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End of season @ Stratton:Skwals, Grooming, and touching the snow


tex1230

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So I took the final weekend of the season up at Stratton to try a few new things. Przemek/Brooklyn offered to bring up a skwal for me to try - and to make a few runs with me as well. We met and went up on an ungroomed stratton morning,,,not a lot of fun for me on the Rossi 184. choppy, bumpy, icy crap. I felt like a total beginner...

I must now say that EC style carving may look cool on videos, but I have never seen it before in person. I don't care what anyone else says about touching snow being bad form, sliding your body being not true carving etc...

That boy can carve! he leaves deeper cleaner trenches on the snow than most "bobmber style" carvers I've seen..and he can do it on crap ungroomed ice that left me & my GS board chattering and skidding down the hill.

After embarassing myself on the steeps, I decided further self-abuse was in order, So I took out the skwal 165 for a run. for those of you who are curious what this is like, think a combination of early 90's narrow stances/high angles and slalom waterskiing. The biggest thing I found was that you really need to keep centered on this board. Just a bit of lean to one side or the other and you're immediately locked into a carve, and you'd better be committed to it, because skidding is not a viable option. I'm really looking forward to trying the 180 that Dr. D and I have acquired.

Sunday was much better, with colder temps and good grooming almost making up for the shortcomings of saturday. I think I redeemed myself with some good high speed carves on Upper standard. It's amazing the difference a grooming pass can make.

To end the day (and the season), I was flying down making quick rhythmic turns when a skier passes me and cuts directly on front of me, passing within a few inches of my nose...I hit the breaks hard, and yelled at the jerk, but couldn't really do anything about it until i caught hom at the base of the mountain.

For those of you who know Stratton, on warm spring days, a large puddle of water forms near the bottom of American express...today it was a good 5 feet across and about 6 inches deep. I saw this guy who had cut me off stop right next to said puddle, so, for my final run of the season...I straightlined the last 200 yards of the run and hit the puddle at full speed...just fast enough to douse said jerk in brown slushy water... slid to a halt, muttered "sorry, bro", and walked to the car...a good end to the season.

:eplus2:

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That boy can carve! he leaves deeper cleaner trenches on the snow than most "bobmber style" carvers I've seen..and he can do it on crap ungroomed ice that left me & my GS board chattering and skidding down the hill.

What kind of board?? I'm in the market for something that won't kill me on ice.

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you should try a MADD, skipuppy

tex...gotta love the inference. Ive never once called myself a "bomber" style rider. I just snowboard. sometimes I carve, sometimes I ride powder...and Ive seen WAY more "bomber" style riders straight up ripping and looking gorgeous doing it than I have "EC" style...

that was kinda lame.

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you should try a MADD, skipuppy

tex...gotta love the inference. Ive never once called myself a "bomber" style rider. I just snowboard. sometimes I carve, sometimes I ride powder...and Ive seen WAY more "bomber" style riders straight up ripping and looking gorgeous doing it than I have "EC" style...

that was kinda lame.

Dude, get over it. This was not an attack on one style over the other, simply an observation on the skills of this one particular rider. I have not had the opportunity to ride with many other hardbooters in the last couple of years since I switched back, so my only comparison is to myself and what I've seen in my travels. I rode with some pretty amazing riders when I was at Bachelor,and I've ridden with several very good East coast riders as well. But most of them ride the same way as I do, a more upright style that has been described many times as "bomber style".

I'm not much for labels. I ride the whole mountain, I snowblade, I ski, and I have fun doing all of them...and I really don't give a damn what anyone else thinks.

This post was meant to give respect to a rider who I thought was very impressive, especially given the crap conditions of the day.

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glad to hear it about giving respect, and people that ride that style effectively are impressive to say the least

it didnt sound like "just" that though. maybe I misinterpreted but I dont think so, especially since you started this one right after a post in the "touching the snow" thread.

anyway....Im "over" it...I promise. Golf today, PRIDE payperview tonight, then mammoth this weekend. should be a good week.

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I'll shake an extra martini for you - need heavy medication after the various impacts with ice over the weekend.

Golf, PPV Pride, and Mammoth...sounds just about perfect. Add a hot chick with loose morals and you've got it all! :biggthump

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHAHA

man...I live in SoCal and simply dont fit the image. Im not tan, Im not buff, and Im not stylish

basically, I couldnt get laid in a monkey whorehouse while holding a bag o bananas

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BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHAHA

man...I live in SoCal and simply dont fit the image. Im not tan, Im not buff, and Im not stylish

basically, I couldnt get laid in a monkey whorehouse while holding a bag o bananas

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

that made me choke on the water I was drining while reading that post

all this skwal talk is making me want one

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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

that made me choke on the water I was drining while reading that post

all this skwal talk is making me want one

sign up for the demo club I am getting it inserted this week if all goes well. It will be ready for next season for sure.

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I have tried my uncle's lacroix 180 skwal and it is amazing. One scrubs his armpit at each turn on a good slope. I fell in love with it and uncle bob hardly ever sees it any more. It is well loved and due for retirement given how it has negetive camber.

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