RCrobar

Wow, excellent news!! Do you have a working prototype? Could we see this binding for the 2025 season? Could we see a picture of how your system works? Will your binding work with the original Northwave Point 900 boots? Will your bindings work with ANY current hardboots? So many questions:) Thanks in advance for any info you can share at this time Rob

Hi Johnasmo Can you explain how the hard boot and soft boot Contra SCR are the same, how they are different? Thank you in advance. Rob

Hi James Really nice turns! Add to this that you are on a 29cm wide board, with a 12m SCR, in soft boots at a resort know for it’s steep terrain and the turns become just awesome! I remember Cory calling you the ‘Chuck Norris’ of snowboarding … I can clearly see why. I can’t imagine having the calf strength to lay-down turns like that, especially toe side, in soft boots. I can feel my Achilles tearing just thinking about it! Cheers Rob

Thank you for your reply Jennifer, I look forward to seeing what your company comes up with. Cheers Rob

Hi Noschool I have edited the original post to try make it more open to any and all thoughts as none of this was my intention, the opposite if truth be told. I just am not interested in a heated debate or offending anyone. Cheers Rob

Hi Noschoolrider Thank you for your well laid out, thoughtful and respectful posts; I really appreciate it. You strike me as a rider I would enjoy spending a day on the hill with, followed by a long and interesting boarding conversation. I think we are a similar vintage age wise. I agree with many of the points you have laid out, but strongly disagree with a few others. That said, I have no interest in a long and drawn out Bomber thread on technique. My ‘avert your eyes’ comment in the original post was my way of trying to decline any big debates. As with most, if not all, summertime drills they are only an approximation of actually riding on snow; for me this is understood and implied. I have been doing this drill for a few years now and have found it has caused me to challenge some of my own long held technique views. I would suggest learning the drill, experiment with many different types of turns (*Edit* AND rotation sizes) and see if you too find some of your long held views are challenged … maybe yes, maybe no? With the Infinite Loop drill, everything happens so fast and in such a tight and small space it can be difficult to separate the movements. I would like to point out that when boarding on snow the rotation: happens only during the edge to edge board transition, the turn starts at the moment the rotation ends, the rotation can be small, medium or large in size, the force of the rotation can be soft, medium or very forceful and that the main efficiencies of a rotation during the transition is to aid in the variation of turn size and shape (driving the board) and to all but eliminate counter-rotations particularly in off piste’ and rougher conditions. Thank you again, I am now over and out:) Cheers Rob

This is a question for the @MountainSlope Crew or anyone in the know. Years ago, when Mountain Slopes were new to alpine and just released, there was a thread that discussed the possibility of a Mountain Slope Step in bindings .... with out a heel piece. At the time it was loose talk of a future binding development once their boots were established. Seems like a bunch of years and a lot of Mountain Slope Boots in the Olympics has passed … any chance of seeing bindings from this company? Cheers Rob

The ‘Infinite Loop’ can really help both technique and endurance, thought others might find it interesting. Cheers Rob

Hi Agassiz Thank you for the kind words! It is a one off logo, but I don't mind if you use. Bruce should still have the file, just tell him Rob sent ya:) Cheers Rob

Hello I agree, you don't 'NEED' a plate on a Coiler Contra with all the rubber, metal and secret sauce Bruce builds into his boards. When you say 'plate' do you mean a full isolation plate or just a Gecko riser? I have only tried the original Apex Duck Bill full plate, it worked fantastic but for me the decoupled 'spin completely around' when trying to stop or slarve was a deal breaker. The Geckos with all the fingers also work great, but I didn't want mess around with the boards' flex via the fingers and bumpers. I did, however, LOVE the buttery smooth feeling the riser and soft bumpers gave on ice. I guess you also don't 'need' metal in a board on ice, glass boards work just fine. The risers make ice feel like buttery smooth perfect Western hero cord; makes crappy conditions even more fun with a metal coiler. Years ago, when Fin was developing the new TD bindings with Bob, I wrote to Bob and Fin to ask how much movement the TD urethane ring would permit; I was hoping for the SideWinder before it was developed. What I found interesting was Bobs' explanation to me around the idea that micro-vibrations create feedback that a rider gets from ice, which causes a ride to unconsciously 'tense up' their muscles resulting in a rougher ride. He went on to explained to me that the purpose of the TD urethane ring was to absorb these vibrations, which helped the rider to relax, which gives the rider a real or imagined feeling of more grip. For a few of seasons now I have used the fingerless Gecko Stealth soft boot plate/riser on my Coiler Contra and Nirvana with F2 Titaniflex bindings. When the conditions are good, I don't think the plates do anything to improve or hurt the ride. The softest bumpers, I feel, give the binding a smaller foot print. When the conditions suck, Global Warming Western Rain and Ice in Feb, I love the added height to help reduce boot out with flatter stance angles. The real treat is the even smoother Coiler ride, ice feels like buttery cord. I'm too lazy to take them on and off, so I just leave them on and don't worry about what conditions I might encounter. The next question for me, to anyone who might be able to help, is why are the Gecko's made from Carbon? Seems to me that a Stealth Shaped Coiler riser plate made of wood, rubber, metal and Bruces' secret sauce would make the super fun and versatile Contra ride go from amazing to unreal. Cheers Rob

