jtdds

Send me your email. Jsthompdds@hotmail.com

[Might have a new home for it. Please call 262 203-3033. JT

Have Volkl Cross 167 in great condition. $175

jt at jsthompsdds@hotmail.com

I will take it if still available. JT 262 203-3033 cell

donek razor

I will take the 173. Email jsthompsdds@hotmail.com

Donek incline 68

I am in Winter Park from Feb 24-26 (riding days). Would love some hardboot companionship to carve some smiles. JT

Don't you want an all mountain board to have high dampning characteristics? High speed and rough snow? Lonerider, you rave about the phoenix. Would you ride a MADDbx as an all around mountain board? Isn't a damp board easier to ride in a variety of conditions?

Thank you. Exactly what i was looking for. Please reply if you agree/disagree with Palmer's assesment of those boards. Palmer, like you, I find the Channel 64 to be real versatile ride-- it can carve OK and freestyle OK, but it really excels in difficult snow conditions because of its damp characteristics. I own the volkl cross 67 which is a nice size for my 215lb size 11 foot combo ( I use Palmer risers to avoid drag as I ride near zero angles when soft booting) The only time i wish for the channel over the cross is when I am in crud, and terrain parks. I sure wish the cross had the dampning like the channel. What about dampning of Donek wide/incline and Maddbx?

More about Rad Airs... what makes them special-- what model suggested??

OK-- I see the alpine/ hardboot stuff starting creep in... I understand the need because it is what I do best myself-- hardboots rule. What I don't know much about is all-mountain/go anywhere soft boot boards that can carve well. Todd, you have ridden alot of boards in the bx class. What are your thoughts on them-- and did you ride them with soft or hard set ups?

Only been on the Cross and the Channel-- but I suspect ALL the hybrid /bx boards carve OK--better than average edgehold. I am more critical on how these boards handle NON groom/carve situations. In fact, take this situation: 3pm, 38 degrees, 6 inches fell the night before over groomed blues and blacks. You been searching fo freshies the whole day and now you're shot. Top of the mountain, everything is ski- out and clumpy. Your buddy challenges you to a beer for the first one down. You have no access to your hardboots, only your soft. You need a board that you can open up on in steep clumpy conditions. You get to ride anything... what do you reach for to get you down first?

bordy, I do use Palmer risers-- the max size when I ride soft. Tell me more about your comparisons

Earlier this year, 'Shred Gruumer', did a test ride and posted pictures of him 'shredding groom' on a Madd BX board--(search this sight for Madd Bx and you can view his shots). He reported on the boards great edge hold on groom, in alpine mode. Some others wanted a broader review on the board ridden like current boardercross-- lower angles, soft boots, varied conditions. Many expressed an interest in further testing and I wondered if anyone had anything else to share about it??? For any of you who have ridden the carving hybrids, or BX boards-- volkl cross, plamer channel, donek incline I am interested in hearing which you feel rides with the best DAMPENING in rutty clumpy wet snow. My guess is if someone makes a torsionally stiff, 24-26 waist width, 10-12 radius that has dampening charcteristics, it is a prettty special board. jt

I WAS WRONG!!! Rode yesterday with the PSIA instructor(who does ride alpine half the time) who railed on me for misrepresenting him. He teaches squaring feet, hips and shoulders, not squaring to the board edge. He agrees with Neil that duck stance is for those wanting to ride and land backward. (Nate, he thinks that I'm making you up-- so I am having him log on today... Oh, I meant vertigo 'gifted'--anyone who can ride bumps and pipe on an alpine board has my admiration. But to be able to do jump 180's in the bumps with steep angles? Very Jordan like.) More that a decade ago, I saw my first hardbooter on a PJ at A-Basin and my jaw dropped. Next day I had PJ and over the next 10 years I was a catalyst for alpining in my area. Oh, I took a wide board with mounted plates west in the event we had powder-- but rarely rode it. Four years ago, at Jackson, I experienced the same jaw drop, two guys on soft boots owning the hill-- smooth, deep edging (you bet they could carve), blasting off the groom and floating these super graceful jump 180s anytime they pleased. We stayed with these guys for a few runs and when we left I had to ASK them what their natural stance was- regular or goofy. Bastards smiled slyly and shrugged. Four years later, I am closer to my goal of being able to ride ambidextrous. One frustration is finding a good carving sled that my 11 size foot can ride zero angles without drag (yes, I do use risers, made by Palmer) All of my carving friends love boardercross boards as their all-mountain sticks but they are just a little narrow for my club feet. Thanks for the feedback everyone, lots of boards I never heard of-- continued thoughts appreciated.

