Buell
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Posts posted by Buell
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16 minutes ago, daveo said:
171 Kessler is a softer gs board made for younger / lighter riders. You'll likely bend that as much if not more.
Yes, this is exactly correct. Very friendly and easy to ride. I had one briefly, but it did not fit well in my quiver at the time. Yes, the bigger GS Kesslers will have a lot more backbone. I haven't ridden the stock 175 but I assume it is great (my go to board is a custom 162 Kessler SL) and it should be a much more substantial board than the 171.
I am just a bit lighter than you.
I had 3 sizes of the Prior WCRM when they were metal top. Super easy board to ride and they would all turn tighter than you would expect for me, except the 187.
My favorite GS board I have ever owned or ridden was a 175 SG Full Race from a few years ago. I am not sure how much they have changed, but of all the boards I have riddden, that board (and my 162 Kessler) was pretty much perfect for me: Super stable, fast, would never let go, perfectly behaved (do not get behind it), medium big turn radius. I sometimes rode the 175 SG with a Vist plate. I tried an SG isolation plate on it, but I did not like the lack of feel and the difficulty getting around a slower speeds (cat tracks).
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Welcome to the beginning! That looked great, especially in flat light!
Let the tinkering begin. Your knee pain could be splay (5 degrees is pretty typical). Many riders are pretty adaptable to different binding angles, but some riders are very specific so it is possibly binding angles. It could also be boot canting, the need for a different cant or lift on the bindings, or possibly stance width. It could be an issue that will resolve itself with just a couple more days of getting accustomed to the hardboots and improving your technique. It could also be your first day tendency to rotate your shoulders almost square to the board a the end of your toe sides and then to unwind them to almost parallel with the board at the end of your heel sides.
People tend to ride with their shoulders somewhere between square with their binding angles (no rotation) to square to the board (rotated forward, easier with higher binding angles). You do not want to unwind beyond square to your binding angles. At 50/45 angles, getting square to the board is quite rotated and putting a lot of pressure on your lower body joints, not to mention probably twisting your board. At your angles it is probably best to try to stay square to your binding angles or just slightly forward of that to maintain a more neutral lower body.
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17 minutes ago, st_lupo said:
Speed control while carving is such a fundamental skill and I think that demon deserves to be taken head-on, early.
Having said that, it is fine to skid if you need to. #1 be safe! , #2 develop style and push yourself hard to get better.
Actually #1 Have fun, #2 be safe, #3 style etc blah blah.
This is the side of developing carving skill that I am also coming from. It is true though that everyone will learn their own way and this is not necessarily best for all.
I have seen enough riders who "want" to learn to carve but never stop riding runs that are too steep for them to develop their ability or never slow down enough to link carves even on mellow slopes. I have also seen enough longtime carvers fail to develop their speed control skills adequately and they continue to have a little skid some where in their turn or often on their heelside. Its just a carving pet peeve of mine. In truth, if they are having fun, then good for them.
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Here are a couple of Amplids (Peter Bauer's company) I have been playing on a bit this season. The last couple of days have been particularly awesome carving days with 2-3" of fresh blower overnight with sunny days! It was hard to decide between riding these or my hardboots.
The board on the left is the Surfari. Designed to cover that powder board/carver niche that is so popular these days. It was a blast to ride on soft hero with soft banks to hit on the sides of the runs. I have not had it in powder yet since our year sucks out here. My experience says it will ride beautifully.
The board on the right is Peter Bauer's softboot carver, the Pentaquark. It is a beast. I have the 156 and, at 150 pounds, I consider it to be my GS softboot carver. The specs say it has an 8.7m sidecut, but it rides much bigger than that. Super stable and damp at high speeds, but don't think you are going to 'C' carve it down the steep and narrow trails!
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4 hours ago, Jonny said:
Skidding at some point is essential for speed control, no matter how much you complete the turn. At the same time, you don't want to spoil the majesty of a fully committed, fully carved turn. So don't skid during the turn, skid FIRST. A little release of the edge as you come across the hill will allow you to dive into the turn with full commitment. It's the equivalent of an "abstem" in skiing - the board just turns uphill slightly in a little skid, to set up the carve at a happy speed.
Maybe I am misunderstanding. If you choose a slope within your abilities, skidding is not necessary for speed control. Completed turns will keep your speed in check.
