utahcarver

D-Sub, Now that I take a look at the avatar, I think I understand what your question is. I'm kickturning on a spine which seperates two cement bowls. That's why you see two lines of coping. Most skaters transfer back and forth across this spine, I ust like to kickturn on it. Mark

Mike, Sorry to bump this thead up but, Mike, you have single-handedly just solved the Winter-X Games promotional and Nielsen ratings problems by suggesting a snowboard downhill race. Though I'm serious about what you've suggested, I can' help but think of what a fiasco Big Cable would make of this new addition to 'extreme' sports. As a kid, I remember watching Evel Knievel on ABC Wide World Of Sports, and the ski jumper who's fall is inexorably linked with Jim McKay's saying, "...and the agony of defeat." What links all this together is the chance that some competitor is gonna eat it BIG TIME. Remember EK pounding hisself into the ground in Las Vegas? THAT, my friend, is gonna bring out the stir-crazy NASCAR/NHRA crowd in the winter. Put a STRAIGHTLINE down a pitch, say in Les Arcs, France? Or, how about the old downhill speed lane in Silverton, Colorado? Have Steve Mckinney host it, too. This, this would save the Extreme TV industry from sure destruction! Ohh, and just think of the new sponsorships: "Now, leaving the starthouse on the number 17 Stay-Free/Bush's Baked Beans/LL Bean Donek 419cm is Stu Pidbutt, trying to reclaim his title from 9 years ago when a tragic crash on this same hill took all his limbs. His body is now hooked to the board by a new TorsoDigger2 (TD2) binding by Bomber Industries of Colorado." Bottom line: if you want the sport of carving/hardbooting that we all love and enjoy so much to continue to grow and mature, please keep the Big Money out of it. Let the carving community grow at a natural pace. What do you think ESPM or Mount-N-Doo would do to alpine boarding? Glamourize it or kill it? OK, I'll put my cynism to bed now. Mark

There's been the thread here on BOL asking how many of us carvers surf. How many of you ride a skateboard and what discipline do you practice? Pool, park, pipe, vert ramp, street, slalom, downhill, speed, luge, buttboard, longboarding, etc. I don't want to steal any thunder from ncdsa.com but, not everyone who skateboards has access to snowboarding or hardbooting. My personal disciplines are in order: park riding, slalom, and longboarding. My local park has several 'forever' lines that provide that 'freeride' that most of us crave. Skating cones helps keep the focus on timing and keeping my eyes up. Finally, longboarding is just plain relaxing to ride up in the mountains, or even to get around town. I know that some of you are slalom addicts and even champions! So, speak up and stop whining about no snow!

Cindy, If it wasn't for alpine snowboarding, I wouldn't even bother snowboarding all season. I'd keep a watch on the big powder days and go ride those exclusively. The little mom and pop hill I ride at has no Pipe Dragon or multiple trauma parks. The fact that I can access all off the mountain, groomed, trees, unpacked, and occasional out of bounds runs with alpine equipment makes my weekends in the winter a whole lotta fun with my sons. The lifeless short noodle-boards and generic strap bindings that come out every predictable Labor Day Ski/Snowboard sale makes me yawn uncontrollably. Clothing? Really? Each season seems to be another exercise in how logoed (core?) companies use color, seamage and pattern to amuse infantile minds into spreading their wallet gap wider to remove all the credit available on an alreadly maxed-out credit card. Though I browsed klugriding.com incessantly this past year, I ended up buying used/new alpine gear right here on BOL for all of my snowboard purchases. I can buy whatever I want, sadly, the modern snowboard companies don't agree with my thinking: You'll buy what we tell you to buy. That's when I vote with my hardboots and slide the other way. I have nothing against softboots as I often ride softies. But, to have them continually shoved down my throat is irritating even in the short term, and bad business for the sport in the long-term. Good luck on your article, Mark No Flow = No Go

Fin, I don't know whether Doug Dryer has single-handedly just invented the World's Most Dangerous Sport or if he is like watching NASCAR at Daytona or Talledega: You Know There's Gonna Be A Big Wreck Sometime! I do think that DD and others are showing us there is a future in foil boards and boats/kites/PWC. Mark

Though I change my avatar at will from time to time, this latest one depicts my need to beat my knees into slavish submission. It's not enough that I stand on concrete floors for a living, then I turn around and spend the evenings pounding my legs at the local skatepark. And, the pleasurable vanity of showing that an old fat guy (think: a bowling ball on two toothpicks for legs), like muhself, can ride on more than one medium. "Catch a wave and you're sittin' on top of the world" -beach boys

My favorite board to ride IN powder is a Winterstick swallowtail. Too bad all mine broke years ago. The new WSST's look a bit more sturdier. Now, once I got the right 'sweet spot' dialed in, my Undertaker 198cm is very nice for Wasatch powder.

