alpinegirl

bump!

so..... the person i was kidnapping to take with me to this event had to decline the invite. which in turn leaves me in need of finding someone to room with. i recall vaguely that steph was going to send out an e-mail to all the ladies so we could figure things out among us. but as time passes i am kinda getting a bit antsy and would really like to find someone to room with. and hey, allee. i sent another e-mail that should arrive by next december or something. but i was wondering if you were planning to ride sunday morning. i'm up for it. and i would like to know so i can e-mail steph with the right number of days. just getting a bit paranoid about planning.....

bump.......

hey allee, did you get my e-mail?? and yeah, those times should work out just fine. it's what i'm planning on right now anyway. steph, do you have that much control over the weather??

wooo-hoo!! finally got out on snow this weekend. decent conditions. limited trails and seemingly non-existant grooming. wait, that was due to high traffic. but yeah, right now i am so pumped for stratton in january. my body aches and quite frankly, it hurts to sit down, my shins are bruised (the difference between beat to death reactors and brand new boots with thermoflex liners)..... in all honesty though, who has the stamina to ride hard 3 days in a row. i know that i don't. well, at least not right now. but i am kinda curious as to how some of you folks approach these packed weekends, cause i'm beat. and who is getting pumped just looking at the forecast?

i share today because i had a little boy make my day. i was in staff training all weekend so this truly was a highlight. i was waiting for a clearing in traffic (and waiting for my co-workers to head out) when a little boy stopped after getting off the lift to strap in. he just sort of said "hey, cool, too bad people don't make those boards anymore." of course this got a response out of me, talking about how there are smaller companies out there right now that are making them and that alpine was alive and well. to this (again, he made my day) he responded with something like, "cool, i can't wait to learn how to ride one of those, and get my own." he he he, i so wish i could have like, adopted him right there on the spot and taken him "underwing," further steering him in the direction of riding alpine. or anything to at least have the opportunity to inform him (and his parent's) of the possibilities that are out there and how their son could go about exploring this if he seriously wanted to. and of course suggest that they request me for lessons (so i could continue to work there). i love this sport.....

andrea and allee, you will not be stranded in NY. at this point in time i figure that i am probably borrowing a van for this trip (i'm a bit of a gear hog and tend to drag everything short of the kitchen sink with me wherever i go. and yeah, i'll have a cd player that way). so right now, since there have only been 2 folks who have mentionned flying in thus far on the thread, you both are guaranteed a lift from the airport, regardless of if i pick you up or not. only word of warning is that i'm a music geek and tend to be very controlling of the radio, and i'll have my entire collection of indigo girls with me, perhaps with the exception of the power of two single that has a cover of rockin in the free world on the b-side with k's choice. bring music!!!! oh yeah, i'm also very sarcastic, but i will do my best to avoid compromising this situation by being a dope. e-mail me for concrete stuff. goonie9742@aol.com

you can order burton gear at www.klugriding.com the alps are all under $200 (which is always peachy). they do tend to run on the wide side, but depending on what you decide on, you still have some good options there. also, all the fp's come with a soft flex which someone on this site stated means that they are 10% softer than the normal fp's. whatever that translates into is beyond me. oh, and all the gear still comes with burton's standard 1 year warranty. fyi, i'll have an alp 5.7 with me at WES. it has a 20cm waist. depending on the point you have reached in your quest for gear, you can definitely check it out if you would like.

neil, for me a 20cm wide board allows me to get my angles down to 45*, and amazingly enough that is a point where i start to feel uncomfortable. my real point is that if she has a smaller foot than a 25, then maybe she would want to avoid that wide of a board (21.5). otherwise she could be riding at angles of 35 and 30. all i am asking is to consider her FOOT SIZE. oh, and "versatile" to me doesn't mean just being comfortable in soft snow either. please keep in mind that we don't all ride in areas that boast great snow conditions. of all things, maybe a burton alp is most suitable for her riding needs.

