barok
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Posts posted by barok
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the length of a piece of string depends
on which piece of string you are talking
about, and whether or not you are stretching
it out, or just leaving it limp.
also depends on whether or not the string
is wet and to a limited extent, the
temperature and humidity.
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21 so far this season, and all the resorts
around me (in Wisconsin) are starting to
close.
i'm going to shoot for 23. it was by far
the worst season ever, where i'm at.
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sure ivo, the swallowtails, split boards
have been around forever, but my point was
that today all these products are available
and marketed worldwide. there are several
companies now making swallowtail boards, and
likewise with split boards and longboards.
this was not always the case.
the fact is, because of the increasing
popularity and diversity of the sport, there
is more product readily available today than
ever before.
you have so much of a choice. why second
guess it ?
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skiers probably go faster, jump higher,
etc. all day long.
it's the strength and aerodynamics you gain
by having two planks, and looking straight
ahead in a tucked position.
still doesn't change the fact that boarders
have more fun.
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I've heard alot of heresay, not on this board really, but elsewhere, that snowboarding is almost more popular amongst japanese girls than it is guys.
is there any truth to it ?
anecdotal evidence is from instructors who say that they get many more girls in their lessons than guys.
other evidence is the fact that while only one japanese guy qualified in the halfpipe olympic contest, two japanese girls qualified in a smaller field of competitors. (now i know this was just one contest, and i'm not even 100% sure of these numbers, it's just what i remember)
still other evidence is a large number of japanese girls that i see in the snowboarding magazine ads.
what do you see on the hills ?
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well it depends what you mean by peak ?
as far as the number of people doing it, it
will increase in the US, probably increase
in europe and china and other parts of asia,
decrease or stay about the same in japan,
Canada, and in S. America. But these are
just it my estimates based on what I read.
as far as the sport itself, we are now
seeing a rapid progression. both in
freestyle and freeriding. in the freeriding
arena, people are riding the backcountry more
and more, riding first descents all the time,
and learning how to take on the toughest
conditions the mountains can throw at you.
sometimes for days at a time.
in the freestyle arena, the jibbing movement
has also taken snowboarding outside the
resorts, but instead of to the backcountry,
kids are trying urban rails and obstacles.
gnarly stuff.
the halfpipes are getting bigger, and the
respective airs are also getting bigger.
people are jumping over 100 feet off some of
the kickers.
there is also a ton of product innovation
happening. snowskates, split boards,
long boards, swallowtail & powdertail boards,
protective gear, better boots and bindings,
etc.
as long as people can go bigger, and try
crazier stuff, the sport will rise.
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well it could go off, but i think if you look at some of the things that you say objectively, i think you're right on some counts and wrong on others.
first off, that icey crust of a surface you are riding on has very little to do with snowboarders and much more to do
with the freeze at night, thaw at day climate that is springtime in the mountains.
second, skiers have twice as much edge per person, than do snowboarders, so you can blame yourself as well. i'll admit if there is a thin layer of powder over a sheet of ice or hardpack, that is prime turf for a beginner snowboarder to wreck, but you can't blame the ice on snowboarders. go to a mogul field or go to a skier's only resort and you'll find the exact same conditions, except in the case of a mogul field, the icey terrain is dominated by large, obnoxious icey bumps.
i don't know about beginner skiers stopping everywhere, i never really see that, but what drives me up the wall is the beginner skiers (and snowboarders) that make run-length turns, never yielding to the uphill rider. i try to turn out of their way, hoping they will turn the other way, but they just hone in and stay right in your path.
with freestyle skiing becoming more and more popular, it's mostly advanced skiers that i see in the terrain parks and half-pipes waiting their turn for the big-air jumps, etc. coincidentally, this is the same type of behavior that skiers always slammed snowboarders for doing. ironic, huh ?
as for Ally McBeal, you should really turn that off. clinical studies demonstrate a drop in IQ that is proportional to the amount of time watching Clarissa Flockhart doing anything.
as for the snowboarder who air to head-jibbed you, that is just bad behavior. unacceptable and super unsafe. if you see that guy again, you should report him to ski-patrol and watch him get kicked off the hill for good.
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i board and drink alot. the alcohol provides
a very clean fuel that keeps me warm and
keeps my energy level up.
well allright i admit that it's probably just
the alcohol playing tricks on my brain, but
whatever.
i would never drink in sketchy conditions
however, or when i'm riding freestyle (pipe,
park, etc.) only when there is tons of
powder and there is nothing to lose.
btw. . . i've been down on the british beers
as of late due to rumors from my friends that
they put all kinds of conditioners,
preservatives and gelatin in the beers -
does anyone know if this is true or not ?
it could be just the stuff that they send
over here to the US, and I hope that's the
case.
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yep i used to ski, might try it again someday
if someone wants to switch with me. i quit
because snowboarding was much more fun and
because i didn't have to walk around in
uncomfortable boots carrying toothpicks
all over creation.