Josh, I'll take the Nidecker 178 and give it a good home here in Utah. Put a sold tag on that board. Thanks, Mark

If you click on Pat's link and go read the AD AND ARTICLE you'll see that though the AD might be in bad taste, the AD is directed at riders of Burton products. Though I cannot speak for Pat, I would guess his intention was to illustrate that even the popsicle-stick companies see a problem with Jake, INC. The fact that the ad derided gays was secondary. It looks like the primary intention of the ad was taking a jab at Burton and its customers, something that rarely happens on this forum.

I wonder: out of those spending clams on alpine gear this year how many bought directly off of the web and how many bought at their local ski/snowboard shop? Someone has to be trackin' this information, right? I've shopped locally and bought globally for alpine gear several years now. Alpine IS GROWING. There are more names and avatars on BOL now than there was before the new forum. I don't recognize half of the names I see now. I CANNOT find alpine gear locally, 90 percent of my alpine gear is from BOL and freecarve.com. If it wasn't for the World Wide Wait I would not be a hardbooter today. Thanks to Fin for a fine forum and chance to ride alpine equipment. BOL is my snowboard shop.

John, If that is one PAIR of Carrier Bindings and not just a single binding, I'll take'em (if they are still available). Thanks, Mark

Where are the meeting places for PC and Canyons? I'm guessing the ticket office plaza for PC and the same for The Canyons. I'm driving down from Cache Valley and need some lead time on when to meet. I've got access to discount tickets here locally, $49.00 day pass for PC, unless any of you carvers have a better deal at the mountain. From what I've read here (BOL), It would seem some of you are in the 'Ripper' category of carving. Bring your 'A' game so the rest of us who are unworthy can see how it's done. From the farm, utahcarver

Alta and Deer Valley are the other two, what area is the 4th one?

I currently use purple bumpers on both pairs of TD1's that I ride. I've often wondered what would be the advantages of moving to a harder bumper urethane formula. My first guess is that I would sacrifice a bit of comfort for more edge control. And my second guess is I'd get tossed all around with a harder bumper. I've got to order more bumpers anyway for some 3º discs so I thought I might go to a harder compound. Any recommendations (other than moving up to the TD2)?

Noslide, My son and I will take the FP 160 and the bindings, unless they have already been sold. I will also contact you by e-mail to confirm. Thanks, Utahcarver

Steve, Not sure of the reasoning behind the close insert pattern. At 5"7', inseam of 30", my stance width on my PC Mav' is set at 15.5" with a one inch setback. Front cant is Oº and rear is 3º. Though the Maverick has it's limitations, it is a sweet baby in good conditions. There are stories about how the PC Maverick came to be. Maybe one day someone will set it straight. The most plausible story is that the Mav' is loosely based on the Rossi Throttle from years past. After having seen (Joey) Cabell, (Mike) Doyle, and others rip on Mavericks, I'd have to say the reason for the close insert pattern is to mimic a 'surf' style of these older surf heroes. The Maverick helped me make the transition from wannabe carver to carving. Keep those shoulders level (Thanks, Pat D.)

The problem I always have when I go into any boardshop and looking at the latest/greatest boards is that most all of them have a linguini-soft flex (and are 159cm and shorter). I realize that part of the problem is that I'm shopping at a snowboard shop for a board that I can ride plates on instead of buying a Donek, Prior, Coiler, or perhaps, a Tanker online. But, are there currently any twin-tip boards being produced (by manufacturers who advertise in TWS, for instance) which have moderately to high stiff flex and come in 168cm and above lengths? I don't want to buy a board that's going to fold in half when I try to carve with it. Anybody out there riding a stiff twin-tip from Ride, Forum, Burton, etc.? I don't have a problem waiting for a Donek, etc. if there isn't a board such as I have described available.

