Dave*

Dave* is a big fan of cold weather motorcycle gloves. They are built much burlier than the average snow sport glove, most come with the pre curve built into the fingers already, I also like if possible leather on the high wear areas, what is given up in waterproofing is made up for in abrasion resistance and ease of repair. My favorites are sadly no longer made , the Icon "patrol" glove , outer was a mix of leather and schoeller material with kevlar stiching, has a removable fleece liner. lots of knuckle armour. Mine have lasted about four seasons with lots of shoegoo and various P-tex palm sliders attached. I plan on getting another season out of them. Should have bought ten sets. Currently breaking in some Teknic gloves , before hitting the hill I p-texed the palms and shoegooed some extra 5mm thick cowhide over my left drag knuckles, they work well, not a removeale liner however. Have some Marmot ( model unknown ) schoeller/leather/armour knuckles that are holding up well. Experimented with some firemans extraction gloves (Ringers brand ) schoeller outer, BBF proof, and kevlar stitching and patches, they show promise I should have gotten bigger size to allow a thicker fleece liner that I later added. They work great for spring warmer weather riding, In true monsoon rain conditions encountered here in the PNW nothing beats the old neoprene work gloves. My normal habit is to carry a couple sets of gloves to the hill and switch out if necessary at lunch time. If into the shoe goo / ptex mods do it when the gloves are brand new before any waterproofing treatments etc get put on , you will get much better bonding. I thought I had the magic solution this year with spray on truck bed liner for wear points on pants/jackets /gloves, sadly too brittle and flakes off with the amount of bending in the fabric/leather, also it didnt wear near as well as a ptex patch on the gloves. Dave*

The 07/08 season recap About 85 -87 days total 73ish Cypress 1 night ride at Grouse with the "crew" after work 12ish Whistler/Blackcombs All in all a great season, good days far out numbered the so so days ( only a few this year), lots of powder, my carving has "improved" if we can call it that, suffice it to say Dave* has a style unique unto himself, kind of like a mountain gorrilla thrashing around in the forrest. Have to admit I did lose the fire to ride once May rolled around so didnt hit the 100 this year. Highlights , late season powder in the "deathstar section" of Cypress with Rod the softbooter, Pete the liftie, and George ( aka Crucible), had a ton of fun at the BlueB organized WES, any day carving it up with the Cypress regulars BlueB/Roy/Pierre//Ruwi/Geoff the instructor kid , like BlueB said watching Roy progress from last year to where he is now, the day my MP3 player came up with AC/DCs Back in Black on random play just as I nosed over into #4 real name Black on Black, that one made me giggle the whole way down. The day Johnnie the terrain park guy got his entire park build crew to try and follow me carve for carve down a blue groomer ( they actually followed for three laps ), almost meeting Alexa Loo ( I was too awestruck to say hello ), shooting the s^t with Mark Fawcett about powder boards of all things, a few half days riding with Chris Prior ( makes me want to improve to his level) etc ... the list could go on. Quotes of the year came from the aussie girl I was riding with when I started alternating laps with Geoff the instructor-"Why are you teaching the instructor?" ,, the cranky old guy who said " I hope you arent showing these kids how to leave those goddamn trenches in the snow",, Chris Prior who said " thats the cheapest I have ever sold a new board for,, ever( laughing the whole time) ",,,,BTW thanks Chris.... Ride of the year award : Prior Titanal Fatjack Sexiest looking board award: Dupraz D1++ Moment of terror- almost killing George in a classic episode of vectors gone bad. Stupidest move/How far can you drive with a Prior Ti board just sitting on top of your roof and not have it fall off, Creekside to fucntion junction, I got lucky there. Dave*

Check out the Norco CCX series, I opted for the CCX 1 just because it had the Avid cable operated discs. ( I am not a fan of rim brakes of any kind) They also make a higher gruppo version but it has canti brakes, I believe actual disc brakes not legal for Cylocross racing, rules may have changed by now? Also looked at were Lemond, Devinci,KHS, and a few Italian brands of which brands I cant remember. I am really liking the cross bike for around town with a set of platform pedals. Dave*

