jim_s

Sweet - Order placed!

You guys have me really wanting to try out a Virus now! (And a Skwal, too!!)

I make no claims of exemplary technique - I'm a self-taught hack - but even given my very modest set of skills and in this case a very shallow trail, the 18cm waist MK provides more turns and smiles per run than anything I've ever ridden. Even skinny little cat tracks are fun!

@SunSurfer and @Kneel I hear you guys, and no doubt, a hard case like that would be the best possible protection, but the other consideration is how much volume I take up in limited spaces - I don't want to be a d*ck and take up 1/2 the space we've got available for skis and boards when we take cars/wagons (in the van, it's not quite as big a deal). (Plus, the hard cases are 2-3x the price I am willing to pay!)

I've had an old Burton snowboard bag that I've used for ages, but the zipper has finally given out. I'd just replace the zipper, but the bag itself is in kinda rough condition with various minor tears in it. I don't travel w/ my board, other than to throw it in the back of the van with other boards and skis to go up to the local hill. ('local' being a 3hr drive on bumpy, curvy roads, so a sleeve would likely be a bit too minimalistic...) I don't need lots of padding (such as for airport baggage gorillas), nor rollers/wheels, etc - just a basic, reliable bag that I can zip my baby in to protect it from others' edges, as well as contain melt-off at the end of the day so as not to make a mess in my or others' vehicles. (Some type of carrying handle would be nice, and ideally it'd have maybe one or two zipper pockets in which I could keep an extra leash, a screwdriver, an edge sharpener, a few spare bolts, etc in.) Under/around $100US would be nice, too. (This is for my MK, so it'd need to accommodate a 161cm length w/ square tail - not much volume needed for the folded-down F2 bindings.

I'd be sure to talk with @SunSurfer too!

Awesome to hear it holds up for 'real man' sized people. I'd love to one day get out and ride with some others on an MK, just to see how the different approaches, techniques, etc play out. (Maybe I can make MCC next year...) Love the comment about it going to 11 - I wholeheartedly agree! Life is too short to spend time relaxing on a snowboard!

OMG, I know - that's one of my favorite things - the ability to just keep pumping out endless short-radius carves on flatter terrain that you'd otherwise be trying to get all tucked down for to just try to manage not to grind to a halt on! Interesting about the vibrations you guys have mentioned - I guess as this is the only board that I ride, I have nothing to really compare it to. Doesn't bother me at all, but I perhaps it's just what I am accustomed to. Whatever it is, I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Yeah, I suspect the MK would be noticeably different ride for someone over the 150-160lb range, and way different for those over 200lbs. I would personally classify my weight as being pretty close to the sweet spot for the MK - it takes a fair bit of work to ride it and bend it, but it's flex, dynamic response, and ability to vary the carve radius at my weight is what I love about it. If I were heavier, or it were softer, I could see it being too floppy for me in some situations. I wonder if the comparatively flexy nose (WRT the mid-section and tail) is a trait of the original Madd, and thus replicated by Donek, or if it's some sort of secret sauce that Donek added? My Donek SL board actually had a very flexy nose - even at my low weight, I could over-flex the SL board's nose if I really got forward. There were a number of times where I'd get too far over the front of the SL, and it'd just about fold up, then unleash and fling me over the bars, LoL. Man, I loved that board! (But I love the MK even more!! I could see a tamer, calmer board in my longer-term future (I'm 57 now, so if I can make it another decade or so on boards that demand a lot of attention, I'll be pretty satisfied (I sometimes wonder if skiing might be more sensible over 70, but I just can't mentally/emotionally go there yet...)

I dunno, @Odd Job - I rode an SL board for about 10 years before getting the MK, and I find the MK an overall better ride in pretty much every respect. (It does need be ridden differently than the SL, though, for sure.) I LOVED that SL board, and I honestly expected I'd probably switch back and forth between it and the MK from time to time, but I literally never rode the SL board again after getting the MK. I could see the MK being a different experience for someone who weighed more than my skinny self, though. While Sean said I was on the lower end of the weight range for the MK, I wouldn't really want it to be any softer than it is. I could see it being able to be overpowered by a heavier, stronger rider.