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madison, wisconsin
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it's good exercise, and unlike running,
you're not even really thinking about
how hard it really is, once you get a good
clip going. it's super low impact, so
your knees aren't cashed once your done
with it. of course, i haven't done it
since i was a kid, if it's snowing and i
have free time, i'm going riding.
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camel dude, you sound like an infomercial
spokesman.
i can just see it "superb conditions, fresh
powder, now how much would you pay ? ? but
wait that's not all if you call now we'll
include this deluxe set of ginzu knives. . ."
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yep, that stuff they were throwing on the
halfpipe was sodium nitrate (fertilizer).
Like many salts, it increases the
melting/freezing temp of the snow/water.
just don't get a facefull.
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intermediate. . .
freestyle and freeriding.
360's, cliff drops, small rails, switch cruising, lipping the halfpipe.
trying to progress to
advanced . . .
540's, 360 cliff drops, gnarly rails, aggresive switch riding, boosting the halfpipe.
just need more days.
werd.
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slush riding is actually only third best
next to riding on powder and riding on
freshly groomed powder (from the night
before).
riding on the ice sucks. the slush is way
more forgiving on the falls and on landings.
and it can be sooo nice riding in the sun
in a t-shirt.
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oo dude,
you are averaging 11 or 12 beers per minute.
you need to slow down or you are going to
have some problems i think.
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i like powdery moguls.
good for practicing tight turns when there
are no trees around.
but as for the icey moguls, clap city.
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if you are at a good resort, you shouldn't
even need to go off-piste, because the
entire mountain is open, except for the places where you absolutely shouldn't go
(sharp rocks, chasms, etc.) a good example
of a good resort is big sky, montana -
where there are very few ropes.
however that doesn't seem to be the case in
japan, so backcountry is a necessity.
the off-piste has been discussed to death
on this board, so here's my take on
backcountry. the majority of backcountry
consists of people trucking each other up in
pickup trucks or cars to a designated point,
then those people skiing or riding back
down to the truck point. so it's basically
free, although you should always kick down
for the drivers. the terrain is usually
better than resort terrain as it isn't
developed, crowded, groomed, or tracked out,
you can actually get good snow. you can
build big jumps without being harassed, and
it's just a chill vibe. the whole thing is
you get killer terrain and killer snow
for cheap. it's also that much more of an
adventure, cuz you're doing it with only the
help of friends, no bigwigs.
the downside is that the risk of avalanche
and injury can be high, if you are in an
avalanche zone. but with a little research
and training, those avalanche zones can be
avoided. an example of an avalanche zone is
the woods around Nederland, Colorado. There
is a South facing ridge that gets tons of
snow and then the sun beats on it, then it
gets more snow, and that snow is prone to
falling and falling fast.
knowing where you are is your best weapon
in the backcountry.
[This message has been edited by barok (edited 21 February 2002).]
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yep, it's a clear blue sky.
just a play on the word blue, methinks.
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I've been thinking about this alot, and
i've decided that it's not such a bad
thing if some resorts close, or at least
suspend operations for a few years or so.
There are like 700 resorts in Japan - that's
100 more than the number of resorts in all of
North America. And Noth America is
Approximately 100 times the size as Japan,
with 3 times as many people.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that
during the 80's, Japanese had the wealth and
interest in skiing/riding to support all
of these fun places, but people are more
concerned with saving their money now, so
what can you do ?
It really wouldn't be such a big deal if 200
resorts closed their doors, just so long
as your favorites stayed open. The
backcountry would become more popular as
well, which is the direction snowboarding is
moving anyways.
I only hope that when these resorts do close
their doors, that the land isn't used for
some other development.
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what's a skier ?
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yep, Whistler, Whislter backcountry.
gotta be said, even though it was raining
when I was there, the potential was
unlimited.
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you'll notice a significant loss in camber
after riding a board 30-40 times.
unfortunately, that is about how long it
takes to really get used to a new board.
camber is the boards ability to retain it's
manufactured shape. most boards don't sit
flat on the ground, but bend convex in the
center.
The board is of course still good, but has
just lost most of it's pop.
of course there are other factors - how
hard you ride, whether you jump or not,
whether you drop cliffs or not, the type
of construction used by the manufacturer, etc.
I'd say for most freestyle boards, if you
ride 50 times a season, you'll need a new
one every year. For the thicker, tougher
freeride boards, if you ride a big mountain
hard, 50 times a year, same deal.
I want to make clear, that this is not a
hard and fast rule, just an opinion based
on what I've experienced and read. There
are about a million exceptions. e.g. if you
ride only powder, your board will last
forever, If you own a strong board, e.g.
carbon fiber from Never Summer, Lib-
Technologies, Gnu, your board will last 2
hard seasons. But for your run-of the mill
wood-core boards, one hard season will kill
the pop.
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Is the Fish even out yet ?
I've never ridden either, but I'd get
either that Winterstick or a lib-tech
longboard. I think it's lib-tech ?
Either them or gnu.
Arbor snowboards makes a pretty tight
series of longboards as well. their
website is farked for some reason though,
so you have to search retailers.
... Girls boarders.?
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
keep trying miki,
it gets alot easier, and then alot more
fun.