SunSurfer

Your SnowPro Race bindings are an old but solid design, and those look like the version with 6mm thick bails. They have built in 3 degree lateral tilt (cant) which is not appropriate at the the angles needed to ride this, or indeed most alpine snowboards. The bindings can be adjusted for up to 3 degrees of lift and the inbuilt cant can be removed but this requires home made wedges and new appropriate length screws to hold the toe and heel pieces to the metal base. SnowPros cannot be set to angles higher than approx. 60-65 degrees. They are a relatively limited adjustment design. Some people still happily ride this design, but not many.

Intriguing hinge design revealed in the Setup guide. A kind of rotating cam, a little like the adjustment mechanism for hardboot cuff canting. Thanks @WinterGold

Road from Libby to Turner access road is sealed, and in 2023 when I was at MCC was cleared fairly quickly after fresh snow. The access road is unsealed and effectively one-way. There is a decent depth ditch on the uphill side of the access road. I was driving an all wheel drive SUV hire, which was not provided with snow tyres and no option for chains, and ended up sliding into the ditch on a morning with lots of fresh snow. (Got towed out by the groomer ) Having driven in snow with chains many times in New Zealand, I would have been much more confident driving a 2 wheel drive with chains on. Chains just need practice and there are tricks to getting them on and off quickly.

Part 1 of a 4 part soft boot extreme carve instruction series, with English captions.

Soft boot extreme carving with positive binding angles.

At most participating resorts Ikon gives 7 days riding. At only a few did it provide a season pass. To make the most of a pass we had to travel, and for many of the possible resorts the accommodation costs were eye-watering. My suspicion is that part of the reason the pass prices are relatively low is that the passes are a loss leader, to get people spending at the resorts, and that there may be some sort of background distribution of costs between the ski field operators and the accommodation and hospitality operators.

Extreme weather events are predicted to become more frequent with rising temperatures. The article below examines some of the complexity, uncertainty, and consequences from recent extremely intense rainfall events on the East coast of Australia. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/06/flash-flooding-cyclones-global-heating-australia-wild-weather

I made reasonable use of an Ikon pass in 2023, but I had an extra advantage, I'm in New Zealand. A 2023 Ikon pass could be bought early and used for up to 7 days total during either the 2022 or 2023 seasons at NZ Ski resorts (Hutt, Coronet, Remarkables) I was also planning a trip to MCC for Feb 2023 with side servings of Aspen and Revelstoke. So I got my money's worth out of it.

The linked video is about the geometry of stances. It will explain what they mean about a narrower stance, as well as a whole lot of other stuff. It should help you find comfort and function, no matter what angles and stance distance on the board you finally choose.

Nothing wrong with BLACK, ALL BLACK. National colour where I'm from (with a discrete silver fern if want some contrast).

Actually, from a Bomber plan of the UPM, it's 129mm. Don't ask why it's 129mm, I have no idea.

Finding a way to put that collective wisdom on stances into a more generally accessible form, be that written or video, would be useful. Stance advice seems to be one of those things that is often asked for on the ASB Forum.

The relationship between SCR, flex, and board performance is complex. In addition, wider stances result in less bend for a constant rider mass and G force.

@lamby re-reading your post. I am a firm proponent of stepins for on-piste riding, especially for older riders with stiffer backs. I ride F2 Race Intec bindings (and Bomber TD3 Intec) and find that technique and board damping are my major "softeners". I actually appreciate the instant response the firm lateral hold of Intecs provides given that I put my boards on edge using lateral foot pressure rather than a heel/toe technique. I have my Intec cables mounted on the inner side of my boots after the outside caused heel pain through focal pressure from the cable despite moulding the liners. I also use extensions on the release handles, fed through the lower end of the vent zips on my trousers to make them easier to grab and have the snow cuffs completely down over my boots.

Step-ins need you to step in and exert downward pressure, even to release. I've found that tricky at times when I've fallen in deep soft snow. Not sure I would pick step-ins for a primarily powder board. I'm not a frequent powder rider, which may explain why I fall more often, and haven't worked out the best techniques for me in those conditions.

Attending MCC 2023 was a like a pilgrimage, something a carving snowboarder should do at least once in their life. It was an adventure, with lots that was new and different for a New Zealander visiting Montana for the first time, like driving a hire car on the "wrong" side of the road in winter without snow tyres or chains (cue a diversion into a snow filled ditch and a tow from the snow groomer). There was off the snow fun too, the roller skating night and the banquet band being highlights that DR hasn't mentioned above. But most of all for me, it was gathering with my "tribe" and catching up with old acquaintances. With climate change and the impact of air travel I may never make the trip to Libby again. But I have wonderful memories, as do the 2 skiers who came along for the ride with me!

Suspect that the motion we're seeing is relative to the camera mounted on the nose of the board. Rider tilts the board midsection, but nose and tail don't tilt to quite the same amount due to board twist.

IMHO spring setup depends in part on the technique you use to tilt the board onto its edge and to control and maintain the edge angle. Heel & toe OR Sides of the feet I tilt my board by creating a sense of putting my weight onto the left or right sides of my feet. For me the springs are acting like the suspension system on a mountain bike, helping my quads muscles absorb the bumps in the riding surface and allowing my lower legs to move through a safe range of movement to facilitate that shock absorption. My front lower leg needs a smaller range of movement than my rear. If you ride more using heel and toe weight distribution then your goals for your springs are likely to be different. Because I don't ride in that way, I won't make comment about how to set the springs for that technique.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/us-canada/301031951/snow-at-record-low-in-us-making-for-not-a-very-white-christmas What I'm reading in the Southern Hemisphere about the northern hemisphere snow cover.

What, no nocturia? Or......(TMI)

Go to Aspen! A few years ago I had one of my best days ever, carving with @slopestar and others at Buttermilk during a previous AFC gathering. All the stars lined up, good snow and grooming, blue skies, and great company. At the end of the day I couldn't stop smiling and I could barely walk!

@patmoore You gotta buy better beer.

@arcingSent you a message. Appropriate combinations of lift and cant are related to the individual rider's physique and stance choices.

That's not good news, whatever the reason Dan is out of action. I bought my boots through him a few years back, a very smooth process. Getting equipment for our sport in New Zealand is never entirely straightforward. Thanks @martock_carver for the information.