TBH, I've never noticed anything like this. The board does make a low growling noise when carving on solid snow - it's really kind of strange, and I've heard others mention it, as well. So, that's obviously the result of some type of vibration, but I've never felt it transmitting up into my feet or legs or such. The MK can definitely vibrate a bit in the nose on hard or chopped up (but still hard) snow if you don't manage your fore/aft weight transition through the progression of the carve, but I've never found that to be particularly bad, either - it's usually a sign that I'm being lazy and static in my weight distribution, and getting back on top of my weight transfer largely makes it go away. (Frozen-solid corduroy and cat-chopped boilerplate tend to lead to nose chatter no matter what you do, it seems.) It could also be that I benefit from being pretty lightweight, as well as the fact that I have a near-obsessive biking habit, so my legs and lungs are used to long hours of abuse. (I will say that when seriously pushing tight carves on a long run, riding the MK becomes a genuinely aerobic exercise.)

@barryj - I got the MK back in the 2017/2018 season, and have been riding it as my sole (soul?? :-) board since then. I ride it all day, every day, in all conditions. (Granted, I really never ride more than 3 days in a row - I suspect by the 4th or 5th consecutive day, I'd probably need a day off... I also never see more than a few inches of fresh snow at a time - the MK would be an anchor in truly deep snow, though I suspect that could be said for any skinny, flat-tailed, alpine board.) It's a stock MK. I'm a lightweight (likely 145 by the time I'm all layered up, wearing my UPZs, helmet, etc), and I was concerned about my ability to flex the stock board. Sean said I was sorta right on the line of it being a usable flex for me, and I'm really glad I stuck w/ the stock board - it's a significant workout riding it all day, but it's a crazy dynamic board - lots of pop between tight-radius turns, but will also run huge, sweeping carves if I let it. It's a whole lot more work slowing it down than letting it run wide, but living in the mid-Atlantic, and riding at smaller places, the tight radius carves are the key to getting in lots of turns, but not taking people out nor being taken out by others. The other thing that cracks me up about it is it's ability to pump - I routinely blow by people on cat tracks, bottoms of trails, etc, as they're trying to keep moving or skating (on skis) - meanwhile, I'm continuing to carve up a storm as I whiz past them - the board just has all kinds of energy output in response to energy input. I've never ridden a board w/ a plate, but from what I know of them, I suspect it'd be a Soul-damning level of Sin to run a plate on a stock MK. It is a wound up, exuberant, full-feedback little beast. I think that to truly experience it, you probably need to be willing to naked-mud-wrestle with it on every run. Cool to hear the Angrry is working well - I'd love to try one of those one day - it sounds a whole lot like the MK!

Sorry, I think I might've mentioned this once or twice before... but at the start of every season, I'm re-amazed by this board. It is absolutely freaking awesome. It brings a huge smile to my face on every run - the lifties must think I'm some kinda nutcase, as I'm usually grinning like a fool and giggling to myself as I plop down on the chair. Whew, I feel better having gotten that off my chest...

Just got back from 3 days at Snowshoe Mountain in WV. Only about 60% open, and far from prime conditions, but every trail was carvable, and lots and lots of curvy lines were left in the snow. (Had a ridiculous amount of interest in the board this week - there are always a few curious questions in the lift line, but I literally had people following me on the slopes, expressing admiration and amazement at the MK's carving ability, and just being overall excited to see what an alpine board does!) Winter in the mid-Atlantic is always fickle, but if you're in that region, it's worth keeping an eye on Snowshoe, and making a (mid-week) trip when the temps are right and the rain is not too recent.

Ok, next question - which firmness of the Booster strap? I'm used to the non-flexing 'Shoxxter' straps (non-flexing until they started slipping this season, LoL), so I guess the firmer the better? (Bearing in mind that I use the upper strap to add stiffness to a relatively loose upper cuff, so I'm not sure I need much stretch/give in the strap. But, I'd welcome input from others who use the Boosters.)