JRAZZ

Yes, it's like what you have with the NX2s - the highbacks fold down and press against the straps. I'm not a fan of this in my NX2s and not a fan of it here. In reality they stay almost upright and my NX2s have caught on low flying chairs when trying to offload with hilarious results for everyone but me. This is even higher. With my NX2s I usually keep them open so they don't catch so I think that would be a solution for these as well. I agree, those straps are not great but I think all the new ones have the TPE straps like the ones in the video. I have a pair of NX2 Teams which I think are the best version out there especially because of those straps. They are much much improved over the leather straps.

I got a chance to play with these yesterday. Just step in and out - no riding. They look good. They'll probably work fine. The locking feel is better than the step-ons. With the step-ons you really have to pay attention to that second click. With these you feel locked in as soon as you step in. Stepping out is pretty much the same as the step-ons. Not as easy as the videos would have you believe, you really have to lift your foot out. When you're locked in, just like the Step-ons, you feel locked in. I don't think there's any chance of them coming "undone". Other than that they have same downside as the step-ons: a really thick heel loop. For me, I'll be staying with the Flow NX2s. Between the Flows, Step-ons and Supermatics the "step in" process takes the same time for me. On the Flows I stop, dig my toe edge into the snow, shove the foot in and lift the back. The step-ons are the same but I dig the heel edge. I think the Supermatics feel very similar. For me the only real difference is the heel loop that is just so massive on the Step-ons and Supermatics. YMMV Here's another review of the Supermatics if you're interested: One more thought... The setup is very familiar to anyone who has ever set up Flow bindings. I think that people who can spend the time to set up the Flows properly would have a good time and those who have not been happy with Flows will find the same frustrations. Something to keep in mind.

https://www.nidecker.com/en/snowboards/370-blade.html Great board, like new. not being ridden because Tankers rule. $350. Shipping to anywhere CONTUS is $50.

I was tempted...

Ermmmm..... I just saw this. I'm at Snowmass this weekend. Today I lapped the Two Creek chair from 9:00 to 12:00 and other than the messiness up top it was very devoid of ppl. Groomed pretty well too! Have no idea where I'm going tomorrow (guess it depends on grooming) but since it seems I can find empty spaces in Snowmass I think I'll stay here. Probably going to try to go to Big Burn via the Village Express around 8:30.

I guess when compared to the 201 (I just can't think of it a "playful") But, as for the rest, after a bit of riding I cannot agree more!

Damn Arne... Sorry to hear that! Sending healthy vibes your way for a speedy recovery!

I tried doing exactly this (riding a "wide" HB board with softies). TL;DR: It doesn't work. I ride a size 10 woman's boots (equivalent to men's 9) and tried riding a Coiler that had a 23.5 waist with the front foot at about 45 degrees. I could barely turn it over. It was not a fun experience. It's not so much the angles but the torsional stiffness. It's really hard to twist these boards and you have way less power with soft boots at high angles. OTOH, I ride 36/21 on my DO (25 cm waist) easily. That board is significantly easier to turn at angles that are not far off.

I have both the DO 161 and the Blade. I like them both. They are similar but different. I think they are made in the same factory and they look very similar in terms of build. They turn very much the same. I don't think the side cut makes much of a difference. The DO seems a little smoother and more energetic on good groomers but the Blade does much better in uneven or soft snow. The Blade is also more forgiving if you are off your game.

They just extended the season on MJ until May 16th so... And of course ABasin after that

WP open until May 16th... Oh yeah, and...

Google to the rescue:

Looks like it was a ton of fun! Hope to make it up next Sunday.

We deep into engineer speak. I believe the intent is "Design of Experiment" The use of Minitab warms my heart.