Wow! what a post. Reread the replies and the variety is just nutty. We've got guys that define switch riding as 50 plus angles and looking upside down past their armpit. (I MUST party with these vertigo challenged carvers...) Two observations that need more discussion: 1. When I raised the all-mountain category I assumed most of you had free ride setups not alpine for the all-mountain. I acutally feel more at home on an alpine set up in crud and bumps but NEVER on light powder. I am curious what some of you see as advantages of alpine boards in the virgin fluff. 2. All of the respondants ride with angles-- even on their 'wide' boards. All my soft-boot instructing friends ride no angles or even negative on the backfoot-- duck. Their PSIA courses have taught them that squaring up the feet hips and shoulders to the edge provides more power transfer. I have always ridden my Alpine set ups as low as I can without bail hits (pretty high for 29 mondo). Am I missing something?

Nate, Your ride at 55 degrees... and you ride a fair amount switch-- at those angles?? I have ridden my alpine set up backward at low speeds and short distance... I found seeing to be a challenge, how do you do it? Ever carve without angles on a wideer board.

I would like to know what alot of you are riding in crud, bumps and powder-- not just the brand, but the characteristics of the board, riding angles, soft or hard boots. I used to ride hardboot/race board in everything but powder. The past two years I have spent more time in a variety of board and have found it frustrating to lock into the ideal all-mountain board. I have heard often from my soft boot mentors that a softer flex is better for an all around ride for crud bumps and powder-- I guess this is true as i like freestyle boards in the bumps. Enter confusion... last year I got to use a Palmer Channel (has a sheet of titanium) which is suppose to be a stiff, boardercross board. Slightly thinner with a carving radius side cut it carves very nice... but it also has tremendous dampening in the bumps and crud and never chatters on heelside speedcheck skids. Why does this boardercross specialty board seem to do it all??? The channel is not made anylonger and the max size was 164-- and it is just too thin for me (drag) So what do you ride and why? Is titanium used that much? Although I listen to all I am primarily interested to hear from riders that carve their wider boards with strait across angles (0-20, duck) and switch riders. Thank you for your insights.

Wrong size. Never ridden. $100 plus shipping from midwest

Thanks for the replies. The thing that continues to bother me is how much the intec stiffness affected my riding--that single change. I have ridden different systems-- boots, bindings and boards and always been able to get in 'sync' in the first run or two. Not the case with the intecs-- two hours, getting better... but not comfortable. My troubles with the stiffness must be unique otherwise I suspect I would have heard about it in the files.

whether the boot is centered from the my old system is a good question, and I thought of that. If the boot were located further 'back' (heel dragging more) would that improve the toeside by leverage or heel? YYZ's comment about using a lever system and a SI on different feet is interesting-- how long did you do that? And when you finally got used to both SIs did it have a permanent change on your riding style or did you return to similar form?

Just rode intecs for the first time. Same board, same cateks, same angles. Toesides felt much better ( my weaker turn) and my stronger heelside turn was a disaster. I felt quite uncomfortable most of the evening. In all the years of changing boots, bindings and boards I never remember feeling such a big change-- did not expect it... wonder if anyone has feedback. By the way, sole reason for the intec try was frustration with the catek olympic rear bail-- it does not fit the back of any boot I have put on it! Very sloppy laterally. The guys at Catec suggested some use the front SI bail as the REAR bail in a lever system. Now I am really confused...

After years of levers I am giving cables a try. I have had difficulty located info on the dos and don'ts of SI bindings. Such as: what kind of longevity do you get out of cables and do they need special care? What is the best way to thread the cable through the shell for access and comfort? Any thoughts appreciated. JT