Bullwings
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Posts posted by Bullwings
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Anyone going to be up there this weekend, march 3-4?
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I take it you're enjoying the 100 inches of snow that mammoth has received for February.
I'll be up there this weekend. I'll be bring up my 4wd that's for sure (no tree runs though), but should I even bother with brining my donek FCI 171?
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I disagree with this. Maybe you could expand on it a little bit. What is so different about the technique between the two?
I find that the major differences are:
1. the angle that your feet and therefore your body is facing in relation to the board
2. the plane on which your body now has to angulate
3. where your feet pressure your board - or rather, where your board pressures your feet
I don't see these as technique issues, though. I think that technique between HB's and SB's is very similar. I encourage HB'ers and SB'ers to crossover often to help their skills on both sets of equipment.
I would even dare to say that a truly good softbooter will take to HB's easily and vice versa.
Of course, there are always the softbooters that think that they are good....
This is long, but I think it adequately explains some of the differences experienced and seen, at more of an intermediate boarder level, and not an advanced/expert one (whether soft or hardboot).
ok, it's not drastically different, as i put it. when i transferred over this season, i wasn't completely lost. i was actually staying on edge, although you would have thought that my atv with a 9m SCR had something more like a 21m SCR if you saw my first few days out. I was able to negotiate runs still. It's not drastically different in the sense of a skier switching to snowboarding, but different anyway.
all of that being said, hardbooting for me was more critical to have the proper inputs. I don't necessarily think a good softbooter would take so easily to hardboots (mind you, even with 9-10 seasons, I was average to mediocre on softies and either straight-line bombed the steeps, or scarved/skidded them); conversely, I think that with all the precision inputs necessary for hardboots, it would be very easy for a hardbooter to pick up softboots.
Also, with hardboots, there's more lateral movements. on softboots, at angles of 9/-3 i never thought to "drive" my knees into the carve. at those angles, driving my knees into the carve would have meant hyperextending them and making them bend backwards or something on heelsides, and on toesides, well, they were already pointing to the snow (that was one of the big break throughs for me in my HB carving on about day 8 - couldn't exactly understand this concept).
Where to face on softies? Facing your angles, was pretty much facing the edge of your board, and so your rear hand trailed behind, and that was ok. Also, at those angles, sitting on the toilet was the thing to do (at least for me) -- it's pretty hard to keep your ass in the correct place in duck stance with the extremely shallow angles 9/-3.
Skidding when needed. On a softy setup, you can definitely rail it on edge, but skidding will be there when you need it and want it, and lots of times when you don't want it. When, I moved to my ATV at 50/45, skidding was much more difficult and tiring, but still possible and decently controlable. I recently picked up a 4wd, and put them at angles of 57/55, and skidding just wasn't happening for me. Maneuvering at low speeds around the lift areas when not on edge and flexing the board was nuts. The edges just wouldn't release for me to whip the board around. Bailing out of carves is harder too. I've gone off trail into the trees around 2-3 times now at some decently high speeds, enough where getting directly intimate with a tree wouldn't have been pretty.
There are definitely things i'm doing now on hardboots that i've never done on softboots. Also, up until about 2 season ago, i was putting in around the same amount of time per season as oldacura (5-10 days). Look at it from that perspective. Skidders are usually kooks, I know i was - the only difference for me now, is that I KNOW i'm not good.
I could keep going, but then it would turn into ranting that'd be more annoying than helpful.
Main point I'm trying to get at is, at an average of 5-10 days a season, hardbooting is pretty different from softbooting. This is especially true when switching from soft to hard (for me), I can't say what it's like going from hard to soft (and i won't ever be able to). This is the first season where i'll probably get 30 days+, and i've devoted it to purely hardbooting.
I don't think switching back and forth between his hard and soft setup is helping his hardboot skills, but it's probably helping his softboot skills. Anyway, this is not fact, it's purely an opinion, although the afformentioned stuff has been something close to my own experience and.... there's more, but this is getting pretty damn long.
one last thing. If he's riding moderate softy angles (36/27), like i did at the last ten days of my last softboot season, it'll be different - i'm sure that helped with my transition.
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I've been on soft boots for about 9-10 seasons, and tried hardbooting out this year. The technique between each is drastically different, especially once you start turning up the angles a lot more (past 50*).
I think you're making it harder on yourself by switching between hardboots and softboots before setting your hardbooting foundation. You should try to devote at least one full season to hardboots only - this coming from a 13-14 day hardbooter so far, so take it with a grain of salt. Also, riding with another carver, has greatly and dramatically improved my skills so far, althought I still have much to learn.
Also, there's no substitute or replacement for time on the slopes. Good athletes are either gifted or put a lot of time into it. Great athletes are both gifted and put a lot of time into it (it being whatever sport).
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I know wavechaser said he'd use a larger liner and a smaller shell. The other way around doesn't sound so good though.
