Buell

Yes. Before Phantoms were created, I used to splitboard with TLT5s in F2 toe and heel blocks on Voile slider plates.

Centered to forward is how most boards are intended to be ridden. I once had a Coiler that liked a little weight on the tail. I should have moved the bindings back 1/2" IF the tail is not following the nose, the rider might need to adjust the weighting on the feet (i.e. the rider is pushing too hard on the front or back foot). Generally though, when I think of the tail not following the nose, I consider that the reason is the rider is twisting the board. The front and the back foot are not producing the same edge angle on the snow. That means the nose and tail are trying to make different arcs. A set up that is not correct for the rider can cause this issue. Also, twisting/rotating the upper body can also be the source of the problem. When the upper body is rotated too far forward, it will rotate the hips forward, which will drop the rear foot toes and make it difficult to impossible to maintain the same edge angle at the back foot as at the front foot.

I wear a 25m UPZ and a 25m TLT6. They are much lighter than carving boots. If you want to carve or ski with them, make sure you get an unmodified pair. If you want a pair of softened AT boots for freeriding, the modified pairs might work very well. If you splitboard, this is a great boot. I have never really tried to carve with the TLT6, with the rare exception of testing my splitboards inbounds. Gdboytyler wrote a review of carving with the TLT5s (the precursor to the TLT6). http://forums.bomberonline.com/topic/39762-dynafit-tlt5-for-carving-and-powder/?tab=comments#comment-407543

Phantom Splitboard Bindings posted on their Instagram that they are clearing out a small collection of TLT6s of various sizes and levels of modification for splitboarding. Boots are both new and used. http://www.phantomsnow.com/shop/parts-accessories/dynafit-boots Post cleared by Jack.

Softboot carving is a bit of a thing here, but it is mixed with freeriding and the board choice reflects that. It is much more about style than technique and a lot of cool looking toe sides are followed by a slashing heel side skid that is primarily intended to slow them down and throw a bunch of snow in the air. Almost no one in softboots is doing linked carves down a groomer. That is boring to the US softbooters who can lay a trench (toe side at least). Only a few riders are seeking out softboot carvers that are primarily for groomers. The only ones I ever see on the slopes are associated with the hardboot community in some way.

Agreed. I was trying to experiment with lower angles than 30/21, but I might have hit my limit on board width.

I have small feet, size 7 Driver Xs (9 street shoe). I still need pretty high binding angles because I like to put the board pretty high on edge. I had just gotten accustomed to carving a 258 waist width board earlier this season, up from 250. Now I really dislike 250. At 258 waist I am still at 30/21. Today I got to ride a friend's Coiler BXFR. 161x265 wide. I dropped my angles to 27/15, but I could hardly power that waist width. The board was fighting me for every degree of edge angle. It really wanted to be flat on the snow. I am pretty adaptable, but have really found wider boards to be an acquired taste. I am not sure if I could get used to 265, but it seems that is just too wide for me. I do have a 156x267 powder board that I really enjoy (in powder of any type), but I don't expect I would want to freeride a board that wide in mixed conditions, even if it was designed for that purpose.

I am most comfortable describing how the boards ride. It is impossible to know without seeing you ride if technique is an issue or not. From what you have written, I continue to think that technique is a factor in how the board is performing under your feet. I apologize if I am overstepping here. Interestingly, an issue a lot of riders have with heavily tapered race boards is that they actually have a hard time finishing a turn across the fall line. They describe the board as only wanting to go down the fall line. I have never found this to be an issue and can put these boards where ever I want them to go. These boards will ride differently than your Prior. They will require a more aggressive approach. Think about a racer in a course. There is no shifting your weight back on these boards, your focus and drive is always forward. You are always "up and over the board." You do not need to think about getting the board to release if you are already over it, just flip it with your feet/ankles while driving forward into the turn. I can almost assure you that moving your bindings back will not improve the ride. All that said, the issue could be partly in your set up. When I would ride my 175 SG, I would increase the forward lean in my UPZs by one setting on both boots compared to riding my SL board.

I am not exact certain what you are asking. This sounds like a technique issue, perhaps your weight is too far back at the end of the turn? Race boards are designed to initiate and release easily from turns (that is one of the things I love about them), but they perform poorly when you get behind them. Their speed seems to catch a lot of people off guard. The boards are so smooth that a rider might not feel the speed increase from their previous board. The edge of the groom certainly comes extra fast though and the is rider very likely is out of position to initiate the next turn. Also, with a bigger turning board, there might be runs that you make speed control, C turns, on your tighter turning board, but you cannot do that on the bigger board. You have to make more open, higher speed turns down those runs.

This is close to my impression as well. The SG slices and the Kessler "wants to conform." They both are both great.

I don't understand how this applies to this thread. BOL has come a long way toward accepting softboots as a valid carving tool. There is typical BOL BS (from multiple directions) here and there in this thread, but I don't see softboot bashing. Most of the posters in this thread also carve softboots. When I first saw hardbooting, nothing would have turned me off, especially anything posted in this thread. I love carving softies too.

