The Official Michigan Winter Thread

[sabatoa]

Originally Posted by trapper

I will write up a more comprehensive post when I have more time, but in short this thing was like cruising down the hill in a Cadillac, but one with the turn responsiveness of a race car. The goddamn thing ran over everything in its path, once I got used to its initial propensity to turn, grab and hold edges. Took me about half a dozen runs, but after that it felt like an extension of my feet and became more fun with each subsequent run.

Also, since sleeping on it, I've decided to keep this one since I like it so much and maybe stretch to a Raptor in a couple of years in addition to this board. What made me say that in my previous post was that this board still feels a bit soft to me. But after thinking it through, maybe stiffer bindings will help me maximize the responsiveness of this board.

I'm stoked for you bro, glad you love it so much. I wondered if there'd be some disappointment due to the drama on the forums or what.

[sabatoa]

Speaking of abandoned ski resorts; a friend of mine posted this tonight on FB. He and some friends poached some resort up north. No idea how they got the lift to work. Some nice face shots.

[sabatoa]

Thanks to reddit, I got some more info on the video I posted.

It's Mt Mancelona, went out of business in 1984. Shanty Creek/Schuss basically put them out of business.

Here is an interesting short doc about it, part 1 and the follow up. It's worth the watch if you have a spare 16 mins each.

[Leo]

Well, you got your answer about how your friends got the T-Bar working. The owner might get pissed if he finds out...

[sabatoa]

Originally Posted by Leo

Well, you got your answer about how your friends got the T-Bar working. The owner might get pissed if he finds out...

Owner is dead, the second video talks about him passing away after the first video was filmed.

[trapper]

Originally Posted by AngelaBabin

My New Snowboard Video Edit @ Pine Knob 2/17
babbyilikeit on Vimeo

Originally Posted by sabatoa

Speaking of abandoned ski resorts; a friend of mine posted this tonight on FB. He and some friends poached some resort up north. No idea how they got the lift to work. Some nice face shots.

Nice videos on both accounts here. Thanks for sharing. I wish I had the *cough* balls *cough* to hit jumps like you do Angela.

Those guys are just clearly having the time of their lives in that Mt. Mancelona video, aren't they? Still has such an atrabilious undertone to it though, especially with the music. Place feels almost haunted in a way.

Looking forward to watching the documentary on it, thanks for sharing that.

Originally Posted by sabatoa

I'm stoked for you bro, glad you love it so much. I wondered if there'd be some disappointment due to the drama on the forums or what.

Yeah, I would like to write up a full review on it because I feel like a lot of intermediate riders would appreciate it. I know that before I bought the board I was initially worried about an intermediate's experience on it, especially with people like Leo and Snowolf talking about taking care not to catch edges on the board. But I'm not convinced that I know enough about it to describe it properly. Then of course, there is the whole backlash about the NS review team stuff that I don't want to be caught up in.

Bottom line is this: I have no reservations about sending a board back to get exactly what I want since I am at this price point. Having said that, I've ridden this board after researching the hell out them and this is the board for me. Was I influenced toward NS by snowboardingforum.com? Yes, but only in the sense that I was made aware of the brand as an option. I researched dozens of reviews of several companies and boards everywhere on the web, and this is what I went with. I feel like from the time I arrived at Crystal in the early afternoon Sunday to the time I left at 8pm, I had improved my riding by more than I had the entire season thus far combined.

By the end of the night, it was really amazing how effortless that board made riding and how that thing almost had a personality of its own. Yes, it wants to go fast and grab edges, but like a well-trained hunting dog it also wants to please the hell out of you and lets you reign it in when necessary. The only place I had any problems whatsoever were the initial runs on flat greens. After that, I rode faster, carved more and caught FEWER edges (read none) than I did in a typical day on my old full-rocker board.

In any event, I'm a happy camper.

[sabatoa]

My experience was exactly like yours. I'm glad you took our advice on the Heritage too, she's a beaut.

The music is actually done by one of the guys riding. His band is called Fancy Werewolves.

Their website; Fancy Werewolves | We Are Wolves | Blog

Facebook

[trapper]

Originally Posted by sabatoa

My experience was exactly like yours. I'm glad you took our advice on the Heritage too, she's a beaut.

I am too. For what it's worth, my friend who is at about the same level of riding as I am just bought a Jones Mountain Twin (coming from some generic M3 board or something) and while he notices how much better his new board is I don't think the difference was as dramatic as what I experienced. And remember, I'm coming from a Burton (albeit a low end one).

[kawicivic]

What's up Mich peeps - just curious what you guys think about Bittersweet? I started boarding this January and have gotten out 4 times. I have to work in Mich next week and was thinking about bringing my stuff to get in a night at the hill. Bittersweet looked better than timberridge based on their website, but I have been fooled by trail maps before. Any advice would be appreciated. Tks

[trapper]

Originally Posted by kawicivic

What's up Mich peeps - just curious what you guys think about Bittersweet? I started boarding this January and have gotten out 4 times. I have to work in Mich next week and was thinking about bringing my stuff to get in a night at the hill. Bittersweet looked better than timberridge based on their website, but I have been fooled by trail maps before. Any advice would be appreciated. Tks

Never been to Timber Ridge, but the general consensus among people I know that have tend to like Bittersweet better. I think Bittersweet may be a bit pricier though, but it's a fun place to ride. If you stay off the blacks I think you can buy a cheaper ticket that accesses a lot of green and blue terrain, however. Went there for the first time this season and had a lot of fun. Heading back there this Sunday likely.

Their beginner area is a really great place to help a new rider in his/her transition to blues, and their runs are surprisingly long for a southern Michigan hill.