bigwavedave

I think they're closed on Tuesdays Pat I almost went over there last week after riding at Indianhead and the Porkies. Then I realized didn't have my passport. When were you there? I'm thinking of doing a road trip heading east next year to visit some of the other small areas in northern Ontario (Antoine) and Quebec (?), ending at Le Massif. How's the carving at Searchmont? Good grooming? Favorite run(s)?

?

The steep run under the chair at Wild Mt is appropriately named "Ego Ally".

I wanted a large and small, wide-ish board for riding hardboots in softer snow, powder etc. Got the big one a while ago, really didn't expect that he'd have time to make the little one too, but here it is... Couldn't decide on a top sheet, so Bruce said, "I'll figure it out. What colors do you like?" Uh...I donno, blue?...green? The blue 185 was inspired by Shred's new Monster with that modern powder nose. Bruce calls it the Contra All Terrain. N29.5, 23 waist, T28.3, 11m sidecut, EE165. The little one is a 165 Contra All Terrain, 29 nose, 23.5 waist, 28.1 tail, 10m scr, EE146. I suppose these are a BXFR hybrid for hardboots with a redesigned core/flex for the contra sidecut. I'll get to ride the green one tomorrow. Bruce took 4-5 test runs on it and said it was really fun. It sounded like he wanted to keep it. Last time that happened (the rev), he turned around and made a duplicate for himself. Oh, the packaging for my board included some re-purposed golf club packaging. It's a sign. update 4/16: 1st ride was on 4-5" of slush over ice and I was able to make easy, surfy/floaty turns on the slush without bottoming out on the rough ice base. Of course it had good edge hold on the ice, it was just a nicer ride floating above it. But yesterday, I got to ride it on some firm & crunchy, carvable snow, not really the conditions for it's intended use, but turns out (not surprisingly) it is a really fun carver. Very satisfying turns! Can't wait to get it in some soft snow. I have a feeling it's gonna be great. Could be it really is a board for all terrain. ...And I know you're thinking, "How many friggin' boards does this guy need???" In my defense, these boards replaced 2 similar boards that I sold earlier this year.

Thanks Adam! Bindings received.

another one I liked here...very lonely...with sparks flying off the sun.

The smile says it all. Love that SG video because you can feel the joy in the turns, even if he doesn't really take them all the way across, he's still going deep into each carve. He just likes to carry a lot of speed. This conversation reminded me of some short clips I shot of finals at a recent RTTC PSL. Nice course, no need for drifts--nice smooth carves...short, but smooth turns. Ignore our stupid grins in the cover photo. Bob and I were smiling because rather than racing, we were out harvesting all the neglected corduroy.

Pretty cool. Too bad you need a jet ski to do it.

Okay. I got a couple of nice ones yesterday...here's one...more of a gentle bend... Hope you got that tongue back in your mouth before you landed! Don't ask how I know

When I started racing, some of the best alpine snowboard racers were former ski racers, who found that their ski race skills gave them an immediate advantage. So, yes there is their influence on alpine snowboard racing. I often argued for bigger turns in race courses. When we did it, it turned out the course got destroyed much faster with big across-the-hill turns than the way courses are currently set. When you have 60+ racers using the same course, you have to consider that. Try riding through a race course and maintain your smooth style. It's way harder than it looks, but it will improve your skills out of the race course. WC race courses are supposed to challenge the best riders, so you often see riders that are pushed to their limits of control and are not smooth (or are smooth, but not fast). Then you see riders like Karin Ruby, Ester Ledecka or JJA and a few others being smooth and fast. Isn't this why we have the non-competitive "expression session". Otherwise, we would've been setting race courses with huge turns at SES. If you like getting to the hill early to make big turns on fresh groom before it's all tracked out, you're not gonna like racing. If you like sitting at the top of the hill waiting for the timing to get sorted out so you can make your one or two runs through a rutted up course, than racing is for you. It's a different mindset. Riding seems to take backseat to the competition. That said, I'm still in awe watching racer's go through a rutted up course, making it look easy, or even do-able, or maybe even fun. Gotta say though, we have all benefited from the equipment innovations derived from the racing community.

^^^Didn't something like that happen--getting stuck on the lift?^^^

@firepopa Is that Le Massif on the St Lawrence?

Oh boy! Super nice snow...again today! Rode with Al most of the day on the 8rw's. Later, Doobs? joined us for some turns riding a carbon & titanal F2. Beth was there too riding her SF. I rode my Gecko-plated 180 Coiler Rev later when the soft snow got all chewed up. I think we started out around 28° and got up to about 45°. The snow was just starting to get sticky when I left around 2. The forecast calls for temps to remain above freezing tonight. Great carving everywhere, except on one of my favorite runs, FIS, which was closed for races yesterday & today Had the most crowds I've seen here this year, but not bad. Never waited more than a couple of minutes to load. And still, plenty of room to carve on big boards, occasionally having to wait for traffic to pass. Another 1st track photo...

USASA national championships at Copper Mt.--the largest gathering of snowboarders on the planet. Donek and others are there with demos. A thousand snowboarding kids (and their parents) that spend a lot of time on the snow.

You're right about racing and the future. There are more hardboot alpine racers in these parts than you can shake a stick. You can see them at the USASA nationals in a few weeks. The Gteam in Minnesota has seen growth in this aspect of the sport in the past several years, in part inspired by my daughter who trained in their program years ago and then went on to become the top US female alpine racer and competed in WC races all over the world. When she retired, she coached Gteam racers for a while, but has now moved on to other things. There are 3 girls from the gteam now competing in RTTC (and one of them in the world cup at Blue Mt)---known as the "flower power"--Rose, Lily and Iris. Racers have a different mindset about carving, Fin knew. Unfortunately, you rarely see current or former (serious) racers out carving turns for pleasure. And then there are nuts like us here who can't wait for the next turn.

