JJFluff

I ride in summit county a lot. From one vacationers point of view to another. I think you should spend one day in vail for sure. The mountain has everything and more to offer. 5000 skiable acres, and no other resort comes close. Plus with it being so large, there are less skiers per acre, more spread out, shorter lift lines. Which means you'll be riding more than standing. Breckenridge is a nice resort, but being so close to Denver, it is soooo busy. Especially being around the holidays. I was there over last New Years and will be again this New Years, and I will not make the mistake of riding at Breck again. I would probably think about riding the whole Keystone resort during the day, and then if you still want to ride at night, take a break and then just keep at it at night. I'm pretty sure the entire mountain is not lit. But there are four peaks to choose from during the day, and some great tree runs, that are incredible, called the "windows" I believe. Copper is probably a good choice as well because it is further from Denver. Although it is a bit smaller, relatively speaking of course. I would say to hit Vail last too, because for my money, it is the best. Especially the Bowls. Hope my advise helps a bit. And realize, even the busiest day at Breckenridge, beats the #$%$ out of the midwest, and I would bet the east coast as well. Happy riding. Jon

Jack, I'll bet it is a record, and I can just see the day I put new bindings on a board, having something break and blowing out a knee. The oldschool snowboard gods punishing me.

I way 180pds. And hey, I just turned 30, so junior sounds great to me. Thanks Jon

Inclination is king. I am still a little shaky with the whole meaning of the two terms, but if I have it right, I don't angulate at all. Going back to skategoats comments. I lean my body into every turn. Once you get comfortable selling out your entire body into a turn, you'll never angulate again. The only time I feel myself angulating is when I am uncomfortable with the conditions. As soon as that happens the board gets squirrelly, and I can feel the board trying to kick me out. My body when riding is very much like that of a speedskater. You can also watch a skier who knows how to carve. Granted they have a lifeline to grab on to, (outside ski), but when they are truly carving the edge, they have a very linear body position. they don't stick there but towards the ground, and they keep there shoulders near parallel to the effective edge. They're body is linearally positioned above the edge. Look at the pictures I attached, our body position is very closely related. I think snowboarding needs to look into what already works. Poeple have learned to ride like the people they see on tv, and people who supposely know what there doing. Those techniques just don't make sense to me. There is a reason why certain things work. I know most boarders are taught to keep there shoulders square and level in both turns. Personally I think they are wrong. Now, I'm not saying everyone needs to ride like me, I just think that people are missing out on feeling much more comfortable, as well as moving there riding to a new level. Maybe if we all rode through gates every run, angulation is the way to go, but as far as riding a mountain, inclination needs to be looked into more. The more body you keep directly above the board the better.

This is where I had my SES (Sunburst Expression Session) Unfortunately, I was the only one who could make it. 214 Ft. of vertical(more like horizontal). 35 skiable acres-100% open! I should have went to Aspen. Anyone else want to showcase there home, please do. -"hey, thats one of those boardercross boards."

I have been using the same burton variplate bindings for about 12 years now. I ride, on average about 50 times a year. So I have used my bindings 600 times, who knows how many runs. I did replace one bail in those 12 years. Those are some strong rubberbands.

I agree totally with ajcannon, The body has everything to do with the turn. Everything else is a reaction to where the body mass, or more importantly-center of gravity- is placed in the initiation of the turn. Everyone who believes that the shins begin a turn, have been misleaded from the beginning. Body acts like a lever in a turn. The longer the lever- the easier the turn. Thanks to gravity acting on us in a turn the correct postion of the body is always directly over the top of the board. Everything working together as one.

I live and die by boards that are under 170. The most important spec to look at from my 17 years of riding experience is board stiffness. As long as you have a good stiff board you can turn slalom turns into any radius turn you want. A soft board can't handle the pressure. ON the other hand when you go out and get a long board its much harder to pull the board through to make tight turns when needed. So a shorter board, once ridden correctly is much more versatile.

