bobble Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 <table><th width="125"></th><tr><td><b>Date</b></td><td>1/17/2010</td></tr><tr><td><b>Temp</b></td><td>32F</td></tr><tr><td><b>Visibility</b></td><td>early morning fog, then partly cloudy to sometimes overcast</td></tr><tr><td><b>Conditions</b></td><td>soft to firm cord</td></tr><tr><td><b>Hardbooters</b></td><td> 3 (me, trent, greg)</td></tr></table> Morning [decided sunday morning that if it were sunny i'd do afton. buck was crowded yesterday] early morning there was fog. from the chairlift it didn't look good. out on the snow, i could see the groom so it wasn't all that bad. eventually the fog burned off. first couple runs on trudys left an indelible impression that lasted till at least 3pm. we spent considerable time on trudys and ingas. snow was really good. i was digging the speed and the snow. good times. got a little crowded. did a few bowl runs. had to wait a bit before going into the bowl. later we ventured over to de's. it was icy. then ventured to the highlands. a snowboard instructor stopped me at the top of a lift to have me demonstrate my "reference stance" to his students. i think he was teaching other snowboard unstructors or maybe a team -- they all wore dark blue/light blue trim jackets. i wasn't sure what he was asking about... reference stance. he asked me to get in my binding and stand there. i obliged, stood there. he then tells his students that this is how they stand in alpine equipment. okay now i get it, we wanted to show his student how we face the nose of the board. trent and greg warned me about carharts. i did see at least two. crikey! greg takes off at about 12:30 pm. trent and i did a few runs in the highlands and some others. kinda blurred. we both started to have problems stepping into the bindings. we discovered that there was ice buildup at the front of the boot where the bale makes contact. the ice is not letting the boot move forward enough for the pins to extend through the holes. i lasted till about 3:30pm. i had no energy towards the end - dead battery. could barely function. Nice Hat there was alot of ski patrollers doing weekend maneuvers on de's dive. it was a large group and they were training with a sled. there was even a guy in hardboots. anyways, greg and trent head down. i paused at the top. just as i was about to go down, greg and a ski patroller collide near the bottom quarter. for sake of argument i'll call the ski patroller squiggy. this guy squiggy falls backwards from the impact. all i could see was his red jacket, arms flying, then puff of snow. instant yard sale. greg was still standing downhill but slowed down and waited at the bottom. from my perspective it appeared that squiggy was uphill from greg and that there lines converged. another ski patroller (i'll call him lenny) came to the aid of his fallen comrade. i sidled down the run just to see if squiggy was okay. jeebus! you'd think the ski patrol office would make helmets mandatory for all their minions?!? all the guy was wearing was some sort of knit hat! <a href=" " title="hat by snurfer64, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4283432664_d0be01ea7f_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="hat" /></a> we all hung out at the bottom. it was a slightly tense moment. i'll try to paraphrase the exchange. lenny comes up directly to greg. "downhill has right of way" he says. greg responds, "yeah, i know. i was downhill..." lenny says "no you weren't, i saw the whole thing. you were uphill and you hit him." greg responds "okay... i'm not even going to argue." lenny pushes on towards the lift. i guess all he wanted was an acknowlegement. squiggy skis past us towards the lift line. i don't think he realizes who the other person he hit. in the lift line lenny asks squiggy "so did he hit you?". squiggy responds to lenny "yeah, he hit me". at this point i'm not sure why lenny is asking this question in the lift line. i would think he would've asked squiggy when the guy was down. greg speaks up from behind "no, you hit me but i'm not going to argue". squiggy was caught off guard. apparently he didn't know we were within earshot. he changes the story "uhh... i hit him" greg says something else, not quite sure. squiggy looks back and says "all is good" and gets on the lift. we took off from that run. not because of the impact. it was hard to hold an edge and too many people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted January 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 yeah, great day at afton today. light was goofy, but the snow was good. bob and greg had some sweet turns on belinda's bowl. hopefully the video turns out. after 5 hours and at least 4 different race courses, bob and greg's graffiti was still on inga's. indelible carving indeed. thankfully it didn't get crazy busy like last weekend, thanks to the game. although it did get scary on inga's and trudy's around 3. it only takes one straight-liner to wreck a run. we had a few times down where i was nervous about who / what was trying to pass me. we also witnessed about 30 race kids all bomb the hill. at the same time! i was glad we were on the chair for that one. a girl fell. yard sale, and lots of tumbling. i think she was lucky to get up. later we saw a racer fall at the top of trudy's. they managed to slide on their back / side all the way to the bottom. i didn't know how much was intentional, and how much was because they couldn't control the slide. -trent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powell1.8 Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 It's never good when two people collide. All I can say is Squigy hit me from behind. His mini skis hit the bottom of my board and he bounced off my back. How I could have been uphill from him and get hit from behind is beyond me. Luckily I'm made of titanium and minor impacts from a ski patroler wearing snowblades is a non issue. The weird thing is I waited for a hole and stuck to skiers left because I was already feeling like there were way to many people on the run. I was making much tighter turns than I normally due on D's to stay as far left as possible. I only saw Squigy for a slit second, but it didn't appear that he was turning at all. Where the f did he even come from? Lenny was a whole different character. He's what I like to refer to as a Dick. I seriously doubt he even saw what happened. He just assumed I was at fault, due to the snowboard attached to my feet. I could tell he really couldn't argue his point, partly because he had to ask Squigy what happened and partly because it was way to easy to shut him down. No one was hurt, which is key, and I don't think the patrollers were upset, other than possibly Lenny. Squigy seemed OK with it, and maybe even a bit embarassed for having a collision with another rider on training day. I will say Afton is a much different beast on the weekend. It's kind of scary at times. I respect the patrollers and their hard work to keep people safe, it's a big job. And they pretty much do it for free from the sounds of it. I just didn't like the assumption of Lenny, but I gues he was just sticking up for his buddy. I can appreciate that. The rest of the day was just good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call me jack Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I was racing today, and i could see what looked like hard booter trenches from the chair. Very good work! (Silver medal btw!