FTA2R

@SunSurfer @Shred Gruumer OK, you guys are, by your own words, cool and inspiring - you're also sort of making my point! Things usually aren't cool b/c they deem themselves to be! I don't know either of you but I'll assume you both are badass riders and make carving look awesome - at least in person. I've got no issue with that....but, I'll still call you outliers and anecdotal evidence when it comes to the masses saying that hardbooting is cool. Sure, you may get the chance to make the "alpine elevator pitch" to some kids after they see you ride, and nothing's wrong with that, but why can't we just be at peace with certain (not all) perceptions of our sport and acknowledge that the youth generally don't aprire to be awesome in hardboots. They wanna jib, jump, huck, and all that. And why shouldn't they - they're young and invincible, lol, they haven't gone through herniated discs, strains, sprains, etc (if they do, it's a lot quicker recovery). All the members on this site really dig hardboots, but it's a fact that we are a fringe discipline of the sport. We can debate all day what defines "cool" but that doesn't serve any purpose except to appease those who are having a hard time accepting this.

Never mind our equipment, there seems to be a lot of old school thinking here. 1. (re) set your expectations. Most of us are OLD enough to know that managing expectations is often a key ingredient for success for many things in life. The probability of our niche sport going mainstream is extremely low. Accept it already! 2. Some of these "methods" mentioned are almost comical and scream "uncool." Forget handing out the old BOL cards, giving your number, esp. to kids. It can come off as creepy and it automatically signals "I'm old and not cool." Previous commenter hit the nail on the head: "They need to see cool young people on social media carving before they will have enough desire to make the leap. They need a role model....an influencer." Bingo. Though I'm personally not a big SM person, it can be very, very effective if you know what you're doing / how to use it. I'll assume no one here is even remotely close to being an "influencer" on social media....if an influencer / celeb tried it and used documented it on whatever app, then yeah, it's safe to say there's a much higher chance that there will be a lot of inquiries about it - and even then it's not a guarantee. As many of you said, people will quickly see the high barriers to entry to be a participant in our niche sport. 3. Sustained social media campaign led by people who know what they're doing. Any volunteers? 4. As someone else mentioned, kids don't want to endlessly debate the merits of one position over another and all the other technicalities. Alpine, as it currently is, isn't conducive to being "cool" with youth, for reasons above plus the current demographic makeup. Let's just be at peace with it. And let's not think that our anectodal evidence (a few outliers here and there, your kids) are anything other than that. Riding well can't hurt for new recruits.

@Corey I'll check that video out. I didn't think I was "catastrophizing" given that I've already been under the knife once for my back (in my mid-30s) and have to acknowledge I can't move like I used to be able to (unfortunately). If there are additional things I can do, then I'll do my best to do those. @Dan To answer your question: If your pain doesn't seem to be subsiding or its affecting your daily life, it seems reasonable to me to have some diagnostics done (x-ray, possibly MRI). In my experience, a GP just doesn't have the tools or knowledge to provide real answers here (and that's not a knock on them). I would do some research and consider seeing a back surgeon (preferably specializing in lumbar) or perhaps a neurologist. The goal here is to find someone who will listen to you an act accordingly. Perhaps PT (by someone uniquely qualified, preferably not your standard "shake and bake" model, as I think they call it) and/or a small anti-inflammatory regimen will really help. Obviously, you want to find someone who starts conservative. In my case, I went back to the lumbar spine specialist who fixed me in '13. Aside from logistical challenges seeing him (distance, availability), I wasn't happy with how he was treating it. Just thought I needed to get a fresh perspective....and I'm glad I did. I found a great dr (he's a surgeon) who was part of a larger and well-known spine specialty group. He listened to me / my concerns and started out with an X-ray, then prescribed an MRI, which confirmed the re-herniation. I then started PT with a practice that it was in the same building and also focused on spine. They were definitely more expensive than your standard PT (and required out of pocket) , but they gave me a lot of good exercises and had a lot of different options for modalities - and their overall knowledge and experience was on the higher end. I took anti-inflammatories for a month or so (not real fun, had to change once b/c they were killing my stomach). Pain subsided and I've been pretty good since. In a real coincidence, my PT actually was familiar with carving. I'd also recommend approaching chiropractors w/ caution. I made that mistake the first time around. bottom line: spend the time researching the best doctors and /or therapists around you. And consider you may have to ease up a bit (or completely) - at least for a little while - on some exercises. Also, I'm not a medical professional. Do not self diagnose according to the internet. Everyone thinks they're a f'n dr. I think you owe it to yourself to at least schedule an initial eval with a qualified specialist.