I started out on a Burton M6 fifteen years ago. Since I've owned two different PJ's. I rode those boards until about three years ago. The only reason I switched was out of curiosity at first, and the only thing that makes a real difference in riding between the two are the PJ's are to soft. Now I ride a burton FP. Last year I was at the SES, and tried other boards as well. I think people put way to much emphasis on the board on there feet. If you're riding with proper form the board becomes so secondary, you forget it's there.

photos look great, wish I was there with everyone. At least it helps to get me back out on the slopes here in Wisconsin. Winter finally returned here as well. Next year I'll be back at the SES, that is for sure.

Turning Rotate the upper body into a turn, creating pressure down through your waist,through the lead leg, onto effective edge. Close your upperbody to initiate toeside turns Open your upperbody to initiate heelside turns Athletic stance, slight bend in the knees. Keep body linerally aligned, body weight centered over snowboard Compress into the turn, pressure forward. Drive your momentum in the direction the board is traveling, not downhill. Look in the direction the board is traveling, not downhill. Decompress out of the turn. That's my take. Jon

I really want to get out sometime and check that out. What are the entry fees like? Are helmets required?

Hi John, not sure where you could get your boots fitted, but I was wondering if you do the race circuit thats out at Tyrol. I haven't raced for a long time, and it was a short career when I did race. I was just wondering how the participation in the races are. How many racers? Just general info. I've been seriously considering heading out for a race, but I just need a good kick in the butt to do so. I ride at Sunburst, I may have met you there but I don't remember. It would be great to head out to Tyrol sometime too, I never have ridden there. Jon

What I've been trying to describe, I tried to show in the attachment. If you focus more on using your body to initiate a turn. Your entire body mass is used to make the turn. If you start with your shins, the weight isn't directly on top of the board. Stand up and try to pressure an imaginary edge with your shins, you start to to do a little hip/wiggle dance.Your knees head right, while your hips head left, and vice/versa. You want your entire body to move together from left to right, leaning out over the edge. If you do it right standing in your living room, you fall over. Do it with gravity working with against you, the forces are equalized, and you make a nice easy carve. Your shins are just along for the ride. Heelside turn demo.pdf

I believe that the upper body is the cause, while everything below the waste is the effect. Meaning basically the complete opposite happens. The last thing effecting a turn is the ankles, then shins, and you can work your way upward. When riding, a turn is initiated by rotating your upper body into a turn, which applies pressure, in one direction or another, into your waist, which transfers down through your legs and onto the effected edge. The pressure being applied initially at the instep of your front foot on a toeside, or on the outside of the foot on the heelside edge. Ideally, doing all of this while keeping your body alligned linerally, while driving your body's momentum with the radius of the turn, driving your back knee, always forward, meaning in the direction your traveling, loading the effective edge with your entire body working as one. You compress your energy down and with the start of the turn, and release it in the direction your traveling. The amount you "drive", or pressure through a turn, can alter the radius of each turn. You'll find if you keep your upper body heading in the direction you ultimately want the board to go, you can hold a turn much easier. As long as your body is positioned correctly your board will follow. If your body's momentum is headed downhill while your board is trying to go across the hill, that's when the chatter happens. Now, instead move your momentum into and with the turn, and your feet and board will follow. By running lower angles with your binding, it makes it much harder to keep your body alligned and driving forward with the turn, on the other extreme, with your angles at 90 degrees, you become unstable. You basically turn your alpine board into a balance beam. Why do that?

I was actually just joking about looking for a lodging handout for cheese, but I really didn't realize how devoted people are with cheese. Interesting. I guess I'll have to bring a bag of cheese for everybody. I'll stick it in the demo tent. Seeing that the equiptment I ride is probably more aged that the cheese I'd bring, everyone would probably prefer the cheese. I'll be sure to label the bag with all the "specs" too. Lets keep the first "cheese" thread on bomber alive!

