JoelP

This is a good thread because what it is showing is that there are otpions for a "Pro" tune but that you have to do some reasearch before you hand over to someone your prized baby. This is a bad thread because there is so much to learn that a thread is truly a tough place to fully educate someone between a "Tune" a "Pro Tune" and "Maintenance". It would be fantastic if at any of the "Expresion Sessions" there was a clinic being held. This may be even more important than a carving clinic or at least as important. I am not that good at explaining things with written words about tuning and maintenance so I will not try to do any of that here. I am much better at hands on explaining. I had a shop here in Colorado and worked on World Cup Racers ski's out of Aspen for 16 years and never learned how to write the "How Too's". But now when asked this is what I tell people no matter where they are or where they are going if they need a tune. 1) Ask many people as many questions about who they go to for a tune. Then compare and usually then you'll find a common "Tuner" that is highly trusted in that area. If you can look at the work of that tuner before you go in to ask more questions, all the better. 2) Once you've decided who to go to, go there and actually "Talk" to the guy, find out what type of machine he'll be using. Good tuners that I've met are proud of their work and explain things and show you things, it's their livelyhood. Start to consider walking out if all they have is a belt sander and don't say much. But even if that is all they have it may work, find out if they go as far as 200+ grits on their belts for the finishes ( I just got a stock Prior board and that seems to be where it was at, not perfect for me but evidently sufficient for a lot of people). Start asking more questions if they have a Stone grinder. Some of those questions would be do you check flatness before you grind or do you just have a standard number of passes? Important because this helps tell you if your prized possesion is being handled as such or as just another board in the batch. I used to look at the flatness WITH the client before we even discused what would possibly happen next. Then ask at what stage do they check for flatness again? Then how are the side edges ground, with just a belt or the newer ceramic side edge grinders. Then lastly but VERY important do they hand file and or polish the edges afterward. The hand work is important and left out by many but it double checks all the machine work with the personal touch. Then waxing.... a lot of shops use a machine, some hand wax etc etc. 3) The above helps guide you in to meeting YOUR personal standards. Now you can decide about whether you are comfortable or not with this guy/gal. But remember you got there because you asked others that you trust and now what you are doing is finalizing your research and comfort level and letting the tuner become comfortable with you. The above is important to me because hopefully you all, like myself, have much pride in our boards and want the best that we can have. But one thing to remember is that there is quite a variance in this "Cost" these good tuners around the country, they offer different levels and can buff you out like a World Cup racer or give you enough of a really good thing. Then with your own experience again by talking and asking question you can do great maintenance work which can carry you through 1, 2 or more seasons pending use and conditions. So with all that hot air that I just spewed which doesn't help the original question, SORRY, maybe we can find people around the sessions that will do hands on explanations. the shop in Aspen that does fantastic work is Boardwerks, They hold clinics during the year to help demystify what they do and what their clients can do. It would be awesome if they held a such a clinic during SES. I will suggest this to Finn but it may be to late. Thanks for reading my crap, please don't tear me a new a@#$ole for all I mean is to help. Joel

Post your address or send it to me at jparker@sopris.net and I will send it out. Do you need the extra long mounting screws too? Joel

The base, p-tex, as hard as it is is not as hard as the edge so it is almost impossible to get perfectly flat, the base does compress while grinding and even expands from the grinding heat. there is always heat even though it is drenched in grinding fluid. 1/2 a degree on an edge barely fits a human hair thickness so it's really no big deal, at least for me. I usually like a bit more so that if I put on the brakes for some reason and when I do, hopefully rarely, have to slide the base in traffic or at the lift etc etc then the edge is at least off the snow a hair. Also the edge in reality is much more slower than the base. that is why a downhill racer has his edges so they are not in contact with the snow when running flat on the base for glide. So edge angle off the base is good, but to much is bad. Plus we, or I, are usually high on the edge and when I switch I am over to the next edge so fast that it doesn't matter between 1/2 or 1. Slalom racing is a different animal so maybe there as flat as possible. I used to tune WC skis and to get perfectly flat bases we even froze the skis then went direct to the grinder to help minimize the compresion of the base....stupidly anal...but every.001 counts on the clock!!!!. Then you have to finish grinding by going lighter and lighter on the grinder pressure to get base and edge level. Then we were almost dead on...lot of work... Maybe others have found other ways to get 0 flat but my eperience has been there is always some deg of base bevel off the grinders. I found Bruce's boards were near 1/2 deg with my tools. The 1/2 deg bevel caught in a few places lightly but the 1 deg bevel wanted to slightly cut so I stopped. Try keeping your bottom bevel consistent, I think the edge will cut better by following through smoothly. If you want sharper just add more side edge bevel but keep that consistent too. The most important part is really the polishing. We used to have magnifying glasses to check the polish. Little edge grooves left behind do drag. A dull but highly polished edge will cut better than a sharp and burred edge!!! have fun playing with your edges Joel

