bigwavedave

About 8" fluffy new snow over the past couple days covered up all the hard stuff. Soft 1st day groom down the middle with 5-8" pow on the sides. Love how these Thirst boards go so seamlessly between the groomed mid slope and the side pow with hardly any adjustment of technique. Peeks of sun and very thin crowds! Never a lift line! Rode for 5hrs. @Algunderfoot, I saved some for ya. Met ski-carver Steve who seems to be as addicted to carving as the rest of us. ` Going back for more tomorrow. It should be good.

Thinking of heading over to Indianhead tomorrow (Thursday). Looks like it's been snowing enough to cover the "Michigan Marble". Indianhead reported about 3" overnight and another 3-5" predicted by tomorrow morning. If it's good, I might stay for Friday too.

...and it's going to a good home in the North East!...and pow4ever won't go hungry!

Hopefully it'll make a good base for mother Superior's gifts(fingers crossed) Looks like it's coming down pretty nice right now!

Well, mostly rain and sleet at Spirit, GR and Indianhead. On the bright side it looks like the lake effect is turning on this week to replenish the UP.

Talked to a friend who said White Cap is under new ownership and is making improvements, including 2 new groomers.

Selling because I'm liking my SF162 better. The Coiler is really fun, but I just don't ride short boards enough to justify having two. It was a tough decision, because I really like this board, but I really need a 181PC to fill out my quiver. Trying to seek balance and harmony in my quiver universe and I'm bit heavy on the purely carving side. This board is neither Angrry nor Madd, and certainly not a Muscle Killer, but fun, friendly, predictable and a pleasure to ride. Does well on ice to soft groom. Probably not bad in some powder, as it has 1.6cm taper and a widish nose, but I haven't ridden it in any powder.

@BlueBTaper is 1.3cm (I added nose & tail width measurements to my 1st post above). Setback 2.5cm. Inserts are centered for a 19.5 inch stance.The board rides very nice with bindings mounted centered on inserts. There is plenty of spread on the inserts to set the stance farther back for deep snow. More Incline review here:

Seen at the Banff film fest last night. I suspect this photographer's phenomenal images have been posted here before, if so, it's well worth seeing again, or for the first time. Aspen residents probably know this other much older French guy. Yeah, he's a skier and it's only slightly water related as he was also a sailor. This guy's a hoot. Maybe the French did invent panache.

Amazing how a night's sleep can rejuvenate the body. Woke up this morning feeling ready to do it again. Snow set up firmer today after the warm temps, but still pretty good carving. Gandy & Blue Ruin closed for races Sat & Sun. Rode with Ken for 1½ hours til lines started forming on the express lift and clouds turned the light flat. Might go out Sunday morning. Snow is in the forecast for Sunday night!

2015/16 Donek Incline 164 $485 shipped 23.5cm waist, 9-10m scr, made for 180lb rider, taper 1.3cm (nose 28.9, tail 27.6), setback 2.5cm It's like new! Never ground. No dings or scratches. Edges: base bevel 1°/ side 88°. Slightly narrower than standard waist for better edge to edge transitions with hardboots. Carves up groomers and handles powder very well. I like it best on hero groom (firm or soft) and up to about 1 foot pow. Also great in wet, spring slush or corn snow. Has the updated flex profile with slight decamber in the nose and tail and fairly robust traditional camber between the contact points. Comes with custom canvas board sleeve. A directional board, comparable to a Prior ATV, but carves way better (IMHO). Recent photo: More about this board here: (click on the arrow)

2018 Coiler SL C 165 $500 shipped 20.5cm waist, 9-10m scr, made for 185lb rider, nose 27, tail 25.4, 1.6cm taper Board is in like new condition (9.8 out of 10). No dings or scratches. Base never ground. Edge: base bevel .5°/side 88°. Comes with custom canvas board sleeve. More about this board here:

Best day yet. Purrfect groom and no crowds... The 8rw left clean arcs on Gandy Dancer...

