[Bubba]

Tumbleweeds are blowing across the board... in the distance a bell chimes....

Monday blues huh?

[nik at work]

I'm at work

It's shit

And it's only Monday

Just got back from ten days snowboarding in France

Would like to go back

Now

Please

[Bubba]

Where were you boarding? Is the snow still good out there?

I need to go back!

[nik at work]

I was at Morzine and the snow was amazing. It snowed everyday we were there and the powder was fantastic. Far and away the best snow I have ever been on.
Tonnes of snow everywhere, really really really want to be back there now.
If you can get out there go, you won't be disappointed.
Oh and a little tip if you go to that area go to the Mont Cherry area of Les Gets. Really nice quite place with a small board park. Hardly anyone seems to go there and those that do are practically all boarders.

[Bubba]

Never been to Morzine - sounds like cherry-pow fun though! Had a couple of proper bottomeless powder days in Serre Che - you know, when you just float down through the stuff - got to be one of the best feelings that there is. I've run out of holiday entitlement 'til after april but am going to try to get a long weekend out somewhere.

I like the sound of some of these smaller resorts as I bet they take a lot longer to get tracked out. Would love to have a guided day at La Grave too. Would recommend Serre Che though just for the size of the place and there's loads of easy hikes to untracked after a snowfall.

[nik at work]

Yeah floaty style rules.
The snow was so heavy at times that if you just stopped for lunch the track ridden powder would be semi-virgin once again.
Had a top time but like you I too am all out of holiday or I'd have stayed there (the apartment we were in is empty this week - enough to make a grown man cry!)

[Bubba]

I love powder days - the vibe is usually so good too - people whooping around everywhere and shouting encouragement from the lifts. This time we were being cajoled from the chair by a group of boarders as we'd just tracked out the bit of mountain they were headed for - all good natured though.

Not a lot beats boarding for sheer enjoyment imho and it's the only thing I've done that comes close to the sort of speed rush you get on a fast motorbike, but with about 1% of the danger factor  :D

[nik at work]

I was out there with my girlfriend who is a total beginner and wanted to learn turning and stuff, but the powder was so good we were just saying:
"Look go on the powder lean back and point straight down the hill, if you want to look like you know what you're doing wiggle your hips a bit otherwise just scream and enjoy the ride. If it gets a bit fast just fall over."
And bless her if she didn't do just that.
Powder days should not be spent teaching someone to dead-leaf down a green run.

Incidentally the 'teaching' strategy seemed to work as by the end of the holiday she was confidently turning etc.

[Bubba]

Ha ha!! Bet she'll freak once she gets back onto a hard, icy piste though....I reckon it's quite a good way to learn the basics as you're not going to catch an edge, etc.

My g/f was also doing it for the first time, though the ski-school were doing the honours. She got turns linked and could get down some blues but mashed her forearm tendons up from falling back onto her hands all the time, and they're still not quite right.
I can still remember the pain from learning on Sheff dryslope back when they still had Dendex on the nursery slope - my ass cheeks were bruised black for months!

[nik at work]

Thats the trouble with learning on decent snow - you don't realise how nasty and icy it can get.

This is my injury story for the holiday (more of a poetic justice thing really)
Around the middle of the holiday we were at Les Get having an ace day messing around in the shed-loads of snow that had fallen - yay! At the end of the day we had a final run down to Les Gets along with every other person on the slopes, so it was a little busy. The other couple we were with were reasonably confident boarders so trundled off ahead shouting "we'll see you at the bottom". My girlfriend as a beginner who was totally unused to the busy conditions (it was really busy!) was delicately and carefully side-sliding down the edge of the piste. Me, being the good little boyfriend, was stopped 20 metres or so ahead of here at the side of the piste looking to see she was OK. Just behind her a woman on skis crashed into an otherwise innocent French boarder and then started berating him loudly in a posh English voice "You bloody boarders are always getting in the way" etc etc. The entirely innocent French boarder tried to help the woman up but was hampered somewhat by the womans friends delibarately skiing into him!!
Luckily my girlfriend was unaffected by this incident and was continuing to make steady (if slow) progress down the edge of the piste.
I continued to watch the developing scene behind her with complete disbelief. A French skier also watched the scene with interest. Unfortunately he did this by looking over his shoulder while heading full speed down the run - straight at me. He turned round just in time to shout "Bwarghhhjhh" or words to that effect before hitting me straight on. Luckily I was stood rather than kneeling so the skier knocked me over backwards. I banged my head a bit but after the initial shock felt fine. He however was curled up in a ball making strange guttural moaning nioses. I looked down and saw that the force of the impact had broken the foot straps on my right foot binding.
So from the collision I had a headache, a broken binding and (it later transpired) a slightly sore shoulder. The skier on the other hand had a definitely broken wrist, and very wrong shaped left knee/shin, a probable broken nose and a very bent ski pole.
To be fair to him he was very apologetic and took full blame for the accident. He was skidoo/airlifted off to hospital.
My girlfriend overheard the woman involved in the initial collision saying "Look another of you boarders had caused an accident down there" - unbelievable!