As for downsizing, I think don't think it's such a bad idea. I just downsized from a 29 to a 28 (my foot measured 29.4cm), and it feels great so far, a little bit tight for the first 2-3 runs, then it got better. I've only put 1 day on the boots so far, and am expecting the liners to pack out a bit more by day 5.
I'm not sure how burton's sizing runs, but people have said that Deeluxe runs a size too big, so if you measure something like a 28 or so, you should downsize to a 27. I discovered this first hand and would say they're correct, not that I doubted them or anything -- I just bought my first pair of boots before i stumbled across that info.
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Nope, not me.
But, I did see that guy up there today. He's a cool, guy, pretty new to hardbooting too. he just started up this season, or end of last season. He was riding a wcr.
As for me, the 4wd was awesome. It's quite different from my ATV, much stiffer. It locks into the carves better, and not once did I have problems with edge chatter today. On the other hand though, I did have problems negotiating the lift at the bottom of chair 7 or is that 10. Not only did I turn my angles up to 60/55 (i could probably turn the front down 3 degrees or so in hindsight), but the tail on that 4wd didn't want to release the line it was cutting on (has a 0.5 base and 89 side). I had a pretty hard time making it skid, and actually found myself riding switch more often at the low speeds around the lift.
Over all, though, it's a great board, something that I can really push on and develop with. It doesn't punish poor technique too much, but it's also not as forgiving as the ATV. By comparison, however, if i'm on the ball, it felt quite a bit more rewarding than my ATV. I'm glad i first started out on the ATV with hardboots, but am happy to be riding the 4wd now. My brother is enjoying the ATV now on my old soft setup and very currious, even considering hardboots.
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a little bit about boot sizing. if i convert those 10.5 inches to cm, i get 26.67cm.
Deeluxe tends to run a little bit big with their sizing. My foot measured 29.4cm, and I wear a size 12 shoe, so i got some mondo 29 suzukas. I wore them for 12 days so far this season, and have done all sorts of things to get them to fit. Finally, i just ponied up and and bought some size 28s. They feel SO much better, of course i haven't ridden them yet (tomorrow and monday i will), but i can tell how much better they will be. Even after the liners pack out after 5 days or so of riding, it'll still be a much better fit.
My 12 days of hardbooting so far this season, has told me that the most important piece of equipment is your boots and their fit.
Also, a slightly small boot is better than a slightly large boot. A skilled boot fitter can make a smaller boot fit well. It's hard to do the same with a slightly larger boot - which i've had experience with (not too sure about the small boot, but that's what everyone else here says).
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Aside from the rolling onto my stomach and getting up toeside, which is much easier, I do the following for standing on my heelside.
-dig my heel edge into the snow a bit
-rock forward and perform as much of a sit up as possible
-grab the toe edge of my board with my rear hand (right hand for regulars) and pull myself up
-and push off the snow (i'm assuming groomers and not powder) with my forward hand (left hand for regulars)
i do the later three in a single motion.
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current boots i've been using so far: Suzukas 29
board and waist width: ATV 161 with 23.4cm width
angles: ~ 52f/48r +/- 3* since TD2s don't give you an exact number and sort of just spin freely
on the note of the ATV, it's a great board for learning hardboots (so it's been my experience thus far), but i'm starting to grow out of it fast. I've folded the nose on it 2 or 3 times now, and have felt a number of other times where it was right on the verge of it, but i released the pressure. i'm not sure if this is because i'm getting better, or bad technique and i'm loading the nose too much when initiating carves. i'm not riding in powder either, so i don't think it has much to do with the snow conditions.
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I've been seeing that pic since the beginning of the season, and can tell you for sure that it was not taken this season.
Although, with the latest storms, i want to be there too. And, if things don't fall through again, i should be there, first weekend of march.
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i've always refered to it as toe and heel side. only times i've heard front and backside are when people do tricks and grind boxes and rails.
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didn't think, i'd feel much of a difference adding cant to my setup seeing as how i'm still new to this, but...
in cases related to pain, it's pretty damn noticable. I added some outward cant to my rear foot, and the shin bang was insane. it looked like i was flexing my bicep, except on the front of my shin.
i started with pure 3* toe and heel lift, tried the cant outward can on back foot for one day, and went back to no canting.
i might try it out again some day and play with the setup more, but for now, i get enough bruising on my shins w/o cant, no need to add to it. guess my leg structure just isn't built for canting.
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i think this might be what you're looking for.
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A few people have been commenting on the canting mechanism of the old raichle SB boot series, which is pretty much the same thing on the Track 325/225.
What exactly is the problem with these and what's different with the AF (indy and suzuka) shells that fixes this problem?
Edit: is the SB cant replacement parts at the bomber store compatible with the new track series?
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there's a Surefoot in Santa Monica on Wilshire just off of Berkeley. and i think REI might do molding too, although i'd stick with the Surefoot. you can get some custom footbeds too. good stuff.
and, if your boot doesn't feel right, you can come back and have it re-adjusted and fitted for free.
