Jack M

Chalk.

Maciek......... I've seen you ride. I'll just stop typing right now.

Really? A fellow instructor got a hold of some kind of weirdo Rossi prototype back in about 95, and I swear it said 16cm on it. I remember being dumbstruck by it. It was way narrower than my 19cm FP of the day.

Thanks Istvan. I guess there are many boards that don't fall into the 3 categories, so I just call them "alpine boards" or "carving boards". That would be the "super-class" of the 3 named sub-classes. However I believe Race boards, Freecarve boards and All-Mountain Carving boards are easily distinguished from each other, and that's what a new carver needs to know. I would say the boards that don't fit into these categories are usually purchased by people who know what they're looking for. I guess we could also use "Freecarve" as the catch-all term for anything that doesn't have a round tail but wouldn't be good for racing. Back when Burton ruled the Alpine scene, Freecarve was kind of a derogatory word for "watered-down race board". These days, many Freecarve boards perform every bit as well as race boards, but just for different tasks.

what's her name and beercount?

here's some reading on the subject: http://www.bomberonline.com//articles/how_to_buy_snowboard.cfm

at 1pm March 31. Tentative dates for the ECES are the first week of March, 2008 - 3/3/08 - 3/9/08.

you should also consider buying a place and renting it out half the time to cover the mortgage. For me and my wife (and now my son, and next year my daughter), snowboarding and skiing are a lifestyle, and we will do whatever it takes to maintain it. Hey, if the kids wants private college bad enough, they can win themselves scholarships. Nothing wrong with UMaine!! Oh, and the one mountain thing is a good thing - when you know every inch of it, you can really concentrate on your carving without wondering what's over the next drop/around the next corner.

oldacura, here is the article jtslalom is referring to, hope you find it useful: http://www.bomberonline.com//articles/cross_over.cfm Nice work following a better rider and being observant - that will give you a big leg up. Sitting into the heelside turn before you tilt the board up on edge is not necessary. Use your knees as shock absorbers, not just to "get low". Don't do this. You want your shoulders to remain mostly level to the slope of the hill. You want your center of gravity (hips) to be low and inside, not your shoulders. http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/toesideproblem.cfm

That looks like one of those 16cm Rossi prototypes that I don't believe ever saw production.

Thanks Angie. The criteria are, terrain, nightlife, a somewhat central-ne location, lodging. Stratton was left off the list in the interest of variety (been there done that). Not to say we'll never go back there, just not now.

that decision has been made. (is this not clear? ) If it's at Stowe (current frontrunner), sounds like we'll be able to pick and choose mountains. If it's at Killington, it's at Killington, and we'll make the good carving runs known.

bumpyride said the carver bears some responsibility for being hit from behind. That's just wrong. Sure, it's smart to look uphill if you think there's traffic. And I usually just stop and wait if a big bubble of people descends upon me. Or I don't start down a hill until there's a lull in the crowd. But no matter what, it's not your fault if you get hit from above.

I hear you Willy, if I were king it would never leave Sugarloaf and it would happen twice a year. Best carving terrain in the east, easy. But Sugarloaf is simply too remote for too many people. I was at the Stowe ECES and it worked pretty well. Bob, if it's at Stowe, of course anyone can ride Sugarbush if they want. But I didn't think there was much if any carving to be done there. Never been. Same for Jay. But again - these four choices have been carefully selected by an elite focus group. Let's not distract this conversation with endless suggestions for other mountains.

You really need to read the skier's and rider's responsibility code. http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/safety/know_the_code.asp The downhill person is the downhill person. Period.

Boston, Boston is one of my "desert island discs".

The ECES will be a week-long event. Anybody who can't justify a couple days off mid-week to go snowboarding on uncrowded trails with fellow carvers during the prime days of the season is not really who we're aiming to please.

tpalka, I disagree with your assessment of Jasey Jay Anderson's technique in that pic. He is going a lot faster than Karol, and is stacked and compressed. His hips are down. He's bent at the waist but forward, not towards the toeside edge, and not excessively. Your red lines are not in the right places. His knees are apart, shoulders level, hands off the snow, it's a great pic. It's basically what someone riding like Karol would look like at 3x the speed.

Those pictures are taken in the instant before they touch the snow.

http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/toesideproblem.cfm

Here's a new article on Toeside technique: http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/toesideproblem.cfm

According to Google Maps: New York City to Sugarloaf: 445 miles, 8 hours Distance from the highway to Sugarloaf: 73 miles New York City to Stowe: 335 miles, 6 hours Distance from the highway to Stowe: 10.5 miles And on that note.... NYC to... Killington: 267 miles, 4:51 Mt. Snow: 215 miles, 4:08 Loon: 330 miles, 5:48

Not at all, that's what this is for. Kind of like, "I'll come if it's here". Early March or late Feb. Will coordinate with SES to have 2 weeks between.

Loon and Waterville are mentioned together because they have a group package deal where you can ride both. They're about a 20 minute drive apart.

Here we go again!! Although Sugarloaf kicks some serious butt, it is simply too remote to host the ECES every time there. So, where should we go? Comments welcome, but please no requests for other locations. This will keep the results of this poll conclusive. Thanks. Maps: Killington Stowe Mt. Snow Loon/Waterville Tentative dates for the ECES are the first week of March, 2008 - 3/3/08 - 3/9/08.