John Bell

They're K2 Raider Boas, which I love. I'll probably get new bindings of some type and keep the Burton Freestyles on the Rossi 158 as my early-season beater. OK--I'm leaning toward buying the custom Axxess. Thanks again, guys!

Thanks for the thoughts, Buell. You're right that the Axxess is normally 21.5, but the guy who offered to sell his to me has a custom version they made wider (24 cm) just for him, plus a tad bit softer. He also had the Olympic core put in (whatever that is). It may be more board than I need, however. I mean, it sounds great, but then I remember that I can get a brand new Donek Freeride or ATV for about 500.

Vielen dank fuer ihre Hilfnung. What angles are you running on your 175? Do you agree or disagree with the idea that tighter angles on in softer boots are less safe? My knee isn't that bad; I had the ACL replaced 4 years ago, but I don't want to push my luck. So I weigh 77-80 kg and, as I said, right on smaller hills usually. What range of lengths/sidecut angles do you think I should be considering?

I gotcha. That actually makes sense. Years ago I did have some old POS board set up with tight angles and softies, and I recall always like I could just barely control it; stopping suddenly was a real problem. What you said explains why. So it sounds like that as long as I'm in softies, I'm relegated to not carving laid-out turns--right? And if so, what about the Europeans who I hear are carving in soft boots? Are they going with smaller angles? (RJ at Rad-Air told me this; but maybe he was talking about just the Tankers.)

'Preciate that, Boarderboy! Alas, I'm a 9.5-10. Yeah, it's too bad there's not a shop 'tween here and VT that sells hardboots. So even if I wanted to buy some, I'd really be rolling the dice.

They have the Boa system, and I keep them really loose when I walk. I tighten the bejeezus out of 'em when I'm riding, and they do in fact get pretty stiff. Not hard-boot stiff, of course, but stiffer than most softies.

Thanks for the reply, D-Sub. Yup, I did mean in softies. I won't rule out hard boots at some point if I can get some super deal--but baby steps, you know? I just remember last winter at Park City; my friend (a skier) and I stayed at this townhouse place at the bottom of the mountain, and he was hating life in his ski boots. We had a good quarter-mile trek to the bus through the snow. The Madd boards are a little pricey for me unless I can get a used one for cheap--and if I can get one that is wide enough for softies. That said, I do plan to use some pretty tight angles. Otherwise, I figure, what's the point? Plus it'll be great not to have my board clackering around that of the person next to me on the lift. What happens if I ride some massive alphorn of a board in soft boots?

Help me out here, O carve kings/queens, if you would. After 10 years on a board, I'm looking to get into carving for the first time. I put an ad on the "Want to Buy" section and got some good advice there, but I thought I'd follow up, because I'm still confused. I'm kind of vacillating between buying a huge hog of a race board--like a Donek 175 that is at this very moment on eBay--or some kind of all-mountain board, which would no doubt be better on powder and easier to learn on. But here are the complicating factors: 1. I'm gonna stay on soft boots for a while. I know this makes me an evil person, but I hear they're easier to ride in powder, easier to walk with up those metal stairs to the cafeteria, and usually lighter. I have a fake ACL in my left knee, so I don't want the equivalent of a basset hound hanging off my left leg. And I'm a cheap bastard. I just blew 160 bucks on my softies, and I ain't throwin' that away. Plus hard bindings and boots are like another $600. And since NO ONE sells them in the store, and it's generally a bad idea to buy any kind of footwear without trying it on, I'm stickin' with what I got. Go ahead and flame me. 2. I live on the east coast of the USA. (Hey, I don't need your pity, BC!) Anyway, I want something that will be great on ice and ****ty snow, because let's face it: That's what I'm gonna be on most of the time. I might get one trip out west per year if I'm lucky, depending on my job. Thus: Given that I'm gonna be on small, icy hills for the most part, should I get something with a smaller turning radius? And if so, what about a race board? I saw one on eBay--a Nitro GT 154--for $89 used. I'm afraid it would be chattery as all hell, though. (I hate chatter. I get enough of it now with my 158 Rossi.) Is there by chance a board that is long enough to eliminate chatter but with a tight turning radius, so that I have a snowball's chance in hell of carving it at the humble resorts of upstate NY and (when I'm really lucky), Killington? If I see some crazy long race board on eBay for cheap, should I just go sink or swim and learn on that? Does the Nietzsche principle apply to learning to carve? Here's what I've considered so far: Donek Wide Donek Pilot Donek Vald 175 (the one on eBay) Nitro 154 GT Prior ATV (off hardbooter.com) F2 Silberpfeil (which reportedly can make quick turns) Donek Axxess 172 Custom (softer and with a 24-cm waist) offered by someone on this forum, slightly used Thanks very much for your advice! --John

