csquared

Could the bride of plankenstein have been far away? I'm thinking that 168 might have been her.

I see frightening things in your immediate future. There was this thing at the hill yesterday I at first mistook for a park bench but it turned out to be some kind of crime-against-nature experiment with board shaping. It broke loose and started staggering through the Transylvanian countryside, biting the heads off farm animals and frightening the children of the villagers on their little race skis. Despite its profoundly unnatural shape, it was hard not to feel a certain emphathy for the thing as it lumbered through the mashed potatoes. I think Bruce left it out of the picture above to spare the delicate sensibilities or our community. Various scientific societies would like to capture and dissect it.

, hmmm, lazy bastard is used to riding NSR type boards with much less turns per run:sleep: ... I resemble that remark:angryfire It was great day for testing with an almost unlimited range of conditions. I can't recommend taking that 168 VSR out when you are running out of legs...she'll ride you! However, the other boards were a joy to ride. I especially liked the 177 NSR with generous taper and softer mid section. Not big differences from its predecessor but nice refinements that give it an even more friendly nature. Loved the 182 monster F1 for late afternoon slop stability. I never would have managed the last 10 runs without that magic (by that point in the day I was needing rideagra from my encounter with the energetic little 168). Bruce had the advantage of having consumed two 1/2 pound burgers off the barbecue and a Corona for lunch. Never rode the Angrry (the name of which was almost changed to "Piste Off" after Bruce took it for an unplanned expedition into the woods off the pitch on "S Cut"). I'm going to wait for the next generation of this one (maybe a little more taper, binding centers corrected, maybe a little softer flex between the feet for true ice conditions). To watch Bruce handle it was inspiring though.

...epic today. Got in somewhere around 35 runs. Fantastic conditions from 8:30 to about 11:30. Then it started to deteriorate rapidly. However, with a good supply of boards on hand, we found the right formula for the afternoon. Quit about 2:30, sunburnt and exhausted. Should get below freezing tonight and set up again for tomorrow. The big question is whether it sets soon enough to groom.

Let ya' know tomorrow night. C'wood had about 40 cm on Tuesday and the nights have been below freezing since. Looks good for tomorrow.

If you can be at Osler at 8:45 tomorrow morning, I will sign you up for a ticket. Late arrivals will be sorry.

Funny. I was thinking of trying one tomorrow. Some kinda X5 'er somthin' Bruce has on hand. Heard it was a factory second. I hear those boards compare favourably to a dog turd.

At the moment this is a one day only event occurring on the last Friday in January. This year was the fifth year and we had a crowd of 36 local riders. The event has grown by about 5 riders each year and we have visitors from across the province of Ontario but mostly riders living within 200 km. The event is held at the Osler Bluff Ski Club (which you can see more information on here. The club is a private ski club and the traffic is strictly members and guests so the crowds are very nominal, the terrain is perfect, the grooming is exceptional, and the snow is as good as it gets in these parts. There are no special events to the day other than a great apres sponsored by our friends at YYZ Canuck. The objective is just to get together, ride, share the knowledge, and feel the vibe.

Another convert. I have to say the NSR shape is a revelation. Bruce loaned me a 178 proto that took the NSR shape to extremes: 11.5/13.5/17 sidecut with 25 mm of taper. The proto was intended for BX and was molded base high to permit a certain amount of high-speed sliding/gliding. Bruce sanded out some of the base high condition but the rear 12" of the board run up to about 1/8" base high. The flex is 6.6 ish whereas I have been riding 7.7 stiffness Coilers for a long time. I instantly fell in love with the board on thin and hardpack conditions where it hangs on like nothing I've every ridden. The turny nose is surprisingly controllable with no tendency to hook even in heavier snow. But you can really work tight turns in the steeps with this thing or back off and enjoy the stability of the 17 m sidecut. Takes a little work to get turns going at lower speeds on shallower slopes but I think I still need to experiment with moving the bindings further forward as Jack mentioned. Can't say that I notice any positive or negative aspect to the base high condition at the tail. I love the board so much, Bruce is never getting it back. Luckily I didn't give up my day job when I tried out as a Coiler apprentice. You guys would all be riding some pretty sad boards. Be patient. It will be worth the wait.

You could just go for a tour of Venice on Lake Simcoe also known as Oro Station where the famous Stradivarsava is made.

