Furi

sweet looking board! Thanks for the link to the journal - I love reading/seeing the step-by-step stuff. I don't think I could never attempt building my own board...it would be all messed up I'm terrible at these types of projects heh Are you going to try applying topsheets next? Or keep practicing? What did you find was the hardest part of the process?

I like the redo version alot! That skull is much nicer and fit better with the reaper on the tail. Thumbs up on the design!

Hey guys, just a heads up if anybody is looking for a Head Stratus Pro boots...we went to get a buddy of mine fitted for hardboots this weekend and got a killer deal. Figured I would pass it along: Tahoe Sports Ltd. in South Lake has about half dozen Head boots left, mostly in the larger sizes - Mondo 27+. These are the new black ones from this season. Talk to Trevor Brown: 530-542-4000. He asked me to not post the exact discount amount but it was pretty significant. He is willing to extend the discounts to the bomber/TC crew. I guess just mention bomber forums or say Allen and Baptiste sent you. Good luck and enjoy if anybody is looking for new boots!

thats an impressive mod Boarder_Ted! Its very interesting, I had flows and hated the forward lean issue as well. I found that I had to crank the straps down so far to feel supported. Since then I've changed them out for the nidecker 900s which I love. Seems like you built the perfect binding for you. Nice work!

oh man lay in the guilt! I see how it is!

*repeatably hits refresh on main forum list* :D

that makes 3 of us :)

that poor tanker :( I hope you're ok from the crash even if the board didn't make it. a swallowtail might be fun....it would be definitely be unique :)

nice pic!! congrats :) that's so cool to be on the front page of your local resort like that!

booked at the Riverhouse for 4 nights and got the lift ticket deal, ended up being $42/day for a ticket. driving from Mtn. View CA the 5th, but probably getting in fairly late, then riding the 6th, 7th, 8th, and driving back out the 9th sometime in the early afternoon. I'll see if anybody wants to rideshare or room share on tahoecarvers look forward to meeting and riding with you guys!

those are some great links - good info there. I bought my boots from the bomberstore and got them heat molded at a local store - Surefoot. They didn't charge me anything to get them molded. I see your in Mass - alot of good shops up in VT area. I found these 3 recommended places from the Carver's Almanac: Vermont: Startingate on Rt. 30, on the access road to Stratton. See Gary. [Note: Startingate uses a .net domain name] Vermont: Green Mountain Orthotic Lab at Stratton Massachusetts: Summit Ski and Snowboard in Framingham Also more general info on bootfitting on the Almanac: http://alpinecarving.com/bootfitting.html welcome to BOL :) I hope you find a good board (read your other thread) and enjoy hardbooting

anybody from bay area up for a day trip sat or sun? The crowds are going to be crazy and the girl wont let me go the whole weekend. was thinking sugar bowl (204 miles) or trying the smaller bear valley resort (170 miles). Anybody up for it?

downsizing is recommended from what i've read and from my own experience. I was a 26.7 measured with the paper trick and went with a mondo 26 deeluxe boot. After getting it heat molded they fit great.

wow Michelle i'm so sorry to hear that :( ill definitely keep on eye out on craigs list here and ebay. hopefully they will turn up or the police will find them. The prior floral print board sounds pretty unique and should be easy to spot. I hope those bastards go to jail how was the damage to the car, hopefully they didn't add insult to injury and trash your car too.

its coming RDY! :) want to take the camera and helmet cam setup up one weekend to get some action shots to go along with ride report :) thanks so much again for the Coiler board, I had an amazing time on it in CO! She loves to fly....definitely a steeper learning curve then I expected but after some work things started snapping into place. I love how hard the tail snaps out of a turn, it was like a rubber band shooting me out of the carve - what a great feeling.

another tanker owner chiming in as well 5.9 165lbs on a 172 tanker. I ride Sierra snow mostly and the tanker is great for those conditions. It powers through the mushy piled up snow we get in the afternoons and can really hold an edge on the harder pack in the mornings. I've been riding it with softies - 32 forecast with nidecker 900 carbon bindings, but I'll be putting plates on it next weekend. At my weight the 172 floats me really nicely in the pow-pow. I haven't taken it out in anything deeper then knee-high yet though. Spent 6 days on the tanker in softies in CO during Dec and the board performed so well. More then a few times I was wishing I had picked up a slightly longer tanker since CO has more vert and open slopes then the Sierras. For a longer board it turns very quickly and I have no problems with quick edge changes. It doesn't like bumps though, tough to get it moving through a mogul field. Trees aren't a big problem, but then again I don't do alot of tight tree runs. The tankers are extremely light for their size so it won't be a problem to get it turning quickly...but they are longer so clearance would be the biggest problem in trees. But you can throw it around with the back foot in a tight spot without too much effort. I was considering a Phoenix as well for my needs and almost bought one - I still want to demo one in the future but for right now my 172 tanker is perfect for all conditions.

