mo_writer

Actually, I think I can buy them if you will accept a payment through Paypal

That would work, but I don't think I can afford them right now.

I thought I had responded to this - sorry to be so late with this. Granite was okay. My legs were really worn out from the flats at the bottom, and by the third day, I stayed mostly on the top half. But then the runs are short, and you can't get back to some of them without going all the way to the bottom. I liked the rollers on the narrower runs since I didn't have to turn on them. Favorite runs were the one they put the race gates on and Carver over on the east side. There really weren't any "bad" runs except for the flats near the bottom. I even did the easy moguls near the beginner area in front of the lodge (3 times). Will almost definitely check out Indianhead next year.

Do you know how small of a boot they will fit?

Do you have any idea how much shipping from Germany to the U.S. would cost? Also, would these take a 23.5 mondo boot?

Wow, I had no idea so many people were wearing body armor. And I was proud of myself for wearing a helmet! After being hit by two straightliners this year, though, I think I will at least add a back protector next year.

I've read a little about Lutsen - sounds like a nice place but a long drive from central Illinois. Maybe next year.

Thanks for the info - I heard some of the runs were narrow, so I was afraid it might not be good for carving. I'm not expecting the best snow at this point in the season, but I wanted to get a couple of more days in before the season ended.

That's not encouraging. What do you recommend in body armor?

I'm planning to ride at Granite Peak later this week - Thursday through Saturday. Any suggestions? Anyone planning to ride there on any of those days? I've heard both positive and negative reviews but decided I would just have to check it out myself.

I read about this somewhere else but remembered it too late last weekend. Will start doing this AND will wear my bright yellow jacket on spring break.

Nope, not at Hidden Valley - I was at Chestnut. At HV, I often feel like I'M the one about to run people over! Seems like a lot of beginners there.

Theories: My white coat makes me less visible. I'm not turning the direction people think because my upper body is not parallel with my board. Both times were late afternoon - maybe people are more careless then. Any other ideas? I think the guy who hit me this time was just bombing the last pitch on the run. He claimed he didn't see me, but maybe he just couldn't stop. Fortunately, I wasn't hurt this time.

I like the convenience of tightening the boots without laces, but I also cut the circulation off in my feet. I don't know if it's due to the BOA system or if I was just trying to get them tight enough to carve turns. I think they are beginner boots and just won't work for me anymore, so I'll probably sell them since I LOVE my carving gear.

I saw some longer boards on eBay recently, but I don't recall the prices. I just bought a 150 for $15 plus shipping (I'm pretty small). I just hope it's useable when I get it! I'm currently riding a 146 carving board. By the way, the transition to hard boots was SO much easier than I expected, and they are actually more comfortable than my soft boots because I don't have to crank them so tight to ride the way I like. I was able to ride the board right away, but it took a day to get the bindings set the way I wanted. I adjusted both of them at least four times that first day, and I'm still working on the back binding. I'm going to rotate it forward a few degrees before my next trip. Elizabeth

Interesting reading throughout this thread. I've been riding a 146 Burton Amp (or is it Alp?) and just bought a Burton 150 race board on eBay. I couldn't pass it by for $15 plus shipping! I weigh about 120-125 right now but need to take off about 10 pounds. It sounds like the 150 will work for me - the 146 is usually no problem unless I get into a really tight spot. But I've only been riding with hard boots a few times so far. I'm also hoping my daughter will eventually try out one of the race boards after she gets a little more confident on her freestyle board. She's graduating from college this year, so I'm encouraging her to commit to really learning to snowboard next year since it's something she has wanted to do for several years. She's about 5'2" and 140 pounds (but would also like to lose some weight).

Planning to be here on February 23, and expect to do a couple of runs on the NASTAR course. Elizabeth

I may be going to Las Vegas for a conference in March, and I learned that there's a ski area about 30 miles away. Anyone know if it's worth taking my snowboard gear with me?

I waxed my used Burton for the first time last weekend and noticed that the base is a little concave. Should I worry about this? I've only used it three times so far, and it seems to work fine. I'm not carving turns consistently yet (too much ice the last time I was out), but the board feels comfortable and easy enough to turn. I went from a 139 freestyle board to a 146 carve board (I'm not quite 5 feet tall). The board was SO much faster with the fresh wax, but it was tricky to scrape it with the concave surface.

I was planning to be there today, but the "stupidity factor" took me out on Friday. On my last run (one more than I planned to do, of course), a skier slammed into me from behind, and I wound up with a concussion and whiplash. At the hospital, they thought I was confused because I said I was snowboarding but had on "ski boots." Sadly, I'm heading home to Illinois and not sure when I'll get to ride again, but I started to get a good rhythm with my "new" setup. I'll hit the midwest slopes when my doctor clears me.

Thanks for the tip - I took your advice, and it worked out better than I expected. I'm a long way from carving turns, but switching from my freestyle board to the carve board wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I had to adjust my bindings a couple of times before my front foot felt comfortable. Have to wait until Friday to see if the last adjustment I made in back works.

Cool - I'll look for you on Monday. Tomorrow morning I'm going to start out in the Valley and see how it goes with my "new" setup. The last time I tried hard boots was over 20 years ago, and it wasn't a good experience. They were probably ski boots, though, and I was just beginning.

Anyone riding at Loveland on Wednesday, Friday, or Monday of next week? I'm new to carving and could use some pointers. I rode my freestyle board on Saturday to get acclimated (in town from Illinois), and I pushed it to its limit. Time to get started on my new (used) carving gear.

At this point, I expect to just mess around in the terrain park with my soft boots and maybe at least try a few turns with the carving gear.

Okay - all together now, do the snow dance! I want to ride at A Basin in May (I finally have all the gear I need for carving), and it doesn't sound like that's going to happen without some major snow between now and then.