Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

ANZAC Snowboarding. Australia & New Zealand (Trips, Quivers, Gear, Sales & General Discussion)

91K views 2K replies 43 participants last post by  Craig64 
#1 · (Edited)
Being an Aussie have boarded Perisher/Thredbo all my life. Went to NZ in '94. Snowed everyday down to the Queenstown Lake....., epic conditions. Boarded Coronets and Remarkables.

So I find with my limited experience that there's not much different between Australia and NZ.

Doesn't seem to be much vegetation up high in the NZ mountains that I've been too.

I find now that I can't wait to spend my snowboarding trips in Japan.
 
#700 ·
Got to play my regular Monday night indoor football now that we're out of lockdown. Already out of shape, fell on my arse once comically. Even though I'm still working from home by choice, things are getting back to normal. I hope the vaccination roll out continues at pace, new cases in locked down Auckland are steady and it's not looking like being eliminated any time soon.

Going up to Turoa Wednesday night for a couple of snow days before the weekend. It should be nice and quiet with no Aucklanders. I'll share some photos. The weather forecast is looking crap though.
 
#727 ·
To soften all this total devastation I've decided to use it all to buy new gear with for next season.
Sorry to hear man - sorta like my season last season (only 1 day on snow). Yes, much $$$ spent on new gear, which ain’t a bad thing.

Fucking dad - yesterday was his 25th this season, which HAS to be right up there, taking into account all the lockdowns and having to travel to Wodonga to get a negative Covid test in order to get past park entry.

I'll need to see more evidence the states can manage lockdowns and living with CV a little better.....I may as well go to Japan and make it worthwhile.
Dude, totally hear you there. I mean WTF, the season up here could have been managed so much better, if the govt locked down localities like they did last year and RIGHT NOW, rather than fuckhead Sutton lumping all of regional in together for most of the season.

Do you realistically reckon you’d shoot for Japan in 2022? By then I will be double vaxxed but I still have my doubts about international travel - it’s only 4 months away. (Just asking your opinion).

Thanks for the info,
That's a hard pass for me, can get the whole family on epic passes for the price of one ikon premium season pass.

Wonder why the big price discrepancy, couldn't just be the gondola.
LOL did I read that right? $1300+ for an early bird WEEKDAY ONLY pass? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha.

I can see it not being just the gondola - it would be “perceived value”, a la why people spend $1500 on whack ass looking Balenciaga shoes, that look 1/10th as good as a pair of $150 eS

Rusutsu is an unreal place to snowboard however it is a bit isolated from any nearby townships. Everytime we've been to Rusutsu it has been "Epic".
It really is. I had the good fortune of staying for 2 weeks at the Westin (I think it is), right on the snow, about a decade ago. $150USD/night, “twin” share (two king sized beds in a big 4.5 star room) including breakfast and heated locker room each day. Now it’s something stupid like $18,500 a night - probably thanks to the mainland Chinese who like to climb iconic, historic cherry blossom trees against the law, for their Weebo selfies.

unless you are mates with ScrotuMo
First the gubbinment, then Gladys Binchicken, and now this. Dude, I don’t know how many more electronic devices I can sacrifice to spitting my drink all over them?? 😂

I think most of the fly in staff had been finished up a while ago. Just looking at the Cams and it looks like the Happy Valley T bar and Front Valley8 chair are all that is open. Thredbo looks closed as there is not much snow.
I was up two days ago, and same - just two chairs open, and Wombats run to the bottom (the Falls version of Front Valley, albeit not nearly as wide or steep - it’s really just a service cat track).

I get the feeling that the hill is staying open for occasional park entry sales, sales on retail gear (got my dad a SAWEEEET Oakley Goretex shell for like, under $300 on Thursday), grocery and eatery sales from people who frequent or live up there... it’s fuck all, but at least SOMETHING trickling in

Ohhh, look what just rocked up!!! Close to 50% off and last one and couldn't resist. God their boards are sweet!!!!
Nice one man! Glad they found it, looking good! Yeah... probs not gonna ride the stereo this season (with all the patches starting to show up, snow being farmed, not much base) - will beat on my Option instead, but next year will be ready to balance the whole “wait for extra discounts or get the deck I want in the size I want” with... I’m thinking Paradigma.

Assistance would be better spent on our local resorts etc than greedy arseholes like Hardly Normal and luxury goods distributors (& other LNP donors)
I realise I might be one of few, but it infuriates me every time I see on the news, medical assholes in press conferences talk about wanting to open up for the beach and footy grand finals.