An alpine snowboarder was involved in a fatal crash at Beaver Valley on Sunday. Witnesses who saw the crash from a chairlift said that the rider was going at high speed and had started to carve a turn when his board slipped and he slid into a tree. He was wearing a helmet but died of his injuries within an hour of the accident. The rider's name was John Zsolt and Sunday was his 46th birthday. He was apparently trying out a new board. Conditions were sunny and very cold with machine groomed granular snow. The warm temperatures and rain during the previous week would liked have created a very firm to icy base at Beaver Valley. He leaves a wife and two teenaged children. Deepest sympathies to his family and friends. I am trying to find out more about the crash and the causes. Hopefully something can be learned from this tragedy that would help to prevent similar mishaps in our community. If you can add any useful knowledge, it would be helpful.

#1 Bench - you must have a secure way of holding the board both base up and edge up for tuning. Anything that wobbles means the files are not able to run true. In addition, you need to hold the board firmly against the pull of the file or the wax scraper which both require considerable pressure. After looking at some of the products on the market, I built my own bench out of plywood to fit to on a heavy duty collapsable saw horse and equipped it with adjustable toggle clamps to hold the board steady in both planes. I also have a pair of adjustable arm lamps mounted to the horse so I can see what's going on. #2 Edge file guides - 90 and 88 degrees; I use KUU products. Their guides will fit a file blank, a wet stone, or a diamond stone (yes, you have to run all of these true as well). #3 Wax iron - I have a very old non-steam clothing iron that I picked up at the thrift shop for $5. After some temperature experimentation it works passably. However, if you are planning to use fluoro waxes, this would be a bad idea because smoke from burning same is toxic and the thermostats on clothing irons are not as closely regulated as real wax irons. #4 Gummy stone - I use a KUU product. The gummy stone consists of carborundum grit in a medium soft rubber binder and is useful for detuning at the tip and tale of the board (a must if you don't like overly aggressive shovel initiation or late turn releases) #5 Wet stone - useful for taking out burrs, hard spots, rust spots. Also useful for final polish on the side edges using the file guide. #6 Flat file - generally the amount you spend will be repaid by the durability of the file. However, don't feel that you have to buy someone's special tuning file because any good quality machinist's file will do the same thing. I don't touch the base edges of my boards much because you can't really sharpen from the based without taking off base material for the width of the board (to keep it flat). Better to just get a base grind once every year or two. #7 Base file guides - If you using off-flat base edge angles you would need these. I only use them for the kids' freeride boards. I ride only flat base angles and use a 90 edge. I have a set of plastic sleeves that fit over standard files and run on the ptex about 2 1/2" from the edge; KUU - about $5 #8 Citrus Base Cleaner - gotta clean off the old wax and other crap before you put on anything new. #9 Wax scraper - don't buy the 10" long type unless you are King Kong - you'll never get enough bite with that edge length to take the wax off. The standard 5" guys will do and plexi scrapers are nice because they won't gouge your base easily; stay away from the stainless scrapers unless you have a good hand with a file for sharpening and deburring them (unless of course you only intend to use the scraper as a true bar which is sometimes useful). #10 Wax Texture Brush - Toko hand brush with combination of nylon and metal bristles is useful for restoring structure to the base and for digging wax out of the structure of the base in higher temp conditions. #11 True Bar - buy one of those stainless steel rulers that are sold at office supply or art stores, they are reasonably true for our purposes. Alternatively, the 10" stainless steel base scrapers are perhaps more useful as a true bar than a base doctoring tool. Not used often except to check other people's boards and used stuff that comes my way. #12 Other Tools That Come in Handy - T wrenches for hex socket drive binding screws; a children's toy magnetic wand (with good sized magnets in it) that I use to pick filings off the board where they tend to fall into openings in bindings; lab coat (okay, this is a little nerdy but I just happened to have one) to keep filings out of clothing; magnetic broom (home depot) to pick filings off the floor so they don't travel around the house; metric hex socket drives to fit rechargeable drill / driver (nice for mounting and stripping bindings); a Sharpie to blacken edges where I am not sure what angle they have been filed to (helps to see where the file is taking material off). That was way too exhaustive. Did I forget anything.

