Jump to content

Puddy Tat

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,022

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Puddy Tat

  2. Yay! Bomber Fall Newsletter in my inbox!

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Now I know why I've never seen the link.

    See everytime the Bomber Main page opens in my browser my eyes go immediately to the center of the page looking for a picture of Step-in Sidewinders. Then not seeing those they track back over to either "Message Boards" or "Store".

    As bizarre as this sounds I've never seen that link because of this.:D

    Dave

  4. Easy booster-strap question

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    I went and looked at the Booterstrap site it's more in line with what Queequeg wrote.

    Here's their english brochure on strap adjustment.

    http://www.boosterstrap.eu/brochures/inglese.pdf

    Pg 3 Item one under adjustment, they recommend putting it between the shell and the liner. The boot shown has a very low shell though.

    This is so odd because I swear I've never been wrong before. :smashfrea

    On the UPZ RC-10s on Dan's site I can't see the booster strap at all on the racer's boots (www.UPZboots.com) However all pictures of the boots just sitting there show it over the boot shell's tongue.

    So I'm not sure. I understand the actual Boosterstrap is a slightly different design from the velcro strap on the UPZs though. In that it has buckles and varying amounts of elasticity depending on the strap.

    Maybe someone else can chime in here

    Dave

  6. 158 Oxxess BX board 188 Burner

    in For Sale

    Posted

    Kurt,

    Dates are set. Steve put a link on the Alberta ride board to a Facebook page for it. Dates are January 13-15. I'll be down for the weekend, or as long as my legs will hold out.

    Last years was pretty humbling and seeing what was possible really let me improve over the remainder of the season.

    Hope to see you there on the Friday.

    Dave

  9. Snow!

    in Canada - Alberta

    Posted

    Ugh. I'm waiting for December and some real snow.

    I've planned my first trip down to Sunshine for Nov 26th/27th. We'll see how that works out. I'm dying to get out, but don't have a board that I'd risk at the moment.

    Dave

  11. Step-in vs......

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Thanks for the great info.

    Moonlight is typically all mountain for me: steep and deep off the Headwaters, followed by a tree run, finishing with a carving groomer to the lift. Step-ins also have the convenience appeal, so they sound like the preferred choice for me.

    But I've got 2 other considerations: budget and boot size.

    Finding some used gear right now is the preference. It's all about the budget. Used Intec or bail bindings seem to show up here pretty regularly.

    I've also got a US mens size 13 shoe (30-31 Mondo). I understand bail bindings will accept traditional ski boots, so it may be more cost effective (if less performance) to get some used TD-1s, and a good (on sale) pair of ski boots. Finding intec compatible boots in my size may cost too much, if I can't find them used.

    Any suggestions for where to look? Am I missing some info that'll help me get into the intec setup?

    Thanks again for all you info.

    Personally, I'd go with snowboard hardboots over ski boots. Ski boots really limit your ability to shift your weight around and inhibit your learning curve. That being said a guy near me used to carve circles around me in ski boots. However last year he dropped some coin and picked up some Deeluxe 325s and it took his riding to a whole different level.

    My suggestion is post what you are looking for in the Want To Buy (WTB) section of the classifieds. UPZs come up to 30-30.5, Deeluxe depends on model (Track 700 go to a mondo 30 while the 325 goes to size 31) The Head Stratos pro also goes to a 31.

    Personally I'd ask for a boot in your mondo size that was step-in compatible. You're kind of lucky and unlucky at the same time in that your feet are so big boots of that size don't sell that quickly, but at the same time they don't come up so often either.

    Here's a link to a set of mondo 30 stratos pros on sale now in the classified section.

    www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=34999&highlight=mondo

    You can find more by searching mondo 30 or mondo 31 in the for sale section

    Best of luck

    Dave

  12. "on Edge"

    in Racing

    Posted

    Following some of Canada's top alpine snowboarders this season as they travel the globe in search of new destinations, adventure, and gold! Featuring coaches and athletes from the Canadian National Alpine Snowboard Team & the Calgary Snowboard Club.

    LINK: http://youtu.be/hYTwmf3UaRE

    Sweet. I'm looking forward to these again this year.

  13. Step-in vs......

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Modern snowboard hardboots are all step-in compatible. And all step in systems seem to use the same boot interface shape at the heel. If you look at a modern boot heel, Deeluxe, Head or UPZ, the heel rubber is removable to allow the installation of a step-in module. Please keep in mind when I say modern I'm thinking of anything newer than about 15 years ago. Take a look at the boot heel for a funny rubber shape, if the shape of the rubber piece looks flat where it interfaces with the boot plastic it's not step-in compatible. On the other hand if it looks like the one on the green boot below (UPZ RC-10) with heel pieces that would be shaped like the red ones below if they were removed then it is step in compatible.

    There are three step-in systems currently in common use only two of which are still being manufactured.