[Bubba]

I inadvertently took Sel down the Olympic run at SC - bit cruel really but I couldn't stop pissing myself watching her sideslip down the edge of the bottom steep section into the village. Some other beginners with us walked down it and it took 1.5 hours!

Bloody hell  :shock:  Piste madness - you're lucky you got away with a busted footstrap. I thought the skier/boarder wars were at an end - she probably didn't want to lose face with her mates for crashing or something. Most brit skiers are crap, coz skiing is much slower to learn than boarding and it's usually them that are the ones out of control.  Although I do remember running over the back of some poor womans skis in Whistler once when I was going to fast, silly boy.
They actually have speed patrols over there....

[nik at work]

I think you're right I think the skier boarder rivalries are largely gone. Rather than a skier/boarder issue I think it was just a posh bint/rest of world thing. Trouble is it's always the stupid arse toffee nosed English fuckwits giving the rest of us bad name - the rest of the world must think we're a right bunch of tossers.
The thing I hate is skier and boarders who are obviously very good and they try to 'impress' you by canning it down blue runs turning as near to you as possible. Fuckwits! Oh and if anybody reading this does that rest assured that you DO NOT IMPRESS ANYONE WITH YOUR ABILITY TO EXECUTE TURNS ON A BLUE RUN AND YOUR TIME WOULD BE BETTER SPENT PUSHING YOURSELF ON SOMETHING A BIT HARDER MAYBE!!!

[Bubba]

I'd have told her where to stick her attitude....

Know what you mean about the showoffs - now, I love caning it down easy runs as much as anyone but I steer well clear of anyone else, especially beginners who are likely to run into you and kill you....mind you, would I be able to resist pulling a fat Rodeo to impress the laydeez if I was capable?! Who knows, I don't think I'll ever find out  :wink:

My real pet hate though is people who insist on sitting down or stopping in the middle of the piste, especially just over blind rollers and stuff. Madness. Biggest cause of ski/board deaths are collisions.

[nik at work]

If I'd have heard her comments then I would have had a go, I was all ready to have a go at her and her mates anyway after their initial behaviour, but I was too busy lying on my back looking a bit stunned.

Don't get me wrong I love speeding down runs as much as the next man but like you I leave LOTS of space, it's the people who have to pass within millimetres of the front/back of your board that I hate.
I also hate skiers who ski over your board when you in a que for the lift. One german bloke kept doing this to me. He had his skis either side of the skis of the woman in front of him (like he was trying to shag her up the arse) so I assumed they were together. I got fed up with him constantly skiing over my board that when he next did it I lifted my board up really high and over he went  :D . The woman I assumed he was with turned to me and said "Thank-you that guys been bumming me for the last 5 minutes slimy bastard." I nearly pissed myself.

[Bubba]

Ha, nice one! It really pisses me off that people are quite happy to scratch up your £400 board just to get to the lift about 1/10th second earlier. It's one of the things I hate about France (Although SC was generally different) - the rude queues. These days, if someone grinds the top of my board, I just make sure I do the same back - fuck 'em.

In Canada, the queues were so civilised and there was just loads of good attitudes everywhere "no, after you dude..." really friendly place.

[nik at work]

Yeah Canadians are polite to the point of wierdness. We met one in Font once and he was scarily polite, but he was amazing at twister.

[Bubba]

he was scarily polite, but he was amazing at twister.

What, you play twister with strangers at Font?! Did you all throw your car keys on the table first  :wink:

[nik at work]

We were in a gite with this really polite Canadian guy and a group of three Germans with a scary interest in very big knives and worryingly heavy-metal style haircuts with mullets. Twister just seemed like the natural think to do. Luckily the Germans didn't want to play, they just entertained themselves by sitting around a table with their collection of knives occasionally glancing over at us with a deeply disturbing look in their eyes. I think we all slept with one eye open that night.

