Atom Ant

Totally fair, sir. I have heard other things from other manufacturers that admit that without the SB sales, they would expect to slowly go out of business over the course of a decade or so. Suppose it does indeed depend who you ask. Best mass produced boards in my opinion are the Burton Custom X wide (I know I mentioned I am selling mine as it is not 100% for me, but in terms of mass produced off the shelf boards it is damn good). Ride Timeless is another one, as others have mentioned. If you put carving aside for a minute, the old Rome Hammerhead was a ton of fun for me despite being painfully slow. They put a special base on it that basically held no wax at all so felt like sandpaper on the snow, but it was bullet proof (designed for drops off street rails to concrete) to encourage the rider to ride like an absolute hooligan--see a rock that looks like fun to stall off of, or just ride across? Go for it! Bonus: the board looked so damn odd it I swear you could be next to a WC GS set up and no one would notice the racer--everyone would be staring at the Hammerhead. Can't say I hated it.

Disagree. Replacement rate doesn't appear to me to be even 1-1. I deeply love hard booting, Jack, to be clear, but I respectfully disagree. Respectfully agree.

Indeed. But bears warning here as not "every activity" is dying out.

Thanks man! In all seriousness, I have normally had two stock boards in my arsenal at any given time: a Jones Hovercraft which I will never ever sell (super fun board in all conditions) and a Burton Custom X 164W (26.2 wide) which is like, good enough but not great. I think it has a 8.6 sidecut which is just too tight for how the flex of the board wants to be ridden. I'm selling it, needless to say. Regarding the "Cat Butt" comments... guys, come on. Really: the dude on SB used as an example looks like he is ripping to me and my guess is on SB most people, even those on this forum, couldn't replicate that carve. I know a few who can--shout out to @Dhamann-- but most everyone I have met on or outside this forum cannot. Let's drop it--to each their own, keep the stoke alive and all that. Ever considered that the pomposity of some hardbooters is part of the issue when it comes to growing this section of the sport?

@Jay9013 Responded to your email.

Used one is and soft plate... Trust me, wonderful combo for rec racing and freeriding. PM me.

Responded

Two identical boards. 185 length, 19.5 waist. Built for a 185ib rider. One hardly ridden (10-15 times perhaps) and the other has never seen snow. Two plates: one soft and one hard. Both immaculate. Prices are board with plate. Choice or plate, first come first serve. Buyer pays shipping. Used GS board: asking $750 New GS board: asking $1000

This coming weekend? Saturday? Knee has kept me on the injured list for about 6 weeks but I tried it out today and it went okay-ish. About 75%, but good enough. Haven't been to the Beast this year. Will be soft boots though. Mike?

@GeoffV Good option as mentioned. I also ride wa wa however am out with a knee injury for the time being (hopefully back in a few weeks however, pm me if you like).

I think it is a relevant article to snowboard racing as well. Firstly, I understand the desire to give your child every advantage in the sport. I can't knock any parent's over that and cannot say I wouldn't do the same for my kid. However, there is an irony within this dynamic: your kid may rise, due to parental investment, to the top of a extremely smaller heap of talent. In other words, your kid may be the "best", not the best, because the best cannot afford to compete. This ain't basketball. At the highest level or near-highest level of competition-- I don't have a problem with the extremely expensive training and equipment. We're talking the elite level--makes sense. However, the trickle down effect this equipment has had is rendering an already expensive sport nearly unattainable for anyone without tens of thousands of dollars in disposable income. This creates the dynamic I mention above: there are the "best" and then there are the best. (Don't get me wrong here... there are of course times where the best is simply and actually the best. However, I would argue that the "batting average" is far lower than it would otherwise be in terms of the strength of the riders overall). Some suggestions I have: Since USASA is the main feeder of talent in the US: ban plates in all non-Open class racing. Open class is the "jump-up" class where racers get to see how they stack up against FIS racers at Nationals. So makes sense plates would be a factor; prior to this plates add minimal value to a developing racer and an extreme amount of financial stress to parents. In fact, since this removes a "speed multiplier" from the non-Open equation, I would argue it will better identify faster riders as the main defining factor will be skill, with the exception perhaps of board-related differences (however, you could argue teaching a youth rider to focus on board dynamics alone is also a good thing). Better funding from US Ski and Snowboard... duh. Also, for Alpine, not going to happen. Programs that focus more on the "must dos" and bring things back to basics thereby reducing participation costs. Under the theory that some of the best are priced out, this may allow certain programs to "graduate" high level riders relative to other more expensive programs--calling attention to their programs and attracting more developing riders. Nothing can reduce the costs of the boards and bindings to any material degree short of much higher participation across all types and levels in Alpine. Not holding my breath. So is what it is. Further, should a company come out with a full-on low cost setup it would require sacrifices that would ultimately render it slower vs. the current tech (Donek has a board in this area, to their credit). I don't believe many would opt for the cheaper setup if they feel it will cost their kids races--regarding that dynamic, the genie is out of the bottle . So again, is what it is. Banning plates is at least a tangible, clear rule many would agree to but there is a limit to the logic and open the sport (albeit slightly) to a broader income pool, I believe. On a final, dour note: I think snowboard racing (and ski racing) are ultimately going to experience a massive decrease in global participation and particularly in the US due to outside factors beyond the scope of what those involved in racing in either sport can influence. Global warming and water shortages and the subsequent regulations will drive up ticket / participation prices and the "snow belt" in some areas will move further and further away from population centers (also consolidating resort options). As this occurs, people will drop out or reduce participation which reduces sales volumes, consolidates manufacturers, and increases prices. Eventually, skiing and snowboarding will become winter correlates to sports like wake boarding, sky-diving, motor sports, and so on... there will be participation but it will be for the privileged and will be very niche. Technically, under this logic, right now is the best it will ever be: somewhat in the budget for most people with the best equipment there has ever been (even in the mainstream).

Thought this would be a good discussion with this crowd. Would bet several of us have kids in ski racing programs. Or snowboard programs- similar if not more dire situation. What do you all think? https://www.skiracing.com/premium/porino-theres-a-financial-crisis-in-junior-ski-racing

(sigh...). Miss riding with you, man.

Please pass along info

Sweet. Responded.

Have a JJA 185 if your interested. PM if so. Can give you a good deal.

Do you sell them?

Not Another Banked Slalom - Ragged Mountain 3-14-20 https://raggedmountainresort.com/Events/ Same weekend as Vermont Open, perhaps good for those who can't make time for a two day event. This one is one on one boarder cross, two run elimination. Personal bitching:. Why the move towards two day events here? I understand the work required to create the courses but it's not like these mountains are near much, so it becomes a possible day off work plus hotel costs kinda weekend vs. a suck it up and get up early day trip. I get it's more fun for some, but it pushes out others (like those of us with very young children). (World's smallest violen plays...).

Any update?

I have participated in the format myself and know I'm in the minority. Regardless, racers would not quit the sport over a return to the older setup... This is their passion and career. The format also eliminates chances for from-behind wins (Ester's ski WC races, for example) both from the beginning and increasingly so as the heats progress. This detracts from audience engagement and ultimately hurts the sport as well.

Parallel format sucks. Watch early GS back in the single course days... way, way more exciting. Imagine that with modern set ups.

Squat variations followed by a single leg movement such as split squats.

If you like, I can bring a plate and some hardware out to Wa Wa sometime, and we can see if it fits. Worth a shot.

I don't have a UPM setup, but have a few GS boards with plates included if your interested in an entire setup. All JJA

Never tried one, but saw them regularly in Switzerland during the time I lived and competed there. They are very cool. Anticof is another from CH.