I just got my 2 new boards from Bruce 2 weeks ago. the grind is perfect!!!! he had a 1/2 deg on base and I put my own 3 deg on the side and then polished both bottom and side up to a 600 stone, like a mirror. My Prior 4WD had a basic finish so I did bring that in for a grind...major better. I am lucky enough that I live just outside Aspen and bring my boards up there to the same place Klug has his ground. Once I have a 1 deg bottom they need no further bottom work other than waxing and then I just polish the sides every 2 or 3 days use. that keeps them buffed. I never touch the bottom again after that. I left Bruce's boards at 1/2 to try and it works fine so I've left them alone. once you get the bottom then there is no need to do it again. that's why lots of people use the tape method over the file because they do not want to invest in something they will not use much. but you have to be careful with the tape and be sure the file/tape stays the same distance away from the edge. If the tape moves closer or farther away from the edge then you have a different angle.

I may have one and will check when I get home. I'll post again if I do. I have a box of parts and gadgets. Do you want that much on the front foot. What I did was take two of the thin ones used for cant and put them together with thick to thin and put that under my toe. Seemed to be just enough for me. But I'll look tonight. joel

Note that the base is just done the one time you grind it or when new. After that doing anymore to the base will not do anything unless the base is lowered to the edge. You would have to bend the file and give it more angle. So for touch ups you just do the sides tho get it sharp again between grinds. So the side tool is actually what you use more often. Hoepfully we do not grind often ;-))))). Joel

I'll use the Beast as an example here. The Beast has a metal section that slides on the base. The thickness of that (the lift of the file) is what sets up the edge angle. The idea is that the file cuts until it gets to the base and then you have your degree set. That all works fine and dandy as long as your base is flat because the angle is set off your base. So if your file and Diamond are both resting on that then it is the same no matter how long they are. The angle from the metal lift is the same. Be sure to put pressure on top of that metal slider and the file hanging over the edge. do not bend the file or you'll get more angle. that all said another thing to think about is that the file cuts and the diamond polishes. So in reality the diamond does not need to go in the tool. It helps but isn't mandatory. You can by hand just polish the edge by using your thumb on the diamond and pushing against the edge. The diamond will follow the edge and not cut anymore because it isn't a cutting tool. You can do this on the hill at any time too by running your diamnod along the edge faces if you want to to help keep it polished. I am also taking for granted you are not using a super coarse diamond. Any medium diamond will work good. It can get more complicated but this is the basics of a good edge. Joel

Is this AllMtn still available? If so will you accept Paypal for payment? How quickly could you ship the board? i would be having you ship it to Colorado. I'll pay the $275 + shipping. Thanks, Joel

I picked up a 179 and love it. It is a great all mtn board. I am only 165# but for where I live (Aspen) it works great. My runs are failry wide open so that is why I picked up the 179. It can still handle some fair amounts of speed. It still turns on a dime so in a crowd I would not have any problems with it. For big mtn powder it does really well too. The only reason for me to have downsized would of been tree riding but I have other boards for that. Pending your size I think that most can easily handle the 179 in most conditons. If you are at all leary just because of turn shapes...no worries...the 179 turns as hard and as tight as you may want. Joel

I'm not an instructor but you are more than welcome to hook up with some of us and we would love to help with tips if you want. One of the best instuctions you can get is to ride with others. here is my e-mail and write me just before you come out. jparker@sopris.net joel

