BadBrad

Well, we just bought a new Sienna last week. We were looking mostly at used Odysseys and Siennas, and found that they hold their value so well and we were able to get a good deal on a new Sienna, so we ended up buying a new one. We got an XLE with Option Pkg 3. It has the power sliding doors and power rear hatch, seat heaters, moonroof, front and rear parking sensors, 17-inch alloy wheels, and rear DVD system. Pretty much everything except for AWD, Nav, and the fancy JBL stereo. I still personally have a slight preference for the Odyssey. It is rated at 25 mpg highway vs. the Sienna's 23 mpg. I much prefer its exterior styling (can't believe I'm talking about style and minivans together). And it handles better -- the Sienna's steering is very slow with no feedback. But the Sienna has a nicer interior, like a Lexus really. My wife loves it, and it is her daily driver, so that's what really matters, and it will be very comfortable on long trips. Also, a new Odyssey with the options we wanted cost significantly more than the Sienna. The Odyssey also does not have an Aux input for the stereo or the 115v outlets that the Sienna does. It's definitely a lot easier to get the kid in and out of the car seat in the van compared to the Expedition, and the power doors and nice when you're carrying the kid and grocery bags.

Well, I bought the Freeride liners pictured above, and I figured I'd provide some feedback here in case anyone was interested. They are a lot stiffer than I expected. I was hoping that they'd have a softer flex than my ZipFit liners, but they do not. I did not mold them because I want to return them, but they don't feel as if they'd be as comfortable as the zipfits even after molding. The lower part of the zipfits feel like a neoprene material, which is comfortable and warm and still provides adequate support, where the Intuitions are a very hard and stiff foam. A couple of advantages of the Intuition Freerides are that they are easier to get into and out of, and they are also significantly lighter than the zipfits. If I remove the laces and power strap from the zipfits I think the flex is soft enough to work for me. The Burton Winds might just be too stiff for my liking, but I can't afford new boots this year. Plus, I've ridden in these boots for nearly 10 years now (with the orignal Burton liners until last year) so I think that with the right liners they're fine. The original liners finally packed out and the tongues got uncomfortable, and they were never warm.

Very cool! My boy is 18 months old now, so I'll be posting a similar story a year from now.

I believe the Stratos Pros are relatively stiff, but I have not actually ridden them. If you crank your buckles down really tight and you still feel like you want more stiffness, then you might want a stiffer boot. If you like to ride the boots buckled fairly loose to the point that there is some slop between your foot and the boot, then you want something softer. It sounds to me as if your setup is working pretty well for you. Different liners can also vary the stiffness of your boot setup. I put some ZipFit Grand Prix liners in my Burton Winds and they stiffened them up considerably, especially if I tighten the laces and use the power strap. They actually made the boot too stiff for me, so I have ordered some Intuition Freeride liners hoping to get some more flex back.

Maybe do some training in a hypobaric chamber, but that's probably pretty expensive. You can look up altitude sickness on the internet and get the usual advice to hydrate well, get lots of rest, get to altitude early to acclimate before exerting yourself, eat light meals, and avoid alcohol and caffeine. There is also a drug called acetazolamide that is said to prevent altitude sickness, taken twice daily starting 24 hours before ascent and continuing for 48 hours after arrival at altitude.

General fitness and lower body strength are the key for me. On past trips with my local ski club my legs would be dead after the first day, and then I could only ride half days after that until I took a rest day, and even then I couldn't do full days. So before SES last year I really worked on getting fit. I did bike spin classes 2 or 3 times a week. I ran hill repeats and hilly trail runs. I did leg presses and squats at the gym. And I did wall sits, which really burn the thighs. I was able ride every day at SES for full days without a rest day. For the SES day off, I rode with my ski club friends. I did stretch at the end of each day, which helps recovery, and being flexible also helps prevent injuries.

That makes sense. The Madd 158 is skinnier and uses slightly steeper angles, so I'll put the stiffer setup on it.

Yeah, I would think that hottronics heaters with batteries, a BTS kit, Fin-Tec heels, and some other binding parts inside a bag that says BOMBER would raise some flags with TSA.

I have a set of TD2 bindings (yellow e-rings) plus a TD3 2nd board kit (also yellow e-rings). These are going on a Prior WCR metal and a Madd 158. Would you put the softer TD3 setup on the Prior or on the Madd? I'm thinking that the softer suspension would be a good match on the Prior, but perhaps it would be better to balance out the stiffer Madd with the softer binding? The Prior is used as an all-around carver and all-mountain board, and the Madd for short quick turns when the slopes get crowded.

What exactly is the purpose of the carbon stringers?

But then you have to use a T-bar lift to go up again.

Maybe put a bead of clear silicone caulk around the Pringles cap to increase its diameter a bit?

Karting can give huge fun for the buck. On an autocross course the only thing faster than a F125 kart is a top-level A-mod car. Most Formula 1 and Indy car drivers started in karts and still drive them during the off season to maintain their car control skills. I've thought about getting a kart, but I have back issues and I don't think my back could take it.

I haven't driven one, but they have proven to be very competitive in D-stock. Compared to my 330i, which is a decent DS car, they have less weight and lots more power and torque and can fit wider tires under the fenders. They have won some national level events, but didn't do great at Nationals. The Nationals surface is low grip and the 135i doesn't have a limited slip, and I think that is what hurt it. I'd love to have one, but a new BMW is out of my price range. Even the used 2004 model was a financial stretch for me.

