KingCrimson

2 weeks later, here's how I'm getting along. The fib apparently will heal correctly and straight thanks to the ligaments, it is only misaligned from sitting on the hard table and isn't a problem. It moves and clicks and pops, pretty fun to play with and surprisingly painless.

I am down in san diego for a different medical problem, but I really need to get back to work and probably can not take the day off, sorry guys.

Are those all '13 Tomahawks?

Hey...they are a hell of a lot better than that effing ridiculous blood splatter Burton Speed. I would definitely be interested in a zombie topsheet if I was getting a custom board done. Especially if that pickaxe was stuck in another zombie's head. 28 Carves Later

I wasn't being responsible when I broke it. I don't know why I should have to start now! :D Sorry to hear about the crowds. It's way better than laying in bed daydreaming staring at the hill- I'm sure of that!

Does anyone have a beach chair they wouldn't mind bringing? I'm serious about showing up with my camera and plunking myself at the bottom of the run. My leg is definitely good enough at this point, and I would love to shoot you guys. I'm pretty good at it!

Whoa pal, that's MY trick. :D How was it up there today guys? I can't imagine it was anything short of perfect. I got outside and enjoyed the sun for a while. I've also accidentally put full body weight on my injured leg three times today. I can confirm it is still very much broken. D'oh.

TendEncies :P Awesome title though. And I loved the video, looks like you had a ton of fun. I'm stoked!

2stroke, you might want to look into getting some EPS foam and fiberglass sail battens. They are relatively stiff and thin bars of material that would be perfect for those mods.

Oops! Didn't even see that he had FR2s. Just assumed Nidecker for some reason.. Thanks B

Ptex doesn't just distort like that, it's wrinkled from the core cracking. I'm glad to hear it was at least in softies though, there was a period when a bunch of Tankers were cracking and getting posted here generally from being ridden with plates. Chalk it up to being a badass and hang it on the wall.

You could always just get radicals!

I could see it improving comebacks after the first day.. It would be super useful if it engaged fully with no boot in the binding, for those countless beginners who seemed to have missed Sir Newton's memo. Runaway decks in beginner areas suck.

Hi Nils, thank you for your responses. I am curious why titanal to you means that a board must be decambered, I know the last few seasons the Renntiger was in production it incorporated titanal layers but it was built with a normal kink nose. I'm not saying the board is out of date because it lacks metal, but I do feel that as a whole, I do not see sweeping revisions in the design of the board that reflect the pace of the alpine world right now. I especially am surprised at the lack of changes in the nose profile, because all the other "segments" of carving- freecarving, racing, all mountain, and boardercross racing have all embraced nose rocker. Freecarvers and racers also get the board all the way on edge. You mentioned that you have more info on why a kinked nose is better for EC, I would love it if you started a new thread with this info, I have a very limited understanding of the advantages of what is now largely considered an obsolescent design feature. I am also surprised that VSR is not in the boards. I think it takes time to learn how a board responds with VSR, but I certainly wouldn't call any of my VSR boards unpredictable after the first few runs. I agree that boards dont fit into turns the same way with decamber- I think they fit better. The trenches are narrower and cleaner because the board isn't plowing in the nose. If a board isn't plowing in the nose, it's a smoother ride. Quieter too. As far as titanal making rocker necessary, I don't think that's true. My Apex slalom board is titanal, and the torsionally softest board I own. It's torsionally softer than my Burton Fusion BX board. It's super friendly and forgiving. I'm glad it does have rocker though because it slays powder and chop. It's even fun in moguls. Most people on BOL who are active riders and consumers in the market (not the kind that has been riding the same gear for decades) seem to ride metal freecarve boards in the 170s with bindings mounted right to the board. All of those boards are light weight (Bruce aims for a sub-8 pound build weight for most of his boards IIRC) and versatile. Their versatility is a chief selling point, so I think it's wrong to suggest that metal boards are not versatile. I do REALLY appreciate the philosophy you share that with titanal we "lost wings." I think a lot of people have bought completely trick setups with bomber plates and sidewinders and all kinds of big high tech boards with full race technology when there is a lot to be said for a basic no-frills setup. People are basically riding with their wallets, and the very basic setups endorsed by Swoard are a more soulful, traditional experience. I just think it's very dismissive and short sighted to phrase things in a way that suggests that going to boards with new school tweaks detracts from that. It's just a big suspension of disbelief for me to read posts and assume that all these points about EC board design are true. Look at my avatar, my board would not be considerably more on edge if my body was completely laid out on the snow. It's a big leap to be told a board for EC, which would be subject to the same angles and forces, requires a dramatically different design.

