Zone

Great news!!! Thanks so much. Definitely will see you all tomorrow, hopefully by 10am. I can take passenger(s) but won't be able to leave really early. Could anyone advise on the faster route of the 2 given? I've been to Osler once before, but that was a few years back and I was driven. I will be leaving from Ajax.

Oh thank you thank you!! I will find some old gear to sacrifice to the gods tonite. Keeping my fingers tightly crossed. If conditions are like this morning at Skyloft, we would have hero snow Friday.

Hi CSquare, Not that I want to be opportunistic...However I have been able to arrange for last minute childcare so I could go if... CSquare, any chance I can be an oriental Rob Smith for a day? I know it's last minutes and I won't be able to be there til about 10am (can't leave til the school bus leaves...). I'll owe you at least a beer!! I hope I can join the fun on Friday. John Vu PS: Rob, sorry about your Colles' #, fortunately most of them will heal real well.

Here's my take on the issue. I prefer one versatile board and bindings and boots. Since I have so much to learn, it seems easier to progress on the same gear year after year rather than relearning every time I have new gear. I figure the difference in riding techique and style has more to do with it all than the actual gear (not that gear won't make you progress or ride better or easier, eg Swoard for EC, Coiler for racing etc...). However I am not yet at a level where I can distinguish the difference between boards for where I ride. So I have old gear, but I'm comfortable with that. Like an old pair of jeans.

Well, where do I start...LOL. Circa 1997, F2 Roadster SL 154 Circa 2003, WildDuck Knifer 161 Euhhhhh that's it. No shame here. LOL. Wow, my wife should be happy, I saved her a bundle (I'm sure I've spent more on diapers)!!! PS: 2 more posts til 100. Now that's efficiency. 2 boards and 100 posts. Beat that with a stick.

Did not know that. I guess I got real lucky with my 161 wide waist. Thanks Nils.

Had the chance to try both back to back. The Swoard is definitely more lively, holds the edge better esp. on harder snow, looks a lot better. However it is also more expensive. Now that it is built by virus should be also a LOT better built (although I have not had my hands on a virus built one). Side by side they are very similar. I would definitely go for a Swoard as a freeride as well as they are very easy to ride in all conditions (have not tried it in deep powder, on few inches of fresh powder, floats real nice). Disclaimer: I am by no mean a board reviewer or world class rider!!!

Removed. Flame flame and more flame. No useful function.

I am not sure cost and versatility point is valid. A Prior board is 530 to 699 Euros (vs 650 for the Swoard) and not much more customisation. A Coiler would be cheaper but I would have to wait til at least next year. In any case, too much money for this snowboarder. However the point of US vs. Europe, I truly believe there are people with a chip on their shoulder with this one. Having lived on both continents (not bragging or anything, just an observation), I think there is something there. Now of the internet age, I am not sure why such a big deal about countries and continents, especially since we are such a small community that generally transcend borders. Peace!!

I wish I was one of those, my life is way too boring :lol: I got these for my 31/2 daughter, she loves them and can ski decently on them. Hopefully I won't have to replace them for a long time (unlike skiis). I have no intention of developping her into a world class slalomer!! http://www.skiboards.com/skiboards/elan/spidy.html (the 70cm ones, they are just adorable, but then I am bias).

http://skiboards.com/videos/src/skiboarding_low.wmv general video of carving etc... http://www.skiboards.com/university.html FAQ etc... http://www.skiboards.com/bindings/bomber/bomberelite.html I believe Fin knows something about this. they do frown at people calling them snowblades (ie cheap, non performance version).

Now now, that's stereotyping...sort of like all snowboarders are druggies in baggy pants. You can carve them pretty good and pretty low. Like everything else, they are also so easy you see a lot of bad skiing on them.

Nice article, mostly about him and not snowboarding. Nice picture of him picking his blueberries!!! I don't have a working scanner for the picture. Here is the link. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1137279034893

Mainly because I don't have to change to ski boots when taking the kids out on ski.

Hi Ontario carvers, Happy New Year! I am hoping to make it for the 27th, once child care is arranged, and if you don't mind a rotational carver Never done gate before, but if you have a course set up, I don't mind being the laughing stock!

wow, I think I just saw the light, at least some light. never thought about it that way. although i don't race, i did notice no skidding on ice at high angle, sort of like skating. should be able to test it out in a few days when this rain in ontario freezes over!!

Flamming indeed. I actually believe that Jacques and Patrice are so good that if you look closely, even though they touch the snow, they do not use their hands to put weight on it, like most of us trying to imitate their style. They just lightly touch the snow and their bodies actually glides OVER the snow. Quite a feat of balance. I'm sure they could do the same without hands, although esthetically it looks nicer and feels nicer with hands floating/caressing the snow (as they call it). http://www.flegmatic-carving.com/gallery/index.php?album=%2FVahur_pics%2Flifted%2Fℑ=jacques6.jpg http://www.flegmatic-carving.com/gallery/index.php?album=%2FVahur_pics%2Flifted%2Fℑ=patrice3.jpg Merry Christmas to all.

There's your answer... http://www.extremecarving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1717

Thias is quoted as saying he modified this board to adapt to soft boot, presumably you are seing the modified board: http://www.thiaskwal.com/fgamme.htm He is using the step-in Rossignol when using the soft boots, and says that these bindings are bad for snowboarding but good for Skwal, since it goes across the boots allows for better transfer edge to edge. He is using a 'spoiler' (what ever that is) on the outside of the boot and a 'scratch' (what ever this also means) on the inside of the boots to make it rigid laterally. Hope that helps. Any more translation and I will have to charge!!

Have not tried the Skwal, however you made me look. And it looks very interesting. I attached this interview where one of the inventor of the Skwal talks about how much he has using soft boot setting on a 17cm waist board. The picture is about 1/3 way down. http://www.skwalzone.org/itw-thias.php He also talks about using soft boots but heavily modified to make them a lot more rigid laterally. I might just have to try this set up on my old F2 roadster, 19cm, 7 or 8m sidecut. Just for fun.

Just to clarify, the rooster (le coq) is the french symbol for the French people. You will see it in most things french. Many times it represents the pride of being French. For a detailed history, here is one link: http://www.insecula.com/article/F0010612.html As for a short translation of the first line: "Gallus" in Latin means both "Gaulois" (ie the original French, cf the cartoon character Asterix and Obelix), and "rooster"

Good one. The rooster is the symbol for the French (not the frog...). Hence the rooster on Rossignol, a french company.

Hi Raphael I'm just outside Toronto. I hope I can be in Zinal one day. I actually learned to ski when I was 7 in the Pyrenees when we used to live in Toulouse.

Well, there are definitely more than 2 EC carvers in N.America. I only have the old Knifer but will eventually get a Swoard. I already have the modified Northwave 900 and soon the F2 Race Titanium. As for the Pyrenees, a little far from this side of the pond. With kids at home, it makes even more difficult. Zinal would have been the first choice if I were to cross to the other side. PS Skategoat, could not make it to your meeting downtown, I will be at Skyloft midweek this year.

Great Chinese food around there, some of the best in North America. Markham area where you will be is the new upscale Chinatown. No snow yet, unlike Tahoe...