Kirk

Same as Mellow - center inserts front and rear (TD2s on the 170). Measured around 19.25" center to center for me. 3 deg rear, 3 deg front (lift only) - very nice feel and seems to be centered over the sidecut. Still able to power the nose a the beginning of each turn - no prob - steeps, chalk, very hard pack (some ice), end-of-the-day crap, even a little powder - that thing trounced it all and kept on grinnin' :D I don't think I'll go any farther forward on this one. If you do try it, give some feedback, ok?

Took her up to Snowbasin (4th day on her) Monday. At the time, no new snow for a couple of weeks + colder temps = hard, chalky conditions, and yes, even some ice on those steeper pitches where the chalk was scraped off! Nothing else I currently own would hold an edge as well at higher speeds on this stuff like the Madd - I'm sold on this thing! I've already given my 2 cents on the performance of this board in another thread - suffice it to say that my Nideckers (though I love them), will probably be getting a little less hill time this season Now I'm determined to demo a 158 :D

Lots of snow and every resort (Salt Lake/PC/Ogden areas anyway) is open. We haven't had any new snow for almost two weeks now, but there's adequate base pretty much everywhere. A lot of places have been making it as well. Was up riding Powder Mt. over the weekend and it's pretty packed on the trails right now (colder temps, no new snow) - uh, no snowshoes required. Probably head up to Snowbasin for an afternoon session today (BTW, Strawberry opened over the weekend). Lots of fog in the valleys last few days Lift lines: You go any weekend, you're gonna have some lines anywhere you go (NOT just Snowbird) - DON'T go on a demo day!! Big/Little Cottonwood Canyon driving: Unless you are driving up right in the middle of a HEAVY dump, you can access either canyon with a standard front-wheel drive car. Those canyons are pretty well maintained - plows run regularly during moderate/heavy snowfall. Yeah, it says "4 wheel drive/snow tires required ...", but most of the time I'm driving my little '96 Saturn SL1 to get to the hill. If you have access to 4WD, go for it! Not supposed to get any significant snowfall for a while - so says the forecast (of course that could change in a day or two??). Several days at Brighton this season already and it's been fun there - always a good choice. Some good stuff off of Great Western and Millicent. Solitude is usually less crowded (but the weekend thing applies there as well). Have not been to PC this season (yet), so maybe Phil or someone else local there could give you the heads-up on that one.

That's a '92! Owned one - well, the 6.4 anyway (Roses in deep-purple and fluorescent/lime green!) Gotta love them colors! NOT the first year for the PJ! Didn't the first year (1990) have a symmetrical nose? Maybe we should direct him to this thread - get Jack and some other history buffs chiming in here too??

Cheri and Shaggy are good folks who took this project on because of their passion for alpine snowboarding and a desire to share it. I would also like to say thank you again for your committment to this sport that we all love :) Kirk

Barry, I'm just up the street, give me a ring when you get back and maybe we can have a look at it tonight or something. I've got a spot in my basement strictly for tuning and setting up my bindings, etc. I will be out for a little while tonight, maybe between 8:30 and 9:00. If you're interested, give me a call: (801)544-2349 Kirk

Whoa, Phil - almost identical! Started riding in '90 (Burton Free 6) In late '91 on m6, flex binding, comp boots - went to PJ 6, plates and Megaflex in '92, occasionally riding the asym air w/flex binding. Exclusively hard boots in '93 - haven't looked back!

It's pretty darn impressive, eh? Yeah, they did that whole place up for the Olympics. Before the upgrades a few years back (before bought by Sun Valley), there wasn't much to it. I swear every time I walk in there to use the restroom, I almost feel guilty wearing my boots on that plush carpet! I see that they opened up Becker chair. Did you stay on Needles (gondola)? How was it today? Don't know if it's groomed or not, but Wildcat Bowl is a sweet, wide groomer. If Wildcat chair isn't open (usually open on weekends) you can get to it from the Needles (porcupine traverse to boardwalk). I was not in the mood for work today - would love to have been there! Need to get that Madd 170 on the hill again to get her broke in! Mules - heh, I have a flock of sheep and two llama in the field bordering my backyard! The only Rite Aid I know of is next to Albertson's off of Fairfield. If that's the case, I live about two minutes away off of Antelope and 1450 E. What's your plan tomorrow? I remember snowmobiling in the works somewhere.