There are a few of us here in the mecca (Aspen) that ride the rail in the mornings and then strap the lil skis on for riding the 2 rails in the afternoons. I picked up a pair of Volkl P50 SL's Race Stock 155's and they are a hoot. I'll tell you they compliment riding the boards so well it truly is super fun. I still spend most of my time on the snowboard but the SL sticks are a blast. I can turn those lil sticks inside my snowboard arc's. I thiink the thrill of laying my cheeks down on the snowboard outdoes the ski's but changing up the muscle groups does nothing but help in both disciplines. hell I may even pop them on for an afternoon at the SES just to go play with the boyz.... Joel

Here is what I wear 9 out of 10 times. mid weight Patagonia Capilene underwear on my legs and mid weight turtlenck top. A fleec vest, mid weight shell pants, Mid weight shell jacket. I bring a fleece neck pullover but use it rarely, if you need it, it's for the high speed quads in the morning. Helmet and mid weight gloves. Pants and jacket have pit & leg zips for air...use a lot!!!! I have insulated jacket and think I've worn it once every 2 years. Pending on when you are coming you can look up the long range forcast. It will usually be pretty right or near right. Leave the fleece pants at home.....that would be the last item you would need here. Instead of the insulated jacket bring a fleece top and a mid weight jacket and light jacket. Between those you can combo to make anything work. I used to wear fleece tops but now just use fleece vests (mid weight) that way with a windbreaker I can make it work. Otherwise I sweat and die... We can run into a cold snap......20 deg....but that rarely lasts more than a day this time of year. January is the coldest month in general and we are through that now. Typical Feb/March may be 2 or 3 days of dumpage...temps in the 20's ...then followed by days of sun in the mid 30's to low 40's. It doesn't affect the snow much due to altitude and sun angle until late March. lastly, if you have a camelback...BRING IT.....water is good up here. Hope that does it. Joel

It's been snowing a little every day here for the past 4 days.. Few more inches each day. Conditions are awesome. Powder stashes are all over Snowmass and Highlands. Mellower stashes at Buttermilk are still in the trees. Snow coverage is good enough to go anywhere. Carving on Saturday at Buttermilk was hero snow and blue sky!!!!!! AND no one out. I was shocked that I did not see any other carvers out. Xgames has kept people away from Buttermilk for the last week. rode my 196 all day and only crossed my own grooves. Top to bottoms and traffic was down to 2 or 3 skiers a run. Sunday had bad visibility for carving but another 4+ inches. FYI's If you drive into Aspen fill up your gas tank when leaving Glenwood. Gas in Aspen is $2.42 a gallon... ouch.... So fill up before you get up there. Also if you are driving be super cautious at night on hwy 82 from Glenwood to Basalt. there are 600+ (up to 1000) head of Elk wintering along the hwy in the fields. Believe me they are big and they are migrating back and forth across the hwy. There are plenty of warnings posted but still there is at least one or more accidents a night. I'll post more after next weekends outing. Joel

Just an FYI, We had our renter have to move out of our studio we rent and before we put it back out on the market we thought we would offer it to anyone looking for a place during SES. It's a studio apartment, downtown Glenwood, It takes me 40 minutes if I leave early, before 7:30 on weekdays (commuter traffic) to the Buttermilk parking lot. I can leave at 8:00 on weekends and it is then 40 minutes, no traffic. I am sure there will be others staying in Glenwood too. The studio is attached to our house and we are right downtown, walking distance to all amenities (food, Hot Springs, movies, etc, etc). Anyone can email me for more info at jparker@sopris.net $275 for the session. I hope this helps someone, Joel

It sounds like he really wants the Rossi but if you can not find one I have a Nitro Powder Gun 188 Swallowtail that I would sell for $150.00. I just does not get that deep or light here in Colorado to do the board justice. I have a Fish that works fine here so the Gun is collecting dust. I'll tell you too that it is much softer than my old Rossi 198 Undertaker (sold that too already) that was really stiff compared to the Gun. I've never flexed the 185 Undertaker so I can not make a fair comaprison there. anyway that is just food for thought if you can not find the Undertaker. Joel

Well since we are showing our new pride and joys, these showed up just a week ago. PR 196, 19 W, 17+ SCR PRC 186, 18.5 W, 16 SCR Totally phenominal rides :-)))))) Joel

