GavinB

Hi Randy I only saw and read this thread now..so replying to you a bit late. But here is my story: Prior to going to Aspen this February to the WCS (World Carving Session) with Joerg and the gang from Pureboarding ... I was riding a PRIOR 169cm 4WD, (Stiff) Head Pro Stratus Boots and TD3 Sidewinder Bindings and had been dreaming about learning to EC and getting a SWOARD. Once in Aspen, Joerg let my use a BASTARD 162 (I tried the 169 and it was a bit difficult for me) He also gave me a pair of (flexible) 27.5 Raichle Boots to use and his Bindings .... I now ride with the Back Boot in the WALK mode with very loose straps and the Front boot in the RIDE mode with not so tight straps. This helps you bend your knees and get down really low. I spent the next 13 days trying to keep up with the Pureboarding guys .... They used the Bastard & the Black Diamond mostly and I think I only saw a TWO on display at the Pureboarding Dinner. They did the Jumps in the Park, They did the Moguls, They did The Highlands Bowl, they rode in Soft Powder and Lay Down Flat on the Groomed Runs ... ALL with the same boards they were using every day ...no matter what they did / where they went / what conditions there were. NO QUIVER OF BOARDS NEEDED. That IS Joergs slogan ... SURF THE SNOW .... Same board for ALL conditions !!! I struggled to learn to EC with them as I was spending my time and all my effort just trying to keep up with them. I followed them places I had never been before and never thought I would go ... ie Hiking up Highlands Bowl and riding all the way down. I was too scared to go over the jumps witht them...but do want to learn that some day ...as I have fallen hard before going over an unexpected jump ... I switched back to my PRIOR for a day and was very happy to go back to my Borrowed BASTARD !! Bottom line ... I was not sure I would ever be able to learn to EC...no matter which board I had by the time I left Aspen ... But I ordered a 162 BASTARD from Joerg, I bought the Raichle Boots and their Bindings and back home I went. Once back home and practicing on my own ...things suddenly clicked ...as I was NOT racing to keep up with the rest of the Pureboarding Gang .... and I could practice slowly in my own time. I knew what I had to do ... I just had to keep practicing and practicing the skills and drills they showed me in Aspen. I honestly believe that Joergs gear, The Bastard, The Bindings and the (Flexible) Raichle Boots ...helped make it all possible for me to learn to EC. I know you wrote that EC is not your primary focus ...but it was and is mine... but The Bastard and the Black Diamond go anywhere ... and most of the Pureboarding crowd LOVE their Pureboarding Boards or wish they had one. I have never ridden a SWORD so cannot compare them. Personally I did NOT like the top sheet on the Black Diamond.... it is too GLOSSY BLACK for my liking.... I prefer MATT BLACK. I actually liked the Top Sheet on the TWO ...but then the Top Sheet on the BASTARD grew on me and now I really like it a lot. Needless to say ... it stands out on the Mountain and I get LOTS of comments on it and my set up now. I am in touch with Joerg ... so if there is anything I can help you with please let me know. I also know Dan in Canada and Ray on the East Coast who are VERY involved with Joerg and Pureboarding and they also know a million times more than me ... so I can put you in touch with them as well. Obviously coming out to the WCS and SES on the West Coast would be a great idea as you could get to demo all these boards .. and do some Clinics with the Pure Boarding guys and ride with them as much as you want. I actually want to help them set up some extra clinics for the newbies to EC and Pure Boarding ... as before they were more in the Ride and Keep Up If You Can mode !!! I'm sure I have left out some stuff ... so feel free to ask me anything if you have any other questions. Bottom line ... I LOVE my Bastard and it has changed snowboarding for me. I know people say it is NOT the BOARD but the RIDER ... But I am NOT a GREAT snowboarder and NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET from having the GEAR that makes it EASIEST for ME to do what I want to do. and the BASTARD did just that for ME !!! I ride ALL over Mount Hood in Oregon in ALL conditions with my Bastard now. I know they are also GREAT on ICE ...but I still need to learn to master that. The guys can lie down flat on the ICE when they are carving.... The Pureboarding boards are VERY versatile...that is for sure. BTW ...Don't ask me any TECHNICAL stuff ...as I have no interest in that. That you can ask Joerg, Dan or Ray ... I just ride and have fun. Gavin

