scrapster

From the Berkshire East website: \We will be opening for the season on a weekend schedule this saturday and sunday (12/6 and 12/7) from 9 am till 4:30 pm with 7 trails and 3 lifts!!!

I'm wondering the same thing. This is killing me! Since I paid for a pass there this year, I'm now too cheap to spend the big $$$ in VT for early season stuff.

Does anyone know if Ski Vermont is still offering their discounted 3 pass/5 pass options this season? I hear they sell out. I'm just wondering "how quickly?"

I once read that the Steepwaters are designed to have little to no camber. Forget the reason. I think it had something to do with stability when landing 40 ft cliff drops.

Any word on Berkshire East yet? I hear the snow makers have been going for a while now, but not a peep about opening day...

Northwave Decades. Not the stiffest, but still supportive and comfy.

I still have the Nidecker

That's what I suspected. Check out the Nidecker here: http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=22433 Its a really nice board, easy to ride, great condition, that she won't outgrow. Black may not be her color though! :)

When you say AM, are you looking for a hardboot, alpine board?

Hey folks in western MA. Are there any shops near the Pioneer Valley that you would trust to do a base repair?

which of these places is going to have the best early season deals? Looks like Snow is charging $69...for three trails! And dammit, I'm tempted, because there's still no word on when I'll be able to start using my season pass at B-East.

Just kicking the tires, but I could easily be persuaded to do a deal for the right board. I have an '05 Madd 170 in good condition, a few minor blems, but overall very sound and quite purdy. Looking for a slalom or AM board between 158 and 165 (waist 18 to maybe 22), in very good shape. Something along the lines of a Renntiger 158 or a Prior would be interesting. Must be a quality for quality trade, if you know what I mean. Go ahead, tempt me! ~Mark

What kind of shape is the Volkl in?

Well, if we're going to go as far north as Stowe, I'd throw Jay Peak into the mix. It seems to be the choice for Vermonters trying to escape the crowds coming from the south, and has some of the best natural snow in the state. Don't know how it is for carving though--classic NE resorts tend to like narrow trails. Looking over these lists, I still vouch highly for Sugarbush and Sugarbush North. They're really fantastic mountains and well worth he trip. And if you want to throw on the tele's, you can hit Mad River next door. (Yes, I'm still ticked over MR not allowing snowboards, but I still have to respect them for fighting to do things differently in a time of mega resorts.) PS- the Mad River single chair blog is IMO probably the best winter weather forecast in the state.

I have a bid of $150 for the F2 Speedcross, shipped. Any others? High price takes it.

Stratton is considered a great snowboard mountain, but I remember quite a few flats there which surprised me. It reminded me of Gore in NY in that respect. Glad people are mentioning the lesser-known VT hills too. I give a thumbs-up to Pico, and a big thumbs-up for Magic Mountain. Magic (the last time I was there) had the most no frills base lodge I've ever seen. But it was a really challenging and diverse hill. Isn't Bromley the only southern facing resort in VT?

You can reach me at: mark dot wamsley at gmail dot com

Funny, I usually say I'm going "skiing" too, even though I haven't been on skis since I switched to snowboarding 20 years ago. Also funny--how snowboarding has lost that rebel spirit that it once had (except for us of course). To me, freestyle snowboarding is about as "interesting" as vanilla ice cream and McDonalds. I don't read most snowboard magazine anymore either, as they're mostly advertisements geared towards teenagers. Lastly, the industry is eventually going to have to deal with fact that snowboarders are going to age. Will they ever start catering to more mature riders? Who knows? We may have to be content being PBS in and MTV world.

<table width="300" border="2"><tbody><tr><td>Sidecut (m)</td> <td>Eff.edge (cm)</td> <td>Tip/Tail width (mm)</td> <td>Waist width (mm)</td> <td>Setback (cm)</td> </tr><tr> <td>8.4</td> <td>129.0</td> <td>27.15</td> <td>22.2</td> <td>2.0</td></tr></tbody></table>

Hey Boris, This is an extra pair I have. (Maybe I should keep them for parts--but cash is more important to calm my spouse right now ;))

Hi all, I'm making room for new purchases and getting rid of three boards and some bindings from my quiver. Only one is alpine specific, but the rest may be of interest to someone. F2 Speedcross 157 (BX)- $175 shipped w/in lower 48, may be extra charge for CA. Bought this board new last year and had it out a whopping 3 times. It was very fun (as you can see, I used it as a soft boot carver with Palmer risers.) Its in outstanding shape, near mint. I'll throw in the risers if you'd like, but not the bindings. Base has a few dry spots near the contact points, but no dings. Never been tuned other than frequent waxing. Its meant to be ridden with plates. Risers Sold. Board Sold. Unity Dominion 155 Freeride- $175 shipped w/in lower 48, may be extra charge for CA. This is the one that hurts to get rid of. This is the most solidly built snowboard I've ever owned. I put two years of light riding on it, and you can barely see any wear. Its pretty stiff and rails on ice and hardpack. I did my first (and only) complete circle carve on this board. Hand made in Silverthorne, CO. Bindings sold seperately. SOLD Nidecker Platinum 153 with Nidecker FF 760 Bindings- $130 shipped, etc. etc.- A curious little board that was my soft snow ride last year--and it excelled at it. Top of the line, high-tech construction and materials similar to those used in the Nidecker Proto line. Medium stiff waist and tail, and soft nose. Graphite base. Perfect for a kid who or smaller rider who wants a really fun board to tool around on in the park, or on piste in less than perfect snow conditions. Salomon SPX 55 soft boot freeride bindings. Size M/L. $40 plus shipping. Also used once. Near pristine condition. SOLD Ask questions, request pictures, make offers. I'm open. PS- Dog not included.

Let's see...Unity Snowboards and Never Summer are both made in Colorado and have great reputations for build quality and ride. Signal is a newer company that often has some really good deals (I think they're US-based, not sure.)

Still interested. I really liked my last Option freeride deck. I never knew they made a carver. I you could measure the waist for me, and let me know what's written on the board itself (so I can do a tiny bit of research), that would be great. Thanks!

I may be interested. Do you know anything more about it? Specs? Age?

And you wonder why snowboarding has a bad name. Are our one plank brethren out there really this stupid? I started to ponder this very question when, the last few years, I went to my local snowboard shops and was repeatedly astounded by the lack of technical expertise. You want a tune up? A flat rate, wax, sharpen and grind is all they offer. It doesn't matter if your base is fine--you get a wax, sharpen and grind. (It reminds me of the old John Belushi skit at the diner--"cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger.") God forbid you ask for your base shaped or specific angles on your edges. The local ski shops, however, all seem to know what they're doing. Now, I learn from the above article that "carving" is a trick! Hmm. I always considered it, well, turning!!! Whether its on a freestyle deck or an alpine board, it seems to be one of the fundamental ways of changing direction on a snowboard. I always treated it like moving from a snowplow to parallel turns on skis. Its the natural progression of improvement and of properly using your equipment. And my parting shots: 1.) the only time someone looked askance at me for wearing hardboots was when I was a teenager, 20 years ago. 2.) the author must surf really small waves, or be a really bad carver, to not get a similar experience between the two sports. 3.) I wear hardboots because of the increased control, and because we're not all 16 years old, and my feet kill while riding soft boots on hard, east coast snow, and lastly, 4.) now I'm pissed, and intend to wear my hard boots all year, and tell all the people who ask me about them that they've never really experienced snowboarding until they've tried them. Thanks for letting me vent.