Kent

Thank your park director for buying my ramps. BTW - Skatewave now offers a resin (a la SkateLite) surface that can replace the TecTrek steel surface you're skating on if they are rusting. We also have a few 1/2 bowls in Japan somewhere......

I have a Burner 188 I could get rid of. It's a team stock board....97ish vintage, white top sheet. I am the original owner. I sold it on ebay. Buyer spotted a problem (topsheet around the rear insert was coming up), and I refunded the money as he was uncomfortable. Upon receiving the board back, yes the topsheet was upglued around the insert. However, the inserts are fine, there is no structural issues and I rode the board for 2 hours afterward w/o any problems. Has a couple minor dings (from bindings), but otherwise this board has hardly been used as it was always the back-up.

Whoa Billy....trying to push me under the bus? I never advocated a 4WD for racing. Matter of fact, I tried to talk GS out of dropping $$$$ on....not one, but two. When someone offers you free boards, but you spend a month's pay on buying another brand...you sure hope it's going to pay off and you're not buying hype. Open Class USASA is what it is....an open class. The competition is only as good as the folks who show up. People complain either way. IMO, the most talented snowboard racers in the US don't race anymore and/or think the races are silly. I wish that mindset would change, but it won't. I have the utmost respect for you guys and the regulars who committ to the USSA schedule, but its a far cry from making a living. Bring back the AST, get some sponsors and start offering some prize money. USASA fills a nice void for the more casual folks. Otherwise, it still the same 25 guys pounding a square peg into a round hole...... As for (the new) Madd 170 and 158, they are not race boards.....

More please sir.... I see Mimi dropped down to Youth and took SL. Nice job Mimi!

Chuck - I'll need a full report.....you know who I'm watching.....Troy, Garrett and Mimi. I won't let any of them back in the state w/o at least (1) of them bringing home hardware.

LOL. Well...yesterday I was dropped by the lead group at the Oxbow Spring Classic. I'm more a camel then a cheetah right now. Looking forward to Flanders on OLN this afternoon. Today, I'm running around the lakes and swimming for 90 minutes. Tuesday, I head off to Tempe for Ironman..... www.ironmanarizona.com I imagine you're wondering why I'm not in Aspen in route to Copper. That's a very good question and I'm wondering that myself.....

Urghhh.... Can't pull anything over you guys anymore. I had several articles all ready to print, but had an AM appt and couldn't finish, but had to leave something. Others - Bomber Industries Sued Over Canine Labor Dispute - Extreme Carving Trademarks Name, Starts Legal Proceedings with Utah Resident - Catek and Bomber merge to form CatBomb Tech-Industries - Coiler Announces New Freestyle Line K http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2108&highlight=burton+reenter

Yep...just like the title says. After almost 2 decades of this....I quit. Officially, as of last weekend's ride....I quit carving. Everything is for sale and my coaching position is open for any takers. I have better things to do with my winter months now.....carving is dead. Wish you guys to best of luck. K

Pat - To cut to the chase....this won't work until radical changes take place. 1) No handicap system - Yea, I know....silly, right. The margin of snowboard times is so dramatically different than skiing. You simply can't play the numbers game in snowboarding that you can in skiing. Even if they did pony up the money for a "pro" snowboarder to handicapp, it still doesn't cure the issues at hand. 2) Gates. Simple enough. 3) Starting gate 4) Course set-up (more often than not, most ski courses start flat to allow for the run to run. 5) Different date and respect for other events. 6) Reduce fees of entry 7) Rename to NASTAR SNOWBOARD CHAMPIONSHIPS 8) Prize money with Open class Net result...you basically need to change it into what FIS/USSA and/or USASA are already doing......

That should do the trick. A hardboot is a hardboot.

Mirror - Mike already nailed it. Depending on the foot, an insole with reduce pronation. I've seen feet drop 2 sizes smaller by using the proper support.

