Does this sight and or topics change or alter the way you ride and or buy boards?

[Cuban Carving Gooding]

Let me start by saying I love this sight ! This is the best thing since boarding. I watch all summer {even though its slow} reading all the post anticipating great topics. Waiting for the first signs of winter. I like the input and conversation of so many topics from so many people. My question is this . Does this sight and or topics change or alter the way you ride and or buy boards? I myself when I can afford to will buy or ride A couple of boards that every one talks up on this sight. I just want to see what I am missing. My big fear is that I cant live without it .I hear allot of great stuff on this sight. Please keep it coming. Back to the question at hand Does it influence your purchase or riding style?

[Bullwings]

That's kind of a loaded question. If it didn't, then you probably wouldn't be visiting the site regularly. hehe

But, to answer the question, I now have hardboots and TD2s, something I would have never tried before if not for this site.

As for all my equipment purchases over the last year and a half or so have been recommended in one way or another by BOLers.

[spil]

Without this site/forum (along with the Carver's Almanac) I would not have switched to hardbooting.

Other than that, the most this forum has changed my puchasing has been when I bought a Madd 170 from someone else on the forum (I guess I might have been influenced by all of the people raving about it on the forum).

As for riding techniques, I learned a lot from reading the tech articles and all of the great stuff at the welcome center. I have only been on hardboots for 6 days, but this site has helped me a lot with my technique.

[pebu]

I bought all of my hardboot gear from people on this site. So yeah, I wouldn't have been hardbootin without it. I take everything with a grain of salt, but I do consider most suggestions on here. I'll try it out then ask myself a series of questions; is it comfortable, does it seem to improve my riding, etc, and if I like it I'll keep doing it. If not, well, then I won't. But there are always new suggestions coming out, so, yeah, I try to keep up.

[Terryw]

Lets see:

TD2's

Custom footbeds

Thermoflex liners

BTS System

Bunch of tuning tools

Coiler AM Metal (almost ready to ship from Bruce!!!!)

Carveboard (for fun carving in the summer)

All because of specific recomendations on Bomber. I have printed out many of the articles and I bellieve they have helped me to become a much better carver.

Bomber has completely changed the way I board, and dramatically increased my level of comfort while doing it.

[Steve Prokopiw]

If it were not for my experience at last year's OES I would still be thinking a freakstyle board with old 123s was plenty for carving.I still love that stuff for park and trees and have been riding and teaching on nothing but hardboots since 89 but have not owned a dedicated carving board since my 92 Lacroix Nidafly asyms (in all three flexes no less..Brian wanna see a pic of em?) I bought new old stock 225s from Hardbooter to go to the OES with and came home with the intent of moving up in board length and boot performance and having made a first payment on Mike Tovino's Coiler AM 182.I am proud to say I have paid it off and it is sitting next to my bed(my new mistress;move over time trial bike)waiting for the F2 TI RACE Standards (so I can use my Rossi Bandit skiboots)I just ordered from Hardbooter.com and whispering in my ear that snow is coming. After riding with Abel there I decided it was a long term goal to own a 197 Burner(I have an old 200cm monoski I rode for three years as a snowboard)but rode Mike's Coiler AM 182 based on everyone's assessment that it would fit my weird freestyle/ec hybrid style of riding.They were right and I was hopelessly hooked in much the same way as when I first road a fixed gear track bike. I was so born to do this but may not have discovered yet if not for this site and the super cool people that frequent it.Also because of this site, more up to date snowboard boots are in my future but for now I am excited by what I have put togeather so far.I have never done anything I cared about without alot of passion and the enthusiasm the people on this site have for this sport is contagious.Thanks to all,especially Mike T and Brian. Can't wait for snow!

[Steve Dold]

I didn't know special carving gear existed until I did a web search for "carving" and found this site. After that, just about everyone I ride with I met as a result of this site. Boots and Bindings I definitely buy after reading about them on this site, boards not so much, the boards I like the most don't always coincide with what most people like so I find my own thing there.

[Hugh]

Hey Cuban,

I think that my gear and style is influenced by the people that I carve with rather than what people have to say on BOL.

Buying and selling gear on BOL is the best (quick sales), tech talk is great, but I learn more from watching others on the slopes. A lot of carvers in the Tahoe area are spoiled with "hero" conditions (perfect groom and forgiving snow), so riding in afternoon chunky or morning icy conditions are seen as we often wait an hour in the am and hit it when it softens a little

I rode with Cuban last year, nothing slows him down, he picks a fast line and rails down in any condition. Sharp edges and aggressive weight forward and it looks easy

Lastly, sometimes the technical talk is confusing, so I just skip over it summer or winter, I checking it every few days at least.

[jnshapiro]

Of course it does. Through the experiences and knowledge of the folks here on BOL, I've learned a tremendous amount. Last season it got me actually carving and enjoying snowboarding more than I ever had before. My eyes were opened as it were.

Great stuff here. The learning never stops.

[Mike T]

I had never heard of Coiler before I came here. Even then it took me seevral years to try them out, but if you look at my profile now and see my quiver list... I think I've become an official Coiler groupie.

Now as for riding, what I've read here has given me many things to try out, but being coached, as well as riding with people who are way, way better than I am , has had about 100x as much impact as anything I've read here to be honest.

[utahcarver]

In the early to mid '90s I had stopped snowboarding except for an occasional powder day here and there. In 1997, a buddy of mine who worked for Rossignol set me up with new softbooting gear. At this same time, my two oldest sons wanted to snowboard. We began going regularly on the weekends. I soon began to tire of schussing around freeriding and had considered sitting in the lodge while my boys rode.