A rare photo of me this spring at Cypress in some spring slush, photo emailed to me by Rod the softbooter. Sure people can ride, but my hat is off the the guys that can take a picture, I cant take a decent snowboarding picture to save my life. Dave*

Excellent thead idea It will be interesting to see how regional climates impact gear choice. I ride a lot , every possible day, have averaged around 100 day seasons the past 9-10 years ( only going to tag around 90 this year) most of my riding is in wet coastal conditions, a cold day for me is minus 10 celcius, a warm day could be Tee shirt weather in the spring, to pissing rain, I will ride in any condition. Lets start from the bottom up Socks- only one choice for me, Ultimax polyprop liner socks, the thinner the better. Base layer- you get what you pay for, thumbs up to Marmot, patagonia, Northface , have tried some cheaper stuff ie MEC but it gets smelly just looking at it. Mid layers- I use everthing from thin polarfleece up to thin synthetic fill "puffy jacket" , what gets used depends on temp. I do have an old salomon wool tech sweater that I really like as well as a Burton synthetic light puffy that I have had for a few years and really like. Outer Shell- I have a ton of stuff ranging from Arcteryx to Solomon and everything in between. My only requirements are weaterproof/breathable and fully seam sealed. Most worn -Pants- bonfires from a few years back, great pocket design, cheap, great venting, fairly durable, one solid color, no flash. should have bought a few more sets they arent making this model any more. -Jacket- Most worn has been Helly Hansen, good pockets, one color, adequate venting, removable hood. have hammered the snot out of this thing for three seasons and only now showing signs of wear in key wear areas ( more on this later) Gloves- standard gloves get scorched pretty quick with me, all end up modded with shoe goo/Ptex/leather/kydex etc -pretty much only use cold weather motorcycle gloves now - favorites have been the Icon "patrol" glove, have a set that have lasted three years with some heavy modding. -am experimenting with Teknic cold weather gloves and Ringers "extraction" gloves right now ( made for firemen/rescue personel), schoeller fabric/kevlar BBF proof. Helmet- as Crucible mentioned Dainese "raptor" full face , it fits my cranium Goggles- I keep going back to the Spy blizzards, I rig mine with "Quick Straps" made by Roko. Key wear points on all my gear has been evolving from -Gloves, palm on the right, knuckles on the left then - Pants, left hip, right knee, progressing to left thigh and now left calf -Jackets, forearms to elbow getting burned off I would love to see some carve specific gear built to address these wear points , maybe some addable ptex patches that stick on via velcro like motorcycle racing leathers knee sliders. Its gotten to the point I might have to learn how to drive a sewing machine as duct tape , iron on patches, sail repair tape, and spray on truck bed liner material aint cutting it. I guess the other option would be changing the riding style but I just dont see that happening. Dave*

Ola Tenor, Thanks for the pic, On my old trident Rattraps I just used used some of my favorite 1/8th rubber gasket material with some G10/Micarta slabs I had laying around . The skateboard bushings look much tidier and probably give more. Great idea, I think I might have some oldies kicking around too. Dave*

