fluke

Axamer Lizum is the ski resort right around the corner from Innsbruck. If you don't have a car at your disposal, there is a free ski bus from the city. It's not a huge resort, but worth trying for a day. Check out the Olympic Run (3.1 km) - it's nice for some carves. (The XII. Olympic Winter Games were held in Innsbruck 1976). http://www.bergfex.com/axamer-lizum/ And yes: make sure you try those Germknödel that are served at most ski lodges. Delicious! Also try Käsespätzle/Kasspatzn (boiled small lumps of dough made from flour and eggs scalloped with cheese and onion). Enjoy your trip! fluke

I know it sounds silly, but since I'm playing with power kites my back pain has vanished. Flying those kites may look boring and somewhat foolish for an adult. But I can assure you it's a real workout--especially in moderate to stronger winds. And it's sooo much more fun than the gym. :) (No, it's not me.)Best, fluke

Sometimes you can spot them on eBay in Europe. See http://cgi.ebay.de/Fuzzy-Surfer-Snowsurfer-Snowboard-2-Paar-Skier_W0QQitemZ270083760016QQihZ017QQcategoryZ42822QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Please note the catalogue (attached). Sorry, it's all in German--but who needs explanations when the pictures say it all?

Hehe, yep. Krauts (like me) can be weird. We're not used to talk to strangers in lift lines and often enough don't even small talk while sharing a chairlift. The reason is, we have to concentrate on suppressing belches because of all the beer, kraut, and sausages we eat all day. ;)

Thanks for sharing that one. :) Most European resorts don't have enough snow yet. Bummer.

F2 sounds boring in German too. It's pronounced as "Eff-Tsvigh" or "Eff-Tsvoh". I guess the name is an acronym (sp?) of the company formerly known as "Fun & Function", but I can be wrong here. No, no connection to V2, ME 109 or any other weird WW II stuff.

It looks like another German snowboard manufacturer is also experimenting with bamboo boards: http://www.noname-snowboards.com/content/needle.htm Sorry, it's all in German. Basically it says the 'Needle' is in bamboo carbon composite construction (?) and custom made. Length: 151-180 cm eff. edge: 141-164 cm Nose: 19.2-19.9 cm Waist: 15-15.6 cm Tail: 20.5-21.8 cm For riders with 60-90 kg Price is on the heavy side though: 1,000-1,200 Euros. More info on the manufacturing process (again, all in German): http://www.noname-snowboards.com/content/konstruktion.htm fluke

car in the back. Must be the VW Golf built around '77-'80, right? Still in use? Definitely a softer set-up compared to the Golf GTI in these years. ;-)

You guys get really amusing comments. In Germany and Austria--and I guess in every european resort--you don't hear anything similar. I guess it's because a) hardboots, though scarcely spotted nowadays, are still more common here than in the US and Canada; b) of a cultural difference: usually strangers don't chat with each other in lift lines. It's not unusual to share a chair lift with somebody you don't know and not a single word is spoken.

Not sure I agree. As a German, driving on a German Autobahn, I often feel what people are lacking is exactly that nice and smooth style. As you may know we don't have a general speed limit. Guess what happens? You find yourself in your Volkswagen jammed between torpedoing Porsches and BMWs going 250 km/h on the left lane and the creeping trucks on the right. As a pedestrian I think that American drivers are much more amicable than the common European ones -- at least that's my experience from about 10 years ago in the New England states. Maybe that has been changed.

Isn't it ironic that this is actually a Burton t-shirt? Especially since it's from this years season as you stated in your auction, Skwalleur. Did we really look that way back in the early 80's? I refuse to believe that I was riding a cruize 165 in a blue jump suit and some Salomon ski boots. :D

Actually it's a skwal. Some info can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skwal

Flowriders sure are fun. But I hope to see this one installed in the near future: http://www.tube6.de/ The best thing about it is, that it can be ridden with <b>real</b> surfboards--no matter if longboard or 5'1 fish.