Oh, grand final day generates a few bucks? And... an entire season for 4 local townships, and on top of that residents who live at the actual resorts, don’t generate as much income as grand final day?

I just wish that everyone making the calls, had the face of Kerry Chant - i.e. fucking bewildered, perplexed, confused, doubling back on herself, stuttering, and totally fucking untrustworthy.

Then at least we could collectively prop up the milk industry when we go on regular inner city protests and get pepper sprayed by the police and get our mates to rush to the shops and spend 5 minutes whilst our eyes burn, deciding whether to get almond, cashew, soy, or regular milk to wash our faces with hahahahahahahaha
 
#703 ·
See Perisher just listed the 2022 Epic Australia Season Pass $859. I just got my refund for this year a few days ago. I'm diving in as this is a pretty good price.

I'll need to see more evidence the states can manage lockdowns and living with CV a little better before I grab another for next season. If I need to self isolate at home even though I'm fully vaccinated which is what the NT Gov is proposing on return from potential CV hotspots like NSW/VIC, I may as well go to Japan and make it worthwhile.
 
#716 ·
Yesterday Snow Monaro LGA came out of Lockdown at 11am and a few of the lifts at Perisher started moving straight after.
Wonder if they'll see much revenue from opening back up right now. I'm sure most people that can get there had already used their epic passes during the previous opening periods so didnt even get a refund. Maybe just a good will thing to keep the staff doing stuff that they needed to maintain the facilities with the snow still about?
 
#726 ·
#728 ·
On another note - update from me.

Was able to get up on Thursday, late morning (close to 11am). Wanted to avoid the early morning groomed ice, and it was my day off work - combined with reports that dad has been rocking up at like 10:30 and STILL getting front row in the parking lot, I figured there wasn’t much to lose.

Lol I got 2nd row. Took the new Yes Hybrid out for a spin - I had a whole big review lined up, was about to post, iPad refreshed, and I lost everything.

But here are some drying room pics:
Glasses Sports equipment Skateboard Sleeve Snowboarding
Automotive tire Black Purple Tread Violet
Sports equipment Skateboard Font Material property Magenta
Rectangle Purple Sleeve Jersey Waist


SCATTERED, DISORGANISED THOUGTS:
  • YES’s “DIRECTIONAL TAPERED UNDERBITE”
    • This isnt a gimmick, it REALLY fucking works - yes it was super heavy slush, but I feel that is a decent test of edge hold as well - can you maintain your trench, rather than the snow giving way on you? My next 2 best carvers (Rome MT 157 and as far as slush, maybe the Marhar LJ 159 or Rome PT 160), have not held up as well in the past, in snow that heavy
    • There were SOME carvers out there on Thursday, but I could feel people watching me from the chair - not claiming, but rather, the board has this innate ability to really crank the radius down towards the end of the turn - start out diagonally across the fall line on your front, shift weight back and tighten things, then over the back foot and really crank the fuck out of that tiny 5.5m radius, and start heading slightly uphill - change edges whilst the board is pointing slightly above perpendicular to the fall line. SO. MUCH. LOW. SPEED. FUN!!!!
  • Board DID NOT feel slow edge to edge, like some of the reviews that I considered, before buying. It was plenty quick edge to edge, with my size 10US Burton Ruler Wides/Nitro Phantom M - perhaps because of the lift in the nose and tail.
  • It was actually softer than I thought it would be. I could have sized up to the 161 and I’m kinda thinking about it - same board, same graphic, but in the next size up (and mount this one on the wall as art)
    • Maybe the snow was just THAT heavy, and given that Im above the weight range for this board, I felt like I was really overdriving it in some spots.
    • The above being said, I’m too fat for the board, but slowly getting less fat (diet, lots of water, gentle exercise), so maybe when I’m at my ideal weight approx March next year, the 157 might just be right for me.
      • PLUS, the 161 DOES have a reference stance that is pretttttty wide - I wouldn’t want to have to pull my feet too far away from the edge steps/notches, when riding my very picky, preferred stance width.
  • If this edge tech can hold me down on super heavy slush WITHOUT GIVING OUT, I have to believe that this will have merit on firmer snow. I could feel the edge tech working beneath my feet.
  • I am intrigued by other carvy freeride style decks for sure, but for now, I am VERY happy with this board as a bit of a do-it-all potential travel quiver deck.
    • Between conditions, board setups, getting used to new gear etc etc, there have been more than a few times this season where I wasn’t 100% stoke to be on snow - things have felt off, things werent working for me, wasnt feeling it at the time etc etc.
  • After ONE run on this deck, keeping in mind that its been a few weeks since I last rode - my old man was like “how’s the board?”, and I just responded with a slow, deliberate nod - this could be something pretty special. Very familiar (2D profile, subtle RCR, super tight radius, comfortable flex, ample width for laying a trench). I love it.
Anyway! A couple of years ago on this forum, I opined that I wanted a good, stable 2-deck quiver for traveling e.g. to Japan. I’ve now got 7 decks and most of them are parked, gathering dust.

