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Game changing equipment


jng

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What's the one piece of kit that has changed your riding the most?

For me, it's a tough call between BTS and my Donek Rev, but I'll tip it in favor of the Rev. I picked up a 157 Rev for beer league racing this year. I love my Coiler, but I wanted to try something a little turnier and built for racing. What I was not expecting was that it would become my favorite all-around board. The softer flex, tighter radius, and shorter length of the Rev makes it effective in bumps and steeps, while being damp enough to carve through chop. I used to ride <50% hardboots, but thanks to the Rev, I have moved firmly to the dark side.

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I have had a lot of gear over the years. My standouts:

The original, metal topped, 183 Prior metal.

Trying F2 bail bindings in 2008. My wife and I never looked back. I immediately sold all our TD2s and Suspension kits.

162 Kessler SL built for my weight. I actually had one and sold it when I switched to an SG 157 SL, then ended up getting a new Kessler built with no changes except for anything new that Hanjuerg had learned since the first one.

158 Kessler custom metal softboot carver with a 260 waist.

 

 

Boards and 2008 TD2 sale

IMG_1635.jpegIMG_1269.jpegIMG_1252.jpeg

IMG_0003.jpeg

 

 

 

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My computer... Without it I wouldn't have found this forum and most of my advances have come via long distance instruction. Thank you all. :biggthump

Also:

-My baby blue UPZs.

-My Apex Geckos.  They allow me to continue hardbooting when most have gone home in conditions where most would not to begin with...

 

Edited by lonbordin
I hope whomever stole my blue UPZs get some karma payback in life.
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1. Apex Race V2

The first plate I rode even though I broke it after half a day. A borrowed Donek which was a copycat of the Apex design. After I broke it, I sprained my ankle because the run was so bumpy but I didn't notice because I'd the plate. The next year I had my own Apex Race V2, and what a great plate it is! The way the Apex plate mounts on the ASIP inserts is by far superior to any of the copycat designs like the Bomber BP. The plate itself has some flex, never had any problem with low speed manoeuvrability.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but it's a shame when it happens, especially to the same person multiple times. I'm sure @skategoat would agree with me on that one. 

I've since owned multiple plates (3 different Apex, 1 Vistflex) and haven't looked back to riding without a plate and don't plan to. Allflex of some description will likely be next. 

2. Zipfit liners

Recently I would say my Zipfit Grand Prix liners have been the next big leap. Comfort and hold is unfathomable. Those combined with my .951WC give me supreme comfort, response and support. But I couldn't imagine the boots being the same without the Zipfits.

I thought my UPZ RC10 with Palau liners was a good combo and it is, but the new combo is a whole new dimension, of astronomical magnitude. I'll be getting a pair of Zipfits for my UPZ for next season. They're my freeride boots now. 

Edited by daveo
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Settling on my Dalbelo CarveX boots. I eventually realised I didnt even need the BTS on them, so I dropped that too. 

Metaltop WCRM 173, still have it. A bit too soft for me, in this edition 🙂

Virus Vampire 175, it kind of overlaped with WCRM. Not too sure on which one I learned to EC... maybe Virus. 

Proflex / Carve RS bindings for freeriding. Basicaly, after I tried these, I proclaimed my previous all-mountain bindings, Snowpros, into my carving bindings and got rid of TD2/3s. 

Nidecker Proto 167, for freeriding, learning to ride switch, freestyling, passing CASI courses, putting students to carve on it... Probably made the most difference in my riding career, out of all the gear I had. I also broke a pile of them... 

Edited by BlueB
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Interesting. My take...

1 The Nitro Scorpion SL 162
From a European perspective, this was one of the first "new race method" boards. A symmetrical race board designed to turn at piste legal speeds, product year 1994 I think. Improvements since have included better sidecut patters, decambered noses, and metal, but this was a major step forward which affected the very way you stood on the board. I broke the nose off this board banging it into a buried log in deep powder at Silver Star. The replacement wasn't quite as lively, with significantly more sober graphics, although it did have the first 4x4 inserts I'd seen.

            scorp.jpg Not my image, but this one also shows the type of board it replaced

2 Burton Supermodel 168
1997. This wasn't an industry shift, it was simply the board I happened to ride when I switched from riding "hard boot boards" in powder to riding powder boards there. Switching to something designed for the job was like night and day to me, an epiphany. I went from being competent to being an expert in one turn. I was shocked by that, and since then I've tried harder to avoid the "I haven't tried it because I don't like it" trap. Riding powder boards most likely saved me from switching to soft boots. It's not about the boots: it's all about the board.

neil-102.jpgDecember 1997

3 Honourable Mentions

  • Metal. Nearly killed me on my first run as I hit a mogul slope at what seemed like a
    reasonable speed but which was of course much faster.
  • F2 bindings, originally branded Proflex. An elegant design not yet improved upon.
  • Decent goggles. I'd been unable to cope with goggles early in my career, but being
    forced to buy some with decent peripheral vision I now never take them off in the snow.
    Now I can ride in storms and still see.

