SnowFerret

So true. Of the people who recognize alpine equipment, the majority of them have been lifties. Had a funny reaction the other night when I went to my local hill after work. I was riding a chair up and a liftie was downloading at the same time. As we got closer he says "Hey, awesome boots, dude." He started to say something else just as we were passing each other but stopped mid-sentence and let out a "Woooooaaah, I haven't seen those (hardboots, plate bindings, alpine board) in yeeeaaaars." Saw him again at the bottom and we chatted a little. Lifties see a lot of things.

Here's a brand-new Rossignol Race 173 for sale in Hoboken, NJ for $75: https://newjersey.craigslist.org/spo/6037659564.html

Just curious, but has anyone considered using splitboard bindings in a non-splitboarding appication (i.e. softboot carving setup)? Admittedly I do not know much about the characteristics of splitboard bindings, and I'm going by the assumption that splitboard bindings for softboots are typically stiffer than the stiffest "regular" softboot bindings. I did see something interesting recently about this company called Karakoram that make bindings typically for splitboards. They have a system that allow for quick swapping to any board that use their baseplate adapters.

I concur. Park City/Canyons should have be a good match. I just got back last week and the conditions were great. Downtown Park City has some great restaurants, bars, and shops and it's very easy to get around. There are also some outlets that are only about 5min drive away.

"Is that a carving ski?" - Explained what my board was, talked a little about how it felt to ride and the learning curve. "What's the purpose of that [setup]? Is it for speed?" - It's more of a side-effect, but yes. "Woah, monoski!", "Yo, are those ski boots on that guy's board?", & "Nice! Alpine!" Had a few kids on chair tell me they liked my board.

Capita NAS (Normal-Ass Snowboard)

I really want to get out on the slopes this weekend. I finally had my long-awaited first day of riding in hardboots a couple weeks ago and am itching to get back out there again. Windham is my go-to mountain, but with the temperatures swings and rain we've had this week is it worth it to make the trip up this weekend? Has anyone ridden there the past few days? Is farther north like VT the better option?

You're talking about the Gas Pedal feature on Burton bindings, right? I have it on my Cartels on both feet. Honestly, I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes while riding versus a regular footbed. If it was stiffer instead of a soft foam then maybe it would do something. Sorry if that doesn't help.

Ride Insanos are a pretty stiff boot. Only 2 complaints: 1) Some ingress/egress difficulty 2) Cosmetic wear is faster than expected.

Can I join the old-but-new-to-me club, too?

What's helped me improve my riding in bumps/moguls is to look 1 or 2 steps ahead. It's something I've learned on the racetrack and I think it's a good practice on the slopes too. In tighter bump groupings, I usually have to load the nose and swing the tail around. It's fine for icy conditions but not so great in softer snow and bigger mounds. Jump turns work better for those and I really need to work on mine; I had some difficulty in Utah navigating some steep sections that were moguled-out.

I was in Park City last week and found myself alone on a few nice, steep blue runs on the first day. I built up some momentum carving on one side of the trail and then broke into a nice laid-out toeside carve across the width of the trail. Half way through it I was surprised to hear some cheers coming from the chairlift above . I held the carve for a bit too long and botched the transition back to heelside , though I don't think anyone saw that .

Ok, so apparently my size might actually be 27.5-28. The salesperson said that I would go smaller if I was advanced skill level and larger for beginner/intermediate level. My feet are not identical in size and I think that 27.5 will be too small for my bigger foot anyway. When I tried measuring on my own I was getting about 28.5 on my bigger foot. Didn't have time to try anything on today (ski boots are comparable, right?) but will try later in the week.

Thanks for the information you two. I actually contacted an instructor at Berkshire East last year about a lesson/equipment rentals but never got around to booking anything. When I tried looking into it again this season I was unable to find the info on their website. Depending on my availability, I might plan a trip to ECES this weekend. Teach, The earliest I might be able to get to Camelback would be this weekend. I recently picked up a board but it needs a tune up so I might need to borrow a board as well. Smilin'Dave, Heino's isn't too far from me and it's conveniently located on 23S :). I actually called them a week or so ago on a whim asking if they happened to have any used gear. I don't believe I spoke with Amy but I will try again another time. My goal for this week will be to confirm my boot size and figure out if I will be free to meet up this weekend. Thanks again for the help and I will be sure to ask more questions when I think of them!

Hi. So, after wanting to try it for a few years, I've finally decided to give hardbooting a shot. I am currently looking for boots, probably mondo size 29 but I could try 28.5 and 29.5 size boots. I would also be interested in a compatible set of bindings as well if available. I'm located in northern NJ and would prefer to try on gear locally before I buy. Also, if anybody knew of any ski shops that rented and/or sold gear in NJ/NY/PA/CT that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!