Scott.Creer

what if we all pitched in 10 bucks or less for acquiring the plate. Then it would be under shared ownership. We could just do a random raffle drawing at the end for whoever gets to keep the demo. That would be a release of the liability cause we would all own the demo plate. just a thought.

e-mail bomber to follow-up on the smaller arch strap for these boots, unfortunately its a no go.

as a weekender and night guy, I would say demos on the weekends would be tough in the cities... too crowded to really get your rip on. I would say demoing at MES or even another weekday would be better. I don't know if we would need more than 2 days though, the hills are only 500 vertical with 45 second runs.

I would recommend thirtytwo brand snowboard boots. I used to ride burtons, but about 5-6 years ago I discovered the thirtytwo team 2s and they are giant leaps above anything else. If you are looking for super stiff I would go with the thirtytwo Focus Boa boots.

It is actually great in the courses. I have seen videos of it. This video is of me ripping some turns on it and you can tell how fun it would be. <object width="400" height="224" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/519156191275" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/519156191275" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="224"></embed></object>

Normally I am at Lake McCarron on Rice and Larpenter. It is a nice lake and is almost always empty. I purchased the brand new one from Tousley, but I was not impressed with them and I will never go there for servicing it. I do all the work on my skis. The other 2 that I have were craigslist finds. Definitely make the change to a stand up. It is totally different than other PWCs. They are all like boats, and this is more like a wakeboard with a motor. If you want to give it a try before you pick one up, I would be more than happy to let you rip mine around and explain some of the ins and outs that I have figured out so far. -Scott

Last summer I had the opportunity to try a modern stand up jet ski. What I can say is that it is the closest thing to hard booting in the summer that I have found. I have tried Mountain Boarding, Mt Biking, Long boarding, skate boarding, roller blading, wakeboarding, and more. Nothing comes as close as the stand up jet ski. So this summer I made the leap and made some purchases, and I can honestly say it was totally worth it. The hang up in a turn on the modern design of the ski is just like alpine. I strongly suggest it for those people looking for the summer carving experience. It is also a little safer on the body than ripping asphalt. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isM9xFrpTIw&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isM9xFrpTIw&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

I think this is a great move, as a person interested in racing in the next upcoming season. When evaluating the costs of a mostly not widely funded sport such as alpine snowboarding, clothing costs can add up. This change makes it acceptable for an athlete not to purchase a $300+ GS suit, and to race in their normal riding gear. Just my .02 worth, as someone looking to compete. -Scott

I do not believe that alpine snowboarding, hardbooting, or even PGS will become more popular until small "feeder" ski areas start carrying rentals for hardbooting. If someone wants to try hardbooting for the first time in lets say Minneapolis, MN they would need to know someone who has the gear to let them use, or make the leap and spend the $1,000 bucks on used gear when they don't even really know what to get. Also, as a trend ski resorts and areas are seeing a decline of about 5% to 10% annually of return skiers. This is bad news for everyone not only hardbooters. If local small time ski areas keep seeing a decline as they have over the last 20 years, then more of them will close and the costs of the remaining resorts will increase. This makes people learning to ski and ride decline even further do to cost and accessibility. I say all this not to paint a bleak picture, but a harsh reality that will in fact impact everyone in the future. Ski areas should embrace reductions in price, possibly even ski free programs for children between 5 and 7 years old, and also embrace all winter sports by enlarging rentals services for more of a variety of winter sports (not just skis and boards, but snow bikes, blades, hardboot gear, etc...).

Some fun times on a stubbies course in spring conditions. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7UlsJFk5-g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7UlsJFk5-g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

I called yesterday to inquire, and they are definitely out of them for the season. They said to check back in the fall.

snowman, where did you get that?

that is a good example of a few basic plyometric exercises. You can youtube search the term and a whole bunch of different exercises come up. The US ski and snowboard teams use plyometrics as part of their training.

sorry to hear about the knee. I would recommend doing plyometric exercises over the summer. Plyometrics strengthen the joints and ligaments and help to decrease the risk of injury. If you can get over looking a little silly doing them in the gym, they are a great way to prep for the season.

I def. will call them. Thanks for the info!

Yeah, even with the insole it wasn't enough to take up all the space. Once I tightened the strap as shown above, it fits and works great... just in time to put them away for the season.

Heel lift is no good. That is why I had to change the cable size on the boot. I focused on that, because I have heard many people say they have the same problem, so I wanted to share my solution. Heel lift translates to less board control, and also forces the boot not to correctly articulate/flex at the cuff. The product is for sale currently in the bomber store under closeouts, if you want to see the entire boot pics. Mykcuz, what boot are you riding? I strongly suggest fixing the heel lift problem if you can.

Before reading the review you should know that before the track 700s, I was on Burton Shadows that were 2cm too big (used extra footbed to take up space) for the last 5 years. Review: I got them just in time to ride them for one day in really horrible spring conditions. I like the boot, flex was perfect for me, and the fit (length) was great, and you can not beat thermoflex liners. One complaint I do have about them is the 2nd strap right over the heel cup, doesn't even come close to tight enough (even with a footbed). I looked all over for a replacement that would replace the wire strap and none could be found. So I had to do a little rigging to get the strap the right size, and a trip to home depot later.... I am really happy. You can see in the pictures below what I did: 1. Cut the cable strap and assessed the correct size 2. stripped off the plastic coating 3. Used a 1/16" Ferrule & Stop Set less than $1 (not to sure if this is going to hold up for an entire season) to join the cable at the correct point. 4. Coated the joint with Ptex to prevent damage to the boot shell 5. Final coat of Plasti Dip to prevent damage to the shell (I think this is going to wear off fast) 6. put the wire strap back on and finally have a tight boot with no heel lift.

I hot wax with a waxing iron. It works great for me. I put on a healthy coating of cold weather wax, and make sure that it covers the edges. Then I leave it not scraped and not buffed. It keeps the base from drying out and helps slightly to protect the edges. When the season starts up again, I simply scrape of the edges and the extra wax to a fine coat and buff it out (as you would to finish any hot wax job), and it is ready to go. I also completely tune the edges and remove the bindings for storage, before applying the wax.

picked them up online. they are the 08/09 track 700s. I am gonna post about them on another thread when i finish customizing them. The heel clamp is not close to tight enough, so I have cut the wire and resized it with some hardware from Home depot, and they are amazing now.

I am really sad, I am not ready for the season to end.

Thanks Trent. I just got on Bruce's List earlier today. I am thinking NSR 177W, but no final decision till after talking with Bruce about it. I think I am going to be out riding on sunday morning. Hope there is still some snow left.

Sunday was a blast. We wound up setting just a stubby course on 7. It was nice in the beginning, got really soft and sketchy around noon when we pulled it. After running gates I have decided by day one next year to invest in some new gear. The 160 is a little to short for me. Trent, I keep hearing about the new toy from others but no review from you... what's up with the new coiler? specs?

This morning was great. The edges were holding nice, and there were not to many people out. Saw another guy on hard boots, never met or seen him before. I even got michelle to try out the alpine for a bit for her first time. I will be out again tomorrow morning, hopefully the conditions are the same.

Yeah, I will help you. I ran gates wed. night with Karl, and it was a blast.