 

Edited by philw
Correct graphical weirdness
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Wow...hard to answer!  Every season, every new board or piece of gear has provided me the ability to make marked  improvements....in different areas! 

All of  the below have had Significant Wow! Factor!!

  1. 2001 -Sims Noah Salasnek Descender 159                                                                                                      2011 - Virus AFT-FLP 163                                                                                                                                2013 -  Virus UFC 169                                                                                                                                      2015 - Swoard EC 175                                                                                                                                     2016 Swoard Dual 168                                                                                                                                     2016 -  Moss Snowstick U5                                                                                                                             2017/18/19  - Moss PQ60                                                                                                                               2017 -  Coiler EC SS177                                                                                                                                   2017 -  Swoard Dual II 168                                                                                                                               2018 Alloy DO 163                                                                                                                                             2018 -  Kessler 168                                                                                                                                           2019 -  Bomber BP v2 Plate

 

 

Edited by barryj
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32 minutes ago, David Kirk said:

At the risk of reviving a dead horse just to beat it to death yet again......

A few people have said they got the F2 binding and then stopped using the sidewinder or others. What is it about the F2 that works so much better? It's a sincere question.

dave

When I first bought my Coiler, Bruce explained that Bomber bindings were too stiff and too heavy and never used by any World Cup riders. So I bought F2 bindings and never looked back.

Doesn't really answer your question, but that's all I've got. I'm sure others know more.

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1 hour ago, David Kirk said:

At the risk of reviving a dead horse just to beat it to death yet again......

A few people have said they got the F2 binding and then stopped using the sidewinder or others. What is it about the F2 that works so much better? It's a sincere question.

dave

Each rider should test the different bindings for themselves. They may have a strong preference either way. I think that TDs have their place and certainly many riders prefer them to other options.

For me, the short answer is the flex and the flex pattern.

TDs were too stiff of a ride for me. I didn't know it until I finally tried F2s at Bordy's urging. Bruce may have also had a hand in it. Carving was so much more natural as my legs had freedom to absorb and I could drive my knees into turns so much easier. The board held an edge just as well, if not better because the bindings were helping to absorb some of the terrain imperfections and I could adjust easier to absorb the rest.

I said above that I never looked back, but I did buy one of the first pairs of SWs released. The main issue with the SWs is that only lateral flex is built into them and otherwise they are very stiff (weigh and height are secondary issues). I want to move up and down the long axis of the board. We talk about lateral flex, but the reality is that at 45 to 65* angles it is much more of a diagonal flex. The F2s allow this in one motion. The SWs have a dead spot in the flex and can only get there by flexing the boot forward and flexing the binding to the side which doesn't work at carving speeds.

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25 minutes ago, Buell said:

Each rider should test the different bindings for themselves. They may have a strong preference either way. I think that TDs have their place and certainly many riders prefer them to other options.

For me, the short answer is the flex and the flex pattern.

TDs were too stiff of a ride for me. I didn't know it until I finally tried F2s at Bordy's urging. Bruce may have also had a hand in it. Carving was so much more natural as my legs had freedom to absorb and I could drive my knees into turns so much easier. The board held an edge just as well, if not better because the bindings were helping to absorb some of the terrain imperfections and I could adjust easier to absorb the rest.

I said above that I never looked back, but I did buy one of the first pairs of SWs released. The main issue with the SWs is that only lateral flex is built into them and otherwise they are very stiff (weigh and height are secondary issues). I want to move up and down the long axis of the board. We talk about lateral flex, but the reality is that at 45 to 65* angles it is much more of a diagonal flex. The F2s allow this in one motion. The SWs have a dead spot in the flex and can only get there by flexing the boot forward and flexing the binding to the side which doesn't work at carving speeds.

Thanks to you and daveo for your feedback. I'm going to have to try a set of F2's.

I've owned Bombers since the very early TD1s and as a fabricator and product designer I like the precision of the design. They really are well made. At the same time I see video of the F2 with seemingly uncontrolled flex and it goes against my grain from a design perspective.

