Chris Karol

Thanks Brian, Nice needlepoint or whatever that is of the Tom Hseih photo if I'm not mistaken that you have posted on your website. Where did you pull that up from? Great idea Nuejam.. I know a couple people who would probably love to add that into their mix

yeah Willy, I've got buttons too, I'll bring a stickers and buttons.

looks like open invite to me, but you might want to call and confirm. contact Whaleback 603-448-1489 for further information or contact Dominator CEO Tom Reinerth directly at 801-791-7016 I doubt they'd turn anybody away unless you're underage and trying to scam beer at the bar. Doesn't sound like that'll be a problem though Grey. .. of course if you're to old and drink to much there's a bar so you should be covered either way! There's room for everybody at the Whale!

that's definately the place to be at the start of a race! I moved back to Chelsea last May. Can't wait to tear up some ice although my flag 168 got pummelled last season in Aspen. Box to rocks, first day of the season at Snowmass, It was a freestyle board so I rode it like that the rest of the season. now Dave at Black Dog Sports at the base of Killington is trying to save it for me. Hopefully I'll get to shred some pow on it again! I Just posted about my camp on that video thread that should probably be moved to the race/coach discussions. I'll be back in Aspen for my clinic and for SES. I can't bring DD... sorry michelle, here's a pic to make up for it.. think of skunks when you look at this... ..maybe I'll bring some ice to SES.. ..not like Aspen needs any of that right? But I look forward to going back for a couple weeks though because you know it rocks.

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see you there! I need to get some stuff for my edges again.

Thanks! some of those are mine and some aren't. The butcher maybe? I've got a follow cam of him but I wasn't close enough. Backlit shadows runs work out pretty well where you can see your shadow ahead of you,. although you better watch where you're going if you're going to chase your shadow down the hill. Backwards mounted chase angles work but the rider in back has to keep up. have you done that run?

up D? .... up upup. I think the video gives you a sense of tempo if nothing else. For those who may have taken that line off of Racers Edge on Buttermilk, it's Parkway to Javelin from the top of the tiehack lift. The video starts with fumbling around at the top, into a nice little ski school bottleneck on the catwalk into a full speed gs ride. The drop to the right off the catwalk would be a severe pain in the butt to say the least. Not a good option which is why I went to the left around the sketchy skiers. Then I barely had enough speed to get around that guy without bailing off to the other drop which was an acceptable option if the skier had come any closer into my line. It was a low speed wax race! No harm no foul as it were but I thought it was a funny moment given all the considerations packed into a slow speed, totally unpredictable moment involving novice skiers. Would've been better footage if I'd bailed off to the left no doubt. I'll try that line next time I'm there! The right side's pretty much unclaimed but you probably wouldn't want it For now, this is one of my favorite lines down tiehack at Buttermilk. You say you've never been eh? You should go to SES My apologies for the production quality to those who may wish to check it out. I'd recommend putting it to AC/DC - Back in Black as loud as you can to offset the dizzyness. D Sub u ain't lying. Try watching it standing up and turn the tv upside down... that always helps too!

Jonesing for a rip down tiehack? Try this... it's a top to bottom run - POV angle. I haven't gotten around to putting sound to this so you'll want to turn your volume down.. http://youtube.com/watch?v=6vuIkJrDZck

FYI Whaleback Mountain and the Upper Valley Ski & Snowboard Association will be hosting a Wax Clinic by Dominator Wax on Sunday October 28th at 7 PM in the Whaleback Lodge. Dr. Thanos Karydas, chemist and mastermind behind the DOMINATOR Wax Company, and Tom Reinerth US Distributor and Serviceman will hold a seminar focused on the latest advances in Ski and Snowboard wax technology. DOMINATOR Waxes will be featured, however wax theory and application methods will help everyone to better understand, and better use, waxes from any wax company. Learn about simple systems like the New MOMENTIUM no-iron Competition Waxes or the brain dead simplicity of the RaceZoom/Bullet System; and learn why, if you mix your own formulas, antistatic additives have become a more and more important component in the reduction of friction between the snow and the ski or snowboard base. At times, even more important than the fluoro additives. The Whaleback Pub will open at 6 PM that evening with pizza and snacks available for the event. Please feel free to forward this information to other members of your associations who might be interested in attending and contact Whaleback 603-448-1489 for further information or contact Dominator CEO Tom Reinerth directly at 801-791-7016. Thank you Ken Benner Upper Valley Ski & Snowboard Association

