PaulY

Which one are you looking for? I've got a couple of the 7* ergo cants.

As Sean pointed out back on the first page, the manufacturers seem to think it's all about the kids in the park. I know an awful lot of adults that ride that will never get to to the point of being carvers or park monkeys, but just want to slide down the hill, just like most skiers. Most anyone in their 30's and beyond does not want to sit down to strap in, why doesn't the industry develop step in bindings that work? I know several that still use their Clickers and Switch systems that are falling apart but they refuse to go back to straps. I agree with PhilW about boarding being hard to master, but why not make the equipment a little more user friendly so more people can at least try it and make those first steps?

I still have my 175 Dagger with emory plates, it's dead now, no camber or pop left in it. The thing was like a giant spring when it was new, it would rocket you out of a turn, letting me really mess with my skier friends, making turns that they couldn't even begin to match.

I hear you loud and clear. I think the company had already been sold at that point. They were my favorite non alpine company because the boards were so stiff and responsive. I still ride my beat to death Sanders Design once in a while just because it's so fun (164 w/144 edge and 24 waist).

what length are you looking for? I've got a 169 that I hardly use, probably 10 days on it over the years.

I've got a one piece NorthFace powder suit, solid black, that I've had forever. I'll never be able to wear it again after seeing this thread! (and it's perfect for those epic days - warm, no air leaks anywhere and no snow up the back)

I read an article many years ago about altitude sickness. Your level of fitness has no bearing whatsoever, and it was pointed out that many that succumb are top athletes thinking they will be immune. It takes a body going from sea level to 5000' 24 hours to generate enough hemoglobin for normal oxygenation, and going from s.l. to 10,000 takes 3 days! So, yeah, take the first day easy, stay hydrated, and then go have fun.

Hey Willywhit, pulled it out of the corner and dusted it off, the one on the left is my ST183. I saw an interview with Burt where he referred to Zellers as the most underrated rider ever. (he and Zellers have been partners on many expeditions and first descents around the world)

Had to go and look; it says "Salt Lake City, Utah" right on the waist. Got it from The House, they had a lot of Winterstick inventory after the company changed hands. The new owners quit making the bigger sizes. Willywhit, was your Epic the blue or white deck? I have the white and it is still ungodly stiff, makes my Donek 169wide feel like a noodle. I loved going through pow and watching the snow spray through the rope holes.

I've got a Severe Terrain 183 and it's ok in crud, great in pow, but not so hot if the snow is hard or icy. Too much flex and sidecut, not enough torsional rigidity. I've gone for some long slides when the nose hits a chunk when cranked over. The new Tom Burt looks good; shape and specs are almost identical to my old Avalanche Epic 171 (Jim Zellers design).

Hard to pass judgement without details; who hit who? Out of control kid without parental supervision? But, yes, we are a sue happy nation.

I've got a Hot Logical 164 too,and it has more camber and pop than anything else I have and I beat the crap out of it years ago. My Alp that I bought new back in 99 shows no sign of dying. The only signs of aging I've seen on any boards, other than when they go dead and lose their camber, is discoloration in top sheets of abs, especially in white. On other products, I got an old spinning rod my dad bought back in the 40's that is fiberglass and is just fine. And there are a lot of jetliners flying overhead with fiberglass and composite panels that were built in the 60's & 70's. The only thing that goes wrong is when the protective covering is damaged, either from erosion or impact and allows sun damage and/or moisture intrusion, which leads to delamination.

Absolutely agree. The air was cold, the snow very firm. I was out this morning, left around 2 when the lines got to be too much. Spent most of my time in the meadows and highlands. Saw 1 other carver in the highlands, later saw another hardbooter ( he was riding 45/0 angles, haven't seen that in 15 years). Overheard in lift line, "Look how long that board is" referring to my Alp 171!

Sims Ace 165 (First board) Avalanche Dagger 175* (rode it so much there's no camber left) Avalanche Epic* Rossi A173 Hot Logical 163* Burton Alp 169 Burton Alp 172* Avalanche Ice Rocket Avalanche Sanders Design 164* (amazing ride, 144 edge/24 waist) Winterstick Severe Terrain 183* Coiler AM 172* Donek wide 169* * still have Other than the Sims, every board has had plates on it, altho sometimes use Flows on the Donek and the Winterstick. Still take out the Hot once in a while, it's fun to goof around on and to see the look on peoples faces. The Donek and the Coiler are the primary boards now.

