RCrobar

WOW!!!

No he doesn't. I did ponder this thought, it brings a big smile to my face when I do. I guess if he reads this thread he will know. Fingers crossed that the CBC picks up the story!! Thanks for trying Corey, it is the thought that counts. Thank you. I hope a few riders agree and enter Bruce's name. Cheers Everyone Rob

Hi For all you non-Canadian Bomber members out there, CBC is the acronym for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Hockey Night in Canada and the National News on CBC television are part of the Canadian cultural fabric. ‘Only in Canada’ is a 5 to 10 minute special interest, documentary type series that is aired on the CBC National News. This series focuses on interesting people and places in Canada. This spring I nominated Bruce Varsava for this series. What I am hoping this thread will do is inspire riders from all over the world to request that the CBC run a story on Coiler, Bruce and Carving. Below is my entry. Go to this link if you would like to nominate Bruce. http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/onlyincanada/ Cheers Rob

Hi I appreciate SunSurfers posts because he has provided links to the two main carving techniques; rotational and non-rotational is how I will describe them for lack of a better term. It seems to me asking a new rider what technique they want to learn first is an important starting point. Also, using the non-rotational technique does not mean you will be racing. In addition, using the rotational technique does not mean you will be Extremecarving. Can of worms open? I sincerely hope not as this is not my intention. Use both techniques, or pick the one that best suits your needs. This video tutorial is not in English, but the subtitles are. I think the animations explaining the non- rotational technique are really cool. This video is in soft boots, but it shows the rotational technique quite well. Cheers Rob

Hi steven The video below is of a Nirvana, with metal and (I am pretty sure) a 12/14m SCR, the same as the ready made Coiler on the Apex site. When I first saw this video I couldn't believe how tight it was turning, this is when Bruce explained to me the difference between the SCR of a glass vs a metal board. I found the specs for the 1994-95 Burton Alp 164. The SCR for the heel is 9.24m, the SCR for the toe is 9.64m, the rider weight range is 130 to 200 pounds. It seems crazy that you are running out of room, maybe the old technology just can't do it?? Anyway, just food for thought and perhaps a reason to not get too hung up on a really small SCR if you get a metal board? Unless of course you want a tight turning board, which is also a lot of FUN! Cheers Rob

Hi I really like the Coiler suggestion as well, especially at a 33% savings!! Check out this link for a ready made Coiler Nirvana, saving you the wait time for this season and getting a cool plate as well. http://www.apexsnowboard.com/coiler-gecko-special-edition-snowboard.html The SCR is bigger than you mentioned you were after, but it is a SCR that several Bomber members love. This SCR may be too much, it could also be a carving board that you would like more and more as you improve and progress as a carver ... over the next 20 years. Try to demo one, as metal boards turn tighter than a glass board of the same SCR; this was explained to me by Mr Varsava himself. Just a suggestion, best of luck with your search. Rob

Hi I agree with all 3 of the previous post. I am surprised you are not getting more help, suggestions, or cans being opened up as this site has an army of knowledgeable guys that enjoy helping:) Providing more information about you may help to get a few more replies. Maybe provide answers to questions like: -will this be a one board quiver or the first of a bunch of boards you want to get? -do you consider yourself intermediate/advanced, etc.? -are the runs you ride most often narrow or wide? -will you be on piste carving most of the time? -will you be all terrain riding most of the time? -what size are your boots? -what are your preferred stance angles? -are you over or under 190 pounds? -etc. Hope this helps Rob

I completely understand the budget constraints:) If you don't find a good used Dupraz, I am pretty sure the guys in Whistler have demo boards that they may sell at a good rate. Best of luck with your search. Rob

Hi Ballistic I am pretty sure that the only place you can buy a Dupraz 'brand new' in Canada is a small shop in Whistler, here is the link. http://underground-tuning.com/product-category/snowboards/dupraz-snowboards/ Cheers Rob

Maybe it would be more sensible if he was on a Slalom Kessler, personally I don't think so;-)

