Tommy D

Rain rain rain ... Is there any snow left in Southern Vermont??? I will be at Stratton tomorrow Feb 4 if I get any reports that might show decent snow. Though I fear it will be a slab of ice under a thin layer of granular mixed with dirt and rock. How's upper Vermont fairing?

I'm on my second Leedom. Very comfy and fit my head well. I did notice the foam started to split in my first helmet after 3 years of lots of use, but no impacts, fortunately. I'll likely get another one too, unless I find something else that fits well and has a good ventellation system that I can adjust without removing the lid.

How much is your head worth?? Don't forget you only have one. And most people may or may not agree with me, but I find a helmet a lot MORE comfortable than a hat while I'm on the slopes. To each their own, I suppose, but now that I've been riding with a helmet for years, I just don't feel comfy/safe without one. But hey, if you don't want your head, I'll be happy to sell it for you on Ebay. :D

Hi! I'm planning on hitting up Okemo or Stratton this coming weekend. How's the snow looking? Is it thin? Hard? Granular? All this freeze/thaw must be wreaking havoc with the conditions. Depending on conditions, I may be on my skis.

I have to agree with what somebody said above: A good bartender knows just how much water/ice to add to a single malt beverage (Scotch, bourbon ...) or even what 'neat' means. They would also have a good knowledge of single malts. It's really disheartening to get to a bar with a nice top shelf selection, of which the 'tender knows very little, if anything about. Same goes for vodkas, tequillas, etc. But along the lines of singlemalts, look into The Dalmore Coffee Egg Nog drink. Delicious.

I won't be able to ride at Mohawk (My gear is in VT), but I spent some nights there last season: great for unwinding. :) Have fun.

Booooo. :( Thanks for keeping us up to date. I won't be able to make it March 4: I'll be at Panorama.

Thanks Pat! On another tack, how are the snow conditions there? The latest snow report indicates the whole mountain (Hill? Bump?) is open for sliding, but what's really going on? In addition, the weather looks crummy for good snow through next Wed. :(

Definitely check out the Carinthia slopes for carving. (Upper Nitro to Titanium, Mineshaft) That's where I had the most fun. But there are also quite a few other trails well-suited for carving: Snowdance, Southbowl (If open/groomed), Sundance. Mineshaft gets a bit steep, but it's usually well-groomed with a nice even pitch, and wide. I don't know what the snow will be like, but if you can, bring both boards just in case. (Rain on Wed...) EDIT: If you can, get to Carinthia early (IE-first chair) to beat the crowds, then as lunch approaches, work your way across the hill and then back again mid-afternoon. That worked well with me for crowd-dodging.

Hey Cliff! Thanks for the heads up. Shelly and I were debating this, taking into consideration the rain. I could bring out my RT, but at this point, I'm doubting the snow will be worth the drive up. :(

Agreed on that! As long as snow sliders are having fun, I don't care how they get down the hill as long as they don't take me out. But is sure does scare me when I see folks staring at the tips of their gear.

Awe, what the heck!! I've never done gates on a snowboard before, but I'll give this a try!!! Sign me up. At the very least, it will be a good way to retire my Volkl.

Hi! If I can swing the time off work, I'll be at Stratton Friday. Does anyone know what the conditions might be like? I see rain is forecast for Wed. When I was there Jan 2, the conditions were loose granular over a very hard pack. EDIT: I'm definitely going to Stratton Friday with my girlfriend. Look for a carver in a yellow jacket on a blue Donek. Oh, I'll have a radio on FRS 13:31.(If I remember the darned thing!)

This isn't something I would expect from a binding manufacturer. As you point out, there is too much variation in board construction; It's too bad there isn't an industry standard, or board manufacturer recommended torque range.

The 'Bush is easilly in my top FIVE favorite resorts in North America. Totally wicked awesome. I wish I could get up there more often, but lately, it's only about once every year or two. And yes, CastleRock RULES!

Speaking of which ... I wonder if there is a specific torque we should be using, and if that torque varies from board to board. Any ideas? I know I'd be a lot more comfy torquing evenly with each bolt, rather than 'feeling' it. It's the same way with car tires: I won't drive away without torqueing them properly.

Yes! I've seen that web site. Awesome camera angles, and a nice interface to play with. When I was little (Okay, littler than I am now! ;) ) I always wanted to be a downhiller.

OOh OOH! I'm subscribing to this thread! My girl is definitely interested in this. (Now I just need her to sign up on BOL and start posting!) Hopefully things come together and this takes off in March.

Giggidy giggidy. All-right!

This is regarding skiers admiring/hating our carving ....Sheesh! I'm a skier (enlightened?) too! Carving rocks! But really, I've had skiers at many resorts comment one way or the other about carving (Usually something to the effect of "that looks like a lot of fun!".) And lately, a lot more snowboarders have been commenting positively about carving, too. *Will ... not ... open ... another ... forum ... account .... Trying ... not ... .... Harder ... to ... resist .... * It shouldn't, but it always amazes me how stubborn people can be when they are introduced to something new; especially variations on sports/ideas they are passionate about. I'm a car guy (Subaru WRX!!!) and I have very strong ideas about what a good car should be, and how it should be used, etc, but I can still appreciate the passion of others for their cars no matter what the car, and how it is used. For instance, if a mod isn't functional in a performance sense, IMO it is not worth doing, but I can still appreciate the passion of the guy/gal with a car that has nice bodywork and paint and a hydraulic suspension bouncing down the road.

I have a friend who's ~220lbs, and he's been riding a 163 Volkl RT for about 4 years with no problems whatsoever. He's aggressive, and can be very abusive to his gear.

Haha. Yeah, I was thinking low-to-the-ground-angles, but I guess that's high-angle carving. :o :D

There's a good chance I'll be doing laps in the same spot. I don't know how early I'll get there, but when I do, I'll keep my eyes open for you.

My FC II comes with 0/0. I'm thinking of putting a 1/1 though: The 0/0 felt too grabby for me on the ice the other day. Maybe a gummi on the tip/tail would help a bit with that. Good riding with you at Stratton! (I think it was you! )

I had mine setup with 60/55 f/r angles, 3 degrees of cant, f/r. BTW: both cants were tilted towards the center of the board. Having a 'starting block' style cant might not help you, unless as kipstar says, you have really odd knee alignment. Tilt them in. :)