RE: Bryans Timberline Posting .... For those who do not know .... Timberline Spring Pass is only $110....and good till May 28th http://www.timberlinelodge.com/play/skiing-snowboarding/spring-pass/ So really cheap if you come out here for 5 days or more. BUT ... if it is the PALMER run you are coming for ... Call ahead and make sure it is OPEN .... I tried to get an answer from them the other day as to when it will be operating again... but they really don't seem to know for sure .. the lady even pulled out all her records for me and we went back to the previous years when they had similar snow levels.. It could open by the end of April .. or it could only open in Mid May ... or even later .. Apparently they NEED 2 weeks of GOOD Weather to clear and open the Palmer lift. But Magic Mile and those below it are open now.... so still lots of fun. So will start going there in May after Meadows closes during the week at the end of April. but I do have my Timberline Pass already ...so can go there any day in April ...if it seems better to go there than to Meadows, conditions wise. Meadows is about 20 minutes drive closer to my house (I think) ...so prefer to go to Meadows until they close during the week. There is virtually NOBODY at Meadows now during the week.

Hi Dan .... (and any others who read it) Ooops !!! I made a mistake in my thread a day ago .... I mixed up my LEFT and RIGHT / FRONT and BACK !!!! I have edited the post ... But ..Here is the correction .... From: #2: I changed my equipment. "Front Boot in the RIDE MODE ... Rear Boot in the WALK mode ... and the boot straps as loose as possible ...especially on the BACK boot ...which was totally foreign to me ...and HARD to accept and adjust to." Sorry about that ... Gavin

Hi Bryan Meadows was fun today ... Cascade Express did not open... Vista Express opened soon after Noon .. so spent my time there ... Snow was soft .. so just practiced getting really LOW without lying on the snow.. On this Toe Side Drill ... my right hand is low on my right front boot and my left forearm is flat on the snow... This feels natural and perfect now! BUT ... The Heel Side Drill is much more difficult for me and I am less in control ... so need LOTS more practice .. It feels very unnatural and awkward still ...but getting better very slowly but surely. In this Heel Side Drill, I grab the front of my board with my LEFT hand and drag my right hand in the snow... Makes my back thigh muscle tired and sore in a hurry ... Need to do lots of steps TWO at a TIME this summer !!! (there are 400 in Hood River next to my house) !! I had my iphone with today to take some photos to post ... but I did not see anything worth taking a photo of ...so no photos tonight. Tline yesterday was fun with my friends and my wife (BOTH beginner snowboarders) Magic Mile was a mix of Icy Crust and patches of Soft Silky Smooth areas ... So was fun for me seeking out the SOFT SMOOTH SILKY spots and trying to stay on those... then discovered that there was a very narrow band of silky smooth soft snow along the very edge of the groomed area ... so I stayed in that very narrow band and raced down Magic Mile. My friends took their 4 yr old Daughter up Magic Mile for the 1st time .... (previously only on buttercup)....That was not a great idea due to the Crusty patches. It was also cold and windy up there ... so we moved down to Jeff Flood which was really nice and easy riding for them. BTW ... Does anybody have a WIFE, GIRLFRIEND or DAUGHTER that is a SLOW RIDER .... I really need to find a SLOW RIDER for my wife to ride with.... so I don't have to "babysit" all the time. She can ride most of the runs and LOVES snowboarding .. but has NO interest in riding FAST ... Loves to enjoy the snow ...stop ... lie in the snow ...ride ... rest in the snow ... play in the snow ...ride etc. I have learnt to be very patient ... but would be really nice to have somebody for her to ride slowly with ... so I can keep going at my pace some of the time. Thanks.... Gavin

Hey Bryan ... Sure ... I will start taking some photos ... especially now that it is warming up and I won't mind taking my gloves off !!! Time to head up to Meadows. Will hopefully add a photo later tonight.

Hi Bryan .... I just wrote a long reply about today at timberline .. and then erased it by mistake ... Not rewriting it now as we are going to Bonneville Hot Springs now. But thanks for starting this Timberline Thread and for the links. Much appreciated. Gavin

Hi Bryan ... Thanks ... We are leaving in 15 min for Timberline... Will look for new thread when we get back from timberline and Bonneville Hot Springs afterwards... and will give a report on the new thread as well. Thanks again Gavin

Can anybody give me a link to a DETAILED Conditions Report for Timberline please. Meadows is saying it is raining up there a bit and not so good there today. but have friends in town that are leaving soon .. so wondering if it is better to go to Timberline today ... But I don't want to go up there if it is raining at all. As much as I love snowboarding ... I am not into riding with a PONCHO !!! Thanks so much Gavin

