Beckmann AG

Probably should have asked for your definition of 'hard charging' prior to typing a response. Assumed you meant a high energy context requiring accuracy and timing. Interesting how previous athletic endeavor informs future apprehension. In a past life I was a reasonably competitive oarsman. Rowing, like XC skiing, cycling, alpine skiing and snowboarding, (and possibly table tennis), is cyclical in nature, which means you have distinct/variable time spans of ‘power off’. Unless one is doing an all out (and calculated) sprint, one need not go anaerobic to deliver high output for an extended period of time. Running, on the other hand, has no distinct glide phase, so while ‘good form’ is important to performance, you’re not going to see the same gains as you would in other sports. Rowing is simple in concept, but intricate in execution. Timing/application is paramount. You can be a strong as an ox, but if you’re only smart like tractor, you’ll pound the water to a froth and go nowhere. So there’s a vast difference between merely looking like you’re rowing, and effective propulsion. The same can be said of alpine snowboarding. RE: Kohei/steeps Notice he’s not desperately trying to nail his board to the snow, instead working the slope like a cat batting a dangle toy. He seems to appreciate that he is not the dominant power at work, and willingly accepts the occasional slap and toss from the mountain. Also notice that he’s more extended than flexed during the higher load parts of his turns. So, Go chuck yourself (into a foam pit) and get used to not having your feet on the ground. Dislocation from the normal can be unsettling, but often proves useful.

Up to a point, children are busy writing their own software, exploring 'yes/no' without regard for what might be considered 'right' or 'wrong'. Adults, on the other hand, are generally busy running the programs handed to them, meanwhile focused on whether or not they are executing the task they've been given, rather than the task at hand. This is why it's important to understand the difference between 'teaching' and the 'facilitation of learning'.

Sort of depends on what you ask of your boots at present. If you're accustomed to leaning on the plastic to make your board turn, then you'll feel rather awkward in the lighter shells. On the other hand, if you tend to focus on directing inputs through the soles of your feet, and you match the lighter boots to a lighter/softer board, then the transition should be less abrupt. When I began boring holes in my ski boots a few years ago, I found I couldn't get my skis to perform in certain circumstances, or at least not in the way to which I was accustomed. Now, however, I can get more performance out of them, across the snow condition spectrum. Just took some time to figure out where all of the 'new' controls were hidden.

Not really. The boot flex sort of has to match the board flex. If you go to an AT boot for lift served, you'll probably not want to ride most of the boards you already own on packed snow. AT boots require specific types of ski bindings for proper release, which means you can't just buy boots and rent skis. That said, learning to ski in AT boots will most likely be easier than using conventional ski boots, and re-learning to snowboard in AT boots might be very informative, answering some of the questions you're asking regarding technique, etc.

That's excessive if measured from the horizontal. Not so much if you're referencing binding index marks. RE: 3 v 6: If you don't want to fuss with/fix the forward lean on your front boot with the 3, you can gradually bring your front heel up on the 6 by stacking layers of Gorilla tape under that heel, on the outside of the liner. This is also an option if the 3 degree disc feels 'wrong', and you want to be somewhere in between. If you opt to swing your hips around, make sure you aren't also removing contact from your rear heel. Sometimes 'simple' moves add unexpected complexity in terms of other, seemingly minor adaptations. Thanks for posting progress reports.

Apologies. What I meant was that your weight bias is toward the nose of the board, rather than centered/back. Very common tendency to come into the heelside turn front weighted, unless you aim to be rear weighted, in which case you'll probably come out centered. Generally speaking, if you have too much toe lift at the front binding, the contact under that heel will be somewhat 'vague' on a heelside turn, almost like your heel is in a hole. Try the three, but be aware that will effectively increase the forward lean of the front boot, and your stance may then feel quite a bit wider. Also try both the three and six at zero cant.

If you're going up the hill too much, odds are you are still on edge when you should be coming off edge. This will be more apparent as a problem when the snow is softer and the board develops more bend per degree of tilt than on hard snow. Where? Got photo? Might be a kitchen counter fix. That's (probably) one of your brains telling you that you lack the time to do the thing you want to do the way you want to do it. Might be related to the stalling thing...

Nice day for it. Looks like progress. Presumably feels a little more solid/nimble? However. Toeside looks respectable for the time being, so just go for consistency on that edge. Heelside 'weight' still looks biased to the front heel (though less so than previously), and appears there remains a tendency to tilt the board with hip action, rather than foot action. Find the edge with your feet. Specifically under your rear heel slightly before your front heel. Then reinforce what you find with the heavier parts as the turn develops.

Fixed so as to maintain hope for the hopeful.

Good for you for making progress and finding a way forward. Something to consider: If 'regular' breathing is known to facilitate relaxation, and if relaxation is an important/desirable component of fluid movement on snow, then why do you suppose 'easy' respiration is so often affected by the action of carving, or trying to carve a turn? Not so much in the sense of prior athletic experience/conditioned response, (as in the weightlifting scenario), but more in the sense of general riding and attempts at game improvement.

To ensure you don't develop another issue, make sure the added padding doesn't run across, or otherwise contact the achilles tendon. Some of the C wraps are two piece, some are one-piece. The one-piece version is the one that can cause problems.

I concur. But how dare you bring rational thought to the proceedings.

If you take a quick look at the latest copy of Ski magazine, you'll notice that Shawnee is particularly aware of, and hostile to, outside coaching scenarios.

