring when dealer and distributor order forms were sent out.

One point to consider, as of last season, Hansjuerg Kessler brought all his production in-house. He invested in a new production facility in Schwanden. This was somewhat out of necessity after the GST snowboard factory closed (they made Kessler as well as SG, Jones, Yes and many other brands). Hansjuerg Kessler now has full oversight over production and quality. Quality looked pretty good last year after sorting out some topsheet problems. The main difference you will notice is a different topsheet material. The shapes and geometry have been tweaked but remains primarily the same as 2015. He also finishes all the boards himself now and the factory tunes are outstanding. Race ready. If you like your current Kessler, you will love his new ones. Having said all that, I'll also plug Coiler boards. Bruce collaborated with Mark Fawcett over the past few seasons to design and build very competitive BX and banked slalom boards. Fawcett's National para team is all riding Coiler with the exception of a couple of riders who ride sponsored brands. We all know about Coiler alpine boards. Bruce has put a lot of work into bringing his soft boot offerings up to the same level. Best part is that each board is custom and can be spec'd to your particular needs. Custom board, hand made in Canada with Fawcett and Varsava behind it? Winning formula if you ask me. The downside is the waiting list.