My wife used to work for the US government on combating human trafficking, so I know something about the subject, at least secondhand. It's absolutely true that the conditions in China and many other countries are abusive in many if not most factories--long hours, low pay, etc. And the environmental protections are nil. What muddles things is that the alternative for these factory workers is often prostitution or begging. In poor countries that have very little manufacturing, this is often the case. If it was your 9-year-old daughter, would you prefer that she be sewing for 12 hours a day or working as a prostitute? Because *those are the choices* over there, like it or not. We can and should try to change that, but in the meantime, it's good these people have jobs. I think that improvement in conditions will come gradually, with political pressure from other nations. Remember that the US had some pretty awful textile mills in the 19th century. (I'm not going to compare child labor in China with slavery in the US, because there simply is no comparison. That would be gauche and inaccurate.) I used to avoid buying Chinese-made goods until I realized the reality of the choices over there. And I still lean toward buying things made in more developed countries--but to be honest, it's mostly for selfish reasons. I simply believe (perhaps wrongly) that a snowboard made in Austria is probably better made than one made in China. I have nothing to base this on, and I might well be wrong. After all, US automakers are paid better than any in Asia, and who makes better cars--GM or Toyota? (Yes, Japan is more labor-friendly than China, but I'd still bet that a Chinese-made Buick is better made than a US-made one.) I will say that I regard China as a very evil country for its oppression of political dissidents, its support of the truly Orwellian military junta in Burma, and its ongoing financial support of the Sudanese government. But not buying goods made there isn't going to change anything. Anyway, despite the horrific conditions in these factories, the people who work there are actually glad to have those jobs. I wouldn't want to flip burgers down the street here, but I'm sure the person who does that is glad to have the job rather than no job, or he wouldn't be doing that. If you feel guilty buying something from China, then donate some dough to UNHCR, Amnesty Intl, MSF, etc. Sorry for the ramble!

Sounds like I have some more research to do. Someone asked why I'd stay with the soft boots. Part of it is that I just bought some last season and don't want to basically throw away the money I spent on them, and part of it is that I don't relish the idea of clunking through a parking lot full of cars while wearing hard boots, en route to the lift. And the softies are unbelievably comfortable. I appreciate all the help and look forward to getting into the sport once I have some approximation of an alpine setup. --John

Hi, everybody. I just registered and am looking to get started in alpine carving. I really, really want to keep my soft (but stiff) boots and use conventional bindings, both for comfort and economy reasons. (RJ at Exotic Boards told me the Europeans do this.) To be honest, I'm not really sure what I should be looking for in a board. But Carver's Almanac says an all-mountain board is best to start on, so I figure I should probably take that advice. I'm never going to race; I just want to lay down some curves--and yet not sink in the powder. I've been riding for 10 years and am fairly advanced; I've done the double-blacks off the ridge at Loveland with no problem, as well as Superstar at Killington. I weigh 170 and wear size 10 boots. Needless to say, no park or pipe ever. If anyone has a new board they're selling, please e-mail me. Or even if you just have general thoughts or advice, I'm all ears. I'm in NYC but also make trips to DC quite often--so if I could buy a board from someone on the East Coast, that would be ideal. Thanks! --John