Just a quick clarification as to Cypress and the speed control ( note ski patrol never an issue, they re to busy actually doing things, and I think recognize controlled riding ) Most of the Cypress Speed Control guys are okay, there is exactly one woman who is a f^&*()g idiot that I think we have all had issue with. On Cypress there are really only two places that they hang out at and they are needed there, the "Collins Corner" and "Panorama Corner" with the Panorama corner being a real scary bottleneck with it being the new entrance to Raven . Now the raven Chair crosses right over panorama corner and you know when the speed control are sitting there, its not rocket science, go slow past them. So up Raven chair , see the Speed Control, decide to head in for lunch which means a ride in front of the Speed Cop, so very slow we go......... As I approach this boneheaded Speed Control woman starts jumping up and down like the proverbial organ grinders monkey waving her poles at me.. I stop thinking what the hell , I was behaving myself, I just got passed by three people in plain site of this woman, She comes up to me wound right up , squawking about slowing down, " I've seen you guys riding over at midway" etc. ( perfectly legal place to be an idiot BTW) Now internally I was fuming, however I have discovered in the workplace the more wound up your adversary the calmer you should stay(easier said than done, I can last about 4 minutes), so I simply asked if I was "speeding just now around this section" , this took her aback and I had to ask the question 5 times, she finally admitted that no I wasnt, so it was on to "why are you stopping me", and again with the "I have seen you ride before on other parts of the hill", my response was "are there speed controls in those sections", answer "no" , I then asked the question of "do I ever ride out of control?" her response "no" By this time I was POed to the max and had decided enough is enough , so I told the silly b#(^h "I am no longer speaking with you , talk to me when I have actually done something" and rolled away.. Of course I always think of the best thing to do 5 minutes later, I had my camera on me , should have videoed the exchange , then hauled her ass to the mountain manager , got her canned , then worked a few perks my way for being the target of harrasment. Ahhh hindsight is 20/20. That has been my one and only encounter this year at Cypress, I am pretty sure the same individual has gone after BlueB and some of the other crew as well. Dave*

Henry thanks for putting up your Dupraz thoughts. Looks like we came to similar conclusions on the 6.0 , I think the only difference is probably our body weight ( I am sitting around 235 lbs right now) , there are a few freeride boards that cower in the corner when they see me coming with plates n HB s in hand. To answer Boris's question as to tight SCR , not a problem for me, and for tree riding a bonus. I did get around to trying out the 178 Spearhead for about 1.5 hours on similar condtions to what I had the Dupraz on, Not quite the float, more eff edge, slightly longer SCR, wider waist, and I think maybe a slightly softer tail than Dupraz. I think the Spearhead might be a slightly more versatile all around board than the Dupraz. I think I would prefer the Dupraz for strictly powder/treeriding. The spearhead I can get built up stiffer with extra reinforcing around the inserts to handle plates, the Dupraz stuck with what comes from factory. End verdict on a scale of 1-10 Dupraz = 7.5 Spearhead =7.6 Spearhead wins by a very slight nose just based on slightly better all mtn versatility, less changing of my riding style, and the fact I can get one built to my specs/weight. **looks wise the Dupraz takes the cake for sure** Which will I buy next season, whichever one is the least amount of cash Dave*

I am glad to see everyone had a good time on sunday. Gtanner- yup I took a few pics, however my pitiful camera skill combined with an excited crew did not make for great shots, picture taking on the hill is much like herding frightened cats, it aint easy, will have to sit down when more time and edit and shrink a few for posting, maybe in a few days. S.Goat- I put my review of the Dupraz over in the Cypress thread, I have pretty much stopped posting in the general forums, local only for me, my flame proof underwear is over in the drycleaners, I would be curious to see how your impression of the Dupraz stacked up with mine. Gear destruction- three days of hero groom have toasted another set of pants , another set wafer thin on the left hip. No rock dingers on the board,,, yippee! Riding styles-Cool to see the various styles everyone has developed and is currently developing, we had everything from old school race to full on euros going on ( I have no idea about my own style , lets call it ,,,,,, Mountain Gorrilla ), the chair lift people seemed to enjoy the show , not sure if anyone but me noticed the heads snapping around when the crew went by. Most improved rider- my vote goes to goes to Roy, I dont think I can lose Roy on the hard pack anymore, Congrats buddy, you are doing in two years what took me about ten to do. Los Cholo es muy andale'. Gear testing- rode the old Fatjack all day sunday " and one board shall rule them all" , (amazingly I did not have to inflict swift and blinding violence in the lift lines for people tromping on it) .... I did try the 178 Spearhead on friday, I am torn as to what I would prefer for my preferred aboreal powdery habitat of the silverback lowland mountain gorrlla, Spearhead vs Dupraz?? Mountain encounters- does having a fist fight with a horny grouse on friday count? Second time in three years. Gear acquisitions- yup that new Prior Proto is going to be a handful, am looking at the binder selection and stomp pad selection as we speak, will hopefully test it out on friday or saturday , I will give a bit of a review over in the Cypress thread if I survive the encounter!, .... I would like to thank Chris Prior for hooking a brother up as well as he did , a very class act indeed! I guess my truck really is becoming the "Prior R & D test Vehicle" This may impact the old dupraz/spearhead decision. "Spring" truck camping- I would like to thank Asolo ,the makers of my minus 20C rated sleeping bag, and my fine layer of winter blubber for keeping me nice and toasty down to an honest minus 15 celcius , word of advice take spare boot liners, almost gassed my self warming them up under the trucks heater in the morning. We shall paraphrase Robert Duvall from Apocalypse Now " I love the smell of season end boot liners in the morning....... It smells like .. Napalm" 188 Burner - I too was laughing my A## off following Boris the first few hundred meters, it looked like he was trying to furl out a spinnaker while reefing in the mizzen mast and yanking on the yardarm simultaneously, he got it dialled pretty quick, better than I can say for myself when I owned that damned thing. Season End- hell no , Dave* is going to flog this season right to june 08 2008, can you say " hello springboard" " hello 100 days".