You will, depending on you ability and your hill, encounter steeper pitches that are above your ability on an otherwise perfect slope for you to practice carving. When that happens, yes, you skid some or you make slarved turns or you practice making turns knowing you can do 2 or 3 before you need to pull up and reset. When the pitch mellows out enough or the run widens out enough again, you can resume making carved turns.
The issue for me with not skidding during the turn, but before it is that carving is about successfully flowing from one turn to the next. The time before a turn is the transition and the time before the transition is the previous carve. There is only turn, transition, turn, transition, turn and so on. Pushing the edge out just before the transition would put me out of position to fully commit to the downhill rail during the transition. The quicker and earlier I can flip to that downhill rail, the better my speed control on steeper slopes.
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From my experience as a fellow lighter weight rider, make sure that the board you purchase has an appropriate flex for you. Don't expect a board built for 175+ pound riders to be a good fit, at least until you are a quite good carver.
If you are buying new, this is easier to deal with than if you are buying used (requires more patience).
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double post
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I expect to be up around 10 to 11.
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Practice on more mellow slopes. As you are finding, when you lock into a carve, you accelerate dramatically compared to skidding or slarving. Slopes you have typically ridden before you started carving will likely be too steep for now. As you progress, you can carve on steeper and steeper slopes.
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Historically I have owned and ridden tons of boards because I learn more about snowboards with every board. I am also always refining my quiver. Beyond that, if you want good performance out of your gear then powder, groomers, and backcountry all require different boards.
Currently am down to one HB carve deck (custom 162 Kessler SL), one splitboard for all around conditions (Amplid Milligram) and one splitboard for deep days (Amplid Millisurf). Those are the best boards for me of their particular class I have ever owned. If I carved more, I would have probably kept the 175 SG that I owned.
I am working on getting a great SB carver, but that will evidently require buying some more boards to test. I also own a couple of great resort powder boards which don't get much use anymore since I usually ride in the backcountry on powder days.
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12 hours ago, Rob Stevens said:
I couldn't describe it better than you have, as to when my front outside ankle hurts... "flex and roll under load.
I'm going to have to do something about that.
Typically, when I softboot carve, my back ankle will start to ache. It doesn't happen with any other activity, my ankles are fine. I assume I am just over flexing it in softboots. This season I got a new pair of Driver X boots to replace my broken in pair of Driver Xs. I have not had any ankle issues in them, but the new boots are still so stiff that I think it is negatively affecting my softboot carving. Hard to get the right balance. HBs are definitely nice for their consistency of flex over their lifespan. Softboots change so much over time as they break in / wear out.
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I am still undecided about riding wider boards so I can lower my angles. The wider boards just seem sluggish edge to edge. I have small feet (size 7 Driver X) but like to ride with a high edge angle so boot out is still an issue for me. The widest board I have ridden that was built for carving groomers is 257 although I have carved 260 waist powder boards on groom at times.
It is possible that I have not gone wide enough to get my angles low enough for me to understand a wider board. It is also possible that my technique has developed around softboot carving angles running roughly 36/30.
If anyone has been in a similar situation and pushed through it to end up happily riding wider boards, please let me hear your experience.
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7 hours ago, Jack Michaud said:
You're definitely booting out with that setup, if you try to carve deeply. Unless you're using some kind of riser to reduce boot out.
I have to run 36/30 on 25 cm waist boards to keep from booting out. I wear a size 7 Driver X (size 9 street shoe). This photo is a 257 wide board with about 10 mm of taper and I am still at 33/24. I hate boot out!
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For obvious reasons, raceboards are stiffer in the middle and designed to not lose speed while in a turn. Freecarve boards are softer in the middle and designed to come out of a turn at a slower speed.
On 2/8/2018 at 7:31 AM, Jack Michaud said:I also got a Kessler 168. That is basically a freecarve board as far as I'm concerned. I think it is similar to the 162 SL, just 6cm longer and 1m longer in the nose (8-12m vs 7-12m). Very fun, very versatile, finishes the turn, does not require ludicrous speed. Would be a great intro to race boards for any freecarver.
Jack, if you get a chance, try the 162 SL. I have had a stock Kessler 168 and have ridden a stock 162SL for a few days. They are completely different boards. At my 150 pounds, the 168 was easy and forgiving (still fast) to ride while the 162 SL was not. Basically, even thought the specs are similar, the 162SL is a true slalom board and the 168 is more of a freecarver that can run SL or GS for people who only want one board. I also found the 171 Kessler to be quite forgiving. Probably because that one is built for small riders (smaller than me) racing GS.
