Kirk

I'll be staying at Juniper Springs through April 21. Anyone else gonna be there during that time? Anyone there within the last few days/week have any input on what's good, snow conditions, etc. Thanks.

Matt, check your e-mail. If you don't have anything from me there, contact me here. Attached 2 pics. Thanks. Kirk

These are some great deals folks - I know most aren't in carving gear mode at this point (being the end of the season), but, hey, get an early start on next season! If interested, you may want to just post your response here. I check here regularly. Having some serious issues with my home e-mail - Will be dropping msn VERY soon! Kirk

I remember watching this guy race way back when ('90, '91, even way before that!). One of the originals, at least from an American stand point, in alpine. Chris is a great guy and a great coach. Had the opportunity to ride with him and receive some good technique tips while in Aspen a couple of years ago. I'm certainly no pro racer or anything like it, but from what I can tell, the inside arm/shoulder is up as it should be (yes, racing technique - and no I don't want to start a "style" argument here). Actually trying to keep from touching snow - in fact, looks just high enough to clear the stubbie! I've personally seen this guy ride and I know that he's is perfectly capable of laying out just about any type of carve one can think of. Good pic, Jack.

For you Proton fans, I have an '01 178 GS that is in EXCELLENT condition that I'm selling CHEAP - Gotta move a couple of these boards outta here. $150.00 - includes shipping in lower 48. E-mail me for pics. Yeah, I know there's a classified section (it's on there too) - this just seemed like an appropriate thread to pimp this board from. Kirk

Prices for boards INCLUDE shipping (lower 48 only) - '01 Oxygen Proton GS 178 (19.5 cm waist, 14m radius) - $150.00 - This thing is CHERRY! '99 Burton Alp 158 (~20 cm waist, ~ 8m radius) - $100.00 - Excellent/like-new condition - Great entry level carver, also good in powder and crud! ____________________________________________________ Raichle 124 (28.0) w/Thermoflex - New shells and liners (liners have been baked 1 time). Sold as a set only (sorry). $100.00 PLUS ship. E-mail me for pics

Dope #3 here. And by the looks of it, the "dopes" run from east coast to west coast! What is happening to this country... they've all gone MADD!!:D

Have a '98 Burton Alp 158 in EXCELLENT condition - $100.00 plus ship. I can arrange to e-mail pics if interested. Kirk

I'll admit that the instructions from Snowpro were not real clear regarding cant and lift wedge setup. For me it was just a little tedious to get things to line up and figure out which length of mounting screws were going to work. I consider myself fairly coordinated and I'm certainly not new to setting up plate bindings. I had a few moments of frustration there getiing 'em the way I wanted them. I finally got mine dialed and they work great - I've come to really like this binding. However, this might be good feedback for Dan Yoja and maybe even Snowpro. Kirk

that's more personal preference than anything else. Canting will allow you to go to a slightly wider stance comfortably. Canting and lift variations run the gamut. Personally, I use 6* on the rear with some heel lift, no canting on the front with a little toe lift. Have you read "How to set up your plate bindings" in the Welcome Center. Good stuff - should get ya started. (Man, Jack would be proud!) Enjoy! Kirk

Have the Race LTDs. Great binding! Strong, easy angle changes and toe/heel adjustments. Lift and cant wedges can be a little tricky getting in place. Moderately stiff, certainly not Bomber or Catek, but still get the job done. The dampening pad under the base plate is nice - VERY top sheet friendly (not that it is a big priority, but still nice!) As I remember it, the base plate design is slightly different between the standard and LTD. Other than that, pretty much the same binding from what I can tell. The LTD has the aluminum disks (new for '04). Did you get aluminum or plastic disks? $70 bucks sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. Enjoy 'em! Kirk

I'll echo the rest - FedEx has worked out good for me. Shipped TWO boards from Utah to NJ via FedEx ground and that was a little over $50.00 - which is about what I expected. But from DC to upstate NY for one board, $50.00 seems WAY high.