This Hybrid is the reason I will be aiming to put up ads and get rid of a few decks, even at lowball prices, before the end of the season.

I just need this, and an all mtn freestyle deck (I’m thinking either a bigger Amplid Stereo or otherwise an Amplid Paradigma), and I’m all set for HOPEFULLY! 2023 In Japan.

Thanks for reading and happy riding!
 
#729 ·
On another note - update from me.

Was able to get up on Thursday, late morning (close to 11am). Wanted to avoid the early morning groomed ice, and it was my day off work - combined with reports that dad has been rocking up at like 10:30 and STILL getting front row in the parking lot, I figured there wasn’t much to lose.

Lol I got 2nd row. Took the new Yes Hybrid out for a spin - I had a whole big review lined up, was about to post, iPad refreshed, and I lost everything.

But here are some drying room pics:
View attachment 158940 View attachment 158941 View attachment 158942 View attachment 158943

SCATTERED, DISORGANISED THOUGTS:
  • YES’s “DIRECTIONAL TAPERED UNDERBITE”
    • This isnt a gimmick, it REALLY fucking works - yes it was super heavy slush, but I feel that is a decent test of edge hold as well - can you maintain your trench, rather than the snow giving way on you? My next 2 best carvers (Rome MT 157 and as far as slush, maybe the Marhar LJ 159 or Rome PT 160), have not held up as well in the past, in snow that heavy
    • There were SOME carvers out there on Thursday, but I could feel people watching me from the chair - not claiming, but rather, the board has this innate ability to really crank the radius down towards the end of the turn - start out diagonally across the fall line on your front, shift weight back and tighten things, then over the back foot and really crank the fuck out of that tiny 5.5m radius, and start heading slightly uphill - change edges whilst the board is pointing slightly above perpendicular to the fall line. SO. MUCH. LOW. SPEED. FUN!!!!
  • Board DID NOT feel slow edge to edge, like some of the reviews that I considered, before buying. It was plenty quick edge to edge, with my size 10US Burton Ruler Wides/Nitro Phantom M - perhaps because of the lift in the nose and tail.
  • It was actually softer than I thought it would be. I could have sized up to the 161 and I’m kinda thinking about it - same board, same graphic, but in the next size up (and mount this one on the wall as art)
    • Maybe the snow was just THAT heavy, and given that Im above the weight range for this board, I felt like I was really overdriving it in some spots.
    • The above being said, I’m too fat for the board, but slowly getting less fat (diet, lots of water, gentle exercise), so maybe when I’m at my ideal weight approx March next year, the 157 might just be right for me.
      • PLUS, the 161 DOES have a reference stance that is pretttttty wide - I wouldn’t want to have to pull my feet too far away from the edge steps/notches, when riding my very picky, preferred stance width.
  • If this edge tech can hold me down on super heavy slush WITHOUT GIVING OUT, I have to believe that this will have merit on firmer snow. I could feel the edge tech working beneath my feet.
  • I am intrigued by other carvy freeride style decks for sure, but for now, I am VERY happy with this board as a bit of a do-it-all potential travel quiver deck.
    • Between conditions, board setups, getting used to new gear etc etc, there have been more than a few times this season where I wasn’t 100% stoke to be on snow - things have felt off, things werent working for me, wasnt feeling it at the time etc etc.
  • After ONE run on this deck, keeping in mind that its been a few weeks since I last rode - my old man was like “how’s the board?”, and I just responded with a slow, deliberate nod - this could be something pretty special. Very familiar (2D profile, subtle RCR, super tight radius, comfortable flex, ample width for laying a trench). I love it.
Anyway! A couple of years ago on this forum, I opined that I wanted a good, stable 2-deck quiver for traveling e.g. to Japan. I’ve now got 7 decks and most of them are parked, gathering dust.

This Hybrid is the reason I will be aiming to put up ads and get rid of a few decks, even at lowball prices, before the end of the season.

