1xsculler Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) Since about this time last year I have been on a frantic mission to learn to carve at least as well as I could in 2005 when I quit and went back to skiing to get to sixty years total on skis. I still am not great at carving. I cannot keep up with you guys who go to Aspen but I can, finally, say that I can, once again, carve nice pencil-line arcs when conditions, body and equipment cooperate. I finally made a couple of runs with the first hardboot carver I have seen during my sixty trips to Crystal yesterday. It was fun but I'm still feeling this is a very individual sport unless you find someone who is working on the exact things you are working on and who wants to compare turns, speed, etc. It's very, very individual, it seems, and I realize that 99% of my riding is going to be solo. I think that's partly why I quit in 2005, i.e. I couldn't get any of my skiing buddies interested in carving. Now I don't care. I'm happy to be the only hardbooter on the Mt. Maybe I even prefer it. I have a good quiver of boards and will probably add to it. Maybe a Donek Freecarve 171 or 176 and, for sure, another Coiler or two (after Bruce recovers from knee surgery which I think he had yesterday). I have tried every boot, binding, stance, angle, cant and I think I have all of this pretty well dialed in for comfort and performance for me for now at least. I read and re-read almost every post on BOL and from all of you I have been able to refine my interest in this sport to where I know exactly what I want to work on, i.e. I call it doing Corey turns (sorry Corey, I don't mean to embarrass you as I know many (most) of you BOLers, and others, can turn as well as Corey does, but I mean get down, angle the board high, bend the board to tighten and shorten turns to control speed on steeper and more narrow runs. I want to be able to crank out short, tight turns on Iceberg Gulch at Crystal, i.e. it's pretty steep and pretty narrow. It will take a lot of self discipline and a few more seasons, I'm sure. I may run out of B-days before I get there. Thanks to each and every one of you for being here and thanks to Fin, Corey, et al. for helping keep it all alive. Edited February 15, 2018 by 1xsculler 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhamann Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 32 minutes ago, 1xsculler said: I have a good quiver of boards and will probably add to it. Famous last words. ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1xsculler Posted February 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 That is one thing that is funny about this sport, i.e. quiver of boards. I never had more than one pair of skis (replaced every 3-4 years) during my skiing days except, in the late '50s and early '60s when I fancied myself a racer and had to always have a pair of 220 downhills, 215 GS and 210 SL, either Kneissel or Kastle. Once used purchased at the factory, Hohenems and Kunfstein, Austria, if I remember correctly, in 1963/4 for $36/pair...Marker long thong bindings, Haderer, Rogg, Strolz, leather boots...the 220s were about 1 1/2 to 2" thick under the boot...solid wood....real beasts. The guy I rode with yesterday has over twenty boards and another BOLer has over fifty. I'm trying not to go there but there is something about always thinking a different board is going to be magic, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) Kneissl and Marker you never need try anything else ! Edited February 15, 2018 by lowrider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chouinard Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 6 hours ago, 1xsculler said: Now I don't care. I'm happy to be the only hardbooter on the Mt. Maybe I even prefer it. Rejoice, You have taken a major step forward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jng Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 7 hours ago, 1xsculler said: I know many (most) of you BOLers, and others, can turn as well as Corey does You are suffering from imposter ‘s syndrome. I’ve only been to Aspen once but Corey is well above average. You are setting the bar too high if you believe most of the riders on the forum can ride at his level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 Geez, you guys are going to swell my head. Thanks for the kind words! If it makes you feel better; you never stop learning. That drive to do better than you currently are will take you far, but never be satisfied. I'm in awe of many other riders and want to learn to ride like them too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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