In your editorial "A New Era" in the April ’98 issue, you mentioned how starting Snowboard Life magazine gives you the feeling you had in the early days of snowboarding. It’s a shared feeling by some of us who’ve been surfing long enough to remember longboards and conditions without the present Boogie-board plague.

I strapped into snowboarding in 1996 in Summit County and experienced a flashback to my adolescent surf adventures. Living in the high country–Canada and the Inland Northwest–for the last two years has brought me and my family snowboarding memories to cherish. My surfing addiction fades with increased crowds and fewer waves; I’m restless, looking forward to when the snow flies. I know I’ll get my fix with every resounding G-force change of direction as I set an edge and lean into it.

Your magazine is clearly the new leader in snowboarding coverage. Thank you for keeping us up-to-date. Please publish some information on snowboard helmets.

I Want More

Your magazine is everything I’ve been looking for–so I subscribed. Your articles make for a great read, especially Kurt Hoy’s Chile (March ’98) and Mike Finkel’s New Zealand (April ’98) stories. Excellent! I’ve read ’em again and again, and every time I’m totally there.

And Kurt, those Steps are awesome. I’ve been riding for six years and have never known what to do with my arms. That is, until now ("The Gunfighter," April ’98). Thanks, dude. It was just the element I needed.

But I do have one complaint: there’s not enough! I want more–more articles and more pictures.

Hold Out

Well, I can’t hold out any longer. I’ve been waiting for a good reason to fire up the PC to let you all know how much the mag means to me, and when I saw your blurb asking us to let you know how you’re doing ... well, what you’re doing is blowing away all the pseudo-hip, virtually unreadable rags out there that supposedly represent our sport. You inspire and inform, and do it with class and respect.

As a relative newcomer to riding (in my second year), the mag has helped me tremendously to find the correct equipment and technique to pursue the style of riding that excites me (the carve!), and I honestly don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for the advice and counsel of some of your writers. I’m not ashamed to say that I read and reread everything Kurt Hoy offers in his Steps column. His travel stuff is great, too.

I can think of perhaps one thing that could possibly set the magazine even farther apart from the legions of pretenders out there: since Snowboard Life is the only publication devoting any meaningful space at all to the art of the carve, maybe you would consider a regular column or article in each issue? Most of us are riding resorts regularly as a simple fact of urban life, and as more riders start carving, perhaps more readers would be reached, as I have been, by your great magazine.

Being Cool

Your magazine’s best

features are the ads. I can’t stand your lame Alpine/freeriding crap. You’re

probably just poseur skiers. If you really want to be cool, you should at least try freestyle. If you don’t have any cool

kickers or pipes in your next magazine, I’ll cancel my subscription.

Making Sense

Your magazine is GREAT!

I especially enjoy the many

"how-to" pieces and the make-sense dialogue throughout. I do have a suggestion: Would you

consider evaluating boots, boards, and bindings, like some of the

windsurfing magazines do with sails and boards, to compare the pros and cons? Your recent article on step-in bindings did not elaborate on the advantages and disadvantages of the various brands. A big plus for Flow step-in bindings is that you do not have to buy another pair of boots to go with the bindings. You can use your existing soft boots. I don’t believe any other binding on the market has this

feature. Anyway, keep up the good work, and happy snowboarding!

Holding The Torch

Yeah, just like everyone else I very much enjoy reading your mag. I’m in my third season of snowboarding, and I must say my life now totally revolves around riding. Up until early last season, I had hopes of turning pro, but unfortunately I was in a car accident that left me disabled. I still snowboard, and for my abilities, I rip it up!

I would like to see snowboarding in the Special Olympics. How could I see that happen?

Separate But United

I first saw your magazine while working in Whistler in 1995 and have every one since the premiere issue! I’m now back home in England, but regularly ride Europe.

I was in Val D’Isere/Tignes

last winter with a group of friends. Our last day was brilliant–perfect powder and bright sunshine–but later we heard about an avalanche down the valley that killed eleven children and two instructors. It was such a contrast to the incredibly happy day we had that I felt moved

to write a poem.

Keep up the good work with Snowboard Life–I think it’s the best snowboarding magazine available.

Thanks kindly

for all the great feedback we received during our summer break. By most accounts, we’re on the right track. But among all those happy, shiny, satisfied customers there must be some disgruntled readers, and we want to hear from you, too. Isn’t there anybody out there who doesn’t like Snowboard Life?

Send all correspondence to:

Snowboard LIFE