[Bubba]

Scary or what?! You could have been hacked to death on the twister mat whilst in some strange body lock or something.... I reckon mullets are cool in Germany or something, coz there's millions of them about.

[nik at work]

Oh yeah, meant to ask whats a Rodeo? I don't know the names of anything all of this "frontside tail grab indy fakie 360" means jack to me. I just like bouncing around in my own little way.

P.S. Really where is evryone else? I mean if nothing else Dave is usually hanging around (not that I can ever understand what he writes with his 'jive-talkin')

[Bubba]

A Rodeo is a 540spin combined with a flip - I saw this guy do a massive one in the Whistler funpark and it was one of the most amazing things I've seen first hand. When you watch the videos you sort of forget how big and fast these guys (and gals) are going as they usually slow them in slowmo.

Here's one:



Dunno where everyone is - Dobbin was having a big night on Sat so he's probably nursing his head.... everyone has probably skived off and are cranking dinkies as I type!

[nik at work]

Right don't think I'll be doing one of them for a while.....

[Bubba]

If I could do a 360 with a little grab I'd be happy.

Landed on my front edge in the funpark in Serre Che just from blowing a straight air wich was about 5 ft off the deck. Owwww! I find kickers terrifying - I think you need to spend a load of time just hitting the progressively faster and getting solid landings before trying to do anything fancy.

[nik at work]

I'm at the stage where I can land a 180 with a very quick grab (with a bit of luck) but I was only trying that cos the snow was so deep you couldn't hurt yourself. Also attempted an entirely inadvertent (went over a big natrual kicker that I hadn't even seen while canning it) backwards roll but instead over-rotated and landed on my arse from a very great hieght.
Whats the Ski Village like at sheff? Does the new stuff trash your board or is it worth having a go?
Also have you ever been to Scotland? If so whats that like? (I am desperate to get back on my board)

[Bubba]

Not been to the ski village for a while (France was my first boarding for six years  :shock: ) but apparantly the new stuff is better on your board. I think I'd take my old board instead now....

Before my break I could do frontside and backside 180's, and switch fs/bs 180's and was getting closeish to FS 360s but kept hurting myself. Turns out that it's better to learn BS 360's first as they're easier coz you can spot your landing earlier.

I've had some good days in Scotland, but also some awful ones too. Even if the snow is ok, often the visibility is bad, or the winds are mental.

[Bubba]

soooo....unless I'm up that way, I won't bother again. It's often an 8 hour drive from Sheffield, the lifts are expensive and it's not a patch on the Alps. I reckon you're better off getting a cheap Easyjet to Geneva, hiring a car between four and driving an hour ish into the mountains. It'll probably take a bit longer than the drive to Scotland, but let's face it, the Alps are about 300% better.

[dobbin]

who? what? I'm surviving! Excellent time on Saturday night rather tangled, fill in the blanks for yourselves.  :roll:  :?

Other weekend highlights:-

Good to meet the honourable Bubba and James out at Curbar on Saturday - that James is strong! and Bubba - awesome camera technique! any of your photies come out?

Ran into Graeme Alderson, Richie Patterson, Adam Pepper, Ben Moon and Joe Healey in the back room of the Lescar, watching some scallies kick a bag of wind around a field, had good chat with Richie who I haven't seen in ages, although I can't vouch for how much of it made sense.

Caffeinated drinks required, anyone fancy a brew?

[Bubba]

Glad your bash was as good as expected  :wink:  Get some over-caffeinated sugary drink companys down you to liven yourself up!  

Some of the piccies might have come out, I'll have a look tonight. Problem is my flash is too slow to get really good results in the murky Gorilla Warfare pit.....

Didn't know Joe Healey was still about - the last time I saw him he was in a bit of a state after a night out in Leicester with us!

[dobbin]

yeah, thats the right Joe - last time before yesterday I saw him he was in a tangle in the Broomhill tav. He's a quality old school rock jock - check the Power of climbing, which has got some of the best piccies in the world!

[nik at work]

fs/bs ?!?!? Not sure what this means. (I know its frontside and backside - just not clear what that actually means)
I ride normal (i.e. left foot forward) and was doing a 180 approaching the ramp (kicker?) switch (fakie?!) and spinning clockwise (as viewed from above) through 180 degrees. Is this a switch 180? Is it fs or bs?
Was also approaching the ramp (kicker?) normally (left foot forward) and then spinning anti-clockwise (as viewed from above) through 180 degrees. Is this a normal 180? is it fs or bs?
Sorry to ask so many dumb questions, I obviously don't know that much a bout boarding.
Why is riding switch so much harder that riding 'the normal way round', stringing together turns is desperate (I got bored and gave up trying quite quickly).