But.....and it's a big but......by all appearances they really work. Whether that is because of or despite the design I have no idea but I can't deny they seem to work best. So if they are lighter and  and cheaper and work better that is tough to beat. Seemingly every person on the wold cup tour appears to use them....can they all be wrong? I doubt it.

I run my SW'ers with a 6° and 3° lift......can I get that in the F2? Will I need to buy extra shims to make that happen?

Thanks again,

dave

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The flex pattern is almost certainly by design, most likely through lots of testing. We just don't hear about it because it is not the small, personal operation that we prefer to buy from when possible.

I have never used more than 4 stacked cant wedges for lift (they cancel each other out to make a lift that is a little lower than the big block lift), so I don't max my lifts and shims.  If you still wanted that exact SW heel and toe lift on the F2s, you probably would want to get more shims. I have read many times that the big block is 4.5*. I have never confirmed that, but if true, 4 stacked cant wedges is probably 3*, and 2 stacked cant wedges is probably 1.5*. The set comes with 4 cant wedges and one big lift block and a ramp for opposite the big lift block to help the boot sit correctly on the blocks.

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6 minutes ago, Buell said:

The flex pattern is almost certainly by design, most likely through lots of testing. We just don't hear about it because it is not the small, personal operation that we prefer to buy from when possible.

I have never used more than 4 stacked cant wedges for lift (they cancel each other out to make a lift that is a little lower than the big block lift), so I don't max my lifts and shims.  If you still wanted that exact SW heel and toe lift on the F2s, you probably would want to get more shims. I have read many times that the big block is 4.5*. I have never confirmed that, but if true, 4 stacked cant wedges is probably 3*, and 2 stacked cant wedges is probably 1.5*. The set comes with 4 cant wedges and one big lift block and a ramp for opposite the big lift block to help the boot sit correctly on the blocks.

Cool - thank you.

I'm not sure I "get it" with the shims and blocks but I guess my main thing is knowing that I can get the same lift i've been using for so long ....and if so....do I need to order extra stuff or will the bindings come with enough lifts and shims to get the job done?

dave

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5 minutes ago, David Kirk said:

Cool - thank you.

I'm not sure I "get it" with the shims and blocks but I guess my main thing is knowing that I can get the same lift i've been using for so long ....and if so....do I need to order extra stuff or will the bindings come with enough lifts and shims to get the job done?

dave

If you want to be safe, yes, order an extra set. It would be close, but I don't think you can get to 6 and 3 with the stock cants and lifts. 

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52 minutes ago, David Kirk said:

I'm not sure I "get it" with the shims and blocks but I guess my main thing is knowing that I can get the same lift i've been using for so long ....and if so....do I need to order extra stuff or will the bindings come with enough lifts and shims to get the job done?

With a little help from your friends you can have whatever lift and can't you desire.

 

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The F2s are just easier to correct on,  especially if you race because you get a nice lateral flex. Just be sure to check them a lot, the tnuts can loosen, and they do break after a few seasons.  Even small me has broken the bails in training. Be sure to replace them around 100 to 150 days. You can try the SG bindings too. Evidently the SGs are a bit sturdier than the F2s (not like the Bombers where you are pretty much completely locked with no forgiveness), but I have not tried them. Yamifumi can chime in on that.

I used to ride the 6/ 3 set up on Bombers. The f2s will come with a large block, so use that as the 6 and stack for the 3s. You'll figure it out when you get them.  Don't be afraid to get the Kesslers; they are rebranded F2s.

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a game changer for me was a purchase of SG full race 163, back in 2015.

previously i owned a few f2 boards (silberfail ;), f2 SL) which proved to be a difficult ride for a newbie. Not really stiff over any axis you could think of, made me fold the nose a few time and go over handlebars. 

When I was starting, many people recommended to me short GS boards, as the turn lasts much longer and your able to adjust the position. What they didnt tell me is that GS boards need a ton of speed to carve.

buying SG Full Race 163 - torsionally stiff, super damp board with a radius of touch less then 12 m. Doesn't require that much speed to carve and is safe in crowded places. 

If anybody asks me now, what is the best learning board that is my answer - always. Even though I have changed to full carve now, as I appreciate the lack of titanal a little more.

