lamby

The 177 is Titanal. I wrote Prior and sent them some photos of the board along with its serial number. Here is the email exchange: Hi Prior, Love your boards. Have several and was wondering if you might still have records in your file for an older board you built. I purchased it from you new, a number of years ago. It is a 177 FLC serial number 14146. I am trying to determine if the board was built with a layer of Titanal. Do you happen to have a record of it? Best, Chris Prior's reponse: Prior Snow Nov 26, 2023, 7:36 PM (1 day ago) to me Hi Chris our records dont go back that far - we had a server crash in 2018 and we lost a number of build logs ! We have a number of hand logs from before that production number, and after, but yours is in the “gap”. That being said, it should be fairly easy to tell by the weight and the flex, and if you know what you are looking for you can usually see the extents of the titanal through the topsheet. All that being said, the FLC is normally built wih a titanal sheet - so it would definitely be “odd” and “softer” if it was built without. I will triple check our handwritten records tomorrow to verify that we dont have yours on file ! -P My reply to Pat at Prior: Thanks for the quick reply P. I'm pretty sure it was built with a Titanal layer, as I seem to recall that that was part of my excitement in getting it - that it had that newer technology as part of its construction. I greatly appreciate your efforts to see if you happen to have it in your written records. Attached are a couple of photos of the board, including a shot of sidewall, and also a spot where the top sheet is slightly damaged where you may be able to see some layering. To me, compared to glass boards I have, the FLC feels light weight for its length. Flex feels relatively stiff to me, but to others, who knows - it may feel like it is flexy to others... Thanks again for your assistance on this. Best, Chris Pat got back to me with this after looking at photos: Yup thats definitely a titanal build. Throw some epoxy on that topsheet chip or it will get waterlogged !! -P

I'm not sure Jack. I think it is, but my recollection about its construction is vague, and I can't find the paperwork I got with it when I bought it from Prior. Here is a photo of the serial number on the topsheet. You may notice the name "Laurie Leman" included on the topsheet info. I ordered the board for myself, but paid for it with her credit card. I will contact Prior to see if they happen to still have record of the construction of the board. Best, Chris Leman (lamby)

I think they will fit the 700s, but I don't see any info on Donek site about which Deeluxe boots the replacement pads are compatible with. I should have mine soon and can report about fit.

Yes konarida. Donek is still available. Sorry for delayed response.

Do these not fit AF700s?: https://www.donek.com/product/deeluxe-toe-pad/ If not, I'll have a spare spare. Purchased two pair of toe and heel pads from Donek this morning. One for my wife's worn ones on her Deeluxe T225s, and a set to replace the pads on my AF700s.

So great! Thanks for sharing this Pat. What a story.

I agree with what SunSurfer and Odd Job recommend. Your best bet is to try on helmets and goggle combinations. I was just trying on helmets at a local ski/snowboard shop. Trying on mostly Smiths, the mediums fit my big head pretty well, but I often wear a light wool scull hat under my helmet on extra cold says. Medium might be a bit tight for me when I go for that underlayer. Large Smiths fit, but feels a bit big on me. Large tightens down to my noggin, but seem to flop around a bit. Certainly room for a hat underneath. So, even after spending some time trying on helmet, I remain on the fence as to what size is right for me. Smith has an interesting offering in its Survey line of helmets. I tried a large and medium, same issues on sizing for me, but the medium seemed to fit my head better, and the flip down goggles seemed to fit quite well to my face. Large was too big on googles to face fit for me. https://www.smithoptics.com/en_US/p/helmet/survey-mips-snow-helmet/E005300B55155.html

Hi fallen, Welcome back to the slopes and best wishes on finding an all-mountain board that fits your needs. I'm sure you will get lots of great info and suggestions here. I'm old with several ailments and I've moved away from leaning it way over and leaving trenches, but I still love mellow all-mountain snowboarding in my hardboots. I love my Lib Tech Orca 153 for such (I'm 5'-11' and weigh around 150 lbs). Too tight of a sidecut radius for many, and perhaps too "powder" focused for others, but a fun all-mountain ride for me. For a more traditional type of design you might consider a Prior 4WD. Best, lamby

Prior 169 FLC is sold.

Additional photos Donek Nomad

Prior 169 additional photos.

Hi all, Selling some boards. For Sale: Prior FLC 177, $185 plus shipping. I purchased this new from Prior in 2013. 12 – 14 side cut radius, 19.5 waist width, suggested weight range 130 – 210 lbs. Edges in fair condition. Base in fair condition with some small areas of damage. Top sheet in fair condition with some small damaged areas. Prior FLC 169, $285 plus shipping. I purchased new from Prior in 2020. Titanal construction. 11 - 13 radius, 19. 5 waist, suggested weight range 120 – 200lbs. Edges, base, and top sheet in good condition. Donek Nomad 164, $285 plus shipping. I purchased new from Bomber Online in 2017. 7 – 12 radius, 24.5 waist. Edges, base, and top sheet in excellent condition. 177 Prior FLC additional photos.