[Bubba]

Front side is turning in the direction you are facing (toeside) and backside is the other way. So, if you are regular and you go off a kicker turning anti-clockwise that's frontside.
So what you're describing is a switch frontside 180 !

Switch = fakie but it's a bit of a misnomer borrowed from the world of skating. In skating switch is actually different to fakie, because your feet are in a different position, but in boarding obviously your feet don't move along the board, so it's all really just fakie.

I used to be able to ride fakie down blues and greens but will need to pick it up again now. It's handy to be able to do it both ways but dunno why one is so much harder.

[Bubba]

I've just realised that that description is a bit ambigous but hope you know what I mean...

[nik at work]

No the explanation made sense to me, I just won't be able to remember it or apply it to what I actually do.
I think maybe boarding trick descriptions use the same part of the brain that bouldering grades do and I'm just never  going to really 'get them', blissfull ignorance rules....

[mark]

So what you're describing is a switch frontside 180 !

Switch front 180? That'll mainly be what we in the scientific community call a half cab!

[nik at work]

Oh bollocks, I'm all confused again.
A "half cab" is a "switch fs 180"
so a "cab" is a "switch fs 360". Correct?
So (theoretically) a "switch cab" would be a "normal fs 360" and and "switch half cab" would be a "normal fs 180", so what if its all bs?


Aaaaargh - I think my brain just melted...

[Bubba]

Have a look at this site for lots of nerdy wordies!

[hongkongstuey]

i used to head down to the snowdome on a regular basis during my student days (christ knows where i found the cash to do this from) but that sorts you out as there's bugger all to do there except JUMP all night long, got myself to a point where i could land a 360 about 1 in 10 times (sometimes managing a flicker of a touch of the board too)

unfortunately living out in HK means i've not seen snow for almost 3 years and not strapped on (fnar fnar) for about 5!  :cry:

[Bubba]

I always get put of jumping at the snowdome (though I've only been a few times) due to the flat landings but that's probably just me being a wuss, as there's loads of freestyle kiddies doing impressive things down there.

Get yourself over to Japan Stu, the boarding there is meant to be awesome.

[dave]

Tumbleweeds are blowing across the board... in the distance a bell chimes....

Monday blues huh?

I was moving crib yesterday, so i weren't here. I took quite a while to manouver my solid gold leopard-skin chez lounge up the stairs, and my berreta is still propping the kitchen door open.

[Bubba]

Hope there's lotsa room to park the chromed up pimp-caddy out front??

You started the Walkley turf wars yet? Us southside boys are going to have to sort you out....

[dave]

Yeah, I've got a drive-in under ground lair, like the sultan of brunei i've got 7 mercs, each colour of the rainbow with matching M16s in the boots.

I hope the south central Gz can dodge bullets like Keanu Reeves, or you've find a pound of lead in yo' face. Booka-booka.

[nik at work]

It's good to have you back Dave, still don't know what the fuck you're talking about mind...

[Bubba]

I hope the south central Gz can dodge bullets like Keanu Reeves, or you've find a pound of lead in yo' face. Booka-booka.

The Southside Dons, FatboySF, Fatdoc and Bubba will be waiting bwoy !!!

Bring it on

[nik at work]

It would seem that this 'jive talk' is contagious....

[dave]

We'll just have to get medieval on your collective asses!




And you guys will be like:

[Bubba]

Oh god, it's the war of the emoticons! Al Pacino watch out....

[dave]

Check this shit out!! :shock:

The granddaddy of them all.....

[Bubba]

Jeesuz - that is ridiculous!!!

[mozzer]

Where the fuck did you get those from??!!!

[hongkongstuey]

I always get put of jumping at the snowdome (though I've only been a few times) due to the flat landings.

a valid reason - it used to be fine at the start of the night and after the mid-night make over session but it'd often be icey

my arse always had a HUGE purple patch on atleast one cheek from bad landings after a session down there, managed a few all out back slaps there too, which generally were a little bit on the painful side!

[Bubba]

Everyone working hard today??

I've got to  :cry:

Bit out of order really, having to actually bloody work.

[dave]

Danm right!

Afterall, when i've spent all my evenings doing drive-bys, dodging lead, pimpin' hos and collecting protection money in tha ghetto, i come to work to relax!