Heard it in the lift line 2011/12

[sic t 2]

This funny looking deal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in1c6bB4b5M

Actually, I don't find anything odd about that board at all. I slalom ski 6 days a week in the summer and you'll find that the more your feet are pointed forward the more you need your rear heal to dynamically lift slightly to give you a powerful, balanced stance. That's why you will find some pro slalom skiers actually prefer a rear "toe plate" to a "rear boot" (myself included).

Goode Water skis has it wired. They offer this option (dynamic heel lift) with their hard shell water ski bindings.

I skied with two conventional boots and felt too stiff and awkward with it (much like somebody on a skwal looks). So I have always skied with a rear toe plate for good attack balance. But this past season I modified my rear boot to allow my heal to rise several inches while skiing. Wham ! That is the hot setup.

So,,, the above video is not odd at all to me and I have often looked at Bomber Bindings and thought they are missing one thing: that tele heal lift (especially if you expect to ride a narrow virus or a skwal). But live and learn. Someday in the future it will be here.

"The GOODE PowerShellTM 5 Double Boot System features two hard boots on a single G-10 Composite plate, Boot Rotation System and adjustable rear double spring heel hold down system. The double spring system allows your rear foot heel to raise which adds Power to your edge change behind the boat. During a fall, both boots release on a single plate."

http://goode.com/waterskiboots.htm

[carvingchef]

not exactly in the lift line but maybe worth mentioning
last week i was picking up my Scalpel 180 from being tuned and this guy waiting to pick up his park board looks at the scalpel and says "wow that's a long board" so i replied this is a 180 but my longest board it's actually 188, he kept looking at it and i knew he had no clue a few second later when he asked me if it was a heli-board, i just told him it was a carving board but he looked a little perplexed

[SunSurfer]

http://vimeo.com/36883020

An Aspen local explains to a visitor from New Zealand what happens to unsuspecting skiers discovering that SES is in town.


I had forgotten I had the camera on, hence the shaky video.
SunSurfer

[jtslalom]

Good job Sunsurfer. Excellent explanation and good job not to be condenscending.

Heard in the lift line once again this year.

Skier:"Your bindings are on wrong dude. You should go into the ski repair and have them placed on correctly before you get hurt?"

(my binding angles are about 57 back 54 front)

me: "The guy at the shop told me that this would improve my riding"

skier: "The guy at the shop doesn't know what he is talking about"

me: "Maybe, we'll see"

Then I went for a run.

[lafcadio]

While clipping in at the top of the run, two teen snowboarders are looking at me and one of them asks, "Is that an alpine board?" I was really taken by surprise.

Then on the way down, I stop by a group of 6-10 year old skiers taking a lesson. One of them sees me coming and yells, "Cool! A carving board!"

A total 180 from having to explain my gear on every chair ride up.

[jsa]

Since joining this site, my son points out everyone with a snowboard and hardboots. It's almost embarrassing when he yells across the base area "Hey Dad! Look at that guys carving board and hard boots!"

One day I can stop upgrading my kids gear and update my own stuff! I'm riding an 01 Rossi ProLine 157 with Salomon S4 bindings from the same year. Boots are similar aged Burton somethings... they were the stiffest boots Burton made back then. I thought I was "doing it" as a softbot carver. Now I can hardly stand to put the thing on edge, those old boots are just done.

[clebner]

Today in the lift line from two skiers "You guys are Crazy! It looks awesome but You guys are Crazy!
And after caving a loop at the bottom a skier come up behind me and says "Now that's the definition of edge control!

[dingbat]

A kid said to me "You look like Spider-Man coming down the hill."



Kid was pretty perceptive. He's trailing his rear arm and hip just like I do.

[b0ardski]

spidey senses are a must for the recent "board by braille" conditions

[corey_dyck]

Walking out to the rack first thing in the morning to grab my board and head to the lift. 16-ish girls/boys just dropping off their stuff before heading into the lodge.
Girl: "Wow, his board is so long!"
Boy, not missing a beat: "Yeah, but mine's thicker."
LOL!

Chatting with a nice 40-ish woman on the chair ride up (I was in the singles line and joined her and her friend). She all of a sudden notices my board, looks me up and down, and says "OMG, are you the guy that's doing all those turns?!? You're beautiful! What is that thing called?"

12-ish kid in the lift line, makes some comment about my ski board. I correct him that it's an alpine snowboard. He says, "No, it's a ski board! I know those well." Umm, ok...

[kinpa]

Our locker room for the instructors is next the the room for the race kids.... I had my little Rossi all-mountain board (with OLD Burton step-in plates) leaning up in the corner when one of the little race kids came out of the bathroom.... mom was trying to get him back together.... "Look.... it's a tele-board" his mom was not interested... "yes, mom, it's a tele-board!" still no response... after a few more tries from the little boy, mom busied him on his way.... I didn't have the heart to say any different! I just listened..... the kid couldn't have been more that 8 years old....

[Allee]

Walking out to the rack first thing in the morning to grab my board and head to the lift. 16-ish girls/boys just dropping off their stuff before heading into the lodge.
Girl: "Wow, his board is so long!"
Boy, not missing a beat: "Yeah, but mine's thicker."
LOL!

Ah, they start 'em young these days.

[NoirX252]

Some places start'em younger.... I blame the internet!

[GV27]

Loveland Pass on Saturday, I was sitting on the wood rail at the top getting my bindings situated and this group of 20-ish folks come walking by to get above the traverse. The guys are talking about my setup, the usual "wow, look at that race board" comments, etc. But the (quite attractive) girl with them speaks up and says "no way, man - that thing's for powder!" then turns to me and says "that's a powder board, right?". I never thought I'd hear that - people don't even say that when they see me riding powder!