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ok, well, the 325T is out of the question since both bomber and hardbooter don't have them in mondo 28s.
so, now it's between the Suzuka and 225T. I don't think there was really anything wrong with the Suzuka, but then again i have nothing to compare it to other than soft boots.
Keep in mind, i'm 150 lbs. and consider myself at least moderately aggressive, although i don't have the skill set to really push any of my equipment to it's limits - i've only logged 9 days on a hardboot set up so far. I'm pretty much looking for an all mountain boot that will keep me going well after the groomers are all done and chopped up. I also intend to use only hardboots (even in pow), at least for the next 2-3 years no matter what the conditions are, which is what i've been doing this year. I also have a set of BTS waiting for either boot to fine tune.
Thanks abakker, i'm leaning toward the track 225 since i'm still new to hardbooting and i doubt that I'll be pushing either setup to it's limits. I figure the 225s are like the 325s with a bit more flex due to it being a different plastic - and they both use the same shell molds. Looking for any more comparisons between the two boots (suzuka vs 225T).
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cool, thanks for all the info.
as for the superfeet, i know that they're supposed to go inside the liners. but, i already have my custom Surefoot beds in there. i threw the superfeet in purely for the purpose of taking up room.
anyway, i'll try out some other else with my current boots and see if that works out, although i have a good feeling the boots are too big. my instinct and the feel tells me they're too big, and people's experiences with Deeluxe and their mondo sizing also tells me that they're too big. looks like i gotta eat up another loss - ah well. btw, how much does it cost to ship boots? i'll probably be putting my boots up on the classified section soon, if not later (without the BTS ;) ).
Anyway, now the question is, which boot to go with? Suzuka, 325T, or 225T? the buckles on the new track models look very enticing.
hey, abakker, how much stiffer are the 325s vs the Suzuka? I'm looking for more of an all mountain boot that i can take anywhere, including pow.
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the first time i went there when i got them molded, they didn't say anything after the shell fit test.
the second time around, they said that it was a little too big. he was getting around 2.5-3 fingers in when he did a shell fit test. i might go back one more time, but after that, i'm through.
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So, I followed the tech article here for measuring and sizing up your foot. My foot measured 29.4 cm (i normally wear a size 12 shoe), so naturally I ordered some mondo 29 boots (Suzukas to be specific).
When my boots arrived in the mail, I went to surefoot and got them molded and fitted with their custom footbeds. However, they noted that my step tends to pronate a lot even though the soles of my shoes don't show it and look normal. I think this might have reduced the length measurement of my foot.
I am experiencing significant heel lift. I went to surefoot and had them help me out, and it's a lot better, but there's still heel lift. I went and bought some superfeet, and threw those under my liners inside the shell itself. I'm going to try one last thing for getting my heel to fit in nice and snug, after that I'm gonna pony up and start looking for new boots. Btw, I have 9 days on the boots, and have sprained my ankle once due to the loose heel fit - that's when i did all the modifications.
So, on to my question, do you think the boots are too big? If so, i'm looking at the Track 325 T and Track 225 T. How do these compare to the Suzukas? How does the sizing compare to the Suzukas (I'm thinking of getting mondo 28s, but don't want to make the same mistake again)? Are they (the track models) directly compatible with BTS? Any other things i should know?
All help is appreciated - I don't want to have to buy a third set of boots. Thanks
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umm, isn't the file going to span the curvature of your sidecut and um, not work?
i think it's meant to be used to keep your wax scraper sharp and in shape.
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that's where Snow Summit and Bear Mt. shine... they virtually have an unlimited water supply for all realistic intents and purposes. Big Bear Lake is just right there.
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For some people making a difference between hex and Phillips screw heads is "too much", so how can you expect any regular maintenance from them?
this is sounding a lot like
"OMG, i spilled coffee on my lap and got burned. that damned McDonalds makes their coffee too hot, they need warning labeles."
Or
"All that crap in McDonalds food has given me heart disease, they need to fix that..."
how about, your fatass not eat mcdonalds every day and watch Supersize Me. and what did your dumbass think coffee was gonna be filled with, icecubes?
this is like asking your parents to hold your hand till your 40 everytime you cross teh street.
edit: i'm not attacking you either alexeyga, just to make that clear, since internet is touchy like that. just a certain level of responsibility needs to be accepted by the user/consumer
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can't wait till my skills catch up to my gear and get up to par.
then i'll bust out the donek FCI 171. you're definitely welcome to try it out aaron. i have a feeling it'll be a bit stiff for me for a while, some of the guys here are 200 lbs and riding on that thing - by comparison, i'm only 150. hehe
yeah, next year is definitely a season pass to snow summit. i think i'll be spending a lot of the rest of the season at summit too. i only needed 5 days at mt. high to break even, and i'm at 7 days there - 9 total for the season so far. bar any more injuries, i should be able to hit my 30+ day mark assuming the season lasts into mid april and i get to make a few "big" trips.
A week off in april...
in Carving Central
Posted
What about Big Mountain in Montana, or Whistler?