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Wow, how did a thread on dampness get to kids :) ? As long as it went that way, Steve, there is one amazing intangible about kids that you can't put a price on - sharing your snow passion with them. This was my 5-year old boy's first year on the snow, and it is truly incredible sharing that with him, as most guys with kids can attest to! You can also earn "bonus points" with the wife, by "sacraficing" your weekend to take the little one to the slopes and maybe giving her a break. The other day, my little boy already asked, "Dad, when is it ski season again?" He's turning into a demented snow freak like his dad!

Jack, your answer either excited or perturbed me (just kidding, couldn't resist :) ) So...that means if a board is being toted as "damp", it is able to handle variations in terrain easier than a stiffer board?

Sorry to be asking such a simple question. I checked the FAQ site and elsewhere on BOL, but didn't find anything. I'm not exactly daydream carving like skategoat, but am looking at buying a new board. What does dampness mean when refering to the performance of a board on the snow?

O.K, I get the input. Stay away from that board. I'm just struggling looking for an "all purpose" board. I have a Donek Freecarve 171, which I LOVE. It actually works awesome on my home mountain at Silver Creek (Snowshoe, WV). But when I go out west, I love to hit the steeps and trees, and sometimes have a hard time getting the FC to respond quickly enough. I also have to work hard to keep the nose up in significant powder. I crave the big carves as opposed to short snappy turns (grew up in Florida surfing, and love to surf the mountain). I'm finding it hard to find one board that can "do it all". I usually end up bringing two board on my trips, my FC and something shorter, but would like to reduce that to one.

http://www.the-house.com/9866f2ro5zz-f2-roadster.html Is this a decent board? I can't get any info. on it. Does anyone know anything about it?

Anybody heard of this? I am doing my summer closeout snowboard searches, and ran across this term with some Atmoic snowboards. Their website doesn't really explain it well, and there isn't a link to ask them more about it. Here's where it's listed on their site: http://www.atomicsnowboarding.com/board_tech.php

If she can't love me that way I am, faults and all, even though snowboarding is an obsession for me, then she 'aint worth it. BTW, have you ever tried snuggling with your board on a cold winter's night? (just kidding)

Serious, you and I have some fairly identical "traits". I'm 6', 150, and Snowshoe is my home mountain. With that said, I bought a Donek Freecarve 171 last year. It has been somewhat of a challenge learning to ride it in the Mid Atlantic, what with the crowds we're used to. The board runs great in our "typical" snow, and slices through crud and ice. It took a little getting used to slaloming through the crowds. There is NO taper on the board, just a big old edge that grips into anything. In hindsight, I would have gone with a bit of a smaller board than a 171, because if I let it run on the edge (huge sidecut radius), I end up going off these skinny Mid Atlantic trails.

O.k., I'm not into competition much (my only competition on the mountain is myself), but I was absolutely amazed at how many hard booters were in Boarder Cross! Is this commonplace now? I can remember just a few years ago, there were no hardboot setups in the X games. The commentators did a fair job of talking about the differences between hard and soft setups. Way cool! Go hardbooters, whatever country you're from!

Allee, Snowshoe is in West Virginia, and it's my home mountain. I was up there last Thrusday carving with a guy I met through this forum, and besides us there were at least 4 other carvers. now THAT was kind of weird! A few of them were in softboots. On another note, I just got back from celebrating my 40th birthday with some buddies in your neck of the woods. We hit Lake Louise, and my new all time favorite mountain, Sunshine. Everyone in the Banff area, from bartenders to liftees were all so friendly and nice. What a wonderful area. For those who have never bveen to the area, I would highly recommend. The Canadian Rockies are absolutely awesome!

Kirk, thanks for the advice. Now if I can get past a week of bad weather (warm and rain), I'll try it out soon! Not that you guys in Utah know anything about bad weather this fall, huh? :)

O.k, yesterday and today were my first days on the mountain. I have a pair of hard boots that fit correctly, for the first time (had one size too big last year). I noticed on both days that I felt a lot of pressure on the shin of my rear foot when going toeside, just at the top of the boot. I thought that maybe my stance angles weren't steep enough. Does this make sense? Or perhaps my form just stinks right now and this is the boot's way of correcting me (I notice I tend to bend at the waist rather than at the knees)? Anyone got any thoughts or advice?

You missed a categroy in the survey. Those whose significant other does NOT snowboard, and they are happy with that. I echo jdgang's comments - it's nice to have that thing that is truly yours (unlike the house, the cars, the furniture, the KIDS!).

Trikerdad, I have some Burton raceplates, and the standard 3 degree lift plate that came with it ( I think my terminology is wrong, but forget what it's called). I tried putting it on that back foot and it seemed to do some good. Sean, I think this is what you were refering to, right? The funny thing is that I didn't have this problem last year, but I was also wearing a pair of boots that were too big. It's real hard, where I live, to get input from folks because NO shops here sell this stuff, and I can count the number of hardbooters near me on one hand. I may try decreasing my width between feet, as you suggested. Hope that both you guys were checking the Bomberonline before heading out for the evening, as you're both west coast. Pretty pitiful that I'm doing this on a Saturday, especially when I had a friend with an extra ticket to the USC (South Carloina) /UF game today! Should have gone!!!

