scrapster

Anyone ever ride the Pureboarding 2? It looks like a nice AM shape. I'm just curious how it performs in different snow conditions. I hear they're pretty stiff.

Hey Dave, I had an Arbor A-Frame a few years back and loved it. If anything, it was a bit too responsive for me (it hated to ride flat.) I hear that the Element is a more relaxed version. So, it sounds like a really good choice--size-wise too. I have heard a few complaints about top sheet durability the last few years, but I still think they're quality company doing interesting things. And they always turn heads...

I haven't been to Sugarbush in years, but its a great mountain. Actually, its two mountains--Sugarbush and Sugarbush North (an no, its not just two faces of the same peak as many EC resorts try to get away with.) I've stayed at a few nice places in the Mad River Valley/Waitsfield, but I couldn't tell you about affordability. Also, there's not much night life there. Still, its New England winter at its finest.

Hi Ernie. Did this board sell yet?

Thanks for the input. Tim. B-East has actually gotten some pretty good snow the last few years! It must be global warming :) As for the MFR, I'm still on the fence, and probably need to get the board in my grimey little hands to check it out before I decide its fate. My need is for a board that will carve and eat up crud reasonably well--without springing me into the air like a diving board-- when its NOT ice or groomed hardpack. I have a 155 Unity dominion right now for the icey stuff, and it carves great. But its a stiff little shank of a board to ride when the snow is uneven--and of course, it dives down in the freshies.

The last few years Mt. Snow and Killington have duked this one out. I know the ski patrol director at Snow--I'll try to get his 2 cents.

Here's one for all the longboarders out there. You've probably seen this (one of you may actually be the rider), but if not, its a hoot. Think snow!

Anyone here ride the Prior MFR? I found one or two opinions when I did a search. I'm particularly interested in how stiff people think it is. Caddy or race car?

Thanks all. Calling anything a "powder board" when you live in New England is probably overkill. More likely, it will be my fresh snow (sometimes a foot or two), chopped up crud and slushy granular board. And hopefully it will carve some hardpack in between. Point taken about length versus stiffness. Anyone know how stiff the Prior MFR's are supposed to ride? I've heard competing reviews, but am hoping that mounting plates may give me a bit more leverage. That being said, I'm happy to consider trade offers for a slightly shorter (or softer!) all mountain carver in the 158 to 167 range and in comparable shape. Always fun to see what comes out of the woodwork!;)

Hey all, Sometimes a great deal overrides any sort of logic. I just picked up a 168 Prior MFR for a ridiculously low price. Did I "need" it? Not really. Maybe as a powder board and something to carve through Vermont/Mass crud (my arch nemesis). But I have always wanted to try a Prior, so... Now, I'm 5'5" in about 150lbs after eating dessert. Did I just get too much board for myself? I have never, ever ridden something this long. Also, if you were in my shoes, would you mount it up for HB or softies? Honestly, I have such a schizophrenic quiver for this season, there is gong to be a lot of experimentation going on. Could be fun!

I ride the 157 speedcross in VT and MA. Its a decent board, but I find it doesn't hold an edge as well as I'd like in softies, nor does it turn very smoothly in anything but perfect snow. (Another note, it has a crappy extruded bottom that gets burned along the contact points.) Still, I like its overall feel and set up, especially on fresh groomers. Its one of the few carvers that can fit soft boots, so its a place to start. Maybe hard boots would sell me on it even further. I'm still looking. This year I'm going to try one of my stiff, big mountain boards (that I know holds a killer edge) with a softer HB set-up. Then again, I like tinkering with equipment.

Ladies and Gentlemen--advice needed! I'm looking to tame a stiff freeride board, and was wondering if hardboots might help? The board is quite burly (although only a 155cm) and carves beautifully. At the same time, its a pig edge to edge with a soft boot set-up, and gets bounced around like a springboard in crud. Here's the link to the board's specs: http://www.unitysnowboards.com/site/boards/board/dominion/ Would a softer, hard boot set up offer me more control? Also, could someone chime in on the different experience I might have with snowboard-specific hardboots versus AT boot? I have a line on some old Raichle 223's, as well as some Lowa Struktura AT's~both are intriguing and cheap enough for me to experiment with~but I can only get one at a time. BTW- I'm 5'5" and clocking in at about 147lbs. I used to ride some alpine in the late 1980/s/early 90's, and am getting drawn back to the idea now that I actually live near mountains. Thanks! Its getting cooler out there! :o

Interesting ideas. So, too much pressure (as opposed to too little) on the heelside can cause sliding out? I had assumed that I wasn't getting enough bite on that back edge due to the soft boot setup--which is why I made the back angle a little more shallow and got the risers. As for spacing, my rear binding does look a little close to the tail--definitely worth further investigation. Thanks again!

Thanks! That helps me narrow things down a bit. Pretty sure I'm not booting out. Back seat sounds HIGHLY likely. Angles, could be. The front is somewhat high for softies-though I do have my high backs rotated, and I'm on risers, which I'm told improves leverage. I'm curious about stance width. I'm riding the same width as I do on my freeride boards--about 19.5"--is that too wide for softie carving on a bx board?

