bigwavedave

Went out again last night trying a different set-up with the Geckos on my 175 Rev. Never felt comfortable, not sure if it was the crazy night riders or me. Out for 1st tracks this morning on firm & cold (-10°F) cord under a hazy sun. Rode the Super & XC. Not very crowded, so lots of fun. Later tried the Geckos again with the soft bumpers on the REV--better As trippy as night riding is, I think I'm a morning person--but I'm not giving up on the night riding yet. I think if it's not busy it will be nice, especially with the Gecko shock absorbers to smooth out the late day crud. Finally spotted Ken and took a run with him before he left. Turns out we've been just missing each other on the hill a few times so far this season. He'll be back out Tuesday. Snow making at -10°F from my back window this morning....Looks like smoke...or snow-nadoes? A few minutes later, on my way to the hill, warm clouds aloft moved in... By the time I got to the top of the hill the warm air had forced the snow clouds down, creating a thick fog for about a ½ hour. The surface of Lake Superior was blanketed with thick lake-effect snow clouds.

G-team training is Thursday. Wouldn't be surprised if SSWSC is there too. Friday is FIS and junior FIS races. Sat & Sun is NAC (NorthAmerican championships, otherwise known as Race to the Cup (RTTC)).

Well, that explains it!...and you would know...(if you ride with Russ, you can not ride chair #13)

Are screws going through bindings and hoof cants to the board's inserts? Do you have to use some kind of wedge or pivot washer under the head of the screw?

It just keeps snowing! Didn't ride much today...triskaidekaphobia infected Spirit... Express lift problems, so hike to Summit Chair which stops & goes. Nordic races on ski trails at base, so only 2 trails were usable from C chair. Flat light and now too much traffic for only two trails---not fun for carving. Went out again at night. Haven't done much night riding since I was first learning to carve. Forgot how trippy it is, especially while snowing and especially if the hill is quiet, but being a Friday night it was far from quiet. And it's still snowing!

My first thought was some of Bob's photos, like today's tracks shot...

The Thirst ride (naked, sans Geckos) is as smooth, maybe smoother than anything that I've ridden (K, SG, Ox etc, etc). Doesn't take a backseat to metal in any way (except that it is audibly noisier on ice). Livelier than a p-tex topped board, but not nervous or sketchy at all. I think some of the Oxess's that I tried were all carbon, no metal, and they were a delight--lively, light, quietly sure footed and smooth. Probably the closest feel to a Thirst. Certainly don't need Geckos on a Thirst, and I likely wouldn't have bought them but for a painful knee. They do smooth out the bumps and add a little stiffness, but when pushed there was a nice springy feedback. And, I could still feel that deliciously smooth Thirst carve....and no shooting knee pain on heelsides!!! We do get ice here, although not today. My first day on the xc this season was on a surface that felt like a solid sheet of ice cubes covered with an inch of granular, and it handled it just fine. Audibly it was noisy as hell, but the ride was predictable. *edited*

Always!

Well here is my XC with some extra bling! Thanks @Kneel for giving me the idea! I've been considering getting Geckos, but the price, plus I'm usually fine riding until things get too chopped up and then just going home. But, I've been struggling with a knee injury since last year that is giving me pain when I hit any bump. So, I thought these are cheaper than a new knee and I can get them in 2 days. Worth it if they will keep me going through the season. Had a good test today with 5-6" fluff over a crusty groom that got pretty chopped up quickly. I hardly felt a twinge of pain and still had a nice board feel. Seems great so far. Plus, the Geckos match the color scheme of my board, which after all, is most important

Sublime! If I didn't know better, I would think I'm in the land of milk riding with @softbootsurfer The recipe: 5-6" fluffy light snow over groom + hazy sunlight through gently falling snowflakes + no crowds/no lift lines + a carving buddy @rwmaron to do some syncro-carving and share the stoke. This pic is of my first run before the lift started. I forgot my camera (that's also a phone), but then saw a nordic skier stop to take a photo of my tracks (so I knew it they were special). I caught up to her and she kindly sent me the pic.