Hi Dan and ??? ... Look forward to riding with you to. So funny that you are asking ME for EC pointers ... as you can ask Bryan and many others how I bugged them for years until just before Aspen in Feb 2012. In Feb I went to the WCS and things really changed for me there. #1: I had help, advice and guidance for 12 days there. I did not improve there much, if any ... BUT ... I knew what I had to try and do and what I needed to practice when I got back home. I thought I would NEVER get it right ...then all of a sudden it started clicking. You don't know my snowboard history ...but that is mainly because I do not have much of a Snowboard History .... EC has been my driving force and focus since I started snowboarding a few years ago ago ...and never had anybody to guide or teach me .. so I watched videos online and tried to teach myself ...which DID NOT WORK at ALL !!! I swore I would go to the WCS for the past few years ... but each time it came around ... I backed out cause I did not want to spend the $$$ on going to ASPEN !!! This Feb I made a booking ...then cancelled the trip ....then rebooked and went. It changed EVERYTHING for me. #2: I changed my equipment. I went from a PRIOR 4WD with CATEK Bindings .... to using TD3 Sidewinders ....using HEAD Boots .... I read online that I had to cut the plastic on my Head Boots and Change the springs to make them more flexible ... I ordered the Springs ... I never installed them and was too nervous to cut away at my boots ...so did none of that stuff. And off to Aspen I went .... with a Prior 4WD, TD3's and Head Pro Stratos Boots.... As soon as I got to the WCS ... I was told that my boots and bindings were TOO STIFF and that I needed NEW Boots and NEW Bindings and a NEW BOARD ... They encouraged me to keep using my current gear and they did say it is more about the Rider than about the GEAR ... but I am NOT a good rider and don't have the experience 99% of others riders have ...nor their SKILL at snowboarding ... so I really felt that I NEEDED all the help I could get .... from the MORE CORRECT GEAR for the TASK of EC. So they gave me one of their Boards to try with their bindings and the very flexible Reichley (how ever you spell it) boots they use. Front Boot in the RIDE MODE ... Rear Boot in the WALK mode ... and the boot straps as loose as possible ...especially on the BACK boot ...which was totally foreign to me ...and HARD to accept and adjust to. I believe over the next few weeks ... These adjustments and changes have made all the difference to me. YOU HAVE TO GET REALLY LOW ... (putting your BUTT on your rear boot) ... and I think that is really difficult to do with the STIFF BINDINGS and STIFF BOOTS that you guys are most likely using... #3: My new board ... is slightly wider and shorter than my previous Prior ... I widened my stance and INCREASED the angles of my bindings ... My new board is also very light ... and I am sure there are MANY other technical differences which I have NO CLUE about ... but have no doubt you guys and Bryan etc could discuss for hours ...as I have NO clue about that stuff ... i just clip in and ride ... I know NOTHING of the TECHNICAL stuff ...as I am sure Bryan will confirm !!! Anyway ... bottom line is ... I am BRAND NEW at this ... only been doing it since AFTER FEB 2012 ...although been trying for YEARS. But would gladly ride with you guys and show you what to practice and what to try and do .... But in MY case ...it may be a little bit of the BLIND LEADING THE BLIND !!! BUT IT WILL BE FUN !!! I always thought most of the HARD BOOTERS out there FROWNED upon those who did EC .... So it was very nice to see you write that you wanted some pointers !!! I have convinced my MENTOR to come out from TORONTO Canada next Spring ... so for sure we can set up a little EC Clinic when he comes here ... he is a GREAT guy and LOVES to spread the word about EC ... so I know he would be STOKED to ride with you guys and REALLY ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS.. and show you all he knows ..in ways I cannot do. For those of you who have been to the SES .... I am sure you have seen the European PURE BOARDING GUYS doing their EC stuff .... It is a LOT of FUN .... although not so good for your clothes and gloves !!! Not sure what I have left out ...but can talk more later ... got to see where to ride today as I have friends in town to play in the snow. That's all for now .... Look forward to having some fun with you on the snow. I'm going to get a Spring Pass for Timberline as well ...possibly today. Gavin

Hey Bryan... thanks for the Timberline Ticket Update .... I'm probably going to buy a Timberline Spring Pass anyway so I can ride till the end of May... Also ...seriously thinking about the Summer Pass ..even though I said I would never go back there in the summer .. but ..it is 50% off if you buy the SPRING PASS .... so may JUST BE WORTH it for ME this year. but not sure if I will or will not yet ...will see how things go there in MAY first. I'm not a big fan of all those race kids up there and being forced to ride on the side on the ungroomed areas. BUT ...want to keep practicing as much as I can before ASPEN in Feb next year.

