Ultimate Ski/Snowboard Interest thread!!!

I succumbed and ended up with Ikon.

 

this old man ordered some new easy-entry
bindings...

 

The new Nideckers?

 

YUP.

 

Fancy. I want them. Everyone was out of stock on release.

Edit- found a place in stock but $400. I used to ride Flow bindings back in the day and it was the same idea.

 

what happened to the days when a board was $299 and bindings were like $79.

 

I miss paper lift tickets

 

me too.

 

You can still get stuff that cheap. It's not gonna be a Never Summer or Lib Tech but The-house.com has plenty of Rossignol and Evol boards reg priced at or around 300. Bindings under 100 too. Even better priced right now since a lot of it is on sale.

2023 Salomon bindings reg price 99 bucks: https://www.the-house.com/sammblar331zz-salomon-snowboard-bindings

Rossignol board, reg rpice 299: https://www.the-house.com/rodlm151562zz-rossignol-snowboards

 

I have my 1995 Burton Twin 53 and got a lightly used Burton Custom 156 with the Flying V that i've used for 2 seasons. not sure I like the Flying V after having spent so many years riding traditional camber. I might just go back to my twin.

I mostly ride groomers now, with an a occasional jump and sometimes off-trail cruise through the trees if there's been a fresh dump.

I was considering a new board, like a Ride Manic or Yes Typo. but i dont know that I ride enough to justify a new board, or that it would transform my riding enough to justify.
Easy-entry bindings are justified when it takes me 5-10 minutes (and 50% of my energy) to strap in now.

 

I too got away from Burton after the flying V stuff showed up. Having the reverse camber between your feet is no good. Libtech does it too with their "banana" whatever..

I got into hybrid camber boards like Rome, Jones, Ride.. between the feet it's traditional camber or even flat. The reverse camber doesn't come into play until outside the bindings.

 

It is all just so crazy expensive at this point that it is a wonder anyone does it, or takes it up as a new activity. Mammoth mountain single day lift tickets run $100-$200.... FOR A SINGLE DAY!. I started skiing when I was a kid and lift tickets were $15. I remember them getting to $35 and my dad saying we would not be able to go as often (we would go weekly but for whatever reason he wouldn't spring for season pass'). Gear was cheap enough that anyone could learn and afford to stick with it. I switched to snowboarding in the late 90's. Maybe it's just me, but the first few times I went snowboarding I swore I wouldn't do it again but it was cheap enough to buy my own gear and persist. Now that I'm older I think of going back to ski's but it's so expensive even just to rent that I never do.

I do believe that you get what you pay for and the more advanced you become at any sport, the gear is the difference maker. I bought new boots last season, and am shopping boards and bindings now. Looking at about $1000 for the board and bindings.

 

i went to Mammoth for a week in the 90s; There was a huge storm and the upper part of the mountain was closed for several days.

I went with a girl who i was seeing at time. she was on skis and i packed some old skis just in case i wanted to ski with her (i didnt). apparently, i left my snowboarding boots back home and I had to buy some at Wave Rave. Love that shop!!

 

Tahoe needs another storm system to roll through. Although today at northstar was great with it being not busy at all. Good day to be “coming down with something” and staying out of the office

 

thank for the update. plan to hit the slopes somewhere next week. maybe kirkwood

 

Well shit we have a riding thread. Hi guys! Here in north eastern AZ current home mountain is Sunrise.

 

What bindings are you riding, that take 5-10 mins to get in?

Never been a fan of any "easy" entry binding system. All of them are harder to get into then they should be, crazy heavy, or don't hold you in very well.
The Burton step on is not really faster as most people struggle to get into them as they slide along as in promos. To get out, you need to reach back behind your heal, and lack holding power since they have no front straps.
Flows did not open the front straps at all to get your foot into then I always saw people struggling to strap them tighter anyways.

Watching the promo video of the new nidecker binding, that guy is having to slam his foot very hard while riding along. If you struggle with a strap binding so bad it takes you 5 mins to put on, I doubt you will be able to put these on easily as you ride along.

Traditional works.

 

it has nothing to do with the type of binding - i've been using 2-strap and even 3-strap (Burton Torque) bindings since 1992.

it has more to do with having had a very life-altering surgery, and permanent muscle and nerve damage, 10 years ago, and not being in prime snowboarding shape, which makes sitting on the hill and putting my board on very exhausting.

I never tried the early Burton or K2 Clicker step-in bindings, or even the Flow bindings, because I was in your mind-set... the convenience offered is probably not work the sacrifice or the hassles asscoiated.

But now I'm still riding even after all of that, but I'm also at the age now where if i can buy a binding that may be less physical effort and will allow me 1 or 2 more runs, I'm going to give it a shot.
I can still use my same boots and if the Nidecker easy-entry system doesn't work for me, I can still strap in regular or if its too heavy, I can still go back to my Burton Reflex bindings.

edit : what i should say is that i rode from 1992 to 2010 using traditional 2 and 3 straps.
Gave up snowboarding because of above permanent muscle/nerve problems.
Around 2014-2015, I said F*ck it, i'm going to try to ride again. I bought some new boots, found some old Burton Torque bindings that I could shin-strap my front leg, and lock the highback. and i was able to ride again.

a couple of years ago, I was able to get new Burton Reflex bindings and no longer needed the 3-strap, locking high back (that all the current lift operators would freak out that I wouldn't unlock and fold downmy high back for getting on the lift (because that would be more effort and energy for
me to flip it back and lock it)

definitely not like i used to.. and looked like a complete middle-aged newb that took 20minutes to strap in. (at least) but once strapped in i was cruising the slopes. eventually got myself able to strap-in in 5-10min and showed my daughter and nephews i could slide over a box in the park and take mini-jumps.

Ride your ride, bro.

 

If they get you out on the hill, then anything works. I just wonder how easy stepping down to trigger with your weak leg it sounds.

Enjoy the new gear, and shred time.

 

Yeah, fingers crossed. Hopefully we'll get some snow this year, too...

i'll post up my thoughts after i get them.

here's the Burton Torques
https://youtu.be/M8oLTjaXAqc