What is next for Palmer?

[DHCorky]

He is out of the Olympics: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/winter/2006-01-16-snowboard-palmer-hurt_x.htm

Do you really think he will make a comeback?

[konabiker]

Damn that sucks.

I was so stoked to see the Palm throw it down and reach his goals. I'm bummed.

[stiksandstones]

Lets just all hope and pray to whatever you pray to that he can avoid dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight...(aka, falling into a drunk/drug induced spiral).

[MMike]

two words: Ice dancing.

[manhattanprjkt83]

That just ruined the olympics for me. I was just telling people yesterday how bad he was going to destroy the field. I hope something like this doesnt make him fall back on evil ways...

goodluck to the palm.

[MOTODH]

damn that sucks big time

[Cant Climb]

is boarder-cross really that physically demanding.......?........why couldn't he do it into his 40's........?........

NASCAR drivers go well into thier 40's.

[I know sanjay]

is boarder-cross really that physically demanding.......?........why couldn't he do it into his 40's........?........

NASCAR drivers go well into thier 40's.
u sir r an idiot

[konabiker]

is boarder-cross really that physically demanding.......?........why couldn't he do it into his 40's........?........

NASCAR drivers go well into their 40's.
Yeah, for deuce...I heard that before his tragic death, Dale Earnhardt Sr.(may Jesus rest his soul), was thinking about making the switch to BX. His board would have been made of high tech mustache fibers, extracted from his own stache. Can't be that hard.

Hopefully the Palm will make it back, I'm pulling for him.

[bizutch]

Earnhardt didn't die in the wreck. Ditka got tired of people talking about how bad he was and ate his spleen in the midst of that last lap. Ditka was so fast, no one even saw him do it!

DITKA!!!

[Transcend]

is boarder-cross really that physically demanding.......?........why couldn't he do it into his 40's........?........

NASCAR drivers go well into thier 40's.

Cuz you know, BX and NASCAR are pretty much identical.

[Echo]

Cuz you know, BX and NASCAR are pretty much identical.
And filling out tax forms. Pretty much the same.

[Cant Climb]

I just threw the NASCAR in there for kicks....

....but seriously, could he still be a top boarder x athlete into his 40's....?.......is not like he running the 400m or something......

Seems like its a sport of technique and natural instincts....not so much of physical prowess where youthfulness is more important.

[BC VAN]

is boarder-cross really that physically demanding.......?........why couldn't he do it into his 40's........?........

NASCAR drivers go well into thier 40's.

man i felt almost as bad as when peaty crashed in les gets when i heard this today.
i'm with you...don't know much about bx, but i do know palm and with that mans determination i think he could probably fly!

anyone withmore knowledge about bx, what really would be the limiting factors to him making it back in 4 years? if he can as stick says" not dance with the devil" he obviously has the skill to do it.

[Transcend]

I just threw the NASCAR in there for kicks....

....but seriously, could he still be a top boarder x athlete into his 40's....?.......is not like he running the 400m or something......

Seems like its a sport of technique and natural instincts....not so much of physical prowess where youthfulness is more important.

Apparently you have never raced a BX. After a BX race (motos + brackets) I would be more worn out then a day of DH runs.

Your legs are jello and or cramping beyond beliefe, you can barely breathe, you want to vomit and you want a few 600mg neproxins for the swelling in your ankles and knees, and the bruising in your feet.

Can someone of his talent do it at close to 40? Possibly. But can someone of his age rebound from an injury that basically ends many careers - not sure. It is immensely difficult to hold a toe edge at speed, through a chewed up berm after you have blown an achilles. You are basically standing on your toes and leaning into them every time you turn that direction.

[BC VAN]

Apparently you have never raced a BX. After a BX race (motos + brackets) I would be more worn out then a day of DH runs.

Your legs are jello and or cramping beyond beliefe, you can barely breathe, you want to vomit and you want a few 600mg neproxins for the swelling in your ankles and knees, and the bruising in your feet.

Can someone of his talent do it at close to 40? Possibly. But can someone of his age rebound from an injury that basically ends many careers - not sure. It is immensely difficult to hold a toe edge at speed, through a chewed up berm after you have blown an achilles. You are basically standing on your toes and leaning into them every time you turn that direction.


i haven't ever done any bx....i have done many days on the mountain and know that it is demanding for sure...i still don't think that his age would be much of a factor as far as the physical nature ....but thats coming from a 35 year old guy who dosen't want to admit he's getting old.
your point about toe edge and post injury makes much more sense about it being difficult to make it back....thanks for the info

[Transcend]

i haven't ever done any bx....i have done many days on the mountain and know that it is demanding for sure...i still don't think that his age would be much of a factor as far as the physical nature ....but thats coming from a 35 year old guy who dosen't want to admit he's getting old.
your point about toe edge and post injury makes much more sense about it being difficult to make it back....thanks for the info

I don't think his age will play much into the actual competition itself. It has a huge factor in recovery between motos, and recovering from injuries though. You hurt more the next day then the day of...olympic compeition isn't like a world cup either, it doesn't all take place on one day.