I just need this, and an all mtn freestyle deck (I’m thinking either a bigger Amplid Stereo or otherwise an Amplid Paradigma), and I’m all set for HOPEFULLY! 2023 In Japan.

Thanks for reading and happy riding!
You can do it on SBF and continue to save the draft before submitting.
 
#731 ·
I grabbed a '22 Custom 166W a few days ago from Rhythm with their 40% off ($Au527). I normally keep updating every 3 to 4 years just to keep them fresh. I was also thinking they will go up probably extra $50 on RRP next year again so It's not bad of a price. My '19 Custom is in practically mint condition so I'll unload that to offset the outlay. Not a super big fan of the topheet/base graphics but it will be okay for a few years.
 
#736 ·
Geez you ride solid sized boards! Nice pickup on the Custom - REALLY, for an upper-end Burton board, 40% off is about as good as it's gonna get in Aus, Best I've ever got (for a Burton) was 36% off at Twelve, and that was with mates rates (given that it was at around 10% off time of season - season still in full swing, but past the hype and excitement of the first 1/3rd of the season).

I've lost a few as well in the past. I now save them to Word as well so I have a backup if there is a disaster as they take me around 8 hours to do a review.
Yeah I should do the same - man, I know what you mean, if my Hybrid review was bordering on 3hrs with thoughts all over the place and no real structure, I can only imagine that yours (well formed, organised) would take quite a bit longer.

When I lost that review, I kinda had to tip my hat to Angry - How many reviews does he do a year, both boards and bindings, managing to pack so much info into a WAY more concise review than I've been able to come up with so far, AND YET communicate more about the product? Not trying to tickle your balls Avran, but yeah.... you do a good job.

I've no idea what the Covid numbers are like in Japan so I'd need to have a look at that but it also depends on what the local Q requirements are here, It's not practical to take 4 weeks leave to board in Japan for 2 weeks and another 2 weeks to Q on return. If it's just self-isolate until a -ve test result then that might work.

Angry's review for the Penta just dropped and seems a fan.
I seem to struggle to make sense of the numbers for overseas (because I haven't been able to find anything akin to our usual press conferences, where they will tell you "X new cases overnight, with Y of those active in the community" etc, but my understanding is that Japan has around 10k more active cases than we do, and more than 10x the deaths. Sadly it would appear that Hokkaido is in a bit of a red zone at the moment, so that would rule that out for me.

Yeah it's a tricky one - you're right. My dad was facing a similar dilemma last year - he WAS 6 weeks on 2 weeks off, but what's the point of flying in from Indo, having to quarantine the whole time, then fly back?

Thanks for the info re: the drop from Angry. Gonna watch that now.
 
#737 ·
Yeah I grabbed the '22 Custom as I thought it's highly unlikely we have this same Covid shut down disaster again next year in NSW with Vaccinations looking pretty strong. This led to a fair amount of gear unsold retail with most shops have massive clearances on early. I could only find that one left and that size has only a small handful come into Oz each year. Next season EOS sales generally won't be on until like normal post Winter.
 
#742 ·
Yeah I've noticed that recently, too - TJ is on top of his own reviews, Kevin still travelling around the world during Covid.

When they were an item, their reviews WERE a bit wishy-washy. Now, I feel TJ has a more solid, comprehendible structure to his reviews. Sorta going back 5 years (in style), but with the past 5 years' worth of experience injected into them.

Isn't it a funny world we live in? One MUST have a negative Covid test within the last 72hrs in order to go up to the snow. This weekend up there wasn't great. I knew it would be the case. SOoooooo...
  • Thursday - drove to Bright for a test, in order for it to come through for.......
  • Allowing me to get up to Falls, to get tested there today (Sunday), in order to.....
  • Have the all-clear for Tuesday (THE TARGET), to ride.......
  • And then again on Weds-Thurs-Fri, riding
I feel like a member of Ocean's 11, planning all this cunning shit THAT far ahead hahah.

Oh well, don't regret it. I've got my time from the parking lot at Falls, to the halfway mark just outside of Bogong (15km mark), down to 12mins on the downhill. And that's with brakes I don't 100% trust.

Life ain't so bad.