I wanted to pass this on for anyone in the area who can attend. I highly recommend for anyone interested in knowing what the state of the art is in making your board haul ass with a minimum amount of hassle. IMO Dominator Tech = maximum speed/minimal hassle. Having known Thanos from travelling the World Cup circuit, I can say first-hand that he's a straight shooter who knows what he's talking about and won't bore you with useless information. I'll be there and hope some of you can make it. -C Karol Whaleback Mountain and the Upper Valley Ski & Snowboard Association will be hosting a Wax Clinic by Dominator Wax on Sunday October 28th at 7 PM in the Whaleback Lodge. Dr. Thanos Karydas, chemist and mastermind behind the DOMINATOR Wax Company, and Tom Reinerth US Distributor and Serviceman will hold a seminar focused on the latest advances in Ski and Snowboard wax technology. DOMINATOR Waxes will be featured, however wax theory and application methods will help everyone to better understand, and better use, waxes from any wax company. Learn about simple systems like the New MOMENTIUM no-iron Competition Waxes or the brain dead simplicity of the RaceZoom/Bullet System; and learn why, if you mix your own formulas, antistatic additives have become a more and more important component in the reduction of friction between the snow and the ski or snowboard base. At times, even more important than the fluoro additives. The Whaleback Pub will open at 6 PM that evening with pizza and snacks available for the event. Please feel free to forward this information to other members of your associations who might be interested in attending and contact Whaleback 603-448-1489 for further information or contact Dominator CEO Tom Reinerth directly at 801-791-7016. Thank you Ken Benner Upper Valley Ski & Snowboard Association

I hear ya' - Quayle must just be ballast but he's such a lightweight he's not even worth chucking. Instead they had to toss some heavy's along the way. Sad part is jr makes quayle look smart. I think quayle made 'em realize the beauty of having morons in the whitehouse to distract people.

I actually read that back when it seemed like fanatical jibberish...(ie; pre jr) and of course could't help but be alarmed by the pearl harbor reference.. then 9/11? and Rummy? Go figure?

that's sketchy eh?

.. uh what happened? So much for inciting a riot!! Should I get personal? I don't really know you guys so excuse me for barging on your thread Willy. .. But Gleb, whoever you are, I also think that you are right on for expressing your view as you see it. While I PERSONALLY have a different point of view, I will say this.... The worst thing about liberals is that people tend to assume that everyone "else" feels the same way "they" do about things and that if others don't think the same way that they're evil or something. (that was pointed out to me by a good friend who actually voted for Bush.... TWICE) I can't fathom why but he's still a good friend of mine and I respect and value his perspective, including the fact that he helps me keep my perspective open. Frankly I think W and his ilk are the worst thing that ever happened to our country and the planet at large but I could be wrong. Who's the judge? IMO lots of the conspiracy stuff is true, yet deconstructing civilization to rid the powers that be of their control would probably be messy to say the least if not impossible at this point, so who's to really say what's best for the planet or society at large? And how do we move forward so people can stand up and speak without fear of being tased or shot? (Fear of ridicule works sometimes too) I think the best we can do is have respect for our neighbors and others points of views, be strong in our hearts and minds, stay honest to ourselves and others, buy local, share some love every day... keep talking and try to have as much fun as possible!! Aside from that... I didn't mean to shut down a good mudslinging.. what up? Nobody even took the bait on my euroslam? (I was just trying to poke fun at the EC thing since it's such an easy target)

"faith is just the refusal of logic" great quote from the Peter what's his name interview (thanks willywhit) I suppose that explains why faith can overcome anything. I've had amazing moments shredding that shouldv'e done me in, yet somehow maintained faith and survived. good stuff really Zeitgeist presents a point of view that is unpopular and controversial. Whether you believe it or not is a very personal issue. I applaud JD simply for encouraging people to stay informed and seek other points of view. Swatting the nest is always fun too!! (even if you get stung now and then) As for "tase me" dude. He got his 15seconds but I think he overdid it a little bit and kinda blew it. I believe his mission was probably to present unpopular opinions and controversal questions in a public forum to open peoples mind up to different points of view. In the end he just provided a forum for the police to scare the crap out of people and make them sit down and shut up... in fact maybe he was planted there by "the powers that be" just for that purpose? Consider who benefits from the end result.... Smoke and mirrors aside, I'm suprised nobody commented on the project for a new american century. That is as real as it gets and our current administration has followed it almost to the letter. Oh yeah, Dsub should get a medal for being a sh*****t stirrer.... Rock on dude!!

"they win by hiding everything in plain sight." Jon Dahl might be referring to this.... http://www.newamericancentury.org/ something I think every American should know about but has anyone here ever heard of it? Most Euro's know about it even if they don't know how to carve standing up :lol: (had to make a snowboard reference to be politically correct after all) ... and if you think thats funny, you should watch this. BE WARNED !!it's gnarly, has graphic violence/bloodshed and will either change the way you look at the world, confirm what you've suspected all along, make you puke in disgust or perhaps all of the above!! Then again for some it will simply come across unbelievable bs but perhaps interesting. http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ it's also on google video.. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331&q=Zeitgeist&total=1538&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0 If you ask me Mr. Dahl gets a medal!

