Miguel

That was another favorite at Whistler! It was also my first and only experience trying to ride the T Bar on a snowboard. It took me at least six exasperating tries to finally reach the top. I must admit it was kinda cool after you got the hang of it, and the terrain was totally worth the effort. Damn, I miss that place!:(

I'm referring to the Skydiver quote at the end of your message. Being a Skydiver in my younger days, I thought I'd heard all the little catchy skydiver phrases and jokes....guess not. Anyway...thanks for triggering a flood of great memories and keep in mind......"some people climb mountains because they're there and some people jump out of airplanes because they're not!":D Miguel

OK....I guess that's been sufficiently answered. Along the same lines but with a slightly different twist, there was a lift at Whistler that scared the bejezus out of me. Keep in mind I don't get out of town much. I don't remember how high it is but suffice to say there's a hell of a lot of air between you and a huge pile of nasty rocks below. The scary part is that the exit from the lift is JUST past the lip of a shear rock cliff. That, of course, means that you must lift the bar while dangling precipitously hundreds of feet over some of the nastiest looking terrain on the planet. And you know how us boarders like to scooch forward on the lift.....forget that ****! I, of course was stuck in the middle with nothing to hold onto except my wife. I seriously thought I might wet my pants on that one! Any othe world's scariest lift stories?

I'm from the South Central part of the great state of New Yawk, Elmira to be precise. We usually hang at Greek Peak, a small but enjoyable hill with a $199.00 season pass replete with night skiing for your mid week fix after work! We're a pretty good haul from any big mountains but we manage to get out of town on occasion. Besides...sometimes it's fun being the big fish in the little pond!:D When I go to K Town I revert back to Joe Average at best!:(

From the "what it's worth" category...I find that the faster you go the softer (in general:D) you fall! It's like comparing the old skipping stone to the falling pancake! With a few exceptions, my most bone crushing falls have occurred at slower speeds. When you're railing up on edge usually the worse that happens is that you lose that edge and go into a nice controlled skid not unsimilar to sliding into home plate. All the more reason to go like hell! Good luck and in the immortal words of my dear Mother....."For God's sake be careful"! ;) Miguel

I've been dying to get to Colorado (read Buttermilk) but can't seem to get there during the primo months. Are any of the carve worthy resorts still open and are they worth going to at that time of the year. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If this doesn't work I guess we'll be looking at Canada. Gracias, Miguel:D

They sell replacement parts for the boots. I'm pretty sure she could hook you up.:)

msupple@stny.rr.com Thanks, Miguel:) PS Something that will accept an intec heel.

It's my understandin that the tongues in the Raichle boots come in different degrees of stiffness. Many times I seem to be wanting more flex and I have no idea as to the stiffness of the tongues in my Raichlee 324's. I seem to remember a thread that addressed this issue but can't seem to find it. I seem to remember something about them being color coded with regards to stiffness but that there were problems with the reliability of that system. Is this worth pursuing? Do softer tongues make a significant difference? Keep in mine we're still talking about boots here...he he. :D

I'm fifty seven years young and after about fourteen plus or minus years of snowboarding I feel like I'm finally and truly getting my **** together!:D I am having such a good year I can hardly contain myself. For some reason things are just clicking. Who the hell finally turned on that light bulb inside my thick skull? All of a sudden I'm not avoiding the steeps but on the contrary, I'm seeking them out. I always felt I rode OK but this year...well...at the risk of sounding like I'm bragging......I'm styling!:D Yeah baby! I reread some of Jack's (and other's) articles and all of a sudden they seemed to make more sense. If I can attribute two things to my improvement I would say staying lower and concentrating on more angulation as the most important. Some other things such as maintaining a more upright upper body and keeping my butt in the proper position are also important. It was 8 degrees today with some serious wind but the snow conditions were spectacular. We tore that mountain a new A Hole! I don't mean to be bragging...I just wanted to share the joy I'm feeling. I know I still have plenty to learn but I feel my riding has reached a higher plateau and I just wanted to share the joy.:D I hope you all are having an equally joyous year. Miguel

I use 1 degree base and one degree side because I'm old and it's easier to remember.....uh...what was the question again? :p

I ride regular. :D

Today as I snaked my way down to the lift with as much style and finesse as my aging body could muster, a fetching brunette looked me dead in the eye and stated....and I quote, "Is that hard?:D Öf course my sixth grade mentallity went into warp speed and I was about to spew out a clever albeit crass response when her young son arrived and I simply said "Nah it's not too bad.":rolleyes: God that hurt! Anyway it brought a bit more joy to an already great day.;)

two Burton Alps for sale at low prices. They are great entry level carving boards and Burton bindings are readily available. Of course you should then establish a savings account for your Donek or Coiler which you'll need once you're fully hooked! Good luck.:D

I suppose you mean besides the fact that they are simply THERE! I mean...that alone is sufficiently annoying. 1. Congregating at the bottom of the lift! Argh! 2. Not warning me as they approach from the rear. The other day(my second time out) some skier dude ripped past me in a full tuck right at the apex of my turn, missing me by millimeters. Not so much as a hi or goodbye! The nerve of these people! Several seasons ago the same scenerio resulted in a multipoint clavicle break...read end of season. Oh yeah...did I say it was my first day out! Double argh! 3. Dead silence on the chair lift. I dig the ones that give there life history. :) Especially good looking chicks. 4. Arrogant little self posessed, piss ant soft boot snowboarders who think they own the mountain. What's up wid dat....how could they not know that WE the true Kings of the Mountain own it! The little Bastards! The other poster is right...they(skiers) don't go down as easy but they're sure a lot more fun...especially when you have that split second time to prepare a good solid forearm shiver. It's sooo satifying! :) Have a safe season and in the immortal words of my dear old Mother..."For God's sake be careful."