hey Killington Bomber - I'm not too sure on racing but I can comment on switching from soft boots to hard since I just did that about a month ago. It shouldn't be too hard to switch if you are already a descent rider. It really depends on how used you are to getting a soft boot setup up on an edge. I printed out the practice drills (the "Norm") from the bomber site and spent a day getting used to hard boots, the steeper angles, and the larger sidecut of a carving alpine board. The biggest differences I felt was how sensitive alpine boards are to mistakes. On my soft boots I could get pretty lazy about making sure my weight was in the right place and my shoulders and hips were doing what they were supposed to. On the alpine setup you have to be more aware of these things and they impact the edge and turns alot more. The other difference was getting used to hard boots themselves. I thought I had pretty stiff softboots - 32 forecast, but my hardboot were so much more rigid - Deeluxe 325T. On my softies I had some side flex but on hardboots you don't get any of that, so driving your knee into the turn really has a greater effect with hardboots. I was washing out my edges alot by pushing too hard without having my body weight setup correctly over the edge. And the last big difference for me was the steeper angles. I ran softies with everything from +15/+0 to my current setup +35/+20. My first day on hardboots I tried +50/+50 and it just felt so strange being twisted that much sideways. You get used to it pretty quickly though, but the body positioning is a bit different then on softies. For recommendations on setups I'll defer to the more experienced hardbooters here :)

Bullwings - Haven't tried the tanker with plates yet. I just mounted some TD2's with yellow on the tanker and plan on riding 1/26 - 1/27 with plates. Height is 5.9 Weight is 160lbs.

I recently bought an 05/06 Rad-Air Tanker 172 and figured I would post a ride report and share my experience with the board. Working on another post with my impressions of the Coiler 173 with plates and my first experiences with carving :) But first the Tanker! *** some board porn! What more can I say about this wonderful board that hasn't already been written? What a great ride...everything I've read about the tankers only scratched the surface of what it feels like to cruise down a hill with this thing strapped to your feet. This board just matches my ride style so well. It’s a very surf-like style and a great cruiser. It really inspires confidence at high speeds and loves it when you throw it on a high edge. I can leave some really deep trenches and lines down a run without having to fight with the board. The dampness of the board and the softer flex means I can ride it all day and not be worn out. I've also been impressed with how it handles different snow conditions - although I will admit it loves pow-pow (naturally) and harder snow much more then the slushy junk we have in my home turf of the sierras. It’s nice to have a board that I can cruise with and still charge a fall line when I want. I do wish the tail had more spring in it so I could pop it into the next turn, but I knew that when I bought the board. Its fine though since I will be riding my coiler when it’s nice and cold and the snow is firm. One thing I loved was the reaction everybody had when I unpacked the 172 tanker. They couldn't believe I was actually going to ride that long of a board (longest board my friends ride are 162's) and wondered if I would even be able to turn it. Asking them to pick it up brought a huge grin to my face - the tanker is easily lighter than most of the mid 150 sized board they run with. :) ************** Dec 15th - 27th - Aspen, CO I put in 6 days with the tanker on softies and 5 with the coiler on plates and 1 much needed rest day :) It took me about a solid day of doing medium blues to get the bindings setup. Finally settled in on +33/+20 angles. The new nidecker carbon 900's are really great. The have a ton of control and the straps are comfy for my boots. We had an amazing amount of snow during those 12 days. It just kept snowing and snowing. The tanker was amazing in the powder runs, with my 160lbs frame the float was always there. The nose never got buried and it was a great feeling to glide through the pow-pow. *** My hmm understated and subtle jacket choice for the season On the snow filled groomers the board was excellent as well, great surf-like ride and the longer length helped out in the flatter sections to keep my speed nice and high. On the days when it didn't snow and the slopes got packed down a bit from the traffic I took the coiler out so didn't really get any corduroy runs with the tanker. Jan 9th - Alpine Meadows, Lake Tahoe CA This was a last minute day-trip after a huge dump in the sierras (6+ feet) that weekend and monday. Unfortunately the snow had a very hard crust top layer from the 50+ MPH winds the storm had. The bowls were full of moguls and the hard crust to soft transitions in each turn really made it a bumpy ride. *** here is my buddy in one of the mogul hard-crust bowls The tanker's dampness really helped out in that day's conditions. It would bust right through the hard pack then sink a bit into the fluff, then you would start your turn and the nose would plow into the hard crust then sink again. Rinse and repeat for the whole day. By the afternoon the warm temps started to really affect the snow and turn everything into a semi-hard crust to pure mush. We ended up hiking the back bowls most of the afternoon. My buddy on his burton custom-x 162 was having a rough day. That board is a noodle and the nose would buckle in the hard stuff always throw him forward - he had a crappy day. Jan 12th - 13th - Heavenly, Lake Tahoe CA Another good weekend with the Tanker. Saturday was fog and close to white out conditions but sunday was an amazing blue bird day. The high temps (+40F) on Sun made the snow really soft and mushy. Got in a solid 2 days of carving, but it was all on medium to low pitch blues since we had a few newer snowboarders in our 5 person group. *** Blue bird conditions on sunday: I think the softer flex pattern of the tanker helped out alot today. It didn't fight me in the carves and soaked up all the little bumps and piled up snow from the pizza parade. The biggest complaint was that after 2-3 runs my whole group wanted to try a run on the big red gun :) I left huge deep trenches in the slopes, it was a great feeling. My group tried to throw a curve ball at me: "ah ha! let's do trees Mr. 172!". Ok no problem and off we went. The board has no problem with quick edge changes and is very nimble. Granted the trees were really spread out compared to what I was doing in Aspen CO. ***Excuse the quality of the pic – it was still taken from a helmet cam video :rolleyes: Back on the groomers it was a cat and mouse game with the pizza parade and jibber crew to make it down the hill without getting rammed in the back. "Skier responsibility code? Blah, I have a skull and crossbones bandana I don't need to pay attention to anything downhill I just go man!" *sigh* Those quick edge transitions saved me from a few wreaks :) ************** I look forward to riding my tanker alot more this season and next weekend I'll be throwing plates on her - I really want to put some more power into my turns and from what I’ve read plates with a tanker is a great combo. Thanks to everybody for the recommendations and suggests which lead me to buying the tanker. And thanks very much to RJ from Exotic Boards for all the help and excellent service. >

