csquared

There's a pair in a shop down the street here. They've been there for about 10 years I would guess. They are Burton and I am guessing they have the 3 hole disks only. They are orange and yellow plastic with manual bales. I think they want C$50 for them. If I recall the range of adjustment, they might go up to size 2??? If your son or daughter is at the bottom end of the women's shoe size range (say Women's 5), it would be better to look for adult bindings which have traditionally accommodated boots down to this size.

...anyone?...anyone?...Buhler? Standard (not step-ins), thanks.

Rob: Forget any of the production boards discussed above. They just won't work for someone of your (ahem) stature. You really need to go custom. I am sure Sean could build you a very appropriate board. Chris Prior is also eminently competent. However, Bruce at Coiler is the only one in North America that has had a few years of making and riding the EC type boards. Given that he is a fellow Canadian (and a hell of guy too), why would you go elsewhere? You're sure you want an EC board? There are many alternatives that will carve very sweetly at sub-sonic speeds. The EC boards are not exactly what one would call all-round or all-mountain boards. Many of us get what you seem to be seeking with 12 - 13 m sidecut radius boards. They're very turnable at less suicidal speeds. The key is to get one built custom that is suitable for your weight, height, generaly abiliity level, and ambitions.

I'm not ready to declare a date yet but I will be aiming for a Friday in late February. The best combination of conditions and weather seem to prevail around that part of the calendar. It will also give people time to get into their season and feel on top of the board again. There will be improvements to Lookout this year with the lower part of the run including the pitch widened by about 10' down to the Poplar Chair loading area. It was a memorable run before but it should be epic now. I may work on a limited Saturday group too. Limited because of guest count restrictions. More about this later. In the meantime, tune your gear and get yourselves back in shape.

The BMW Streetcarver weighs around 16# because of the all glass oversize board construction and the automotive grade pendulum steering mechanisms. A carrying strategy is a must because the non-trucks have no return to center and therefore dragging means a fight with the pendulum steering unless you really finesse it. I carry the board parked cross-wise in the small of my back and hook my arms over the back side of the deck. Okay, I do look like a modern day Christ carrying a cross but it works. At the end of a session my arms are as toasted as my legs.

Its not that its so easy to become a lawyer, its that lawyers in the US can take a case on "contingency". This means that a lawyer can take on a case without an hourly fee but instead receive a percentage of any settlement the court awards to his client. In essence, this means the speculative practice of legal services and it is one of the major reasons that US society is so litigious. Until recently in Canada, this practice was not permitted and I believe it still proscribed in most of the other former Commonwealth countries. I'm not a lawyer but that's the way I see it.

As you say Rob: "A frivoulous suit, to be sure, but without his "inspiration" mere creative writing could have never devised a plot so compelling." Hence my original message: truth is stranger than fiction. I can almost hear your CBC commentary during Nagano in my head. I have rerun my video tape of that race so many times. That was one of the most exciting events in sports... ever. The suspense was incredible with Fawcett's board blowing up, Jasey coming into the second run with best time from the first run but running last in the first seed, and Ross putting it all together for one and apparently final time. Its great to have you here hanging out on Bomber.

Controversy just seems to find this guy and follow him. Skategoat: I think what Jack was alluding to was the rather fractured and incorrect account of what happened to Ross in the '98 Olympics. Everyone knows the basic facts. The press just have a penchant for mangling the details as Jack points out.

...but truth is stranger than fiction: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060802.wxbcross02/BNStory/Sports/home

Bruce has been preoccupied with moving to a new house recently and it's kite-boarding season as well. His phone numbers will change but he has not posted these as yet so I can't release them here. Be patient and he will get back to you.

Gabe: Some later versions of the SB series boots have cylindrical nuts that are molded into the shell (certainly my 4 series boots are this way whereas my 2 series boots had t-nuts). I can't tell from the photos whether that is what pulled free but if the diameter of the piece left on the screws is the same as that visible inside the boot, it could be the molded-in type of insert. This may explain why some of the plastic material came with the nuts. I had noticed with my 2 series boots that a good deal of corrosion was occuring with both the screws and the t-nuts which I replaced. This could be attributable to either moisture in the boots or walking through salt-laden car parks. You really have to take apart the boots and dry them as soon as you get home if you aren't doing this already. I dry the shells upside down over a radiator if I can. I have a lot of snow entry into my front boot from snow spray and when I take them off at the end of the day the spaces between the tongue and the liner are packed with snow; same with the minor spaces around the cuff. This melts and soaks the liner during the day when I go inside or on the way home. Its makes for a perfect corrosion environment if you don't take the boots apart and dry them. Repair of the boots is a bit of an untravelled territory. You might try to talk to Dave (YYZ Canuck) Morgan about it. He can supply you with replacement t-nuts and proper screws but I don't think they will be stainless steel. If you have the moulded-in type of threaded inserts, you will have to drill these out in order to install the t-nuts. However, I think you want to take a good hard look at the damage to the plastic shell and decide whether there is enough intact plastic to resist pull-out. You may need to add oversize washers under the t-nuts to spread the pull-out loads. The threads for all boots that take Intec heels are M5 (not easily sourced in North America). Be careful. I have watched you carve and you have a very agressive forward-weighted style that puts a lot of load on your boot heels. The two screws that pulled are the ones that were taking most of that load. I think you want to be very sure of whatever the fix is or perhaps use this as a good excuse for a nice new pair of boots.