Yep ... Sorry I missed you guys ... I was on the lift up Stadium around 9am ...but it was all blocked off. It was a bit too ICY for me up there anyway ... still have to master the ICY Slopes. So went over to CASCADE Express and Vista Express and had fun with my friends over there. I think I saw you guys at the bottom of Cascade Express when I was going up Vista... but never saw you again. It sure was surprisingly empty today ...at least in the morning .... we left at lunch time ... as we have been up there practically every day for a while now .... we are thinking about taking tomorrow off ...but not 100% sure yet... anyway .... hopefully we will cross paths up there sooner or later.

Hey Bryan NO ... Leave it there ... I have no problem with it being there at all ... just never expected it to show up there. BUT it's totally OK for you to leave it there !!! Gavin

Hey Bryan ... Wow ...that was fast ...Did not expect my video to show up on this forum ! but as they say ...News Travels Fast ...and NOTHING sent over the Internet is private anymore !!! :o) Hope your back feels better soon and I get to see you up at Meadows soon. Hi Dan ... I'll be up at Meadows again for sure tomorrow (Easter Sunday). IF Stadium is groomed like it was today ... I will most likely be there again around 9 or 9:15 AM on and off for most of the morning ... I'm Practicing as much as I can what I learned in Aspen in February ...so I am NOT the WORST Carver again in Aspen NEXT February !!! Seeing as we are having such a GREAT Spring Season ... I figure I have a chance at improving quite a bit before the end of this season still. I have NON Carving friends visiting with a 4 yr old kid...so have to ride elsewhere with them as well tomorrow and have a picnic lunch up in the snow above Butter Cup. I will have my usual Black Pants and Red Jacket ... with PUMPKIN ORANGE bindings. I have no idea what you look like ... so stop and introduce yourself if we cross paths...and I will watch for any other Snow Boarder with Hard Boots. Hope to say see you and say Hi tomorrow.

I'll be there from 9am on Jan 28-Feb 12 - can't wait either. 12:24am now ... have to get up at 3am and leave Hood River for Portland airport at 3:30am. Still need to get some sleep. Journey begins in 2.5 hours. Gavin

That's aweful news ! I was not there ...so have no info! Rushing to get ready for Aspen... So I am safe and sound at home!! Leaving my house at 3:30am Hope no serious injuries to any of those riders !! Gavin

I have a pair of CATEK OS2's if you are interested. They fit my 28.5 Head Boots. I just switched to TD3 Sidewinders !

Hey Bryan ... And this photo is to prove that I thought about coming to look for you at Shooting Star area !!! But decided that I would leave you alone to ride the Awesome snow today ... and not bother you with following me with your video camera etc on such a great day. Maybe next time I will hunt you down ...or ...call you on the radio !!! But will have to be after ASPEN as I am not sure I should go to Meadows again this week as I will be away for 16 days.

Meadows was awesome today. I rode from 9am till 12:30pm. Great snow, Blue Sky, No Wind, No lift lines, no Crowds. A perfect Monday !!! (unlike the ZOO on Sunday) Wanted to stay all day ...but had to come home to do some work. I caught a glimpse of some Alpine Rider under my chair on my last ride up HRM. Bryan no doubt will leave a more detailed report !!!

On the 29th Feb Timberline Lodge is offering a QUEEN ROOM, Normally $235 to $250 per night for only $75 ($80 including Room Tax) Then if you buy 10 Gallons of Gas at a Shell Gas Station you can get a "Buy One Get One Free" Lift Ticket Voucher. This combo of Deals works out perfectly, if you can take this mid week off, as the 29th Feb is a Wednesday night and Skiers and snowboarders can use the Shell Gas Lift Ticket vouchers on Tuesdays through Thursdays at Timberline Lodge. So you and your Wife, Girlfriend or friend can Snowboard on Wednesday, check in to your room at 4pm, Spend the night and ride on Thursday again. Note: The Shell Gas deal is for TWO PEOPLE Riding on the same day. YOU cannot by Two for One and use them yourself on two different days. So only saves you $$$ if there are TWO of you. But the ROOM is still a GREAT deal, even if it is just you alone with your snowboard. I am all booked and paid for and already have 3 Shell Gas Lift Ticket Vouchers, so my wife and I are all set !! This will be our Valentines Day Outing ...as she is in Thailand now ...while I head to Aspen on the 28th January till the 12th February. Weather permitting ... we will be snowboarding at Timberline that Wednesday and Thursday (29th Feb + 1st March)

