Flashby

<grin> I'm not arguing or disputing the "Go West young man" mentality but this also isn't supposed to be a Discussion Board (I'll gladly make a new post in the main board area). With friends hitting Breckenridge this week and maybe Heavenly/Tahoe and another at Whistler -- I am already late to the party but still having fun playing catch-up.

The cost is probably not too much different to head out West from Pittsburgh but the initial idea was that I was going to drive (a mere 10 hrs to Mount Snow) and my wife could join me for the trip but since she doesn't ski or ride my winter trips are not always as exciting for her. I know the Western spots are insanely huge to what I'm used to in PA so wanted to try something between there like VT and NH before heading out to the 7,500+ ft elevation spots. I didn't see that JetBlue flew to Albany and with one-way fares down to $72 per person it was attractive enough to try out VT for a change of scenery. Yes, Sunday River and Sugarloaf are on the list of places to hit at some point. Just wanted to see if anyone was planning on being at one of these and I could start to plan the trip. I'll be overwhelmed at all of them so just wanted to see if others would be at the same ones. P.S. I'm taking a trip to Montana in January so didn't feel the need to do 2 Western trips in 2 months.

I'm planning to be in MT in mid-Jan 2011 (Jan 9 - 15) though the trip might be a week earlier or later. I'll be visiting a friend in Bozeman and hitting Bridger Bowl and then to see a friend who works at Big Sky and tackle it as well as Moonlight Basin and finally out to Red Lodge in Billings. That should just about do me in but look forward to meeting some other Forum folks out on the slopes.

I've not been there but plan to hit it in Jan 2011. My friend's father works there if you want me to try and get some info from him. Once I get there I'll try to give a report and some photos or videos. I just need to survive a possible trip to VT in Dec and then Bridger Bowl, Big Sky, and Moonlight Basin in mid-Jan.

Good news - I'm planning an early- or mid-Jan 2011 trip to my friend in Bozeman, MT and would like to hit Big Sky and Moonlight Basin as well as Bridger Bowl which is in his back yard and I found out a friend's parents work at Red Lodge in Billings so I guess I'm heading out that way for a day during the trip. Also, a friend of mine works at Big Sky as a Ski/Board instructor so I hope to meet up with her if she has a moment. I'm hoping I can just survive out there having just picked up the sport in mid-Feb this year but I'm all over it and trying to fit in a trip to VT next month to sort of prep for that Western stuff. I'll email you here as well.

First post for the season and itching to get out to the snow while I still have bare grass in the yard. I wanted to head up to VT this time as I've not been there. I see JetBlue flies to Rutland, VT and Burlington, VT but that only makes more decisions. Fortunately, I have an entire week available and want to hit some of these great places. Is anyone else going to these places during Dec 12-18? Rutland airport is: 15 mi to Killington 25 mi to Okemo 50 mi to Stratton 55 mi to Sugarbush 65 mi to Mount Snow 75 mi to Mount Sunapee, NH Burlington airport is: 35 mi to Smugglers' Notch 45 mi to Stowe 45 mi to Sugarbush 65 mi to Jay Peak

I'm also in the market for a bag (with or without wheels). Most places that I will be going I can dress at the car and just carry the board and walk to the slope (no more than 1/4 mile) so wheels are not required. I'm actually taking a trip to Montana (Bridger Bowl and Big Sky) and will most likely just ship the bag out there rather than take it as luggage on the flight. My current board is a 160cm but I'd like to plan ahead to something in the 180cm range. Since I use hard boots on the setup I don't think there are any snowboard bags that fit hard boots (just soft boots), right? Would it just be better to get a bag for boards and a bag for boots?

Bora20 - Sorry for the delay but I was cramming in as much riding as possible before the end of the season and then I never jumped back onto the Forum until now. Quick answer is everything worked perfectly with just some minor alterations to the front of the boot where the toe bail hits it. Since I was happy with how the boots fit I did not mind carving out a little bit of a groove. It also meant I could go riding then and not waiting for the longer/larger bindings. I have some photos showing the overhang but this was my first board so I was setup more or less with the left and right equal to each other (+10/-10 or +20/-20 perhaps). I was doing more learning than carving so overhang was not an issue at the lean angles I was doing (or not doing). Boots are great and just take some trial-and-error on the latches and tightness and inside lacing to get the right setup. Thorlos socks are awesome and should be required purchase with hard boots -- such a great experience. Bindings are awesome. Got some of the best looks from soft boot boarders in line and hearing murmurs of "Check out his bindings. What's he got? Wait, he's got hard boots." I just soaked it up -- loved it. Tried not to let them see me fall exiting the chair lift thus showing my novice level. Made some small changes on top of the slope or at the bottom with angles and lift after doing a run and realizing something was wrong -- love these bindings. I picked all of this up in the middle of Feb 2010 and hit 3 different resorts in 7 weeks, ran as late as the first weekend of April (Snowshoe, WV), and already bought a Season Pass for the local resort (Seven Springs) for 2011. Just bought some goggles this weekend and a helmet will be in another week or two. Also, have a week-long trip planned to Montana (Bridger Bowl, Big Sky, Jackson Hole) so am definitely anxious for the season to start. Yes, I realize the big resorts out there are going to absolutely murder me -- I can't wait.