Or go for the Coombs Q&P: The Q&P

Hi i8Summer, Great topic. So many approaches. SRV2 - Carrot edge tool looks amazing. Do the various grinding stones last for a long time? Out of my price range, but what a useful tool for people like you who have so many tunes to perform. I use a variety of hand tools from local stores and from online suppliers like Toko. I often reach for a multi-tool with a rasp insert to make coarse adjustments, but I also use file jigs, clamping files or stones or rasps to them. I invested in a sidewall removal tool, which has been a good investment. When tuning my edges I like to use a diamond stone to take out hardened areas before using a sharp file on it. When my edge hits a rock and gets damaged, the demaged spot has often been hardened by the intense pressure and heat created with the damage. I use a diamond stone to work that hardened area, then go to a multitool, or a rasp or a good file in a jig. Using a file will cut the softer metal of steel edges, but will bounce over hardened spots. Running a file over a hardened area will not produce a removal of the hardened steel, and it will damage a file. Good tunes to all!

Hey fellow alpine enthusiasts! As the snowboarding season approaches, I’m curious about your routines before hitting the slopes. What are the things you do now that you might not have done when you first started riding, or perhaps some unique tips you've picked up along the way? I'll kick things off. I always make sure to: Clean my Goggle lenses: I clean my goggle lenses and prescription inserts, and I treat my inserts with an anti-for agent. Traction Devices: On days with slippery snow or icy road/pathway conditions, I've started using traction devices to safely navigate my way to the lifts. No more slips and slides! Checklist: I use a checklist that I have scribbled on a piece of paper to make sure I don’t forget anything. Do you use a checklist, or are you still young and not forgetful? I'm curious to know about your morning routines. Do you have a specific order you follow? Any lucky charms or habits that help you start the day right? Whether it's about gear, food, music, or just your mindset, share your tips and tricks for prepping for a perfect day on the slopes. Can't wait to learn from your experiences!"

Yes, the bindings pictured are old. Some 20 plus years ago I was riding riding them as new, or used, and breaking bails after some period of use. That is when I started replacing bails with new after a period of use. I saved the old bindings and parts that are in the photo, as I've just been lazy about unloading them. I also was reluctant to replace a broken bail and then sell the bindings, as the un-replaced, but unbroken bails, may not be reliable. I started this thread about this topic after having made a comment about such potential failure, and the need to inspect your equipment for wear, on another thread. I didn't want to hijack that thread, so started this one. Back in the day, I went from using Burton Race Plate binds, to using Bomber Trench Diggers. I loved the beefier bails on the trench diggers. The bindings were much stiffer than the Burtons, changing the way my boards rode in subtle ways. A very capable binding that I thought might be indestructible. Wrong, I rode them hard and for too long, breaking a bail. Changed out all the bails and all was good. My next bindings were Trench Digger twos. Very strong bails and an improved attachment system from bail to binding base plate. I traded out bails on those after about 300 days of use. Never broke a bail. I now ride mostly F2 Titaniums. I'm occasionally using Ibex/Carve Company bindings. (My split is mounted up with Phantom's.) My wife likes the flexy feel and low profile of the Ibex/Carve Company bindings. I think she likes the colors they come in too:-) I was looking at their site recently where they state that they are using an improved hardening/tempering process in the manufacture of their bails, which they suggest changing out after 50 days of use. That seems so short of a time for replacement, but perhaps they are covering some liability concerns. But, maybe a number like 50 days is not so off the wall. If you were able to ride all day long for 50 days, you might get in 300 hours of riding on them. (lifts open 9 - 4:30 = 7.5 hours a day of riding x 50 days = 375 hours of potential time on the hill). I change out the bails on Ibex/Carve Company bindings after about three seasons of use. We ride about 100 days a year.

Have broken bails on Burton Race Plate/Ibex/Carve Company type. I have also broken bails on Bomber Trench Diggers. I later went to Trench Digger II bindings and did not break bails, but did change out the bails after several seasons of use. I now ride primarily F2 Titanium and have not broken bails, but I do not have many days on them. Will change out before they are old.

