MNSurfer

New custom beast from Jim and Sean (much thanks!). 175, 21.5, 10m. You can really put it to it, on our narrow mid-west trails. Cheers!

Just curious if a date/location has been called for MES. My winter is getting chewed-up, but it would be nice to make it. Thanks!

There are two people in our party, looking for performance (softboot) demos. Is Breck Sports, in Beaver Run, the place to go for this? Or would there be some place better? Thanks!

A few from the last month on the Big Lake. Lester

Thanks for the tips! Not necessarily being a people-person, I like the idea of Peak 7 and 6.

They're OS2 standards. I did see, on Catel's site, where you can purchase the toe bails. I did look at the heel bails, thinking they might work! Not quite.

So long as they are for Fin-Tec. I didn't realize Catek ever made Fin-Tec receivers.

Thanks. Seems easy enough to throw it on the drill press, but I thought I'd give a Hail Mary, first.

I've heard that at some point, Bomber made Fintec receivers for Catek bindings. Not sure if this is true or not, but if so, and you have some you're looking to get rid of, I'm all ears. Thanks! -Brian

This will be our first year at Breck, after a decade+ at Copper. I'm curious as to what might be, in your opinion, the best carving runs at Breck. And, I suppose, any other helpful hints (all mountain, crowd avoidance, beer stops, etc.). Just looking to help maximize our mountain time. We were there over the Thanksgiving holiday, and with only 139 acres open, I was hard-pressed to find a good, grooving run. Thanks! -Brian

A steampunk brewery? No thank you. On another note, my personal favorite MN brewery will be closing its doors on January 31st. Harriet Brewing does mostly Belgian varieties, and does them very, very well. The West Side IPA is just incredible. Anyway, I'm not sure of the circumstances of the closing, though I've heard it has something to do with the building owner having other plans, after Harriet's lease expires. There's no plan to move locations, etc. It's a really neat little brewery, run by some passionate people. If you haven't been, you only have a few months to check it out! http://www.harrietbrewing.com/tap-room/

Is it possible to use Fin-Tec heels with Catek OS2's? I've poked around on Catek's website, and only find mention on Intec. Thanks! -Brian

Not going to be making much snow, with lows in the 40's. A group of us will be in the UP that weekend, surfing, so here's to hoping the weather turns for the worse!

Cool to see Skelly that glassy and without pea-soup fog. But I wish they would have shown the full-speed playback.

I like the drop-in at 4:20. This adds a whole new take on spring skiing!

Hello, A group of us Great Lakers are taking a surf trip to NZ, at the end of September. Seeing as this may likely be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, we were also thinking it would be fun to take advantage of the slopes. We're already hauling boards, wetsuits, camping gear, so lugging around-hardboots and snowboards is not on the priority list. Is there anywhere to rent alpine gear? Preferably on-mountain, but I'm game for whatever. That being said, we have no real agenda, timeline or roadmap. Thanks for any help. Cheers! -Brian P.S. I'd also be ears to any advice regarding where to go/not-go for surf, in late September.

Hmmm. The last time I tried to check a longboard was a flight with one stop, and a regional. Had to have the old lady drive back to the airport and get the log. That was several years ago, and just wondering if something has changed.

Flying Delta in a few days, and would love to bring an 8'6". Delta states surfboards must be <115 linear inches. So at 108 inches, I'm obviously a bit over. So question is, how strict is Delta? Not a regional flight or anything. Thanks! Brian

Kind of a Hail Mary, but... Rode one last year, and really enjoyed it. Last year's model, 172, 21., if I recall. Would love to pick one up, but with this shaping-up to be a brown winter here, kind of hard to justify a brand new one. So, if you have one gathering dust, I'd be happy to talk. 172 or the 175 would be fine. I'd actually prefer the 175. I have M30's, so it'll have to be the 21-version. Located in MN, and would be willing to pay shipping. Otherwise I'll be out in the Frisco area the 20th - 28th of January. Thanks! Brian

Anyone heading out on Saturday? The Old Lady and I are thinking of making this the last hurrah for the season.

Kind of throwing this out, and seeing if this is a possibility. From MN, and I'll be working in Cypress the week of April 11th - 18th, and staying most likely in Sunset Beach (or there-about). Schedule affords me, so I was hoping to log some time every morning. Problem: Getting a 9'6" to Cali. It can be done, yes, but it's become a real pain in the arse (not to mention the wallet). At any rate, I was hoping that maybe someone has a spare board they'd be willing to part with for a few days. Not particular. I'm a 50/50, pintail, single-fin kind of a guy, but when in this situation, anything will do. Of course I'll make it worth your while. Thanks, and any other suggestion on how to procure a (real!) board would be great. Was actually thinking of buying one on Craigs, and selling it to a shop before heading back, but that sounds cumbersome. Thanks again! Brian

Thanks for the tips. Think I might lean towards the Nirvana. Didn't mean to hijack this thread. Sorry!

Hey all, nice meeting you (most of) you guys. Brownies were all delicious. Let's hope the snow machine turns-on for last part of the winter. ****************************************************************************** Headed out to CO (Copper) next week (I know, I miss SES every year by a week), and going to demo something from Bomber. Hoping to get some opinions on what I should look for. I've only ever ridden two boards; main one being Donek Axxess 167, and the other a 171 Rossi race. The love the Donek, and the Rossi I can only ride out west, given the speed, sidecut, stiffness, and my paltry skills. So I was leaning towards a Donek FC (metal or glass?), or Nirvana. Got these M30's, so can't go too narrow in the waist. Just looking for something that will be a fun, upward transition from my 167/21.5/9.6 glass stick. I love this board at Afton (short turns makes for more small-mountain fun, IMHO), but could use something with a little more bite and speed. Oh, and 6'2", and 180. Any tips or suggestions would be much obliged! Cheers! Brian

just sort of throwing it out there, and hoping for the best. At Copper the 31st to 3rd, then Snowmass the next three days. We're on the CME the whole time, but staying on mountain. Anyway, if you have em, and a meet up would work, I'd be happy to take them off your hands. Cheers! brian

TUESDAY, DEC 30 Fun, although a little chilly. Afton does well with a West wind, so it actually wasn't that bad, even at opening (9:00). Virtually empty until about 1:00. Kept to the Meadows and Highlands, as the sun angle just wasn't enough to warm-up (or even touch) the front side. With a sharp edge, conditions were actually pretty decent, due in-part to the lack of any sort of traffic. It's fun to see your tracks 3 or 4 hours later! Didn't see any others booting. Will be back on New Year's day...