patmoore

Thanks. The UPZ rep may have a set.

Good morning from the US Virgin Islands where we're vacationing now that racing is over for the year. I wrapped up my season at the NASTAR Nationals at Snowmass a little more than a week ago. I’m happy to report it was a good trip. I raced in the Platinum Division on both skis and board. Because of the warm temperatures they had to salt the course. I got in three runs on skis taking third in my age group with the best run of 24.94. On the snowboard (170 cm Kessler, Donek plate, F2 Titanium Race Bindings) I ran the course in 26.54 which was a platinum level run. Since I’ve outlived most of my competition on the board, I picked up my 17th age group national championship. I was very happy with that performance on the board and I attribute it it to my new UPZ AT8 boots. Last month, Chris Brooks contacted me and asked if I was interested in switching to UPZ. I had been wearing a pair of 18 year-old Head Stratos Pros. Screws were falling out of the bottoms holding on the toe lugs and the boots were well past retirement age. Chris had suggested that I go to a ski shop to measure exact Mondo size of my feet. My Lange RS 130 ski race boots are a 28.5 but I was surprised when I measured my feet that I was actually a 27.5. My new boots arrived and I was immediately impressed with what a solid fit they were. A lot of thought went into the design and, in my opinion, UPZ produced a winner. Unlike my Heads, my heel stayed firmly in position. The forward flex was stiffer than I was used to so I replaced the lower springs and that was a help. They were still a little stiff in the forward flex so I didn’t tighten the upper buckles much at the nationals. I suspect switching to a softer tongue will bring about the desired flex. I’m very very happy with the boots and at age 77 they’ll likely be the last pair I own. I’m really looking forward to next season getting back in the race course with these great boots.

In two and a half years I get to replace that sticker with 80+. I put together a short video you might get a kick out of.

Elwood Blues here. When my brother Jake finally got sprung from Joliet we "got the band back together" and headed for Killington. We weren't hard to spot....

Vertical Challenge races in the northeast are always fun and definitely informal. You have a choice of which of two courses you want to run. At Pico on Saturday I finished 14th overall of 175 skiers and 3rd overall of 26 boarders. Yesterday I raced at Bromley. Conditions were deteriorating rapidly at the south facing mountain so they moved the event to a different trail from where they normally race. I told the Vertical Challenge staff at the start that the finish corral was way too short and they agreed but said the Bromley Mountain Ski Patrol wouldn’t permit them to extend it. After I blew through the netting ejecting skis I was not in a good mood. I‘ve been a course setter and pacesetter for 18 years and I’ve never seen a finish corral so dangerously short. A patroller standing at the finish refused to extend the netting saying they needed to leave enough terrain to bring through large equipment. Unless they were planning to haul a double wide trailer through there, there was plenty of room to move the fence at least a dozen feet. I guess she didn’t like my attitude and told me to act like an adult. We saw one father almost hit his son trying to stop in the small area. Her solution: brake BEFORE crossing the Finish Line!! It’s a race! I’ve always liked Bromley but I was appalled that the Ski Patrol wouldn’t allow the fencing to be moved to a safe location.

Thanks everyone for the exceptionally detailed responses. This forum is the best resource anywhere for guidance.

I've been riding my Head Strato Pros since 2006 and they've seen better days. The screws holding the gray toe lugs have fallen out a couple of times and walking on pavement for eighteen years has worn down the heels. I have the Orange (soft) tongue and have had some plastic cut out to make the boots even more flexible. The boots have Fintec heels but I find the bindings a bit too stiff for racing. Getting older I may find myself going back to step-ins so any boot I buy should be compatible. I've been looking at the Deeluxe 325 and wondering if that or something else would be suitlable. For those that don't know me, I'm 77 and enjoy racing and riding the blue cruisers. I've never been able to get really low but still have the dream of accomplishing that goal. I split my time racing on board and skis and am currently ranked #6 in the nation in my NASTAR age group on skis. In boarding I've outlived most of my competition. Frequently I have to make a quick boot change at competitions. I have run my board in my Lange RS 130 race boots with the top buckle unbuckled but it's still really stiff. I've also used a pair of Dalbello Kryptons for both but it's not the best solution. Your thoughts?

Six years ago my wife suggested that I put together a video of some of my adventures and misadventures. I just did an update. There's a fair amount of snowboarding and skiing after the skydiving. Shameless plug for my book at the end.

I stopped by our NASTAR course at Okemo yesterday to retrieve my board and some other gear. A guy actually stopped by and asked if we'd be open for racing today.

When I got to Wachusett Mountain for Sunday's "Great Race" I spotted this lineup. My black Kessler was still in the car. An Oxess was added later. Pretty cool display.

At age 77 my Kessler 170 GS board is 52/46. I'm happy with it.

I just asked Copilot to create an image of an old man racing on a snowboard. It came up with this in under five seconds.

Two runs GS, one run Super G. Always a fun event. You only have to be 30 years old to be considered a "senior". By their definition I've been a senior for 47 years! One of my daughters is turning 50 in three weeks. https://maseniorgames.org/e/alpine-ski-snowboard-wachusett-march-6th-2024

Two runs GS, one run Super G. Always a fun event. You only have to be 30 years old to be considered a "senior". By their definition I've been a senior for 47 years! One of my daughters is turning 50 in three weeks. https://maseniorgames.org/e/alpine-ski-snowboard-wachusett-march-6th-2024

You have to be of a certain age to get this......

Happily he's a member of our club. Scoring is done by NASTAR Team Points with 10.00 being maximum. Team scoring is done by the top ten from each club. He made the top ten and contributed to our club's 1st place finish. I'm listed twice because I raced on skis and snowboard (Pat on board and Patrick on skis to avoid confusion).

I'm encouraged by the way the season is going. We held an interclub race at Okemo yesterday. Of the 75 entrants, 14 were snowboarders. I was beaten a former NorAm racer.

I'm having a good year racing on skis and boarding is going well for the most part. Wachusett Mountain in Massachusetts has a terrific recreational race league at night and a couple of days each week. Yesterday the snow was perfect and I took advantage of it on skis. By the time I switched to the board, the course was getting a little icy with some ruts. I wish I could have run it earlier on the board but I need to learn how to handle all conditions. Wachusett uploads video of the league runs so I captured yesterday's. My snowboard run follows the ski run in the video. Construcive criticism is always welcome bearing in mind that at age 77 with torn miniscus in one knee, I may not be able to do everything you suggest.

They appear to be blocked in the US. I just got back from a week in Val Gardena and watched some of the action on local TV. I rented an Oxess 164 from Daniele Bagozza of the Italian team. He was on a busy schedule racing in Davos, Bulgaria, Slovenia, etc. so his dad delivered the board. Daniele hadn't made a podium in four years but he has really caught fire in the past month with four WC podiums including three wins (2 in slalom and 1 in GS)! He's really stepped up his game. This was my first trip to Val Gardena and I hope to go back. Seceda is the best terrain I've ever experienced for carving. I did get to meet Georg Rabanser and was able to run some gates.

Recent research has accurately discovered what inhabitants of the Stone Age looked like. I don't know who did the research but damn, they're good!

2023 was the warmest year on earth in a century and a half https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/09/climate/2023-warmest-year-record.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20240109&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=99099298&segment_id=154676&user_id=a469d8a912be75ba7b84aa0a77e58f28

I rode my old Volkl Renn Tiger at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary the last two days. The temps at night are barely below freezing but they have been able to make snow. I hope to get to Nakiska before returning to New England.

I try to lift my toes on heelside turns.

Just occurred to me..... 24 hours in a day 24 beers in a case Coincidence?