Snowman

I ride 10+ year old Burton Race Stockers and Burners, regularly! Think Snow!

Scott-try to initate your heelside turn buy leading with your head, upper body and hands. Drive the turn, look way into the turn with your eyes/head and follow with pronounced rotation of upper body. Usually when you start washing out your tuns it means your upper and lower body are out of sinc and you are loosing the ability to hold and pressure your board through out the turn. Lead with the upper body, commit and dive the turn as hard as you are able and continue looking as far into the turn as possible. Think Snow!

Height is the big hold back at the moment. I forget how tall it would be with currnet parts available but it was up there. It's being thought about alot! So stay tuned!

Keep in mind that Keystone is still a great place to ride. I don't think it was by any means a planned attack on "alpine", mayby snowboarders in general but not a specific attack on alpine. Also, the level of burnout that most resort mtn employees is staggering, and with the resorts all short staffing seasonal burnout sets in much quicker. Then, add in the geriatriac factor afflicting most mtn host staff you have a recipe for hair trigger tempers. I am not condoning Mr. mtn host course of action nor the mtn managers response to Fin on this issure, but it is time for the mtn's professional staff to be more observant and active with on slope safety starting with the snow riders 10 commandments. These rules are clearly written, lawyer approved and never enforced! So, be easy with the boycott and send along some effective, well written and direct responses to the appropriate people and lets see what happens. Just sayin, that all. Think Snow!

This is my response the the Patrol manager at Keystone. Please, if you choose to email them, keep it clean. Dear Sirs I have been a season pass holder for some time with Vail Resorts and over the years I have had the opportunity to observe your rmountain and its sefety related employees working. Something that has become extremely clear to me is that your enforcement of the rules is more often than not, discrimanatory and very over zealous. Your recent speed control efforts have been quite the topic of dicussion on a web site that I frequent and there is video of this arqument, but it seems that VR (Keystone Patrol) is remaining steadfast on this over zealous and over forceful enforcement of speed infractions when a person is clearly completely in control, staying far to the side of the trail, and above all bothering no one except for a couple of yellow coats who I am guessing might still have a problem with snowboarders after all these years! How about approaching safety from a standpoint of the skier/snowboarder responsibility code and enforcing the rules as written in that code. Lets start with skiing/boarding in control, downhill person has right of way its your responsibility to avoid them, stop on the side of the trail where visible from above ect ect. Its these bacic and important rules that seem to be seldom enforced and clearly the most important. Copper use to be the leader of lousey on mountain rules enforcement but they have made a hugh effort to educate the patrol/Mtn host staff to be observant and polite, not mountain gastapo! Although I am a pass holder, I bring my kids who are not pass holders, and many other friends and family who spend large amounts of money to enjoy all of the facilities the VR has to offer. Keeping in mind that coming to your mountains cost a trememdous amount of money, it would be appreciated if your professional staff could act more as a pleasant host instead of a power tripping jerks and treat people as if they have spent a pile of money. I would assume that repeat business is of the utmost importance to you and if you want my repeat business, I would suggest a refesher couse on customer relations and courtsey. I have been around the snow sports industry for many years in many capacities, and while I know that the season can get long, customers can be unreasonable, conditions can be lousey, YOU are in the hospitality business; soo, try to be more hospitable! Here is a link to some post responses that you may or may not be interested in. http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28054 Thanks for your time Mark Kress 970-509-9222 Grand Lake, Colorado

Mrs. Wrangler-do you know if they are running a Super G again this year? Pulled up the web site for Cooper and kind of answered my own question. GS scheduled for Jan 3rd, Downhill Jan 17th and two more Cooper Cup races scheduled in Feb with no specified format. They ususlly cover all formats so I will assume the two races in Feb will be super g and slalom. Think Snow!

BUSTED! You better slow that thing way down!

Thats a scary franken boot repair. Don't know if I would ride that for very long. Are those self tapping sheet metal screws in the bottom row?!?!?!? Also, I am wondering if this a temperature induced failure? Think Snow!

Ooops! Yes, I meant metal. I have Christmas brain freeze. Think Snow!

Keep in mind that new school metal and old glass boards are two very different machines. Metal boards are very good at smoothing out all the junk that gets in your way and provide you a very smooth, comfortable jar free ride. This is a product of the super increased dampness. Dampness comes at the cost of snap or pop. Soo, one has to make up their minds as to what you want. Smooth comfortable ride=metal, aggressive, powerfull and snappy ride=glass. Metal and glass are not an apples to apples compraision. Denfinately different machins disigned to achieve the the same results throught different mechanics. Think Snow!

Raichle 700s on everything. Burners, Donek, Prior Split, Fish, Volkl cross. Timeeeee you know softies just aren't for me. Speaking of big powder days, you getting any? Think Snow!

Don't do it Bobby!

:biggthumpI'm in.

Vick--Where in Cheeseland do you live? Where do you ride?

The flex of these new boards is hard for someone like me who prefers stiff boards to get use to. Its a whole new animal and there in is a big part of how these new boards work. They do what I call flubber. Watch a rider hammering down the run and observe the non engaged side of the board. They bend, twist, warp, flop what ever you might call it but this is how they can dissapate all of the chop, ice and other variations that you run over and smooth it all out. Its very stange to watch a board bending this way but it works very very well.

Fatski-don't let the large tail radi spook you. I know the way you ski and assume the your snowboarding is on the same level and I am confident that you would love it. Just imagine the range available with a 10m difference tip to tail. I hope the these larger sidecuts become more prevalant as for now I think Donek is pushing the envelope farther than the others. It just makes your available bag of trick larger. It is a very comfortable ride. If you get out here this winter I will get you on one.

Keep in mind that the new and old tech are bacisally two different machines that achieve the same result differently. Old stiff boards do it through power, mass and stiffness, new boards achieve it through dmapening, multiple radi sidecuts and decambering. The new shapes are soo much more versitale, they can do alot of different turn size/shapes. This versatility is not available on old boards primarily due to the single radi side cut. Don't get me wrong, you can still mix it up on old boards but the range is limited on what they can do. As for the 20cm waiste, it seems to be the norm and isn't going away any time soon soo it might be best to embrace it an make the adjustment.

Precision in Frisco.

Trust me, this battle has been around longer than alot of you have been snowboarding. Could potentially turn into ugliness.

I can.

JP-If you feel like changing it up, come over to Arapahoe Basin tomorrow for some blue bird delight. Its gonna be good.

Definately rotation. Look where you want to go with both the head and upper body and everything else falls into place beautifuly. The animations are spot on!

Mix it up a litte. Big turn laid back surf style with a aggressive/racer twist. Big boards are the weapon of choice, clearly! Along the lines of big wave riding. Fast and big.

You got the goods for the job! Be patient and ask questions. Welcome to Bomber! Think Snow!

Sounds like you had a very eventful first day. Awsome! It gets better each time you do it so don't stop. As for angles, on wider boards back em off but still be steep enough to not drag. Welcome to hardbootin, you may like many of us never look back! Check your liners!