28.78cm A size 9 boot has a BSL of 29cm so that's the max (at 0 degrees). As far as angles go, I ride 27°/12° on my Cafe Racer (27cm waist) and 36°/21° on my Alloy DO (25cm waist) with a size 9.5 women's boot (equivalent to a size 8.5 in mens) so very close to your size. I tried running 36/21 on other boards but only the Alloy really responds well to those angles. The Korua is very hard to turn with those angles. I think this has to do a lot with the waist width. I wouldn't try anything over 27° on the front foot with a board that has more than a 25.5cm waist. It never works in my experience. BTW, I tried 45°/30° on my 23.5cm waist Coiler and it was hard to turn as well. That's why I think the Spectre is not going to be good for soft boots. I can ride the Coiler at 36°/21° but then I experience boot drag.

For a size 9 boot (approx 29cm BSL) these will be the widths on 12, 21 and 30 degrees. You can usually accommodate about 1cm per side without much problems unless you're really laying it down. So subtract 2cm from each to get the MINIMUM board width at the binding position (notice, this is usually the rear position). Subtract another 1cm for the waist width. Again, this is the absolute minimum width you would need to have a reasonable chance of riding without bootout. The more you lay it over the more boot drag will be a thing. BTW, I have a Korua Cafe Racer and have tried the Bullet Train. They are awesome boards that are very capable so if that's your direction they are excellent choices which carve well and are a blast in almost any condition.

The porcupines are out! (and very unhappy about the snow) Spring has sprung in Loveland. Porcupines, hard snow in the morning, freakish snow squalls and the race course is up With the exception of the race course it was a bonkers day! The groomers were boiler plate on the lower mountain (especially home run) but the upper side was amazing. Started out as soft groom and then an insane squall came in. Vis was zero. I tried Roulette and could not see the edge of the run from the middle! This was good because it scared off the people who were on the slope and dropped about 3" in one hour! I just lapped Deuces the entire time getting fresh lines the whole time. Just awesome! Spring days are the best!! @pcABQ you were sorely missed! I remember trying to follow you on a May POW day and this felt just the same but without the park

I would avoid both. The Eliminator is a racing board and would not be fun on anything but a high speed course or wide open run. The Spectre is too narrow and on softboots would probably result in very high angles, toe/heel drag or very possibly both. What is "extremely positive angles" for you? The Spectre will require at least 30° on the rear boot and more on the front. It might be hard to turn at those angles. I really like Nideckers, their sidecut is dialed. Instead of the Spectre try looking at the Concept, Tracer, or even Area. I rode a friend's Area and really liked it! I used 27°/12° and that was perfect for it. Another option would be the Alloy DO (which has a lot in common with the Nidecker Ultralight). It's really great and stable without being tough to turn. I run 36°/21° on it (25cm waist) but it's the only board that I have that actually works well with those angles. Don't fall in to the trap of really narrow boards unless you go full hardboots. I tried it. It sucks (softboots on narrow board). Also, I would avoid anything over a 10m sidecut unless you know EXACTLY what you want. Those boards are stable but are also incredibly scary to ride since they don't turn at low speeds. Finally don't look too hard at sidecut radii. One of the best softboot carving boards I know is the Yes Optimistic and that has a ~6-7m sidecut. It's VERY stable because it's wide and stiff not because of the radius.

We're all vaxxed where I work... I got Moderna'd and several ppl around me got Pfizer. We even have a couple of J&J ppl. Nobody really had anything more than a headache. At for me all I had was a sore arm for a day. Honestly the second shot was easier than the first. I'm wondering if there is some sort of reverse placebo effect - you know, people say that there are side effects so anything we feel is automatically amplified and refocused.

When you say "sidecut depth" do you mean the value measured between a line that runs between contact points to the waist or do you mean the theoretical value calculated as a sagitta using the average sidecut radius and running length? Cause these aren't the same and give surprisingly different answers. I always liked using sidecut/running length. I think that's easier to understand and is somewhat more descriptive of how a board turns.

Sounds like you didn't enjoy yourself

1" = 2.54cm .... 20" x 2.54 = 50.8 cm Source: http://mitutoyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/E12016-History-of-The-Gage-Block.pdf#page=8 * I knew my degree would be worth something someday!

Sunday was very firm (tested personally with my head) and fast. Very fun too. Sunburned teeth all around.

She gone... best of all, she gone in a trade with a friend so if I want I get to ride it