Diverging a bit from the current flow of this thread... Has anyone else ever seen camber in a board (of ANY kind) like this one has? When I got mine (170) and placed it flat on my basement carpet (on its base), I could practically slide my hand flat between the carpet and the base - never owned anything with camber quite like that! I thought "holy **** this is gonna be a lively ride ... and it was! On mild/moderate (blue) slopes, that thing launched my meager 155 lbs from edge to edge like a freakin' spring board - what a RUSH! Like mentioned above and in other instances, the thing will give back the more you put into it - really tried the aggressive forward weight shift at the initiation of the turn in slightly steeper pitches (where I HAVE folded other boards) and this puppy just held and allowed a real natural transfer of weight throughout the sidecut to finish the turn with VERY sweet transition into the next! Sorry, things are a bit slow at work right now, local hill got an additional 20" in the past 48 hrs and I won't be able to get up again for another week:mad: , so I'm forced to re-live the experience:D

Oh, it's a 170 - sorry. Love to try the 158 now! Hmmmmm!

... we're probably up to a couple of bucks by now though, right? Observations/Impressions: 1) When I got mine, I noticed a few blemishes on the top sheet as well that I wasn't particularly impressed with, but was overall pleased with the outcome - I was just happy to have it! Seen other larger mfgs with less-than-perfect finishes, etc. I usually correct stuff like that on my own anyway. 2) Already had this thing on the hill and it rides every bit as good as the reputation, indeed it exceeded my expectations! I've ridden a few decks in the past 11-12 years of hardbooting (not as many as some out there I'm sure), but this board truly has some special performance characteristics that I have NOT experienced on other decks (from low 160s to mid 180s). The versatility is incredible - that "tightish" sidecut allows you to pull off hard, low carves on narrower trails, yet will hold on wide steeps at speeds of a much longer stick. Rode everything from green circles to rolled-out black diamonds on this thing and it shined in every instance. From VERY hard-pack (can't really call it ice - this is Utah) to powder and chopped-up crud, the board was very solid and predictable. 3) Working with Shaggy and Cheri has, overall, been a good experience (for me at least) and I'm sure they will work with those that are not happy with their boards. In my opinion, the concerns expressed by customers are valid points that hopefully the folks at Madd will take into consideration and remedy. Hopefully threads like this will serve as feedback for Madd and future production activity (please don't give up!) Bottom line - This thing ROCKS and it's NOT for sale!! :D

You may also want to check out the Carver's Almanac for a comprehensive overview. This is a really nice resource for newbies and veterans alike: http://www.alpinecarving.com/

Well, Powder Mt. was quite good today - They've opened up quite a bit more and Sundown side is open for night ski/boarding from 4:30 to like 10:00 PM. By the time you get here next week, I think just about anywhere around here will be fine. Rode with my Dad and my 7 yr old son on the Nidecker freeride/BX board (mounted w/TD2 SI - I got some strange looks with that combo) - good carving and all-around riding conditions!

Barry Don't think I can get away from work on Friday. I was thinking maybe Saturday, but sounds like you're doing the snowmobiling thing (sounds fun). Not sure about Sunday. What part of Layton does your friend live? I'm going to be taking my son up to Powder Mt. today (like in an hour) for his first time up this season. Rode Brighton yesterday - Great conditions, great snow! Snowbasin (rode it Wednesday) was ok. Quite a bit of snow, but not everything open yet - need another storm (supposedly Sunday/Monday). Should be real good next weekend. You really should consider going to Little or Big Cottonwood Canyon - better quality of snow and more of it for now. Resorts in this area will need another week or two to get up to speed.

Make sure you bring tools of variety (if you can) - Good chances of powder encounter;) In that case, ALL resorts are good - may want to consider Powder Mtn - you can access all kinds of freshies there!