My problem was that the first boots I tried were listed on the boot as MP 29.0 even though I ordered them in a US 10-1/2 from the site (my foot on the floor measured about 28.2 cm so I rounded down to MP 28.0) and all the charts I saw indicated a US 10-1/2 is MP 28.5 and since the MP 28.0 and MP 28.5 are usually in the same shell I felt it would be snug enough and not too big. Well, my foot was definitely snug inside it but the issue was that I could barely connect the buckles on the FIRST tooth let alone any tighter or let alone any looser if needed. After an hour with the buckles at the first tooth my foot was almost numb so I knew it was too small. I exchanged those boots and bought a different boot one size larger so a US 11-1/2 which charts indicate is MP 29.5 and when they arrived they had a sticker on them indicating MP 29.5 and my foot fits quite well and can be buckled on the middle buckle without any pain or numbness after 3 hours and can go tighter or looser if needed. Maybe the first boot was wrong or sized differently than the second. Not sure.

Well, that would have been really good to know from Michelle at Bomber when she emailed me back ... BEFORE I had to cut notches in the toe end of my brand new Mega-Ride boots in order to get the bails to swing back without interference. I specifically asked if there was a wider bail and she said no. I guess I was too specific and should have just asked for a solution? Hopefully they don't offer the longer plate as I'll be quite disappointed with them that I had to gouge out notches in the brand new $500 boots that may have been avoidable. But I can't go back now so I had to take the plunge and now these boots are mine even if they are too big or too small so no use crying over spilled milk. I'm heading out today for the first use of this boot and binding (and board) setup so we'll see how it all does for me.

Yeah, Miatas are fun and do well in the 6- and 12-hr Enduro races that I Pit Crew in for some friends. They are all so evenly matched it makes it interesting. Anything can be fun though. Glad some folks on here dabble in the car scene as well.

This might have just as much to do with the boot mfg. Before ordering some boots I measured my foot and it was 28.2 so I rounded down to MP 28.0. I bought the Garmont Shaman Freeride AT boots in size US 10-1/2 and this was listed on the boot as MP 29.0. When I tried them on I could barely get my foot into the boot and buckling on the first buckle made it quite snug indeed. I decided to go up one full size and also change boots and bought the Garmont Mega-Ride AT boots in size US 11-1/2 and this was listed on the boot as MP 29.5. When I tried these on I was able to easily insert my foot and buckle the boots to the middle tooth on all buckles without losing feeling in my foot. My MP 28.0 (maybe MP 28.5 with a sock and allowing for some movement) shouldn't have been that tight in the Shaman boots but others indicate that boot is small for its size. I'm glad I got the larger size though. YMMV.

Sinecure - I was willing to do this but up until getting the toe bail to lock down properly I couldn't alter the boot as I might have been returning it. I knew removing a bit from the sole and toe portion would alleviate the issue but couldn't do it until now when I'm sure the boot fits. I don't know if Bomber has a wider bail. They did not indicate this. It might be moot if I alter the boot enough to fit. Thanks to the board for helping to confirm the setup.

Since I just received my boots and bindings this week, I wanted to try and get to Seven Springs to make some runs and test the setup. Not sure how much longer their season will last but I might be there this Sat or Sun. Also, if you buy a 2010-2011 Season pass now, it is just $399 and March '10 is included (free) and if you are already a season pass owner then you can renew and get a discount card. Details on their website, http://www.7springs.com.

I received a response from Michelle at Bomber indicating, "Just definitely be careful to not let any threads show as you are adjusting the bails out of the lugs." Since I was able to adjust the toe and heel bails all the way in (toward the plate until they almost bottom out) and can still accommodate the Mega-Ride boots then I should be good to go. Hopefully I can get out to some slopes this weekend to fully test the setup.

