NO ONE IS GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!

[mr50bmg]

... at present there are actually NO LEAKS WHATSOEVER! - NOTHING! No drips at all on the garage floor!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have you checked the oil and coolant levels?

Seriously, your car is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations and I wish you many pleasant and rewarding drives.

Time for a new avatar thingy perhaps?

-Dave

Edited December 3, 2005 by mr50bmg

[fmxa]

Thanks Fishy, but unless you've got a SUV my luggage won't fit! I'm kinda at a loss about the snowboarding comment .... Is there some sort of dry slope near you? Anyway, you'll have to get out here soon, there's good snowboarding (on real snow!) within a 2 hour drive of home, and I need to dust the cobwebs off my board this season!

[Guest teigan]

????????????snowsporting is terrible where we live. i own a condominium at snow summit, and it's never comprable to snowfun out of state; unless you need to practice at queueing. try: wyoming,utah,colorado in that order.

[fmxa]

Damn Teigan, does a black cloud of doom and negativity follow you everywhere you go! It's only a two hour drive from here, and while its not Chamonix, and I've never found the lines to be too long at Snow Valley.

[Guest teigan]

i'll settle for vail or jackson hole. lift tickets are more reasonably priced too, so if you stay a week, you spend less than you would at snow valley this season.

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Yep there is!

www.chtahamskislope.co.uk

I am but a beginner - only been going a month.

They are all very scared of letting people on the slopes willy nilly over here (we are heading down the same path as you guys insurance claim / lawsuit-wise) so you have to do a whole bunch of lessons of first. (Just as well I have learnt so much I wouldn't have thought of)

Once I have done my lessons on the cheaper dry slope I will head up to Milton Keynes' www.xscape.co.uk indoor snow dome.

There's also one up in Tamworth near Karl who has recently taken it up too!

If it weren't for my huge car bill I would probably have been going with them to Morzine in a few weeks! Next time...

[Paul C]

RE: The rise of the 'Silver Surfer'

I have already had telephone conversations warning him of taking up

skiboarding at his age, but my warnings fell on deaf ears i'm afraid.

I told him that his bones will break easier than when he was a youngster,

and that when/if they eventually heal, they might fuse bent and give rise

to calls of 'it's Charlie Chaplin!' from the local street urchins.

However, the befinned one told me where to stick my concerns and has

decided to pursue this life crisis. Take care my friend, you have waited

so long for the silver, it would be a shame if it were left idle in the garage

while you are sat up in hozzy doing jigsaw puzzles and sucking humbugs.

[Guest teigan]

as a beginner, you'll be falling on your butt all day. this is much more pleasant on soft real snow. if you insist on doing things the hard way, then invest in some padding.

[WayneB]

We have a Ski hill near us at Bata

Went there a few years ago to learn to ski

Got to the top of the beginer slope , looked down, walked back to car and left(in one piece)

With Paul on this one, dont want to end up in a body cast

[fmxa]

Get wrist guards! I've seen more people snap their wrists trying to break a fall by extending their hands forward than I care to remember!

[Paul C]

Get wrist guards!  I've seen more people snap their wrists trying to break a fall by extending their hands forward than I care to remember!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True. Back in the eighties when i was skateboarding, i always

wore my 'Rector' wrist protectors, and they deffo saved me from

harm. However,i do wish they had manufactured an arse protector...

[fmxa]

i'll settle for vail or jackson hole.  lift tickets are more reasonably priced too, so if you stay a week, you spend less than you would at snow valley this season.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're probably right about the costs comparing a week at Snow Valley to a week out-of-state, but for a quick day in the snow, the mountains local to LA are great fun.

I've not been to any of the major US resorts, but favour B.C. resorts such as Silver Star, Powder Springs, Whistler etc

[Jonathan]

I dunno - uses it to go boarding in just down the road and wont pop in to say hello.

Looking good though !

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

The problem with wirst protectors (as was always the case when I was a skater) is that if you fall hard enough to break your wirst, you've probably fallen hard enough to break your arm instead!

