LeeW Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Saw Jack M. mention Mark Bock. I remember him from r.s.s newsgroups. Haven't seen his post in a very long time (I seldomly go to newgroups... but would like to get shell acct to get back to tin). I reckon description of him--a big man haulin' arse on alpine boards. Is he still around? I seriously doubt he'd remember me, but I sure would like to drop a one line email "YO, man! Thanks for the education for alpine boarding from winter of 1995ish!" Still rides in the east ? Mass I recall ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbvt Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Wow. I'm simultaneously going for the longest reply delay and the most egregious thread bump in history. Sorry about both! I found this when my mom googled me when I was visiting the parents recently. I'm sorry to report that I've lost the snowboarding faith through a combination of factors. Six or seven years ago I was already starting to get bored with riding the same mountains all the time, mainly Stowe, and was getting increasingly frustrated with the crowds that would make the mountain practically unrideable by 10am. It didn't help that the only board I ever wanted to ride was my Prior GS board, because I just wanted to go fast. Fast + GS turns + crowded slopes = Bad Idea. Also, I got fed up with the culture of snowboarding (in a general sense; alpine snowboarding has always been its only saving grace). I work for JDK, Burton's design firm, so I get to see the bull$h!t from the inside out. A number of years ago my primary riding buddy (the only one of my friends who rides alpine) lost access to cheap passes and couldn't afford to ride regularly anymore... and then we had a string of really pathetic winters (excruciatingly cold with very little snow), which was pretty much the nail in the coffin. My interests shifted to other things, and so did my budget. I did get out one day last winter, but as luck would have it I picked the one day the conditions really sucked. Figures. So anyway, my focus has shifted to motorcycles, which are a lot cheaper once past the initial cost of purchasing the bike. $10 worth of gas gets me 150 miles worth of fun, I don't have to drive an hour just to get someplace to ride, there's a virtually infinite number of roads to explore, and the sensation of leaning the bike over in the curves is remarkably similar to carving on a snowboard. And there are no liftlines! And as it happens, Vermont is an even better motorcycling state than it is a snowboarding state. That's not to say that I'm done with snowboarding. I've still got all my boards and have no intention of getting rid of any of them. I'm just taking an extended break from it. At some point I fully intend to get back into it, although I'm pretty sure I won't be doing it every day I don't have to work like I used to. I'm not 25 anymore. :) It's cool to see that the ECES is still going strong and that it'll be in Stowe this year. Maybe I'll come out one day for it, although I'm so out of shape that I'd never be able to keep up with anyone! Anyway, thanks for thinking of me, and hello to all my old rec.skiing.snowboard buddies! --mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Bird Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 I found it funny that you said motorcycles were cheap, I got back into snowboarding because motorcycles were expensive (damn tires and gas for the desert trips, haven't given it up though). I don't know you from Adam, but it sounds like you have a valuable history in snowboarding. Stick around, it is a regular soap opera and pretty entertaining at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbvt Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Desert trips are the important point there -- offroad bikes go through tires quick! And engine rebuilds, if they're 2-strokes.... I got into street bikes. They're built to last, and the tires don't need replacing anywhere near as often. And use of Vermont's roads is free. :) --mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Ha! Nice one, slinkster. A bunch of us do a track day or three at Loudon each summer. You in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbvt Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Hey Jack, long time no chat! You're not the first to ask me to participate in a Loudon track day. I'll probably make it to one eventually. The logistics are difficult to arrange though, and I don't really have a suitable bike. I hesitate to take my Triumph -- it's a Bonneville cafe racer, great fun in the twisties but a bit low on power for the track, and I also don't want to risk crashing it. I suppose I could put street tires on my Honda XR650L and pretend it's a supermoto. I've avoided buying a sportbike because my speed addiction would lose me my license. On the other hand, I'm constantly doing longish rides all over Vermont, NY, and NH. Maybe we should meet up for a Kancamagus ride this summer. --mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted February 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 bloody hell! I didnt expected this thread to be revived! Well, hello there mark!! hope we'll meet someday, dude. and maybe get back into alpine racing? :) i do off-road racing (hare-scrambles and they're two strokes). thanks for reminding me about the "maintenance" part. bluebird and i were talking -- we were hoping to go out ride in western part of CO, but from what i hear from motorcycle buddies, the snow's practically all over the state of CO and UT that they decided to go all the way to Nevada. unbelievable. anyways, welcome back, bock-man!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbvt Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 Thanks. Eventually I'll find my way back onto a snowboard... maybe even later this season, although the weather forecast is doing a lot of freeze/thaw action, and I'm over iceboarding. I bet motorcycling in western CO is awesome. Hopefully I'll wind up out there on a bike sometime, but if so it'll probably be a V-Strom or something, not my XR650L. :) --mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Now, whats wrong with your XR650? That's one mean bike. Dunno if I got balls to even try it to haul serious ass in the desert. Baja, maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Bird Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Mark, it sounds like it is time to move west! We had an icy day......once.....about 5 years ago....maybe.... and the land is great for both of your bikes. With all of the forest roads out here, you might have more fun on the XR than the V Strom. I am near selling my street bike so that I can get a 650 style bike, much more versatile and better rides around here. It seems like you are missing the single track bike, but that is easy to rectify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbvt Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 The problem with the XR650 is that it gets really uncomfortable after about 200 miles on pavement -- much less off. It is a fun bike, and it's actually surprisingly good on twisty roads, but the seat should be reclassified as a medieval torture device. Also, while it would probably be a great bike for riding in the desert or in open fields, it's actually not a very good dirt bike for Vermont. What few trails there are around here are mostly tight logging roads and that sort of thing, with terrain that goes from hardpacked dirt to bare worn rock to mud to soft forest soil (often in the space of a few yards). The XR650L is an awfully big, heavy bike for these conditions, and there are no street-legal tires that really get sufficient traction on that mix of surfaces. So I mostly stick to Class 3 and 4 dirt roads. Which is fine, because there's no place to legally ride offroad in Vermont anyway except for private property with the owner's permission. Besides, I'm mostly a street rider anyway. I'm happiest riding a twisty road on my Triumph. --mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbvt Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Speaking of which... --mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Bird Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 The XR 650 is definitely the bike of choice for the desert, more the R than the L. My street bike is a Kawi ZR-7S and I understand how things can get uncomfortable. at least with this bike it is slow enough that my license stays in tact. one of my weakness's on the road is that I am not having enough fun unless I am above 80. sure glad the bike handles decently well. My brother used to live in Burlington and had nothing but rave reviews for the riding out there. Now he is in Phoenix, not sure that he is as stoked about it. he loves that he can ride year round though Your Triumph is a beauty!! classic cafe bikes are awesome Have a great ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Speaking of which... --mark Holy ****! I didn't know you were on bomber! Recognize this? -tex (aka MattRat) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbvt Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I think it's hilarious that we recognise each other by our motorcycles. :) And Blue Bird, yeah, the roads up here in Vermont, NH, and upstate NY are fantastic. There are plenty of twisties that you couldn't even ride at 80mph. Try the Appalachian Gap sometime (Rt 17 between Starksboro and Waitsfield) -- some of those turns are so tight you can only do 35 or 40, tops -- and that's scraping pegs. I actually won't let myself buy a sportbike. On the Bonnie I get the sensation of speed at halfway reasonable speeds; on a sportbike you feel like you're standing still until you're moving at rates that will get you arrested. --mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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