Just a heads up - plate binding bails may fail after many days of use. If you purchase used bindings you may want to consider replacing the bails. I’ve been snowboarding for 27 years and using plate bindings and hard boots for the last 25. I used to break bails after about 300 days of use. I don’t use them that long anymore. I replace the bails with new ones or purchase new bindings at that point. I mark my bindings with purchase date or when I last changed out the bails to new. Doing that allows me to know how many seasons/days of use, I have on them. With that I know when its time to change out the bails or use new bindings. My wife who is 110 lbs. (dripping wet) and who is not a “hard-carver” (I'm not either, any more). She rides over 100 days a year and has broke bails about three times. She no longer breaks bails, as I changes out her bails or get her on new bindings before they are too worn (she likes Carve Company Speed CC bindings). Its my understanding that metal bails fail due to metal fatigue. This can be demonstrated by a simple experiment. Take a metal coat hanger and repeatedly bend it back and forth at the same point. As you do this, you'll notice the hanger changes behavior – at the location of the bending, it becomes stiffer and more brittle with each bend. This experiment is similar to the cyclic loading that snowboard bindings endure, causing microscopic structural changes within the metal over time. When you repeatedly bend something like a coat hanger or a snowboard binding bail, it's as if the tiny atoms in the metal are aligning themselves, almost like soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder in a neat formation. This alignment makes the metal structure less random and less strong. Over time, this organized alignment makes the metal more vulnerable to breaking. Best, lamby

Good advice all around. st-lupo's tips are worth following for sure. Used bindings are suspect, particularly the bails, which should be replaced after they are used for a season or so (depending on how many days/hours of riding you do). After many flexes, the bails will break. If you buy a used board with a four hole binding pattern, these are a good starter binding. https://www.donek.com/product/f2-carve-rs/ If you get a three hole pattern used board, you could get these: https://www.carversparadise.com/en_US/products-list/category/snowboard-plate-bindings-onlineshop/speed-cc-ibex I have had good success purchasing from carversparadise from my U.S. address. You could purchase used burton style/Ibex type bindings, but you should not use them with the used bails they come with. Instead, discard the used bails, and replace them with new bails. https://www.carversparadise.com/en_US/products/speed-cc-front-bail https://www.carversparadise.com/en_US/products/speed-cc-rear-bail Installing the replacement bails can be difficult and a bit frustrating at first. Takes a little patience and persistence to install them. Good riding!

Looking for a 164 Prior 4WD.

Looks amazing Philw! Agree that hardboots work great on all snowboards.

podcast interview with rescuer: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-alive-from-backpacker/id1462484363?i=1000614284833

Am I remembering correctly that the build and specs of the Donek Axxess was similar to Prior's 4WD? Prior still sells their 4WD model. They have a 164 tri-glass on sale presently, if anyone is looking for one.

Good point. My recent entrapment was in an area just off a groomer in a little stand of small evergreens. I could see people passing by after I came to a stop, and before I sank deeper. Not so much a tree-well as a tangle-up in small trees. Trees completely surrounded by what seemed like bottomless powder. My first mistake was trying to "roll" out of it, as I was simply laying mostly on top of the snow, head downhill. When I tried to roll out I sank deeper, head first. This made it harder to reach my bindings. My first move should have been to reach for my bindings while I had easier access to them. I'm think I'm going to place an order for some step-ins soon.

Thanks for posting the vid link slabber. I think some people know the risk and others don't. I've been giving it a lot of thought - the dangers we face while snowboarding. I think sometimes we may end up in bad situations not because we are idiots or uninformed. Accidents happen and even those making mostly good decisions will have things go wrong. Best to be prepared and to be educated about the chance that you could become stuck or trapped. There are things to consider, like how your gear may or may not play a role in how easily you might be able to help yourself out of some situations, or what gear to consider bringing with you that might prove useful if things go south. Personally, how far do I want to take it, for inbounds or side-country resort riding? I'm trying to figure out my own gear setup in regards to resort riding. I recently had an episode of being stuck in deep snow just off of a groomed run, in small evergreens that looked innocuous. A miscalculation on my part turned an area that was just off the groom into a place where I was very stuck. It happened quickly in a situation where I didn't feel that I was taking an excessive risk. Yet, there I was, getting more and more upside down. In the past, there have been instances where I was riding with others, when my partner, or myself, has gotten stuck or into some rather scary inbounds deep-snow events, that were not tree-wells, but terrain and tree related. Through being involved in these, and having discussions about what happened, and how to ride smarter, I think I learned and got better at being safer. Still, mistakes happen. We are human. What can we do to play it safer on big days? Be prepared by having avalanche and snow safety training. Ride with a buddy and keep eyes on each other. Carry a day-pack with avi shovel, probe and wear your transceiver (on and broadcasting signal), have a storm whistle securely attached to yourself and within reach, have your charged phone accessible, carry a SPOT or Zoleo device (turned on and secured to you and accessible). For tree wells situations we may want to consider that some styles of bindings may be easier to release in situations where one can not reach one's feet, or where tree branches or tree trunks, and the weight of the rider contribute to make it very difficult to release the toe clips on standard alpine snowboard bindings. What other considerations should people keep in mind?