Steve Dold

I don't think the problem is hearing, I think it's zoning out and not paying attention. It happens to me in the car all the time listening to CDs or the phone. Music while riding seems safe enough if it's not too crowded and you pay attention. I wouldn't want to see a jackass law against it like the one we have in CA against driving while holding a phone.

Buttermilk is my favorite due to the easy parking, short walk from the car to the lifts, and not a lot of people. It seemed like everywhere else I went in Aspen, a lot of time was spent parking, walking, or riding gondolas trying to get somewhere (especially Snowmass). Everything about Buttermilk was easy and quick (except the Tiehack lift).

This is what happens when you drink and post. Gets even worse if you find yourself on eBay.

Yeah! And a guy with bloodshot eyes and pointy teeth holding onto a long gearshift with a skull/piston for a knob, and he's stepping on the gas pedal so hard that his foot is busting through the floorboard. THAT is a graphic. Why can't someone put that on a board? Man, that would be a ride. There are only two messages a board's graphics need to convey: 1) Rock on, and 2) Party on.

That's my problem with graphics like that. I had no idea that was supposed to be a samurai. I don't even know what a samurai has to do with snowboards. Give me graphics I can understand, like skulls with flames shooting from the eye sockets, or a guy with a guitar and a chick holding onto his leg. Those make sense.

1 or 2 are OK, not great. 3 and 4 look really dumb IMO. Most board graphics today look like someone printed some graphic on a big printer and glued it to the topsheet. They remind me of car "wraps". I miss the great look of the old F2s or the serious look of the black Renntigers. Edit: The diamondplate that Ace posted below would be interesting.

Geoff, that video was great. What camera were you guys using? I'm looking at self-contained helmet cams. For some reason I'm a much worse carver when there is a camera pointed at me. I bet I'm not alone in this!

Do the new heel receivers fit the Td-2? I always wished they were steel on my TD-2s.

I don't like to blow stop signs/lights, but it's more of a PR thing than safety. You can't do it and expect drivers to view us as peers in the traffic system. I admit that I do (rarely), but I realize that any motorist that sees me do it is going away with a somewhat dimmer view of cycling.

Maybe they are testing a cracking tool. I got one too. Or they're just bored.

Also, every skier I know goes up maybe once a tear, or less. That makes for a really cheap season! After having our first baby this year and thinking about the looming financial responsibilities, I've mostly lost the gear-buying bug. I can't believe this is me talking.

Mine sure came in handy today. I had to get something notarized during lunch. The place I went to was closed, so I hit "Maps", typed "Notary" in the search field, touched on the pin that appeared on the map, touched on the phone number to make the call, and was talking to the guy in less than a minute. Just like in the iPhone commercials :-) I updated the firmware to 2.0.1 a few days ago too, and it hasn't crashed since. Terry, thanks for the tip on the antenna.

I got mine yesterday and so far so good on the radio coverage. I get about the same amount of "picket fencing" as my Motorola flip phone in the bad areas between towns, and my friend gets dropped in the same areas on his 1st gen iPhone. One thing that really surprised me was the sensitivity of the GPS receiver and how quickly it gets a good position. It's faster than my Garmin 60 Csx and way more sensitive than my E-trex Legend. It's irritating that I can't see my Lat/Lon, but most people don't need that. So far I like this thing a lot. I haven't had anything crash yet.

That's cool. Is that what it uses with the GPS display? Can you have a street map and a satellite view? I guess since Google Earth is a Windows app, it wouldn't be something you could run on the iPhone. I forgot about that.

Does anyone here use Google Earth with the iPhone? That's one of the main things I wanted to use, but I better find out if it works. I don't know if it's Java.

I'm hoping the plastic back might also help the RF coverage, I've heard a lot of complaints about this on the old phone. My Motorola flip phone often has coverage in marginal areas when iPhones don't. I didn't get the 1st gen iPhone but I want to buy a 3G. Problem is I'm not "Eligible" for a phone upgrade from AT&T until the end of this month. Supposedly that's the only way to get the $199/$299 price, but a friend of mine went into an Apple store on the 11th and they gave him that price even though he wasn't "Eligible" yet WTF?

Hey Pebu, if your bike isn't mechanically ready to ride to work, you should try to borrow someone's bike and try it out at least once before you decide to go the powered route. You'd be surprised how much better you feel when you get to work after riding a bike, and how much you look forward to the ride home. A good road bike is nearly effortless to ride, and if it fits you and is set up correctly by someone who understands how to set up bikes, very comfortable. and really fun to ride.

I thought that Bomber's problems with Broadbent ended a while back, and that the current problem was with Boards n more.

What do you do, put the glove on and dip your whole hand in, or just paint it on the palms?

I like gloves or mittens with separate (removable) liners. That way when I need to replace them, I only need to buy new shells.

I've never seen a Pure Carve with that graphic, it looks like a cool orange racing stripe in the photo. That's a good article on bike commuting. He describes perfectly the difference in your day that riding your bike to work can make. I look forward all day to the ride home, it makes even a crappy day a good one at the end.

That's cool. Looking at those makes me think that it must have been really fun, back in the day, sawing out different shapes on a bandsaw and trying them out to see what happened.

Are Derf and I the only 1-day riders this season? Man...that's one season pass that didn't pay for itself. Oh well, there's always next season, by then our daughter will be old enough to stay at the grandparents for a day or two. I can't complain, she's worth it! But when she's old enough to complain when I won't take her boarding every single weekend, she's going to be reminded that she made me miss a whole season :|

Using two leashes to help in the event of popping out should work as long as the leashes are strong enough (and attached to something strong enough) and they have to be very short, otherwise the board can still twist around. I've seen enough standard bindings pop open, and people taking off down the hill without engaging step-ins properly, that I understand someone wanting to do this and I've thought about it too. It would pretty much negate the advantages of step-ins. Some people will tell you its not worth it, or won't work, or whatever. Screw 'em, it's your leg, do what you think is right. EDIT: But I have to add, I think all of the releases I've seen were caused by improper adjustment and/or not understanding how the binding is supposed to be set up. I think understanding how to set up the binding and checking everything for wear and fatigue (boots too) will make them very safe. I think good bindings and boots are safe but not very forgiving of poor setup or maintenance.

I thought this was kind of a useless idea at first since I usually just carry the helmet by the strap, but now I'm remembering a few days during snowstorms and having my helmet fill with fresh powder while carrying it around or sitting on the ground, so it's not a bad idea. A lightweight zippered thing that unfolds out of a pack, like the way a hood unfolds out of a jacket, something like that, might be nice to have and I've never seen one on a pack.