Dan

Yes! That's what I was thinking of - I looked for their website and it seems they're still in business, but it doesn't look any better to me than the early models did.

Based on the videos on their website, that board is for skidding, not carving. I don't remember what it was called, but there was a non-powered skateboard that had trucks with a center wheel like the leiftech trucks about 15 years ago. I don't think I ever got on one, but I remember seeing people riding them and thinking that all they were doing was sideslipping on asphalt. Agree with Mig that two trucks and 4 wheels are the best for carving...or maybe a Dirtsurfer

We had two tree well deaths in Oregon last month (including a ski patroller who was riding with other patrollers), so there is definitely potential to suffocate in a tree well - it happens in the Northwest pretty much every year. As far as riding with the Avalung in, that's Black Diamond's recommendation because in a slide you have a slim chance of actually getting it in your mouth once you realize you're going to need it. Same thing for a tree well -- you have a better chance of getting the snorkel in your mouth after things have gone wrong, but there's a chance you'll be hung up or panicked and not be able to get it in. Air flow is OK, but there's some pressure in the system that makes it more effort than just breathing, so I just hold it with my teeth and breathe around it. For most inbounds riding, the part of the run where you're thinking "I could wind up in a treewell" is pretty short, so it's not that big of a deal. As you probably know, the mountain medicine term for tree well deaths is NARSID - non-avalanche-related snow immersion death, and it's not that different from being in an avalanche in that you aren't able to get enough air through the snow. Black Diamond had avalanches in mind when they designed the Avalung, but because it ensures air supply, it is definitely applicable to being upside down in a tree well as well. I assume that as a heli guide, slides are more of a concern than going in a tree well and I'm kind of surprised to hear that your clients are riding without the snorkel in their mouth. It's like riding with your beacon off and planning to turn it on if you're in a slide -- some people might be that cool under fire, but most are not. From Powder: "I still had my doubts about getting the Avalung to my mouth in the event of an avalanche. In Austria, at the top of the mountain and before our descent, I asked a Black Diamond engineer and three IFMGA-certified guides in our group my big question.Their answer was to ski with the Avalung in your mouth from the beginning of your descent."

I have an Avalung pack that I sometimes use when riding deep powder (I should make a point of always using it, but I found out last season how nice it is to ride without a pack). In theory, going in a treewell with an Avalung (assuming the snorkel mouthpiece is already in your mouth) means that you don't need to worry about suffocation, which _should_ give you time to dig out or be rescued.

Uh-oh, I've been outed -- guilty as charged That is a stellar pic and BGnight looks to be an exceptional rider. You should lure him over to the dark side. After all, hard boots are way better for crampons, right?

Overheard in the liftline yesterday when I was riding my Superconductor. Dude 1 to his friend: "What's that?" Dude 2: "That's a sweet carving board!"

I have loved my Prior 4WD for years -- it's my go-to board any day it's not good groom or powder. I've often thought that a metal AM would be a great upgrade, but not sure I'm getting enough days in to justify another board...

Thanks Lonbordin, your trip reports have been great to read! Pretty cool you caught up with Tinkler and Oldsnowboards

Not sure if you have more days at Bachelor, but Mike T from the forum is a Bachelor local, along with Noschoolrider. Not sure if either of them rides on weekends though, so maybe you were seeing someone else's tracks. You're having a pretty awesome trip!

Awesome Lonbordin! Thanks for the report, sounds like you hit Skibowl on a great day, and you will probably have good carving conditions on Sunday and Monday for dessert. You must have good snow karma, come ride Mt. Hood anytime

Hey! Great that she's trying out plates. You know Bryan, right? I remember he had a pair of small boots at one point that I was going to buy for my wife, but she wound up sticking with skis. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact size, but it was in the ballpark for my wife, so probably in the 24-25 range. Might be worth checking with him if they're still around.