ah cool...sorry I couldn't help on how to heat mold em. I guess you could try emailing deeluxe and asking them? Or try hardbooter.com they carry those boots and might know what type of method you need you to mold the liners :)

Brett - where do they feel loose? I am in opposite side of the boat - i'm trying to get used to how tight hardboots feel...well tight might not be best word - more like "secure" :p On my softies my big toe can feel the end of the boot without curling the toes. I heat molded my 32 boots but like Lonerider said it doesn't really add volume to the boot itself. Try removing the footbed and getting either a custom footbed (like surefoot) or some off the shelf superfeet liners (orange or wintergreen work well). That will add a bit of volume. If you still feel loose in some spots get the pads to fill in the empty space. My softies wrap my feet snuggly and feel about the same as my hardboots expect for the stiffness and more "secure" feel of the harder shell.

no hardware here, but I tore my meniscus a few years ago and then 2 seasons ago tore it again and had to get a meniscectomy (they removed the meniscus). My knee is still super senstive and I worry about it all the time...one wrong fall where my knee gets tweaked could mean the end of the season for me also I can't absorb shocks as well anymore...after a hard day it hurts compressing the knee - going down stairs for example. Advil is my best friend and I eat it like candy and still try to charge hard everyday

Bobby - you could always practice doing the "360 turn" heh :D but yah I think we've all gotten used to rolling hills or steeps and our ability adopts to that. I swear I could go straight downhill on some of the greens my buddy rides on and just pull one carved turn to scrub off all the speed...flat hills are no fun :(

Gecko - I totally know what you mean. I have a buddy that is riding on a 10 year old board that can barely link turns in softies and whenever I ride with him I end up riding like crap. I think its the mindset you come on the hill with. When I ride with him I'm not visualizing good turns and technique i'm just lazy and have a "whatever" attitude...like the day is a washout for me railing turns and that affects my ability. I actually wipe out more goofing around going slow then when I am riding to try to improve. I think my board length might also be a factor....taking 20mins to ride down a green circle with him isn't easy when I have a 172 that wants to be pointed straight downhill....maybe next time I'll drag out the old 156 or something :p

welcome to bomber! :) Alpine gear is pretty hard to find in your normal stores but thankfully we have some great online options. If you would rather do a rental type thing before spending any cash try to link up with some people from the ride boards and see if anybody would be willing to let you try their board out. Rentals in most areas is going to be next to impossible unfortunately. The other option you have is just jumping right into it Buying a board right now is good time - tons of options for used gear. If you wanted to buy new you are pretty much going to pay current season gear prices since last years stock has pretty sold out. Don't be afraid of getting used gear, this isn't nameless ebay and the members here sell good quality gear. Used is also a great way to cut down on the initial price of getting into the sport. I would say ride a few different boards to get the feeling of what type of board would be best for your area before spending 600-700+ on a new board. But if you decide to buy new you can't go wrong with many of the builders mentioned here already. I just recently started hardbooting after many years in softies and here was my cost breakdown: board (used) = 350 intech heels (used) = 40 TD2 step-in bindings (used) = 225 boots (brand new) = 485 = 1100 I couldn't find used boots in my size so I ended up spending the bulk of my budget on new boots. I would consider all this gear pretty much higher end even though it was used. If you are more budget focused you could spend as low as 500$ if you hunted around a bit. Happy shopping and post back when you pick up some gear and let us know how you like hardbooting!