lamby

I'm pretty new to splitboarding myself, but have been enjoying getting into the sport. I think I'm pretty much like you on how tight I like to keep the boots on approach. I'm using Atomic Hawx 130 with Phantom Link lever springs. When walking around I have the boot's link levers in walk mode/unlocked and the top cuff straps really loose with those top straps in the open/tour position. (My situation has me walking in my boots a far bit... why I mention how I have them set up for walking around). When I click into my split skis to start skinning up I like to tighten the boots straps up quite a bit, but not really tight. I don't leave the top two straps open. I close them, but leave them not too snug. As things get steeper or when more control is required I will snug things up more all around. Great that you have been getting out and hitting the resort for inbounds experimenting and practice/fitness.

Right on. I sure understand how different bindings can change the way a board rides, so point well taken. I've had personal experience with many bail bindings. Going from a soft plate bail binding like a Ibex Carve/Burton Race plate to something like a Trench Digger 3 bail binding is going to change how a given board rides. It is my understanding that going from a bail binding to a step-in will bring further stiffening, or changes to how a given binding and board interact. Am I correct in my understanding that you feel that step ins are to unforgiving in terms of their flex? That they impart too much stiffeness into a set-up that is aiming for a balance of forgiveness and responsiveness?

I've been all about using bail binds for a long time. I guess I'm SI curious.

Right on Jer! On our chairlift rides together you've often had high praise for your step-ins, and watching you rip, it is clear that all systems are go. Thanks for the offer to borrow your SI sidewinders. I will have to take you up on it if I don't tie into a pair of my own step ins soon. Best, Chris

Oh! The perfect gift for a friend of mine. Thanks!!!

Thanks for the helpful feedback SunSurfer and Neil. That they can be tricky in deep powder is good to know. I was thinking they might be a bit easier to release in the event of a tree well encounter, or for such times when a quick release could be helpful. Perhaps they would not be any easier to release. Sounds like the Intec RS would be the ticket if I decide to give them a try at some point. I can see how nice they are for most resort riding, when the snow is not deep. So nice to be able to click in and go. I like the low height of my Carve RS, so this is really helpful to know.

Does anyone have any comparisons they can share between these F2 step-in bindings: F2 Intec Titanium F2 Intec Titanflex F2 Intec RS I presently use F2 Carve RS bindings and like them. I have used f2 Race Titanium bindings in the past, which seemed stiff relative to the Carve RS. I'm primarily looking for a step-in set up for my powder board (not that we have powder, but still hopeful). I imagine once I try them on that board I will be sold on them completely and will want to make the upgrade all around:-) The Intec Titanflex look intriguing, as the added damping and cushioning might be nice. Hips and knees might like that. But, wondering if the Intec RS will be plenty forgiving, and I appreciate that they are not as spendy as the Intec Titanflex. Thanks in advance for any advice, thoughts, suggestions, ideas.

Now there's a novel idea.

Understand. Thanks Rob. What a dope I am! I was confused. I've been enjoying Harrison Bell's Instagram posts and for some reason I was thinking it was you. Sorry for my brain freeze:-)

Hi Rob, Am I correct in my understand that you do not suggest converting a board with traditional camber underfoot? Also, do some people put a rope on the front to learn to ride, or are ropes for dopes. Enjoying your Instagram reels very much.

Learning curve and conditions considerations well taken Phil, and your take on the advantages of cross training on all kinds of equipment sure makes sense to me. You're not kiddin' Rob! You obviously love it and have a lot of options on tools to play with. Do you mean you prefer to use snowboards that you have mounted your own grippy pads or traction devices to, versus purpose built "pow surfers? That one's with shorter tails are easier to ride is good to know. I should NoBoard. I was a Snurfer back in the day, so I guess I was fortunate to have an early introduction to this form of snow fun, but now, I will be reapproaching as someone much older. The nearby mellow golf course slopes will be calling me when we finally get snow. For now, I will be keeping my eyes open for a NoBoard. Can I take a snowboard and put traction pads on it to give it a try, or better to look for a new or used NoBoard?

Great clips! Tremendous Rob. What tools do u use?

I appreciate that I should really consider the type of riding I hope to be doing. I'm 66 and no longer carving hard. I carve around a bit, in easier terrain, but a lot of skidded riding. I would love to lay it over more, but some nagging injuries are keeping me from pushing back into that style of riding. I'm still loving snowboarding and am very happy to be up there in all kinds of conditions, in a hard boot set up. If I am able to put together a soft set up I will likely use it now and then to break things up after a number of days of hard boot riding, or if we get new snow and I want to use my softboot set up for a powder day. Or I can imagine that I may gravitate to using my soft boots more and more. We'll see. Thanks everyone for your input and advice. I've been poking around on the sites of many of the recommended brands and models. Having fun. Best, lamby/Chris

It was AI generated. Thanks Sc2M, Will keep board width and boot overhang in mind when considering which way to go. I'll likely end up in our local snowboard shop and I've been a sucker for their sales pitches in the past. Those purchases have always worked out well for me though - solid advice there. So, taking some good advice here and listening to what the owners and staff at the store have to offer should help keep me out of too much trouble.