guys, why is it that width is what seems to be the predominant indication of versatility?? i am just curious because i know i can manage my way through "real snow" (i come from a land of fake snow, so a foot of fluffy stuff is a big deal) on a super short, 18cm waist board, switch. aside from the general concern than women in general need softer flexing boards (i am personally unfamiliar with this concept since i enjoy eating), is it quite possible that they also need a proportionally narrower board as well?? granted this comes down to boot size and riding style (preferred angles, blah blah blah), but i find the mere suggestion of a board with a waist width greater than 20cm to be a bit of an oversight. i suspect that her current binding angles are just fine for riding in most conditions. and i also suspect that a wider, softer flexing board may still feel a bit more cumbersome than a longer, narrower board. kathy, you can also come out to WES (check out the "all the ladies in the house" thread) at stratton in january (6-8) to join a group of women for fun, bonding and boarding. check out some gear there and demo some, talk to folks and see what's out there. it would offer a change from speaking of things in theory. and yeah guys, i tend to come across rather nasty on a lot of my posts. it's really just my thinking out loud in posing the reasoning behind my question. i can just be direct or something. i'm also usually sarcastic. i dunno, this drove my english prof's nuts in college because i would express something and it would seem very combative and focused whereas i knew to myself that i was only tossing out an idea that i felt was worth considering, never an answer. i ask because i want to learn more and i know that you guys have shared what you believe to be best, and i would like to know your reasoning why.

wow, it sounds like people are starting to compete for the title of "worst female carver" at this event. that's up there with the "turtle club" from my high school cross country team. needless to say, i was the president.

oh, i didn't take offense to anything. the real, valid point that you made (which was later supported by steph) was that we are all gathering to simply have fun, maybe learn something and meet new people. that's why i'm planning to go. i enjoy learning and as for stratton being larger than my usual hill. if stratton's vertical rise is truly 2000', then that means it's just about twice the vert of where i normally ride. still babbling..... i have finals this week, what do you suppose i'd rather be doing? the name of this event? i think steph casually mentionned it possibly being WES (women's expression session) which is way cool. but my dopey bored side wants to propose EWES (eastern womens expression session) just because i'm a dork.

embarassment... i have been on plates off and on since '98 and am honestly more comfortable in hard boots riding through anything (with the exception of super long boards in sketchy conditions), any way, than in softies. it's just that i realize that i am not riding at that high of a level yet even though i have innundated my brain with this stuff ever since i fell in love with snowboarding (i think i was 8 when that happened). i don't know if it's a matter of focus and the time that ends up being invested in teaching beginner lessons and side slipping marathons. i realize that i didn't ride as much as i should have last year. honestly, i spent at least half of the time that i was at the mountain in lessons. that's why i am especially good at flat spins and skidded turns. unfortunately few people give a darn about carving where i work (i was extremely fortunate to have been encouraged to try carving years ago), and most assume that it's easy, hence only one hour out of over 200 hours taught last year was an alpine specific/carve related lesson. so i am being presented with the freedom to go ride some and i am starting to fear what will happen. i don't know how well my body will hold up (i'm a former shot putter short and stout, here is my handle...). i don't know at what point i will feel like a beginner again. it isn't as though i fear falling. i do it all the time when i work with kids.... to actually carve freely, this will be a most interesting new experience.

hey andrea, what is your actual travel related situation?? lack of a vehicle, sick sled dogs, blah blah blah.... if you just happened to miraculously secure a cheap flight to albany i could probably pick you up since i absolutely must drive through albany on the way to stratton anyway. besides, i want to see how much gear can fit in the back of my car (and people) so that i can eventually justify buying a "coffin." and hey, what's the scope of skill levels that we'll have riding? for instance, i know i will be embarassed and have my butt kicked since i am not accustomed to ever being able to really open up and fly down the mountain (but golly geez, i am the grand master of teaching skidded turns on this thing while relying on torsional flex to initiate them. that's also why i keep a super short slalom board around). i anticipate having a reality check this weekend, and should know where i'm at on monday (and then there's the reality of stratton being a lot larger than anything i've ever ridden so i anticipate dying). but amidst great anticipation is this anxiety. something like a fear that i will somehow be exposed as a fraud of an alpine boarder and need to hang up my boots. also, thanks for the suggestions for places to stay. as soon as i talk to my boss about this i'll have a better idea of what days i'll be joining you all.