I haven't been on here for a couple years, but this thread inspired me. Watched a young girl on skis careening down the hill unable to stop, shoot through the opening onto the chalet deck, across the deck and into the building, popping out of her bindings. The look on her face seemed to indicate that this was not an unusual thing for her. Last winter the gf and I were at a sliding party and hopped onto a plastic sled that was designed for probably half our weight. With no directional control we found ourselves headed for a small jump, she yelled "cowabunga"; before the last syllable left her lips the nose of the sled buried itself into the launch point, Mr Newtons laws took over and she and I flew 5-6 feet through the air then tumbled and slid for quite a ways, coming up laughing our asses off. Looking back up at the top of the hill there must have been 25 people laughing and cheering. It was a sequence worthy of Warren Miller.

Yes, it's seriously wrong, couple years ago I saw a young man with brand new Norh Face pants and jacket strapping into an old Burton AsymAir (goofy) with the bindings mounted regular - he had no clue. Duck mounted plates is like putting 22's with zero sidewall tires on an off road vehicle; looks stupid and is unfunctional. As far as neon, wish I still had my old UPS boots with the bright purple and pink parts and pieces.

Very impressive, he still has the mounting template with them. I have a set in my parts box, plus a toe piece that I bent the bail on.

They might look harsh, but think of them as form fitting supportive bucket seats as opposed to the sloppy bench seat of your soft boots. If you get some boots soon I've got a 171 Alp you can try out to get your feet wet, it's a good easy to learn on board and works ok for me at 225#. Where do you usually ride? I like Afton, especially mid week. If you don't mind the drive Lutsen should be open til mid April.

My first plate board was a 175 Dagger (still have it). Got it with some Kemper 3 straps but could never keep my heels from lifting, one of the guys at the shop where I bought it told me about plate bindings and I put on a set of Emery race bindings and found some UPS boots. Rode plates ever since til this year when I bought a Donek Wide and installed Flow bindings. It's a wonderful set-up and gives excellent control, is less taxing to spend a lot of time on than a carving deck, but I find that the hard boots give better support and long term comfort. I'll have to try plates on the Donek - Sean built it with the reinforced inserts. As far as the Dagger, ridiculously stiff, heavy and non damp but I would love to have a brand new one. I rode mine so much I took the camber and life right out of it.

That and the kids on skis doing the snowplow all the way down. My son and I were out today with the Pres Day crowd and it was pretty frustrating at times, especially on the steeper runs where the kids who shouldn't have been there were scraping all the fresh snow off down to the hardpack and ice. On a whim I had taken my Hot Logical 163. I had a grand time carving around the "meat gates", plus getting confused looks from the kids in the lift lines who have never seen an asym.

The Alps were square tails, the follow up model was the Coil with a round tail. I've had two, the 169 (the series with the animal faces), sold it and picked up the 171 which was a much better board. Still ride it occasionally for taking it easy and not pushing to hard. I have not seen any durability issues with it. Binding position might be an issue, start at the reference marks and shift the bindings back and forth - one at a time - and see if that helps.

I've got the 172/23 too, and I will say it will give you a workout. Mine is an 8.3 on Bruce's stiff-o-meter; when I took it out of the box my initial reaction was uh-oh, but the first time out was wonderful. In comparison to a race board think luxury sports car vs race car, Maserati Quatroporte vs Ferrari F1. You still don't relax and not pay attention, but it will not bite and will let you go anywhere you want. I've put myself way out of shape, thinking I'm going to crash, but just pressure that edge some more and the thing comes right back under you.

"So I think it's a matter of cleaning out the threads with a snapped off 6mm tap. No sense in our both breaking a tap, so I'll get get one tomorrow and try it. If it works, I can pass it on to you." Take a regular tap to a grinding wheel and carefully remove the tapered end section, or go back to the hardware store and ask for a bottoming tap.

Try a standard 1/4" bolt (1/4-20) for fit, that used to be common on US made boards years ago. Mervin Mfg used it as a selling point on their Gnus and Lib-Techs! Another possibility is that it was built with M6 inserts and someone retapped the holes.