Let's face it, at 35, you don't bounce back as fast as all the 18 year old kids you are racing against.

[BC VAN]

I don't think his age will play much into the actual competition itself. It has a huge factor in recovery between motos, and recovering from injuries though. You hurt more the next day then the day of...olympic compeition isn't like a world cup either, it doesn't all take place on one day.

Let's face it, at 35, you don't bounce back as fast as all the 18 year old kids you are racing against.

i know all to well...last year was very difficult. i think the real question realy would be would palm even want to? i hope so
i would hate to see his athletic career end in this manner.

[Transcend]

i know all to well...last year was very difficult. i think the real question realy would be would palm even want to? i hope so
i would hate to see his athletic career end in this manner.

Don't I know it. Hell, at 27 I have trouble getting out of bed some mornings after football for 16 years, DH for about as many and track for 10. My knees, ankles, wrists and shoulders do not like to cooperate anymore.

It's a pretty crappy way to go, that is for sure. I was at X when he knocked himself silly and "retired" from BX. Not a pretty site, he wasn't even coherent in the interview. It was pretty sad thinking a lengend would retire that way.

[bizutch]

look at the NFL playoffs this weekend. Almost every teams starting 11 got either knocked unconscious or BROKEN. Watching the games this weekend churned my stomach. The players are getting so fast, explosive and powerful that someone gets snapped in every game.
Chicago - Mike Brown
Carolina - DeShaun Foster
Seattle - Shaun Alexander
Carolina- Julius Peppers

....heck, the Colts even had a players wife carve him up before the game.

Palmer should probably just focus on filming and building his company.

[Wayne]

Some of you guys should go riding with some of the 40-something guys I ride with! Good luck keeping up. And for myself, I'm almost 33 now and can take every bit of the abuse than I could when I was 18, plus I'm stronger and more fit. Trust me, 40 is not old. If it were, why are some of the fastest hockey players in their late 30's/early 40's? What about Ned Overand?

[bizutch]

Some of you guys should go riding with some of the 40-something guys I ride with! Good luck keeping up. And for myself, I'm almost 33 now and can take every bit of the abuse than I could when I was 18, plus I'm stronger and more fit. Trust me, 40 is not old. If it were, why are some of the fastest hockey players in their late 30's/early 40's? What about Ned Overand?
because in a starting gate at a boardercross, reaction time IS the win! On course everybody is similar...but in the gate....you gotta own. EC & Lopes are blessed. They are maintaining their prominence in MTNX, but I'd about bet (EC can set me straight) both are willing to admit that having a 21 year old with the same horsepower, but better reaction time, on the gate is one of the tougher things for them to overcome these days. I watched EC and Lopes in 1995 at Helen, GA in the slalom. Both were 1/2 to 1 full bike length faster than anyone else they lined up against. It was phenomenal.

[Transcend]

Some of you guys should go riding with some of the 40-something guys I ride with! Good luck keeping up. And for myself, I'm almost 33 now and can take every bit of the abuse than I could when I was 18, plus I'm stronger and more fit. Trust me, 40 is not old. If it were, why are some of the fastest hockey players in their late 30's/early 40's? What about Ned Overand?

You don't come back from injuries anywhere near as fast when you are that age. He just has what amounts to a devastating injury for a snowboarder. Hockey players don't have to keep up on a toe edge in bad snow, neither does Ned or your buddies.

Butch: gate means alot in MTB, not as much in BX. Palmer was world reknowned for having the absolute best wax techs on earth. When you hit the flats, wax means everything, your gate..not so much. If he can keep the wax/base stuff clean, he should be able to make up for the slowing reaction times. That said, his gate was never "fantastic", but by the first hit/whoops his wax had already made up the difference.

[Zutroy]

Some of you guys should go riding with some of the 40-something guys I ride with! Good luck keeping up. And for myself, I'm almost 33 now and can take every bit of the abuse than I could when I was 18, plus I'm stronger and more fit. Trust me, 40 is not old. If it were, why are some of the fastest hockey players in their late 30's/early 40's? What about Ned Overand?


It's pretty well estabished medically, all things being equal, the younger you are the faster you recover. The key is being equal, a fit 40 year old is going to do better than someone 18 who sits on there ass all day.

There is a reason pro sports is for the youth in general, otherwise you'd see all sorts of guys playing into there 40l, and while i love Ned and thing he's the man, he does well against our underperforming XC guys here in the US, you put him in a WC and he's going to get left behind. I give the man credit though he's a beast...Fischi is the same way as far as XC guys go, although he's a few years behind ned.

[OGRipper]

Some of you guys should go riding with some of the 40-something guys I ride with! Good luck keeping up. And for myself, I'm almost 33 now and can take every bit of the abuse than I could when I was 18, plus I'm stronger and more fit. Trust me, 40 is not old. If it were, why are some of the fastest hockey players in their late 30's/early 40's? What about Ned Overand?

I'm 36 and although I pretty much agree with you, people who can compete at the highest levels of a contact sport into their 40's have an exceptional mix of talent and luck. I will be riding forever but I don't recover as fast or as well from injuries as I used to, and I am in better shape now.