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 powell1.8, mud, and i were out yesterday. the light sucked but the snow rocked! we spent the whole morning on trudy's. i kept thinking we should check out other runs, but it was too good to leave! after lunch, we finally made it to other runs. de's was good on skiers right. i kept getting bounced around in the middle or left side. the metal boys didn't have any problems. we also went and played on heather's for a while too. i think we all had some scary moments on the hill with mis-timed jumps getting a little too close to the woods. powell1.8 and i finished the day back on trudy's. we were both tired, but refused to leave when the snow was this good. took a bunch more runs until they set 4 courses on the hill. it was ok though, as i was getting too greedy trying to score the good snow between the towers. tried to pull one extra turn before the tower, fell, and slid/bounced to about 4 feet away from the pad. double eek! :eek: took a few runs down belinda's. we'd only do 1, maybe 2 turns the whole run... but they were sweet. get a bunch of speed, then carve the walls. can't do this on the weekend safely, yesterday was perfect for this. one of the last runs, there were 2 skiers standing in the middle of the run. powell1.8 blasts a heelside up the wall right in front of these guys! their mouths were wide open in awe. it was sweet. he said he would've carved around them, but then they might've not seen his carving in all it's glory. (his exact words). i think i was asleep by 9 last night. thanks for the fun day boys!! -trent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call me jack Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Nice. i really wish i could get out on some of those good hill when the snow was crap i'm always on 2 when after the race courses have been set up (i'm a night rider)... MES though, i've already made sure i'm not doing any thing tuesday night so i can be there bright and early! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted January 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 1/24/10 - holy crap was it soft today. actually felt like i was on water, more than snow it was so soft. really had to ride balanced to not fall. any aggressive carves were rewarded with an edge washout. some brown spots here and there, and i think i even saw some grass blades. but i'm going to pretend that the base is super deep, and it was the top of a pine tree sticking through. ;) the mist and flat light made it even better. lovely conditions out there. surprisingly, the grease wasn't dripping from the lifts like i expected, so that was a high point today. and the crowds were light. wonder why? and at 4, the place was empty. yay purple power! not that it mattered... parker didn't even want to stay late today. time to go wring out my clothes. it was wet! -trent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted January 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 rode for 2 hours this morning. thought it'd be cloudy, but it stayed sunny the whole time. the snow varied quite a bit, run to run. some of it was super firm cord, other places it was really soft, like it was new man made snow. at least the soft stuff was relatively flat, so didn't have to deal with mounds. had to look ahead for the normal grooming mistakes. trudy's had some huge holes at the bottom that weren't very fun if you hit them wrong. barbi's is still mogul free. spent some time there since the bowl was too soft to play on the walls. lots of race courses set too. and ski jammers were out. there didn't seem to be that many.... until you were on the same run with one of the classes. i think they're training them to be future carvers. they use the WHOLE hill! wanted to stay longer, but i couldn't stay warm today. i'll be out again tomorrow from 10-4. -trent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call me jack Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 i'll look for you, but i think i might meet up with that carving group that meets in the meadows... i might try to hone in that new f2 I bought, also... theirs no racing tomorrow, so i'm sure i'll see ya their at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powell1.8 Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 I'm planning on being there to cheese up the runs with my new heelside.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted February 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 today rocked. mostly sunny skies and lots and lots of cord! it was really firm and fast in the morning. inga's and trudy's were a little challenging early on. really had to be over the nose to keep the turns tight enough to control speed. but with chair 2 not running all day, you'd have the run totally to yourself (chair 1 and 3 were running, but hardly anybody would walk the 10 feet to go under chair 2). greg and i were happy with this. ;) once we finally moved over to de's, it was really hard to leave to go eat lunch. de's was fantastic! no seams or holes from the groomers. it really was pretty! had a couple of close calls with teen bombers, but they didn't stay long. after lunch, we went back to inga's for a little while, and said hi to call me jack who was rockin the big f2. we also met eric too. hopefully he'll come out and play more. made it back over to de's for more after lunch fun. whoo-hoo! it still rocked! after the teens came back to show us their mad straight-line-in-a-wedge skillz, we went over to the highlands. heather's was soft at the top, and ok the rest of the way