    A) Intec -by F2, (also a similar interface by Bomber referred to as the Fintec) - uses a heel piece with spring loaded pins that come out the side of the heel piece to lock you into the binding. In North America probably the most common of the systems.

    B) F.A.S.T. System from Snowpro. Seems to be the reverse of an Intec in that the locking mechanism is contain in the binding and the heel is the receiver. Still uses two lateral pins.

    C) Burton Physics, discontinued but still in use. Uses two vertical pins on the binding with rings in the boot heel.

    Step-ins provide a more laterally rigid boot-binding interface than a standard toe bail non-step-in binding. Free carvers, those of us who don't like bending over, or people who typically ride hills with limited vertical, like step-ins for the convience. Free carvers also like a more laterally rigid binding because they don't have to deal with the kind of rutted up terrain that racers do, and it allows a faster edge response due to the lateral rigidity.

    Racers, and others prefer standard toe bail bindings. Standard toe bails provide more lateral movement (forgiveness), which allows them to absorb terrain irregularities and keeps them from getting kicked around by ruts on race courses.

    All that being said I'm a freecarver, and I ride step-ins for both carving and all-mountain riding because I really like the convience. I'd love something with lateral flex especially for the AM riding but I dislike bending over to do up toe bails because I'm totally inflexible. So it's a bit of a matter of choice and depends on you and what you are intending to ride.

    BTW some of the information on "The Carver's Almanac" is getting out of date as it was last updated in 2007. But it still has some very good information on this subject. Check out (www.alpinecarving.com) under bindings you will find a section on step-in versus regular bindings.

    Dave

    post-7081-14184234853_thumb.jpg

    post-7081-141842348532_thumb.jpg

  17. Don't Pat the Dog

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    For me any, I like to think of starting the toe side turn with the feet, then the knees, and finally the toe side hip. At first this dropping the toe side hip feels awkward, and seems easier with some counter rotation at the waist. Later the counter rotation can be removed, but still keeping the same movements from the hip down.

    http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/image.php?u=340&dateline=1204030712&type=profile

    I like how you have described movement starting from the toes up, and that is what it feels like for me when i am doing race, g, compression carves. But for toeside ECs I enter the turn crunched up, I then bring the board up on edge with my body over the board, and then dive (extend) downslope and towards the nose of the board rotating my upper body into the turn. I don't feel any G's or very little in an EC turn and am pretty extended at the point in the turn where you are compressed. I love this feeling of extending downslope off of the board and into the turn.

    I think without enough speed, or tight enough turn radius, a person trying to angulate beyond what is possible has to end up breaking at the waist and sticking their butt out the other side of the board as a counter weight for balance? The danger is that it becomes habit, and screws your carves when you do have the speed or turn radius to move effectively.

    Again I'm pretty intermediate as carvers go. So my analysis could be flawed.

    Dave

  18. Cant question

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    ... Locking anything is a recipe for pain, as you won't be able to respond quickly to uneven snow, other people, etc. Besides, two knees independent of one another are much better at pressuring the board then having them both together.

    +1 on this. I need to have freedom in my knees as I twist (pedal) the board on turn initiation. I was surprised last year at a picture of me in transition that showed board twist. Prior to that I didn't really think it had all that much effect. Makes sense when you are steering and driving with you front leg though.

    Dave

  19. Cant question

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    I found it depends on the board, boots and rider biomechanics. Sorry I can't recal the stance width below, but it is the same on both boards.

    On my Schtubby 21 cm waist with TD3 SI at angles of 65/60 I ride with toe and heel lift and some outward canting because I'm a little bowlegged.

    On my Donek custom AM board with a 25cm waist with TD3 SIs at 50/45 I ride with reduced toe and heel lift but with inward canting.

    I found as my stance moves across the board (toward 0 degrees) I cant inward more such that the boots are angling toward my hips. And as I increase my angles (towards 90) I lift more and cant less to achieve the same result, boot tops angled towards my hips. Or in my case the position of my lower leg due to being bowlegged.

    It was interesting because when I first received the AM board, i set it up on the carpet without inward canting. When i stepped into the bindings it was immediately uncomortable on my hips and legs. It felt like the board, bindings, and boots, were trying to force me into a different position than what I would take riding. Adding inward canting immediately solved this and allowed me to be in my natural riding position.

    Dave

  22. Don't Pat the Dog

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    I like to refer to that kind of "butt to the sky" toeside turn as doggie style carving.

    There is some nice turns elsewhere on the video.

    Actually one of the things I've noticed from both those videos and the Russian carving school video (i can't recall the name) was how far forward (towards the board's nose) the upper body is shifted in an EC turn while the carver's body is laid on the snow. Essentially the carver is breaking at the waist to transfer weight forward onto the nose of he board, not breaking at the waist for the purpose of touching the snow. This is something I am going to have to think about during this season, as I think it will really help my heelside ECs.

    Dave

×
×
  • Create New...