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1 hour ago, buster said:
I rode a few runs with Buell last week at June. Never felt so relaxed while riding with no one breathing down your neck.
That was a fun day! Hope you had fun on Friday too! I was beat.
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1 hour ago, barryj said:
softbootsurfer.........how old's that edit? He got old school tight knees ...and makes it look good!
Buell - you been to June this season? I heard not much open.
Yes, it has been good. J4 and J7 have been fully open. Haven't been since last week though, it could be getting worse. High temps are probably taking their toll, but at least the early February sun is weak. Spring conditions now, waiting on snow. I know you are too.
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17 hours ago, barryj said:
Wow...what I'd give for just One Wide Open Run Like These Guys are on!!
June Mountain has several with no one there.
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4 minutes ago, barryj said:
Buell said it all! I thought my Virus UFC was fast .....until I tried a Kessler Alpine 171! St Lupo check out the specs...the 171 has a smaller blade, waist, tail than a 162!!
The stock 168 and 171 Kesslers that I have owned were super friendly boards (still very fast). Much different than their SL and full length GS boards. I would have kept the 171 Kessler, but I had a 175 SG at the time that was just amazing!
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HaHa! I have been riding a 162 Kessler SL (custom for a lighter rider) for a number of years now. I have ridden a stock Kessler 162, which is too much board for me. If buying stock, I would have the 156 Kessler SL. I have also owned an SG 157 SL. The SG was more of a beast than the Kesslers. Often the SG was a blast to ride, but it would skip me right out of a turn if I weighted it incorrectly (and it hated soft groomers). Top SL boards are not cruisers, but they are incredibly rewarding and can be put in places on the slope that a bigger board will pass right by (they surf the slope contours beautifully). They can also go fast and can make bigger turns when you tell them to.
As you are seeing, true SL boards are not for beginners. However some of the specs of an SL board, like a smaller radius on a more friendly, shorter length board would be good for beginners. I think this is where the confusion comes from.
Basically, you have some of it already. It is a race board, intended to react quickly and not slow down in turns. The sweet spot is rather small and requires you to stay over the board. It will take off like a rocket in what ever direction it was last pointing if you get back seated. Because it is not meant to slow down in turns, you are going to have to actively work to control its speed at times. I personally do this by driving a spot about a foot in front of my front foot into the snow. The steeper the run, the harder I push that spot into the snow.
Enjoy!
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Enforcing the skier's code is an interesting proposition for a resort. That becomes a business policing its clients, which isn't a great business model. Resorts seem to take the approach that a collision here and there is better than upsetting out of control riders/skiers (in cases, it might also be that staffing employees to police the slopes cost money the resort doesn't want to spend). Obviously they want to avoid ignoring it to the point of a lawsuit, but that line seems to be very high.
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1 hour ago, AcousticBoarder said:
I took my first two ski lessons with my GF this week and the instructor took the time to go over the code with us which is posted above the lift line at June Mountain. It was nice to see that they did that, especially at a mountain that a lot of us in So-Cal frequent.
That's awesome. June is a special place for carving. I expect a lot of the reason though is that it is a kids under 12 ski free and gets tons of kids, especially on the lower mountain. I noticed they added signs this season that specify giving someone you are passing 15' of space. Wouldn't that be nice.
The difference in perception of the mountain and of proper etiquette between carvers (skiers or boarders) and non carvers (skiers or boarders) is wide. Many riders, regardless of the written rules, are of the opinion that there are lanes on the run and each rider needs to stay in their lane. There are a lot of people on the hill who feel this way and, for me, the best thing to do is just let them go by. No need to get hurt trying to enlighten a person who is set in their ways. Then of course there are all the oblivious and out of control riders to look out for as well.
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1 hour ago, tex1230 said:
You pipe up now after 13 years and 170 posts? Yeah... I’m the one with the problem. You have nothing invested in this community.
Maybe that was an attempt at humor? Buster has made turns with a lot of us here and is a great guy.
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Brundage is definitely a place you should consider. It is a nice medium/small mountain.
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158 is sold! Thank you.
How you guys feeling about new soft boot carving phenomenon?
in Carving Central
Posted
I find the lack of support requires you to develop subtlety. There is just a lack of solid connection that exists with hardboots and you have to learn to be comfortable with the board, boots, and bindings moving around a bit underneath you.