Barry, Plenty o' stuff to carve here in Utah. If you do head to Brighton, there is some decent carving (not a lot of wide trails) - Millicent is open and has plenty of coverage now with the last couple of storms - steeper groomed terrain there. You may want to consider Solitude as well (just down the road from Brighton) - a few good places there off of Eagle Express lift. Snowbasin is up just out of Ogden/Mountain Green - I live about 20 min. from the parking lot. Plenty of places to carve there. Needles Express and Strawberry Express are two 8-man gondolas that will give you access to a lot of stuff. A fun, wide groomer is Wildcat (off Wildcat lift or go all the way to the top from Needles Express). They usually only open up Wildcat lift on the weekends. Stuff off of Strawberry Express (access from Becker or Needles Express) is fun - Main Street, Trapper's Trail, Elk Ridge. If your feeling strong, take John Paul Express up and ride the downhill course steep puppy! Have you considered the Park City resorts (PC and Canyons) - good stuff there - Phil Fell and Bordy are good resources there for guidance and instruction if you can get a hold of them. Don't ride Snowbird that often - like stuff off of the Gad Valley chairs - pay a little extra for the tram for Mineral Basin (open yet?). If you are going up to Snowbasin, look me up and I might be able to hook up with you that weekend. Don't know about the snowmobiling thing. Try a search in the SLC/Ogden area. I've seen people riding around Trapper's Loop out of Mountain Green. I'm sure Park City has plenty of resources as well. Yes, Alta and Deer Valley are the only two hold-outs in this state - possibly the nation since New Mexico has at least opened up Taos!

Well, I'll add a nod to Mammoth - great terrain and LOTS of it. However, I really don't have to look much farther than my own back yard for great riding - both pow and groomers. And YES there is good carving in Utah outside of PC (though it is a great carving mountain). Oh, BTW, it's DUMPING as I type this - life is good:)

Discussed before, I know. I just saw on the updated Carver's Almanac that the Madd 170 radius is 11.5 m - I thought they were like 10.5 m or thereabouts (according to JG) - Are the new ones different? Shaggy? John Gilmour?

Before I even got to the 3rd pic, I saw that puppy going over! Investigating this kind of stuff is part of what I do for a livin' hmmm...yes, outriggers are GOOD! Hope nobody was injured/killed on that one!

Mark, Bring your Coiler AM (yeah, saw it in your profile:D ) and you'll be golden! Looked at Solitude on the way up there yesterday and was tempted - but decided against it. It's also a fun mountain to carve and is typically less crowded than Brighton (unless it's a demo day or some crap like that - stay away!). How long are you in town for? I have stuff on Sat and Sun, but off work on Monday. If you're around, e-mail me and I'll meet you somewhere. Kirk

As of today, local news sources say new snowfall Friday (30%), Saturday (50%) - means we're gonna get snow! Bring boards of varying flavors ;)

If you're an REI member, you can get discount passes there too. There's one not too far from the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Snowbasin isn't open yet - not enough snow:mad: Powder Mountain has nights open (starting at 4:00 PM), but only Sundown lift (mostly green circles). Rode Brighton yesterday (and last Thursday). FUN, nobody there (Monday, of course), good coverage, VERY good carving conditions, everything open - probably your best call right now. $41 - full day, $35 - half day (still not too bad). Like anywhere, weekends can be a bit crazy. Solitude opened last Friday - don't know about its status. I think the Bird is open as well now. Don't know about PC/Canyons.

You mean this contest? http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2786&highlight=photo+contest Or has there been one since the July pic? This is the only one I'm aware of in recent months. Ended in September. It would be cool to see another come up though.

I think OCD's post should be kept in context - just another avenue to obtain gear. He had a good experience and he's sharing the news - some people knew about Blue Tomato and some didn't. As far as I'm concerned, every resource counts. Take a look at all the suppliers on the BOL "Links" page! Bomber will always have a strong following, not only for an amazing product, but their service and overall contribution to the sport of alpine snowboarding.

Some history '99/00 season begat the Tornado - 4.0 cm offset (setback) on the GS boards as I recall. '01/'02 changed name to Custom same dimensions essentially. Actually, the most recent year for the 178 is '01/'02 (not last year). Those had a 4.0 cm offset - the 183s in that year had a 4.5 - that's a lot! '02/'03 did away with 173 and 178 lengths and offered 170, 177 and 183, some change in board's outline (2.5 cm offset) This year ('04/'05) down to 2.0 cm offset. I've ridden most of the lengths of Nidecker's GS (and some SL) boards since 1999. Some offset is normal for GS (a little less for SL), this is to compensate for the shifting weight forward when you initiate a carve (gotta be centered over the middle of the sidecut), then your mass naturally shifts back as you advance and complete the turn. I know, seems wierd. My current most ridden is an'03/'04 183 - I mount my bindings in the middle inserts front and back (puts me at ~ 19.25" stance). The inserts are placed appropriate for the sidecut. You can still power the nose some (although I've come close to folding mine a couple of times on in the steeps) - they hold an edge nice and have some pop to 'em - they almost fly from edge to edge (I LOVE taper). A great board - enjoy! Wow, that was WAY more than I intended to say. Sorry:(