You need to go talk to a professional boot fitter. Nearly impossible to diagnose your problem on a message boards. Although...I'm happier now that you used the work "tight" rather than "too small"...which are totally different issues. I'd bet to 95% accuracy that your boots would fit fine with a custom insole and the proper buckle tension.....assuming the liners were baked correctly. BTW - insoles would be a much cheaper path than a boot stretch. No reputable boot fitter would stretch a boot without a custom insole.

That lifespan seems about right. There are many different materials for custom footbeds.....the most important being the "posting" materials on the bottom. Cork is a nice way to go, but not do durable over the long haul as once the posting turns soft, you need to re-make the entire footbed. Peterson are nice and what I use, but won't claim they are the shiz-nit. There are many different verisions...as the BioSkate being the most popular (The BioSki takes up too much room...if your boots are sized properly). Once again, the posting is most important. On the Peterson, you can replace the posting very easily, which can potentially expand the lifestyle with maintenance. I'd go with whatever you favorite fitter uses, but ask about replaceable posting since you're getting more days on snow than the average bear....

Nale was Elan's attempt to break away from being a "ski" company.....many other ski companies did this as well. Nale is Elan backwards.....

FWIW - I recommend the Tamron 28-300 for an all around lense....or ideally the Cannon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM to be used with your kit lense. Extra $$$, but worth the quality difference depending upon your application...

I'll do about 8,000 miles before I ride gates again... - Ironman Arizona - April 9th (I was going to race Nationals and IM on the same week, but didn't want to biff and screw up IM) - 10 local tris - Sub 55min 40k TT - 17 min 5k - 5 Mile Swim - 250 mile day-ride (Summer Solstice) - The HHH. 15,000 ft & 128 miles. Lots of fun - Ironman Wisconsin - Fat Tire Festival - Fall CX season (going for Top 5 again) On a side note...I spend over $800 at Chipolte in 2004. $300 of it was either "free" or via gift certs (Thanks Matt). This year, I picked them up as a sponsor as I train the managers for the Mpls-Chi AIDS ride. k

I mentioned this to Bob at the hill today. I was working with Elan in the mid 90s while they were touring the country with this concept.....boarders vs. skiers. A search under Elan should get all the info. I might sound like a gumpy old man, but I'd rather just bring back the old ISF and AST comps (Duel SL, GS and SGS). As Phil mentioned in a previous post, the redundant Dual PG format is getting dull, the course set-up is boring and encourages "just good enough" riding. Yawn, yawn..... I do like this carving concept and glad FIS actually is supporting it (providing it's an ADDITIONAL discipline, not a replacement). I imagine it will get to the states soon. Glad the skiers finally caught up!

I'm at home tonight...tuning up the bike for Ironman in a few weeks...a little bored, greasy fingers, watching snow dump outside...and figure I need to make up some room on D-Sub's post record. As Fin mentioned...I'm hoping this can be a civil discussion. So, don't confuse my humor with taking shots. I've been sliding down a hill on a snowboard for some time like many others here. One thing that I do take pride in is the HISTORY of this sport. Some of it is well documented, some isn't. Heck, we really can't agree on who invented snowboarding. It's no surprise that we can't agree on who started a particular style of the sport. I think it's moot. I grew up on a golf course (Hazeltine National), I played golf nearly every day of my life possible until college and beer. Had a decent handicap for some time. Everybody carries a different bag. Some carry 2 woods, some carry 5. I had a buddy who used to carry a 7 wood. I'd give him **** until Sunday. I thought it was a wasted club in his bag. However, he was proud of that 195 yard high fade. He was more proud of the trajectory of the shot more than the result. He was a "driving range pro"....a modern day Tin Cup. It looked impressive on the driving range though. However, my 5 iron was always more effective in real conditions. One day my buddy challenged me to match. 2 clubs and a putter for 18 holes. Of course, he picked his 7 wood, PW. I chose a 7 Iron and a SW. I won't tell you the result....but Extreme Carving is a lot like playing a round of golf with 2 clubs. Problem is....that's not golf. A round requires 14 clubs and a variety of positions/challenges. You're not going to be 195 yards from the hole on every carve down the hill..... My buddy didn't invent the 2 club challenge. It was simply an slight change from something that has been happening for hundreds of years. How dare him take credit for something so precious and sacred? Call it Extreme Carving, call it laid out linked turns, call it whatever you want. I call it a wasted club in my bag, although I do carry it for those instances where no one is looking...... K