Well, I felt good enuff to hit the road at 6am to arrive for first tracks at Indianhead. It was 6° when I left home and 26° by the time I got to the hill at 8:30. Ran into Al taking time from work to partake in what turned out to be one of the most exceptional days on snow this winter! 4-6" of new snow, mostly groomed in. 1st day groomalicious. Soft and slow at first, transitioned to softer and faster later. Surfy, carvy fun. One of those days where you find yourself looking for all the untracked groom. Trenches were getting deep. Temps were getting up near freezing when I left at 2:30. The sun made it feel warmer. Rode the 8rw's all day. Those first tracks.... Tomorrow---2nd day groom! Savoring these days as we stumble in to spring.

Nice review @Lurch , but the little sub text message under the board photo, LOL

Thursday Snowing hard inda U.P. tonight--big wind off the lake! I've been layed low with the ebola flu since Tuesday morning, but I think I might be feeling better, or good enuff. We'll see in the morning. The weather forecast is starting to look like an early onset spring. Makes me feel a little panicky.

@1xsculler I ride at small midwestern hills where any decent skier would be board to death, so any skilled downhill slider is an anomaly. One of the reasons I got into alpine snowboarding was that I found carving turns, even on the relatively gentle mid-western terrain, lit up the pleasure center in my brain much like windsurfing did, but better, and I didn't have to wait for a windy day (and the waves were bigger than any lake). There's a ski area a few hours north of me that is more of a skiers hill, and has terrain to challenge a good skier. When I go there, skiers have little or no interest and it's one place that I'll get some attitude from skiers. Small, quiet ski areas that are boring for skilled skiers are my favorite places for carving.

Don't want to get into a hardboot v softboot thing. The "adult snowboarding" remark was just what Fin used to call it--it just sounded funnier when he said it--and it was kinda true, as most of his customers were...older. But, I would add to the best use for hardboots & alpine board above---ice and impenetrable groom, something we can get a lot of east of the Rockies. If I didn't start using an isolation plate this year at my local hill, or drive 2½ hrs to the land of lake-effect snow, I would not have had much fun this season. If I rode in Aspen all winter, well...I wish! When in Aspen, I did have more fun on a wide-waisted old glass, full-camber board compared to my alpine sticks. Aspen groom is a dream. Btw Bob, it looks like you've been having a wonderful season. Please keep posting pics.

Exact opposite experience of xsculler. I've had several people actually stop me at the top of the hill or in the chalet and ask me tell them everything about what I'm riding. Some know what it is and some have never seen it before. Short answer is, "yes, it is as fun as it looks, and you can find out more at Alpinesnowboarder.com and it's the best place to find good used equipment cheap in the classifieds". I think the average skier/boarder looks at it and thinks it looks like fun, but would be too hard for them do or learn, and they may be right. I had a ski carver ask to follow me around the hill recently. He had been trying to duplicate my turns by going next to my trenches all morning. He was okay until we got to the steeps, and then he just couldn't crank the same turn. Now he's seriously thinking he needs to try an alpine set-up. Who knows, maybe algunderfoot will hook him up at Indianhead. I've seen more and more good softboot carvers on the hill in the past couple of years. I suspect some of them may want to take it to the next level and try (as Fin called it) "adult snowboarding". btw, BSO (Big Snow Outfitters) in Bessemer (near Indianhead) has some Thirst boards for rent and I've seen them out on the hill.

And he's a closet racer too, but just for fun. I met him when he came out and competed in the Buck rttc a couple of times. He rode a skinny old Prior race board everywhere at MCC last year. No wimpy pow board for him.

Yeah, the .951's seem stiffer laterally than my UPZ's (with the regular cuff), and I kinda like it. @slapos Do you notice any restriction in fore & aft flex with the Grand Prix compared to any other liner?

Went out around noon for a couple of hours. Temps were up to 45°. The ice base was softened enough to get an edge. I put a 3° edge bevel on the Rev for extra grip. All the traffic was making shaved ice piles, so there might be enough ice crystals to make a decent "surface groom" now without any new snow. Rode the "renovator" (the Rev with boiler plate).That smoothed out the ice and slush piles George was there. You know, the 93 year old former Olympian and inspiration to all us younger old guys. I end up on the chair with him a few times each season, so he knows he's met me before, but can't quite place it. When I re-introduce myself his standard line is, "do I owe you money?". I rode up the chair with him today and decided to turn his line around on him before he had a chance to use it, "hey, don't you owe me some money?". That got a good laugh. Went over to the park later where the ice base was barely perceptible under a few inches of slushy snow. Tried some FastStick polymer wax for above freezing temps. Seemed to have really good glide. Fits in your pocket and can be rubbed on at the hill.

@slapos submitted this photo of how tall the ZipFit Grand Prix is in a .951 boot. The height looks pretty good to me. I wouldn't want it taller (or shorter). The Intuition liners I've tried in the .951's, Luxury (lace-up tongue) & Alpine wrap are shorter than the Grand Prix's and are also shorter than the stock .951 liners. I wish they were taller. The Luxury's heel hold is just okay for me for now, so a pair of ZipFits may be in my future. Does anyone know if the Grand Prix will make the boot feel stiffer? I, for one would not like the liner to change the stiffness of the boot. Changing out the boot springs can do that. As others have said, a liner that works with the forward flex of an alpine snowboard boot and retains the heel hold that ZipFit's are known for. Maybe the Grand Prix is already it? Oh, the only ZipFit dealer in Minnesota (Hi Tempo) no longer sells them. Can they be mail ordered? Where's the best contact for that? I received no response from the ZipFit website.