 

 

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Game changer for me was my first custom board - a 2002 Coiler Racecarve 180 with an 11.5m sidecut and built very stout for me (then) 210lb weight. Crazy smooth compared with shorter boards, and would turn inside a lot of sl boards if asked politely. Finally replaced it last year with a Proteus 180 by which time the Coiler almost had bevels pounded into it. The Proteus is burlier and better on ice but that first Coiler had more charm and versatility

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I would not say one specific piece of equipment, though I love my Coiler boards collection, it's was more like a timeline shift. One decision that made my life go into a brand new direction! I was hardbooting occasionally since 1996. Rode the same setup until 2014, a Nidecker ExtremSL 60 with Burton Furnace boots. I was riding alone most of the time, hardbooters were very rare on the slopes and totaly absent in my friend circle. I learn by my self, with limited technique and to much speed, steeps or bumps was signaling the end of my riding day. I was about to ditch the hardboot equipment when a colleague told me that a local ski shop had good rebates on Alpine Snowboarding equipement. My old Burton boots were too stiff and uncomfortable so I decided to replace them. I bought a pair of Deluxe Free69 for 329$ CAD$! Then I saw a F2 Silberpfeil 172 at 40% rebate and took the dive and replaced my setup completely, including F2 Titanium Binding, at 40% rebate also! And then the "snowball" started rolling down the hill, picking up speed! I met a bootfitter at that shop, Mamar, also a hardbooter... He offered me to ride with him at our local hill with another friend, that friend introduced me to the "BomberOnline" forum community. There I got in contact with many other riders from my region and took part in many local gathering and events. What helped me the most was riding with better riders then me, I learn alot, got better quickly and was hooked to Extreme Carving the second year! Then I bought a Coiler ECVC 175, OMG, lightyears away from the Silberpfeil... I Worked hard on my skills, "Redia" a local EC rider from this forum helped me immensely and is now a very good friend, including more then 10 other riders spread around the Quebec province. Next step was when I became friend with Bruce, after creating a new web page for him, creating a couple of Topsheet design for friends and other customers, we met and rode a couple of times together, what a great guy! More recently I met and did graphic design for Jasey Jay Anderson, another great guy super passionate about his sport, he is still competing in word cups events at 43 years old! Hardbooting is now really a passion, it's very important in my life...... Because of one small decision.

Edited by Technick
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41 minutes ago, FrankNBeans said:

The stiffness of TD1's were a big deal for me. Beyond that, I think industry-wide(ski, snowboard) variable sidecuts, early rise, no camber stuff has made things more accessible for people. Custom boards also seem to bring things closer. A 185cm board made for someone that's 115lbs, or a 155cm board for a 210lb rider. How great is that?!

On a side note: How is the flex of a board measured for the weight of a rider? For instance, nordic skis(beyond the granola shuffle type) are de-cambered to 2mm, and how many kilos it take for that to happen give you the weight(or stiffness) those skis are designed for. Does Coiler, SG, Kessler, etc, do a similar process, or do the punch everything into Excel and think-hope-know that is what will work? Basically, is the flex rating subjective or objective?

Your question about subjectivity is one that I’ve wondered a lot about. I didn’t know that the cross country bros had a way to measure flex like that. Fascinating. I had previously toyed with the idea of comparing boards quantitatively by locking them into various types of support and placing fixed amounts of weight on them as a means of comparing overall flex and section specific flex. It seemed like by measuring deflection under standard amounts of weight and then comparing the measurements of different boards it might be better possible to know what “a stiff board” or “a soft nose” actually means. Also thought about comparing boards by measuring the amount of water they displace when submerged. That would give a board volume measurement that might be useful. Also thought about employing Archimedes’ principle of upward buoyant force (weight of the water displaced by and object equals that object’s buoyancy) as a means of comparing different boards. I wonder if there’s a correlation to buoyancy and various boards’ powder riding traits? 

I’m not an engineer and I don’t know anything about how boards are actually made. so someone please tell me: do board builders or ski makers do this stuff already? If they do are the numbers closely guarded? Why isn’t there some independent reviewer doing this with the popular off the shelf boards? Ultimately I’d love to have this kind of info to use when deciding on a board.

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5 hours ago, Jonny said:

Game changer for me was my first custom board - a 2002 Coiler Racecarve 180 with an 11.5m sidecut and built very stout for me (then) 210lb weight. Crazy smooth compared with shorter boards, and would turn inside a lot of sl boards if asked politely. Finally replaced it last year with a Proteus 180 by which time the Coiler almost had bevels pounded into it. The Proteus is burlier and better on ice but that first Coiler had more charm and versatility

Wow a 17 year old Coiler more versatile than a brand new Donek. That board lasted a long time! I think that is testament to just how good Bruce's boards are. Hope you have it hung on a wall somewhere 🙂

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