Hi Johnasmo Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts and expertise, what a cool collaboration with Bruce! Can you comment at all on stance width and stance location in relation to the 'flying W' of the SCR and it's possible affect on the turn. Wide vs a narrow stance, wider or narrow W adjusted to a riders preferred stance width ... vs a stance that is shifted maybe a cm forward or a cm backward in relation to the reference 'Flying W' stance? I have spend quite a bit of time testing my Nirvana, but did not get a chance to experiment much with this with my Contra; covid and too much powder this year! This is mainly a curiosity I have as I tend to experiment with all my boards in hopes to get to know them better. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge! Your posts are just a pleasure to read! Cheers Rob

Hi Dreadman The pictures of the terrain, videos of the riders and stories of all the fun at your Expresson session seem just great! Hats off to you as I can't imagine how many hours it must have taken to get that plane off of the ground! One of the best pictures I've seen in a while is you hugging the groomer guy, awesome:) My only suggestion, or perhaps dream, would be 'Banks' ... I've only seen, never ridden, videos of an area where they turn it into a 'Bankyard.' See the video below. Cheers Rob

Back to the Future .... of Alpine Raichle Snowboarder boots, re-branded in technicolor mountaineering boots, and Emery Surf bindings started a lot of riders down the Alpine path years ago. Fast forward to today and you see high end ski touring hard boots and bindings sliding into the split back country world; Atomic Backland and Phantom Bindings. In the past season or so the only guys that ask me about my Alpine snowboard set up are guys with high end Atomic Backland type ski boots. They gravitate more to an all mountain HB set up (read into that a surf board shaped board with plates), more so than a traditional alpine board (read into that a square nose and tail board). Their eyes get big when I tell them that there is a trend of split-snowboarders using the boots that they are wearing. I see more alpine opportunity in really soft plate bindings on a board that someone already owns and backcountry boots as the possible 'gateway drug' leading eventually and possibly to an on piste' alpine specific board. Back to the Future ... what is old is new again. Cheers and stay safe out there. Rob

Hi Corey Thank you for posting the skate video, I've never seen anything like this before! It's literally a pump track mixed with bowls, vert ramps and street features! What a great concept and the riders just rip! Modern skaters are so talented, the everyday tricks are amazing! Last summer I bought a set of Carver C5 streetsurf trucks, they turn way more than my Indys. Can't help but think that they would be a LOT of fun in Montana parks in the video! Thanks again! Cheers Rob

Can anyone comment on what boots are used in that previous Cat-Butt Free video? I am guessing as stiff as possible, but maybe not? On a softboot scale of perhaps: Soft, Medium, Hard Thanks Rob

Alex Yoder - Devotion to the Turn Great conditions, terrain and style.

Hi Johnasmo I did know that Nidecker acquired Flow, but didn't know about the other companies! I had a hard time with Flows at first, but am glad I stuck with them. I love the Flows in powder, supportive and mobile at the same time. I have a fair bit of issues with feet freezing, I find that the straps when not done up too tightly have lots of support and the don't cut the circulation off to the Fred Flintstone feet! The 20-21 Flows have a different type of strap, not sure if it is to bring down the cost or is a performance improvement? I too am working on learning more about gear this and EVERY other season:) Cheers Rob

Cool Thread, interesting to read. This past season I have worked to develop a better understanding of how different amounts of upper body rotation can be best used with different turn shapes, this combined with the concept that the turn starts at the moment the rotation stops. Most of this effort has been focused during softboot Free Riding in powder, Feb 2020 was a good snow month! When making ')' shaped turns in powder a much smaller rotation has proven to be really effective, more of an X and / position rather than a larger + and - rotation. Focusing on smaller abbreviated rotations helped me to be more efficient when driving straight down a fall line of chopped up crud, harbor chop, chunder and/or perfect powder in varied Free Riding terrain characterized by gullies and banks.鿰 Cheers Rob

Really nice turns guys! Cheers Rob

Since the Canadian dollar is like Monopoly money to our neighbours to the South, this might be a good find for your Dupraz. It is a Dupraz 178 6++ for $658 Canadian. This is a Quebec retailer I stumbled across a while ago: https://www.alternative113.com/en/dupraz-19-6-snowboard-178cm-dup-008.html Cheers Rob

Hi Lurch The logo is my modified version of a Yin and Yang logo I stumble across. Nick's logo is a Yin & Yang that has rotated the original 90 degrees to also represent a wave and the sun. The meaning of the original logo is the idea that the Yin & Yang rotate, while the core reverts to stillness. I have often said that my favorite two tricks on a snowboard are turning left and right. On a good day the movement of linking turns together leads to a mind that is still, relaxed and happy ... all the while dreaming of slashing off of a wave:) Rob

Hi Mr E I asked this question of Bruce as it would affect the top sheet that Nick designed for me, the Contra is a new model. Bruce further explained to me that the SCR is just one part of the change, the flex pattern of the Contra is like nothing he has done before. I guess the new SCR is easier for him to match up the flex pattern throughout the length of the board in relation to the SCR. Hope this helps a bit. Rob

Hi Guys After riding the Contra, the mind starts to go a bit wild with ideas: powder contra, softboot contra, bigger and smaller SCR contra, etc. Martin - I think considering the Contra with the 10.5m SCR as a tight turning free carve is a must! dgCarve - Bruce told me that he has been prototyping the Contra with about a 9m average SCR. I think an powder nose and tail like a maybe a Jones Hovercraft with the Contra 9m SCR could be REALLY fun as a tight turning all conditions board. I think the bigger vs smaller SCR would depend on whether you want to blast over top of and through the crud ... or slash and slarve thought it. The SCR of the Contra is actually has MANY more SCR that just the 5 list, the five listed is to help get your head around what is going on. The SCR actually changes every few cms .... like I said PFM, Pure Frickin' Magic! Can't wait to read what you guys eventually have made and how it works for you:) Cheers Rob