Buell

I have not heard much about the Speedfits, but I expect they are very similar to the TLT6. I don't know what size boot you wear, but Phantom has some clearance TLT6s and a pair of Speedfits available here. No, the Voile Mountain Plates are not worth considering. Performance issues aside, I was terrified of them at 150 pounds when I first started splitting 10 years ago. I rode them for a couple of tours before mounting a set of F2 toe and heel blocks on a Voile slider plate. Our bindings have come a long way since then thankfully.

The boot forum on Splitboard.com has tons of reading on different boots. The TLT6 (before that the TLT5) had been the go to boot for AT boot splitting, but riders seem to be using a wide variety of boots now. A lot of them are difficult to modify for splitting. The next go to boot will likely be the Atomic Backlands. I just got a pair of Backland Ultimates. I cannot say more right now, but a modification is being developed for the Backlands that will make them very user friendly. For bindings, it is pretty much a pair of Phantoms or a set of Spark Dynos (Plum and at least one other European company also make AT boot splitboard bindings). Phantoms are top notch quality. I put a review of the Phantoms here on ASB (BOL).

Many riders here have been on TDs and the F2 Race Titanium flexes more than Bombers. It is a very nice flex. I expect most of us on F2s ride the Race Titanium. I personally use the bail version because I like the flex better than the intec version. Some riders use the Carve RS, but usually it is for all mountain. Other riders do prefer the Titanflex for carving.

That is awesome!

Thanks Jack!

Dw3, take Bryan up on that. He helped us years ago.

Warm Springs is the best carving run I have seen. Thanks for showing it to us years ago Carvedog! Sounds like all the replacement parts are doing well! 1xsculler, as the responses in this thread show, the answer to your question varies. In general, on days I made a noticeable improvement in my riding, it was physically more demanding and I could ride for a shorter time that day. As that improvement sunk in over the next carving days, it required less effort to carve at the new level and the physical requirements became easier. Improvements aside, some days you want to hammer and some days you want to cruise, many days are in between. There is hours of difference in how long I can last between riding hard and cruising. Even beyond that, some days require more effort (fast snow or chopped snow) than others (slightly slower hero groom).

The boot size is 27.5. On the Deeluxe, at least of this vintage, the upper cuff will fit a range of lower cuff sizes. The boot size will be what is printed on the lower cuff.

No company should make it a goal to please everyone, especially if you want to be the best.

We had the same issue with the too stiff soft springs. I just bought a collection of different softer springs for my wife's RAB system. It wasn't a RAB specific spring. You can get any flex you want.

I have purchased or inquired about quite a bit of snowboard and splitboard gear from Europe that I could not get in the US. One important thing to note for those of us based in the US (probably Canada) is that if the European website does not know your country and the prices are not in US dollars, they almost always include a significant VAT (value added tax) that we do not have to pay. In simple terms, the price you will pay is typically significantly less than the currency conversion of the listed price would suggest because tax is included in European prices (about 25% tax?). If the price is in dollars, the store's website probably knows you are in the US and has already removed the VAT. Shipping is not that big of a deal and items usually come in around a week. If a snowboard shipment is valued over $700, the US government will add a 2.5% excise tax that the shipper will collect from you at or after delivery. I am not sure about other snowboarding gear. I am not sure about Canada.

I went to UPZ a number of years ago, but I agree with this statement. BTS made Deeluxe boots useable for me. I don't know if the RAB spring system for Deeluxe boots can still be found, but a spring system is really important for most riders. Maybe everyone will order the ACSS? I don't know much about it.

That is too bad. Just as you did with Apex Sport, manufacturers can provide information that we can spend pages guessing about. It is also very understandable with bizarre threads like this. Fortunately I expect those of us here that would buy from those companies will find them anyway. It is not that hard to know every company considering how few gear options we have.

Puhutes, Shred is a good guy and works hard to advance our sport. I don't think the two of you are far apart in that way. There are multiple current threads where he brings a lot to the table. Understandably, I don't expect they are within you current range of interest, but here is just one.

I agree. But then it would have been harder to post photos of her board, which I know you were dying to do. ; )

Wow. Thank you Puhutes for working so hard to bring us an excellent boot option. I pretty surprised by this reception considering all you have intended to do in this thread is introduce your new website. lowrider, you don't need to buy them and Mountain Slope did not create these boots for newbies. Used boots and the option to buy and sell them are not going anywhere. For lower priced new boots, there are still Deeluxe and UPZs just as before Mountain Slope.

