joecarve

No hassling taken. It's the vehicle I point toward snow, so that's "way OT"...kinda related. Now if it was "I need a good lawn fertilizer" - that would be "TOTALLY OT". :D I've got Koni adjustables on the car, but that's a wee bit excessive for the pickup. I was looking at the KYB, actually. joe...

I need new shocks for my '92 Nissan 4x4 pickup. Any suggestions from experience? joe...

Yeah, contrast is very handy for selection. Don't do it all with brushes on the mask - way too painful. I'm a total hack at this stuff, but try the following on each layer: Launch Select->Color Range... pick a medium white somewhere on the snow (dialog preview will show what the selection will be) , hit ok. You'll now have a selection on the doc. Hit the mask button on the layers palette, which will likely give you a mask that's a decent starting point if the rider is framed against snow. The mask should be targeted...if not, click on the mask thumbnail. You'll have stuff that isn't masked off of course, so knock those out quickly with a series of marquee and lasso selections and fills with black (cmd/ctrl-del to fill with black, opt/alt-del to fill with white). Now finish off any fine detailing on the mask with brushes. Won't be perfect, but you can make quick work of it. Slide the layers around to line up and finish off as Phil describes...though you shouldn't have to flatten before SaveForWeb...output will be composited.... joe...

I'm almost positive the nose on my new Madd 158 is different from the demo deck I rode at the SES last year. I remember the demo nose being slightly flatter than that on my Donek FC; the one I have now is definitely taller. I wouldn't care, except I did manage to stuff the nose once yesterday in a low-speed turn. I definitely overloaded the demo nose once in CO and was stunned that it held - really thought I was going over the bars, but reeled it in. Yeah, a lot of variables there, but I was curious if anyone else has had a similar experience with the new 158. BTW, other than that, I'm really enjoying this deck. It rides like a much longer board (stiff, but damp) and has loads of edge hold. joe...

them: "Is that a snowboard?" you: "No. It's a religion." :D Bonus points if the asker turns to his/her buddy and says, "Hey, check out this guy's Religion".

"Snowboard? No, no, no...this is a monoski. Look, here...see my skiboots?" :D

Nice work.

I'll rate myself as an average carver and I spend most of my time on blue runs; I'm not a high-speed rider. You're making wide turns right now, so you probably don't have the board really high on edge. As you get better at really angulating at the waist until you feel a pinch and making your shoulders parallel to the slope, the board will get higher on edge, your hips will get lower, and you'll start loading it up. My primary ride is the FC171 as well - it'll make some brutally tight turns with a little speed and good technique. Try making some single-sided turns where you just ride one edge all the way around back uphill until you stall. Flip around, then do the same on the other edge. This will allow you to work on driving each turn harder and harder without worrying about the transition. Then go back to hooking them together. If you're riding in Tahoe, check out tahoecarvers. joe...

Great, thanks! On the way... joe...

Hey Ben - Can you give me a part # at McMaster for the correct tap? The inserts on my deck are unusable... Thanks - joe...

Ben - sorry to hear that. There is a little justice out there...whoever invaded your home is gonna do something stupid sooner or later. The following happened to a friend of mine: He wakes up one morning to find the kitchen sliding glass door slightly open and several small items missing - cash left on the counter, videocam, stuff like that. Which means someone was in the house while he slept. Great. He calls the cops, they come out and poke around, take a report, etc. He figures that's the end of it. A couple months later he gets a call from the police, asking him to come down to identify some things that might be his - recovered from a parole officer's impromptu inspection of a parolee's house. They found his videocam...oh, and the tape was still in it. So they play the tape, asking him to identify people on it. It went something like this: "Ok, that's me....and that's my friends Andy and Sarah...uh, don't know who those people are. Ok, there's me again...and uh, there's some more people I've never seen". Yeah, the bonehead thieves had recorded stuff on random parts of the tape in the camera, mostly of themselves and family members. My friend had the opportunity to repeat the narration in court at the guy's trial...he said it felt pretty good. joe...

BTW, don't be entirely focused on your toeside. I noticed in the video you're tightening up the end of some heelside turns by forcing the back around (skidding the tail). I did this quite a bit when I was learning...try to let the board finish the turn and roll across to toeside. As for touching the snow: Do not bring your hand to the mountain; bring the mountain to your hand. :D joe...

Hey, these things might work as well...nobody uses that Burton stuff anymore, do they? :D

I use them occasionally on my Raichles. Try spinning them so the center plastic strip twists up a bit...puts a litte more tension on the end pieces... joe...

Sorry to hear about Baloo...I'm proud to have been ignored by him at least once... I wasn't going to corrupt this thread with a non-canine pic, but I feel compelled to keep things, shall we say, "fair and balanced", after Nate spread his wings. Shown below, Milo (aka, The Fur Factory), four times the weight of Chris's dog, at 22 lbs. That's an FC171 he's decambering...

My riding bites in low visibility - I do not like cartwheels, so I'm way off the gas when I can't see. If you're inconsistent in good conditions or feel you've kind of levelled out in improvement, you need a lesson. Or at least get someone to video you so you can critique yourself (and better, post it online so the instructionally-inclined here can give you some pointers). Also, consider taking up skateboarding...even just casual longboarding has made a big difference for me (I'll ride in parking garages in bad weather). It makes basic riding skills more automatic if you're not on snow more than once a week. joe...

