Steve Prokopiw

I probably should have been more clear on what I actually use.I don't use the fully supportive ones people are talking about here.Mine are basic with plastic ribs and padded.If a knee is especially tired I may double up by pulling a thick padded one over a thinner one.They provide some protection from impact on hard snow or when kneeling down during a lesson as well.I like the warmth and support they provide.They don't make my knees weaker but leave them less tired at the end of a full day on the hill.I've had people tell me even these will make me weaker.They can tell me all they want that I should strengthen them and not use the braces,but again they work for me.Yet another personal choice.My apologies for butting in on a thread that didn't really apply to me.

For me the weakness arguement has never been a valid one as prevention is paramount to the greater possibility of serious injury without protection.I perform plenty of other exercises and movements that help me gain and maintain knee strength.Now, I'm off to instruct an early morning spin class...

good fight.I am cert 3 and freestyle accredited and the vast majority of it (over 1800 provable teaching days)on hardboots.Not without some resistance though.The thing is,under the ADA act,even though I don't have any official handicaps,I think I could make a case for needing hardboots to do the job due to weak ankles and foot pain caused by softboots.The main thing however is to be able to do whatever demos are required.I have also been able to make the case that my clients are more easily able to see what is going on with ankle flex because of the angles I ride.Some supervisors,including some at Vail will arbitraily decide with little or no personal knowledge that clients are going to feel short changed by or resentful of an instructor who looks different.Hmm,smacks of prejudice,don't you think?Again, if an instructor with one leg (who quite obviously looks different)proves they can properly demonstrate a task even with outriggers,they must, by law, be considered for the job of ski instructor without prejudice.Believe me I might have been more accepted when it came to the local politics of skischool or AASI (though I have been treated well most of the time)on soft boots but it would not have been worth it.This is a worthwhile issue and I hope you stick to it.Good luck .Steve

Yeah,Summit seems to be a better bet then than Vail at that time.My wife and I were talking about how we remember at least half of the twelve seasons we spent working there seemed to start really snowing within a day or two of the Chiristmas crowd leaving around New Years day or so.Great for us but those years it seemed the early snow would melt and then manmade and some flurries would be what the Christmas crowd survived on.

is March 4th.

Even if it is real stiff,as your first carving board it can give you some insight as to technique,binding angles,whether your next board should be longer,softer,round tailed etc,etc.Here's hoping you get hooked and show up to one of the many expression sessions this season.You'll be able to learn a ton at one of these super cool gatherings!

crap up here in the 'great brown north':(

Eaglez,if you wanted to have me order one of the generics boards on ebay and then ship it to you for actual costs,I would be willing to do so. There is a 149 from that seller with a 9.3 radius and 19.7 waist that could do the trick.Let me know

Agreed!Reason number two is why terrain parks came about in the first place.Resorts will definitely have to step up enforcement on trails if they think this will solve anything.It is more likely to backfire and cause more problems than it solves.

Well,if this is the start of continent-wide trend,all I'll have to worry about when I ride the park is ripping myself a second anus and bashing my teeth in!

I'm always surprised at how many riders just settle for their current skill levels because they figure they are having enough fun already.So,no,not everyone is in perpetual training mode.That said,members here seem to be in improvement mode all the time based on what's posted on a daily basis.

I can definitely say that the AM182 with a 19 waist that I bought from Mike meets those performance claims.

Pebu,in my opinion your intuition is correct.I have been mostly on short radius boards and have delt with their tendency to pitch over by adding some setback.It started out being to make my freeride float better but had the positive side effect of making it perform more like a carve specific board and with less feeling of being about to go over the handlebars.It allowed me to more aggressively drive the nose in initiation phase and more pop in finish phase.On my 161 I set it back one set of inserts front and rear(about 4cm) and ended up leaving it there the rest of last season.Of course ,one drawback is there is now more nose to fold,but so far no problem with that.

My boys are turning two and four this week.I credit them with keeping me in shape.I'm not taking part in the challenge as I am not looking to lose weight , so I will get the heck out of this thread after saying just a couple more things.I can understand that it often is not pratical to have one's kids around when embarking on a fitness program,but the most successful way to get and stay fit is to work fitness time into lifestyle.With kids it is a great opportunity to spend time with them and get in shape.For example ,my four year old rides his little bike fast enough to require a fair amount of aerobic effort on my part to keep up while running.His two year old little brother is often along in a jogger.Of course there is the ever present bike trailer,skiing and riding with them,wrestling with them chasing them around,and on and on.Maybe it's easier said than done,but kids can be a great catalyst to better fitness.With the people I train it often seems society has us believing otherwise.

