BadBrad

I used to have a Rossignol Throttle. They were great boards in their day. I recall it being kind of stiff for me, so I sold it and got a Burton Ultra Prime.

I'm also surprised by the in-boot injuries. I hurt my ankle when I first started snowboarding, but that was in Sorrel hunting boots and strap bindings. I've observed that most snowboarding injuries are upper body, such as shoulders/collarbones and wrists.

Same here. I took clinics from Dan, Ian, Eric and his other brother Eric. There were different styles and philosophies, but I benefited from all of them, and my carving definitely sucked less at the end of the week than at the beginning. Brad

Those look like rebranded Burton race plates.

I was checking out the equipment used in the Olympics PGS events. Noticed lots of Kesslers, plus a few Oxess and SG boards. Bindings mostly looked like F2 to me, but I couldn't get a good look from the TV. Maybe even a couple of Burton/Ibex bindings as well. It seems like a lot of the carvers like Bomber TD2/TD3 bindings, but they aren't favored by racers. Is this correct? Do racers usually prefer bindings with more flex? I'm curious because I've mostly used Burton Race Plates, but I got some TD2s a while back and feel like I might be more comfortable and smoother on the old Burtons because they have more flex in the bails.

Yeah, even skis didn't have much sidecut in those days. I eventually graduated from the K2 Gyrator to a Burton Asym Air, which did have some sidecut. Then an Asym Alp.

This was my first.

I have a Burton Alp exactly like that. I'm bringing it for the retro session since I no longer have my old asym boards (used to have an Asym Air and Asym Alp). I always thought that particular Alp was the best carving board of its era. If yours sells and someone else is interested in one, I'd probably be willing to sell mine for cheap. It's probably not in as good condition as yours -- mine is very well-used and had a base repair at some point. Brad B.

Prior 4WD 164, 9.5m radius, ~21cm width. Forgiving, makes tight turns at moderate to slow speeds, easy turn initiation, easy to skid when necessary, and good in crud. Madd 158. Not as easy to skid, but makes very quick, tight turns.

I'm a perpetual struggling intermediate, so it would be great if I could learn something to get me to the next level. I can carve okay on gentle to moderate terrain, but when it gets steeper I have a hard time controlling my speed. And lately, for some reason, I've really been struggling with transitioning from edge to edge (turn initiation). Brad

3 boards: Prior WCRM 173 (won at SES 2008 raffle) Prior 4WD 164 (bought new from Prior) MADD 158 (bought used) Using old Burton Race Plates on the 4WD and old TD2s on the others. Boots are old Burton Wind.

1. Mark Brown, M-F 2. Jim Cheen, W-F 3-4. Andrea, Dave & Lillian Morgan, M-F 5 GeoffV, M-F 6. Michael Mercurio, M-F 7. Stephane Paquette, M-F 8. Derek Bonser-M-F 9. Tabatha M-F 10. Brad Burns M-F

I made reservations for the week. I was at ECES 4 years ago, and I've only been on the slopes a couple of times since then, so hopefully I can get in a few days locally and get in good enough shape to enjoy the week. Brad B

For flexibility/mobility training, check out Eric Cressey's Magnificent Mobility. It's better than just static stretching in that it gives you functional mobility for athletic activities. As others have said, basic whole-body strength exercises with free weights will build real-world useful strength and challenge the core. Various squats, deadlifts, lunges, and step-ups will especially help strength for carving. In addition to pure strength, strength-endurance training helps keep me from petering out mid-day (or mid-run). These are weightlifting sessions with lighter weights, higher reps, and little or no rest between exercises. Look up "complexes" or "cardio strength training". These do a lot more for my carving endurance than steady-state cardio. For cardio, cycling is great. I prefer mountain biking. I think hard intervals or hill repeats work better than steady state for carving fitness, whether it is cycling or running or elliptical or whatever.

No, this is the beauty of Olympic lifting. You get that awesome physique!

