Puddy Tat

The shape of the heel would fit. You might need washers on the M5 screws into the Raichle boots as the UPZ heels have a larger headed screw that threads into the plastic of the boot.

I agree with you on all your points. The RV tour is a really good idea. Kind of a mini travelling SES if you will. My intent with the Ski & Snowboard comment show is that perhaps the current OEMs and distributors band together and share the cost of this. I realize that the companies involved in this don't have a huge amount of capital laying around so sharing this cost would be a good idea. While not selling directly at the show there would be indirect sales from that effort. As stated above there is a entry level board the Donek pilot, I'm guessing if Sean was actually selling (alot) more of these then there is the chance the price on them would drop. Though between you and me the $415 he charges for the board is reasonable and on par what you would buy a mid-level SB board for during the season. There are entry level priced bindings (Snowpros, and Ibex) in the $200-$250 (cdn) price range. So our problem as someone mentioned above appears to be boots. Boots are in the 450-600 price range. So if one of teh major boot manufacturers (UPZ, Deeluxe, or Head) to producing a slightly softer boot without all the bells and whistles. Such a boot would probabl be a good cross over for AM riding as well. BTW I really like the idea of creating a demo pool and kudos to those guys who have already created one. I should see about setting up something like that here in Edmonton. Using Kijiji or Craiglist it would be easy to. This is a great idea for the alpine community. If we grow the sport then then hopefully the equipment will eventually increase. Another one A big to everyone on here for an interesting discussion. Dave

Actually I was planning to offer all the gear package in the range of $175-200 and throw in the the "bro bra" lesson. The gear is circa '94 after all. The intent being not to sell to another alpinist but to hopefully convert one of the masses. Enough on that that's not the intent of my post. You address the same problem that the industry experiences. Nobody knows we exist, and when someone does see one of us they generally don't get a chance to talk to us. Hence no lower end userbase no lower end gear. If we need larger exposure, to create this demand, perhaps it is time for the larger OEMs and distributors to look at putting a display in the major "Ski and Snowboard" shows across North America. Not with the intent of directly selling equipment, but promoting alpine. You'd need a 32" monitor and a laptop, some posters, some video of carving, some current boards, boots, and bindings to let people know this gear is out there and some pamphlets listing the companies involved in the promotion. There are huge numbers of people out there who are interested in carving that group needs to be tapped to promote the growth of this sport and to help the accessibility.

I'm with you here. Now that I've finally gotten a new board this year; I'm planning to keep the complete old set (Raichle 111s, O2 Fritsche bindings, and the F67) around to try and hook some friends. Then I'll get some shots of me carving on that set-up and post them with pics of the board on Kijiji here in Edmonton. I'll try and sell it and a half-day of riding tips (at a local hill) for $175-200. I'm hoping that way I can sell the board to a carve-interested freerider rather than another HB'r in Edmonton. This has brought to mind an interesting poll question

You're assuming that we all want to or other people who come across to hardboots will want to run gates. I didn't get into hardbooting to run gates I got into it because of early 90's Burton videos with Peter B and Jean N laying on the snow in carves and generally ripping the hell out of the cord. Racing is a subset of alpine riding as much as EC carving is. Again this is about accesiblity of equipment. The equipment today is as Jack states the best it ever has been but can that same technology be put into entry-level gear so our sub-set of snowboarding can be made accessible?

Uhh I was down at the Edmonton ski and Snowboard show (shopping for my kids) when I came across a never been ridden 147cm Burton Coil with the deal price of $1799.00. The sales guy said it "was a piece of snowboarding history". :( He came up to talk to me because I was looking at the board with a extremely stunned look on my face as my brain was in the process of rebooting due to it refusing to accept the extra 9 in the price tag. Dave

BB - Yes it is possible to find bargin used gear if you know what you are doing. But most people getting into this don't have any clue as to what is going on. I certainly didn't, even coming back to it after tens years off the amont of info is overwhelming. However you started a thread about two weeks ago "carpet carving" showing a picture including a Donek pilot, Snowpros, and UPZ RTRs. The snowpros and the RTRs would have hit <I'm guessing> $650 (more like $900 for RC10s and snowpros right now). So I'd estimate $900+ for the set-up. Assuming all gear was purchased from the OEM or a distributor. Surf Quebec - The problem here is until we won't get exposure in local shops until we have more people riding alpine which won't happen until there is entry level gear. It's kind of a vicious circle.

