JRAZZ

Got the boots and they are EXCELLENT! Thanks!!

Be there, I will

I love WP. Along with a lovey pass I have a WP pass but they are two different animals. WP is huge. Most of the terrain is trees. Grooming is very weak. Lifts are awesome. I've just been there after almost 3' of snow and it's awesome. However; food and lodging are expensive! Want a midday burger? $20 please. Drink at the bar? $10 for a pint. When I go there I pack my lunch. If you are looking for groomed blues for carving you might think that WP has some great runs. Cranmer is a huge superwide groomed blue run. Great, right? Nope. The right side is left bumpy on purpose and the run is really really crowded. If you want awesome tree runs in soft snow then WP is the bomb. You want to carve? Go to Loveland! Loveland will probably be the least expensive. The lodging in Georgetown will probably be less expensive and the food and lift tickets are definitely cheaper. Lots of groomed runs that are relatively empty. I can also recommend Copper for long, wide groomed runs. Prices are the same as WP. Breckinridge and Keystone ditto.

Wouldn't this site be the obvious choice for hosting something like this?

It's going to be an absolute zoo. So what? It's fun!

I'm willing to pick up the glove, err... boot. I have scanners that can measure a boot easily. If someone wants to donate 3 or 4 boots of the same size I can cut them up and produce a couple of cross-sections you could print out and measure your foot against. I'm thinking that a top to bottom section would be incredibly useful. Even if it's only the bottom half of the boot.

You really can't tell from the numbers. I have a 28cm foot, wear a US 10.5 (Burton boots for example fit me perfectly at 10.5) and the Deeluxe 28MP feels on the verge of being too large. The length of your foot does not tell the whole story. Width, shape, calf, and flexibility all play a role. You really really need to try the boot first.

BTW, the answer to why metal boards feel different than glass is not a simple one. Metal (Aluminium in this case) have a couple of differences. Metal is isotropic (behaves the same in every direction) and resists compression better than composites (granted, in this application it's probably less of an issue because the compression isn't that much). Metal does, however, have an ace. It's not readily apparent from engineering material but metals (and alu is especially) have some hysteresis in the stress-strain curve. That means it does not spring back as readily as glass - damp in other words. This sucks. Fiberglass is great. It's strong (about 2-3 times stronger than aluminium), cheap, and easy to bond to wood. Winner, right? Sure. But making it damp is really not simple. Rubber strips help but they are rather localized. A full titanal sheet would add the same stiffness as a FRP layer, weigh about the same, and add dampness all over. Hmmm.... no easy solution for a replacement. My engineering nerdness have been engaged. This will be interesting :)

And here it is from the horses mouth: https://www.amag.at/en/our-aluminium/sporting-consumer-products/sporting-goods/amag-titanalr.html

I think Titanal is closer to 7075 than to 2024 (the intraweb calls it 7068 T6). The 7000 series are very stiff with a modulus of elasticity approaching steel. Moreover it seems that they do some sort of anodizing that improves adhesion. Can you use other 7000 series alu? Probably. You can also probably get 0.3mm 7068 T6. The anodizing is another problem. That is really something specialized and you would have to pay a pretty penny to get your stock anodized. I don't think the world is ending but I do think that as far as snowboard construction is concerned you would have to either go with 0.4mm or be creative!

I am suitably distressed. The worst part of that comment was the resulting image in my mind. My psychiatrist, however, is extremely pleased with you. He always wanted that boat.

Sunday at lovey... March madness is upon us. Very quiet start to the day but became a zoo real quick. Apparently it helps if you have the front leg more straight and use the tongue instead of the toes... Who knew? Stories of broken heel pieces big Swedish snowboards. No rakes were spotted but the day is still young.

I use my softboot setup when I'm with the fam. Then again I'm on the mountain pretty much every weekend....

PM Sent

I shall do my best. My feet were unhappy with me. I am starting to believe that these boots really are too stiff I will also refrain from strenuous exercise like cycling, deadlifting, and competitive eating. (I do believe that the LCI crew has these covered already )

I think that the SB industry has somewhat stagnated. This might be a symptom or a cause. For example: One thing that draws me to hard-boot snowboarding is the ease of binding in/out. There doesn't seem to be any advances in the SB area in this regard. Talking to SB friends they tell me "well I the bindings I have are good enough for me". This "good enough" is the death of any field. I think this is somewhat representative of snowboarding in general.

Ugh. Now I know why it's called serious Texas BBQ. This was SERIOUS! #pukingmygutsout

Combination of a hard head and a masochistic streak? Sums me up pretty well...

I am in serious need of some snow therapy.

They have a sewn-in liner. You can't take it out. I was put off by that until I tried them. Feeling is believing. The nice thing is that most hardware stores have them. Just go in and try. As for warmth, I am not a cold hand person so take this for what it's worth but I feel that these are almost too warm for me. If it's above 10 then I usually go with the gloves (Kinco 94s or Level Half-Pipes) that have even less insulation. I have found them comparable to the Hestra CZone mitts for warmth. As far as waterproofing you can try the silicone based solutions. They aren't as durable as sno-seal (which stinks up your house. Do not use wife's oven. Ask me how I know...) but do the job when it's wet outside. Don't want to bake your glove? https://flylowgear.com/shop/mens/gloves Look at the oven mitt. These are basically Kincos with the weatherproofing already applied. (Did I mention I'm a glove junkie) They are also surprisingly dexterous. Yes, I am aware that I sound like a commercial at this point but I do really like them. There's also a reason why the ski patrol usually use them. But seriously, $20...

I'm sort of a glove junkie. My wife will attest. I've been using the Level Half-Pipe gloves for almost two years and have been pleasantly surprised by their build and durability. The reason I was using then was because I had broken wrists and wanted some protection (this was when I rode the ice-coast). They Level's were showing their age and I started looking for a replacement. Since I ride Loveland which is known for the warm, pleasant weather and lack of winds I was looking for mittens. I had found some really nice Hestras. These were really warm, soft and looked awesome! At $90 I thought I got a good deal. Then I found the Kincos. Talk about buyers remorse. They are just as warm as the Hestras but waaaay more durable (just thicker leather). And at $20 they are definitely worth it for me. Additionally, for some reason, they are now considered cool. Go figure! Another option is to get army surplus mittens like these: http://www.amazon.com/LEATHER-TRIGGER-FINGER-MITTENS-Medium/dp/B002B93CVW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457226001&sr=8-2&keywords=army+surplus+mittens But even I can't rock these. I find that the 901Ts are fairly water proof, but then again water does not exist in liquid form in the Rockies in the winter. If you really are worried about water proofing you can just rub this into them: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U0KVVC/ref=s9_simh_gw_g468_i2_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1YZZG414WYJWZ8Z80S4C&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop I don't because I like my gloves very breathable. YMMV p.s. If anybody wants to buy some once-ridden Hestras cheap! pm me.

Kinco 901T Cheap is the ultimate durability. They are also really warm, comfortable and durable.

That's one of the issues I found. It really needs commitment. If I was given a demo board and boots and directed to the mountain with minimal instruction I would have taken one run and be done! I've only started to find a bit of control on the end of the second day. Buying equipment made me commit and that is all the difference for me.

Errmm... Expensive, hard to demo, requires some skill, requires correct adjustment of equipment, scary as hell the first time... more? Funny thing is that a lot of people see and are interested in alpine sb. IMHO the reasons above are the ones responsible for the low quantity of HBSBs. That being said, I think more and more people are joining the movement.

Probably not.... Definitely not at the weight you are talking about.