Well I'm drooling waiting for next Friday when I am off to Whistler. I've got a new Donek Sasquatch board supposedly on its way to me. I hope I get it before I leave next week so that I can try it out!

I recently also purchased 2 sets of new bindings. The first being Salomon SPX Carbon bindings. These things are great, and I think they blow away my Burton C-14 Bindings which I also thought were great until I tried these salomons.

The other pair of bindings I got are a pair of Catek Freeride bindings. I haven't mounted these yet because they don't fit on a Burton board with the 3-hole configuration, but I am planning on mounting them on my Donek board. The bindings look awesome and I have heard a lot of good things about them. I have had some minor fit problems since I have size 14 boots. But I've done a little tweaking to the setup and I think I will be good to go. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks how they work out.

Finally, I have also purchase a pair of Size 14, Vans Contra boots. These things are pretty awesome. The have the Boa Closure system that is completely superior to the traditional shoe laces. You simply pop the Boa dial in/down and turn the dial to the acceptable tightness for your boot.

I did notice two interesting things about having a Boa closure system. It is possible to easily tighten your boots TOO MUCH. I did this the first time and couldn't move my feet it was quite funny the first few turns I tried to carve. Loosening them up a bit solved that problem.

The second thing that I did notice is that after your boots warm up after the first couple of runs you can tighten them down a little more. The boots seem to soften up a little after your feet are in them and I suppose the molding inside the boot conforms to your leg therefore loosening the boot up a little. Of course simply twist the Boa closure about another half or full turn and you are good to go again.

I haven't noticed much or any slippage in the mechanism so they are pretty much maintenance free.

However, I did have one BIG problem. On my second trip after using these new shoes, my Boa dial got loose somehow and fell off while I was having lunch!!!! I looked everywhere and couldn't find it. Pretty much ruined a half day of riding because I couldn't tighten the boot back. The strap did offer enough support for me to get down the mountain without any issues. And luckily I did find a store that sold extra Dials. Be aware you should probably always carry your spare lace that Vans included in your boot box. The package contains a little black screw which is a replacement screw for your Boa dial. I you lose the dial, most stores don't have the screw but probably carry the Dial. Go ahead and but the dial and then take the screw out of your bag with the spare lace. There's also a tool in that back its a little order screwdriver that you use to tighten the screw in.

I'm trying to get another spare screw and dial and these things are HARD to find. I would suggest buying an extra Dial they are only about $3-5. I need both an extra screw and dial now and can't seem to find them. Vans doesn't have a number that I am aware of to call for customer support... Other than that though these boots are awesome!