Hey, welcome to Hood! Note that the Meadows Spring Pass is for sale now. It's valid for night skiing starting this week, and valid for daytime starting March 8, which overlaps with most of your time here: https://www.skihood.com/store/products/season-passes/new passes/spring-pass-25-to-64 Meadows hasn't said anything about raising the price on the spring pass after March 8 (that could change though, they've done it in the past), so my play would be use your 3 free days at Meadows, ride one day at Timberline just to say you did it, then see if you want to spend the rest of your time at Timberline or Meadows. See what you think, but I imagine your answer will be Meadows: the most interesting terrain at Timberline is on the Palmer chair, and it doesn't operate in the winter. It gets dug out when alpine conditions get more manageable later in the spring, but I suspect it won't be running when you're here. Skibowl would be good if you can catch a powder day, but otherwise skip it. Note that Skibowl opens at 3 pm on Monday-Thursday, so if we do get a big midweek pow day, you can ride the morning at Meadows, then get more fresh tracks at Skibowl at 3 p.m. Big storms in March are pretty common, so there's actually a decent chance of this scenario -- check the long range forecast when you're packing, but probably worth your while to make room for a powder board if possible. Timberline will probably have launched its spring pass by the time you're here, so keep an eye on that, though I suspect you'll wind up wanting to spend your time at Meadows anyway. Sounds like you're already committed to staying in Government Camp, is that right? It's close to the lifts, but it's a little short on food and beverage options. The Ratskeller is the classic Govvie dive bar, and I would say that Mt. Hood Brewing is some of the better food and drink in town, but pretty $$$- I think I paid $18 for a sandwich there a few years ago. If you drive down the mountain a bit towards Portland, the Zigzag Inn and Zigzag Mountain Cafe (only breakfast and lunch) are both good; there are a lot more options in Hood River, but it's about an hour drive from Govvie. I probably won't be able to make it up when you're here because I'm having a very unpleasant dental procedure on March 7 which will probably keep me off my feet through the weekend, but if you're rolling through Portland on your way to a flight, post here and let's plan to meet up for a beer and / or a meal. Pretty good group of hardbooters in Portland, we just haven't been spending that much time on the forum lately.

That's a cool board, but we're a bunch of size queens here...you are not likely to get a lot of interest for a board this length.

I'd be interested in that at some point. Should really learn to do edge tunes.

I can believe that given the ease of adjustment for different boot lengths. Would have been nice to see Deeluxe come out with a new binding design, but I imagine they think there's not enough market to support it.

Thanks, I stand corrected.

For reference, here are the ski cross vs. snowboard cross times from the Vancouver Olympics, where they used the same course: https://wiki.fis-ski.com/index.php/Ski_Cross_vs._Snowboard_Cross_times,_speeds_and_percentage_differences_Vancouver_2010 The best time in men's ski-cross was about 10% faster than the fastest time in SBX.

Amazing!

"Do you know Dane?" Asked by a ski instructor / one time US team alpine racer, upon hearing that I do a Schweitzer trip every winter. I replied "You mean the Mayor of Schweitzer?" Apparently she had been on a trip there, ran into Dane and Russ, and complimented their riding, at which point Dane offered her a demo from his rolling gear storage (aka "van"). "I need to talk to this guy about his Superconductor." The other single that was boarding the chair with me and a couple, explaining why he wanted to sit next to me. He read the name off my board, and was wearing skis, but wanted to talk about gear. Always fun to have tech talk with another gearhead.

OK, looks like it's worth a shot today, on my way up. Will be parked at HRM and probably lapping Star, maybe Vista depending on conditions.

Hmm, conditions looking iffy: we might get rain, groom, then freezing temps, which would be pretty much my least favorite riding conditions. I'm going to check the conditions report tomorrow a.m. before making a final decision - if it's going to be like riding on corrugated metal, I may pass - that's kind of a hard sell given day tickets are $90.

Yeah, the end of a long and distinguished career -- sorry to see her go without ticking off those last few victories, but it sounds like her body was done. As far as GOAT, I wonder if Stenmark would have been as successful against today's racers - I think the level has improved a lot since his day.

Sport Tubes are popular and you can pad the boards with some clothing (be careful of weight limits though), or put sliced pipe insulation or pool noodles over the edges. There are also lots of multi-ski bags out there that would fit multiple boards, but they don't always have wheels. I have a monster Swix bag that if anything is too long, something like 215 cm. It has held up pretty well.

Hah! Close? I seem to recall you went home with the gold and I DNF'd I will be riding my Superconductor and I'll skip the Camelback...(why didn't anyone tell me not to use it in the gates?)

I guess more fat than lean, but I think our "fat" is pretty lean by civilian standards. The biggest single challenge right now is thinking about the cost of health insurance between FIRE and when we qualify for Medicare - that ramps up anticipated costs a lot.