Admittedly it is hard to disagree with your thoughts on carving being cool, but I am an eternal optimist:) I can't disagree with your thoughts on the 360 carve, I simply was stoked by the fluid motion of the move ... difficulty didn't really matter. Seeing a carve like the one in the picture below, in this huge pipe, in a young mans Burton Video, makes me think our little carving community has had a tiny bit of carving influence on these riders. Like I said, I am an eternal optimist. Regardless, I can't help but enjoy the creativity and energy of these talented young riders. Cheers Rob

Yesterday the fourth edition of the Burton Peace Park series was televised. The 20 minute movie has the usual unreal jumps and spins for from some of the best young riders at the top of their game; these young guys really do RIP! At the 10:00 minute mark they have a two and a half minute section called 'Surf's Up' that I think many carvers might really enjoy. Something must be going crazy in Burton land, because of the next two quotes from the movie: 'For once in snowboarding history carving is cool.' 'It's good to see people carving in 2015.' At the 10:27 to 10:30 mark they show a few VERTICLE, fully laid out, euro, extreme, body slide type carves! At the 11:32 mark is shows one of the smoothest 360 carves I think I have ever seen; lots of speed when entering and exiting the 360 carve. I enjoyed the movie and really enjoyed the Surf's Up section, thought others in the carving community might enjoy it as well. Cheers Rob

Thanks Everyone The Snowboard Race Technique grew organically from the random 'circumstances' that many riders and coaches were involved in; this sounds about right for the evolution of many sports. It also seems safe to say that the many of the riders and coaches involved in Snowboard Race Technique, ever evolving as it is, had there roots firmly planted in the influences of a ski racer technique and heritage. I think it is cool how different riders can look at a mountain and see a 1/4 pipe, a race track or a big glassy wave. It is also cool to see how they all grow organically via a series of circumstances .... that we can visit about years later. Cheers Rob

Thanks Mr Beckmann It has been very interesting reading some of the 'circumstances' from snowboardings racing past. Cheers Rob

Thanks Tex1230 I have to be honest, this is the first time I have ever heard of Jerry Masterpool; I don't come from a racing or skiing background, the Bones Brigade was my inspiration. From the quote below it seems like Mr Dupraz's HOT team and hired French ski coach set the racing bar higher first, then a few years later others did the same. Was Jerry Masterpool a world cup ski racer and coach? A quick google search and guys like Chris Klug and Mark Fawcett, a legend in my mind, mention Jerry as a key guy in their racing careers. Found this section about race teams and Jerry Masterpool in a Chris Klug article on line:

Found the information below on the Dupraz web site, it seems to confirm the ski racer influence on technique in the 1980's. Cheers Rob Competition Early on, Hot chose to sponsor both races and racers. This is how the company won the first French National Championships. Having always had faith in the future and growth of the sport, Serge Dupraz worked hard to provide Hot Snowboards with as strong an image as the top brands at the time, all American. Hot created a stable of professional racers (coached by a former ski instructor trainer at France's legendary ENSA – National School for Skiing and Mountaineering – in Chamonix), which was in total contrast with the more typical laid-back approach at the time to this type of initiative. The Hot Pro Team, which included two Swiss racers and their coach, worked all year long, and everyone was a Hot Snowboards employee. They were able to harvest the fruits of their labor, racers on team Hot took home national, European, and international titles. The brand image was clear: solid, high-performance, dynamic, and quality beyond reproach. In France and in several other countries, Hot Snowboards dominated the all-mountain and alpine snowboard markets (In France, sales five times higher than Burton, the N°2 brand). The Hot Snowboards brand continued to ride high on this image until 2005.