EDIT: I might need some sort of proper camber (NOT an Academy deck!) - at this rate, with the stock suspension geo on my car, I will have scrapped my front tyres in under 10k kms
 
#751 ·
Have any of you guys tried Now Drive bindings? some 2020 or 2021s on sale at the moment. I'm on the cusp of sizing I think. us10 32 TM2 boot seems like the large is the go (10-13), but my boots fit my Katanas well (M/L)
The size charts are a bit inconsistent depending on where you look
I like the idea of skate-tech where you can change the bushings out and also moving the bindings to other boards by undoing the kingpin and slotting it back on without having to re-set the disc angles and all that.
do the Now drives fit on the small side? or are they true to the size range?
They have changed for 2022 with the wider hanger 3.0, but not sure if that's worth waiting for
 
#760 ·
Have any of you guys tried Now Drive bindings? some 2020 or 2021s on sale at the moment. I'm on the cusp of sizing I think. us10 32 TM2 boot seems like the large is the go (10-13), but my boots fit my Katanas well (M/L)
The size charts are a bit inconsistent depending on where you look
I like the idea of skate-tech where you can change the bushings out and also moving the bindings to other boards by undoing the kingpin and slotting it back on without having to re-set the disc angles and all that.
do the Now drives fit on the small side? or are they true to the size range?
They have changed for 2022 with the wider hanger 3.0, but not sure if that's worth waiting for
I've been on the Pilots for the past 2 years and rate them very highly! I bought some Drives for this season but you know how that went. Previous bindings were Burton Genesis which I promptly sold after trying the Pilots, all foot fatigue disappeared for me, an absolute game changer. I also have some Union Contact on my park board, they are ok, nothing special, nothing bad about them either, they just suit the park board well as they allow a lot of flex.
The only other bindings I have are the Burton X-base in EST. I bought those after trying them on my mates Archetype because I absolutely loved the board feel and precision, there is basically nothing between your boot and the board but they are very stiff, they just work so good on my Archetype but a very niche binding.
Can't really help you with size on the Now's, I'm a US9 and the M fits my boot perfectly.
 
#756 ·
Was a bit bizarre today - expecting sun and warm temps all day, got to the parking lot and was a bit crabby with myself - I'd just brought up my flanno and my vest, and it was snowing. I usually associate daytime snow at Falls, with wet heavy snow - clothes getting wet sooner than I'd like, and moisture sticking to goggles.

It was a bit surreal, seeing light fluffy snow falling from a high cloud ceiling, even though it was warm enough to ride without gloves, AND YET cool enough for me to wear goggles (for me, thin gloves / no gloves = I'll overheat in goggles, so will wear my Oakley Windjackets instead) - was a bizarre combination! It cleared up as midday approached. Snow was some new snow on top of a firm base, even at 11am, so I ditched my plans to hit Towers (every chair was occupied to some degree), and just smashed Hailey's Comet instead.

My intent for the day was really only two things: 1) try out my Flux DSW for the first time, see how they feel; 2) practice switch where I can, and find side hits (to hit regular) to get some sort of air confidence back - not something I've had much opportunity to do for the last few seasons.

It was a fun day - started to get my confidence back on some side hits, got some switch riding in, and managed to practice some flatland 180 spin practice, a la Snowboard Addiction style (I once watched a vid where they talked about weighting your edge so that spinning without leaving the ground, is as seamless as possible - and that that would help get a feel for spinning off jumps. I'm not afraid to admit that I buy into that shit).