In 2000, my 'rossignol friend' gave me his TD1's because he rode Rossignol Carbon Race binding which were less stiff than the Bombers. I tried using the TD1's without bumpers and failed miserably. Fortunately, one of the last issues of Snowboard Life magazine contained a web address for Bomberonline. I contacted Fin and told him I needed bumpers. On my third and final try (with some Burton Winds on my feets) with new bumpers and lower angles I finally felt the feeling of carving an edge in hardboots.

From that point to now, it has been this website and it's forum members that have helped me to stay in snowboarding. Hardbooting has kept me in snowboarding and developing as a rider. Before BOL, I was an intermediate level rider who was going to give up the sport. Now, I'm an intermediate level hardbooter who's working on being a better rider and loving it.

BOL helps to define my snowboarding life. All of my board choices, bindings, and boots purchases are a direct result of what I learn here. Also, if you can get to either SES or WTC to ride with other hardbooters you'll be heavily influenced even more. Before my first WTC, I would have never considered Intec heels. Now, I can't live without them. Booster straps, same thing. Demos of boards have helped me to understand the need for riding torsionally stiffer boards. Plus, I've gotten to meet riders who I can watch and learn from.

Mark

[Allee]

This site is the best. Some of the discussion makes me laugh out loud, and there is more information than I could process in a lifetime. But the highlight for me has been getting to meet and ride with some of the people, and the differences they've all made to my riding.

All my friends think I'm nuts - flying to Vermont to meet girls I've never seen, meeting up at the Banff hills with people I've only ever talked to online ... I was out for lunch with Bartron today. I have a whole group of friends online and off line, and it's freakin awesome.

Probably the best feeling for me is that I'm part of an exclusive club. I don't care what the jibbers on the lift think, but I know how heads turn on the same lift when a carver goes by ... and it's just the coolest thing to be able to say that those people are my friends.

Thanks to everyone for all their help, youse fellas are da best!!

[Guest shrederjen]

Considering that I have purchased my all time favorite boards from guys on here. Of course! yes, the Madd 170 is my top fav, followed close by the fat dynastar 163. Plus, I have met several folks (from here) to ride with, if Im in Winter Park, A-Basin, Copper, Squaw Valley, or even Valle Nevado, Chile. Oh yea, don't forget Oz land..... This forum has DEFINITELY affected my riding! Thanks Bomber!

[Steve Prokopiw]

I had never heard of Coiler before I came here. Even then it took me seevral years to try them out, but if you look at my profile now and see my quiver list... I think I've become an official Coiler groupie.

Now as for riding, what I've read here has given me many things to try out, but being coached, as well as riding with people who are way, way better than I am , has had about 100x as much impact as anything I've read here to be honest.

Good point but I never would have met any of the killer carvers I ride with and get ideas from at expression sessions if not for this site.For me it's been a good conduit to finding people to learn (or buy) from in person.

[Cuban Carving Gooding]

I love this sight .I check it every day if not twice. The best part is the people here. People you never met will give you a room or A discount lift ticket because your on bomber. You can get all kind of info. And learn something. Thanks for the offer last year Hugh I will take you up on that this year . Yes I will be back. WE need more snow this year. Big Mountain , Heaven and Kirkwood let it snow. I live for this.

[rocketman]

I was intriduced to carving by a Swiss friend in while working in Quebec city. After a few runs I caught a couple of carves and I was hooked - it felt like slalom water skiing - my other passion.

The problem was there was no equipment to be had. Found a board from the paper - Ultra prime - wore ski boots - didn't know any better - stuggled.

Found Bomber - read everything - got the right stuff from the classified now I'm dialed.

My daughter now loves it and my Terrain-park-addicted son now wants to try it now too.

Information is power and freedom!

[Steve Dold]

I like the technical discussions, and articles. I don't think they help me as much as getting coached and riding with others, but I like reading them and I'm sure they help some people a lot. It's like bicycles, I like reading about techie stuff even if it doesn't help my riding.

[tahoetrencher]

When I found this site four years ago I had about 500-600 days on "race" boards. (Some WC stuff but mostly production boards not wider than 18 cms.) I knew I was BAAD and knew that a properly executed edge change happens at 45 degrees to the fall line.

Then I read a post and saw a video that changed my world forever. Search for "carving uphill on the downhill edge" and be converted. It had never occurred to me to hold an edge through the fall line but that "weightless" feeling rocks when you change edges letting your hip Freefall into the fall line.

Now I know that I suck and that a sweet line doesn't look like a dna helix but, instead like a perky breast; kinda tucked up underneath! (The downside is I get hit from behind now) I also know that being an all mountain Bull is missing the "Art" of piste.

It was you and Shred that showed me how beautiful being a "gruum-jockey" can be. I was born in the trees but I'm working on the piste now.

See you in Heaven...

[Buell]

This website is great and an incredible asset for the hardbooting community. What and how I ride is definitely influenced by things I read on Bomber. When we first started snowboarding (standard soft boot set up) a few years ago, we were typing "snowboard carve" into google trying to get any info we could about how to carve a snowboard. Little did we know that by the end of our first season, we would be spending our first few days on hardboots.

The thing that I am most amazed by is the incredibly wide range of opinions about gear and technique possible in such a small niche market. Taking advice from others is really about figuring out who seems to offer the best advice for you and following that.

[Cuban Carving Gooding]

It was you and Shred that showed me how beautiful being a "gruum-jockey" can be. I was born in the trees but I'm working on the piste now.

See you in Heaven...

That sounds good Tahoetrencher see you in Heaven. Ill be in around February 9-24 {not set in stone yet }

[Jack M]

Now I know that I suck and that a sweet line doesn't look like a dna helix but, instead like a perky breast; kinda tucked up underneath!

post of the month. :lol: