MNSurfer

That FC2 is freaking cherry. No pun intended.

I'd say two, if one has bindings. Sort or related, but here's something that I've starting getting razzed about. I have a ski company branded boot bag, which I love. But it's shaped like a duffel. I've traveled with this for years, as part of a skis+boot bag combo, without a problem. For the last two years, I've been given the business about this "not being a boot bad". Even though there's boots in there, and it's a ski company! This has been mostly on Delta, but Frontier wasn't having any of it, and I had to pay $50.

Has anyone been to ABS? Is it worth a visit? http://allboardssports.com/about/ In mid-April, I'm spending a day out in Boulder, before heading up, and was wondering what the chances are of finding a (used or new, 175-ish, FC) board, there. It's hard to tell from the website, what those chances might be. Thanks! -Brian

Just curious if anyone has been to Terry, and if so, is it worth a visit? It looks to be about 9-hours from MPLS, so yeah, Lutsen, UP, etc. are closer. Just looking for a road trip, and change of scenery. High-speed Quads, 1,100' vertical, and ski in-out lodging? I'm listening...

A funny comment, at the top of Breck, from an instructor to his advanced class; "Here, watch this guy carve his life away." Maybe he has a point.

Sweet. Fader should go to 11.

Shot by a friend of mine. Skied Lutsen, this day, before hitting a secret spot, just a few miles north of where this was shot. Not epic, but fun little winter waves. -Brian

think spirit will be decent tomorrow (friday, 24th)? I'm coming to surf, but it's building into the afternoon, so I'm thinking of hitting spirit for first turns.

Pot-shots from the chair lift. Thanks for the good time and good turns. You got to love playing weekday hooky; It was almost as if the place was open, just for us! Next year... -Brian

It definitely seems like that's the case. I noticed a few other nicks, and they all have the same pattern. Oops. I was going to blame the skier that ran into me, the other day. Shoot! Thanks for all the input. I like the epoxy route. In lieu of Carbosil, could you use (chopped-up) fiberglass? And lastly, would it make sense to take it to a ski shop? Or will they just be doing the same thing? Thanks again!!!

Interesting. Loctite makes a bunch of products. Which one, in particular, would you use?

Fintecs, yes.

Got this little ding, the other day. Is there a proper way to go about repairing, or at least minimizing the chance of further damage? Or should a guy even worry about it? My initial thought was to fill it with PTex, but not sure if that's the right way to go. Would a ski shop be able to help, at all? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Brian

Thanks for the input. The varying perspectives certainly offer interesting takes on this subject.

Just something I've been kicking around. Sunday ramblings. This season whilst at the local bump, I've had several people (both skiers and softbooters) stop me in the lot, and ask where to get gear and how to get into hardbooting/carving. I've provided some guidance, but something has been bugging me. Back Story.... It was in 1999 that myself, along with two other suckers, started surfing the North Shore of Lake Superior. Over the next half-decade, those numbers grew to what, a dozen of us? You could show up to a spot, knowing full-well you'd have it all to yourself, or at worst sharing the peak with one or two good friends. You can't find gear in Minnesota, and knowing where and when to go was a matter of putting in you dues. Then the internet happened. Or more specifically, Facebook. Within a matter of a year or two, there would be 20 people out on a good day, where there was once 2 or 3. Now, those of us who were there first, are off looking for different spots. I've met some great people through surfing, don't get me wrong. However I always wonder what it would be like to have never given any guidance to anyone. Would we still have empty waves? Selfish, yes, but we surfers are a selfish bunch. So getting back to the meat; How much, if any guidance to you provide those looking to get into the sport? I know it's not apples-to-apples, but I'm just curious if you'd ever worry about showing up to the hill (or mountain, for you lucky ones), and it just being carved/trenched to pieces. Or al least more than you care for. And if you do provide some perspective to interested parties, where do you point them? I just tell them to check-out Bomber, and peruse the For Sale section. But honestly, it's a whole different world, and can be kind of confusing, as far as what gear to get, and all that (check out some of my dumb-dumb posts from years ago). At the same time, snagging used gear is really tough, let alone getting the right used gear. It's a daunting process, for sure. I find it hard to recommend buying all new gear, which would better the chance of the guy/gal getting the right tools, but at a minimum is a $2000 investment, for a sport they may not even like. I'll be click-in in about an hour, and as much as I love carving with others (we have a great community, and I have so, so much to learn), the surfer in me wants no one else around. -Brian

Low of 15, high of 22. That should work.

Personally, I ride an Axxess in glades and trees. Works great! Except for when the above comes into question. Higher binding angles (vs. Duck-foot) + moseying through trees = a long, long day. Tips-up, speed-up. As far as parks go, sure it's an injury waiting to happen. But carve boards tend to be (for the most part) vastly more expensive than their softboot siblings. Park jonesing? Grab a $100 softboot, beater ride and kick the crap out of that. You'll save a couple thousand bucks in gear, and/or tens of thousands in hospital bills.

The good ol', dependable, Minnesota January Thaw. Add to that 3"+ of wet snow.

I'm picking up what you're throwing down; It's definitely more Family-oriented than we're used to. I appreciate the offer, however with a group of 7, and being a few yards from the gondola, it's hard to not just ride here. Last day of the trip.

I've been riding Breck for the last 9 days, and oddly enough, haven't seen a single other hardbooter. With all the lovely fresh, the old, glass Donek Axess has been getting lots of mileage, up on the top of 8 and 6. Delirium, Wirepatch, and Briar Rose have been good to the Rev 175. Just before getting on the gondola, a 30-something girl flagged me down, asking exactly where I got my gear. Apparently she grew up riding hardboots, and has been wanting to get back in the game. Of course I pointed her to the fine folks at Bomber and Donek. Maybe there'll be someone else carving, at Breck!

I'll bring the Fireball.

http://www.postbulletin.com/business/fresh-start-for-former-steeplechase-ski-resort/article_4fc60751-d249-5857-ac85-4830fd13d88c.html

...And Steeplechase.

It's not for sale, that I'm aware of, which isn't saying much. How much were they asking? I do know that they didn't even open last year, due to no ice falling from the sky. It seems like they only have a couple, older, snow guns. It's a tough business, for sure.

It was fun bumping into some of y'all at Afton, on NYE. It sounded like there was a contingent going to Welch, the next day. I decided to hit-up the Mill, as it's 1/3 the distance. Gotta love the Mill. You can count the cars in the parking lot, and the lifts never stop. The sun barely gets in there, so anything that falls, stays. So the snow was good, and anyone who's been the Coffee knows they take pride in their grooming, which is deep and luscious. The narrower runs keep you on your toes, and always working. There's only really 3 runs (of the what, 14?) that a guy would call 'carving' runs, but hey, their all yours. A nice way to kick-off the year, indeed.