queequeg

is there a link?

I'm not sure what the temperature/wind-chill was but I remember one partiucarly unpleasant day at Mt.Bachelor a long time ago, when it was so friggin windy that my friends and I got blown back UP (!!) the offloading mound at the top of the lift. Apparently, some other friends who were a few chairs behind us saw the lift cable get nailed with a tree-branch or some other flying object, exacerbating the effect the wind was having on the chairs stability, and causing them all to crap their pants. I think they closed down that lift for the day after everyone cleared off it. It was crazy windy (and pretty cold too!)

I think the fit is fine, just a bit more break in is required. I am going to try the 2X10 idea that you mentioned - this is a great idea (thanks!). I have been thinking of getting some heat-molded liners. And yes - the boots are much more comfortable when I am bending my ankles etc, and when my feet are doing stuff.

So, I 'm making up for lost time and posting a zooload of questions up here ... my apologies, it's just that everyone is so friendly and helpful. I have been getting more and more comfortable with my new Heads. I have yet to ride them (I am coming back after two years of not riding, waiting for my board to arrive!). My new Donek (FC II 175) has yet to arrive but I would like to break in my boots in as much as possible before my first day. I have been wearing them for about an hour each night, walking around the apartment etc, and the new surefoot beds have (mostly alleviated the big-toe pressure (there is still some pressure on the side). The surefoot people told me that watching tv in my boots was pointless, nonetheless, I have been doing it and I seem to be aclimating to the boots somewhat. The biggest sore point seems to be on the side of my big toes, not too bad but I'm afraid I could get an ingrown toenail on my right foot, which would be rather unpleasant combined with the general pain involved in boot break-in. My feet tend to get a bit numb on the outside after sitting still in them fore awhile, but of course, I won't be sitting still on the mountain. One user on these forums (kipstar) suggested putting something into the boot/liner and lightly banging on problem areas until the foam compresses in this area. Any thoughts/details/advice on this idea? Mostly I'm just concerned about toe pain on the first day, any advice related to boot break-in would be graciously appreciated.

And hip!

that sounds good. I guess I'll just take the little baggy of t-nuts to the mountain with me, in case they ever loosen and spin mid-day, but after tightening and re-tightening, they don't seem like they're gonna move on me at all.

So ok, Most of the posts on this tread are indicating to me that I will not be able to get the heels in sufficiently tight without the standard inserts spinning in place. As I understand it, this is the main reason I don't want to stick with the standard inserts. However: I have installed the heels on both of my boots, and they are both very tight (I tightened in a star shape, doing one boot, then the other and then re-tightening each boot twice, applying plenty of torque. None of my inserts spun or roatated at all, they remained solidly in place. So given that, do I really have to go through the whole process of removing the standard inserts (which really, don't seem even slightly interested in budging)?

This is good news -- thanks a lot!

Hello, I have a pair of head stratos pros, and I am installing intec heels on them. I have read that the inserts that come with the stratos pros are somewhat inferior, in that they do not have teeth that will lock the insert into the boot to prevent it from spinning (unlike the inserts that come with your intec heels). I tried to remove the standard head inserts, but no dice, they would not come out. Is this really a big deal? Do I really need to replace them? If so, how do I get them out, they seem to be a permanent fixture of the boot heel. I have my intec heels screwed into the standard inserts right now, as I couldn't get them out to replace them with the intec ones. Thanks!

You know, I've used this moniker in a number of places online and you are one of the few to identify its origin correctly ... most people think its a dog from the X-Files (??!) ... doesn't anybody read anymore? cheers!

the footbeds have had a very positive effect, the toes are pressing much less (though they're still pressing, but I'm sure the boot will pack out enough to eliminate the discomfort. I may have to grind a bit out of the toe on my left foot, but I can go without that until I get a good day in on them. Thanks again for all of the advice, this morning I was ready to send them back but now I think they're probably going to be just about as perfect a fit as I could hope for.

I'm going to try a new footbed this afternoon, otherwise, the liners have not been moulded yet (once I mould them I own the boot, so that is why I am trying to figure this out before I mould them). I know they will be tight before I mould them, the question is: how tight is acceptable. When I spoke to bomber this afternoon they indicated I'm probably teetering on the edge, which seems to suggest that when I mould the liners they will either be perfect, or they will be a bit on the tight side. When I go to the bootfitter this afternoon I will try some better footbeds, some heel lift and such, to see what that does (before moulding).

Hokay, I'll go see the surefit people after work and see what they think. The toe is banging the front *hard* but I do feel fine everwhere else, and I know they will push out a bit, but the question is how far will they push out. So: does anyone have any experience with this boot in particular? How much can the liners in a pair of Head Stratos Pros push out? Just how much can a bootfitter punch out the toe of my shell if necessary? the mondopoint of the boots is a 26, and that's what I measured (longest foot, rounded down). thanks for all the advice!

Thanks for the surefoot info, that was very helpful. I just spoke to the guy at surefoot on the phone, and he thinks that's a pretty tight fit, and that it wouldn't hurt if I moved up to a 27.0, which was my suspicion. He said the only people people riding with one finger on a shell test are racers who want an insanely tight fit. I may bring them in to him just to be sure, but given what he told me I think I ought to go a size up. I'm coming back to riding after a 2 year hiatus. My first trip is going to be to Mt.Hood and I can't make it up to VT before then, otherwise the startinggate would be the place to go for sure. I used to ride on the east coast (NH/VT), then moved to oregon, now back in NYC.