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=22110&pid=1247 http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle_print.asp?ID=22223&pid1252 http://readthehook.com/Stories/2005/02/10/newsMourned4thYearSnowboar.html I met Brian through BOL during the following thread... http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2631&highlight=surphadude We swapped a few emails and joked around. I really wanted that 159cm (inside joke). As I do with so many other members here "offline", I helped coach him for the upcoming season, answered a ton of questions and wished him luck..... Ironically, I learned of his accident from his sister who sent me an email yesterday.....a day after I received a different World Cup 159. This type of news really bums me out. Although I never met him, he was still a friend and a fellow comrade. Perhaps others had similiar experiences with Brian.... On a fun note....I look at that pix of him with that 159 and think he's saying, "Sorry Kent...I'm keeping it all to myself!!!!!". Tonight I'll be making some turns for Brian on my 159...... Kent

Perhaps the proper question is who wants to ride like that?

Thanks for the link. Didn't know they were going to run a story...... We're not that big, especially on the alpine side, but pack good talent. www.thegteam.net K

Sean - Ironically...I passed by this thread over the weekend and a parent asked me about this at practice tonight Congrats on expanding the product line, easing the entry into the sport and helping the next generation of rippers.... IMO, this is a considerable step for alpine and I certainly hope your efforts get rewarded. The reality of alpine and the current "state of the trenches" is that boards are in short supply, prices are creaping higher, and most of the available product is "custom". This leaves a heavy burden on the used market. First, selling a custom deck creates its own set of challenges. There is now a SHORTAGE of used (or even new) equipment for the 8-16 year old carver or roughly 50 to 130 pounds. As a alpine coach, most of my riders have to shop the used market and buy "premium" boards which they will out-grow (size and ability). It's no secret most of these are Burtons, RIP. It's downright tough getting these riders on gear...much less gear that is proper for their size. These heavily used boards are on their last leg and your announcement comes at a good time.... What is going to happen in say....2, 5, 10 years to the state of equipment? I could ramble in a million different directions, but the reality is that the sport must grow from the youth. Unfortunately, USSA/FIS or even USASA isn't doing ANYTHING to promote the next generation of elite level alpine racers/riders. Sure, they put on races to make money...but I'm talking about the programs which the IOC MANDATES for athletic development. Currently, I'm (unfortunately) tangled up in the triathlon IOC drama...so I'm very familiar with the money situation. USSA is DROPPING THE BALL as I type. (If anybody from USSA is reading this...feel free to PM me). Opps, back to snowboards..... Did you take demos to SES? How'd it go? Are you taking demos up to USASA Nationals? If you need some help, let me know. Also, I'd like to urge you to put a shorter board in the mix for smaller SL riders..... Nice work. Kent

Sorry about that, I was going to wear socks, but working from home has it benefits. Notice I didn't show the recently shaved legs for Ironman..... TMI.

I'm boot police today.... Sorry for the foot pix. Pedicure donations are accepted..... Now, if I just simply posted and said "I wear 10.5 running shoes and my foot measures 27.3"...many folks would be putting me "comfortably" in a 28 shell which is THREE FREAKING SIZES TOO BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He doesn't need to. The same prinicples of ski boots fit to snowboard hard boots. Sounds like he did a good job....which was to simply state your boots are too big. I'd say about 60-70% of people's boots are too big who post here judging from a lot of the advise going on. Net result, you need the proper shell size and then the modifications for width can be done...within reason. Some boots simply can't be stretched depending upon buckle alignment and plastic. Maybe I'm reading your post wrong, but I'd certanly hope that this fitter either will re-fit new insoles at no charge or didn't make them for your too-big boots. That would be very lame for a fitter to purposely make insoles for a boot that is too big.