Buell
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Everything posted by Buell
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I don't have an actual reason. In my mind resort bindings are distinct from splitboard bindings and the Phantoms are designed for splitboarding, not carving. I don't tend to freeride in a resort (if I do I am in soft boots) so I wasn't really thinking about that use. I expect the F2s have a better dampening system and probably better carving flex. Though, if you want simple, spare, and low stack height, you are not going to top the Phantoms. Splitboarding is much closer to freeriding than carving. You can use cant and lift with them, which is nice. I have discussed the bindings quite a lot with John over the years and because of the built in lateral flex they are designed to be strong when used at angles under 30* so you would be fine on them. I have trusted them in you fall, you die situations where they cannot fail. I'd certainly trust them in a resort.
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The Wallowas. I have never made it out there, but I hear it is beautiful. That makes sense. I see more and more riders on splitboards inbounds. I generally only take mine inbounds if I am testing a set up or if I am passing through a resort to get to the BC. I have laid down some carves on splitboards at times. Some of them carve well, though I would never use them for that. I had a Prior Spearhead split and then a Prior Khyber split when I spent winters in Utah. They worked great in the Utah powder. When I started spending winters in the Eastern Sierra I needed more of an all conditions board because the snow is so much more variable here. After a few different boards, I ended up on Amplids. Phantom has a plate that will allow you to use them on your solid boards too. I prefer F2s for that, but it is an option. Just an FYI, Bombers are not fail proof. Plenty of riders have broken bails, some have broken multiple bails.
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Phantoms will hold up better than anything on a Voile slider plate and pucks. I have 200+ days on my set and I know John Keffler pretty well. I don't think he has issues with Phantoms breaking. Splitboards and gear are at a high level right now and people are doing amazing descents on them. Just in the NW, between myself and other splitters I know, splitboards have gone down pretty much every line on Hood from the South Route, to the Newton Clark HW to Cooper Spur to the NE face to the Sandy Glacier HW. Same goes for all the other NW volcanoes from Baker to Lassen (I don't personally know much about Rainier). It seems the limits have more to do with the rider. How are you pushing splitboards to the limit?
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If your splitboard angles are above 30*, I guess you have to be creative. Otherwise, just get Phantoms. They are completely reliable and offer far superior splitboard performance than anything mounted to a Voile plate sitting on pucks. Plus they are a lot lighter and closer to the board than SWs on a Voile plate. Before Phantoms, I used to run F2 toe and heel blocks on a Voile plate and other AT splitters used Burton/Ibex toe and heel blocks. Phantoms were such an improvement, even the first generation. Before John started producing Phantoms I had actually talked to Will at Spark about making me a Sidewinders mounted to custom Spark slider set up. Thankfully that did not end up happening. If SWs are the only thing you want, you could most likely buy a pair of alpine SWs and mount the toe and heel blocks to the Voile sliders. IIRC, the difference between the alpine and split versions of the SW blocks were two mounting holes verses four. Two holes should work fine unless you are a really big guy. If that's the case, I would be worried about the Voile slider breaking too.
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If you try to carve when it is too soft you will hurt yourself.
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Click on my name and send me a PM or email me at buell at mosaic-gardens dot com. Post here when you do that if you want to make sure I receive it. Buell
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I put up new photos in the original post. The only reason I am selling this board is that I have a health issue that makes it very difficult to hardboot. There is no way I would sell this board otherwise. For now I got a Kessler softboot carver. Kessler builds amazing boards! I have owned a Kessler 168 and find this board to be more lively and agile. I sold the 168 when I got my first 162 because it is just as versatile. The 168 is a bit more of a cruiser but this one is more fun!
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Hey Henry,
Are you still riding the KoruaTranny Finder as a softboot carver?
The dimensions are close to what I am looking for and I have seen you mention it. I am looking for an easy to carve, fairly tight turning groomer board. I don't need it to be able to do anything else (its fine if it does though). I have a 158 Kessler softboot board that is for big carves at speed. I am not sure Hansjuerg can build me an easy to ride board. Maybe a 154 x 260 Ride custom.
I read someone who wrote that Gentemstick and Korua were nothing special in their experience. I have ridden one Gentemstick on a groomer and I also found it lacking. It might have just been that Gentemstick but it at least gives me caution that my thinking might be in line with that rider's opinion.
Just curious for your thoughts on the Korua or any other possibilities.