Meanwhile the 16 year old kid in my group is looking at this girl talking to me and giving me "go for it" signals behind her back. LOL.

[scrutton]

So, on the chairlift, a guy kept going on about the 'modules'. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about and tuned him out. Later on, my buddy figured out that he meant 'moguls'.

[eajracing]

Last weekend a ski patroller stopped me at the top of a hill to inform that "I saw you go down the hill, and that board is... And you get so low...and well.. The trenches and.... Jeez... I never tried a snowboard, but if I did it would be one of those ski boot ones"

I was flattered and thanked him.

[hoffmac11]

Last weekend a ski patroller stopped me at the top of a hill to inform that "I saw you go down the hill, and that board is... And you get so low...and well.. The trenches and.... Jeez... I never tried a snowboard, but if I did it would be one of those ski boot ones"

I was flattered and thanked him.

i also always get a kick out of it when a skier says what were doing is cool..just last week when i saw a group of skiers sitting on the edge of the trail i did my best toe side carve close to them followed by a kinda decent heel side and when i met them in the lift line they told me they like how i was 'rippin a snowboard' and we proceeded to bs on the chair lift, tossed them a bomberonline card, and said have a nice day!

also, is everyone else guilty of enjoying when you come up to the lodge, do a hockey stop and enjoy seeing people stare at you like wtf is this guy riding?? cause i know i do!

[corey_dyck]

hoffmac11 - I'm guilty. Same for long lift lines.

I forgot to add this one above...

I join up with two guys in the lift line. One has his front foot out and back foot in the binding. I say "Mongo? Don't see that much!"
He looks at me like I'm crazy. He's never skateboarded before and has no idea what I'm talking about. This is his first day snowboarding. I mention that it's common to take the rear foot out for lifts. He ignores me.

Cue about a minute later, we load on the 3-person non-detachable chair. His board spins sideways and catches an edge hard, peeling him off the chair in a massive faceplant just as we leave the snow. Somehow his buddy and I stayed on the chair. Nothing injured other than his pride. We shared a laugh all the way to the top.

I have to admit I never thought about why it's 'normal' to have the back foot out. I push a skateboard that way so I never thought about it. Could that be the reason?

[Futahaguro]

hoffmac11 - I'm guilty. Same for long lift lines.
I have to admit I never thought about why it's 'normal' to have the back foot out. I push a skateboard that way so I never thought about it. Could that be the reason?

I would say for ease of loading and unloading as well as how the board hangs on the lift. I'm also thinking about how you can control your board better with the locked in foot closer to the nose, as this guy found out. It seems that the location of pressure on the board gives you greater control at that point , so if it is in back the front will want to wander around.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I don't get mongo pushing on a skateboard either, seems unnatural. But if you think how much easier it is to pull something than push, that's the reason. Easy to pull a trailer, hard to back it up.

[BlueB]

I don't get mongo pushing on a skateboard either, seems unnatural. But if you think how much easier it is to pull something than push, that's the reason. Easy to pull a trailer, hard to back it up.

The only exception is a Skwal - easier to do it with front foot out...

[BlueB]

Today, teaching a friend on bunny hill, I opened up and slalomed tight deep turns. Some kid snowboarders (10-12 old, or so) started yelling from the chair: "Hey, how you do that?", followed by their skier buddies from the next chair: "That's soooo cool!"

[icebiker]

also, is everyone else guilty of enjoying when you come up to the lodge, do a hockey stop and enjoy seeing people stare at you like wtf is this guy riding?? cause i know i do!

And let's not forget the jealous stares at the top of the mtn after getting off the gondola and getting clipped in....snap, snap, and we're off, with nary a buttcheek in the snow to boot!


On a recent day at Windham, same questions, different emphasis..

Grom at top of lift asks me as I'm clipping in: What kind of board IS that?
Different person, behind me, to his girfriend as I get on the chair: What kind of board is THAT?

[NTwoO]

Easy to pull a trailer, hard to back it up.

City rats that can't back a trailer! :P

[carvedog]

City rats that can't back a trailer! :P

Now that is funny.

[Neil Gendzwill]

City rats that can't back a trailer! :P

- but would you rather tow or back up for any distance?

[NateW]

On the chair with 3 kids; 2 Jibrs and a skier:

Jibrs: What's that board?
Me: Alpine board. (I tilt it up so he can see my HB)
Jibrs: Cool... I saw you earlier from the chair...
Jibrs: So..do you ride real snowboard?
Me:...speechless yeah this also a snowboard..

RT

I've had this happen to me twice. The first time I just laughed, but a short while later, I realized there's a perfect retort for that question.

"Hey, I was just about to ask you the same thing."



Also, next time somebody asks me what it is, I'm going to answer "it's a bicycle." I forgot who posted that above, but it was brilliant.

[Bobby Buggs]

In the Gondi line yesterday I was called a Monoskier

[scrutton]

That last comment reminded me of an experience at the ski repair store last week. Took the SG 163 in for some needed work. After talking to the older repair guy about the work needed, and all things alpine boarding, he takes the board and motions for a younger tech guy to come over, and says to him, "Hey take a look at this, this is a REAL snowboard". Ahhh, made me smile.

[pan]

At Grouse training with my athlete today, my athlete got into the line-up first. One of the kids on snowboard pointed to my athlete's pointy nose F2 race board and said "I like your board!". Then, I came into the line-up and the kid looked at my stubby nose F2 race board. The same kid said "I like your board too!". I smile to them and said "Thank you".