What is it that is stripping - the threads in the aluminum body of the binding? the stainless steel fastener threads (seems unlikely)? or the hex socket drive on the screws? I have never had problems with TD1 screws stripping but they can be hard to turn after they have taken a set. Sometimes the hex socket drive can get chewed up when you are applying a lot of pressure with a conventional Allen wrench. There are two problems with the stainless to aluminum interface: 1. There is a bit of a galvanic thing happening. The proportion of aluminum versus stainless is favourable so it is not very significant but I have sometimes wondered if it is to blame when fasteners jamb. 2. Stainless steel tends to gall (rolls up microscopic balls of metal on the thread surface that tend to lock the fastener. This is more of a problem when you are going stainless to stainless but I think it can also be a factor in aluminum. You might want to try a T handle wrench that gives better purchase on the screw. WD-40 is always worth a try but try to keep it off the plastic surfaces of the board and be aware that the threads will be slick for a long time after so you will need to diligent with tightening screws. If and when you get the screws out, you might want to use Bomber Butter on them when you reinstall them.

JP - what I meant was that if you are turning both nuts in the same direction by the same amount the pre-load does not change because the distance between the nuts remains the same (the springs are not experiencing any additional compression). The boot cuff connector (the piece with 'BTS' engraved into it) moves along with the nuts up and down the threaded tower.

So, let's say, the shaft is even with the lower part. If I move the lower nut up, together with the upper nut - this will INCREASE the forward lean, right. By now, I am completely confused . Gurus, please help . Thanks, Millen Yes, you have the adjustment correct. And I believe that adjusting both nuts equally preserves the pre-load since the springs equalize. If you move both nuts down the shaft, the boot cuff leans back more. I'm a tdi fan too (09 Jetta Sportwagen).

... on hill before I retired my last set in favour of Fintecs. There was really no tangible signs of wear, cracking, broken components, or other deterioration. The was some modest wiggle in the pins but it never felt like it had reached a problematic state. Even the cables were still original.

Brings but lots of happy memories. The commentator is BOL member Rob Stevens if I am not mistaken. Where are you Rob? C'mon down... Wow, what a star-studded thread! And it all started so inoccuously.

I bought Patagonia's Rubicon pant which is made of a very high denier (quite coarse) synthetic that has some stretch. These have proven to be very durable and are fairly tight fitting without restricting movement. There is no zippered or velcro opening at the cuff but there is an elastic inner powder cuff detail with a draw-strap and buckle that works well. I find trying to grasp the Intec handle through the pants can be a little dicey if you are in a hurry (unbooting while moving say) So I test fitted the pants to the boots and marked a location on the inner and outer cuffs where I wanted the Intec cable to come through. I took the pants to a sports sewing / repair place and they did a fantastic job of creating a 2" long vertical 'buttonhole' in the inner cuff and a 3" long buttonhole in the outer cuff stitched through a 2" wide strip of velcro. The opposite strip of velcro is stitched along one edge of the first to create a kind of velcro 'door'. I feed the pull handle through the inner cuff and then open the door in the outer cuff, feed the cable through, and close the door so that the velcro seals around the cable. No snow ever gets in (the door closes in the right direction to shed snow) and the handle is always easy to grasp. When I have everything on, the inner cuff slides down between the boot and the BTS fitting. The outer cuff covers the BTS so that I don't have to listen to unceasing questions about the springs whenever skiers can see them. Hmmm...I guess I should post pictures, right? No time today or tonight. Maybe Wednesday.

I once had a conversation with Michael Lambert (currently on the Canadian national team) about binding 'float'. He was quite excited about having switched to F2 step-ins because he found that by leaving the toe bails a little loose on the adjusters, he could slide the toe of his boot back and forth and obtain a couple of degrees difference in angle while in the course. It would be very handy to have this small adjustment when you want to drive the board into harder carves. Can't recall what boots he was riding but they did not fit tightly between the plastic 'ears' that support the toe bails. I have not ridden F2 step-ins until this year and I have not tried Michael's tweak. Might be worth a few runs to experiment with it.

I'm pumped. Sugarloaf has fantastic terrain. It would be a shame if Shred could not make it though.

it was a great day with 36 turning out by my straw count. This was by far the biggest turnout to date for the event. Best of all, it was an injury free day and everyone left with a smile on his / her face (especially me). Thanks to all for making it a great day and thanks to Dave and Andrea for the apres food. One irony that struck me in retrospect this morning was that there was hardly a board on the hill that was not created by Bruce and yet he was the one buying rounds at the end of the day. This seems a more than a little upside down. Most of us would have had a lot less pleasure if we hadn't had a piece of Bruce's handiwork underfoot. Next year, I think we owe Bruce more than a few rounds (perhaps a burger or two would go some way to addressing this debt). And ladies, the schtubette lives!