Corran, cool to have you on here. When I was looking for a performance surf SUP, you were on the short list. I ended up going with a different builder in the end. I was wondering how long it would take you to build a snowboard. Regarding the top sheet, obviously do what you want, but I doubt using your wife to justify a topsheet that objectifies women on that level is a great idea. The women in my life (wife, mom, sister, wife's sisters and mother, friends....), who have worked hard to get where they are, would all say it sucks. I certainly could not (would not) bring a topsheet like that into my house or up to the hill. Sounds like a cool little surfy board otherwise.

Rebecca said the same thing about her Kessler Ride (that she got from you). She loves it, but not for slush and bumps. She actually has the women's version of the Amplid Creamer for those conditions. The Tranny Finder looks like a cool board too!

I had the 172 of this design. This 177 has a 272 waist for no overhang. If you want a great powder board, this is one of the best!

I had Khyber splitboards and solids and I bought a Snow Mullet to test a number of years ago. I also found the Snow Mullet got easy deflected when the conditions were not perfect powder. The middle of the board was too soft and I really did not like it when I pushed on it hard (even at my less than 150 pounds). I enjoy the Khyber in powder, but do not find it to be a good mixed conditions, heavier snow board, at all. Taper will help you initiate turns and keep a board playful, but many tapered powder boards are too soft in the nose, both torsionally and longitudinally, to work well in chopped up snow or denser snow (i.e. Khyber and Snow Mullet). As you have written, a stiffer board will serve you best in those conditions. I searched for that board for years, testing lots of supposedly versatile boards. I kept a Gnu Billygoat finally because it was the best, but not as good as I wanted. I have had a good one but it only comes as a splitboard, the G3 Blacksheep. I have also ridden the Furberg which worked really well, but has some quirks inbounds that I did not care for (sidecut radius makes it hard to do tighter carves on a groomer). Two boards I have ridden over the last couple years that I find really versatile are from Peter Bauer's company, the Amplid Creamer and the Amplid Surfari. I found them because I ride their splitboard versions (Milligram and Millisurf). I was so impressed, I picked up the resort versions. You order direct from Amplid (It is very straight forward and they are very helpful). The Creamer is an incredibly versatile board that is capable but forgiving and fun in powder, on groomers, and in mixed conditions. It excels in its ability to handle anything quite well. I have been riding the split version for three years, in all conditions, so I know it well. I have the 158 (I weigh 148 pounds). I bought the Creamer to try it out and did not expect to keep it, but it rode so well in resort conditions that I did not want to sell it. Until I got the Surfari. The Surfari is new this year. It is a playful, tapered board, but Peter Bauer gave it a lot of backbone. It doesn't ride anything like the Snow Mullet or the Khyber. It is a more advanced board than the Creamer and it also handles all conditions (not really for super firm snow) really well. It is a super fun carver (hero and softer snow) and is great in powder and mixed conditions. Between the split and solid versions, I have had it in a wide range of conditions including steep powder, blower powder, deep but low angle power, and tree powder. I had my best softboot carving day this year on the Surfari on soft hero groom. Between carved turns, I was having a blast surfing banks above the groom. On another day, it did incredibly well carving soft, choppy groom. It is quite a bit stiffer than the Snow Mullet or Khyber and I am certain it would hold up well to mashed potatoes. The Surfari is on the left.

I am only one sample, but I have been riding Driver X for years and never had an issue. I don't put a huge number of days on my softboots, but my 4 year old pair has softened some, but they look perfect. I bought a new pair this season and they have been perfect.

Rollback. Scary thought. More than once I have considered the best jump location in case this happens. Especially when the lift is at capacity (and older). So glad most lift riders were able to get off safely. I wonder what was going on with the people who went around the bullwheel?

On the softboot board I was on the Free with orange bumpers. I am 148 pounds.

I put them on my Kessler SL but never did an actual test to see how they perform. I have tested them twice (back to back with and without) on soft boot boards. The first test was on a torsionally stiff board and smooth groom. I took them off and never noticed. The second test was on a torsionally softer (not overly soft) board and quite choppy groom. They made a big difference in smoothing out the ride. I could go faster and I had to absorb less bump. The board was a bit slower edge to edge. When I took them off I promptly crashed (I rarely crash) trying to go just as hard through the bumpy groom. I will play with them more next year. I do not think they impede the board’s flex much, if at all. If you had a section of board the length of the Geckos, you could not bend that by hand either, but it flexes fine on the snow. They clearly dampen the ride and smooth bumps. I expect this is the case even on a board that is properly designed for the rider.

That is certainly an exaggeration! I am a bit rusty these days. Too much splitboarding the last several years. I do miss all of you at Powder Mountain though! I was wondering, who is Mr. Deep? Changed your name. I like it.