Ok, I managed to adjust the toe and heel bails enough that they now fit the boot and the toe bail locks down on the toe. As it turns out, I needed to micro-adjust the toe bail as close to the plate as possible rather than as loose as possible to offer more room for the Mega-Ride sole to fit. I will do one more fit and take some photos for clarity. Garmont Mega-Ride boot (MP 29.0) in TD3 Standard binding: heel and toe bail micro-adjusted half-way out with toe of boot not resting on plate (first photo) and micro-adjusted all the way in with toe of boot now resting on plate (second photo).

Yep - this is what I encountered. If I can confirm that the Bomber toe bail snaps down and locks in the boot then I'll shave down the boot sole to get it to fit which also means I'm buying these boots (currently I am trying to decide between the Shaman and the Mega-Ride). I will do some test fits on the toe only and see if the toe bail locks down.

I attempted this but it is not going to work. The bail already bends away from the boot and the 'catch' can't be flipped around on the bail so it doesn't work. Either a wider bail or perhaps biting the bullet and shaving away some boot sole will work. I just haven't confirmed that the toe bail 'snaps' or 'locks' into place on the Mega-Ride toe like it does on the Shaman boot or in the previously-mentioned post where an unknown size Mega-Ride boot fits nicely in the TD2 binding.

Head-on view of the toe: Garmont Shaman Freeride AT boot (left) and Garmont Mega-Ride AT boot (right)

So the same step that is used on a MP 24 boot where the toe plate and bail is flipped around except to just flip around the bail. I will try that. Just to document the issue -- here are photos comparing the boots again. Top-down view of the toe: Garmont Shaman Freeride AT boot (left) and Garmont Mega-Ride AT boot (right)

I have sent an email to Bomber. Since I want to keep the Mega-Ride boots, I see an option as shaving away some of the rubber sole so it clears the toe bail if a wider toe bail is not available. The sole length is not the issue since a 337mm sole fits but the 330mm sole is just a little wider where the toe bail pivots.

There is a post, first day on new boots and TD2's, about some Mega-Ride boots in the TD2 binding but I don't know what size the boots are. I was hoping that since the boots fit in the TD2 binding they would also fit in the TD3.

Thanks, Buell. The shorter sole length (330mm) of the larger boot size (11-1/2 or MP 29.5) doesn't fit as well as the longer sole length (337mm) of the smaller boot size (10-1/2 or MP 29.0). I will contact Bomber to see if a wider bail is available.

Here are photos of the Garmont Shaman boot and the Garmont Mega-Ride boot in the same TD3 binding. The Shaman is a US 10-1/2, 337mm boot and fits well. The Mega-Ride is a US 11-1/2, 330mm boot and doesn't fit due to the rub of the sole with the toe bail. I tried making some adjustments on the binding to fit the Mega-Ride boot better but the sole always rubs the toe bail.

I am looking for some tips and advice on how to get the Garmont Mega-Ride AT boots to fit into the TD3 Standard binding. I first bought some Garmont Shaman Freeride AT boots in size US 10-1/2 (charts indicate this is as MP 28.5 but the boots have MP 29.0 on them). These fit the TD3 bindings perfectly with the toe bail snapping down onto them firmly though they do impact the lowest buckle ever so slightly. The only issue is, I feel the boots are a tad too snug. I am exchanging them for some Garmont Mega-Ride AT boots in size US 11-1/2 (charts indicate this is as MP 29.0 or MP 29.5 but the boots have MP 29.5 on them). At first, these felt just as snug as the Shaman boots one size smaller but over the last few hours they have warmed up and are relaxing a tad. However, they do not fit the TD3 bindings nearly as well and that is my dilemma. I have the TD3 binding set for, what seems, is max boot size. The toe bail is bolted as far forward as possible and the heel bail is as far back. Also, the two bails are micro-adjusted with about 8 turns on the ends to gain some additional length. The Shaman boot fits perfectly. The Mega-Ride boot has the sole rubbing on the inside of the toe bail pivot point and sits about 1/8" - 1/4" above the plate whereas the Shaman boot sits flat on the plate. With the Mega-Ride boot not flat, the toe bail doesn't snap down in to place and it seems that it doesn't take much wiggling to flip open the bail. I will post some pics of the issue and see if there are some solutions for me. Thanks in advance. I don't want to try and return my second pair of boots for yet a third pair. Certainly there is a way around this.