down. i think we took 3 runs, then tried hazel's for a while, which was too slow. so back to de's we went to finish the day with smiles. had a few admirers today. adult skiers approached us in the chalet at lunch asking if we were the snowboarders who get so low to the ground. they've been watching us all winter. they asked some questions about equipment and technique. greg told them his pen was out of ink, but he'd sign their skis next week. -trent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 i was tempted to call in sick today but sadly i didn't. kept looking out the window thinking that you guys were having a blast while i sat there and pushed a mouse around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icarve Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 It was good to meet you guys today. I will hopefully be out more this year, I need to get in better shape before the "meeting" I have in Vail at the end of March. If you see me on the hill feel free to stop me and say hi. I will be the one in the green jacket and pants, black board. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call me jack Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 i saw some 3 hard booter come through the lift line. 2 of which were riding asym boards!.. thought that might be worth posting... :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe D. Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 FYI: USSA races at AFTON this Saturday and Sunday, All ages, lots of kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 13, 2010 Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 It was great today. 2 was pretty good, but the dream runs were on 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted February 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 blue skies and courd everywhere! despite greg and i struggling with the transition back to minnesota from being out west, it was a great morning of riding. we only rode until noon, but probably would've stayed longer if not for other commitments (although my taxes aren't really going that well ) inga's, trudy's, belinda's, de's, sally's, and heather's were all in great shape. firm, fast, and smooth. heather's did have a nice hump down the middle. couldn't really see it, but had some nice air transitions all the way down. nat was out showing how skis should be used. :biggthump always fun to watch! call me jack showed up as we were leaving, so he got to ride with the afternoon crowd. hopefully it didn't soften up too much. -trent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call me jack Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Well after noon crowed is a bit of a over statement, but yeah it did start getting soft. So soft that i couldn't really guild my stiffer F2 as well as i could with my softer Axxess (first time i've ever experienced a issue like that/first time the F2 has failed me). I noticed that my soft booter friends' carving was starting to really come to him as it got warmer, too. Altogether though i'd say the snow held up pretty well, until i left, at about 330, before the flat light set in. Days like today have made me feel really satisfied with how far my hard booting has come in the last few weeks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Today was amazing. It was really hard and fast in the morning, softened up and got perfect around 2. Unfortunately for me, that is when my heal clamp broke on my back foot boot. I am hoping that the ski shop can fix them cheap, if not I may be getting new boots. Any recommendations? -Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Today was amazing. It was really hard and fast in the morning, softened up and got perfect around 2. Unfortunately for me, that is when my heal clamp broke on my back foot boot. I am hoping that the ski shop can fix them cheap, if not I may be getting new boots. Any recommendations?-Scott heel clamp? i've had the heel crack on my boots where the bale makes contact. is that what you mean? happened on two sets of boots; UPZ and Deeluxe Suzukas. i have the deeluxe 700Ts. i've had issues with the stock liner. i put in my Suzuka liners it was that bad. also had issues with the cuff fitting around my skinny legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Today was amazing. It was really hard and fast in the morning, softened up and got perfect around 2. Unfortunately for me, that is when my heal clamp broke on my back foot boot. I am hoping that the ski shop can fix them cheap, if not I may be getting new boots. Any recommendations?-Scott What size boot, I might have loner pair you could borrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call me jack Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 i have the deeluxe 700Ts. i've had issues with the stock liner. i put in my Suzuka liners it was that bad. also had issues with the cuff fitting around my skinny legs. i have the same boot and all the same problems, but no alternative liners.... foam is your friend :rolleyes: oh a side note, i saw 2 hard booters today, who weren't scott, while i was working lifts at afton (can't wait till next year when i'm a mountain host) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 The boots are old burton shadows. The heel clamp on the back foot broke, it was only made from plastic. I am between a size 9.5/10, Bob I will let you know if the repair shop can not fix them. I am hopeful they can be repaired, drilling out the rivets and putting on a replacement heal clamp should be pretty simple, I just didn't have the tools or I would have done it myself. I rode a couple of runs with medical tape holding the boots 1/2 way tight. Benefits of having that vest with gear on all the time, although I am thinking next year I will just buy a season's pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted February 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 i'll be out riding sunday from 9 - ?. hope to see some other trenches. i was out for 3.5 hours on skis with my daughter today. the snow looked great, and felt as good as it could on skis (which isn't even close to the feeling on a board). de's was empty every time we were by it. hopefully scott had a good afternoon ripping it up. -trent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 boots were able to be fixed! 5 dollar fix and I was good to go. I am planning on being out tomorrow morning as well for a few hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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