NateW

You'd probably be amazed to learn how many handguns don't have safeties these days. For example: http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-2491.html In Blackhawk Down there's a scene where one soldier says to another, "hey man, your safety's off." The other soldier points to his own head and says, "this is my safety." Opinions differ, of course. I'd rather have safety, and I use a leash, but I can see why some people don't.

I used to ride 324s and was very happy with the flex. Now I'm in UPZ RTRs with the "soft" tongues. They're much stiffer than my 324s. At first I thought they were way too stiff, and was riding them with the top buckle undone. Now I've got all the buckles tight and I think they're only slightly too stiff. I was surprised how quickly I got used to them. So I can only conclude that it doesn't really matter much to me. But I might start cutting at the tongues to see if I can get more flex out of them anyway.

I just swapped in a set of older translucent rings tonight. To clarify what I meant but 'flowing out from under the cant disc,' here are some pictures. I'm hoping that the older rings last longer, but I have purple and red on hand if they don't. The suspension kit does such a good job, I don't think the ring durometer makes that much difference anyway.

26.5 and 27.0 if I recall correctly. I lost my ruler. I'm using thermoflex liners too by the way, I should have mentioned that. How do you feel about the length of the Deeluxe boots you have now? I'm pretty sure Deeluxe's 27.0 and 27.5 boots use the same shell, just a thinner liner in the 27.5. I think that's also true for UPZ but I don't really know.

I'm not sure it would help. In my case, it seems like the ring is just flowing out from under the cant disc, and the only reason its tearing is that the nubs won't follow the rest of the ring's outward motion.

I saw a guy on one of those riding a halfpipe today, doing airs out about waist-high, with some alley-oops thrown in for good measure. And yes I realize it's April 2nd. This is for real! :)

Awesome. :) I was riding up the lift a couple weeks ago surveying my arcs and I heard someone on the chair behind me say, "was that a snowboard?"

I spend almost all of my time in the park going from jump to jump. Occasionally I sneak in an off-piste run or a carving run but then it's back to the park... I had no end of trouble with toe-lever bindings, including TD1s. I don't think the problem is the toe lever but rather the interface between the boot's heel ledge and the binding's heel bail. If you set the binding way-too-loose and try to tilt the boot sideways with your hands you will probably see how the heel ledge works its way out from the bail. I think the same thing happens with properly tensioned bindings if you land way-too-hard (e.g. hitting a kicker with not enough speed and landing flat on the knuckle). So I went to Intec, and have been very happy with that setup (with one exception, coincidentally I just mentioned it in another thread).

I've always just stuck it in a duffel or backpack. The Spyder Govy mentioned earlier is a really nice backpack: http://www.bergsskishop.com/spyder/backpacks-p4588c2253.html IMO helmets are easy, boot transport is the tricky thing. The Govy has been out of production for a while and I felt really lucky to find one on a shelf at a shop last fall. I changed the boot attachments slightly so they use carabiners instead of the clips and elastics that it came with. I have another similar backpack that uses fastex clips to secure the boots and I like that the best, but it doesn't have the bunch-of-extra-storage-compartments that the Govy has. Your son should find one of those, clone it, use fastex clips for the boots, and advertise it better. I can't believe Spyder stopped making these things. I don't ride with a backpack, I just like being able to carry everything out to the car at once. :)

Many years ago I had a double premature ejectulation and the leash broke too. (POS Burton bindings, never again.) But I have worn two leashes at times. For the last ~10 years or so I've been using leashes that are made of metal cable - Dakine made them, they have a combo lock so you can attach your board to a rack while you're in the lodge. So they're stronger than the usual piece-of-string design. I've never had ejectile dysfunction while riding with these leashes so I don't really know if they are strong enough, but I think they are. I've worn two when I was trying to dial in the right sole length on my standard TD1 bindings. I later switched to step-ins and after a couple/few years I had an Intec heel pin crack, and while it didn't release it did worry me. I've heard from one other guy who had that happen, and for both of us it happened on the first day riding with a brand new pair of heels, so now I always double-leash for the first couple days on a new set of Intec heels. A couple years ago I bought some climbing rope and carabiners with the intent of making a super-robust pair of leashes (no question, this setup would be strong enough for sure), but I never got a round tuit.

I have Raichle 324s and UPZ RTRs both in size 27 and the length is the same as far as I can tell. The UPZ is a bit wider, the Raichle has more room around the ankle. I have wide(ish) feet and scrawny ankles, so I'm much happier with the UPZs. I tried UPZs in 26 but couldn't get enough length. Was just about to try heating/stretching the shell, but got 27s instead and have been pretty happy with them.

Also, happy April Fool's day. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. :)

They were damaged beyond repair in shipment. I demand my money back.

You're talking about the newer solid-yellow rings, am I right? Mine are shredded too. I think that a stiffer ring will last longer, and with a suspension kit the ride should still be good. Will begin to test that theory tomorrow. :)

Bummer.

The 1st generation of yellow TD2 e-rings was sort of translucent. If you have a pair you'd like to part with, or trade for red (hard) or purple (medium) rings, let me know. My super-soft solid yellow e-rings are coming apart, so apparently I need to go a little stiffer. EDIT: I forgot to mention, the email address on my bomber profile is broken right now, so use this address instead: delaminator at gmail dot com Thanks!

Thanks for the tip King. I bought some Vibra-tite based on your mention of it in my binding-screws-coming-loose thread. It should be here next week. If anyone else is interested, Vibra-tite and Loctite crayons are both available thru http://www.mcmaster.com.

I'll take them. You've got mail.

I've been clocked at 50 before, and I was going near that fast trying to carve circles on Wednesday. Probably 40 or so. Only made 270 degrees, so I wouldn't be surprised to find that 50mph is what it takes.

Worth repeating! Also, I find carving easier (both sides) with my stance centered. I rode for years with my stance a couple inches back, and switched a few years ago, and I think it helps. I'm more comfortable keeping my weight centered vs. keeping my weight forward.

a) go for it. b) keep an eye on the 'for sale' forum here, you should be able to find bindings for under a hundred or less, and a board for $200 or less. Maybe significantly less. Ski boots will work, and some people actually like them, but I think you'll be better off getting snowboard boots. Used snowboard boots show up for sale fairly often here.

It boggles my mind that sub-10-meter radius is considered acceptable for softbooters who ride fast. So it seems to me that boards like that 161 really ought to be common... But how does the average softbooter (ok, better and faster than average) feel about riding a 161 with a 13m sidecut radius? Do they "get it" or does it just confuse them? A couple/few years ago, Lib had some sort of write-in contest looking for ideas for their new boards, and I told them to put 12-15m sidecuts on freeride boards. They didn't listen, obviously. :) But I really think that one day, the (softboot) world will realize what they've been missing.

Using TD2s and suspension kit, I find that I have to pop the top off the binding and tighten the screws that go into the board, about every 3-4 days of riding. There's usually a loose one, which means I should probably be doing this every other day. Anyone got suggestions to keep those screws tight all season?

I did a couple of 270 carves yesterday. It's driving me nuts. After the first 180 I've usually lost a lot of speed and for 180-270 it's hard to keep the board on edge. It seems like the more speed I carry in, the more speed I lose in the first 90 degrees, and I end up with a 270 every time. I have to try decambering the board I guess. Plain old carving just isn't going to do it for me.

Congratulations, Pat! This is one of the coolest things I've seen on Bomber. :)