Yep, Rode Powder Mtn. today - no powder to be found. Bring a cup and some flavoring and you got yourself a nice slush puppy. Typical spring conditions - still lots of fun! May want to bring something to clean your base with as well. Mine was hammered after about 5 hrs on the hill (black base and yet you could still see it!). Kirk

And a good thing too. Not enough rocker in your Doneks to pull off a bottom turn like that! Break almost reminds me of Mexico (Baja). Does this place break like this a lot, or only certain swells in winter? Grew up in San Diego surfing (mostly 9'0'' plus boards). Folks still live there (Carlsbad - about a mile from the water)and I have a board that I use when I go down there 2-3 times a year. Great photos! Kirk

Need space and the cash (wife is on my case). Have pics available upon request - shoot me an e-mail. Prices do not include shipping: '01 Nidecker Tornado 163: 19.1 cm waist, 10 m radius. Typical nicks and scratches on top sheet. Base cherry, plenty of edge life. Fun, snappy little board. $100.00 '99 Burton Alp 158 (well, 157.5): Don't have exact specs. ~20.5 cm waist, ~ 8 m radius. EXCELLENT condition. Great entry level carve board, not bad in powder. $100.00 '01 Oxygen Proton GS 178: 19.5 waist, 14 m radius. This board is CHERRY. Amazing edge hold! $175.00 '98 Burton Freecarve boots (3 buckle), 27.5 Mondo: In great condition (minor scuffing on lower shell). $70.00-SOLD!! '98 Burton Race Plates: Have 3D and 4X4 discs and cants. These are in excellent condition. Not the stiffest plate (but you already know that), but they work fine! $50.00

uh, I mean chronologically mature riders? You bet! I was 32 at the time and there were probably 3 or 4 (off the top of my head) guys there that were at least my age or older. One guy was in his early fifties. Chris Karol was something like 37 at the time. The balance was made up of snot-nosed, spoiled-ass... uh, I mean, youth. Actually, some of 'em were pretty cool too. There were a few that were pretty close to my earlier description. I raced against a couple of kids that took on the dual GS that place 1st and 2nd at nationals (13-14 year olds) - Wow! Good riders. Got beat once by one of those little bas... uh, young men, by a nose (not timing the runs). Alan, all joking aside, it was a good experience. Good coaching and GS and SL runs all day every day if you want, Freecarve when you want - they will ask you "so, what ya gonna work on this run?", stuff like that. It really helped to clean up my freecarving and was the first time training gates in a long time. I thought about heading up again this year, but time and $ are in short supply. Good luck. Kirk

Went in spring of '02 (actually signed up for the camp before the 2002 Olympics!). A very positive experience for me. Klug and the coaching staff there were very helpful and fun to train with. Plenty of one on one as well (not very many alpine riders there at that time). Got to work with Klug, Chris Karol (remember him?), Ben Fairchild, and Ian Price. All very qualified, experienced professional riders. The only issue I had, and it really turned out ok, was that there wasn't too much snow in Aspen at the time of the camp - SPARSE coverage in many spots! They always hold it late March/early April (in conjunction with the "Spring Jam" thingy). There will probably be more this year. Still highly recommended! Kirk

Have a pair of '98 Burton Freecarve boots (3 buckle) - In very good condition (minor scuffing on shells) - liners still very good. $70.00 plus ship. Can e-mail pics if interested. Kirk

I'm sorry to hear that people have had bad experiences with this equipment. But I feel the need to put in my $.02 (probably all it's worth) as a counter to their comments. Not to be a fly in the ointment, this is just my own personal experience. I have a set of '98 Race Plates (bought 'em new), ridden them in all kinds of conditions, on race boards as long as 183 cm - never had a problem! No pulled inserts, no cracks in boot shell. I would say I'm a fairly aggressive rider and have been on plates for a lot of years. That being said, I only weigh about 155 lbs. Perhaps they are more appropriate for the lighter (not necessarily the younger) rider? But wait a minute, Klug rides these things and he's over 200 lbs. I've had the opportunity to receive some coaching from this guy and asked how his eqipment works for him. He indicated to me that they've never let him down. Was that a plug in for Burton from him? Probably, but there are people out there riding these bindings (no, not just kids) and they work. As far as stiffness and quality of materials, Bomber and Catek they are NOT. I'm sure there will be plenty of negative commentary to follow, but here goes: If ya have 'em and that's what's in your budget, ride 'em! Ride 'em tight and, like others have posted above, take the plastic screw out of them (especially with Raichles). It would be a good idea to inspect them every once in a while (as anybody should for ANY equipment). I admit though, I did just purchase a pair of Snowpros (Race LTD) last season because I got a good deal on 'em. Thought that a back-up pair of bindings would be necessary since I've been riding these race plates all these seasons and they would eventually get religion (perhaps myself along with 'em). Hasn't happened, so now I have TWO sets of binding that work great. I like the Snowpros a bit more for their ease of adjustability (the race plates can be a pain in the @$$ to adjust) - that's it. Good luck! Kirk