I have just spent the last hour "carpet boarding" and trying to get my stance and angles right. Silly me, didn't write down what my angles were last year! Anyway, I'm a goofy, and when I "lean" into a turn, or bend my knees real good, I feel a lot of pressure on the inside of my rear boot, near the top (calf). I tried several different angle combinations, all unsuccessfully. Are my feet too far apart? ANYBODY, please help with suggestions!! :o

Where I live there really is only one mountain, Snowshoe. With the rising prices of tickets, especially at this Intrawest resort, it only makes sense to get a season pass. It pays for itself after only 7 ski days.

I think tunes would take away from the whole "natural" experience. Something about being outside on a snowy mountain, with all the wilderness around, and tunes doesn't mix for me. :) Don't mind if others do, as long as they can hear me coming.

I have been reading this thread with much concern. First and foremost I am worried about a fallen fellow carver, and of course about the companies that make the products we use. But now I am worried about my choice to go to a hardboot setup. Where I live is not known for its winter sports, so I have relied on the Bomber community for advice and pointers. I appreciate all the advice folks have given me. Last season I made the almighty transition to hard boots and a carving board. At the end of February, I was at my favorite local resort, and my back foot came out of its standard bail binding in the middle of a carve. I ended up stretching a tendon in my left ankle and was out of commission for about 5 weeks (and missed the best spring we had seen in years!). I know that it could have been much worse. Anyway, a friend I met through this forum helped me get my situation resolved, and I now just about need a jackhammer to get out of the bindings. But I do wonder about the overall equipment failure issue for this sector of the sport. I acknowledge that my injury was 99% my fault for not having the bindings tight enough. But prior to that, in 7 years of snowboarding I never had an equipment failure issue at all. Now,the benefits of the new setup for me are great - my carving has improved greatly and i have this sh@t-eating grin at the bottom of every run. But I could carve in my soft boot setup, and didn't have any equipment issues. How many folks out there have experienced equipment failures? Someone help renew my confidence in the hard boots! :rolleyes:

Got a pair of new Burton race plates off E-Bay last fall, but then got Catek's for my brthday. Rode the plates for 3 days in the spring at Vail. Getting pressure from the wife to consolidate equipment. Shoot me a note if you're interested.

I have a buddy that has been snowboarding with me for a few years, and he has now decided that he wants to be a carver! :lol: Up until now, he has "inherited" snowboards from firends who have bought new setups. He has made a bid on an Arbor snowboard (2005 AFrame 162). I am concerned that he may have purchased a board that's too narrow for him, as his shoe size is 10. The waist width is 24.9 cm. Not being an engineer or even good at math, I can't tell if that will work for him or not. His former stance has been 90 degrees (perp. to the board). Is his stance angle going to have to be too dramatic for him to use that board? P.S. I just noticed below my user name that I am a "Skidder". How many posts do I need to get rid of that...FAST?

Don't know much about either, just the fact that I can't find anyone to go with me. If you get a trip going, let me know: I'd be interested.

As Spring nears, and the temps prepare to "soar" above freezing, I am preparing for the inevitable slush fest. That usually means abandoning the less steep runs great for carving for steeper stuff. I usually feel like trying to carve in slush is a hopeless task. When do you guys call it quits on carving, and maybe just go back to "sliding" (dare I say that?!!) on the slush? Are there ways to still enjoy a carve in slush?

Scott, I kind of consider Silver Creek the "hidden jewel" of the Snowshoe resort. I have been a season pass holder since 1998, so it's pretty much my home base. If you have been to Snowshoe before, you know that it can get pretty nuts on the weekends. The main mountain and Western Territory can be a zoo. The vertical drop at Silver Creek is only about 740 feet as opposed to 880 at the main mountain, but I can't tell that difference. I ski almost exclusively at Silver Creek for a few reasons: Crowds are at least 1/5 the size; The runs are very wide with some consistent pitches; Easy and "cheap" access to food (the cafeteria in the lodge); Night skiing (day pass is good for night skiing too) on the good cruisers, just in case the day is a bit crowded; Northern facing slopes (as opposed to Snowshoe's east and west) always means better quality snow; Did I mention less people= more carving room? With all that said, some good runs include Timberjack (just keep your speed at the bottom to get to the lift), Cascade, Fox Chase and Slaymaker. All are wide with room to really lay down an edge. The run from the very top of the Flying Eagle lift back towards the lodge, Buck Saw goes past all of these runs, and you can just come off that trail to hit any of them for a longer run. In the early morning, you can usually catch one or two carvers out there. If you decide to go, and would like another rider, just drop me a line. :)

Nice resort, VERY slow chairlifts, short runs. They boast of a 600' drop, but that must be to the bottom of the parking lot. It's about 90 acres total. The "main" blue and black runs are less than 1/2 mile long. They all dump out into one run towards mid-mountain. Nice runs, but just very short. Of course, like all places around here, it will be busy this weekend, and night skiing might be less crowded. I learned how to ski and ride in the mountains of NC (used to live in Stanley for a few years). If I were in your shoes, I'd opt for Beech, Sugar or Hawksnest. I always loved the Hawk because it was the least crowded. :) You'll find more challenge in NC. Of course, with Snowshoe just up the road for me, I always recommend that, but it is 6 hours from you. Silver Creek has wide open runs that are rarely crowded and great for carving.

I realize that with the warm season throughout much of the US, this may not be feasible, but I am looking at planning a last hurrah road trip for the season in April. Where in the U.S. would be my best bet for good conditions early-to mid-April?