notes: Cthulhufish (Colorado): Emphasizes the importance of fit for boots and suggests that beyond that, it's mostly a matter of personal preference. Shares positive experiences riding powder with Driver X boots and old version Cartels, but notes that carbon fiber bindings might be too much for powder. ShortcutToMoncton (Toronto): Recommends looking for the stiffest boots and bindings, typically the most expensive ones, particularly for someone comfortable in hard boots for powder. Provides a list of specific boot models, including Burton Driver X, Burton Ruler, Deeluxe Edge Pro, Ride Insano, Salomon Malamute, Nidecker Kita, K2 Thraxis, and Vans Verse. Rob Stevens (Banff, Canada): Suggests combining stiff bindings with standard flex soft boots for a nice balance. Points out that the responsiveness comes from the power transfer of bindings, while the flexibility for powder is provided by the boots. Recommends Drake Podium FF bindings, which work well with his well-broken-in Vans boots. Rusty Edges (Vancouver): Shares personal setup using Salomon Malamutes with Flow NX2 bindings on Pentaquark and Endeavor Carver boards. Likes the internal ankle hold-down strap in the Malamutes for softening upper lacing on softer and powder days. Mentions trying Power Ride insert tongues for experimentation. dhamann (Milford, NH): Provides insights into various boots with internal ankle harness/hold-down strap, including K2 Thraxis, Deeluxe Edge Pro, and thirtytwo Jones MTB. Emphasizes personal preference and the importance of selecting equipment based on riding style, terrain, and conditions. Gives recommendations for stiff soft boot bindings, including Flux XV, Flux CV, Jones Apollo, and NOW O-Drive.

Such great advice all around! Thanks carving community. I've read through it once and will go back and take some notes.

Hi all, Wondering what people here might recommend for boots and bindings for soft boot carving, or soft boot all-mountain riding, including powder. Are some boots and bindings better for soft boot carving, but not so appropriate for powder days? I ride plates and hard boots in powder and enjoy it a ton, but would like to give a soft boot set up a try again. In the past, I used to ride a soft set up on some days at the resort, but have lately just stayed with hard boots. Not much snow here, and getting interested in mixing things up again.

I often use flat Ibex/Carve Company for my everyday hardboot resort riding. My wife always rides Ibex/Carve Company with flat front and rear lifted. For days when I ride my all-mountain powder board I have it set up with f2 Carve RS with no toe or heel lift, but the bindings are set-up with a small amount of inward cant front and rear, which I like. I have some F2 Race Titaniums that I have used on longer carving boards. I liked to have them set up with toe lift and heel lift, as it enabled a wider stance, which I liked for GS boards. On my split I use flat Phantoms. Its fun mixing it up and trying different set-ups. Regarding the Phantoms on split, they have a small amount of inward cant front and rear, so not exactly flat, but they are flat in regards to toe or heel lift.

Such a cool camera angle - mounted to the tip of your board. Hope you figure out a more secure mounting system. The camera image after detachment really had my head spinning Very neat video with ability to swing the view around. Looking down at your feet or swinging around to any angle. Love your stickers

Looks so fun. You're approach sounds spot on. Our mountain allows some limited uphill travel, so I'm thinking it would be fun to walk up after the lifts close, or before they open. Or just to play on some nearby low angle terrain:-)

Anyone out there enjoying riding without bindings? My brother and I had Snurfers when we were kids. I'd like to give it a try again. These look like nice decks: https://www.jonessnowboards.com/mens-snowboarding/505-3414-mountain-snowskate.html#/86-size-115 https://www.jonessnowboards.com/mens-snowboarding/510-3434-mountain-surfer-snowboard.html#/76-size-142

I found the adjustability of the Phantom levers to be useful to me too, to get more forward lean going on my rear foot. The Hawx come with levers like the backlands with just a locked or unlocked/walk mode available. Changing to the Phantom springs provided the adjustability I was looking for. I do love how light my Hawx are. I do a lot of walking in my snowboard boots, so lightness and a nice walk mode is sweet. First shots were of front/left boot with forward lean. This is of rear boot with more forward lean adjusted into it.

We got our replacement pads from Donek and they fit both Deeluxe 700s and 225s.

Tremendous Kasper! That shape reminds me of the camber on my Lib Tech Orca. Too weird to work, yet it does!

I use hardboots for all my riding, so I'm rather biased towards them. When I was shopping for split board boots I tried on Atomic Backlands at a local shop, to see if the Phantom Slippers (Phantom's modified Atomic Backlands) might be a useful option for me. I found the Atomic Backlands to be quite soft, compared to the hard boots I normally ride with at our local resort (Deeluxe T700 with blue BTS). The Backlands or Slippers might be just the ticket for someone looking for a softer hard boot option. I wanted to go for something stiffer for my split set up. I ended up purchasing Atomic Hawx 130 UltraHDX alpine touring boots, then modified them with Phantom springs (medium stiffness). These have worked great. Figured I would see how they work on groomed runs at the resort, on a regular board (non-split). (Disclaimer - We only have one mellow run open here so far, and I'm not an aggressive carver, so not much of a test I guess, but my impressions none the less...) Today, I went up for five runs using my tried and true Deeluxe Track 700 boots on Lib Tech Orca 153. Then I adjusted my bindings (F2 Carve RS) to accommodate the longer length of the Hawx boots, changed into Hawx boots and went up for several more runs on Orca. I liked the Hawx on a regular board. They are comfortable and quite forgiving and flexible. I think I prefer the T 700s for resort riding, but the Hawx worked well. I think the reason I am leaning toward the 700s for resort riding is that I'm very used to them. They seem stiffer than the Hawx, and I like that responsiveness. I'd probably be loving everything about the Hawx after a day and a half of on-piste resort riding with them. Seems everytime I have purchased new boots there has been a period of time when things just feel a little different, maybe things even feel worse than different. Things have sometimes felt strange. What have I done, going and purchasing these torture devices that have regressed my snowboarding ability!!! Then, with some patience, maybe some adjustments, things start to come together. It may take some adjusting and toying with things, but soon enough, they all end up feeling like slippers. (Your local boot fitter is your friend) BTW, I got a kick out of the reaction I got from a new snowboarding friend on the lift today. "What a weird set-up," he said, as he looked over my gear as we got on the chair. Perhaps its not everyday you see a grey beard in ski boots riding a banana boat