Meadows was GREAT today !! (Perfect for me that is) ! I got there around 8:40am and was in the 3rd parking row from the BACK of the main lot....A bunch of lifts were closed ...so long lines... but single line on HRM went fast even though it stretched up the slope a bit. Rode from 9am till 11:45am and then came home as the lines were long and I am going on Monday morning again. Drive there and back was very easy and fast in my Subaru with Studded Snow Tires, unlike many of the previous nasty days. Snow is really good. Huge change from recent days up there. Tomorrow should be awesome with much less people.

Gavin Behr (GavinB) I'll be there on Sunday for "Carving with Joerg"

My Carving Magazine arrived a few minutes ago ... Great looking magazine !!! I am surprised it arrived though as the one side of the very thin plastic packaging was completely torn open. Magazine is OK though and glad it made it to my house in Hood River, OR. Might be a good idea to use slightly thicker plastic ...at least for overseas shipments. Thanks for an awesome magazine. It does look like somebody opened it and took the magazine out to read, so maybe one of the postal workers was a Carver and wanted to see what all the fuss was about !!!! If that IS the case and it did not rip along the way ...Can't blame him / her for wanting to see inside the packet !!!!! Just glad they put it back and sent it on its way for me to read as well.

Hey Bryan YES ... it is definitely SAFE to say that I would like to sell my CATEK OS2's. I will most likely use those $$$ to go towards additional TD3 SideWinder parts for my SWOARD Gen 4, which I am pretty sure will be on it's way to me in the very near future. Will be going back to Meadows this afternoon .... will probably be there from 2pm till 4 pm or so. BTW ...NOBODY has those 5mm Plastic T Handle Allen Keys in Hood River ... (the flat ones that is) ... Will look online tonight.

Saw the Meadows message this morning that "ALL PARKING LOTS ARE FULL" so arrived there at 1:30PM and got the PERFECT parking spot. Went up VISTA EXPRESS with my wife (a very beginner Snowboarder) It was COLD and WINDY and virtually ZERO VIZ. Hard for me to ride with head turned back watching for her not to get lost .... The snow was great... but I then stayed on Buttercup with her...helping her to link her turns instead of sliding down the hill on her heel side. She did MUCH better today. A huge improvement. I even had some fun and MOST OF ALL ... LOVE the fact that my new TD3 SideWinders are SOOOOOOOO easy to clip into. So easy to stand on the slope and clip in. What a pleasure !!!!! No more frustration ...AND ... now I have to wait for others instead of them having to wait for me !!! What a pleasure !!! We will be going back tomorrow .... but may stay on HRM if it is too cold, windy and low vis higher up, as higher winds are expected tomorrow. Needless to say ... I did NOT see ANY OTHER Alpine Boards / Hard Booters on Butter Cup. Hope I am not damaging the Hard Booting Clans reputation by hanging out with the wife on Butter Cup !!!

Hi NSSage I am currently riding a PRIOR 4WD and have been using CATEK OS2's for the past 3 years and just yesterday replace them and used my new TD3 SideWinders. They were great and much SIMPLER to mount (and remount)... and more importantly, are one of the bindings that SWOARD guys recommend for EC as they are not as stiff as the OS2's. As for which size and flex board etc to get ... there is a TABLE on their website: http://www.extremecarving.com/swoard/choose.html Then look under: Model Extremecarver - generation 4 :w the instructions below. Then after you get an idea of what you need ... call Michelle at Bomber and talk to her. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination .... but have made a few inquiries already as I am seriously looking at getting one while in Aspen at the SES / WCS in February. The SWOARD guys also recommended changing the springs in my HEAD PRO STRATOS boots, so I have those on the way to me now. They also recommended cutting some of the Plastic Parts off my Head Boots to get them to be more flexible ... but I am leaving that alone ...at least for now. Will look into that more when in ASPEN and make a decision that about that. Hope the above info helps you along.