I was put into the hospital by a skier about 8 years ago. She was half my size but hit me from behind, caught my front edge. I cracked my jaw in half between my two front teeth, and bit a hole through my upper lip. I was downhill from her, the only way she could have caught up to me is if i was traversing across the hill at the time. I don't remember what happened, but it was probably both of our faults. I was in control, but she was inexperienced and it's impossible to know which way a boarder will go next. Now I'm so paranoid I never ride anywhere near another skier,boarder on a hill, and I always try to be uphill from anyone, because I know I can react quick enough to stay out of trouble. Other than that, I get nothing but possitive comments from people. I've noticed most advanced skiers i talk to always say if they would snowboard, they would love to try an alpine board. Others say its great to watch me ride, and just alot of possitive interest in the board and what you can do on them. It's funny how many freestylers think it would be so boring to just go straight down the hill everytime. If they only new what it felt like to actually make a turn on a board, compared to pivoting on their front foot. The worst thing here in wisconsin is that the snowboarders in the ski school where I ride, should be the students and not the instructors.

I live about 40 miles from Oshkosh.

I am willing to trade real wisconsin cheese and a yellow packers stocking cap for some free lodging for this years SES. You can even use my variplate bindings for a day. It is the giving season after all. First come, first serve so don't hesitate.

I to think mortal combat is a good game, but I think donkey kong is the best game ever.

Scott, I have been riding alpine boards since the pj era on. I still have a pj, as well as an symetrical board. It is no different then switching from a symetrical board to another symetrical board. At first it will ride slightly different. But, it can still be ridden effectively. I could take my pj out tomorrow and an hour later be turning just as comfortly on the pj as on a symetrical board. I think that the rider is more critical than the board. i.e. the board doesnt suck, the rider might, but the board doesn't. My advise, find a setup thats comfortable, and then do what I did set your binding to something-something degrees, practice, practice, practice. Make any adjustments, and practice some more. Head out to Aspen for the SES and Fin will be able to tell you what your binding angles are. Because your bindings might be like mine, to worn to see the marks. -milwaukee jon- :D

Just wanted to post a note to thank everyone for making the SES the best trip I've had in six tries to Colorado. The snow was great, the hosts were great, and the celebrity hut tub at the St. Moritz was hot! A special thanks to Greg, Ian, Bill, Rich, Peter, Mike, Yuli, and Dan for helping to make the Moritz feel just like home. Not to mention "Chicago" for snoring and keeping me up all night. I wonder how he did in the Inferno? Anyways, thanks to Fin and Michelle, even though I didn't demo that much, I apreciate the work you put in, and I'm really going to try to let the variplates go this next year. And seeing that Mike won all the prizes I guess I'll just have to buy a set instead. See you next year. -milwaukee jon-

Wisconsin went from the nicest snow I've seen in the area in years, to lightning and thunder as we speak. Then, in two days, the high temperture is 8. So if anyone has a board out there that is about 280cm long, I'm going to need it. At the same time though, the only thing good about the rain is it reminds me that it's like Warren Miller sais, "If I don't move to Colorado this year, I'll be one year older when I do." Anyways just wanted to add to the weather reports, gotta go find my ice skates.... see ya Jon

I was afraid of this, I'm sorry, my subject is a movie quote from "Dumb and Dumber", Lloyd wants to move to Aspen, Harry say's "Aspen, I don't know Harry I heard the frence are......" Just a joke, no harm meant. It's funny in the movie, because Harry is so stupid he think Aspen is in France, anyways, let it snow Jon

I'm all set for Aspen, so count in another. I'm flying right into Aspen, probably just staying at the St. Moritz hostile and ruffing it a little. I'm coming out by myself, so I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and having an incredible time out in the mountains. I've had just about enough of this midwest weather, but hey, 5-8 inches possible tomorrow! To bad it's Wisconsin's first snow storm of the year! And when you guys are bumming because it hasn't snowed for a week, just think about us midwesterners riding on what feels like a snow cone. You can't beat granulated ice pellets, the edges just sink right in. Anyways, enough complaining, see everyone in Februrary. Jon