The one I have is regular.

If that one's sold, I have one I'd be willing to part with. Also have a pair of the first generation 3D plates (pre-dates Carrier and Race plate) on it - still in great shape.

Wax - every 2-3 times out Edges - about every other time out - usually just a diamond stone polish Grind - once a year Structure - every time I wax (still like the 3M scotch brite - cheap)

Lots of fun stuff at Snowbasin. As the season progresses (in terms of snow pack) they remove some of the equipment, but early season, watch out! That's at least what I've noticed over the past few seasons. This resort has the highest capacity for snowmaking in the nation, at least that's my understanding. The Needles gondola will get you access to a lot of good terrain (Porky and Needles run down to City Hill). For shorter runs, Wildcat bowl is a nice groomer. Unfortunately they will only run Wildcat chair on the weekends. Bear Springs off of Becker chair is also nice when it's groomed. On Strawberry side, Main Street and Coyote bowl are fun too. Just watch out for Strawberry if there's ANY kind of storm system moving through, it can get nasty at the top. I've been litterally blown off my feet coming off of the Elk Ridge traverse to the main trails. Awesome view from there though! I too am about 20 minutes from the resort (live in East Layton). Day pass is $54 for adults (get a pass, discounts, etc. wherever you can!) Be safe! Kirk

Can't seem to get past 312. That's after a dozen swings or so. Must practice MORE! Oh, I gotta get back to work.:(

Bubba, The main concern with exposure to heating waxes is through the inhalation route (no issues with skin absorption or ingestion - sorry if I'm being too obvious!). Most of the modern waxes these days are pretty inert (even the fluoro waxes). As long as you are not heating the wax beyond about 570* F (I think most waxing irons would have a hard time getting close to that temperature!), you should be ok. Good ventilation is always your best bet in controling fume/particulate and vapors. So if you're doing a LOT of waxing, at least get some dilution ventilation (open windows, doors,etc.). The ideal situation would be to have some kind of exhaust system in place (we're talking a LOT of waxing). The two issues with heating this type of wax are upper respiratory irritation from 1) hydrocarbon components, which would be in the form of a particulate, and if heated to the point of decomposition, 2) fluorine. The problem with fluorine is that it will react with moisture (H2O) in the respiratory tract and become hydrofluoric acid - most likely resulting in an acute irritation of the respiratory tract and not the degradation of tissue. Bottom line, DON'T OVER HEAT. Keep your iron at a low setting. If your using a polyethylene (ptex) candle for base repair, the ventilation is a real good idea! Watch out for base cleaners that have aromatic hydrocarbons (xylene, toluene, benzene, etc.) - those, in my opinion, are a bigger issue than waxing with fluorinated waxes! And if you're going to be using a powered brush for texturing/base cleaning, use a particulate mask (N-95). If you are going to use a respirator, it's important that it fits! No facial hair (compromises the seal on your face). A tight-fitting air purifying respirator (NIOSH approved) with organic vapor/acid gas cartridges and a P-100 (HEPA) pre-filter is what you would need. Respirators are kind of a tricky thing if you want them to work right - specifically in the fitting. Look, I apologize for being so long winded - occupational safety and health is what I do for a living. After all this drivel, bottom line: Make sure you have some ventilation and don't over heat the wax. Most waxing irons are at a low enough temperature that there is really no issue. Hope this helps (and not confuses) you. Good luck and happy tuning! Kirk