Rector DID make bum & hip pads and I still have mine!

Had a great day - did another hour and a half in my car and then spent 2 hours on the slope...

Have sussed linked turns now, so actually look like a PROPER boarder!

and as for Paul and his mid-life crisis talk.... I'm only less than a year older than you mate... Maybe I should buy an overly ostentaitous, obvious-choice, large sports car I dunno - a large Red S3 say perhaps?!?!

[Guest Troy Halliday]

My girlfriend lives in Chathem and when I do manage to sneek out of the garage that is where you can usualy find me. Next time I'm down that way Jonathan I'll let you know maybe we can have a beer or ten. Maybe we could even get the Fish to join us after getting friction burns on his arse from the dry slopes

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Count me in! heh

[WayneB]

True. Back in the eighties when i was skateboarding, i always

wore my 'Rector' wrist protectors, and they deffo saved me from

harm. However,i do wish they had manufactured an arse protector...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Paul, dont fret they do make one!

You will have to get some larger pants though

Dont get going anywhere near Benny Hill when wearing it though

Edited December 3, 2005 by WayneB

[Jonathan]

Always down for a meet up.

BTW I have wrist guards on my gloves, always have (not that I fall off anymore) but they are very useful. Mine go around the thumb and around the wrist to support the heel / ball of the wrist - if you do go down face first they help not with the impact but the buffetting your hands get on the slope - I used to swear by them but thats just me - nowadays I find when pulling some fast sweeping carving they're good for putting your hand out on the snow - dont ask why I just like it !

Oh they're also good for banging your boots back in the bindings, and smacking ski-iers with (still got that joy to come Robin) hehe.

I've always said go with the fall, don't fight it - braver man than I am going on a dry slope though it must hurt a lot more than the white stuff

Edited December 3, 2005 by Jonathan

[dazmans3]

Hi Robin

I bet your chuffed to bits now. Looking really good as well. Then, it is an esprit & they all look good..... ESP our 'G' cars.

really happy for you, look forward to seeing it at next meet.

Daz

B)

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Thanks Daz... I went for another gratuitous cruise around this evening on my way to get a Chinese Takeaway... Somehow managed to take the scenic route!

I still kinda can't believe it's actually REAL!

[Jussi]

Enjoy the ride

Next time I can enjoy driving with my Esprit is about next April (I hope)

[slade]

just exercise your wrists everyday like slade does.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I typically do need to use two hands... too hard to get a grip on things with only one B) Always use protection kids. I've only ever broken my wrist once.

slade

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Always use protection

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

???

[lisalotus]

After a two year absence on the ski slopes, I finally plucked up the courage to hit the slopes the last week.

I had a really bad tumble two years ago , the best of it was my daughter had only just graduated from the nursery slope, so I was supposed to be showing my daughter how to come down the big slope, any way I made a right bollocks of it, ended up hitting the toboggan run which just happens to be right at the bottom of slope(stupid place to put a toboggan run if you ask me anything), I left a ski actually imbedded in the side of run, went straight over the top, went arse over tit down embankment and ended up in a heap in the carpark .

I walked away with various cuts and bruises, a seriously battered ego and no confidence whatsoever .

Jodys response was "do I have to do that mummy, I,d really rather not" .

Anyway last week when I eventually managed enough courage to go right to the top of slope, one of the instructors that witnessed my rather spectacular exit from the slope two years ago, came over and gave me some much needed advise .

I,ve got the hang of turning in parallel now, its the stopping bit I,ve still got to master.

Anyway Robin or anybody else into self harm on snow if you fancy coming over to Tamworth I could show you some moves , no seriously it might be a good venue for an esprit gettogether, what do you think????????????

We dont live that far from there so we could have a couple of hours on the slope, then back to our house for a drink or three

[Jonathan]

As I said to Robina there are enough of us that play in the snow - we should meet up and have a laugh. Time and date and I'll be there !

Edit: Need to get the car fixed 1st LOL