John, can you give us a referral to a good orhto? Not a lot of useful diagnosis came out of the trip to the General and Marine. Predictable air cast but not much concrete advise on next moves. I'm concerned and I think Bruce should see somebody good quickly. E-mail me here

...you don't owe me anythying. You else yourself a lot of self-pity for not making it though. Sorry to hear about the family troubles. It was a great day.

... you are confirmed for take-off. I have put your name on the list (as John Vu). See you tomorrow.

There is no night skiing / riding at Osler. At this time of year, the lifts will likely run 'til 3:45 or maybe 4:00 but it gets pretty gloomy on the hill after 3:00. Do the exam and do it well after which we will look forward to seeing you. If you stick to the high speed quad, you can do as many as ten runs in an hour but not many of us would be up to that mark (8,000 v. ft /hr!).

We are now past the 72 hour cutoff for guests in advance of the event (the club's rule, not mine). I will have to enquire tomorrow while making sad noises and apologies for having left one important person off the list. I let you know tomorrow night how it goes John. If I had to bet, I would say you have better than an even chance because the guest revenues have been fairly weak this year so far.

Just to confirm for all, here is the list that Osler will have on file for tickets: List of Guests Anatoly Andrushchenko Chris Ball Rob Cox Darren Eagles John Hevesi Chris Houghton Henry Kim Greg Marsden Beth McNally Mike McNally Colin McNally Dave Morgan Andrea Morgan John O’Brien Derek Peeling Victor Plopeanu Rob Smith Dan Stewart Rob Sydia Arthur Tateishi Bruce Varsava Imo Weinert Co-ordinators: Chris Couse John McCutcheon If your name does not appear in this list, better luck next year. This is not a public club and you won't be able to pick up a ticket on a casual basis. When you come to pick up your ticket let them you know you are part of the Southern Ontario Carvers group (okay, its not too catchy but it works for their purposes). Weather forecast looks good with some sun predicted for Friday but possibility of warmer temperatures. Here we go SOS '06.

John: Faxed the paperwork to Jenipher at about 4:30 today (after Osler office hours). Also left voicemail and e-mail for her. Hopefully the info carpet-bombing meets her needs. I will be offline for the next two days. Maybe you can call and see if she is still confused. I'm not surprised about the workmate-on-the-deck stickiness. I will bring my portable bench for the day and set it up in the race room. The so-called snowboard vises are of the wobbly non-clamping variety. Any snowboard swapping / test-pilotting is strictly on an at-your-own-risk basis. We don't have those carefully worded waiver forms that they use at SES / ECES. Provided that is clear, have fun and don't hurt yourself or anyone else.

I have to travel this week so I am going to try to get all of this down for everyone tonight. If you need driving directions you can find them here. I am sure that there will be many people coming from the Toronto area and you could probably snag a ride if you need one or want companionship. You will be looking for the main lodge. The drive to the main lodge has the Osler Bluff sign out by the road. There is a second lodge which is quite close to the road called the Orchard Lodge (we met there last year). You will only be able to pick up tickets at the main lodge. The lodge is the most prominent building once you are in the parking lot. The ticket window is in the passage under the building that passes from the parking lot area to the base of the hill. Your ticket will be reserved under your name and you will be paying for it at the window (cash or visa). You will also be signing a waiver. If I don't have your name, its too late and you won't be riding. If you enter the lodge by the doors adjacent to the ticket window, you will find lockers and changing facilities. Be nice, leave your board outside (stuff rarely gets stolen at Osler but if you want to lock up go ahead). Lifts should start running between 8:15 and 8:30. If you are there early enough, we will ride up at 8:30 on the high-speed quad. The best riding in the morning will be on the Orchard side (southeast end of the club or left side as you look up the hill) which will get any early sun there might be. This is also a good place to get limbered up and build confidence before hitting the tougher stuff. Snowridge is a good warm up. Exhibition and Valley can keep me amused for hours. The Gulch can be a lot of childish fun with a group. The Orchard has a perfect pitch down the right hand side if you are just learning your technique for steeper terrain. If the light is good, we should shoot some video on the pitch of Exhibition. The runs around the main high speed quad will tend to get more skier traffic and will get cut up faster. If you are feeling confident, take your runs on these hills early before the ski groups arrive. Slalom will challenge your steep technique to the max. Sleighride is good for steady pitch rates with no appreciable cross fall but watch the chop in the middle of the hill as the groomers always seem to leave a ridge down the middle. Rattler is like a boardercross without the gates. Marshall is a good confidence builder but watch out for ski classes. We will meet at the Upper Chalet at 12:00 for lunch. The Upper Chalet is at the top of the high speed quad. If you pack a lunch, remember to bring a backpack. There is limited food service at this chalet but you should be able to find something you can eat. In the afternoon, I would suggest we head over to the north side of the hill where the Poplar chair is. This side of the club sees very light traffic usually and is in good shape most afternoons. Also the light gets better on this side after lunch. Shaws Run, Lookout, Breakaway are all great runs. If the light is good, we should shoot video on Lookout or Shaws. If you start at 8:30, you are likely going to be thinking fondly of something wet and cold by 2:30. We will start meeting at the main lodge at around this time. At 3:30 I am guessing that everyone will likely be off the hill as the light gets really miserable after 3:00. If anyone has gear to sell / swap / or just show off, we will be getting together in the "race room" at 3:45 to 4:45. The race room is directly under the ski shop (in the building to the right of the main lodge as you face the hill); enter by the sliding door that faces the parking lot and the race room is immediately on the right. There are benches and tuning equipment there. If anyone needs tuning tips I am sure that we can arrange an impromptu demo. Then its back to the main lodge for whoever is left and interested in a beer. If you have an FRS radio, tune if to channel 7 / 21 (for no other good reason than the fact that mine is already tuned there). Photographers, bring your cameras. Videographers bring your gear. There are no demos organized but if you want to share the love with your brother (or sister) carver, feel free. The race room (mentioned above) is a good place for repairs or adjustments but you should bring your own tools. Looking forward to this. Lets hope the weather holds.

