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SunSurfer

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Posts posted by SunSurfer

  1. IMO yes, you are correct.

    Functionally, when the board bends under load there will be 2 fulcrum points where the distance between plate and board remains constant. Outside of those the board will bend towards the plate and inside of those points the board will bend away from the plate. Those fulcrum points are effectively where the riders mass is being focused.

  2. If the mechanism has solid contact with the board below the axle then the axle determines where the rider mass is focused.

    If the mechanism is designed so that the  footprint on the board is not under the axle then the footprint determines where the mass is applied.

    The design of most isolation plates is such that the attachment points do not cover a significant proportion of the flexing length of the board, compared with the footprint of a binding directly attached to the board. So the "flat spot" created by the attachment points is minimal in its effect on the overall longitudinal flex of the board.

    When the board flexes under turning load then the board flexes away from the plate between the axles, while beyond the axles the board flexes closer to any overhanging part of the plate. The previous comment noted the effect of the central attachment point of the AllFlex design. The original Vancouver Olympic time Apex plate had the front overhang which was used in various ways to modify flex in the front part of the board.

     

     

  3. The axle position determines where the riders mass is applied to the board.

    The greater the interaxle distance the less a rider of any given mass will bend the board. Thought experiment: compare the situation where all of the riders mass is applied at the centre of the effective edge vs where the axles of the isolation plate are at either end of the effective edge.

    The AllFlex design originally had arms that attached to the board at roughly the middle that limited the chord depth able to be produced to about 7mm if my memory serves me correctly. So YES, the AllFlex design appears to intentionally limit board flex.

     

    • Like 1
  4. 2 hours ago, st_lupo said:

    Does palau work with the microwaved rice in pantyhose trick?

    There are lots of ways to apply heat to a moldable liner. Some of them are more controlled than others.

    Having ruined a Deeluxe liner in the past by using too much heat I am now more cautious and opt for as controlled a technique as possible.

  5. Just finished 11 days of riding at Revelstoke.

    First, a shoutout and thanks to @crackaddictJames Cherry for carving company, a guide to some of Revelstokes best carving runs, some really useful tips to work on in my own riding, and he and his partner Martina's hospitality during my stay.

    If you don't know James he's a Revelstoke local, an incredibly skilful and experienced rider, has instructed at Montucky CC, and just an all round nice guy.

    Revelstoke has great trails for carving for all levels of rider, from beginners through to steeps to challenge the most skilled. Some of the groomed slopes on Pitch Black were the steepest I have ever attempted. The Blue rated trails off the upper gondola are ideal for intermediates trying to up their game.

    There is a shuttle bus between the hotels in town and the resort. Most of the hotels provide free tickets for the shuttle which is otherwise  C$4 exact change per ride. There are some pretty reasonably priced hotels, and a good range of places and cuisines to eat at the end of the day.

    I had a great time and some of the best carving days I've ever had in the groomed days after 20cm fresh. My biggest day was approx. 15.5Km vertical descent (approx. 50k feet).

    Beware powder days! Every man, his dog, and the dog's fleas arrive to ski it and the gondola queue at the bottom can be incredibly long if you are not in the queue seriously early.

     

     

    • Like 2
  6. @LateApexTThe EVA foam in heat moldable liners is exquisitely sensitive to temperature, and the foam degasses and collapses at sustained temperatures above 80-90 Celsius, much lower than the temps you are proposing using.

    Set your oven to approx. 65-70 deg C, or equivalent F, and wait for it to come up to heat. Then put your liner in the oven and wait 15-20 minutes for it to come up to heat.

    Then complete the rest of the molding process. Liners treated this way will allow you more remoldings before needing replacement.

    If you are in doubt do some online research about the technical specifications (data sheets) for EVA foams.

  7. @Kurt Swanson& @lafcadio

    Try driving the knee on the outside of the turn "into the turn".
    Heelside = rear knee
    Toeside = front knee

    In my experience this seems to give better edge hold on steeper slopes and I'm assuming this is because is because it minimises twist in the section of the board between the bindings. See post above for my riding style. YMMV if you ride more heel & toe than I do.

    • Like 1
  8. 16 hours ago, Eastsiiiide said:

    I thought that was kind of the point...?  Or is it just me.

