csquared

Fear not, you can surely do an Intuition fit yourself by following YYZ Canuck's instructions from their web site. I have done about 10 fits so far and it isn't rocket science. However, if you are timid and you really feel like driving an hour each way to get your fitting work done, here is what Dave Morgan (of yyzcanuck) recommends (from one of his own posts): We now have a shop in the area that we send all our customers: Tom Kirk at KenMark Sports in Richmond Hill.

Whether you are using the molded-in inserts or the loose 'T' nuts, I think it is a good idea to replace the 20 mm M5 screws that Intec supplies with 25 mm M5 screws and then install a nut on top of the inserts where the screw threads past the top of the inserts. The additional nut acts as lock-nut to keep the screws from backing out and the nut should retain the screw if the threaded stem of the 'T' nut fractures away from the flange. I think the extra nut should also reduce some of the movement that could cause metal fatigue at the junction between the 'T' nut stem and flange (where my 'T' nuts failed).

It may simply be a matter of tightening the screws until you can't turn them further. At this point, there should not be any movement between the heel and the boot shell but a small (microscopic) amount would not be a problem (the screws are engaged in the inserts so the heels can't go anywhere). The plastic that the boot shell is molded from will tend to flow slightly and compress over time so it is a good idea to re-tighten the screws periodically. Also, the oscillating stresses of riding will pull the inserts further into the shell and loosen the screws. If the screws start to loosen, they can work themselves enough that they will actually fall out (I was surprised when this first happened to me). If you are riding on less than four screws per heel, you are at risk. Two last points: take the liners out of the boots to dry them at the end of the day (the screws and inserts can corrode and potentially fail). Also, I have had inserts fail (see my thread called Intec Alert) and it is important to inspect the inserts once in a while to ensure that they aren't started to fracture from fatigue. Don't take chances.

The O.D. of the 'T' nut flange is +/- 5/8" so a 1/4" drill bit would only take out the threaded shank leaving the retainer flange in place. This would obstruct the spurs on the new 'T' nut so I don't think drilling is really the way to go. You really have to drive the 'T' nuts right out of the boot shell. The plastic seems to be able to take this brutality without noticeable damage. I don't have any black 'T' nuts kicking around to send an image of. However, the finish is definitely paint because of the sheen (as opposed to black oxide which I have sometimes seen on 'T' nuts). It is a good idea to replace the stock screws with stainless if you can source them (YYZ Canuck stocks them but a good fastener distributor should be able to provide them). Oh yes, and don't use the hex socket cap screws that Brian shows in his post. The diameter of the heads is smaller and this puts more strain on the Intec heel plastic chasis. You want a stainless steel M4 (going from memory: might be an M5; use a thread sizer to check) Phillips drive round head machine screw.

The "inserts" that Brian mentions come moulded into the boot are in fact just garden variety 'T' nuts. Whereas they were installed on early boots in the more prosaic way, they started moulding them into the boots after the 200 /sb series. I don't think the 'inserts' differ in any significant way from the 'T' nuts that come with the Intec kits. The inserts would conflict with the spurs on a 'T' nut so if you want to replace/add new 'T' nuts, you would need to first remove the old 'inserts'. As noted above, you can do this by threading a screw full depth into the 'insert' and slamming the insert through the plastic shell into the interior of the boot but you need a heavy hammer and you will likely write off the screw in the process. Oh, one other thing: the 'inserts' in the boots are silver and they are plated with some non-corroding metal (probably zinc). The 'T' nuts in the Intec kits are painted black. I did not see any corrosion on the silver inserts/T nuts when I removed these but I have seen corrosion on the black painted 'T' nuts on a previous set of boots. I am guessing that the paint is regular enamel applied directly over carbon steel and that these are somewhat more vulnerable to corrosion. So, at the end of the day, make sure that you take the liners out of your boots and dry the shells upside down to get any residual water out of them (there is always melting snow in mine; sometimes a good 1/2 cup full). There is not enough metal in the 'T' nuts that they can afford any corrosion and preserve their structural integrity. It all sounds scary but I am not throwing away my Intecs. Bruce Varsava told me that he views the Intect heels like the trapeze harnesses he uses for kite-boarding: they wear over time and you should just scrap them every two years and replace them in their entirety. This is probably good advice depending on your frequency and extremity of use. The consequences of a failure are severe. Think how much care the ski shop technicians lavish on setting up safety bindings on skis. There is a whole book of ISO procedures related to setting release weights for ski bindings. We just throw those Intecs on our boots and have at it. A little more vigilence is required.