A few things to add 1) Intuition liners- world headquarters is here in Vancouver right under the south end of Cambie bridge, Rob n Crystal very nice folk and will form them in house , that is assuming you dont need shell punching. Google up "Intuition Sports" for contact info. 2) FanatykCo up in whistler has a few guys that I would recomend , specifically Scotty Gillis, they have done some shell punching and a few thermo cooks for me with good results . Dave*

Ola Jeff, Welcome to the left coast. I have to agree with pretty much everything that George has to say. One key thing that pops up in my eyes for west coast riding is your binding boot set up ,, "stiff" IMHO is not the way to go for the mixed condtions you will hit out here ( keep the flamethrowers down boys ) a set of raceplates, snow pros, F2s, or my last choice TD2s yellow with susp kit underneath is the way to go , that little bit of flex makes the boonie bashing/powder riding go just that little bit easier. Now it sounds like you have the carving end of the spectrum covered pretty well with a bigger FP and a Goode SL so now the recomendations for our coastal conditons in order of priority to fill in the holes in thine quiver . My first suggestion is a 171 ATV adjusted in stiffness to your weight n riding style, I have a literal armada of decks to choose from and this got approx 50% of my riding days this season. This will cover all conditons quite well from powder to slush to hardpack and everything in between. My second suggestion is the good old 4x4 ( I favor the 179 ) not quite as versatile as the ATV for off piste but it does amaze the jibbers as to where I can take it, prob to close to your FP however to make it my 1st pick for you. I spent approx 15% of my days on one of my two 179s. My third suggestion is a stiff FR or BX style for the powder days and a bit of the old fat deck carving with plates on the packed powder or slush days.( we are getting into the luxury quiver now), My fourth suggestion is one of two that I dont own but recently demoed both , either a 178 Prior spearhead or the Dupraz 6.0 ++ , these could possibly be in my own humble opinion the ultimate coastal tree weapons. The Dupraz for strict powder/tree performance, the spearhead for a bit more all mtn versatility. ( am leaning to the Spearhead for myself as I can get it built with the special Dave* flex,, think big boned ) Out here you will be getting a lot more powder and or "wet cement powder" days than out east so gear up accordingly to fill in the blanks in your quiver. Also dont write the season off yet , the three local hills are closed but Blackcomb is open to June 08 2008 this year and winter is in full effect up there, it was around minus 12 C this fine morning, I am planning on hitting it up at least 1-2 days a week till season end, give a heads up if you want to come. Dave*

The April 19th 2008 whistler report 0920 in telecom shack warming up. Fricken cold minus 12c, blue bird, fast cord, Roboteye is here. Lifts open 0800 on weekends BTW. Dave*

