FrankNBeans Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) . Edited July 30, 2020 by FrankNBeans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 At my local resort we have maybe 10 alpine riders. On any day it wouldn't be uncommon to see two or three. Riding the lift, almost invariably they'll be questions. What is that? How does it feel? Most seem genuinely interested and, this year, like others said, reference the Olympics...It's cool that people are interested. I can't tell you how many times people have come by and complimented or asked if I/we would mind if they followed. I don't consider myself to be a great rider but, I have to say, it's a good feeling to get those props! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khoward Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 6 Year old to dad. "Dad, what is that? Dad "Bud, I have no idea". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipsilvia Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 So I found this shirt at the bottom of the pile recently, and it made me think of this thread. Maybe it is time for a BomberOnline edition of the TWSnowboarding shirt from 1995 or so. It is hard to believe how recently people were asking questions about snowboarding that today they ask about alpine/racing/hardbooting equipment. #5 no, I don't use softboots anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 I'll play. 1. It's called an alpine snowboard 2. This is a real snowboard 3. No, they are not ski boots 4. Yes, it goes really fast 5. Because I like to turn hard and go fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayontray Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Perfect:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebiker Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I remember that shirt. I bought one at Steamboat in 1991 or so. No idea what happened to it. #4: Yes, I can stop it, and even turn, without sliding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Saturday's comments: "Hey look, it's a ski board!" "That's one of them hybrid boards." "Holy $&|^! How long is that snowboard?!?" "You get so low, how do you do that?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 A few weeks ago riding my Donek 165 wide bamboo FC with blunt tip/tail and softies. Cute softboot local Mammoth Girl on my left/ girlfriend, also cute softboot girl on my right. Local girl is asking all kinds of questions from the obvious to obscure about the board and riding style. My girlfriend about climbs over me when local girl pointed at my board then touched my thigh... Carving nice turns and riding sweet whips brings out the best in the ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeseomatic Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Saturday at Mammoth, Canyon Lodge, an acquaintance that was on a trip to Whistler with me yelled out my name near the lift. He said he thought it was me by the fact that I was slaloming around slower traffic and making nice turns. We exchanged pleasantries for a while until another person who was on that trip came up and said, "I thought that was you. You flew right past me and then started slaloming around everybody and I knew it had to be Joe." It was fun catching up a bit and exchanging info. I should probably ride with them more as they seem really interested in the style. Maybe next year there will be two more carvers. Yesterday at Mammoth, chair 12, a really polite couple asked me about the snowboard I was riding, an O-Sin 4807 (enjoying 12" of powder and it's definitely a conversation starter). They said "it looks like a surf board" and some more questions of it's performance in powder and that it looks really old, etc. Then they noticed the hard boots and asked if I knew the other guy with "ski boots" they saw yesterday under chair 2 who was "getting really low" and "making some beautiful turns". I said I had no idea who that was and asked them to describe what that rider was wearing. And then they described me... "Yellow jacket, a lime green helmet, blue pants and a blue-ish or purple board." And I replied "That was me." (I was on my Donek Saber since I was meeting up with a bunch of softie riders) The woman gushes, "Oh, my gosh. You were the talk of the chair for the whole ride up. I don't understand how you can get so low and make those beautiful turns and everyone else can't" And at that time, my chair was about to come up and I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Me either, enjoy the rest of your day and the powder". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tufty Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) So, I was in Courchevel on Wednesday, with a couple of friends. One on a board, one on skis, neither of whom have done much skiing for a while (the boarder hadn't seen the slopes for 6 years). Result - day on the blue slopes, with a fair amount of waiting. So, I took the skwal, and as I was waiting at the top of a break, a skiier came up to me and asked "how does that work, then?" So, I explained what it was, and what it's for, and more or less how it works, so he said "well, go on then". Launched down the hill, 2 lightweight carves and then started /really/ throwing it down (to the point where I smacked my shoulder into the snow, thought I was going to dislocate it again), then pulled up and waited. "Wow. Just ..... wow. Where can I get one?" I pointed him to the nearest shop I know of that rent skwals and alpine boards in general, and he carved off on his skis to go and rent one. He was over 60. I got an email on Friday thanking me for introducing him to "the most fun I've had on the snow for 20 years". Then, in one of the gondolas, a guy with a lib tech board tried to explain to me that I was riding a monoski. Edited March 31, 2014 by tufty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayontray Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Go figure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowmatic Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Sometime sweet things happens! This winter a women clap hands and cried anythings as I re-enter slope comming from the trees. You know all that story here on thread sounds some kind of strange for me. I never heard things like that here on the lift line or on slope. But there was one case just happens this winter on this miniscule resort capable for to ride 4000ft altitude difference only. I was riding outbound on nice playfull powdersnow fields with my all-purpose mid-waist snowboard with hardboots on. Some followers, a man and a girl, took up my lines for riding nice powder lines too. So it happens I was just rejoining the slope comming from thight trees. The girl (softboots) was riding on the slope