Best snow yet this season from Gandy to Juggler Joe and everything in between. Hero groom. Rode til I could barely walk (5hrs, but I could still ride). Russ, Ken, patroller Don. George Hoveland was out. He's in his 90's, competed in the Oslo Olympics in 1950 something (the one where stein won 3 gold). Spirit Mt ski area was Mr Hoveland's idea back in the 1970's . Ripping up the cord, 1st tracks with the 185 Thirst..

Trippy. Looks like you're on mars with meteors streaking across the sky.

This?...my morning commute back to the city today.

@bobble said, "I made first tracks at 8:50am. Did I beat you?" Spirit didn't open til noon due to the cold weather. I made tracks at 11:30, so, yes, but I filmed my 1st tracks. The 5' PVC selfie stick turned out to be a bit heavier and harder to ride with than my telescoping pole, and being white didn't make it any less visible. There were some soft spots in the groom...

So far, I've noticed that snow doesn't seem to stick to the surface.

Got first tracks before the lift started and then some more. Rode for a few hours. With the sun and no wind, the cold wasn't too bad. No crowds, no lift line, all day! Ken was there. Soft and hard spots in the groom. 5th day in a row for me I think I'm gonna adapt to this retirement life just fineGotta work tomorrow though.

...and more 1st tracks of the New Year from another timezone. Kinda like the 1st gift of Christmas in the Polar Express, 'cept for big kids. Got that magic feeling

Aging knees have made me more sensitive to the quality of the ride. I felt the Thirst difference immediately; sureness, smoothness, slicing through ruts and piles and barely noticing. It felt like how carving feels in your dreams--which I highly recommend, it can really improve your riding! All the improvements in boards, bindings and boots have kept me riding more comfortably into my "senior" years. I didn't like the loss of board/snow feel with a plate system, but sidewinders, boot spring systems, and all the Kessler inspired board innovations of the past--good. Some of the Thirst features (asym core, heelside sidecut shifted forward, ect) have been experimented with in the past, but not putting all of it in the same package and there are likely some secrets that only Mark knows. Instead of moving to Milkland where the snow is always smooth carving, I chose the next most practical option and bought some boards that make every hill feel like Milkland.

Spirit has just shortened its hours for New Years day to 12noon-6pm due to a forecast of cold weather Still plan to make 1st tracks before the lifts start going.

I've noticed an interesting thing about how the wax wears off the edges. I often found it curious how all my other boards usually had the most wax wear just forward of the front foot and fading back to about the waist of the board. All my Thirst boards have an even pattern of wear from just forward of the front foot to just behind the rear foot.

Yeah, Nelson looks pretty idyllic, powder covered mountains, lakes for sailing...Mark Fawcett lives there...and it's just fun to say Kootenay! I'm a frequent border crosser between MN and ON in the summer (sailing Lake Superior), so hopefully I have a record of being a friendly visitor. I hear you about the paranoia of being watched near the border crossings. It used to be so different!

@pow4ever stalkers don't don't wear orange suits, right? I hope to ride these boards back to back with my other boards for comparison this winter. I demoed the Super last year right after coming off my REV and I didn't want to give it back! It was just a bit more versatile and maneuverable...and smoother carves. Very similar turn size. All 3 boards have the Thirst WARP magic of being really great on everything from ice, to firm or soft groom, to late day crud, to at least 6-7" of powder and I suspect even deeper. ..and Super smooth carves everywhere! I keep waiting for them to falter, but they seem to handle everything. Like someone said "the only surprise, is there are no surprises", or at least only good ones. The Super 175 is probably the best all-around size, and I think Mark will say that. Like the Rev it is the board I end up riding the most out of the 3. It really depends on where you ride. I got the 162SF because it makes riding all the terrain at small midwestern hills more interesting. But I wouldn't want it as my only board. If I lived out west, I could live without a 162, even though it might be fun on steep and narrow runs or in moguls. It's rides a lot like my old SG163, except it willingly completes turns when you simply keep it on edge. I had more fun on the 8rw today because its longer length smoothed out the bumps and ruts better, and I had room to ride it. It might be my favorite, but I'd want wide open runs. I hope to ride it tomorrow on some nice new year groom. The 8rw turn size is comparable to my 13-14scr Coiler Revelation. Glad you like the modified sidecut REV. I have great fondness for mine.