Thanks,
Buell
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My daily driver is now a Korua Shapes Trench Digger 65. I find it's the right width for me on groomers. I ride it with Gecko plates and I get no boot-out. Also, I'm finding that I like a bit of nose on a board because I tend to ride with a lot of forward weight especially during turn initiation. With the traditional shapes, I've stuffed the nose in soft snow and gone over the handlebars.
The Tranny Finder is great when there is a lot of soft snow. Where I ride, it tracks up fast so I need something that will ride over the snow piles. It might not be the best thing for hard carving though.Â
My only hesitation is that the build quality on the Korua might be lacking, especially compared to Kessler. I have binding suck on both boards already and I think the bases are cheap and soft. I put the DPS Phantom treatment on both boards because I heard that it toughens up the p-tex.
I've never ridden Gentemstick but I think there is a heavy Japanese mystique element to it and there are other boards just as good. Winterstick is a brand I would look at if price is not a deterrent.
Kessler really needs to update his board shapes.Â
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Ha. Yeah, if I were racing on a stock SL I’d be on a 156 or 157 at my 145 pounds. Kessler offers a 150.
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You can look at the stock boards from Kessler and SG. Generally 156 to 163 length and 190 to 205 width depending on your size.
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Drop to $750.
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bump
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Pm sent Pm sent Assuming Topboost buys mine, I might know of another set.
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Gecko Plate Free for wide boards and softboot boards - SOLD Like new, lightly used, comes with red bumpers. I also have a set of orange bumpers for SOLD
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Older F2s have a 5.5 mm bail. About 10 years ago they switched to a 5.9 mm bail. The 2 models are similar, but the newer ones feel more robust.
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Plastics degrade. A buddy of mine had these Deeluxe boots in a shed in Hawaii for 10 years. The shed is used to store wood for surfboard construction so it is not an extreme environment (doesn't bake inside) and it is out of the sun. He said they came apart like crackers. I guess Deeluxe boots don't like Hawaii.
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Someone is missing out. This is one of the two best carve boards I have ever owned (other was a SG 175 GS) and certainly the most versatile! I have had this design twice now because I had one built and sold it after a couple of years to Jim (who posted above) to buy a SG 157 SL. Once I realized how much versatility I was missing, along with missing the incredible ride of a Kessler, I had Hansjuerg build me a new one with no changes other than anything new he had learned.
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I get it, you are happily set in your ways. It just that you also seem so excited about any small improvement and you post about chasing down the hardbooter you just saw because maybe you can learn something. You obviously like making progress. (FWIW, most hardbooters are happy to offer advice, just be careful because the value of that advice is often equal to the price you paid for it). Caving is hard and strongly technique driven, it would be good to have a top instructor give you a few strong foundation principles to work on so you have a next progression goal. Then you can go back to DIY for a while. I have taken several lessons from Don, including how to carve in rough conditions and (probably his favorite) on carving the Wildflower Downhill at Snowbasin. In the end, I could carve the whole thing, Don just rips down it! Maybe Don would come to Crystal. It would get expensive for one person, but in Utah and Tahoe my wife and I put together enough hardboot lessons for him to come to those locations and offer instruction.
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1xsculler, you should put some of that board money into lessons with noschoolrider! He is an outstanding hard boot instructor and not too far from you at Mt Bachelor (which is also a great mountain for learning to carve).
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It was built for me at my peak carving ability and 145 pounds. It does exactly what I want but I ride pretty aggressively. At my weight and riding it is playful and agile but definitely not a cruiser. Until shown otherwise, I would tend to stick pretty close to the weight range of 135-180. Jim, who posted above is 180 pounds. Maybe 125-190 depending on the riders. He could ride it eventually. I don't know how it would work for him as I don't know what a 105 pound rider is looking for in a GS board. The K171 GS is easier to ride than this 162 SL for me. My experience with the stock K162 (perhaps comparable to your nephew on my 162) was that it rode surprisingly well for my weight until I wasn't over the edge. If I got off the edge a bit, it would kick my butt, usually by chattering out. Kesslers like good form but my 162 doesn't chatter out for me. It just sticks to the snow.
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I also get it, I know a 200 plus pounder who put CarveRS on his Tanker and soon enough the bails were still attached to his feet but the board and binding bases were headed down the hill. That said, BlueB also has a ton of hours without incident.
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I think you mean a man with actual experience.
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Nice! The 171 is a nice board for lighter weight riders that is often overlooked. I had one for a bit and hand flexing it, I thought it was too soft for me. Turned out it had plenty of backbone for me and showed no signs of being too soft on the snow.
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Generally Race Titanium. BlueB likes CarveRS for freeriding