Thanks Nils Surge Dupraz is 'perhaps' the guy that started the narrower board trend, how ironic! I say ironic because he was so inspired by Hawaii and Surfing. Ironic when you look at his boards of today that are totally and completely made to simulate a surf feel and vibe. Who were the Hot riders winning all the races in the mid 80's? It would be my guess that they were ski racers as kids, who moved to snowboarding as boarding grew. It seems to make sense, when you watch a modern racers technique, that these HOT riders applied all the ski race knowledge that they picked up as young kids. Does this ski theory, for the history of the snowboard race technique, hold water? Thank you for your thoughts guys! Rob

Thanks Pat The Burton Catalogue that inspired the history question is from the 1995-96 season. I am not sure if you can tell from the picture of the Factory-Prime page, but near the bottom is explains that they make boards of the same length, with different widths, for different styles. For GS they had a wide and a narrow symetriacal board. For SL they had a narrow symetrical board and a wide asymetrical board. "Similar lengths, but designed for two distinctly different riding styles." Thanks Rob

Hi Who is the Father of Snowboard Race Technique? What is the history? Was it an organic grass roots development or was it based on an ISF vs FIS type controversy? Did ski racers move to snowboard racing? Etc. Is there a Sims vs Burton type story within the race community? Who was the first to start producing narrow snowboards? Flipping through an old Burton catalogue inspired my curiosity. Thanks in advance for your stories. Cheers Rob

REALLY nice turns ... big, fast and graceful.

Hi I personally don't think it really matters whether the boards' official genre is for 'Freecarving' or 'Extremecarving.' A few visits with Mr Coiler himself and he quickly lets you know how the boards, of different genres, are related and close in many ways. Each board is 'optimized' to a genre, but of coarse all of them can be carved in a lot of different ways. My highly biased opionion would be to recommend you look at SCR and your preferred Stance Angles first. SCR: EC boards have larger SCR. If you let the board take you for a ride, the bigger 13-14m type SCR can have you screaming down the hill pretty fast. If you are able to drive or control the turn shape well, then you can control the speed of a board with a bigger SCR. I don't know your riding level, but I think this is where you have to be honest with your comfort level with larger SCR and the width of the runs you see most often. Edit: The above thoughts were inspired via the boards listed in your profile; assuming that the 159 Proton and the 160 Incline have pretty tight SCR's. Stance Angles: Gone for me are the days of having a board's width dictate my stance angles. For me your boot size and preferred stance angles would dictate the width of board you get. That said a little boot under or over hang is not that big of a deal; especially since you mentioned that EC is not your goal. IMHO don't worry about the width, you will quickly get used to what ever board you pick. I hope these high biased opinions help in your board search. Cheers Rob

Burton Physics I think, if I understand your question correctly, the answer is YES. When Burton shipped their Physics bindings, they included two types of toe options; a standard step-in toe bail system that could be used with any hard boots, and a metal 'speed hook' toe piece that (I think) could only be installed on the toe of Burton Hardboots. Their was only ONE heel option regardless of the boot. The snow doesn't clog up in them, but the two heel washers can get so 'STUCK' on the metal heel receiver pins that you can not get the binding off. I would pack something like a screw driver, etc that can be used to hammer the pin and wash system loose to disengage the binding; if you don't you may have to leave the boot in the binding and walk sock feet into the lodge. Hope this helps, I think you kids will have a blast with the step ins:) Rob

If it feels good, do it Not sure about the math either? What I do know is wider stances, lower rear foot stance angles on longer boards has made this feel great for me. Surfs Up To each his own. Always with respect for your thoughts Mr Beckmann! Cheers Rob

Sing a Song of 8 Breeseomatic's original post and powder set up picture, the plate with 2 cant disks, with the yellow e-ring and the power plate, seem like a combination that would REALLY smooth our the harsh sensation you get when riding powder. I my memory is correct, the little F2 wedges are 4 degrees each. Two wedges on the F2 Carve is a light and flexible set up for powder and give you 8 degrees. If I had to pull a Catek Freeride cant angle out of the air, to me the max cant of my Catek OS1 Freerides feels like the 8 degrees of the F2 cant set up. Rob

Hi Yeah .... that's kinda what I thought I might hear. At the same time I was hoping that a keen softbooter might have already giving this a try and could give us the 'rest of the story'. Thanks for replying guys! Cheers Rob