Was VERY pleasantly surprised with the Flux DSW:
  • Ever since I first rode Flux 20 years ago (and had a few pairs since), their quality has never been in doubt for me. They are a VERY high quality bit of kit, every component, in every sense. NOTHING has been overlooked or short-cut.
  • Wings aren't for everyone (or even most) - I get it. But I found the wing to be quite supportive, following me around when moving about - compared to my Malavita Wings:
    • less rigid than the Malavita
    • less aggressive than the Malavita in terms of design (Malavita highbacks are "canted" inwards, whereas the Flux employs a more straight up and down highback design)
  • Don't get me wrong, I don't mind minidisc (Nitro Team Pro, Phantom), Re:Flex and AutoCant etc that allow for surfy lateral play, but I must admit that it was refreshing to get back onto a relatively stiff, solid, full-disc baseplate. Combined with the forgiving yet somehow supportive highback, it made for a good all mountain combo.
  • UU fit (whereby they place the sliders and ladders completely inside the chassis) makes for a fit that is snug as a bug.
  • Lack of canting did not bother me or my knees at all - perhaps to do with my now narrower stance (54-55cms depending on application. For years I rode 58-62cm, I might have felt the lack of canting if I were running those widths now).
    • For me, the jury is still out re: canting. I don't reeeeeally notice Burton's AutoCant when I ride (I love Burton bindings and think they're amazing, and yet they have this clever way of also feeling like..... just a binding), I find that my Nitro Phantoms work well with canting (although it'd be nice to have an option of flat front, canted rear), I admit to being worried about having ridden some form of canting for the last few years, and that these Fluxs would cause knee and ankle pain, but... nope.
  • UNDERFOOT PADDING - THIS is where I confess I was feeling a little bit worried. Here I am on the forums, talking about a second set of Flux next season, when I hadn't even ridden these ones yet, so had no way to tell whether the lack of underfoot padding would be a deal breaker or not. BSO syndrome perhaps?
    • YES, you get practically ZERO padding - less than even the thin foam on Nitro baseplates, and WAY less than e.g. Burton foam (on both Re:Flex and EST).
    • AND YET, I honestly didn't feel that lack of padding at all! Just felt like a familiar, rigid baseplate, full-disc, un-canted, comfortable binding. No thought required, no sore joints/feet creeping up sooner than they should.
  • Sizing - i can confirm for anyone who's curious / interested, that whilst Flux states that 10+ should be in a size L, this IS NOT the case for size 10 reduced-footprint boots.
    • I ride Burton Ruler Wide size 10, and the boot centering on board (discs oriented for side to side adjustment, not toe-heel), is about as good as it gets - akin to size 10 Burton boots in size M Burton bindings
    • the extendable toe and heel ramps are fantastic - they allow you to place drive directly under your heel, and the ball of your foot, rather than feel like you're being shortchanged by a fixed-length foam foot pad
Well, that's it from me for tonight (as far as gear reviews). I know I should be putting this into the binding section, but meh, figured that traffic / posts in here ain't a bad thing to tide us folks over, as our season tapers off.

If anyone doesn't like my posting gear stuff here (within my update/other posts), or if anyone feels like my on-snow updates are a bit boastful and annoying (given how many have been robbed of days on the snow this season) - I assure you that is not my intent, but let me know so that I can taper off :)
 
#762 ·
IN OTHER NEWS

I'm a bit drunk, trying to make sense of things etc since my cousin (who was a young, vibrant, very attractive and active 41) passed away last week. Super awesome defeat of breast cancer, went in for a routine check up, they found out that despite her amazing recovery, the cancer had obliterated her lungs - ventilator>hope>it's done - was all over within 48hrs.

Went up the hill today. Won't say too much, other than:
  • K2 Party Platter is an absolute, total total total fcking keeper. If you wanted to start nose-roll 180ing like Knapton, fuck the Lumberjack, the PP is where it's at. Roll around, lean forward, spring off the nose/tail, and try not to overspin. Today was the most personally rewarding riding day I have had since Japan in early 2019.
  • Flux. Yep. They're lovely. Just ordered some Bluco's. People say that the lack of underfoot padding is a deal breaker. I get that. These just feel SO locked in, everything being communicated to the snow... I dunno, I'm back in love again.
Gonna sell a bunch of stuff very, very soon.
 
#764 · (Edited)
IN OTHER NEWS

I'm a bit drunk, trying to make sense of things etc since my cousin (who was a young, vibrant, very attractive and active 41) passed away last week. Super awesome defeat of breast cancer, went in for a routine check up, they found out that despite her amazing recovery, the cancer had obliterated her lungs - ventilator>hope>it's done - was all over within 48hrs.

Went up the hill today. Won't say too much, other than:
  • K2 Party Platter is an absolute, total total total fcking keeper. If you wanted to start nose-roll 180ing like Knapton, fuck the Lumberjack, the PP is where it's at. Roll around, lean forward, spring off the nose/tail, and try not to overspin. Today was the most personally rewarding riding day I have had since Japan in early 2019.
  • Flux. Yep. They're lovely. Just ordered some Bluco's. People say that the lack of underfoot padding is a deal breaker. I get that. These just feel SO locked in, everything being communicated to the snow... I dunno, I'm back in love again.
Gonna sell a bunch of stuff very, very soon.
Fark mate, that's some heavy shit, sorry to hear, sounds like she was a great person.

All I have to offer right now is well-meaning words. Sometimes, there are no answers, and nothing makes sense. Rather, what's meaningful is how we deal with things that happen in our lives and how those events shape our character.
Something I read once is that the best way to mourn the dead is to take care of the living. Hug your Dad, Tweak those boards the F out on awesome Aussie slush and breathe clean mountain air. Live. It's all we can do.

I'm planning to get up that way to ride as the weather warms up and we get let off the leash.
hit me up if you are into doing a bit of road or MTB riding. nothing mega tough, just going for a spin somewhere scenic. 🤙
 
Top