Hey Greg - I'm a TD1 standard holdout. It helps to have the board really stable - you may already be doing this, but just in case: Wherever you stop to clip in, you'll want to make a little trench directly across the slope to lock the board down. Do this by standing on your back foot, just in front of the board; dig a trench by kicking with the toe of your front foot (and the toe edge of the board) behind you. Kind of like knocking mud off the bottom of a shoe. Now place the heel edge of the board in the trench, transferring your weight to the front foot and shifting your weight back so you're standing on your front heel. Notice you're making a ledge to stand on with the heel edge, not a ridge to keep the toe edge from moving. Then go about sliding your back heel into the binding. joe...

So how long have you guys waited to get your boards back from PTC this time of the year?

Christmas day this year. Softbooter behind us in line, just as we're stepping in front of the chair: "Hey, you hardbooters think you're so much faster than me?" My wife, without missing a beat, looks back and calmly replies, "No. But we can hold an edge better than you." Smacked down by the woman on the pink Donek... :D

'Twas the night before christmas and in every house The carvers were typin' and clickin' the mouse The boards were all waxed and beveled with care In hopes of groomed cord we'd see from the chair The boots were now fitted with custom footbeds Some were in Raichles, others in Heads My wife in her helmet, and I in my cap Were looking at runs on a recent trail map When out in the driveway I heard such a chatter, Like an edge letting go on ice bump and batter Away to the window I flew like a flash, Hoping my insurance would cover the crash. A pack of white sled dogs was out on the snow Chasing a rottweiler back and forth, to and fro Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a rusty Ford truck, brimming with gear! The sight of the Bomber logo gave me a kick I instantly knew this was gonna be sick! Hoping they'd brought me a wicked ride to tame Any of many products I'd easily name: A Donek! A Prior! Nidecker! So bitchin'! Mounted with TD's (oh please, make 'em stepin) "You guys are the best!" I yelled in heartwarming call (Ya can't just go find this stuff down at the mall) Just as I headed out to shake hands and say "hi" They backed out of the driveway and started to fly! Then up to the house-top went the Bomber crew, In the truck full of toys, with Fin and Michelle too. The Mooner was up there, jumping the roof Inverted on teles (there goes your proof) And then inside the house I heard a great sound Down the chimney came Fin right after a hound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, (The dog's what I mean - Fin was covered in soot); A quiver of decks he had slung on his back, Shiny TrenchDigger bindings hanging out of his pack. The tinkling of metal sounded great - so merry! I wondered aloud how many he could carry "I can't really say, a trade secret, y'know, But buy a new pair - you'll ride ever so low!" His goggles shone so brightly, he smiled showing teeth A couple days stubble on his chin, underneath The dog rolled on the floor, he scratched her white belly She wriggled around like a bowlful of jelly Soon Michelle yelled, "What are you doin' with yourself? You can't just hang out here, like St. Nick's little elf!" "She totally keeps the details in line," Fin said, "There's so much to do - won't all fit in my head" "We're cranking out product - fill orders at work, And watching the forum, so no one's a jerk" That's when he vanished from right under my nose Leaving a bit of carve vibe, down to our toes He jumped in the truck, to the dogs gave a whistle, As they zoomed off the roof like a round from a pistol And I heard them proclaim, driving off in the night, "Deeper trenches for all, carve a rut, what a sight!"

I run 0F/6R...I've always been more comfortable running more lift in back than in front. If you stand flat-footed in riding position and bend your knees, your back foot comes off the floor first, unless you shift your body back, in which case you wouldn't be centered. This is exaggerated by wider stances (heel comes up sooner). How are you guys staying centered on the board, bending deep at the knees, with equal lift F & R? I suppose if you only bend your knees when the board is bent, this is less of an issue, since you essentially get toe lift in front and heel lift in back when the deck is really arced. Though I can't tell how much this occurs - I'm not holding a protractor at my feet in the middle of my turns... joe...

I think helmets should be required in Maine. :D joe...

I had to pursue the conversation a bit, just to make sure she wasn't really aware of both alpine decks and teleboards and thought I was on the latter. She wasn't, which actually makes it more interesting... joe...

We'll need a control group that remains "unmodified" for all runs. And reputable scientist to conduct everything...DaveK seems like a good candidate. I'm sure he has a white lab coat and a clipboard... :D joe...

I was aiming for one of Barry's points, which is objectivity. A self-assessment of performance while under the influence necessarily affects the assessment; ie, how would you know if you're better when the difference is something that also affects problem-solving skills (one way or another)? You need to be evaluated by a different person (uh, one that isn't buzzed, BTW)...a correct frame of reference. Maybe pot (or alcohol, or a 2lb-bag of M&M's, whatever) does make one a better rider. Are there side effects that may offset the gain? If it causes you to, say, be less concerned about looking uphill for straight-line riders/skiers, or adversely affect your reaction time...may not be worth it. joe...