Yeah that is why they are so called entry-level. High-end SB set-ups (park/ and the AM freestyle?) still requiring a serious outlay of funds in excess of $1200. However becuase new entry level gear doesn't currently exist in this sub-segment it becomes difficult for us to grow. We also have a problem growing due to lack of exposure as was also pointed out. But what I'm trying to determine is that is it possible to create entry level carving equipment if we really need all that tech to make boards rideable? I can understand the discontinuation of TD2s with the advent of TD3s. There isn't a huge alpine market here so it is economically difficult for Bomber (and other companies) to develop and carry mulitple lines. The problem is that today there doesn't seem to be any entry level, and entry priced equipment. How do we grow? People go ga-ga when they see an alpine rider carving under the lift. I've had people say to me "my son wants to turn like you someday" the parent and the kid were on skis but that is another matter. These are people who want to get into this sport, but there isn't an avenue because the entry level gear doesn't currently exist. Yes an informed person can get used gear for $300 but what about the rest of the masses? Alot of people have a tendency to not want to buy used gear, unless it is for their kids, who are going to ot grow it anyways. Can entry-level equipment be made for this sport? Or are we forever going to be an eliteist niche?

Bobby started a thread the other day looking around for a 'glas board with more pop. http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=26962 After a couple of days the thread seems to be headed in the metal is better direction. My understanding is that initially people were driven away from alpine because the boards got very specific and very good but would attack you if you didn't stay on top of them. This is also generalized in Bobby's thread. The thread leaves a nagging question which is that inclusion of metal, carbon fibre, and other tech goodies into the boards is making them more rideable. But obviously at the increased manufacturing gosts. What is the chance of this sport growing again if the initial investment is so high. Below the knees I've got over $2000 in boots, bindings, and snowboard. No one is going to be willing to shell that out for a sport that is an unknown to them. Even a snowboarder wanting to move to carving is going to have a tough time justifiying that initial outlay. And if they end up buying used and don't know what they are getting they may end up with say a Burton FP that is rather unridable by them. So the question is and this is almost more aimed at the board, boot, and binding manufacturers is that is there a way that entry-level equipment can be manufactured such that a new carver could get set up on entry-level equipment for below $750? Keep in mind an entry-level SB set-up is less than $500. Yes mass production will reduce cost, but I'm wondering if the tech is required to make these boards ridable is there any chance of them ever hitting that entry level price point? Dave

6'2" 215 lbs and riding agressively I'm riding UPZ RTR boots with the black tongue. Even though they are known for being stiff because of my weight and aggresiveness I can still flex the hell out of them. I should try the grey tongue this winter. Go with step-ins. They make those little hills seem bigger. I can skate towards the top of the run and clip-in without stopping. At the bottom I can clip-out as I glide into the lift line. I've got kids so I don't get out to the mountains as much as I used to. These days I'm riding little local hills in Edmonton with 200-300 ft of vertical drop. I'm personally riding TD3s and Fintecs and I love them. But my review of those is skewed as the only other binding I've ridden is a '94 O2 (Frische).

I heard back from Megan the graphic artist who did up the artwork for my "Old Metal" Schtubby. Megan was awesome to work with coming up with several different roughs of the different ideas I had and then making edits to get to the final topsheet that is now on my board. Some of these edits included me saying "more realistic looking". If anyone wants to contact her, you can drop her a line at msmith_design@yahoo.ca And another thumbs up to Bruce who kept answering my dumb questions about how to do this and what I needed to get because this is the first alpine board I've purchased in 15 years. Dave

Thanks for the comments. I dropped the artist an email. She's out of town for a few days. I'll post her name and email if she gives me permission. Unfortunately it turns out the look isn't quite as original as I was hoping. I wanted to go with a "metal" looking board. Then I thought about how aircraft skins looked intricate with all the riveting. I ended up with three topsheet ideas. 1. A new board just being covered in shiny metal, wood core partially exposed 2. A new board completely covered in shiny metal, lots of rivets 3. A old metal board, rusty, patched, with exposed weathered looking wood core in places. I said to the artist think "Post Apocalyptic Armour". I ended up choosing the old board after the artist did some samples of all three ideas. After the graphics had been finalized and sent off for printing a buddy of mine pointed out that there is actually a similar looking Donek topsheet. At which point I was like :( :o. So now I appear have a Coiler that is masquerading as a Donek, talk about being on the fence:rolleyes:. I think the level of detail in my topsheet is a little higher than in the Donek sheet. The artist used images of corroded metal and assembled the topsheet from those. Dave

two more detail shots. Oh let it snow...let it snow...let it snow. Dave

My new Coiler Schtubby arrived last week. Woohoo! No more babying my circa '94 Oxygen F67 through the corners. I'm waiting to put the TD3s on the board until the artist who did the topsheet gets a chance to see it. I held them up to the board, the red, aluminum and yellow colours match this board beautifully. The artist did a phenomenal job on the details of the topsheet. The rivets look like they are standing off of the board. You can see peeling and chipping paint. In one area where there is oxidized copper, you can see through to wood core. I'm loving it.