any recommendations for inexpensive places to stay in the area?? i'm only looking for a step up from sleeping in the back of my car, but i am totally unfamiliar with the area so any suggestions are appreciated.

so in conclusion i have accidently learned far more about burton cants than i had ever imagined possible. thanks guys!!! i like to be as well informed as possible about this gear since i wish to be as helpful as possible when people ask me questions about all this stuff. i suppose they want more information than "hardbooting rocks!" (now to one day get a pair of TD 2's to match my dream board from coiler as i move to a larger mountain) ps, the correct expression to use when asking about the location of pumpkin hook is simply "wherethehellis." it's in western NY and appropriately farm country. there's even a story.

what's your boot size??

can you redescribe the cant plate?? the universal cant that i used to use had two pieces of plastic and one metal thingy. used to be that you attached the metal thingy to the board, then you plunked the bottom piece of the cant on that. the metal thingy (remember, i only use technical language) had 4 arms that lined up with ridges on the bottom piece however i deemed it suitable. then the top piece was placed on that in a "locked" position (the two plastic pieces had teeth) that achieved the desired degree of canting. the binding was then mounted to the metal thingy (the top of which rotated freely. mine started rotating a little too freely and was thus rendered useless), tightly sandwiching the whole thing together on top of the board. also, the metal thingy had about 20 different holes in it which helped to make it universal (as in work with both 4 hole adn 3 hole patterns). good luck. i wish i could pretend to have any useful knowledge. but in the one in a billionth chance that i have the same canting system as you, maybe your fears will have been lessened by now. just be sure to screw everything in tight. i suspect that you're gonna be alright. oh, and if you do have the metal thing, there is probably a tab on the top part of it. make sure that's in an appropriate hole (a notch towards the nose of the board on the bottom piece) before you put your binding on. otherwise it won't serve it's purpose.

so yeah, you do have smallish feet. if you are looking for pink, get a rossi race VAS with the pink base. granted, they have microcell foam cores and a lot of folks think that's garbage, but it can still provide a sweet ride for a good time. granted this opinion is based on my 150 lb butt riding the snot out of a 146 board for many years. mr E has a 166 for sale for 150. i figure a board that length would be about as long as you are tall. i don't know offhand what the waist width of it would be, but it should be relatively narrow (mine's 18cm). possibly worth looking at. these boards "ride long" for their length. and if you enjoy stripes, by all means get a renntiger. something a little over 160 probably is alright. and hey, check out the gear reviews and see what folks are saying. another question is what your riding style is. how do you race? sorry, i'm obviously pushing for a narrow board for you. i just think that there's a point where a board gets too fat when you try to set your binding angles by lining your toes and heels up with the edges. and since you have small feet, well, you don't need a fat board to ride at low angles. what angles do you currently ride at??

what events do you race? what boot size do you wear? what's your price range? my suspician is that you need a narrower board (as in under 20cm) and depending on what you race and what the conditions are typically (and how much you go out and play) a board somewhere around 155-165 would be peachy. maybe a used volkl renntiger would rock. some peeps find the nose to be too soft, but i dunno. i haven't had a chance to ride mine yet. also, i think burton's factory primes are pretty decent (i have only ever ridden a friends for a bit, but it was a great deal of fun and a huge step up from my alp) although often stiff. you can always check out www.klugriding.com to find new burton gear. for instance, you can grab a 164 fp with a 19cm waist and "soft flex" for $160. prior's selection of demo boards is pretty interesting. they often have boards that have never been ridden on there (or have a day) so that could be a good place to check out as well. maybe you can score one with a flower topsheet and save yourself $200. so hey, look around and good luck. and hey, remember to use your friends wisely. as in, if you have computer savvy or graphic design majors who like doing goofy things, maybe you can have someone make stickers for you to elevate your board's cute status.