They were interesting. Had a few runs on one, but it wasn't a fair test. 6" of fresh, and my regular ride at that time was a PJ6 with Variplates. Apples to kumquats. Another qualified 'booter gave it a go on the hardpack, and noted that indeed, "It works". The owner of the board could make it talk like a ventriloquist's dummy. Seem to recall it was about 180 at the waist, and if it was base down on a table, you could slide a hamburger sandwich underneath without disturbing the sesame seeds.

The tendency is for established riders/skiers to want equipment that makes them feel better about what they already know and do, not something that challenges them to do things differently. Not sure what problems these might solve, but for DeeLucks, it's a low cost way to add another product to the line and let the market determine viability. Ground Control ----> major bomb.

Mine are set up more or less the opposite of what you're trying to do, using shaft collars on the rods to establish forward/backward stops and spring preload. Then again, they're custom, so... Not sure what the rod diameter is on the BTS, but Mcmaster or similar should have collars. Might have to make a spacer to replace the lower spring so as to provide wrench clearance under the carrier block. Or replace the block with a 90 degree bracket.

I'm going to take a guess at around 19.5, as I recall riding a lower stance angle back then, either 54/57 or 57/60. Could be mistaken, but I think that base graphic was exclusive to the Stat series. Big problem with the Stat 5 was it lost all camber after maybe 25 days of use. At that point you'd be better off riding a slice of salami. The Stat 7 on the other hand....

I seem to recall testing the Stat 5 at the Stratton Demo show in 92, so that would make it a '93, plus or minus?

Them there is a Burton Stat 6. (M series was asym).

Seriously, memoir.

As regards 'technique' and memory, recall the expression that 'if you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything'. If a break from activity causes regression, it's probably because the favored sequence of movements is a little too complex/contrived, and the brain thing doesn't care for the upkeep. On the other hand, if summer comes and goes with no more effect on your performance than a long chairlift ride, then you're probably on to something. (You may have already done this at some point, but) for additional insight into how 'we' acquire and then utilize novel movements, commit to memory a compelling piece of verse of at least 54 lines in length, or long enough that you have to work in sections. You might enjoy the process, and depending on how you go about it, might find that same process useful for other applications. Once you 'know' the piece, you'll likely find it has different meaning than when you simply read it. And you'll spool it off without thinking, almost like you're observing the recitation, rather than being the actual voice. The words will simply 'be' there, as though they were there all along. From there, you can change the pace, change the voice, the emphasis, tone, etc, from the inside looking out, rather than the outside looking in. A thing I don't care for as regards muscle memory, is that it presumes a set experience can be replicated ad nauseum to the same positive outcome experienced in the past. The problem with that, is the 'correct' sequence of movements will almost always be unique to the moment and circumstance. Similar in some ways to previous experience, yet still different. Like if you have a key to a lock, you can open that lock. Whereas if you understand how locks work, you can open many locks without a proper key. I suspect the notion also leads people to dutifully practice only what they know, rather than what they don't.

It's not just you. That remark earlier regarding poultry wasn't intended as an insult. The phrase " Are those your legs, or are you riding a chicken?" was a common means of tweaking some of the road cyclists we used to train with. BMI obsession, and so forth. Appears you're busy trotting past dollars to pick up post-count. Back when I skied in Lange ZRs, I went to a boot fitter to resolve the classic 'heel lifting in boot' scenario. He glued some material to the front of the liner tongues. Felt good in the shop, was extremely hazardous on snow. This, on account of the padding completely blocking the prominent tendon located directly in front of the ankle joint. The one that contributes to dorsiflexion/inversion. It's the distal terminus of the Tibialis Anterior muscle you've repeatedly referenced. Aka Tibialis Anticus. Looking back, I should have been more specific about the mechanism. Figured it would have been obvious that pressing on the muscle itself wouldn't do much other than cause localized irritation. (Turned out the actual problem with the 'lifting heel' was reading too many how to ski articles in Ski Magazine. Problem went away when I figured out how to use my feet rather than leaning on the plastic.) Anyway, would be extremely difficult to misuse the later 'beer coozie' version of the Shintronics, but thanks for thinking I'd be talented enough to do so. As with boots, I prefer liners that best serve the application. If his goal is a quick fix in that particular shell, then perhaps some derivative of the thermo liner is his best bet. Better long term fix might be to scavenge a smaller set of cuffs from a used pair of boots, and/or use a liner with an injection foam tongue. If his foot is bony, HP foam will probably be the way to go if the budget will permit that kind of thing. Either way, he'll want to be wary of how padding/cinching the upper cuff affects knee and ankle flex.

Such as boots that fit properly. As mine do, and as I assume yours do as well. Unfortunately, the OP does not appear to have a UPZ leg, and he should be aware that adding material to solve one problem can create another.

The pair I have gathering dust in the parts bin works as I've described. Maybe that's why they're dusty. Regardless, adding padding without consideration can have side effects.

When you work toward, and then from cause and effect, rather than from proscribed postures, you eventually get to the point where what was once anticipation is simply 'look and do'. I think it's been said that one of the first steps toward resolving a problem, is properly 'naming' that problem. So once you resolve cause and effect into familiar sensations and outcomes, you have a secure foundation from which you can gradually move outward/forward. As opposed to when your board skids, and you wonder if your hand was in the correct relation to your boot cuff, and you have no way of knowing. No doubt. I still get that from time to time, especially on particular trail sections. I think you'll find there will always be some sort of tension involved, but it will shift from the visceral/emotional, love/hate kind of thing, to something more meditative/cerebral. Or maybe not. Either way, you'll find out.