and she was claping hands and she sayed loud anything. I thought I scared her. On a stop I ask that pretty and realy open minded woman, why she make one's felt. Well, she was a Canadian girl from a student exchange program. And she was just lucky and happy to see hardbooters running slopes, but outbounds too (there was a second hardbooter on slope also that day). She was from the same Canadian town like Matt Morison (FIS Worldcup rider) is. Thats why she did know things about hardbooting and plate bindings. So I asked her, if there can be find a lot of hardbooters too on Canadian slopes. Unfortunately she was dissapointing me, in general there must be no, means like zero hardbooters on slope. Except if parents of Matt Morison and Matthew himself are riding alpine boards around there where she like to ride. We had a nice 15 minutes long chat on the border of slope. Even we talked about desaster which happens to Canadas Olympians. I was talking about slopestyle, halfpipe and snowboardcross, because she was on softboots. She was giving answers about hardbooting, because it matters for Canada! All the huge personaly and financial investments didn't worth at Sochi. Well, her boy-friend (local guy) was becomming more and more nervous, so we continued each to ride some next powder-turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Nice story Snowmatic but i'm sorry to say the girl is misinformed. Matts dad is the best around but there are quite a few others who also ride alpine boards at our local hill. Unfortunately not many new participants. Might have something to do with short hills and having to clip in and out of boards. Had one brave soul take up the challenge to try my skwal this year but attempts to lure in hardbooters has not been successful to date. Isn't it great how alpine boarding opens us up to talk with like minded riders around the world ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDB Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Nice story Snowmatic but i'm sorry to say the girl is misinformed. Matts dad is the best around but there are quite a few others who also ride alpine boards at our local hill. Unfortunately not many new participants. Might have something to do with short hills and having to clip in and out of boards. Had one brave soul take up the challenge to try my skwal this year but attempts to lure in hardbooters has not been successful to date. Isn't it great how alpine boarding opens us up to talk with like minded riders around the world ! Actually Pat, I had pretty good results with the demo program this year .... proficient soft booters trying out plates and a couple of old schoolers trying the new stuff. Even had a guy try out my Big Black Kessler. Same size boots and regular, easy swap. He was stoked, as were the others. I do hope that it translates to sales for Dave and Andrea who supply the gear. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 At Meadows this Sunday, at the top of Shooting Star, from an older gentleman who skied past as we were clipping in. "Go make your marks, boys!" :biggthump:biggthump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utahcarver Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Nearing the end of this season in March, my buddy and all-around good guy Wink is riding a chair with a woman who is french-speaking and her son while they are watching me ride below: "Zee man in black,...eeeeehh radz widd zee grass uvvvah woomunnn. It iz zlike bal-lay, NO?" she remarks to Wink and her son. It was a magical day with hero snow. Anyone could have done what I was doing. Just preachin' the gospel brethren... Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 I've gotten some thumbs up before and 'nice riding' but never applause, I almost wanted to take a bow, but thats Italians for you I guess. During my last trip to the Dolomites I've never had so many people from different parts of the world ask me questions about riding an alpine board. I think hardboots are gonna make a huge comeback in the near future, I think today's equipment and carving techniques really shows how much fun it is. Ignore the lazy riding, typical spring conditions and I was dog tired. The last words were that I thought they should buy me a beer :) <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QXpb0BZc6f0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboarderdude Posted April 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Any End-of-the-season goodies? I'd have some but my resort closed 44 days ago. I did have one woman ask me in snowmass during nationals "Where can I find your gear? None of the stores carry it any more!" I said Donek,, Bomber(the store), and Bomber(online) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 Skied/boarded with a friend last year at Big Sky off the peak in whiteout conditions for the first time, (He's a very smooth and fabulous skier) Could barely see my board much less anything else. Did a lot of side slipping and a fall or two. Hadn't been able to hook up with him till my last day on the Mt. this year. We had a couple of runs down the Dictators and Castro's in knee deep fresh, slightly wind packed. Fabulous runs and on the duck walk back he smiled and said "Simpatico". I kind of liked that. Most of the time I feel much more akin to skiers than boarders, and I guess that's not hard to imagine for the crew here. There's not many days when you can carve down a 50 degree off piste slope. This happened to be one of them. On a side note, only saw 4 or 5 hardbooters all through February, March, and April. Had lots of questions from lifties who had never seen a carving board. Offered to loan out some gear, but sadly no takers. Wish there was a better way to get some of these guys into hardbooting, and it's not for lack of interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 (edited) Fingers too fast. Double post Edited April 29, 2014 by bumpyride Double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garybergmann Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 Got a "good choice" in reference to my Silber and the rather crusty early morning conditions at Lake Louise this morning... Later I didn't get a chance to correct comments about my setup: "I didn't know they made bindings like that for snowboards (referring to my stepin's). Yeah, they're just used for slalom boards (I was riding a Coiler 172 AMT). They pretty much just go straight (hard boot riders in general)." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonhurst Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 LOL. For sure. I've never heard of such a forum posting. It's genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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