I used to experience considerable pain in my knees as it got later in the season. Eventually I determined that this was patella femur pain syndrome attributable to the knee cap being pushed off center by over-development of certain leg muscles associated with riding. A physiotherapist friend showed me some exercises that develop other muscles to balance the over-developed ones but who has the time for such things? Eventually I bought a pair of those Dr Scholl neoprene knee braces and this resolved the problem very effectively. They keep the knee cap where its supposed to be so that it can't be pushed off center. They also keep everything nicely composed and tightly compacted in the knee area and keep everything warm and moist which reduces the chance of injury. The braces get a bit skanky after several uses but you can just throw them in the wash. Best of all, it wouldn't cost much to check them out.

Here's the list for Friday. I have group e-mailed everyone on this list but just to make sure, I am posting it here. If you're not on the list below and you're planning to attend, you had better get me your name pretty darn fast. You can e-mail through my profile or post here if you must. If your name is on the list and you are NOT going to be with us on Friday (you poor unfortunate sod) please let me know so that I can remove your name. In alphabetical order: Kevin Benner Tony Boros David Binder Chris Couse (coordinator / host member) Jeff Cooper Rob Cox Monique Cox Sean Craigen Mike D’Amico (Devil’s Glen member: will obtain exchange ticket) Darren Eagles Peter Halsall Keith Hodgins Stewart Hodgins Chris Houghton Henry Kim Colin Leong Greg Marsden Ian MacKenzie Beth McNally Mike McNally Andrea Morgan Dave Morgan Dave Niblett Craig Nogas (Devils Glen member: will obtain exchange ticket) Matt Osler (OBSC member: does not require ticket) Brian Parrott Derek Peeling Victor Plopeanu Mark Rattenbury Rob Smith Arthur Tateishi Gabe Tung Bruce Varsava Leslie Varsava Dr. John Vu Imo Weinert Scott Williamson If you have not been to the event before you can find driving directions here. It is always good to get an early start so aim to arrive about 8:30 to be on the hill before 9:00. You will need to pick up your ticket at the ticket window that is located in the outdoor passage under the main clubhouse. The nice ladies will ask you for the name of the group you are with which is: "Southern Ontario Carvers". I will have provided the above list of names to the ticket ladies and if your name is not there, you are out of luck. Tickets will be $65 which is the going rate at Osler on a Friday (yes, I know it seems expensive but I can't do anything about it). Boot changing and lockers are through the doors on your left off of the passage (there are no coin lockers, only cubbies). If you have an FRS radio the group will be on channel 7/21 and you can track us down that way if you arrive late. I would recommend that we break for lunch around 11:45 (this will give us a good run at the hills when they clear over the lunch hour). We will use the upper chalet (top of the high speed quad) for lunch. Bring a lunch if you wish to or you can buy a lunch at the Upper Chalet. Once again, our good friends at YYZ CANUCK are sponsoring an apres event at 4:00 with snacks for anyone who can still walk. Its a great way to finish the day. You can chat with riders you couldn't catch on the hill or negotiate the details of a new snowboard with our buddies at Coiler. If you have any gear you would like to pick up from Dave and Andrea, this would be a good time and place to take delivery so get your orders in today. Expect good conditions. The gods have been kind to us this season and the snow has been plentiful. Friday's forecast is still a mystery: pray for sunshine. I have generally had good feedback from other guests and members after this event in the past. Only once did we antagonize another group of guests. So, lets show those less fortunate than us (anyone not able to enjoy our sport) once again that we can be magnanimous, courteous, and well mannered on the slopes. And lets give them a show they won't soon forget. Hope too see you all there.

Glad you can make it again. Are you all getting exchange tickets or do you need me to put some names on the list for tickets? E-mail me through my profile and let me know. Its getting close guys. The conditions are great. Hope we can get some sun to make it a perfect day.

...if you go for the custom topsheet. Snowboard Materials will do a great job with the graphics...eventually. And the topsheet will get held up at CDN customs so that they can admire it for a while. You really need at least 2 months lead time for the custom topsheet.