Being a musician, I listen to music differently. I listen for the interaction of the different instruments, the rhythmic nuances and syncopations, bass lines, chord progressions, etc. However, the person who is less analytical and just plain enjoys the music can have just as much interest and enjoyment of music, perhaps even more. The instruments I've played have also driven the type of music I listen to. When I played trumpet I listened to a lot of trumpet players (although I also listened to rock music too). When I played rock and blues guitar I listened to more of that type of music. Playing the mandolin got me more interested in Irish and bluegrass and old-time music.

My trumpet background is the same as yours. I played from 5th grade all the way through college, usually 1st chair until high school, then 2nd chair. I still have the trumpet that I got around 1975. It's a King Super 20. I can still play and read music, but the embouchure is pretty weak. After college I got more interested in playing guitar, then added mandolin, and then old-time clawhammer banjo. So those are what I play now.

You might also check out your local ski clubs. They arrange group trips to various destinations, and you can get decent package deals by traveling with them, and you don't have to worry about renting a car. Two years ago I went on a trip to Snowmass with my local ski club, and it just happened to fall on the same week as SES :). We stayed in condos right on the slopes at Snowmass, and you could take a shuttle to Aspen, Highlands, or Buttermilk.

I like Whitefish (Big Mountain) a lot, but the one drawback is that they don't get a lot of sunny days in the winter. You often end up socked in with very low visibility. I think that Big Sky is better in this regard. However, for both of them the snow coverage can be iffy. They didn't get a lot of snow at Whitefish this season, and the last time I was at Big Sky the snow coverage was not very good. It's always expensive to fly to Kalispell. I think there are only a couple of flights a day that go there, so you can never find good deals. You might also consider Utah. You can probably find some good deals on flights to Salt Lake City since it is a major hub, and there are some great ski areas around there.

I've heard that a lot of folks put a "storage wax" on their boards during the off season. Exactly how is this done, and what products are used? Can you just rub a block of wax over the edges, or should you do a full hot wax and leave the wax on the edges? Is there another product that is easy to just apply and let dry?

I don't have a whole lot of experience with a lot of boards, but a couple of years I demo'd a Donek FCII 167 (non-metal). I loved its liveliness and had a blast on that board. I then demo'd a Prior metal WCR 173 (same day) and it just felt dead to me. However, now my main carving board is a newer WCR metal and I like it a lot. I still wouldn't call it a lively/springy board, but it has plenty of energy return. I think it really depends on what you're used to and your riding style, but I can say that the metal board handles chopped up stuff a lot better and gives me a lot more confidence at higher speeds.

Thanks for the advice!

I am planning to start my toddler on skis next season, and I think I can manage him easier if I am also on skis, so I am going to look for some inexpensive (perhaps used) skis and boots during the off season. I'm looking for recommendations. I want a general all-mountain ski. I'll be riding mostly on groomed trails, very rarely in powder, slow to moderate speeds. I'd like them to carve well, and I'd like to be able to go into the trees on occasion. I'd be spending a lot of time with my son on easier slopes, but I also have some skier friends that I might want to join sometimes, and they ski all over the mountain. I have a friend who really likes the K2 Apache skis. He had the Apache Recons and last year bought a set of Apache Xplorers, so he might sell me his older Recons. Another friend has some Nordica Hot Rod Nitrous skis that he probably wants to sell. Comparing the Recon to the Nitrous, they are both about the same shape and both have a 78mm waist. The Recon has metal construction and the Nitrous does not. The Nitrous sounds like it might be more forgiving, and it has a smaller sidecut radius (15.8m vs. 18m), so it might be better for carving. Both are 170cm long. I am 5'7" and 155 lbs, so I'm guessing this is a good size for me? Someone else recommended that I get a slalom race ski. How would this compare to the skis described above? And I also need some ski boots. I'm guessing that the main thing to look for is fit. I also guess that I want something with a fairly soft flex, right? And since I'll be standing a lot while helping my son, it would be nice to have a walk feature, but I've been looking at ski boots in the shops and this seems to be rare on ski boots. So, any recommendations for a soft/medium flexing ski boot with a walk feature? Thanks, BB

I hit a squirrel on the slopes with my board several years ago, but the squirrel survived -- just bumped it actually. I did have one that ran into the spokes of my bicycle while I was riding on a bike path, and it wasn't so lucky.

Do you need the 3-hole or 4-hole mounting pattern?