WOW ...

I hardly know where to start.  Today was my first day on my new Nidecker Legend 174.  Talk about incredible.  This board is the pinnacle of modern snowboard design and construction.  I'm blown away at how responsive and fast this new board is. 

Today was a tough day at Snowbasin.  Not only was it cold and windy at the top, but the visibility was also poor.  To top it off it was a Saturday so there were quite a few folks running around as well as buses and vans with visitors and those serpentine racer guys in the black jackets.  Besides all that, it was still a blast to be on the mountain and I enjoyed a few rides with Ronnie and new friends, Chris and Mike.

It was also our first day over on Strawberry this season.  If you haven't been there or even if you have, Strawberry can either be one of the most dreamy places on the mountain or one of the most challenging.  Today it was the latter.  Visibility was poor, lighting was flat and it felt like the wind was blowing needles across our faces as we took off from the top of Strawberry Gondola.  

Let's get back to my first day on my new Nidecker Legend.  This board is in a class all by it's own.  Jet black, constructed of carbon fiber and Kevlar with aluminum tail and nose caps.  Riding this board for the first time is like swinging your first Big Bertha.  Hard to describe, but even harder to look back and let go of.

The first thing you notice about the Legend is how light it is.  Coming off a 182 Voile split board, the difference was huge, perhaps half the total weight of what I was riding the day before.  Three or four turns into it I realize the next most significant thing is how STIFF this board it.  Not only is it stiff tail-to-toe, but it is also noticeably stiffer torsion-ally.  What this translates to is an almost complete and immediate communication between your foot motion and the board below it.  I've never ridden a faster, more responsive and more confidence inspiring board than this.  I began to worry if there was going to be anywhere else to go after I'm through with this one.

Another aspect of why I fell in love with this Legend was edge holding.  I don't know if it's the proprietary notches in the edges or the stiffness of the board or perhaps combination of both, but this board held consistently in some of the most inconsistent conditions ever.  When we were at Strawberry we were starting off at the top on a steep ultra hardpack, funneling down into patches of powder, rocks and weird hard areas due to the snowmakers.  Even though the conditions were hairy the board held on at all times as if it had teeth.  At times I thought I had a piece of a black hawk helicopter blade strapped to my feet.  Strong, light, thin, responsive, fast...

If you can't tell yet, I'm not giving up the Legend.  No Way.

After a few runs on Strawberry we happened across Elio Scanu, the executive chef at Snowbasin, while he was christening the opening of a new cafe area at the base of the gondola.  I always knew they put a chandelier in there for a reason, now I know why.  The new cafe will be a warm and welcome respite to all us Moonshine and WFO crazies.  Thanks Elio, Mary and Denzel for making it all happen.

We also had a great visit from Santa at the Earl's Lodge.  Santa brought smiling faces to lots of kids who came up to tug on his beard and make sure that their names were on his list.  The most important thing though, is that I heard Santa say he was bringing us more snow for Christmas...  as long as we were good.