Bryan do you have the model I'm talking about? It's got the same topsheet as the one you are showing but the "v" tail I described.

you might want to sit down for that. I left Burton right when they got corporate. It all stunk like the corporate funk, so I told Paul Alden to give my contract to someone else and went to ride for Funky. That was the beginning of my education. Being from the "old-school" the bastardization of the sport never sat well with me, hence my lurking around interesting threads like this one. , which started as an amusing rant if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, I ended up buying my own boards for a while just so I wouldn't have to put up with the BS but that had some obvious problems when it came to riding for a living. So I puckerd up and sold myself...It's always been about the people for me, and not the "brand". Mike Olson and Pete Saari were by far the most interesting and fun to work with. Tom Sims was an early idol of mine from skateboarding so I was stoked when he made me a custom 1810 hammerhead which I still have. Funky was interesting and way more influential than you'd ever know. Rossi gave me a couple good boards over the years. Now I ride Madd's, my 24/7, and an old Ian Price Burton sled if I'm not on the Rome 168 pow board that my old board designer at Burton gave me. (he doesn't work for burton anymore) But back to the original point of this thread... You guys are the last bastion of "core" in the sport. You do it because its FUN, not because everyone else is doing it. .. and that's cool!

Jack I can fill you in on that funky there. The tail is flat as you say but it's got the "V" tail kinda like the old burton cruiser (spelled the old way). The thing that made it extra "funky" was the "v" tail actually flattened out just on the last inch inch along the edge. It was a sketchy ride. Stevie D from Flight actually had a similar shape except Stevies worked a little better than the Funky

..you guys are cracking me up .... I had to laugh at the "skidder" title 'cause Eric Rey (french racer who was really good) called me "ze fastest skidder in 'ze vorld" once after I beat him on a training run.... that takes more talent than you might think, let me tell you. Skidding (I call 'em smear turns) can be faster on certain turns than carving, but I gotta say carving is way more fun! So .... Willywhit.. I do vaguely recall that time in Lions head. Unfortunately I have no recollection of the flight attendants.

I plan to do this camp again next year as well. It took a while to get everything set-up with Aspen this season. Now that things are set up, I'll get the word out right away once next years dates are set so you'll have some time to plan for it.

Hey Gang, Just wanted to check in and let people know about the carving camp I'm offering through the Aspen Ski & Snowboard Schools coming Feb. 9, 10 & 11. The camp is not for beginners but I'd say level 5 and up. Rippers are welcome but I'm also hoping to find some folks who've been at it for a while and still need some help... theres nothing like seeing people figuire it out! Camp information is posted on the Aspen/Snowmass website at; www.aspensnowmass.com/schools/adult/specialty.cfm?id=229 That's posted under - ski school/adult/specialty programs/carve aspen (in case link doesn't work) The first day is dedicated to getting equipment dailed in... Then we go out and ride, learn and have a blast all day Saturday and Sunday. Please check the Aspen web-site if you are interested in attending. General information is up there including my contact info. Thanks for checking it out and I wish you all a happy new year filled with many good turns! Chris Karol

..thanks Bryan, I hope so. I appreciate your interest and support. tcross, I used to ride an old pair of Reactors with Burton race plates. I ran the bindings flat (no canting) and insisted that I like the softer boot. I tried Cateks back then and found them to be too stiff. So I went from one of the sloppiest interfaces to what looks like one of the stiffest,,,but again the boots have been worked on quite a bit both on the shell and with my foot positioning inside the boot. Bottom line - I don't think I could get away with the new set-up if I didn't have the boots dailed in and my canting angles on the binding just right. So,,How's the ride? Sweet! I loved this set-up from the get go. Even if they did put me on my head the first day I rode 'em! Power transfer is a lot quicker than anything I've ever ridden. I widened my stance when I switched from the flat Burton plates to the canted Cateks. That gave me more stability and increased my overall range of motion. ...random issues include; Boot sole length..I still ski in these so I could only remove a limited amount of material from the sole to keep my angle reasonable without to much boot drag. I'm probably running a few degrees more angle to accomodate the ski boot sole but I think it's worth it. I did grind my right toes and left heels (regular foot) a little bit so I could get my feet more over my edges. Rear boot torque..the rear boot gets flexed a lot more than the front. It's worth monitoring pinch points on the boot and cutting or drilling any sticky spots out before the plastic starts to tear or crimp. To sum it up; the convenience is nice but the ride is even better!

This season I'll be doing internal boot work both in the shop and on mountain. It only takes about 15 minutes in one of the mountain top restaurant locations to get your foot position set up. Then you're out the door and riding so you can experience the difference right away. Mountain top service is more of a quick fix though because there's always more work to done. What usually happens is you get your foot in the right spot inside the boot and can feel where the boot is holding you back so, you go back to the sole/shell/cuff structure and modify as needed. Sometimes you'll need to go back and reposition the foot after modifing the boot structure. It's a process for sure. Each year we have to learn all the new boots. For boot grinding and other major surgery, I'll still be at Kaelins and possibly splitting time with two other shop locations in the Aspen area. We're just discussing that this week so I'll let ya'll know what's up as the season nears. This will be my first season offering this for snowboarding. I've got some canting solutions for bindings too, both hard and soft. Looking forward riding with you again this year!