Wow,checked ticket prices and with current exchange rates it is now cheaper to ride Aspen than Whistler.Who'd have thunk it?!

Hey Dan.If you know a couple of days ahead when you might go to Schweitzer let me know.I'd like to finally get up there since OES was the first time I rode outside this valley since moving here.Riding with a fellow carver would be a good excuse to go.Steve

I have a ProTec helmet with memory foam like that in a football helmet.Supposedly can take many impacts.Seems a little heavier,but it is my park and tree riding helmet(not that I crash much).I use a Boeri helmet if I'm riding groomers just cause it's light and looks racy.ANYONE WITH AN OPINION ON THE MEMORY FOAM HELMET?

When I first rode with Jeff he was wearing Burton Reactors on a basic freeride board carving with a smooth intensity that blew my mind.There are others who have had a profound influence on me but from that point on I knew how I wanted to look when I rode.He was always so casual and seemingly unstressed about life that I envied that too.It is amazing what he did for snowboarding without needing or caring about getting the credit for it.He was never afraid to speak his mind and stand up for what he thought mattered and did it in a way that got respect.Though we were almost always busy and on our way out of that little locker room in the Village it felt like family and it is with great sadness that I know he won't be there when I visit.As a father of two young children myself I feel very deeply for his family's loss and will pray for their well being during this incredibly sad period of their lives. I hope you're getting nothing but freshies where you are now Jeff.You will be greatly missed.Rest and ride in Peace.

I definitely agree with this.I have taught while wearing hardboots the vast majority of my career( my softbooters have never had anything negative to say about that after a few demos...),but have considered it a rare treat to be able to convert a regular client to hardboots.So, I can see that one thing that draws hardbooters to coaching besides the obvious desire to be involved in competition,is the opportunity to be involved with alot of like minded and similarly equipped riders.That said, the main thing that has discouraged me from going ahead with all the coaching certification is the considerable expense and the low monetary return on the investment as I have always had to balance doing what I love with supporting my family.I know that it is a 'labor of love' (same with instruction)like anything else where money is not the priority,but reality dictates...Where I live now coaching costs much more than it pays ,especially with gas approaching 4.00/gal and instruction,although not lucrative up here,at least allows me to operate in the black while still making the occasional convert to hardbooting.

Kinpa,it's looking like I will be at Lookout Fri,Sat,Sundays and Silver on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as Lookout's closed on those days.That way I can stay home with the kids on Mondays and take them up riding and skiing on Thursdays.I was going to take over the snowboard school and terrain parks at Lookout but negotiations fell through so I will have more fun and less stress just teaching.Supposed to really snow this week!Stay in touch and I'll see ya soon!Steve

Possibly the most tragically funny post I have read.

Yeah! I think a session would fulfill whillywhit's oh so true requirement for mad skilz also.

Having an instructor that you can go back to on an annual or even more frequent basis is alot like having a personal trainer in a gym.You're not always going to be getting lots of pointers and nonstop feedback after advancing past a certain point,but you will have a mentor and training partner who will guide you and nudge into situations and continued feedback intended to keep your skills and confidence growing. At a place like Vail with all of the money flowing it wasn't hard to develop long term working relationships with clientele(and hey, I never minded big tips for being a fashion accessory either:) ;but here in the Inland Northwest it is a challenge(one I enjoy rising to) to keep the largely budget minded clientele coming back for more.That said,the lessons I have taken myself have been in the form of training clinics or being an instructor in camps run by experienced pros and picking up tips from them.

for Lowell Hart. We have shared a passion for hardbooting for along time as well as a locker room in Vail Village where he is still based.I can say that he is the most detail oriented,customer driven and willing to think outside the box hardboot instructor I know.Doesn't just toe the aasi line like some I've known in the past. By the way Lowell,if you read this,sorry about not getting back to you about when I'd be coming down.Still working on it and will definitely want to ride with you when I make it.

Looks great! I've been on freeride boards and hardboots for a long time and would probably ride that with hardboots.This would have fit the bill,but now I've got the long,narrow carving bug.