Cindy Kleh

I read this article a few days ago. I thought about cutting it out and showing it to Jacques Thomas of Le Feet Lab, but I knew he'd have a stroke. I'm with Jack M. I love my orthotics and whenever I have tried to ride without them, I feel pressure points on the bottoms of my feet. The article does admit that plantar fasciatus is helped by orthotics. That is the condition I first saw Jacques about. I went from limping to riding in the course of two days. I'm sold.

And one more little dream: meeting all of the Bomber Gang that I have been chatting with for years and feeling like a part of the crowd instead of a softie that likes to race.

I just have this crazy dream about showing up for Nationals on hards and watching my nemisis freak the F out. Is that immature and petty of me? Oh well ....

I would love to try on your boots. (I can't just buy someone's boots on the other side of the country without trying them on first.) Boot pain is almost as bad as a root canal!

What is the charge for dropping in one day? I can get free lift tickets at Aspen.

Thanks. I'm really tight on money right now, so I'm looking for the boots first ... bindings seem to be everywhere. $275 doesn't sound too outrageous if they were comfortable boots. Do all hardboots have heat-moldable liners?

I won a 167 Donek Pilot board yesterday, and I think it was a sign from above that I should learn to ride hards. It's an entry level board, GS. I'm looking for used boots and bindings. I have a 24.5 foot, a little wide, and I weigh 130 pounds. Oh, and is anyone up to giving me an intro lesson? I tip well.

Studies have been done comparing snowboarding and skier injuries. They occur almost at the same rate, but, as mentioned, beginner snowboarders seem to have a higher rate, with wrists the most common injury. As the rider gets better and goes for faster and higher in the air, shoulders, neck and ACL tears become more common. Skiers injure their thumbs the most, but knee injuries are also common. I believe that in either sport, if you are pushing yourself to progress, injuries will happen. It's still better than doing it on a Wii.

Just wanted to get my two cents in. I'm a soft booter (knuckledragginparkmonkey) who races, so I'm always interested in anything carve related. I've followed bomberonline discussions for years hopin that someday I can afford to go to hards. Keep bomber pure! It's a hard booter site! There are other sites for softies. There are so many highly educated members here that I learn alot from the threads. I found a slalom board and I'm working on finding hard boots and plate bindings. If I mastered hards, I would be unbeatable in my USASA age group. Of course, I'd need some coaching ... anyone want to sponsor me with these missing elements? Then I could really be one of you guys.

This thread should be named Does Anyone Not Have Knee Pain? This is the first season in a decade that I haven't had wicked knee pain. Usually I have to quit after about 2 hours of riding and apply icebags. I couldn't ride more than two or three times a week. This year, I still ache after riding but not anywhere close to the past. I think it's because of the following reasons: lots of bike riding and weight machines to build up the muscles around the knee, I'm learning to land air more gently and I think about the sweet spot of the board on every turn and with even weight on both legs, the knees get less torque.

Interesting. Any medical evidence of what smoking pot does to you?

Ya, I avoid Vail like the plague. If it's not the expensive parking, it's waiting in lines even on weekdays for everything. Even to take a pee. Even Aspen and Telluride provide convenient and free parking. Beaver Creek rocks! Arapahoe Basin still has close-in free parking ... you can see the lifts from your car.

Nate Holland is the MAN! I met him at X Games four years ago. He asked if I would like his autograph, and I said sure, I guess (who is this guy?). He had an X Games gold around his neck but no attitude. Such a nice guy! That course was in horrible shape. Imagine screamin down that course at full speed wth frozen ruts in the bank turns. My heart goes out to Jacobellis. The press won't let her live down that crash in Turin 2006 even though she dominates the sport of WM's boardercross.

My apologies, Skategoat. Nice work.

Nice photos. Keep em coming, Jack.

Right on, Jack! Glad you're enjoying it. I'm enjoying it too by TV. I didn't have a TV for 9 years, and this is the first Olympics in a long time that I have been able to really watch. Just seeing top athletes perform in any sport intrigues me. (Love Lycra!) I agree that the commercialism and esp the sugar-coated bios on each star can make the whole package harder to swallow, but I've been fascinated with the whole marketing package of the Olympics (sorry, media's my field). It's hard to believe they pull it off every four years ... in a new city. It would seem greener to reuse some of those Olympic venues.

Don't hold back guys ... you're being too nice! So you just don't watch it at all? Even the PGS? I gotta imagine that even die-hard carvers want to see Shawn White's Olympic halfpipe run.

Well, if was all about money, then IOC would be featuring sports that have a huge following and draw. Like ice skating and snowboarding. If it's all about selling product, what hotter image to use than snowboarding? (except snowmobilers that do back flips)

You would think with all of the hype given to the sport of snowboarding during the Winter Olympics (for example, the opening ceremonies) that there would be more than 3 snowboarding events. There's so many skiing and ice skating events ... why not slalom? Super-G? Slopestyle? Big air?

Steepness is a state of mind. You'll feel gravity more and will need to sink into your heel turn to avoid skidding, but once you conquer steeps, every other run will seem easier. Copper Mountain has wonderful steep (40+ degrees) groomers under B Lift. No slope pigs, go as fast as your legs will carry you.

I don't eat breakfast. A cup of tea and I'm good to go until 11-ish. I don't see much difference in my riding before or after eating, but I rarely have a big lunch. When I'm competing, I can't even look at food until it's over. But I know most folks have to eat some breakfast ... Moms are appalled at my non-breakfast ways.

I've been noticing bottled oxygen at Walmart in $7 and $15 sizes. I could see this maybe improving my riding if taken right before a race. Has anyone tried these?

One of my friends has a titanium Kessler made especially for BX with chopped off nose and tail. It cost him $1,600 and another $600 for Catek bindings. Too bad he's a 25-cent rider.

Skiers look better than snowboarders in the bumps? Not necessarily. Most riders avoid them, so they don't look good when they get in them. I know of many local riders who look smooth as butter down long bump runs at Mary Jane. Start out in bumps on a powder day or slush. It's more forgiving and will give you confidence.

Ya, we're total thread jackers. An inversion table straps in your ankles and rotates to hang you almost or completely upside down. It stretches the lower back and helps with the asymetrical stress of snowboarding. Usually my lower spine just cracks back into place. I also use my blow up ball while watching tv (lying on back with feet on ball, roll it forward and side to side).