I had one of those near death experiences on Boxing Day and I think I should share it with anyone who uses boots with Intec heels. I am on a pair of Raichle 324's that I bought 3 years ago and converted for Intec compatability. I have always had a slight paranoia about the Intec system and I have tried to pay close attention to the condition of the heels and the attachment screws. Last year I thought I noticed that the rear boot heel was starting to flex away from the boot if I pressured forward and to one side when the boot was engaged in the binding. Several times I took the boot off and tightened the screws as much as possible only to see the same effect after a few days. I began to conclude that I was imagining the problem as I couldn't see clearly what was happening when the boot was engaged. Finally after riding on Boxing Day, I decided to remove the heels and examine the issue more closely. I was shocked to find that the threaded shanks of three of the 'T' nuts had fractured away from their flanges and I was riding with only one screw engaged. How could I not have noticed before? The problem was that the screws actually felt fully tightened every time I checked them because the threaded shanks had been turned down to the top of the plastic plate that covers the pin retraction mechanism and couldn't go further. Eventually, I discovered that the one 'T' nut left holding my back foot to my board was also fractured half way round its circumference. All four of the forward boot 'T' nuts also showed some fracturing. This was as close to disaster as I would ever like to come on a board. Nothing was wrong with the Intec heels themselves and I decided that I might be able to salvage the boots by replacing the tee nuts. However, after about the 200 series of Raichle SB boots, they began moulding the 'T' nuts into the plastic shell and the flanges were still seemingly permanently buried in the plastic. I was in a quandary as to how to replace the 'T' nuts. Dave Morgan to the rescue: i approached Dave and told him I needed a new set of boots because the others were a lost cause. Dave asked me to bring the boots over and we did a major root canal extraction on the 'T' nuts on both boots, driving them out the interior side of the plastic shell by using the most unsubtle methods. We fitted the boots with new 'T' nuts and I was back on the hill the next day. The point of the story is: don't trust the screw tension on Intec heels to indicate that all is well. Take the heels right off the boots and examine the 'T' nuts carefully. This is very difficult where the 'T' nuts are embedded but with a strong flashlight and a magnifying glass, you should be able to get a look at the top of the 'T' nut and see cracks starting. The problem can be fixed but it takes some pursuasion to get the 'T' nuts out and replace them. My current theory for why the cracking occurred is this: the 'T' nut is formed from a single piece of pressed metal and the flange to shaft junction is a hard 90 degree angle. This is likely because the 'T' nuts are also used for carpentry (where a high strength connection is desired but a nut would be inaccessible). Plastic is softer than wood and under heavy loading, the flange gets flexed down as the shaft pulls the center into the plastic. This is what creates the need for repetitive tightening of Intec heels screws during the first days of use: I thought it was the 'T' nut pulling deeper into the plastic shell but in fact the 'T' nut is being deformed. I am guessing that metal fatigue played some part in the shearing off of the 'T' nut shafts but I am also thinking that repeated tightening of the Intec heel screws placed the 'T' nuts under severe tension. Now I want you to go get your boots, a number 2 Phillips, a flashlight, and a magnifying glass and do the inspection right away. If you don't, your own experience might not be of the somewhat edifying near-death type that mine was. If your 'T' nuts are in good shape, I think it may be possible to add a further measure of confidence and security by obtaining longer screws that would thread past the top of the 'T' nuts and permit a lock nut to be threaded on from the top (inside the boot) so that even if the 'T' nut shears, the nut on top will support the pull. An added benefit would be that the lock-nuts would prevent the screws from loosening. This should be workable with moulded-in 'T' nuts because the tops of the nuts are recessed below the footbed supports. I have not tried this as yet but I am going to try to source the hardware tomorrow and try it out.

