Dusty Bottle

Hailey and I will be there for sure! Maybe more snow?

Gonna make any of the last weekends?

Great review! My fav board to date is my 178 Nirvana Energy Hammerhead and was thinking maybe a smaller scr Nirvana might be fun on less than perfect groom, but the BXFR might just fill that spot also. The versatility is an excellent point and due to my 25mp boot, width could be adjusted accordingly, as I'm not a fan of wider boards. Oh well, guess I should get in line. Decisions, decisions... Thanks again for the review! James

Bummed I missed the antics the last couple of weeks. Helped the kids move last weekend and even though Hailey was up at 5am yesterday and ready to "ride with the LCI", an 8 yr old with a queasy tummy can be hard on the beemer upholstery, so we opted to stay home and rest. She told me to go without her, but... well... you know. She did however, make me promise we'd show up next week. So we'll see you hooligans Sunday! James

Spring has sprung. Hailey and I slipped off to Lovey today and it was actually normal conditions of low light, colder than forecasted temps and breezy lift rides. Almost falling in Chet's lift line at 9:00 on solid ice was a hint of things to come on the rest of the mountain. Mambo to Homerun, back up and over to Fire Bowl and a couple trips down Drifter proved we need snow and cooler temps. The warm up yesterday and the overnight freeze left literal marbles, plate and the occasional scrape stash. Ice chunks were prevalent everywhere. The Nirvana was impressive again, but it was so variable, hitting said scrape stashes and blowing up big snow clouds brought lots of giggles from Hailey. Crowds didn't totally suck considering most of CO is on Spring Break. When we left at 1:00, the skies were getting dark, so hopefully it stays cooler and we get enough snow over the next couple of days to make a difference. If not, sharp edges will be the ticket for Sunday! See you then! James

Great to meet and chat, if only for a minute! I think we had close to a dozen hooligans making tracks on Sunday! Let us know before your next trip and we can at least get you a discount on your lift ticket! James

So, what do you do when you get your arse out of bed, show up before 7am, at 8am learn I-70 is closed in both directions (for the day) due to avalanches, temps are mid-30s, skies are blue and the wind is non-existent? You and 200 lucky Lovey guests get to share a full resort, ride until you get leg cramps, eat lunch and then ride until you get jello legs and then ride some more! Wide. Open. Runs. 2nd day groom, after 2' of fresh in the last 72 hours left some soft places, but who can complain when you're still carving corduroy at 2pm? In the end, we sat in the parking lot for an hour, waiting for I-70 to re-open. It was SO worth it!!! Happy to meet, represent and be tour guide for Corey our neighbor and carving aficionado from the north. We left impressive damage on Fire Bowl, Fire Cut, Drifter, Turtle Creek, Roulette, E Tow, Spillway and Richards, took the short bus and even though I was thoroughly whipped, Corey proceeded to decimate Switchback! And although he got close and personal with a tree and I somehow managed to imitate Mario in making myself a human yard dart on Richards, we were having way too much fun to really care! Corey, Hope you can make a return visit soon! Get that Colorado work account set up quickly, Sir! Still enjoying sunburned teeth! James

FYI - Loveland Basin NOT Loveland Valley - same resort, different areas - when you exit and pass under I-70, veer right. Mañana

^^^ What they said. ^^^ I'm coming from south of Denver and 7:00am traffic mixed with C470 construction sucks, plus I70 doesn't take much to shut down. I'd rather be sitting in the lodge, dreaming of groom, eating eggs, potatoes, biscuits and gravy. White, gray and black jacket, white helmet, across from the Wedge... just look for the old guy with the CO 37 Loveland hat. See you there! James

I'm planning on making a few laps tomorrow morning. I should be upstairs across from the Wedge Bar around 7:30ish. No snow predicted for tonight. Might be some decent albeit soft, groom. James

Pow day free-for-all traffic probably took out a pole.

Mario, you working that hood again??? "03/01/19 – Due to power problems down line from the ski area, XCEL Energy will turn off power to address the issues. Loveland will not reopen today. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to skiing with everyone tomorrow. Uphill access is closed for the day."

