From Motocrosser to Snowboarder

So the decision is in, and for the upcoming winter this blog is going to revolve mainly around the sport of Snowboarding. There may still be a couple posts Dirt bike related, including the OCMC award banquet, but the rest is going to be devoted to my other favourite sport. Since I am a snowboard instructor at Lakerdige resort I will start off with a few thoughts on there situation. I think that this year is going to be a great year in the lakeridge community. The majority of the staff there know at least a few others, and they all seam to be pretty friendly. As far as the mountain goes, I heard that they are going to be downsizing the park. Seeing as the park is the biggest and best attraction for this hill, the thought of a downsize gave me a big scare. After a few questions I found out that if they do downsize the park this year, they will still have there big jumps, but the majority will be medium size stuff. This is allot safer for the kids with the mentality that they can hit anything, but end up getting hurt and make the hill look bad. This idea might affect Lakeridge's battle with Dagmar for best park, but I think Lakeridge will still out perform. Other than that we can all pray for an earlier snow season, and I will be back with more updates in the snowboarder lifestyle.

Class book

This year in English class we are reading Death of a salesman by Arthur Miller. Usually I hate any class book given. Throughout my life The Hobbit was the only book that every interested me enough to read and even get into. This book however is not that bad, the story line may sound boring but because of the way we read the book it is very lively. The teacher this year took a great approach and decided to read the whole book in class, giving out different characters to different students to read. Not only does this force you to listen to the book, but it makes it a lively and sometimes fun activities. As far as the plot goes, it is a little tricky to fallow at times, but those times are usually when the teacher steps in to explain things. The characters are fascinating and I like the way it switches between past and present. Over I don’t mind reading this book with my English class, and I think thanks to this approach of learning I will do allot better on the test.

What's this world come to?

Halloween being only a few days ago, someone asked me if I had any favourite candies, old costumes etc. I would have to say that now days I’m more of a gummy candy fan as apposed to when I used to love everything chocolate. I think that candy goes through stages, at one point you like a type of candy so much then the next month you think you have had way to much of it(just like fast food). As far as costumes go, I didn't get the chance to dress up this year:( but I have always been a fan of creative costumes. Even though my favourite costume memory was my old superman costume with the fake muscles, I like to see what people can come up with. This leads me to wonder what the world is coming to. This Halloween I looked around at all the costumes and couldn't believe the amount of sex related costumes out there. Even thought I do find them creative and sometimes hilarious, Halloween is still centred around the younger kids and I can't imagine how some of those parents feel seeing the costumes out there. Is it just me or is it the new generation?

Reviews:

I have decided that from now on I will be posting reviews of things I have tried, so that any buyers out there can take a look and get an opinion on the product. I have recently purchased a new Step Child "Powder Sucks" snowboard and the APO expresso line bindings. I have not yet had the chance to test out my new set-up so stay tuned for that review. For today's review I think I will go back in time and review the different motocross rear tires I have tried. First of all as far as the size of your tire goes, it is entirely up to you. A 110 - 130 is a nice and wide tire that will give you tones of confidence dropping it into a corner, and will give u more surface area to get grip with. Unfortunately the wider the tire, the heavier it is, and on such an important part of your bike, it makes a big difference. Thinner tires still perform very well, but just have less rubber on them, so less contact. They are however a lot lighter witch results in more speed :). Personally I usually choose a 110/90 as a nice rear tire. As far as the make goes, again its up to your preference, different makes are totally different tires. For example: the Pirrelli tires, like the scorpion are an extremely tacky tire, but they are made with a softer compound and were very quickly. With almost every brand there are soft-medium tires and medium-hard tires for the terrain you ride. That is only a guide line, of there are a lot of rocks were you ride, you tire will were quickly no matter what. The bottom line with all the brands is usually, you get what you pay for. I have gone through many brands, they all seam to perform great, the Pirrelli was amazing at first, but wore down ridiculously quick. My next tire will be the harder compound Dunlop 757 because of the extreme size of the lugs on it. It will also be a 110:)

Boarding is here!

Ok so I was sitting there thinking that I wanted to snowboard and didn't want to wait anymore, when I remembered I had built a snowboarding rail last year. So after some though and a hand from a buddy we trucked over 3 truck loads of snow into my backyard from the nearby arena. After that we took out my 20ft. flat down flat rail and when my parents weren’t looking, buried it into the ground for stability. After setting up a in ramp and kicker, we strapped in to our boards a started snowboarding. It was still October! Even though the snow melted over the weekend, the weather is now cold enough that we can truck a couple loads of snow a week and always have snow. I can snowboard any time I like, it is a dream come true!

Winter time overhaul.

Winter time is a time for many dirt bike riders/owners to overhaul there bike. For my bike I plan a lot of work this winter season, and I just hope I can find the time, money, and motivation to get it all accomplished. I plan on giving my bike a complete clean, and a lot of engine and cosmetic work. If the funds support it I will be buying HOT-CAMS and a 290cc kit for a huge performance improvement of my bike. I will also be getting a new exhaust pipe and JD jet kit for a weight loss, and even better performance. On top of that the bike will be getting a new graphic kit and new grips and donuts to improve the look. It may also receive all new plastics depending on the amount of money I put into it. The bike will also receive its annual sprocket and chain changes, along with bearings if needed, and all moving components will be greased. This amount of work is the only way to keep up with the competition without buying a whole new bike.

No more riding ;(

Snow has hit the ground! Due to the early change in weather this year, motocross is over for most Canadian riders. Even though it is such a depressing time, if you have a winter passion then you are in a very excited and anxious mood. I know a few racers, including myself, which love to snowboard in the winter. Even though there is not enough snow on the hills to go boarding, we are all praying for a huge snow storm so we can get out and shred. Either way, it is now the season were we are all looking forward for our sports to come. As far as motocross goes, the last event I will be attending is OCMC's awards banquet on November 22nd. This is a dinner and dance, were we will watch a presentation, and get our trophies.