[heikkihall]

Fraser is right. Boarder X is much, much more physically demanding than most people would think. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, I have trained my entire life to be a ski racer and recently started racing Skier X pretty seriously. Most decent courses tend to be atleast 45- 90 seconds in length. Keep in mind these are basically anaerobic efforts. From the moment you pull out of the gate you are giving everything you have to pump the features/ obstacles, carve the corners, speed check etc., for the entire length of the course. Keep in mind you are in a crouched tuck position the entire time in order to keep aerodynamic. Try sprinting a 400 and then get into a proper tuck position and hold it for 90 seconds. That is how it feels when you reach the bottom of a decent course. All that while your mind is focusing not only on the best lines for speed but also for tactics to keep everyone behind you. When you put all of this together making it to the bottom of a long course becomes a seriously challenging task. Then you get to the bottom and have to go back up the lift and do it again, then again, then again. Racing skis and snowboards at that top level is much different than cruising down the mountain making a few turns, and it is something that no one could immagine unless you experience it first hand.
I just got back from a X Games qualifier Skier X event this past weekend. I did a total of 6 runs all day long, and was exhausted. Unfortunately I missed out on making the finals by the narrowest of margins after having a terrible start and playing catch up the whole way down.


Cant Climb, your statement is just as ignorant as the people who think that racing downhill mountain bikes "must be so easy, since you are just coasting down a hill". With Palmers talent I am sure he could pull off the 2010 Winter Games at Whistler but it will be that much more of a challenge for him four years from now. This sucks, I was really looking forward to watching him race the Olympics and at X Games this year.

[tomvan72]

Damn! that says it all. Word Hall!

[Transcend]

bla bla heikki being all serious bla bla

So when do we race down ice face anyways? :love: I alu powdered my board the other night, havent done it in years...jesus, what a friggin difference with no static.

[Toshi]

Palmer was world reknowned for having the absolute best wax techs on earth. When you hit the flats, wax means everything, your gate..not so much. If he can keep the wax/base stuff clean, he should be able to make up for the slowing reaction times. That said, his gate was never "fantastic", but by the first hit/whoops his wax had already made up the difference.
this kind of dampens my enthusiasm for him... he's a badass at many sports, sure, but he was great because of his WAX TECHS? wow.

[Transcend]

this kind of dampens my enthusiasm for him... he's a badass at many sports, sure, but he was great because of his WAX TECHS? wow.

Go to a world cup ski or snowboard race...the absolute best have a mix of amazing talent and an amazing tech crew...same idea as F1. The top of the olympic ski runs is ridiculous, every county has 5-10 team crew. The rest of them are on course, taking snow temperature readings, and relaying them to the guy up top mixing waxes.

Base type and wax type/mixture/texture plays a HUGE part in it. Of course, you still have to be able to pass, block, pump and jump everything in sight. Same way a DH rider has to be able to ride, or a F1 driver has to be able to drive.

Put on the wrong wax tho, and you are dead in the water. You will stick to the snow, have no control or build up too much static.

[Inclag]

If it were, why are some of the fastest hockey players in their late 30's/early 40's?


You on crack bro?

[blt2ride]

Lets just all hope and pray to whatever you pray to that he can avoid dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight...(aka, falling into a drunk/drug induced spiral).

I agree with that. After last year's "incident," I hope those days are over for Palmer. If anyone can keep pushing it into his late 30s and early 40s, it's Palmer.

[Zutroy]

I agree with that. After last year's "incident," I hope those days are over for Palmer. If anyone can keep pushing it into his late 30s and early 40s, it's Palmer.


My guess is he's going to be so pissed about getting hurt after all the work he's put into it, he'll funnel it at something athletic. Maybe we'll see him in an Indy car like it's been rumored all these years:blah:

[bizutch]

I watched that last boardercross win for Palmer. He won the race in the first 100 yards in the rhythm section. He pumped every hump in the rhythm like mercury in a tube. He stomped everybody by a good 10 feet with pure talent that no one else had.

Sure...wax will keep him ahead...but Palmer himself put the gap on them in the rhythm. And in the turns, he doesn't speed check...he carves....
"Can't nobody take the PALM!" :D

[Transcend]

Without good wax, you lose. Period.

[bizutch]

Without good wax, you lose. Period.
NAPALM could win on sandpaper....:devil: He can't beat Ditka...but....

[manhattanprjkt83]

NAPALM could win on sandpaper....:devil: He can't beat Ditka...but....

Chuck Norris could win on an upsidedown skateboard with broken trucks...

[bizutch]

Chuck Norris could win on an upsidedown skateboard with broken trucks...
insert Dodge Ball quote here -----> "F***in Chuck Norris"

[Repack]

Chuck Norrisisms:

"Chuck Norris wasn't born, he punched his way out of the womb. Shortly thereafter he grew a beard."

"If you can see Chuck Norris, Chuck Norris can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris, your already dead."

"Suspected cause of death was round-house kicks to the head."

Palm is way up there, though.

[mobius]

I am never going to get old. It's my mission.