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Got a few nice days in at Camelback. They've done really well making snow to replace what the warm weather/rain/sun removed, every time. But that leads to my favorite runs being ungroomed or just plain closed. (What has been groomed is usually really good.) Looks like February might be more consistent... fingers crossed.

I think Priors are a little harder to come by. Just got my first runs on a Prior recently, a new-to-me WCRM from maybe 10 years ago, and loved it. Seems really versatile, grips like crazy, very damp but with subtle pop between turns, making edge change effortless. I'll add that Donek, Coiler, and Prior have a solid reputation for being durable. The metal construction used for most boards now results in a pretty thin core, and that can be a hazard for heavier riders and/or those who ride hard. So, as one of the former, I really appreciate the special attention these builders give to durability.

^^^^ Counter rotation: I may be missing it. Pat, where in the video is it?

I have a RCII from 2007 that's metal, so T could be titanal. I do like the Coiler glass boards, and know I'm not alone. I think a few WTBs recently have been specifically for glass Colier AMs...

paging Chubz... rumor has it he's back...

Exhibition was a mess. More people than I've seen at the Beast ever, thin coverage in the middle, no coverage on either side. Lots of small rocks in the snow. Frozen puddles. Snow guns sitting right on the run, but turned off. If I were management, those would have been blasting nonstop the second it dropped below 28 degrees or so on Saturday to repair the damage from the rainy warm weather. Just blow snow in piles on the uncovered sides of the run and after closing, push the piles out on the rest of the run. I hope tomorrow is better, but given the lack of snowmaking, I'm not sure how it could be.

I'm very happy with my UPZs. I haven't had some of the experiences mentioned in Jack Michaud's review. No liner squirm here. I'm also in mondo 28 UPZ (8.5/9/9.5 shell) with stock Flo liners (9.5). They felt slightly stiffer than the Deeluxe Indys (also Mondo 28) I had been using (blue BTS). I used the Indys with Power Wrap liners. They were not particularly comfortable, due to my wide forefoot and the room sucked up in the toe box by the foam liners. And I had serious heel slop, so performance was definitely sub par. The UPZs w/Flos reduced both problems. I still get a little heel lift, but nothing major. Basically I don't think about my boots any more when I'm riding. No need to unbuckle, ever. But it sometimes takes a few tries to get the tongue in the right position. What works best for me is to leave the boots unbuckled as I walk through the lot. That lets things settle in. Then buckle up just before clipping in and it's good for the day. There are three liners for this UPZ shell: 8.5, 9 and 9.5. Jack, which one did you use? Maybe you needed a thicker one? As for heel height, I actually measured my UPZs and Indys and found that the UPZs had a higher toe as well as a higher heel. The actual ramp is a little less in the UPZs at this size (9 degrees for UPZ, 9.5 for Deeluxe). Maybe Track 700s have a different ramp from Indys? For this year you can get "race heels" for UPZ which are lower (to match the Northwave boots).

Hoping to get up there Sunday and Monday. Not sure what to expect Sunday with the forecast calling for a plunge in temperature... frozen slush? How bad is it now?

I've been meaning to try more toe lift in front but haven't gotten around to it. I just measured my UPZs (312 mm shell, UPZ 8.5/9/9.5, M28) and my old Deeluxe Indys (M28) and actually the Indys have slightly more ramp, 9.5 degrees versus about 9 degrees. So that explains why I never felt a dramatic front quad burn or anything coming from the Indys. I think the smaller sizes of both boots have more ramp angle due to Intec heel compatibility, and that it's a bigger effect with UPZ due to the recessed heel. UPZs have a thicker sole under the ball of the foot, so they're higher overall than Deeluxe. At size 28 this more than compensates for the inset heel.

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The picture looks a little scary. Maybe just put the toe buckle on the other way? You might have to drill out a rivet or two and replace with t-nuts, but then you could easily reverse it later if you change bindings. There's not exactly "full closure". As you move the lever toward the boot, the tension on the bail increases up to a point -- "center" -- and then decreases. You want to be enough past "center" that the force required to open it is higher than anything you'll encounter, but not so much past center that the resulting low tension allows the boot to move excessively, possibly popping the lever open and/or unnecessarily stressing the bails. I'd guess that the lever was meant to be a little more horizontal at this point (given correct adjustment of toe/heel blocks). UPZ Flo liners? How did you come to use those? (I'm a fan)

Great to hear! Those are my favorite runs. Hope to be out soon. Thanks for the report!

PMed you. I have two TD2 4-hole disks.

Decent hardware stores, Home Depot/Lowes etc have flathead metric socket head screws in stainless. No need to pay shipping. The M8 normally take a 5 mm hex key, so there's nothing special about the Bomber ones (unlike the M6 screws for center disk to board, which normally take a 4 mm hex key, but the Bomber ones take a 5 mm) You want M8 x 16 unless you're using the BP cant disks, then M8 x 12

Anyone ride the Beast recently? It's been consistently cold so I'm hoping full coverage... maybe up for a short visit soon if conditions are good.

Nice Wednesday morning, lots of snow getting made, not really crowded. Only starting to get that way by 1 PM. Should have Raceway covered soon, which will take pressure off Rhododendron Glen so I can ride it!

You'd probably appreciate the alpinecarving.com site. Lots of information (up to 2007). Your bindings appear to be the Carrier stepins: http://www.alpinecarving.com/binding_model.html#older The board is an Alp. I've never ridden one, but there appear to be a lot still out there being ridden. Might be a good starter for hard boots given your interests. The cant plate is common with Burton bindings. In those days, the idea was to use inward cant to get the knees closer together. If it works for you, great. If you prefer some other canting setup, you usually have to hack, unless it's a variplate (see alpinecarving site). Wedges under toe/heel blocks are probably the way to go.

Nice shape, a few small nicks along edge of topsheet, lots of edge left, no damage. Later model (2001 maybe?). $100 plus shipping. It's the one on the right in the photos. (click to enlarge!)

Bump! Metal SG 185 and Scott Strike 185 still available.

Camelback has been open for a while. Sunday was pretty good, probably the best early season conditions I've ever ridden there. Full coverage on lots of runs. No idea what this warm spell is doing to the snow there, though. Anyone?

Shocked and sorry to hear that, Don! Hope it's not as bad as it sounds and that you get some more days this season!

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It's not that one, it's a plain black topsheet (white Burton logo) and base (with a small white "B" and red bar on the base at the nose). I think maybe last year of production. I'll send photos if you're still interested.

I've found the exrx.net site to be a good reference . It skips a lot of the dogma. There are lots of articles on the site, but the best part is the exercise and muscle directory, I think. The Stronglifts 5 x 5 seems pretty high volume for a beginner routine. I did pretty well in a year or so with much lower volume, like one warm-up set and one heavy set of 5-8 or two really heavy sets of 3-4. My "gainz" over a year or so are probably comparable to Corey's from the 5x5. There are a lot of ways to do it. But I hear that changes as you get experience and accomodate. A carving run seems to be to be fairly close to a moderately high rep, low weight squat set (a hard carve is how many gs?). Not exactly "cardio" as in aerobic, but it does get your blood pumping. I've done a lot less cycling this year than last, but a lot more weight training. Hiking at elevation was much harder this year. (Unintentional experiment)