hey, this post has dropped to the 3rd page. what gives?? are you all just accepting riding at stratton and having a bonfire at cheri's?? which i don't mind at all. let's talk dates a bit more. chuck out all concerns and see what happens or something. sorry, still no snow and i am avoiding some work that i really should be attempting to care about...

hey guys, this continues to sound great. and yeah, stratton right now is at the head of suggestions based on getting a good deal on tickets and food with cheri (thanks for offering). my only real issue is with the timing during the week. is there a huge difference between going thursday - sunday as opposed to friday - monday??? i selfishly ask because i know that it will be nearly impossible to get out of work on saturday, and i'd much rather spend 2 days playing than just 1 very tired day on the hill. oh well, whatever enables the largest number of women to get together and ride works for me. hope you folks with health issues are back on board(s) by then.

or you could hang onto your gear and come join "all the ladies in the house" when we go out to play. check out the thread (perhaps again) on the message board and consider it. steph is looking for people right now and if it interests you at all shoot her an e-mail. it's all about having fun.

stance angles... your angles are fine. if you have a suitable range of motion (flexion/extension. as in bending your knees), and can twist your board and plow through crappy conditions (as in you are comfortable and confidently in control), i suspect that your stance angles are just fine. carving is not about stance angle, stance angles merely affect carving styles and techniques. all equipment can carve. that's why this is such a cool sport. heck, i ride my softie setup duck. i can carve on it, however i will also acknowledge the fact that the technique is rather different from what i use while in hardboots... carving in hardboots looks so much better though. a binding adjustment to think about making is rotating the highbacks to be more closely aligned with your heelside edge. also, if you have bindings that allow for this, they may also allow you to adjust the height of the ankle strap separately from the highback(burton's are great for this). a lot of folks (which means this may include you) use the highest hole in order to achieve the greatest heel hold. some folks instead run the ankle straps crosswise, using two different holes in order to have the strap run across the ankle differently for comfort adn performance. but hey, what works for you works. this is only food for thought. believe it or not playing with every seemingly excessive feature on your bindings is a good thing. and with the stance angle thing. "the norm" is a technique that works regardless of what your setup is. in a way, it helps you to become better acquainted with your board by learning how it naturally turns when put on edge. heck, this very technique works while carving switch, even while setup at crazy high angles. i just would not recommend rotating your upper body to face the nose of the board. while carving at relatively low angles, you can rotate your body to face the fall line a bit (use your front binding;s angle as a reference). however, while playing with this try to keep your shoulder's, hips adn ankles aligned. think of it as stacking sections of your body on top of one another. ride "stacked" and keep your center of mass in between your feet. stand up. on another thread someone mentionned arching the back. that is an idea to keep in mind on toeside turns. it does make a difference, along with flexing your knees. your photo shows nice flexion of the knees and ankles. AND it shows you bending over at the waist. oops. wish i could claim to never do this, but yeah. i was first introduced to the whole arching back thing at least 5 years ago, and i only started getting it recently. it does make a difference whether on plates or a soft setup. but it isn't necessary in all situations. however, standing up and not breaking at the waist is good for just about every situation. i would propose that heelside turns are the most similar between setups. you can think of yourself as leading into the turn with your front hip without having to do anything that doesn't feel natural. but hey, what do i know?? there is no right way to carve. so go out, have fun and post some photos of your riding so we can check out your style (and see what you're doing). happy riding

no, it isn't that... but i have been trying to unload this for a while and figure what the hey. i can't ride it, so it needs a good home. maybe you know someone who knows somebody.... brand spankin' new dynastar GZ 154cm freeride board (it's a 2005) this thing is on the soft, flexy side and has a 23.8cm waist (i think), which is why i can't ride it (big feet, and i enjoy eating). this is a women's specific board that i ended up having shipped to me to replace an OSIN freeride board. i don't know what they were thinking. seems decent enough, just doesn't suit my needs. has light binding marks from when i tried to mount them in a manner that did not create any drag (so it isn;t perfect), but golly, it has never been on snow. so, if you know anybody who may want something like this... $200 plus shipping. e-mail me at goonie9742@aol.com