Hi Dan, I'll chime in here, as I've had back surgery to repair a herniated disc, was fine for 5 years (during which I rode), and have now re-herniated it. Bottom line: don't take chances w/ your back, esp. your lower back. I'm not sure what exactly "muscle pain on the sides of the spine means", but you don't want to be living with any kind of pain for the rest of your life. I'd strongly consider seeing a specialist (not a GP) if you are worried and/or the pain has continued - at least get some kind of idea what the issue may be. Other thoughts: You may find the Mckenzie Back Method book interesting. It's short and a cheap read, but there are some good exercises in there and a lot of food for thought. Perhaps your therapist is aware of it.... Core strength is great to work on (and I'm currently focusing on this as well) and my personal (non-medical professional) opinion is that think it can be very beneficial for learning / maintaining new functional movements, but I don't think it's going to actually change anatomical issues you may (or may not) have. I strongly suspect that some of the movements required when carving (at least the way I ride) are responsible for my back issues. This includes rounding my back to fasten my bail bindings. Remember that bending + twisting = torque.

I'm interested, but I've never even worn Intecs (so have to buy heels) and not overly familiar with them. So only the toes are adjustable ? Is their canting? The screw in the baseplate is the only screw I assume? Can it be tightened by hand? Where do you ship from? Thanks,

Hi, These will work with Raichles that are 10+ years old, right?

Just curious, how is Red Bull associated with this?

Hi All, Has anyone ridden WV, VA, or PA resorts (within a few hours of DC ) in the past 48 hours? I've yet to ride this season and my family wants to do a quick weekend trip. We were looking at Wintergreen (VA), but I looking at the forecast and their cams, I just don't think it's going to be worth it this coming weekend - snow is soft and loose (per the cams). I'd consider Snowshoe but not sure it's that much better. Saw a recent article that said that snowfalls throughout much of the MA are significantly lower this year (again). Thanks,

Pius, I also really like SRT. Minuteman is great, it's definitely less crowded than 'Tail, it's more laid back, and they have an actual alpine team. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to ride this season (getting married = $$$), but it would be nice to have some people to ride with - or at least carpool with. Does this interest you at all? Do you know other hardbooters in the immediate DC area? Years ago (around '07, I think), a guy named Mark Brown had created a listserv "Mid Atlantic Carvers (MAC)" - for a few seasons, it was fairly active. I'm not even sure if it exists anymore, but perhaps it's time to start a new one. There were 2 carving sessions - one was at SRT, and it drew pretty well.

If you do try an alpine setup, I think the hill on the left (snow dancer or snowpark?) will be plenty to get you started. You really need to ride defensively at Whitetail, in particular, on a weekend, and esp. on a blue run. I've had at least 1 collision there. I'm a lightweight so I have shorter boards, but the longer boards with larger SCRs - not sure how some of you guys ride those at a place like 'tail. guess you're a lot more skilled than I am! I'll be headed to SRT for the first time in a few years on Sunday (most likely). It's a carver-friendly resort and certainly has fewer people and a more chill vibe, in my opinion, than Whitetail, which can be akin to driving the Beltway in Maryland (every man for himself type of deal)

Anyone planning on riding this weekend? Obviously it's been pretty darn cold and their sites said they've been making snow, so I think conditions will be decent. I'm tentatively planning on going Sunday, not sure where, though. Roundtop would be ideal, but it's the farthest from me. Wouldn't mind meeting / riding with some other carvers this year.

Can anyone personally speak to any of the all mountain boards? Or perhaps you can recommend something else? https://snowboarding.transworld.net/gear-guide/2018-good-wood/#TK6mqQMzyL7z8yOU.97 I'm particularly curious about the Sims, perhaps just b/c of the retro factor, though it did make the list. I ride primarily mid-atlantic / east coast hardpack, but want something that can also be used in the pow or maybe even on some small park features. 75% (or more) of my riding is simply on-piste trails, however. Curious to hear thoughts.

this is awesome.....well done. cool music at the end

OK, then. I agree with Neil. I'm not that experienced an eBay seller. So, I can still expect a positive feedback from the buyer, then, right?

Good to know. I listed the shipping price, but I didn't know how much the actual package would cost (or I simply forgot to include that in there).