csquared

Lamberto: Sorry you missed SOS 2016. If you are still interested, drop me a line and I will put you on the list for SOS 2017.

Peter: Very glad you could make it. Hope you can join us next year. To all who came: you rip, every one of you. One of my great pleasures is to hear members and staff the day after the event extolling the abilities of the riders they saw. The lifties are particularly appreciative. I guess watching skiers gets old pretty fast when you are loading a chair all day long.

Happy 50th Dr. V. You still rip like a youngster.

Flashlight: I see you are from Toronto and I probably have you on my list for the event but I don't immediately recognize your picture. Give me a clue... If we have not exchanged emails, get me your particulars and I will get you on the list formally (failing which, you won't be able to buy a lift ticket on the day

Although I have doubts about how many cruise this part of the Forum, I'm putting out my annual call for riders to join the crew on January 30th at the Osler Bluff Ski Club for a day of great carves, comraderie, and a chance to raise your game another notch in the company of some of the best riders in the province. The proposition is simple: I book the date and line up limited Friday space at Osler. You come an buy yourself a ticket. You get the opportunity to ride with a crew that usually averages 50 - 60 passionate carvers. All are welcome irrespective of ability, gender, age, race, political preferences, or hair colour. We read our backsides off from the moment the tows open to high noon. Then we dine together in the splendour of the log barn chalet at the top of the mountain (you can bring your usual bag lunch or splash out and buy a burger). Then we ride all afternoon 'til our legs shake like Jello. Finally, we repair to the main clubhouse for tall stories, nibbles courtesy of our friends at YYZ Canuck, and a pitcher or two before sliding behind the wheel with large grins to trickle home. Racing is absolutely forbidden at the event. This is about the pleasure of riding together and watching each other on the lift back to the top. You can't beat it. It's the best day of riding most of us have all year. I organize this event because I love to bring the community together and because I think it creates a great opportunity to share the passion, riding technique, and gear knowledge. You can reach me through my PM or you can leave me a message here if you would like to join. Once I have your name and email address, I can get you into my mail directory and you will receive my notices about this and future events.

Checking for the 57 club (born in 57, 57 years old). My focus now is avoiding carnage (too many broken bones in recent years). Probably no more racing for me but we'll see. Still a fanatic and always will be.

It would be great if you could find time to join us and meet some of the people. Not sure how to connect you with individuals who might be selling gear. I think it would be best to ask around. Dave and Andrea of YYZ Canuck will be at the event. They could deliver a purchase to you at the event if you get in touch with them in advance. Bruce Varsava will be there and it would certainly be worth picking his brain about boards.

Justin: Glad you are interested. Can you send me an email through my Bomberonline profile please. I will add you to the list but I want to get you on my event directory.

It's back and bigger than ever: the Southern Ontario Session 2014. Those other pretenders SES and ECES have their own pages here but they can't match our numbers. SOS is the biggest one-day event for alpine riders (and the most fun). If you are new to alpine boarding or new to the Southern Ontario scene, you may not know about SOS. This is an all ages, all genders, all abilities, non-competitive event. It's all about the camaraderie of meeting other alpine snowboarders, riding together, exchanging tips, and seeing how others do it. If you're still figuring this sport out, this is a great chance to see the range of riding styles and equipment that is out there and understand how it works for individual riders. You may even be able to borrow a board and test another ride. The event is held the last Friday in January each year and this year the date falls on January 31. The venue is the Osler Bluff Ski Club which has some of the best alpine riding terrain in the province, excellent grooming, and tons o' snow. Osler Bluff is a private club and mid-week days see very light crowds so there is generally plenty of elbow room on the hills. You can't beat the sight of a dozen riders ripping the hill below you as you rider the chair. We generally try to be ready to go when they start the lift a little before 9:00 AM. I put you on the event list and you purchase your own ticket from the ticket ladies. We break at noon and lunch together at the lodge at the top of the center chair (the Upper Chalet) where you can bring your lunch or buy what you want from the servery. The hill will finish you before the chair closes down. At the end of the day, we get together for Apres nibbles courtesy of our friends Dave and Andrea at YYZ Canuck and the bar is on hand to quench your thirst. If you are buying equipment from YYZ Canuck, this is a great opportunity to collect it and settle your tab. If this sounds like something that would interest you, just contact me through my profile and let me know your name, email address, and that you are coming. I need to get your name on the event list, failing which you will not be able to obtain a ticket on the day of the event. I am hoping that we will have 70 for this year's event but more are always welcome. So mark your calendar and drop me a reply.

I have been in the habit of detuning for about the last decade and when I forget to do so, it is quite noticeable because I have incidents related to hair-trigger turn initiations. I guess I prefer the board to turn only when I give it firm input. I think this is all about rider preference. I use a gummi stone and 3 light passes at the tip in tail. Each pass is a little longer so that the first inch gets 3 passes, the next two inches get 2, and the last 2 inches get one. I have occasionally detuned assymettrically and this works well on some boards.

If you have not touched the edges since the board came from Donek, it would probably be worth at least doing a de-tuning of the first 6" of the edges at the shovel and about 4" at the tail. You will need a 'gummy stone' (which is not a stone at all but rather some carborundum grit in a rubbery material) and you just need to stroke if over the edge about 3 times at each location. I like to go a little longer with each stroke to blend out the detuned edge. A very sharp edge can engage unpredictably and aggressively at the shovel which can be dangerous (he said, nursing his broken arm).

...is one of the medical terms for it. Don't be flattered Todd, they haven't named a syndrome after you. It's 'traumatic brain injury'. Let go of the incident. I know why it matters to you cause I've been through it but in the bigger scheme it just doesn't matter. Its the gentle things that are helpful: children, mellow music, a favourite book. Take it slowly. Watch yourself reacting and keep yourself in check.

Nothing humourous about this injury. Embarrassing to get the terminology wrong but I had not had the courage to start searching it yet and i was doing the phonetic spelling thing. Frankly, the concussion has been more worrisome. It's the mood changes I don't like. Can't be a good thing. Hey tb, how"s your head? No ECES for this boy.

Thought I was done with this thread but I had complex crash at the SOS event yesterday and ended up with a broken upper arm (proximate humourous fracture) and a concussion. Lost 20 minutes or so in there so I am not entirely sure what the crash entailed but anecdotes indicate mid-air spin off some ice and fakey landing with heelside edge catch and downhill body slam. That's the end of the season for me but I am going to be in the market for a new helmet and POC is top of my list. Hope you're recovering well tb. Once again, my sympathies...literally.

Thanks to all for attending. It was another memorable day. Thanks to our sponsors YYZ Canuck and Apex Sport for hosting the Apres. And special thanks to Peter Halsall, Dr. John Vu, and Gabe Tung for taking care of me in a problematic situation. Don't forget to wear your helmets.