I have an older 163 Kessler Ride. I like it, but it is too narrow at 250 waist. It also is just a bit longer than I need. The Ride is a freeride board but am looking for just a groomer softboot carver so I am not sure what we might come up with. 158 length x 260 waist. I want it to be playful, but be a serious carver. Either an aggressive softboot carver or a hardboot set up, that is a big question. I already have a nice HB set up and have been trying to find a nice SB carver. I picked up a 156 Amplid Pentaquark this year. For my size, it is an aggressive softboot carver. Not real playful, but super stable at speed. I cannot get it to completely come around on some of the runs I want to ride, it just turns a bit too big. I am going to get to try my buddies new 161 Coiler BXFR with a 265 waist next week.

Now we are talking! My SG 175 Full Race was amazing for freecarving. Hold on for sure, that board will be fast!

Thanks for the beta. Flex is always the great unknown when looking at boards you cannot put your hands on. I am a skilled rider, but do not love over stiff boards for me. At my weight, I have to be careful. I want it to be wider than 254 anyway. As cool as all these boards for the Asia market are, I am planning to get a custom Kessler softboot carver. I have really enjoyed every Kessler I have ridden.

I should have clarified. I am under 150 pounds and want to ride softboots on these boards. I am looking at the boards under 160. I am currently riding a 257 waist and am still at 30/18 angles and destroying my toe strap. I think the 156 Grey Desperado Ti W is the widest of the bunch in the shorter boards at 254.

I am loving this thread, thanks for the effort everyone. I have small feet, but like Rob, I am finding these boards have waist widths in the 250 and under range. It would be nice to see some of them closer to 260 for me and wider for bigger footed softboot carvers. I find it fascinating that the US market for softboot carvers has a completely different board style from the markets in Europe (at least the race board companies) and Asia, as far as I can tell anyway.

Thanks Corey. It is really rare to be able to get a photo that shows so much of the line.

20 mm is pretty typical on a race board. Stock taper is 18mm. My 162 custom Kessler has 19mm.

No carving around here right now, finally! The backcountry was certainly good yesterday! Tracks!

I spent 7 winters in the mountains above Ogden. Powder Mountain and Snowbasin will keep you entertained if you don't want to travel to SLC. Powder Mountain is more mellow with easy to moderate terrain and low crowds. The snow quality is almost always better at Powder. Many days are what I would call soft hero, however by mid March it could be more spring like conditions (this has been a backwards winter in the western US, so who knows). A couple of new lifts have been installed since I was there so I have no info on them. Otherwise the Hidden Lakes lift has several relatively mellow carving runs. Sidewinder is a fun run off the slow Timberline lift. Kwick Draw is a really fun steeper slope (but short) and Winchester is also fun off the slow Sundown lift. If it is not a carving day, there is a huge amount to explore at Powder. Snowbasin is steeper and more crowded, with lower quality snow. What it does have is some great carving runs. Just be aware of fast skiers and intersecting trails. It can be a look over your shoulder every turn kind of place. The Wildflower Downhill off the John Paul lift is amazing (probably too steep for you). Needles run is fun, Mainstreet off the Strawberry Gondola is good. One of my favorite runs at Basin is Wildcat Bowl, but it needs quite a bit of snow for them to groom it. When it is groomed it is an awesome, long natural halfpipe.

Whether you like their style or not, top racers are at the pinnacle of carving ability. They can hold an edge at higher speed, in icier conditions and on steeper slopes than any of the rest of us. The courses are set to make it difficult for them, so we can distinguish between highly skilled riders. Their skill set is far broader than making C carves down a hero groom blue. One can learn a lot about what a carve board can do by watching the racers run through the course.

I have ridden 7 different Kesslers and 4 SGs. Kesslers and SGs do not ride the same. Kesslers are more forgiving and friendly. Sort of like comparing Coiler to Donek I strongly doubt your Kessler will respond well if you get back seated. Popping the tail for rebound is different than getting behind the board.

Years ago, riding my hardboots, I met Jack's parents in the lift line in Utah. "You might know our son Jack Michaud." "Yeah, I've heard of him." ; )

What makes you think it is not an SL? Who was it built for? If you are pulling the stock sidecut numbers direct from the website, they might actually be 7-11-12-8 or something like that? Maybe your board is not that different than the stock. Regarding how to take advantage of the sidecut, I would listen to the board. It probably rides a lot like other Kesslers, maybe with a bit of a nod to whoever had it built. I also have a custom 162 Kessler SL that was built for me with Kessler knowing I was not going to race it. I am considering a custom softboot carver from Kessler. If I do that, I will have to ask him what the specs are on mine. I have always wondered if it is very different from a true SL design meant for running gates. Hansjurg Kessler is really nice, even to us freecarvers. I first called Kessler 8+ years ago for my first custom and talked for a while with the person who answered the phone. I asked his name at the end of the conversation and it was Hansjurg Kessler himself.

Ultimately, it is about more than the length of your foot in cm. Foot shape, width, volume and liner thickness can make a big difference with the limited boot options we have. I measure 26.5 and 26.3 cm on my two feet but they are rather low volume. I started years ago with a 26m Deeluxe. Way too big. Went down to a 25m Deeluxe when they were using a thinner liner and once it packed out a bit it was also too big. I ended up with a 24m Deeluxe Track 700. When I went to UPZ I wear a 25m and have been at that size for several years. I wear a 25 mondo in multiple pairs of AT boots I use for splitboarding. My wife is a 23 mondo with a 22 mondo heel. In general, she has sized down to 22 mondo boots and had them punched a bit in the toe. So, unfortunately, it is a bit more complex than being able to say that a 26.5 m boot would fit x to y length of foot. It is effectively an approximation of what shell size might fit your particular foot.