Put me next in line behind powpig. If that offer falls through I'm interested, also. Thanks, Mark

Any of you SLC area carvers gonna be at PC tomorrow (monday, jan. 26th)? Will be there with a contingent of several carvers from Cache Valley. Meetin' at the ticket office around 11:00 am. Look for the groop whereing Carhartt overalls and straw hats that's us. Lunch is at 1:30 offa Lester's flatbed Ford. Please excuse the cowsh**.

Rossignol Raids (27.5)..............$30.00 plus shipping (I'm selling these for a friend and do not currently have them in my posession; these are older boots that haven't been used in a while. I am unsure of the condition of the boots except that they are in good repair and can be used as is. I will be picking them up on monday, Jan. 26th if you need more information.)

One way to be sure that you (as a park monkey) are noticed and admired by the other patrons of the ski area you frequent, is to forget to lock down your racks when you leave at the end of the day. A friend of mine related a story about this. He was up skiing with his 6 year old daughter last year and was back at the car getting ready to leave. A short way down the parking lot a driver started honking his horn. He (my friend) looked up in time to see a car starting to haul ass out of the ski area. Several young snowboard-type park monkeys were in the car, music blaring VERY loud and each of them hanging out the car window flipping everyone in the parking lot the finger. As the car rounded the corner, all of the boards on top of the car came crashing down onto the pavement. The young driver and his friends (not hearing this because of the loud music) continued on down the road not realizing what had just happened . Several people in the parking lot got used snowboards that day.

One way to be sure that you (as a park monkey) are noticed and admired by the other patrons of the ski area you frequent, is to forget to lock down your racks when you leave at the end of the day. A friend of mine related a story about this. He was up skiing with his 6 year old daughter last year and was back at the car getting ready to leave. A short way down the parking lot a driver started honking his horn. He (my friend) looked up in time to see a car starting to haul ass out of the ski area. Several young snowboard-type park monkeys were in the car, music blaring VERY loud and each of them hanging out the car window flipping everyone in the parking lot the finger. As the car rounded the corner, all of the boards on top of the car came crashing down onto the pavement. The young driver and his friends (not hearing this because of the loud music) continued on down the road not realizing what had just happened . Several people in the parking lot got used snowboards that day.

As if there wasn't enough controversy to this subject, most all leashes are attached to a binding rather than a board. If, for whatever reason, a rider should become seperated from a board the result would be the board continuing down the piste while the rider sat both bindings on their feet (a scenario which, admittedly, is highly improbable). The leash question is purely a way of satisfying (or, attempting to satisfy) the liability issue that might be brought forward in a lawsuit. This subject has been addressed in this forum and elsewhere before. Without a DIRECT connection to a board via a leash, why would a ski area allow snowboards access to their runs? The sad fact is, it's all cosmetic. To give the appearance that safety rules are being complied with. BTW, if all snowboarders were required to use such a leash (attached to a board instead of a binding) how many riders would want a 'propeller' connected to their leg after a nasty fall? Hypothetical: If a person were to be struck (and injured/killed) by a wayward runaway snowboard at a ski area what is the recourse? Sue the snowboarder? Sue the ski area? Or, sue the snowboard industry for aggravated negligence (in other words, the industry knew the leash system was flawed and didn't fix the problem because it would get in the way of profits)? That would make for a great 'Law and Order' show.

We'll have 2 - 4 carvers from up here in Frigidville, Utah (Logan) there in March. We may not make all the days but, are looking forward to riding PC and the Canyons again. The only thing I dislike about the SLC ski areas is skiers/boarders using cell phones while in motion. What the hell is up with that? Sometimes, technology sucks. Shut up and ride! Where's the best place to go for suds and food after a day on the hill? Or, is everyone brown-bagging it? Mark

You mean someone would actually think of showing up to ride without a second board? :] I ride at a relatively low-crime ski area. The most common crime committed here is someone buying the deep-fried burritos that are 2 for a $1.50 in the lodge (you don't want to carpool with 'those' guys). But, I would never leave my board(s) on the racks/box or in the car. I usually check them at the lodge/rental shop with someone I know. Besides, it's closer than walking back to the parking lot. The danger in having trust in a locked 'box' or 'same key system' is that those systems are all defeatable by anyone who really wants your board. The same with leaving your board in the car. Trust me, there isn't a lock out there that can't be defeated. Every hear of windows (think glass, not software)? They break. Always bring a second board if you have one. The conditions change so much from morning to afternoon it just makes sense to have a second board setup for the changing conditions.