Istvan

A little help here... try to match the below logos with the above faces :)

How many of them do you recognize? (Pic taken by Alexis Angelides)

Frank, that shorty one looks awesome. Is it for little kids, or for us big kids?

Ace, what were your first impressions, would you pls post a short test report. Thanks

Holy cow...

Could you pls post a pic / specs? Kindest

I would not go into complicated 3D drawings here (and I think I would miserably fail), but I think it has not been mentioned yet, that board width / binding angles also have something to do with these things. The narrower the board is (hence higher binding angles) the more you'll feel a need for a toe lift on your front foot and a heel lift on your back foot. (try to think about the extremes, i.e. 0 and 90 degrees). Toe and heel lifts will also trigger your need for appropriate and matching canting. And before anyone would jump on me: all the things you wrote before are true (i.e. cants and lifts highly depend on your biomechanics, heel lift built in the boot, etc), what I wrote above should be applied in relative terms, so say you feel ok at F50 - B45 riding flat, most probably you'll feel the need for a toe and heel lift at F70 B65. Or if you use a toe lift at low angles, most probably you will want to use a bigger toe lift at higher angles. If anyone sets up his / her boards the other way around, let me know. My $.02.

Pretty much depends on personal preference, you should try different setups. For the rings most probably the softer ones will feel better. The canting depends on your style, biomechanics and and also on board width. On wider boards you'll get away with flat disks, while on narrower ones you might feel the need for heel / toe lift. If you never tried, you won't know what suits you the best. Kindest

This makes sense Ray. Finding the ultimate Cyborg is an exciting quest. A Cyborg or a UT is also on my radar and looking at you there is a serious chance of getting irreversibly addicted... But don't you feel sometimes that different slopes and conditions (mainly steepness and number of people on the slope) require different boards? Maybe its just me.... but I always have 3-4 boards in the trunk when I go snowboarding and I pick the one that I believe would suit the slope the best on that day.

EC: F57-58 B52-53 Other: F65 B60

Sorry, I was not specific enough. I broke bails on boards with 22-23 cm waist. Never broke bindings on boards with 17-18cm waist. Racers currently ride boards with a waist around 20cm.

Yep, just blame it on me....

I've ordered a Connelly Prophecy (water) ski for warmer days... does that count? And yes, I do need some inspiration... already asked our friend Tom if he could bring a few toys to Zinal where I could test them properly. And unfortunately also yes for the remaining 2: I've got old and also ran out of money. How else could it be working for a bank saved (and hence lead) by Mr 'bama..... Later, a poor banker

Well, one more.... Ray, how do you decide which board to take with you? Before someone asked: my Virus collection consists of boards with different characteristics (well, except for the 2 Gladis), so before hitting the slope I decide which one would suit the best the prevailing conditions. But how do you decide between 4 Cyborgs? Color matching your pants? ;)

Well... bindings do break. I myself managed to brake 1 TD2 bolt, 1 normal and 2 Ti bails in the last couple of seasons. And all this happened on wide EC boards. Never broke a binding on a narrower board (and I ride narrower boards most of the time). I guess binding angles have something to do with the forces on the bails. Maybe that is the reason why racers do not brake bindings that often. And I guess also the suspension systems / plates absorb some of the shock. ps.: to give credit where credit is due: the Bomber team replaced all the broken parts immediately

Ray, you have 3 Cyborgs? And they call me sick just coz I have 2 Zylon Gladiators..... :lol:

I wish I had those old-school thighs.... and I'm only 34....

Serious trench diggin' :lol:

Hans, all 3 work. Ciao

Gloves: Level super-pipe + a few layers of glue. Level has a good built-in protection system (http://levelgloves.com/biomex_protection.php?recordID=english). The glue I use: http://www.sika.com/cmi-aa-agr-prod-sf-256 http://www.sika.com/cmi-aa-agr-prod-st-drive http://www.sika.com/cmi-aa-agr-prod-move-it Works well on gloves, pants, jackets. Colour: black. Use a spatula to apply. Lasts pretty long. And the result (I guess you don't see too much on this pic, but that is itself the point: the black rubber based glue does not show up too much)

That's what I'm saying. You want pop? Get a Virus... :lol:

There's an interesting point by Philw, i.e. to convert softbooters. I've tried that several times and I always got the same responses: Softbooter: Maaan, those hardboots are very uncomfortable. You can't even walk in those. Me: Actually they are quite comfy, and it is much easier to walk in them compared to skiboots. But we don't walk, we ride. And btw, how do you know, when you never tried one? Softbooter: Those alpine sticks you can only use on groomers. Me: True, or almost true, but I don't really see you and most of the other softbooters leaving the groomers. Most of the funparks I saw in Europe are almost empty.... Softbooter: Those alpine sticks are only one directional. Me: Almost true, but 99% of the softbooters go only one direction, too. Softbooter: And I can also CARVE with my soft setup! Me: My ass.... Softbooter: And I am pretty fast on my freestyle deck, you'll eat my dust. Me: Did you also get similar responses? Ciao

This is a pretty interesting thread. Let me also shed some light on another aspect of the same story. Why have big companies decided to pull out of this sport? The answer is simple and obvious: they have made their decision based on a detailed analysis of the market and historical trends and figured out that there was no money in this business. I mean kind of money that would be interesting for large companies. So they stopped promoting this sport and equipment, and voila, there is in fact no big alpine market. Sounds like a catch 22.... They put their bets on softboot stuff, and life confirmed them again, the softboot business is nicely growing. Every little kid wants to be a softbooter and wants to wear baggy pants. Could it be the other way around? Was this only accidental? Does it have something to do with the perception of these 2 sports? I do not know, I'm too biased, but would be interested to see what you guys think. Best

I think I have not even mentioned the word 'metal' in my post.... in fact I do agree with you. Metal brought something new and good to this sport. And I also have a titanal board which in my opinion is the best in its category. I am trying to rephrase my point here with 2 examples: 1) Race boards were built to win races. Nothing else is important there. The EC shape (developed by the Swoard guys, Jacques and Patrice) was built to for ECing. Could you do EC turns on a GS boards? Sure. Even on an SL board. But it will be easier on an EC board. Could you race on an EC board? Sure. But maybe you would not be the fastest. 2) If someone is looking for a huge camber & pop (like Bobby Bugs for whatever reason), he should not be looking for a race board. Race boards are typically flat and damp like a pancake. Why? Because a board with a huge pop would catapult the racer out of the very first turn.... also 'slarving' would be more difficult on such a board. If you don't agree with the above logic, you actually say that race boards are superior for all purposes. I do agree that race boards and related R&D brought a lot of great stuff to funcarving, too. But that does not mean we all have to ride race boards. I hope this clarifies. Best

Great Pokkis, and this is in line with what I said. I never said you cannot have fun on a race stick.