JohnE

I think clothing manufacturers must love EC - they can sell more jackets!

Never rode an SG. My buddy & I got Fluxes. We both love them. Great softboot carver and rides great in powder. Sean will customize it to your liking (weight, length, width and SCR).

I shipped several boards via UPS. Just removed the bindings & wrapped them in cardboard. As long as you protect the edges, it would be pretty hard to damage a snowboard.

Better take your Tanker for the POW!

I prefer not to listen to anything when riding. I enjoy the quiet, the sounds of the forest, the sound of my edges on the snow. In my car I often listen to the radio or audiobooks. However, on the road, everyone is supposed to be following the same laws and moving in a predictable manner. Also, I have a rearview mirror so I am aware of others overtaking me. None of that is true on the slopes. It can be a very chaotic situation on the slopes and the risks of collision are pretty high. To reduce the chance I try to be very aware of the movement of people near me and have taken to riding only on weekdays. Just my preferences.

I think I'm down to five. I thought at one time Kevin had 50 - 60(?).

Mario - OverBoarded? How is that possible? This is not a matter of want. This is a matter of need.

I think The Wall is intended for our southern border (not Canada's). Other than that, it's a Great Idea!

Without a snowboard, what is he supposed to be?

Pretty cool. Is he on a snowboard? Did Bruce have anything to do with this?

When I feel that I am carving well, it isn't so much internal dialog as euphoria or a flood of endorphins that make me want to do it again & again & again (until my legs are completely shot). When I'm carving poorly (hard snow and/or steep), my internal dialog is "why am I doing this".

I didn't know so many riser plates existed for softboots. I did talk to Sean at Donek. I believe he said that he would start making risers later this year nearing the new season.

Anyone here have experience with softboot carving with riser plates? I know that Donek makes some. I assume the advantage is that by moving the boot soles higher above the edge, one can have more boot overhang without "boot-out". What are the disadvantages (aside from weight)?

My opinion: I tried & tried to get comfortable riding in hardboots (not pain - just always felt on the edge of disaster). Two seasons ago I reverted to a softboot setup (Flow NX-GT2s) and I feel much more confident and stable. I'm sure that I will never get as low as many of the best hardbooters I see at Loveland but I'm having fun and feel more comfortable. Also, on my current softboot setup (Donek Flux), I don't have to decide in the morning what board to take for the conditions. The Flux works great in powder, crud and corduroy. Maybe because I feel more at ease, I don't feel as beat up at the end of the day. To each his own.

A few years ago we were boarding at Vail. At lunch we went into Two Elks Lodge. As you enter you are greeted by the "Kleenex Lady": women who greet you as you come in from the cold with box of Kleenex and say "tissue?". I was flabbergasted. I got thinking - imagine how far one would have to commute to afford to live if your job was the Kleenex Lady? They cater to the rich and entitled. They don't really care about your ability on the slopes. Their lift capacity is so high that the slopes are crowded. Not a good place to practice carving.

My Donek Flux. Our Greyhound dog is Raven. The image is the Greyhound Bus logo.

Money. It seems like various small ski areas have their own character. Now they will all do it Vail's way. I normally ride at Loveland. It has been privately owned since opening in 1937. I think the current owners have owned it for many decades. It is pretty old-school funky. It was only last year that they finally installed their first high speed detachable quad. One of the things I like best about Loveland is that all of the Epic Pass holders drive right past it on their way to massive crowds further west. If the owners of Loveland wanted to cash out to Vail, I'm sure they could have many years ago. However, Vail's main play is real estate - not lift tickets. There is no lodging at Loveland and no room for it.

Soon everything will be owned and run by Vail. In my teens & twenties I used to think that Vail was the ultimate ski area. I've been there several times in recent years to meet up with college buddies. From my perspective the shine has really gone off that apple. Unless you buy their Epic Pass everything is REALLY expensive. Also, it is crowded most all of the time. Their uphill capacity is so huge the slopes are now crowded. A recent joke that EPIC was Every Person In Colorado. Now it looks like it will be every person everywhere. No thanks. I'll stick to my little local ski area and hope that it doesn't get gobbled up by the Vail juggernaut.

Opinions on the "best" jacket or parka for snowboarding? Seems like Arcteryx are widely considered the best but pricey. I think they're original stuff was really good but lately they've lent their name to some lower quality stuff. I have a North Face jacket with some thin insulation. I like it pretty well but the hood is too small to easily fit over a helmet. Also, the hood is insulated which for me is unnecessary. The hood does not detach so when I'm not using it, it appears that I have a second small head. Also, the zippers seem to have become difficult to slide. For me the important aspects are warmth in very cold weather (like -20 deg F), windproof, usable pockets. Waterproofness isn't really important to me since I rarely ride in damp conditions. Favorites?

No argument here.

For now I'm riding Flow Talon boots with Flow NX2 GT bindings. The boots provide unbelievable heel hold-down without being tight. The bindings are like traditional strap bindings but have a tilting highback that provides quick in & out. These aren't a perfect solution but the best compromise for me now. I did a search on Atomic Backland and only found backcountry ski equipment. What is the boot/binding system you show in your pictures?

Interesting. Like Intec for heel and toe. I think the sole would have to be hard plastic to ensure that the retention pins could always remain in alignment (not jamb). The retraction mechanism would have to be entirely below the foot. It could work. I'm sure Fin has thought about this more than just about anyone else in the world. Also, I agree about several of your observations about hard -vs- soft boots. I started on soft, migrated to hard, tried to make these work for me (but never really did) and wound up back on soft boots for carving and other purposes. They aren't a perfect solution but they are the best compromise for me.

When our company used to be over by the Home Depot on West Colfax, I used to ride that trail all the time. I haven't been there in over 10 years. Back then it wasn't especially technical but a long sustained grunt to the top. Nice to hear they improved it. Now I just ride North Table Mountain over and over and over again.

I think most board makers use softer wood (poplar or aspen) for most of the board and use stronger wood (?) under the bindings. I'm guessing the stronger wood does a better job of distributing the forces from the bindings - including binding suck. I'd agree that it is primarily a cosmetic issue that gives obsessive carvers something else to obsess about.

I usually try to release the binding screws over the summer. I haven't done this yet. My favorite way to wax a board (especially with a black base) is to set it base up in the sun, wait until it warms up, crayon on some wax, let it continue to warm until the whole base is shiny, move the board out of the sun to let cool. This method seems to be the best way to get a uniform thickness of wax over the base of the board (without using an excess amount of wax) and because it gets the whole board pretty warm, the wax seems to bond to the p-tex better.