Mr.E

I'm interested- still got room at the inn? I'll shoot you a note.

Is there anything in specific you are looking to change/ improve on with a new board? There are a bunch of options, but it really depends on what you like and what you might want to change with the next one. Its real easy to jump into a bigger board that, while it might be fun long term, could be a real challange short term. If you are generally enjoying what you are on and don't want to work too hard durig your limited snow days, you might opt for something similar to your current ride spec wise, but with newer build details. If that is one of the full wood core boards made in Spain, they were actually pretty fun/ easy to ride. I had a 183 race deck from that generation.

Added this to ebay if you are interested. Start the season off right!

Late summer impulse buy.

Given the same board to snow angle, raising your feet with any plate will allow lower angles before boot out.

Utah areas are easier to get to the airport from. If you havent spent time in those communities, you might want to try that first. All of them are good riding.

I have a JJA in that size. Virtually new/ very few runs.

Good group of maybe 10 or 12. The snow was firm on top of packed corn. Better late season grooming, but it was freeze/ thaw. Still, if you pushed a bit you could grip and rip (or fight it and bite it). Really great morning easing into a bit of flat light. Some vintage decks made an appearance. The group was off the hill before the parking lot bar decided to ride out the afternoon.

I had a pair of the purple ones. Most boots from that many decades ago are going to have questionable plastic by now. It was a decent boot, but I'd pass on them now. The newest Reactors are pushing over 20 years old.

For anyone scratching their head- I'm a goofy rider, and I don't make right hand turns well while exiting the chair. My shame, but whatever. So if I want to join my friends off lift right, I drag my foot, do a little circle, and skate over to them. I do my little jig well and can proudly dismount any chairlift I've encountered across the nation and on two continents. Apparently me dragging my foot "messes up the off ramp" and I am now breaking the rider/ lifty agreement to leave the off-ramp better than I found it. I tried to polietly explain that I was sorry for my deficiencies, but that I was unfortunately going to drag that foot every single time I disembarked. On the next trip, I got a wicked stink eye. On the second trip had two lifties give me the stink eye. From then on the chair slowed to a crawl when my head crested the horizon. As it lumbered to the ramp I stood, waved, and continued to drag my foot and do my little jig. Sorry, dude, this bad habit is older than you are. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I may have missed it, but what are you curently riding? 14+meter sidecuts are big, especially for softboots, unless you know you like it. Jumping on a carve oriented freeride/ BX shape from any of the race makers is going to be a big jump up in performance over almost any typical all mountain or new-school style "carve" shape.

After 25 years of snowboarding, I have learned to accept that I can't skate for shit. But I have learned to focus on my ever increasing aptitude at pushing buttons with my unmitigated gaul. You guys might trench the runs, but I'm carving up the off ramps.

Today was a blast. Suuuuper flat light, but the snow they groomed was great. Good turn out, too. Just try not to piss off the lifties.

I used to ride in a carbon moto style brace with additional patella support, usually worn over a sleeve similar to a rash guard. It helped when my knee was at it's worst pot surgery and when I still had hardware in there. The additional lateral support was nice, as was the limits it put on rotational force through the knee. As far as actual assistance with shock absorbtion through bending moment, I think wraps or knee sleeves are probably better at passive resistance than a hinged style brace unless it has specific features to help in that area.

I have a 27.5cm actual foot length, and in the older Raichle/ Deeluxe boots I had the best luck in the 26/26.5 shell with a thermo liner.