Dave Pushee

... it probably will be eventually. I've always been of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school of thought, but lessons to the contrary have started to sneak up on me lately. Yesterday it was the rear derailleur cable. Who knew that the Ultegra brifters would eventually (after about 6K mles) chew through the cable. Halfway to work, I went for a downshift and the shifter ratcheted (or was it rat****ted :p ) to no effect. Of course the last half of the ride has all the hills. An officemate gave me a ride to the bikeshop at lunchtime so I could buy a new cable. Turns out those are really easy to replace, (unless the old cable end-plug is trapped inside the mechanism :( ) I didn't see it when I first looked, but the mech wouldn't move the new cable. Eventually spotted one little stray cable strand and was able to extract the bug with pliers. I think I was lucky it didn't screw up the shifter. Previously, I had noticed that rear derailleur didn't hold adjustment very long, and that upshifts (slacking the cable) were sluggish. Next time I'll try to remember to be a bit more proactive. It was only $3.50 for the cable.

Damn, I'm always forgetting them. I just happened to notice that this thread was a year old yesterday.

D-Sub, I think the example above may indicate a lack of defensive driving in the attempt at passing (or there may be more to the story). Was there room to pass on the other side of the woman (her toeside where she would have seen him, and where she would be unlikely to turn)? Did he announce his presence/intent to pass (on your left)? How close was the pass? How far across the trail junction had she gone before she pulled the heelside turn? All of these need to be considered before I would deem her a dumb bitch. It often takes two people doing something slightly unexpected to make a collision. Anticipating that the woman might turn down that trail would have avoided the problem. Of course, she should have checked before turning too. It's kind of like riding a bicycle. You can get away for a long time riding too close to parked cars, but keep it up and eventually someone is going to open a door in your face. Likewise, in congested traffic, you can blithely pass a lot of cars on the right but if you are not anticipating the one that decides to turn into a driveway...

I'm no bump expert, but I enjoy them on my own terms. If the bumps are frozen, I'm not going in unless by mistake. I prefer a softer board for bumps. My Axis (now Access) is a bit on the stiff side for bumps (especially if trees are involved). I also need to have my boots in the powder mode or I'm screwed. It sounds like you are not using the bumps to keep your speed controlled. - Dave

Totally different set of rules apply on a race course closed to the general public. On an open trail you must anticipate that the person in front of you will do the unexpected.

Look under boots - parts & accessories. Toe pads seem to be sold out until November, but Heel pads are listed as available.

Beer!

Ski Patrol Ambassador. At Loon, its a volunteer position working within the the Patrol, we but don't do manual labor, First Aid, or transport. We do get a reasonable amount of on-slope time, warm-up/dry-out by the stove in the patrol shack, join the patrol parties, etc. During a typical day: a few scheduled postings; time moving around the mountain looking for trouble; and helping patrol close (sweep) the mountain. Scheduled postings might include assignments like: moving groups away from congested lift offload areas; crossing guard for a downhill race; greeting guests and answering questions at the top of the gondola. While moving around, we are on the lookout for safety concerns and for anyone who might need help from patrol. If a patroller is needed, we will call the situation in to dispatch and will direct traffic around the incident. If we spot a guest in an unsafe situation (like sitting in a blind spot) we will enlighten the guest. Unfortunately, you still need a source of income, and it doesn't come with first tracks :(

My guess: All Screwed Up It certainly goes with the hardware

I think that dual core PCs can be a benefit for many users these days. My theory is that this lets your application have CPU time even while your firewall/antivirus software is chewing up time. I think most people have a lot of processes running in the background most of the time now.

Hey, isn't that Willy on the "Talk to your kids..." shirt?

Pat, that sucks - getting laid off at this time. Why couldn't they have the decency to do it during the snowboarding season?

But, it sure beats the alternative

Never had a deck stolen. I seldom lock mine at my home mountain, but almost always do when away. At my home mountain, my board is seldom unattended, and then only outside the Patrol shack at the top of the mountain. There are not that many culprits who could jump on and ride away with it from there. :D

I'm guessing that your favorite may the the one that's listed in your profile :D

Kids! Anyone who is mature knows that popping popcorn can only be done properly with a long handled wire mesh box held over hot embers in a fireplace.

Nice spoof on the movie. As for player loyalty, it works both ways. Witness the Arroyo deal - gave the Sox a hometown discount and got traded almost immediately.

Last year at Carver's Gone Wild, I did not fully comprehend what Eric meant when he said something about watching out for rollers. Bottom dropped out, landed but grabbed too much edge, over the handlebars and came down on point of left shoulder. Result was total disconnect of AC joint (is this type 3?). I have a permanent lump. If I was a left-handed QB, reattachment could be called for. As it is, at least I shouldn't get arthritis in the joint as there is no contact. I had massive black and blue all around the shoulder area. Putting on shirts (especially pullovers) was problematic for a while. Life and carving go on, but what's this going to do to your softball career? - Dave

My boots are Raichle 225's in size 25 (Thanks, Mike, for that second pair). I wear size 8-1/2 shoes. My longest foot measures about 25.7 cm. I think my feet are about a D width. Heat moldable liners make a huge difference.

So, I was about at the point of flipping a coin when I realized the answer must be spouse. I've been married to the same lady for almost 37 years and this never came up. If it happened after all this, there would probably have to be a pretty good reason. As it is, some days I go to the mountains with my friends, some days she goes to the mountains with her friends, and some days we go together to the mountains, and some days we both stay home. If it's really important to her, I'll be there for her. After all, she puts up with a lot from me with no complaints.

After my vote, 15 RH Reg, 15 RH Goofy, 3 LH Reg, 2 LH Goofy. I'm RH Regular. If my wife voted, she would be LH Regular.

... are not bamboo

I demoed the Madd 158 and 170 at ECES. Both were the softer F1 variety. I'm shorter (5'6"), lighter (158), and older (by almost 27 years) than Jack. I'm not any kind of expert, but I was very impressed by the 2 Madds. The 170, even in the F1 flex was just a bit much for me. On the right trail and a bit more practice it could probably work well for me. The 158 really made me feel immediately at home. I switched off between the Madds and my Axis 162. I think part of the reason I felt a home on the 158 is that it was giving me turns that felt a lot like my Axis (but with more confidence). By early afternoon on Thursday, the wind had really scoured some of the trails down to boilerplate. I became more and more confident as I came to realize that the Madd's (both of them) just did not care about the difference between snow and hardpan. In fact, with the 158, I started looking for the shinier trail sections to test out the edge hold. I never did find the limit.

Had a great time. Thanks to Jack and Todd for organizing; to Catek, Bomber, Madd, Donek, et al for the demos; and to Bob J for an impromptu clinic. I'm sure it wasn't pretty, but attempting to carve Gondi Line is something I don't think I would have tried earlier. - Dave

If for nothing else, it might catch me if I doze off on a slow chair in the sun