Next winter Olympics in China! There might be a good turnout of the top North American riders (and maybe others?) this year at Buck, as there are no competing WC alpine races scheduled at the same time as the Buck NorAm. (Dec 20-22) Don't know yet if I'll be there. (not to race...on the hill judge)

The good thing is, there is now snow in Coilerville for testing current builds and developing new ideas. As long as there are no golf balls to chase on the hill, I think we're safe. Hopefully patience is rewarded with a board beyond expectations.

December. I just wrote to him and said I can wait if someone actually needs a board sooner.

Spirit has been blowing snow day & night since temps dropped on Monday! With sub zero temps, clouds of snow have enveloped the hill and it appears as if on fire with snow smoke rising hundreds of feet in the air and drifting off in the wind!A spectacular sight in last night's moonlight. With mother nature contributing a few more inches tonight, it should be fun when they reopen tomorrow. ....Paging @khoward....

What happened to "Candy"??

Told me he's playing ketchup. Too much golfin' around this summer.

A BXFR? Can you share the specs; scr, length, width? Bruce seemed to be steering me away from the asym. Said @Shred Gruumer should report back how it rides.

Went for a hike up the hill with the powder board this morning . Half way up, a mountain ops guy on a snowmobile stopped and gave me a ride to the top! First ride ever on a snowmobile for me. One hand gripping the bar under the seat and the other trying to keep the wind from ripping the board out of my other hand. Fastest ride I've ever had up the hill. About 6" new snow. Started with freezing rain last night and formed a thin crust on the lumpy, un-groomed base. Snow guns are still going full force on DoubleJaw and SkyHooker and likely the park. Should be nice on Thursday when they open at noonShould have more terrain open.

Warm winds blew in overnight and brought the temps up to about 40°. Flat light and possibly slushy snow and then checking the webcam to see it very crowded again today, makes me decide to do something else today. I suspect announcing the possibility of having to lock the doors next week has ironically turned out to be great marketing to get everyone out before the end. I wouldn't be surprised if they're breaking attendance records for this time of year! On the bright side, we're expecting 6-12" of snow overnight. Might have to hike up tomorrow.

@barryj Essentially, he builds a board to fit your desired stance width and angles, if you already know them. Waist width will vary slightly for different length boards. Generally, a long board and a short board of the same waist width will have different widths where your feet are, ie, a short board will be wider at the binding location compared to a long board of the same waist width. We're talking mm's diff. You should contact Mark. Get it straight from the horse's mouth. I'm sure he's just waiting for your call. I can sense he's watching, all you have to do, is call.

M28 UPZ's

My SF is about 20.3 for ~60° front ~55° rear. He'll make it whatever width works for your boot size and preferred angles without overhang. I like riding shallower angles because I feel like I get a better balance between heel/toe edge pressure, and driving with knees using the cuff to lever the board. ***Correction: Just measured my SF and it actually has a 20cm waist. A day off from riding and all this talk about measurements made me get the tape out. I told Mark that my preferred waist width was 20.5cm, but he, more accurately, built it for my preferred stance width and angles. He's a perfectionist and wants us old guys to ride narrower boards.***

https://www.fis-ski.com/en/alpine-skiing/alpine-news-multimedia/news-multimedia/news/test2/ledecka-amazed-once-again-in-downhil

It's a killer board! Perfect size turns for a short board. I don't think I'd want it any tighter. Rode mine today on nice snow (first time this year), but a super crowded hill in flat light. Had to stop and wait for traffic a lot and found myself riding way over on the sides, under the chair lift, around lift towers just to find an open lane. Started on my XC 1st run and switched right away to the SF. I was afraid the XC would make the SF obsolete, but apparently not. @Kneel have you ridden it naked (without Geckos)? **updated 02/02/2020 additional comments** groundhog palindrome day Rode the SF for a few hours on nice snow today. Variable overcast light and weekend crowds made riding the short board a good idea. Gotta say this is the best little board I've ever ridden (SG frt, K162, etc). It's surprisingly stable at speed making a large turns across the hill and it's just as sure making super smooth tight turns, fast or slow. I can't think of anything I'd want to change with this board! The crazy thing is that Mark told me he built the first SF and sent it out the door--never tested, never ridden. I imagined it would take some testing of prototypes to get it just right, but no, whatever magic formula of core-flex-sidecut wizardry he has conjured up with seems to translate to whatever he builds. To this date Mark hasn't ridden one. @BLOODTYPEZX10R, you definitely have to try one of these boards!