Aracan

I have learned that the Contra holds a backside edge better than the PB Bastard.

I ride UPZ in F2 bindings. I have 3° lift in front to offset the excessive ramp angle. On the rear foot I have no lift but 3° inward canting (my rear binding angle is only around 40°, so canting makes more sense to me).

If you cannot source BTS, there are other aftermarket spring systems. Also, if Deeluxe is anything like UPZ, a very stiff tongue may limit the range of the BTS. If you want more flex, you will probably have to change both.

I have no personal experience, but I know that many hardbooters use foam-injected liners. I understand they add some stiffness, which is not for me, but it is certainly feasible.

I have never had this issue. Then again, as long as I need no fewer than two and no more than three fingers to close the bail, any tension is fine with me.

Much as I like the fit of my UPZs, I find the interference between those buckles on them something else. I have already had to replace the ankle buckle on the rear boot because the fine adjustment was shot, and the new one shows serious wear after one season.

I took my Contra out for the first time last Saturday (Contra 166, 24 cm waist, 11 m SCR according to Bruce). I noticed the same thing. If you happen to have your weight too far back in a backside turn (which, of course, is where it shouldn't be in a backside turn to begin with), it's very hard to get off the edge again. Which is to say it's a great board, and I love it, and there is a bit of a learning curve for me.

Seems Mountainslope have a center mark for snowboards. The UPZ center mark definitely refers to the DIN adapters. I have more questions about why a symmetric canting disc "is the best". It would seem that it prohibits canting adjustment. No idea why that is supposed to be good.

This may also vary quite a bit. The Pure Boarding crowd favor a lot more splay (= difference in angle between front and rear bindings) - at least 20°. Also, you do not need to exert pressure on both tongues. For the toeside turn, focus on the rear shin. When done right, your rear knee will touch the snow in a toeside turn (and not even a very fast turn). If you feel you cannot bend your knees (especially the rear one) enough, you can try the setting the front binding to a higher angle.

Exactly. Ignore those marks. Instead, when centering the boot, take into account that the forward lean mechanism sticks out quite a bit further than the heel. This is something to consider when you tip up the board high on edge.

I am not sure about that, for the following reason: The boots make or brake the alpine deal. Your boots need to fit, and fit well. Otherwise you will suffer, no matter how much money and training you invest. Hardboots are expensive, and if the boots you buy turn out to be the wrong shape, you may have burnt a few hundred Euros. I would therefore recommend, as a first step, to determine which hardboot shape is best for you. There are only three to choose from (unless you want to spring for Mountainslope right away): Deeluxe symmetrical, Deeluxe asymmetrical and UPZ. If you find a pair of, for example, UPZs for half their new price and like them, you can still unload them on someone else for more or less what you paid and get new UPZs. Or you keep them and just replace the liners. If not, rinse and repeat with Deeluxe. Also, don't forget the all-important shell test. Too large boots are a very common source of beginners' problems. When you first get the boots, take out the liners. Step into the shells so that your toes touch the front inside. You should be able to fit 1-2 fingers (lengthwise!!) behind your heel. If there is more room, get the next smaller shell size.

+1. When my daughter was small, I switched between skiboards and the snowboard, using orange Deeluxe Indys, some of the stiffest boots ever. They felt pretty noodly even with the very short skiboards. I really wouldn't bother with the DIN adapters, which will detract from the usability of your UPZs on a snowboard and not do much for their usability on skis.

I run the DGSS, and I dimly recall the ACSS (which we tried once when the wife still thought Head was the right shell shape). I believe they are rather similiar, function-wise, only the DGSS installs on UPZ boots without any additional drilling, while the ACSS is for Head boots and requires drilling at the bottom, while not using the top hole.

+1 for the DGSS (and the red tongues).

This will be the first season (if there is one :-/) where I have two boards …

I understand heel lift in and of itself. arneburner's question was if people really need so much of it that they add external heel lift for a boot that has such a lot of it already built in. Personally I ride without heel lift, but I use toe lift on the front foot to negate some of the built-in heel lift.

I just received my Contra 166 with the 11 m SCR. Now let's have some snow!

In these here parts FFP2 masks are mandatory on the lifts. Although I am not sure about the wisdom of closing everything (restaurants, theaters, museums …) EXCEPT the hills.

I hope Bruce read the email I sent him Thursday last. If he did and if it starts snowing in these here parts, I will soon be able to comment a lot more meaningfully about the Contra.

I also like those wide turns low down. A boot with lots of fore/aft flex works well for me, which is why I swapped the stock UPZ tongues for the softest ones available.

I still have one of those lying around somewhere, I believe. IIRC they were largely useless because the screws those things were meant for were the crappiest Raichle could lay there hands on. Thankfully, UPZ use Tx screws.

Looking at the sketch that explains it makes me glad my Tooltonic box came with a sidewall planer.

I emailed him on Monday and he got back to me on Tuesday, so yes, he is alright.

I am intrigued. How would a file guide work for this? As I understand (and use) it, the plane serves to take away that portion of the sidewall that would hinder the file from doing its job on the edge. Seems counterintuitive to use a file to prepare the board for the use of the file.

I got one and a half days of pow this year, and it was so shallow that on the second day I killed a brand-new board. So I might try to feel your pain, but maybe another time.