I own a pair of F2's Intec Challenge Comp from 2002. It's exactly the same model you are looking for, only graphics have been modified. I do have some other F2s as well. No probs so far, I think the Challenge Comp is a fairly reliable, not too stiff binding (I weigh 74 kg - ca. 165 lbs). The small cog wheels on the front bail need some attention, though. They tend to slacken after a couple of riding days, so check them every now and then. Angles I ride are 60f, 55r. With that setting the default canting of 5° they come with makes no sense. I rather have both bindings flat on the board so the spare parts the bindings came with to set both to 0° come in handy. Hope it helps. fluke

I use to have one of those on one of my boards. Been riding it for approx. 15 days in the last two years and it shows no signs of peeling off or getting torn. With all the t-bar lifts in Austria and Germany you definitely want a stomp pad. Because of aesthetical reasons I prefer the clear ones though.

As a non-native English speaker I was just wondering. Is it more like 'pineapple' or 'gasoline'? Will it affect my riding when I know? Hell, yeah, for I can concentrate on riding and don't have to mull over it. :-) Thanks fluke

Sure you need to cant? This is what the extremecarving guys suggest as setting: http://www.extremecarving.com/tech/set.html

Thanks for all the info, guys. Very helpful indeed. :-) Cheers. Fluke

O.K. so I got some intec heels finally along with an intec binding. After mounting the binding and heels, adjusiting size and fit and cklicked in, I noticed some space (about 2-3 mm) between the boots' heels and the plate. The boots don't seem to rest on the plate, but rather "hang" in ghe bindings. Well, not entirely, for there are some small parts sticking out of the heels where the boots have contact with the binding. Now, is that something to worry about? Apart from that small space under the heels everything looks okay. Thanks, Fluke

Fishrising, don't know about the Lizard, but I own another Heavy Tools board in that range: Prince Albert 172 cm length 18.4 waist 9 m sidecut It's austrian made, so I guess Heavy Tools was an austrian manufacturer (now out of business). I find it a decent board, sandwich construction, well built, and fun to ride. Fluke

I am the proud owner of a HeavyTools board, 172 cm long, 18.5 wide, radius around 10 m. Although it's a few years old and has seen better days, it's still a nice ride. Nomen est omen: the board is a bit on the heavy side, compared to my other board (Voelkl Renntiger), but a well-built sandwich construction with graphite base. As you said, it's Austrian made - but as far as I can tell, they're out of business today. If you can get yours for a good price, you won't be disappointed. Ride on! Fluke

With a starting price at 350 Euros and the given exchange rate, it might be out of scope. Nevertheless worth a look: http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=59757&item=4128920948&rd=1 Seller claims he only did a test ride once, so the board should be in excellent condition. Seller ships worldwide. And no, I don't receive a commission. :) Fluke ------ That's a nice one: Big pants, duck stance. No chance!!!

Just emailed the seller on ebay Germany. He said it's not a Conshox but just graphics. fluke

Well, this behaviour is not what I'd expect of a six year old. Don't know yet if it's regression or protest. ;) Yes, I think you have a point. I removed the bindings and saw some water dripping off the inserts. Thanks all for your comments. Fluke

Went for my final session this season yesterday. Snow in the Alps was slushy but still rideable. Took out my old 172cm Heavy Tools raceboard (Austrian manufacturer, which is out of business, I guess) -- maybe not a top of the art board, but still a lot of fun to ride. The board has seen better days, I must admit. The topsheet is kind of frayed on the edges, and it has some deeper scratches. Base and edges are still in good condition, though. Now, when I came home the board and bindings were dry and I leaned it against the door. This morning I found it standing in a small pool of water. Is it possible that the board soaked some of the wet snow? I didn't notice if it gained some weighed after the day was over. Has anyone experienced something similar? Is my board finished? Fluke