There aren't even any kids that age on carving / race gear. I am the lone specimen and I'm too old for even the Masters category. It's sad really. Osler has great terrain and very active ski racing programs but snowboard racing has never taken hold at our club. I failed to even get my own kids interested although one is riding plates recreationally (just to be unlike his brother).

I have been molding my own Thermoflex liners for a few years (with help from YYZ instructions and my own mod's) but I discovered the best part about T'flex is if you have kids, you can transition at least one foot size and extend the number of seasons that a boot fits. Softboot company 32 supplies all of their boots with Intuition T'flex liners as a standard package. I have had my twin daughters in the same boots for about 4 years now, remolding them each year (I'm a good dad but a cheap dad). Fitting T'flex liners is child's play. Don't hesitate to do it yourself. Just remember the most important line in YYZ's directions - TURN OFF THE OVEN BEFORE PUTTING THE LINER IN TO HEAT!

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/amateur/story/2007/12/08/morison-snowboarding-italy.html#skip300x250

Go Matt. ...and go Coiler.

That's what I like to see: Sunday night Low 0°C Rain at times heavy mixed with freezing rain Monday Temperature falling Flurries at times heavy Monday night Low -8°C Flurries at times heavy Tuesday High -3°C Flurries Wednesday High -2°C Low -9°C POP 40% Chance of flurries Thursday High 0°C Low -8°C POP 40%

I've always hesitated to do this because I did not want to embarass anyone who felt anxious or awkward about doing gates but, for $325 we could have our own 'fun' race set-up for an hour or two that day (basically half-hill course without electronic timing). If everyone kicked in $10 - 15 we could make it happen. Would there be any interest in this? Henry, if Santa leaves a camcorder under your tree, many of us will be buying you beers (to ease your herniated disk pain).

...and play hard core metal to it It should continue to be a fairly workable board up to a modest ability level. Raceboarder is correct though, there is generally a soft spot in the flex just forward of the front binding and if you really lay into the board and get your weight forward you can fold the nose and go over the front. I did it many times on an earlier generation Factory Prime and I have watched others do it.

Again, my amateur opinion but I think two layer Titanal construction is likely almost a necessity on an alpine board. Any laminated assembly needs to be balanced to deal with changes in temperature and humidity. It is the bi-metal strip phenomenon: slightly different conditions between the top and bottom of a planar surface can cause significant distortion. I have seen a race board where Bruce stripped the top layer of Titanal off because of a delamination and then didn't get around to replacing the Titanal quickly enough. Between cupping and arching, the board looked like a spoon. This effect was exaggerated by the fact that the wood core was fully exposed on one side and laid up (sealed) on the other but the unbalanced laminations did part of the work.

I'm not an expert but I do know that the issue is really about tears in the Titanal. The metal is no thicker than the aluminum on a typical soda can. We've all mutilated a Coke can and know that it is easy to start a tear in the metal. Theoretically if you could make a true circular hole shot, stresses in the metal could be persuaded to resolve themselves around the discontinuity but most hole shots are jagged and tears propagate easily from them. So, I would have to say hole shots are not really truly and permanently repairable and may eventually lead to a tear under stress. Delaminations are problematic because Titanal doesn't even like to be adhered in the first instance and has to be etched or anodized to hold a bond with epoxy. Even the anodizing is only effective for about 3 months from the date of treatment if left exposed and permitted to oxidize. With a delamination, it would be nearly impossible to get at the surface of the metal to clean and treat it for epoxy work. In addition, the delamination would likely involve some distortion of the metal and it would be like trying to flatten a piece of aluminum foil after using it. So, again I would say delaminations are likely irrepairable in most cases. That's my amateur opinion.