There are continous buses running from each mtn to other mtns all day, free and they start early. For instance Buttermilk to Highlands or vise-a-versa starts at 7 and runs every 15 minutes up to noon and then every 1/2 hour until 2:30 and then every 15 minutes again. So transportation is very easy. To Snowmass after ski hours there may be a charge as Michelle mentioned, I am never am around that late but I do know the buses run till after midnight from Aspen to Snowmass, the 2 night scene places. so if you hook up with others that have a car...great...if not do not worry there is plenty of easy transportation and the drop offs are a few steps from the slopes. Joel

I've sold the board thanks, joel

World Cup 184, 15 meter sidecut, If I rated the condition I would say it is an 8 out of 10. Life/camber is perfect but there are normal top sheet nicks. Base is flat and edges are perfect and at 3 deg side and 1 deg bottom. $250.00 thanks Joel

I'll be floating around from area to area. Since I live there I'll work days and runs around my schedule that week. Joel Parker Group of 1 Staying at home Planning on 5 of the days but not sure which ones yet. Look forward to meeting many of you. Joel

There will be more than enough people floating around all the mtns and giving advice than you can handle. Ajax (Aspen mtn) will be awesome as usual early in the day and on the weekdays. Head to the top and then work your way toward Ruthies Ridge....Home of the World Cup Downhill course. As the day grows and on the weekends there are more xpert skiers out that really go fast and straight so you need to be aware of that. Highlands has awesome mid mtn grooming these days...flawless... better grooming than Buttermilk. It's always very little traffic over there but mid mtn is somewhat limited in its lift access so the lines can get to be a couple of minutes but not to bad. Thunderbowl is usually widely groomed, has a great pitch and you can go as fast and wide as you want. meaning dragging your armpits for major extended periods of time if you carry that much speed, which you can, and it has a little used lift...especially on the weekdays. Buttermilk is the carvers dream hill because NO ONE is there...except during SES.. if Racers Edge is groomed then you can drag and hold on for quite a ride...non stop top to bottom rollers that have some awesome pitches and off camber banks. It's the trail used for the Town Downhill and other major races. Very wide and more than steep enough to give you a major rush going over the rises. There are many other great carving runs there with lots of challenging rolls and pitches that are just plain fun. Then there is Buckskin which isn't overly challenging but super wide open with no speed limit...great for boards 190+. Snowmass has awesome potential for steeps on the Sams Knob section. hit it early and then get out as your legs will be burning with joy after 4 or 5 runs. Then head to the Burn for long crusing carvers. But going there and getting back to Aspen if you are staying in Aspen can burn some of your precious time. Don't worry, you will have plenty of company that week. Joel

I have a 164 sitting in my closet that I may be willing to depart with. I'll try to take a photo tonight and e-mail it to you tomorrow. Send me a note at jparker@sopris.net if you are interested. thanks, Joel

The 13.2 is a really good choice for an all around board and the PR with its taper will be great for letting it rip when you want to. The taper helps it track much smoother and not hook up the hill at the end of the turn, releases smoother. You could go to the 15 side cut but then I think you may be a bit overwhelmed by needing speed more often to get nice carves. That being said a lot has to do where you ride and the terrain you have. I ride fairly wide open, no traffic, hero snow conditons...Buttermilk...that is why I have the 2 new Coilers coming. But when I go to Snowmass or Beaver Creek or Aspen Highlands I tone it down to my 11 meter board. That allows me to have fun all over the place with varying conditions. If I had to pick only 1 board to take anyplace I think your choice is right on!!!! Stick with it and i think you'll be pleased....It should do it all. I plan on trying one of those out this season and maybe putting in an order for it for next season. Unless I can find a used one Joel

The WC 190 is 17 and the WC 184 is 15. What are you getting from Bruce?? why do you think you want to change it?? I had both of the Rossi's and have a 196 (17+ SCR) and a 186 (15 SCR) coming from Bruce right now. If you need any questions answered I'll be glad to tell you what I know. Joel

We have 5 boards we are waiting for here in CO......I am checking for the tracking numbers every hour of the day. Ahhhh the anticipation!!!! where are they???? Joel