The Dupraz D1 6.0 ++ ride report. Got a fresh Dupraz straight out of the wrapper from Yohann of Underground Tuning (604-905-9892), he gave it a fresh coat of pricey race formula wax and let me do my business for set up. Fit n Finish, a cosmetic bleb in my test rigs top sheet, and a few uneven bevels on the top sheet around the nose. Otherwise per standard. I did my usual routine, 50fr 45r, flat flat, with the back binding as far back as possible, 22 inch stance. Ran the Burton Carbon Raceplates. Hand flexing this thing , if grabbed by the nose it feels very soft, if grabbed by the front part of the effective edge that actually contacts the snow its stiffness is about the same as a standard freeride deck, Didnt have a tape measure that measured in mm only standard so you can do the math -nose width 12 3/8ths inches -waist 10 1/8ths inches -tail 11 3/4 inches plus about 1 mm So lots of taper , with the widest part of the nose/start of eff edge only about 15-16 cms in front of my front toe which had about 3 cms underhang, front heel about 1.5 cms underhang ( think tight sidecut and where boot sits) rear foot just inside the edges. To the slopes we go. Very firm hardpack on piste with a few cms of dust on crust off piste, about minus 8 degrees C. Started off on the groomies to see what this thing could do It actually carves very well providing you ride it centered, by the second lap I was dragging body parts on some very firm snow, there just is not enough efective edge or stiffness out front to ride it "alpine" style, The board would actually finish up a carve nicely which surprised me considering how much taper it has, ( I am now rethinking taper, all other heavy taper boards I have ridden have been Khyber/Fish/Northshore which have soft stubby tails), At high rates of speed on hardpack all that nose hanging out in front not touching snow could get to "flapping" a la the Rossi Undertaker/4807 Managed to find a stash of windblown powder about 15cms on top of crust, this thing has some float to it. not as much as a 185 Undertaker but more than a 178 4807. Now me being me I had to go thru some trees ( not the smartest move it was kind of bulletproof underneath) , this thing flicks thru the tight stuff as easily as my 162 Option Northshore. Very maneuverable, and it can go switch unlike the Undertaker or the 4807. At the end of the day down to the village got some slush at lower levels, this thing rips the schmoo, that gradual nose just smooths things right out in the chop. So what we have here is a powder deck that can do hardpack reasonably well, has the float of a 185 Rossi undertaker with the tree ability of a Burton fish. Also no worries of snapping off a tail. As to looks, sure looks cool, aussies love it " oy mate its a surf board", and some hippy looking back country dude stopped me to get a picture of the "old school board" ( I didnt have the heart to tell him it was a brand new fresh out of the wrapper deck) I definitly prefer the Dupraz to the Undertaker, 4807, Khyber, Fish, or the Northshore for my riding style . Would I buy one? Not yet, I have to demo the Spearhead this friday. Dave*

Now if Chris n Deaner front me some coin the truck could become the official "Prior R & D Test Vehicle", hell I might even wash it. Until then I will continue to play the field with some other makes , now if only Bruce V or Sean M would swing me the sweet deals....... Now where should I put my ride review of that Dupraz,

The one on the left was a bit more versatile and ride friendly with the slightly wider waist The one on on the right was much quicker side to side with the narrower waist and required a much more forceful input to get full performance ....... Get yer minds out of the gutter I was talking about the Proton.

The April 16 2008 Whistler report. Fresh home from up there , the traffic gods were on my side on the home journey , as well as the construction gods, only one 2min delay. Did my usual routine of loading at 0815, up top by 0840hrs Temps at roundhouse ( 6030ft ) around minus 8c. Groomers were a beautiful smooth, fast, firm hardpack. Nicer than yesterday , if it continues below zero c it should just keep getting better, Visibilty in general good to moderate, a little fog hanging in the red chair valley from upper franz's down, clear once over the hump to Garbo side and down. Chris P came up for a few laps on a new proto 183 titanal WCR, sweet looking deck, very different than 1st n 2nd gen titanals. Rode to 1330 at which time legs tired so one last rip to valley floor and back to Van, at 1330 temps around minus 2-3ish at roundhouse, zeroish at bottom green, plus 1 at midstation, plus 4-5ish at valley floor, snow starting to schmoo up from mid down. Dave* out

