Emdee406

Hey Don, pity you weren't selling this BEFORE Copper!

I'm ancient... 128 today and still at least 6 days to go! It is my main job though.

Even the guy filming, an experienced WC Racer "wound down the windows" on the last jump! Seems there were long delays on the last day of the Open Class SBX due to several injuries...

Great riding alongside you in the slalom Dave, just wish I hadn't found the hole Glenn Chapman left three gates from the end! I still claim I pulled the only McTwist outside of the pipe at the end of the GS course! You know you hit hard when people ask you a day later how you are and say they didn't expect me to get up...at all! God bless POC helmets. A great week and I met some great people, I highly recommend it to everyone. Noah's Pre-race meeting was worth the price of admission alone, hysterical! Happy with my gold in the SBX, Nate Holland's Oxess was worth every penny!

Good to see you and Johnathan again after all these years!

@ Mike C - You are totally right about today's Open course, looked awesome! So much powder though, one guy stopped at the end of the course and showered himself from head to toe in snow. Just heard both Vail Pass and Silverthorne are closed, so racers if you ain't here already... @ Neil - I have been a fan of yours for a while, even more so after yesterday's GS course. As a Coach/Trainer etc, I fully appreciate the sacrifices Coaches make and p*ssing matches are not my style either. I posted upset, which you should never do, but was upset at the time and concerned that race day was going to about survival-thanks for the clarification and words of wisdom. Hopefully she will get the help and assistance to further develop her course-setting skills, we need more female Coaches for the future growth and survival of the sport. Looking forward to meeting you on the hill in person! Best Regards, Martin

Glenn, you here yet? We are doing the Après thing at the end of each day, a cheeky beer at the base, rather than big nights out...too old!

I saw him on the GS course, he was ripping!

We just had the practice day at Nationals. The GS course was flowing and really good fun, a joy to ride... Everyone had a blast and the general public were pretty enthralled and asking interested questions. The slalom course had completely the opposite effect. The top of the course was very tight and offset, and using the Open Class riders as a guide, impossible to make for 95% without skidding the entire turn on each gate, the bottom half as you came over the brow was even tighter and more offset. About half way through the morning there was a reset of the bottom half only as one of the officials said "because it was a bad set". it seems that the setter was a first year coach who alledgedly coaches small kids, who were probably managing the best of us on it. My point is this.... If the event is supposed to showcase the sport, encourage fun and show the talents of the riders, why have a course that renders hard boots and expensive race set ups virtually useless and shows people struggling awkwardly down a hill. Riders who had logged the fastest times in the entire event in previous years riding $1000's worth of kit were finding it hard to make the course. Aren't these carving boards? It's hard enough to keep kids interested in slalom with all the media-hyped "cooler" stuff around and the much higher price of equipment, without rendering said equipment useless in one fell swoop. This is how we will kill interest in Alpine IMHO. One argument I heard was, "oh, it's just USASA, it's not important", but as another coach pointed out, it is the only race option for Masters Snowboard Racing (personally I don't count NASTAR Nationals where they treat us like lepers) and so does matter. Apart from which a lot of people have spent a lot of money to be there and deserve better. Come on USASA, sort it out! Rant over....normal service is now resumed. I apologize in advance if I offended anyone, but it was the feeling of the majority.

Happy April 1st... Good one

Check this out, wealthy Courcheval has decided we are lowering the tone! http://whitelines.mpora.com/news/courcheval-bans-snowboarding.html Protest now, living next to Deer Valley is bad enough! Snobs!

Have fun guys, I'll be in Copper by then :(

Hi Gecko, just thought I'd let you know, there will be another binding option next season. I was after a pair of C60's or CO2's for a new SBX-specific board and couldn't find any online in my size, so I contacted my friendly burton Rep to find out they were having their annual sample sale. He suggested the 2012 Burton Diode, the replacement for the two bindings above and in his words "fits in between them", and not as obscenely expensive! I have used it one day so far on my teaching board, Never Summer SL, but haven't really had a chance to go balls-out on them. First impressions though are good....its VERY stiff, with a great highback and comfy straps. Only downside? No FLAD on the highback, so forward lean is adjusted by way of the now dual purpose highback rotation adjusters...pain in the butt but OK once you have them set. Dimply basepad pattern forms and holds/builds ice really easily! Hope that helps... Martin. ps. You need a GECKO slalom skateboard...check the link below!:)

Glad you guys had fun. Let's meet up at Copper, I am there from Friday night... I need the practice day! My number is four three five, six five five, one six four nine! Let's ride together. Martin Ps. Oh yeah, some grown up drinks might be in order:biggthump

So guys, how did it go? Did they treat you right or give you ski poles for prizes like the last time I did it...

Looking forward to skating with you again... When it stops snowing! Gecko have been in touch and may have a new GS Proto for me...

I should be riding the morning on the Tuesday and/or Wednesday, got some new boards to ride before Nationals, one day will be at Park City (I work there so know the runs better), the other could be at the Canyons... Keep me posted! Thanks.

See ya there! I will have Paul Price in tow...He's a Legend, I'm a Kahuna...

Check to see if the tip and tail have been "de-tuned" or dulled to help turn initiation, if they are sharp all the way to the start and end of the running surface, this could make them un-rideable.

I'm on my teaching boards (freestyle and freeride) 130+ days a season between them and get them structured when new. Then I get them re-structured to a coarser water-shedding structure in the Spring, they get sold at the start of the new season. Combined with a good wax, I find this the best way to avoid feeling like I'm dragging an anchor in wet snow! My Alpine/SBX set ups usually get a diagonal cross-hatch structure when bought and are left that way unless damaged. They usually only get used on well prepped race slopes/courses, so damage is pretty unlikely.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b34voyFSPlk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b34voyFSPlk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hey Gaelen, we missed you at the PC race! There certainly is a group of skaters in and around Park City... The UPC, Utah Pavement Carvers! It even includes a few people off this forum. Here is some footage of one of our get togethers last Summer. <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zIS9cRdn9a0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> All levels welcome we have new riders right up to a couple of former World Champions and everything in between. Keep in touch and we'll get you skating this Summer. Martin

Just to let you know, both Park City and the Canyons are extending their seasons until 17th April. Coverage is amazing, the snow is plentiful, easy access, cheap ticket deals...what more could youwant? Sundays in PC there are several multi-ability carving groups on the hill too! MD

I am out here riding everyday, but unfortunately mostly teaching! It's not super busy right now and the snow is ridiculously good so I might be able to sneak in a few runs. I try to get out in hards whenever I can, but everytime I get the race board out for a bit of 'training', the Snow Gods decide to unload bigtime! Drops a line! Martin