I'm hoping by like may or so i can at least go out and slide around and at least take pictures. it would be devastating to get hit though. and I'm not REALLY supposed to do anything till august

Hey everyone, if I'm hobbling around a bit better by then, I'm going to bring my D3000 and post up at the bottom of stump and snap pictures for everyone. I'll try to borrow one of the bigger lenses from work too.

The Grennetts are quite good. Definitely a snappy truck. Tuning bushings is much easier too because everything is flat and square like it should be.

Hey everyone, thanks for the posts. Ill reply to em when im on my computer. I just wanted to check in and let everyone know I can now stand freely. Obviously with most of my weight on my good leg, but Im making progress. No takers on my gear? I've been trying to get most of my gear loaned out, its sad to have it here when it needs to get ridden!

I gave you good advice. Coach a high school team. Yes, you will get lots out of it. You're analyzing technique all day. Don't be so quick to blow up. This forum has a ton of blind leading the blind, and they just want to avoid that.

I see a lot of thought and energy being put into this that would be spent way more effectively on technique. I would get rid of those heel wedges under your liner and grind the boot board instead if you really want heel lift inside the boot. Af shells are already atrociously heel-high out of the box. When you add height you mess up the heel pocket in the boot and are more prone to lift..that pocket has to work with the weird surfaces on your heel, and because of its shape, if youre not low enough it just won't grab a hold of your foot. Why do you say you have limited ankle mobility? Were you injured? Which foot? I honestly think it just sounds like youre not pressuring with your heels and toes and youre expecting the boots to do the work. If the boots are flexing too much, then give the board inputs some other way. Take my word on that one. You just have to understand that when I see someone who has been riding plates for one year its a very safe assumption that the gear is not at fault as much as the technique. This is especially true here where I know that having a boot with more travel than your ankle only causes heel lift when you try to exceed your bodys limitations. That is by definition a technique error

I'd be curious to see the rest of your setup and footage of you riding. I can understand if the boots are too soft, but range of motion is a good thing, you almost never hear about range of motion negatively. And if your heel is lifting, itll lift regardless of the cuffs range. I think you might be leaning on the cuffs and not pressuring the board correctly. That can basically lever your foot out of the boot, which creates false forward lean if your heel lifts- and cause pain from the buckles. If its not technique, it could just be your boot is too big.

Definitely get into coaching. I couldnt take the time to enter races this year or travel around racing, but im very passionate about the sport and wanted to stay involved and take advantage of the chance to give back. I helped coach Mammoth High School 3 hours a day 3 days a week. I loved it, and I learned so much from it. It was very stimulating and fun to work with the same handful of riders each session. You really develop a sense of what works with every individual kid. My personal thoughts too.. I dont mean do paid instructing or coaching. I like to be personally invested in it for what it is, not for money. As everyone can relate to I already trade 50 hours a week for money, may as well do something for fun when im free. Its way more fun than the paid instructor route IMO. And really the best way to start is to find a riding buddy who wants to race with you and do chalk Gs courses until the resort tells you not to. Always easier to ask for forgiveness. Also, you mentioned you did NorAm freestyle in another thread right? do you have connections through fellow athletes to coaches and programs you could help out on the alpine/bx side? I know a lot of usasa centered teams often only really have freestyle coaches.

You know, I've been on these forums almost 5 years, and had that Grateful Dead bear there for over year, and I just now realized that between the username and the picture I have inadvertently made myself look like the forum's resident drug user.

I'll trade you a Factory Prime for that softboot carver. Trust me, I'm doing you a huge favor. ;)

Post in the Utah section to hook up with other riders in your area. The basic shape of the Swoard was first drawn around the same time as your Rossi, and its construction just really isn't up to date with the current crop of alpine boards. You'd probably do really well with a used new school race board, they are sometimes quite wide because racers tend to prefer low angles. New boards in general have a lot of the good traits of a soft board, no awkward tippy low speed carves and they soak up bumps as if they are noodles- even if they aren't. Edit: Just saw your other post, looks like you're aiming to buy new. Instead of getting the Swoard, get the Donek Proteus from Bomber for $100 more. Donek's stuff is cutting edge and gets revised multiple times per season. Going from that Rossi to a board like the Proteus is like going from driving a shopping cart to a race car.