The rumours are true. A bumper crop of the white stuff last night. It made for a difficult day out today but it will be great by the end of the week if the weather holds. The new stuff was damp and heavy so it isn't going anywhere once they get it groomed in tonight and the base under it is hard but moist so it should bond well. Weather for the coming week looks reasonable with flurries most days but some mild temperatures. I have been a bit silent because I was concerned about whether there was going to be anything left to ride on. However, based on the snowfall today, I think Friday should be okay. So, back to Plan A. We ride Friday Will post more details this week on meeting places, times, hills we will be riding, radio frequency etc.. Have to send the contract and the list of names Monday morning.

Veector: Osler has the highest vertical drop of the Collingwood hills at 800 vertical feet They are all pretty close to this but Osler's part of the escarpment doesn't start out with that typical minimal slope table land drop for the first 100 feet so the real riding starts right from the chair terminus. The runs are mostly blue with a few black runs that have 400 foot drop pitches. Most of the runs have ample width for carving and the grooming and snow conditions are quite good (to the extent that the weather cooperates). The club works well for carvers of all ability levels but I think experienced carvers get the most pleasure. Being a private club, the traffic is light and the skiers are mostly of a high ability level (less issues with novice skiers in the way but more issues with racers and pretend racers running you down). You could visit the club web site here for more info but the web site is not that informative.

Apologies, I mis-reported the ticket price (sigh). For Fridays it is $50 (the $40 is Monday through Thursday). If you all want to pull out, I wouldn't blame you.

This year it is going to be known as the McNally Clan Session. Welcome to the MCS everyone. Sorry about the sarcasm Beth. Yes, Colin can come. Fear not Rob Sydia, you know I know you. I was just trying to be discrete with names here because not everyone likes to be public with such things. Watch for updates next week and if you have any contacts in high places make a plea for snow.

.. I need your last name for the guest list.

Okay, here (courtesy of our friend YYZ and with a few late additions) is the list as it stands right now. 1,2 csquared & friend 3 Skategoat 4 John O'Brien 5 Ruhtra 6 ARCrider 7 Greg Marsden 8 pmWizard 9 John H 10 Rob-CanCarve 11 Chris Ball 12,13 Beth, Derek 14 Rob Smith 15 Mike McNally 16 Dan Stewart 17 Darren Eagles 18 Veector 19 Imo 20,21 Andrea & Dave Morgan 22 Anatoly (Tolik) 23 Bruce Varsava 24 Chris Houghton (I presume) We are over the 20 target but I think we can swing it. However, I am going to close the list at this point. Apologies to anyone who missed this post early enough to get on. VEECTOR, IMO, ANATOLY, I need your real names to go on the ticket list (I know the rest of you). When you arrive on January 27, you will only be able to pick up a ticket if your name appears on the guest list for the day. BETH & DEREK, you need to remind me of your last names and I think you mentioned that you wanted to bring a relative (need his name). Some changes: the ticket office will be collecting the $40 price of your ticket for the day. In addition to paying for your ticket, you will be required to sign a waiver form (this is standard procedure for mid-week groups at the club). I will post more updates the week of the event so stay tuned. Oh yes, pray for the weather to improve. Its looking grim for the coming week.