I just recieved a brand new pair of Head Stratos Pro's, Mondopoint 26.0, and I think they may be a bit small. I know boots are supposed to be uncomfortable initially but these are *REALLY* uncomfortable, in one particular area--my big toe. My gut says the boots are a size too small and that I should exchange them for a pair 27.0's My big toe in both feet is pressing against the front of the boot, more so in the left (hurts!) than on the right (not so bad). On the right side, the pressure is enough that the toe can't lay flat, it is bent. the pressure is in front and on the interior side of the toe. When I do a boot shell test I can fit one finger (no more, no less) between the shell and my heel with no liner in the boot, as I understand it, this is the very minimum amount of space you want to have. The boot feels fine everywhere else, but my big toe on both feet is getting crushed. I don't want boots too big, but I don't want to heat mold the liner and still have them be too tight ... because I won't be able to return the boots then. Maybe a bootfitter can help me determine whether I should keep or return them. Any recommendations on a bootfitter in NYC?

I see your point, but I respectfully disagree. Dangerous is a relative term. Snowboarding, may be less-dangerous than many things, but that does not make it safe. Consider this: any time you fall from a height greater than your own, you can break your neck. Take that thought, and think about it in context with the speeds we all ride and the many variables involved on the mountain. Riding a motorcycle may (or may not be) more dangerous than snowboarding (depending upon how and where you ride). But if you are riding plates and a stiff board fast enough to carve, the sport you are participating in is dangerous. As many of us have experienced, being on the mountain at *any* speed is dangerous thanks to the many skiers (and snowboarders alike) who cannot distinguish between risking their own lives from risking the lives of others who would prefer to remain safe. Unless you are the only person on the hill, it is not only as dangerous as you make it -- but as dangerous as others make it for you.

I have never worn a helmet in the past but I plan to in the future. I am not looking forward to it, but get used to it I will. I believe there are some hidden benefits to helmets: When other skiers/riders see a helmet, they recognize instantly that you are not out for a sunday drive-- and I believe they tend to stay away. The helmet combined with a long, stiff, skinny, board that says "all-business" provides a solid cue to other skiers that a wide berth is the wise way to go. This is what I do to stay safe: a) stay away from the beginner trails. b) stay away from popular diamonds, as they tend to have lots of people on them that are only marginally capable of navigating them. c-a) ride faster than everyone on the mountain, to decrease the possibility that you will be hit from behind. The only times I have ever been hit were from behind. c-b) do not ride so fast that you cannot stop or change direction very suddenly, and with increased speed keep an increased distance from other riders. c-d) plan your line and wait for the right opportunity to take it. c-e) Slow Down BEFORE you reach a congested area in the slope, and look for them way in advance. d) Stay Visible. Avoid blind spots. stay away from the sides where trails merge. d) know that it's a dangerous, dangerous sport and that many years without an accident only ups the odds that you will have one in the future, and ride accordingly. e) Look around. My biggest close-call was in Wilamette pass in Oregon--I accidentally loaded up the nose, got launched and ended up flying off the trail and going between two trees - my head missed hitting a tree by a matter of inches.

I am not familiar with Jersey mountains, or what is near to NYC. What's good near NYC. I think the nearest big mountain is Killington yes?

Call me Ishmael. This is exactly the sort of information I am looking for. I like Stratton, I used to ride there all the time in my past life on the east coast (I just moved back here) I also like Mt. Snow. I live in Astoria/LIC on the RGV. This info (Emiliosskishop.com/bus) is EXACTLY the information that I am looking for. What map? I am very, very new here. This is a great forum. -queequeg

I just got on this forum. I am thinking of buying new equipment, and I wonder how many of you there are in NYC (I moved here about a year ago) Is anybody out there?

Was always Martin Freinademetz ...

The more I think the Nidecker is the board I want. -Thanks!

I'm new here, I guess I could probably have found that myself. Looks like the Nidecker is the way to go!

I've been leaning towards the Nidecker, though I don't know why. I think it's cuz I like the noze? how stiff is this board? I weigh 175 and ride relatively fast.

When I started snowboarding most of the mountains around me would not allow it, one did and only on some of the runs. I was regularly ridiculed. Once snowboarding gained popularity (I remember a few years in a row where snowboarding grew by 80% every year) the same people who used to ridicule me were BEGGING me to teach them how. I bought one of those "Answers" shirts that Snowboarder sold for a little while, which had the effect of stopping dumb questions before they were spoken. I cannot believe that there are people who still think snowboarding is a passing trend! Is this really true? I feel like I see more snowboarders than skiers on the mountains these days. I have been seriously injured twice snowboarding, both times it was because an out-of-control skier hit me from behind. I ride fast, so they were FLYING to hit me hard enough to hurt me. I'm not perfect and neither is anyone else, but I've been hit far more times by skiers than by snowboarders. Skiers react differently to alpine riders than they do other snowboarders in my experience. I have often received complements from skiers who wanted to know how to learn how to snowboard "that way" and I am always happy to talk their ears off about it. I've never seen skiers express anything but awe and envy at a skilled carver. I love the "scraping all the snow off the hill" comment. I think that's hysterical, when I get that I usually just look at the person saying it and tell them to consider the profound stupidity of what they are suggesting - that with 100 or so inches of snow on the ground that us snowboarders are "scraping" the snow off the hill. Why is it that snowboarders are guilty of this while snow-plowing skiers are not? Snowboarding has been nothing but good for skiing and for the ski industry, it brought with it a massive revival.