Ola Guys, Just home ( for <24hrs ) from whistler after a 3 day riding, 2 nighter, First off Cypress/Grouse guys its cold in the AM compared to what we are used to, so dress accordingly, its felt like minus 8c the past few days at 0835. Potential for fresh if precip hits Vancouver , If no new expect some hero cord , the grooming was awsome this AM, cold n fast warmed to about minus 3c by 1330 in the alpine, getting above zero from midstation down, board up accordingly. Rocks minimal from mid station up except for skiers left of upper franz's, a few little scrapy patches coming thru. Not sure what to pack? I know all you guys have 4x4s, that is the safest bet if not in the mood for boardswapping. Village busy, hills very quiet ( although mid week) and that is applying to whistler and blackcomb sides. I laughed when I over heard a few of the locals squacking about "ice", if Dave* can set an edge it aint ice. Last sunday was the first melt freeze cycle those spoilt whistlerites have had all season.!! Remember folks they actually start loading at 0815hrs ( website says 0830hr , it lies) and it takes approx 25 min+- to get to roundhouse either from village or from the creekside, get there early and save some time . Demo tent city will be up outside roundhouse Fri/Sat/Sun Dave* will be heading back up early friday morning for another 3 day session of riding and truck camping. My travel quiver will consist of a 179 4x4, a 171 ATV, and the 177 Fat Jack. Dave* out

The April 15 2008 Whistler Telecom room report Cold, minus 8c +- in the alpine, sunny with cloudy patches, better cord today, still dust on crust off piste, if this keeps up should be stellar carving conditions for the 20th. Demoing the Dupraz D1 6.0 ++ , this is an impressive piece considering I am hammering it on stuff its not designed for, look for full report on it when I get back to Van. Ending Dave* report

The April 14 2008 at 1045 hrs Whistler Telecom Room Report Its 1045hrs and Dave* was freezing his a## off, so in to the com room we go.( heat, blessed heat,,,,,,, note to self dress warmer ) Its full on winter up here, minus 2 c , snowing, about 10cms accum on top of some very firm pack underneath ( I can set an edge so its not ice ) , it was apparently very warm yesterday so this is day one of a melt freeze, tommorrow should be great carving if it stays below zero. Creekside deserted, village busy, mountain very quiet today. Ending Dave* report

The April 12 2008 Report Totally different day than yesterday. Sunny, very warm started off around plus 3 c increasing to plus 10-15C I would guess. Ended up going to truck for a "poor mans hotwax" ( aim black base into sun , dry rub n let er melt in ) getting rid of jacket etc, went back out in short sleeves thought better of it, so back to gift shop , now have souvenier hoody, even that was to warm. Also went incognito in the half shell bucket. On piste = schmoo Off piste by 1200hrs = bottomless isothermic schmoo Things got very choppy quickly, also very sloppy, gotta love spring bumps. Of course a perfect day for picture taking , guess what I forgot.... Bumped into Roy for the later morning early aft. Got to try the racers line from launch platform to finish after they were packed up and gone, I just wont say how I got there. Its amazing what a little ?rock salt? on the snow can do to firm things up. Not sure what to expect for tomorrow, heard rumors of rain, that could put a damper on Beer Hunter and more pics, pray for sunshine and wax em up for schmoo. Am leaning towards 4x4 or atv for load up tomorrow. Dave*