I'll be there for either the Saturday or the Sunday. Sporting a new Schtubby... uh right... maybe I should rephrase that. Dave edit. - Lost my place to stay and I can only take so many weekends away from the family. Sorry (-1). Dave

Cory, I'm using the Thundercloud full gauntlet glove here in Edmonton. I just slide a liner (essentially a Burton pipe glove) in and I'm good to go. Admittedly maybe not as cold in Edmonton as it is in "Winterpeg" but I was riding in -26C like that. Dave

A pair of ice climbing (or mountaineering) boots might be pretty similar to what you are looking for. The boots soles would be completely rigid as it has to hold a crampon. You'd just need to make sure it came high enough up your calf to function well in the SB binding. Some brands are "La Sportiva" and "Scarpa" Dave

I love my UPZ RTRs. I've got the black version. Now this was probably just me but when I first got the boot I had an old set of Oxygen (Fritsche) bindings and I found it difficult to get the heel bail on the rear binding to slide into the slot on the boot. This was likely due to the bindings being fixed at a 6 deg inward canting and the UPZ sole being so short it was difficult to see the slot. I've since upgraded to TD3 stepins and Fintecs. I love the stiffness of the boots and the whole interface. As an aside I used to get wicked shin bang both from my Raichle 111's and the UPZs. When I upgraded to the TD3s I gave myself a couple of degrees of outward canting and bye-bye shin bang; it turns out I'm a little bowlegged. Who knew? Dave

Bring on the snow. I just put the boat away, and have started cycling to kick start the quads for carving season. As an aside if it weren't for these shoulder seasons where its too cold for watersports and not cold enough for snowsports I'd never have time for major projects at the cabin or house. :rolleyes: Dave

I generally do it after a couple of margaritas while wearing a french maid outfit... ah wrong vice... I see you meant vise I have a set of swix snowboard vises see link http://www.spadout.com/p/swix-snowboard-vise/ The top allows you to clamp the board when it is in a vertical position (on edge). Alternately you can narrow and widen the top for when the board is horizontal depending on whether you are tuning a Virus or a Coiler monster. Cheers, Dave

Nidecker A.C.T. 1 's?

Colour on this years track 700 is still nasty though. Or perhaps tasty as its a little candy caney looking.

That's a beautiful boat and I'd love to wakeboard, ski, barefoot, but not wakesurf behind it. I've only ever wakesurfed once. It was this summer behind an Air Nautique (not mine) and it was amazingly fun. But you really shouldn't be wakesurfing behind an outdrive, stern drive, or anything with an exposed prop. You are riding so close to the boat that wiping while the stern drive was trimmed up could put you in the prop. Everything I've ever seen says only ride behind an inboard. Here's my experience and admittedly it was my first (and only) day so maybe I was a little closer to the boat than people who are better at this but often the tip of the board looked like it was right over (or would pass over) the swim platform. On my last ride that day I wiped when my weight got a touch forward while I was trying to find the sweet spot on the wake and the board accelerated down the slope of the wake and before I could slow it bumped into the back edge (transom) of the boat. Had the boat been a trimmed up stern drive rather than an inboard I don't think I'd be making (or at least I wouldn't have the fingers to type) this reply right now. Cheers, Dave

If you want to sell the Ultra Prime I know someone who would likely take it off of you. He used to ride Burton FPs back in the late 90s and thinks they are or were the best thing since sliced bread. If you are interested drop me a line with the board specs (year, length, etc) at webbed@shaw.ca and I'll forward it onto him. Cheers, Dave

Nidecker Nano? 132cm. SCR is 6m. I haven't taken it to the type of slope that you describe. I did find that you really had to stomp landings as there is no tail to fall back onto and save you. The board is stiff to the point of being carvable and is hence super fun in softies. Basically the snowboard equivalent of snowblades. I've found the shorter length really limits the top speed of the board , and I strongly suspect its a submarine in anything that resembles powder (especially with my 210lbs :)SS on it). Overall though really fun, though again I hadn't considered it for a super steep powder fest. Cheers, Dave