Mark your calendars: Friday, February 1, 2008. Once again, this is an open invitation to a one day event at the Osler Bluff Ski Club to join the core of the Southern Ontario carving community. All ability levels are welcome but we do try to restrict the list to the alpine community. Its a great chance to meet or get back together with dedicated alpine riders on great terrain with excellent grooming. The last three sessions were a blast and this one should be no exception. I will be posting more details as we get closer to the event but this is to give you all a heads-up so that you can book the day off (or at least prepare your alibi). So block the spot in your calendar and I will look forward to seeing you there.

...there are two layers of Titanal on Coiler boards. The bottom layer is not visible from the side of the board because it is captured inside the steel edge (it sits entirely within the boundary created by the steel edge and its bonding flange. That is, the Titanal on the bottom is bonded directly to the top of the p-tex (to which the edges are also initially adhered) and is overlaid with glass. This why Bruce notes that a good shot to the edge or the bottom of the board is a threat to the Titanal and the reason one should really stay out of conditions where buried rocks might be encountered (eg. the woods or at least woods in the east). The lay-up of the board is difficult to picture but I am hoping to rectify this soon with the publication of an article on building a board with Bruce (complete with lots of pix). Stay tuned as I am in the last stages of editing and additing captions.

I could settle for a Les Paul in lieu of the $20. No, I didn't think so. My younger son will be disappointed.

Yes Darren, there will definitely be another Southern Ontario Session this year. I will be posting something in the next few weeks. It will likely be a Friday toward the end of January as with previous years (late enough for reasonable snow conditions but not so far into winter that there will be large crowds hopefully). And yes, you still owe me $20.

There's an Oxygen KR 59 Asym Regular slalom board at the ski patrol area on the mezzanine. This would be a 1998 board or thereabouts, never been mounted. It has likely been sitting in the basement of some shop since about 1999. Like the other Oxygen KR boards from that year, it has exaggerated camber. It would have about the running length of a 153 because of the Asym arrangement yet it is quite stiff. This is a fairly serious slalom race board that would suit somebody about 140-150 lbs. $90 Anyone know an aspiring AOS racer that might need this?

Post something on the Want to Buy section of the Classifieds elsewhere on this site. They were included with each set of Burton Raceplate bindings at one time. There is one major liability with these: you can't access the screws that hold the metal riser piece to the board without removing the binding and this means either a lot of trouble for the comfort of knowing your screws are tight each time you ride or the ugly option of just not checking. If you track down a set of these, make sure you get them with the original screws as these are special lengths and you won't easily find them elsewhere. Good luck.

Don't know what the thickness tolerance is for the tape but there is a very permanent high bond product made by 3M called 'VHB' tape (stands for Very High Bond). I think Home Depot sells it. It is a transperent gel tape about 1 mm thick. Best bond is produced by cleaning surfaces with alcohol and heating with a blow dryer. The resilience of the gel and the extra thickness makes the bond very durable at low temperatures.

That must be very gratifying. I love to see the local talent doing well.

..but I have to admit that you're a lot of fun too (for an American) So in the spirit of bilateral relations across the border (don't try to read anything into this you gutter-minded nasties), I have put in my vote for Stowe. There is yet one more field trip spot near Stowe that nobody has mentioned: Burke Mountain (remember Warren Weatherill? Burke Mountain Academy? 'How the Racers Ski' was where my search for the carve began). I have only been once and it was on a day where it had turned into a sheet of ice from top to bottom after a spring thaw but the terrain seemed purpose made for what we do. I have a feeling it would be epic on the right day. Anyone been? Jack, I'm really going to miss Sugarloaf. It is without question the best venue in the east.

I've sampled both and so far I'll take a hit from a skier over torpedoing a tree. Trees can do ugly things to you when you hit them at speed.