Clear winner is my Coiler Nirvana FCE 178 built exactly for my 165lb weight. Total. Game. Changer. I'll preface my experience by saying I'm not an overly aggressive rider, but over the past 9 years in hardboots, I tried a myriad of different boards (163-180cm), boots, bindings, stances and angles, all the while trying to find that magic setup to comfortably make consistently smooth carved turns, where, when and of the size I desired. I now know the problem was my choice of boards, as most were stock-built and designed for a wide range of mostly heavier weights and/or aggressive riders and racers. Asking for input from my more experienced peers, they would say to get lower, angulate the board more, bend your knees more, all adding to my frustration, as I always felt totally out of control. I was even having thoughts of freestyle boards, softies and becoming the oldest park monkey on the hill... Enter the Nirvana. Day one, I was my usual apprehensive self on the cat walk, but when the run opened and I laid it over, I could not believe how easy it was to ride. Turns were effortless, and the edge-hold amazing. I kept thinking how boards of this length usually had me grimacing, but it just kept delivering huge smiles. Big turns, smaller turns, pressuring mid-turn to tighten up, riding the tail a little out of the turn for a cheap thrill and even scrubbing a little speed when I wanted. No need to pressure the nose to get it to turn, just a little input and it went where I wanted. I've now ridden it 4 days and it lets me relax and enjoy the ride without overthinking, which is a new experience. Last Sunday someone even said, I'm now riding the board instead of just going along for the ride. Sometimes, I guess it really IS the equipment! Carving is fun again!!!

Hey Corey, I sent you an email.

I'll take a set for Deluxe. Sending PM.

I still have a few Burtons, so I'd be happy to pay for them. I'm in Castle Rock, so shoot me a PM and we can work out logistics. Thanks! James

If nothing here or local, try yyzcanuck .

They got 14" in the prior 24 hrs, so between soft snow, comfy temps and sunny skies, it was almost spring-like. More snow in the forecast all week! Bring it!

At the end of my day Sunday, I made a couple of quick runs on this board and was very impressed. I wasn't on my "A" game, yet I couldn't believe how easy this board was to ride on crowded, chopped-up runs, even at 165lbs. The edge hold, dampness and edge-to-edge ease of this board wherever I chose, was amazing. As expected, it was stable at speed making smooth larger turns and with a little input it ripped slower, tighter turns just as easy. And when needed, it ate up the late morning stutter-bumps, as I navigated the crowds. It's just as nice as the pics show and would make a fine addition to any quiver. Someone snap this up before I have to skip a car payment! later... James

Behind the carving boards, pows and freestyles, in the nether regions of the basement, I have a a dust covered Thias Easy Jungle 165 ("I'll ride it someday!") taking up space and thought it might help infuse some life into this thread, by getting some first-day-ever tips (for anyone interested) from some of the more experienced skwallers. I know the Easy Jungle is supposedly "easy", but we're talking skwals vs carving boards, not college girlfriends. Here are a few thoughts and questions, which may bring input from others who're interested: Tuning - Edge and base angle suggestions? Boots - To flex or not to flex, that is the question. Currently riding Deluxe 325's @ 25mp with BTS and Fintec's. Poles vs No Poles - Haven't skied in 15 yrs, so why would I? Day One - The bunny hill would probably invoke less laughter from onlookers and it's about 200yds, good drop a the top, but a molasses slow lift, but then again... Learning Curve Expectations - Easy progression or back to the carvers? Board Feel - Currently riding 18cm waist boards, with TD3 angles of 63*/63*, so will maxing the stock Thias bindings to 10* still feel like walking a tightrope? Skwal Experience - I'm banned from skwalling in the den, based on last years failed attempt (I still say the dog broke it). Seriously though, a few years back I rode with and watched Ace rip one at A-Basin and I ride with MonoDude almost every weekend (on some new mono-skwal oddity), but I'm still not sure how to approach taking mine out for the first day. And before someone says, "Point it down under chair 6 and hold on!" I should remind you, I'm the poster child over at the Concussions R Us Clinic! Thanks in advance for any advice! later... James

Sent PM

ATTENTION LOVEY HOOLIGANS! Overheard in Valley Cafeteria: Thursday and Friday (Jan 3/4), Loveland will be hosting one of the largest ski-racing events (250-300 racers). Maybe the largest group ever at Lovey. Also heard, there will be a large club race Saturday. Not sure about Sunday, but Thurs-Sat avoid the short bus and watch your 6! Head on a swivel always! Lift 7 on Sat with Hailey and see the rest of you cutups Sunday! later... James

Fun, fun, fun! Despite plummeting temps, New Years Eve was a blast! Thoroughly enjoyed riding and visiting with the Felice family and guests! Ripping turns on the Twin to the hoots of bunny lift passengers added to my smiles. But grinning came at a price. 16* at 7:30 and 1* leaving the parking lot at 2:30. Ittt.wassss.cccoldddd.fffunnn. Hope ya'll make it to Lovey and we get to do it again, before the season ends! Colorado Jerry: Novice or very infrequent skier/boarder (Tex, Okla, ArKansian, flatlander), who professes to be an expert at the bar, yet through their inappropriate actions, clothing and equipment and/or slope-side inabilities and epic failures proves vastly different. Carharts, denim and leather abound. Often times observed being the professor of all things snow. Couple weeks back...

Planned on today, but felt rather gimp last night. I may venture up tomorrow and take a few laps with the Feliz Felice Familia. May even have to dust off the Twin and softies to avoid the very-jerry-istic tourists. later... James

Refresh my memory... what's the scr on that Angryy?