Is there a difference in technique? I was WAY jealous yesterday at Mt Snow. A good number of hardbooters and softbooters were cranking some sweet, tight carves on coarse granular over a fairly hard, frozen base--and most at leisurely, relaxed speeds. There were some REALLy deep trenches being laid. Then there was me on my new, soft boot, 157cm BX set up--having some trouble. On wide open trails with an even surface and a good head of steam, I was doing fine. Actually, I was doing great. Except for the occasional pile of mashed potatoes that threw me off my line( I seemed to be having more trouble with those than most--but that's for another post), I could go faster and carve large radius turns with more confidence than any of my other boards. My problems came when I tried to carve smaller radii turns at slower speeds. Toeside was okay-- some skidding--but okay. Heelside, more often than not, my tail popped off edge and sometimes sent me sliding out on my arse. It made for a very uneven, unsmooth performance. When the snow was good, the problem was less--but the conditions were pretty variable. Still, I was amazed at how consistent some of the other riders seemed, regardless of conditions. I know there are likely a lot of variables involved, but any initial thoughts? (Im riding a 157 F2 Speedcross, 8.4m sidecut with Sal spx90 bindings, 39deg/24deg--I have some foot problems, and the higher angles are much more comfortable for me--I'm 5'5" at 150lbs. I've been freeriding for about 20 years, but mostly in mid-atlantic conditions that ranged from concrete hardpack to boilerplate ice. Real snow has been an adjustment for me.) Thanks!

Dudedude, Could you send more pics of the Cross my way? thanks!

Had a great time at Berkshire East this past Thursday. Five cars in the parking lot! I didn't see another soul for 75% percent of my runs. Snow warmed up by 11am and got really, really good. I forgot how much fun spring riding can be. Good attitudes, few people, warm temps.... Too bad I hear the B-East is closing this weekend. I may try to hit Mt. Snow on Tuesday afternoon (using up that flex-time at work!) if anyone cares to join me. Hate to see winter go. Time to dust off the kayak and bodyboards.

Hi John, It looks like a cap all around--except for the waist--which is really a wild design. Basically, the waist edges looks like a sandwich of steel edge (and sintered graphite base material) with some sort of red strengthening layer above it, and then a layer of carbon/kevlar. That's it!!! There's no wood core over the waist edges. (Its cut away in an hour glass shape.) If I'm right, the Rad Air Lamms may have a similar edge construction--though its for a shorter length on the Proto. Not sure if that's the "N Concept Construction" or not. Nidecker is a bit sketchy in their descriptions, and sometimes with their measurements---but I've loved every board of theirs that I've owned---just smooth as silk. PS- The Proto is currently about to end on Ebay, so get it while its hot! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP<WBR>I.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item<WBR>=180216902460&ssPageName=STRK<WBR>:MESE:IT&ih=008 ~Mark

Hey Dingbat, Nice to hear from you! I know, I know, Saturday morning was THE time to ride. (Actually, my boss and her crew took off from work at 2pm on Friday to hit the freshies at B-East. I should have known she wouldn't be around for long when she showed up for work, ski boots in hand that morning.) For me, I had (cheap ;)) family coming in from out of town--so they set the schedule for Family Night. I live down the road in Florence, MA. I'm just starting to return to alpine riding. (I rode an old Burton asym M-series back in the day.) To transition, just this weekend I received my new F2 Speedcross, which I'm DYING to take out. I'll be riding a carving-oriented soft set-up on it for the time being. Otherwise, you'll see my black, Nidecker platinum on powder, crud, and slush days. Funny, I'm learning that I like a softer nose when the snow lumps up... I'll drop you a line next time I'm headed North!

Hey Dave, I hear ya'. I did Saturday family night at B-East with two youngsters (6 and 9 yrs old). Its the first time I've ridden with them and I swear, I had my elbows out and my fists clentched ready to knock down the first out-of-control maniac who came close to hitting them...and there were many. I felt like a hockey goalie! It was actually pretty stressful. I guess no one taught these folks proper etiquette when they started skiing/riding. My dad did one thing right. But that fantastic snow made it all worth it!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, that was heavenly. I guess we just have to share it with the idiots. By the way, who's parking that black and green Renntiger outside the main doors of B-East? I've seen it my last two trips up. Strangely--its been riderless most of the time. Hmmm....

Hey There, Actually, The House website still has some 161's left (though that's the longest.) I just snagged a 157 myself--fast shipping--hope to have it on the hill tomorrow!

Hi All, If anyone is looking for a good carving freeride board for those tracked-out afternoons, I just placed my Unity Dominion 155 on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180217746121&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=008 Never tried it with plates, but its plenty burly (I rode it with my SPX 90's--anything less and you couldn't really flex it.) Waist 24.6, sidecut 803, Effective edge 118.9. Its a solid, fun ride. Ill pull it off the 'bay if anyone wants to work out a private deal. About $200 would pique my interest.

Hey All, Thanks to those who contacted me. I decided to reduce my price to $180-shipped in the US. I'll consider other offers as well.

Hi there, Do you have any bindings left? I'm not picky. I just need something in decent shape that's not overly specialized. (I'm just starting out as a carver.) Thanks!

Good advice. I was considering getting rid of the Proto because I had thought it was wide enough to handle a stiffer, soft boot set up. (Nidecker advertises the current Proto model that way--somewhat like the Prior ATV.) Alas, this older version is still supermodel thin. I've just about reached my gear-buying limit for the year, so getting a new set-up of boots and bindings is iffy, at least for this year. Still, none of my local shops stock carving equipment--so the Starting Gate sounds like the place to go if I decide to dive into this. I'm also glad to hear that there's a local crew at Stratton. It can get lonely being a 30-something rider sometimes! Also, I couldn't refit my Burtons anyway. The mounting disc is held in place by a metal adjusting "fork" and the disk just won't wiggle out from under it.