The thursday April 10 2008 report, No new to speak of , around zero C early morning, warming to probably about plus 4 C by 1600. Some very grippy cord first thing with a few little groomer surprises here and there, the cord got quickly worked over by a combination of factors , but mainly the warmish temps. Midway not run, the entirety of Eagle closed and fenced off except for panorama , Bx n half pipe training still going on. Raven chair had #1 buffed , Almost entire day was spent in the "deathstar tree stash" , basically a foot and a half of wet powder to be had, the Ti Fatjack proved to handle it but was a bit of a handfull due to lack of nose. Of note it appears the Canadian Alpine Team is back training at Cypress for a bit, Fawcett/Loo etc spotted , plus a fair number of other HBers not normally seen. Dave*

Dave* will be Cypress tomorow (thurs) , soft booter Rod also, we will be destroying that tree stash again. If conditons superb at Cypress will be there Fri/Sat/Sun also. If condtions not so hot Whistler Fri/Sat , back to Cypress fer Sunday ( cant miss last day for Cypress, might have to play a game of beer hunter ) Dave*

S.Goat Here is the Dupraz guy contacts Yohann Sheetz ( works out of Underground Tuning under Listel Hotel , parkade level) 604 905 9892 is the phone. Nice guy I BSed with him for about 20 minutes last saturday. I am hoping to take one of his D1 6.0 ++ out next week, I will let every one know how that goes. If packing boots only bring your bindings too, finding spare plates can be a bit tricky out here. Dave*

S.Goat Ultimate option bring both boards, Limited to space/weight when coming from "onterrible" I agree with Boris, bring the 4x4, I own two of the 179s and there is nothing on whistler I wont take them on ( short of a huge cliff drop-Dave* is scared of the heights), The 4x4 should handle everything from ice to slush to a bit of the wet fluff. I am guessing the Coiler freecarve is a bit skinnier/stiffer not as versatile. Based on past experience for the tail end of April my prediction will be below zero C in AM with hardpack softening as the day progresses to spring schmoo, if there is fresh snow it will be the traditional "west coast cement" ( there I have made a prediction, watch ULLR do the opposite now) In the event you need something more powder orientated or carve specific to match conditions -Prior down at Function Junction does the demo thing -Johan the underground tuner guy does Dupraz ( I plan on trying one out very soon) -Fanatyko had a couple Prior WCR demoes ( for sale now $200 , 167cm n 175cm) , I think they are soon to no longer do this. -lots of rental shops for standard roundtail jibber decks -tail end of WSSF so should be demo tents at top of whistler, the only carve stuff would be Chris P's , assuming he is setting tent up that late in the WSSF -there has been a permanent demo tent for Rossi/Salomon at the top of whistler all season ( again jibber style stuff) my two centavos Dave*

The April 04 2008 Whistler Report Had a couch to crash so...... No new, cold compared to Cypress, well below zero C, sweet hero cord. The Rhino lining pant repair did not hold up. Seen about 8 HBers including myself on the Whistler side. Ran into my old neighbor who is one of the OG hardbooters of whistler, ran with him for half the day, great fun watching some old school race style, Martin will try and hook up with the crew on the 20th. It aint a trip to W/B with out a trip down to Priors shop, much eyeballing of some of Chris's protos for next year, sweet indeed. The April 05 2008 Whistler report Still surfing that couch, nice not having to do the drive, again well below zero C, intermittent flurries, more hero cord, visibility a bit more of an issue in spots today, crowds a bit heavier with the weekend traffic but not that terrible.. Chris P came out for the morning on his new proto titanal deck ,, sweet indeed, a pleasure to watch Chris ride, screw ECing, I need to fut it down with that style, new goal to strive for. Before driving back to Vancouver had to do the "tour de ville" came across something interesting in Evolution in the back corner, hmmmmm what is that with the pointy noses,, Hey WTF a few Dupraz decks in 5'5" and 6.0" got yapping with the kid who steered me to the rep who works in a local tuning shop, of course I had to go check things out , am now lined up for a demo next week, will post full review and maybe some pics. Also the crew at FanatykCo had a few HBs in stock very limited sizing, they have a few older Prior WCR square tail demo decks for cheap , 167 and a 175cm, ask for Budgie tell him Dave* sent ya, Will be back on Cypress tomorow , I want to check the BX finals out, Dave*