I think the '09 WRX is going to be a very good DS car. I was seriously thinking of buying one. It has better power and acceleration than my BMW, is a lot lighter, and has AWD. It would also make a good family vehicle with the versatility of a 5-door hatchback and the AWD. But my BMW is such a nice street car that I'm afraid I'd regret selling it. I used to own a '97 M3 and I still miss that car. Here is a link to some photos of my racecars, including the Spec Miata that I built in my garage. I did all the work except for the cage fabrication. The 3 photo albums are listed in the lower left of this link: Racecar stuff

Hey, great job on finishing in the trophies at Nationals, and nice S2000! That photo of me was taken at the DC ProSolo, hence the Tire Rack sticker. I usually win locally, but I'm mid-pack at the national level events. At the DC Pro I was in the trophies after the first heat, but was overtaken in the later heats. The AWD cars had a huge advantage at the start, gaining nearly 1/2 second per side over my one-wheel-drive car. That's 1 sec. total, which was the difference between first and 11th place. However, I think a Type R ended up on top, so I can't totally blame my start disadvantage, although the Type has a limited slip and I don't. My car is totally stock except for tires and front swaybar, plus it has all the heavy options that make it a nice street car (sunroof, xenon headlights, leather, heated seats, fold-down rear seats, premium stereo, etc.). It would probably do better with some good shocks and a cat-back exhaust. I'm not as dedicated to the sport as I used to be. Now I just do half a dozen or so local autocrosses, and if there is a local ProSolo I'll do that too. As a new dad, and with a wife who doesn't enjoy motorsports, even that is tough to do these days.

Not to drift the thread too much, but I am a motorsports enthusiast as well. I've done SCCA club racing and autocross since 1995. Road raced in showroom stock (SSGT MR2 Turbo, SSB MR2, SSC Miata), ITA (Miata), ITS (RX7), Spec RX7, and Spec Miata. Autocrossed various Miatas, MR2s, BMW M3, BMW 330i, and a few others, mostly in stock class. I've owned 5 Miatas but when I became a dad I decided I needed a family sedan, so I sold the Miatas and the racecar, wheels, tires, hardtop, trailer, etc. and bought a 2004 BMW 330i with the ZHP performance package. Nice street car, and I usually win my local D-stock autocross class in it too. A good autocross run can be a big thrill, and I've even been shaking after a run before, but it still can't match the adrenaline rush of wheel-to-wheel racing. Here's the family sedan in action.

My wife is totally addicted to f-book. She set up a computer in the kitchen and can't walk by without checking it. I have received several invitations to join from friends, but I've resisted it so far. I already spend too much time on BOL.

Another bluester here, but only because that's the limit of my skill level. I would love to be able to ride the whole mountain well, especially when I'm out with my friends who are good skiers.

True.

I think we've gotten somewhat spoiled by being able to get different snowboard topsheets. Prior, Donek, and Coiler all offer various topsheet options and colors for each model of their boards, and some folks even design their own custom topsheets. It seems like we used to get no choice for graphics or colors on a particular model. I got a set of Burton raceplates that had the lime green baseplates. I didn't like the way they looked, so I painted the baseplates black. My Burton boots are translucent blue with white cuffs, and I think they're ugly, but I got them for function and price and they still work. We still don't have much choice in boot colors. If you want new Track 700T boots, then you get white and red. I think the red bits on the TD3's look fine, and I'd bet that a big reason for the red parts is to further distinguish it from the TD2. The red doesn't go particularly well with the other color e-rings, though. The TD3's and 700T boots would look good on this:

Skogs, it looks as if we are at the same point on the learning curve. My last time out I did the rear elbow to front knee on heelsides and it really locked in and tightened up my heelside carves. But then, like you, I had a harder time transitioning to the toesides. I think the problem is what carvedog said, that I am too compressed at the end of the heelside turn so I can't retract the board under me. That compressed position worked well to soak up the bumps, though. I used to get bounced around on less than perfect groom, but with that angulated compressed position I could really feel my legs working like shock absorbers to soak up the bumps. I also got a lot of rear thigh burn, to the point of cramping. Front thigh too, but not as bad. However, I think something else might have been going on that day. I rode for a couple of full days Christmas week and never got very tired, but my last day out I was winded after an hour. Took a break and got something to drink, then went back out and was hurting after just a couple of runs. Took another break, did a couple of runs, legs cramped up bad, so I quit. I was wondering if it could be after effects of the concussion I got a few weeks ago, but my wife and kid have been sick so I suspect that my body was just fighting a virus or something. Also, thigh burn, especially if it is just one leg, can be caused by setup problems. What canting/lifting are you using, and how much forward lean in your front and rear boots?

Or for the same price you could buy 2 Coilers, or a Coiler and a Prior, or a Coiler and a Donek, or several used Madds, Coilers, Doneks, and/or Priors or a new Coiler plus new TD3's plus new Deeluxe boots plus new Fin Tec heels, or....

Last year's SES was the best time I've ever had on the slopes, and to top it off I won the Prior raffle, making it especially memorable! I'm bummed that I can't make it this year, but as a new dad with no time and trying to pay off adoption expenses I can't swing it. Y'all have fun, and post lots of photos and videos so that the rest of us can have a little vicarious enjoyment too.

I'm not sure we're all talking about the same liners. I'm specifically asking about the ones with the tradtional tongue design, not the wrap style. They have the Luxury liner, which is offered in 3 different thicknesses and the Freeride liner, which is offered in only a medium volume fit and has a softer flexing tongue than the Luxury.