    Last week I rode the chair with a guy on actual skiboards and for once I got to be the one asking "what the heck is that??"  Now I know.

     image.png.eef624d68a7114d370a0353170830325.png

    image.png.df63e85ca2734ac181588a5957a828e6.pngimage.png.d4fc159a337d0f4afc3108c4760203fd.png

    Apparently we are doing it wrong and need brighter jumpsuits.

     

    Task for the day. Use the phrase "egregious onesie" in a conversation.

    • Like 1
    • Haha 2
  9. Rider style: + stance, regular, with 67Front and 63Rear and riding with not much initial nose loading transitioning to tail loading in the turn i.e. centred.

    Learned that stance length can be too LONG as well as too SHORT. 56cm is my Goldilocks spot, 54 too short, 58 too long

    Longer is good up to a point because it increases my base of support and makes soaking up bumps while carving without being thrown off balance easier.

    Too long makes it harder for me to effectively put weight/emphasis on the lateral side of my front foot during heelside turns on steeper hardpack. So while the toeside (R) turn bites reliably, the heelside (L) grip is less solid. Get my weight a little more onto that lateral front foot and the heelside edge grip is more solid. 

    2023 Contra 173 MCC demo board construction damps vibration from lumpy, hard snow. My Thirst Superconductor (built  in 2019 or 2020) superconducted much of that same vibration to me. Back to back riding at MCC Day 4. The difference made the lower Main run at Turner stop start on the Thirst and pretty smoothly carve able on the Contra.

    Postscript after riding with CrackAddict at Revelstoke -

    Don't let my toeside/outside arm trail when going into a heelside turn. Keep it in front of me a little. Helps with the body angulation and knee drive, giving better grip.
    Compress more as the slope gets steeper/icier.
    Work on bending my board more as I enter the new turn.

    Postscript after August 2023 snowboard trip.

    Crucial skill for newbie carvers to gain is to maintain their balance on their edge, to tilt the board a little on edge with their knees, ankles, and feet, while keeping the upper body as still as possible. To do so by just putting pressure on that edge with both feet, while feeling their edge through all those nerve endings in the soles of their feet. That way you neither sit on the toilet (heelside), nor pat the dog (toeside).

    When riding my Kessler 162 slalom board turn @pow4ever "leap of faith" into a fall of faith i.e. tip myself down the fall line and carve the traversing board back underneath my COM to catch myself before I hit the snow.

    Forward facing pelvis, outside of turn knee drive, and ankle tilt to tip the board even further on edge makes for great grip on firm snow.

    I will daily commute a long way (376km round trip, 4 and a half to 5 hour drive) for a combination of good grooming, good gradients, and little traffic!

     

    • Like 3
  10. 14 hours ago, Chouinard said:

    running through lumps

    Were you carving through lumpy snow or just negotiating your way through on the way to carve able snow?

    Carving setups are optimised for carving. Tired muscles feel the burn sooner after starting a run than fresh muscles.

  11. 6 hours ago, Jarcode said:

    Also from a ski instructor: "I don't think I can bend my ski to turn that tight". I believe our SCR was about the same between my board and his freeride skis.

    The torsional resistance of his freeride skis may also be less, and the effective edge considerably shorter due to the rocker at tip and tail. That extreme rocker will also make for a lot of ski "flap" when trying to carve.

  12. 2 hours ago, Cthulhufish said:

     

    When I say heel side initiation seems harder, specifically I feel like I have to get my center of mass out past the edge before the board responds, whereas on the toe side it feels like the board starts moving as soon as I do. I certainly can't rule out technique, but come to think of it, I think I was riding with my shins pressing against my boots when "neutral". That seems like it could bias me towards toe side.

    Principle: To stay balanced at any time the force vector of gravity, and any other accelerative force, applied to your COM must be over your base of support.

    When we carve our base of support is the effective edge plus however many centimetres of base are pushing against the sidewall of the groove the board is carving in the snow.

    That is why I suggested feeling like you are pressuring, or tilting the board with the soles of your feet. That frees up your COM to retain balance over your base of support. With both feet tilting the board torsion or twisting of the board is minimised, and the edge angle is consistent enough along the groove for the board to track well.

    • Like 2
  13. Do you have a spring system in your boots? Your rear leg needs to move through quite an arc as you move your Centre of Mass COM up and down. A spring system will allow you to preset the boot to forward lean and then move through that arc.

    Turn initiation on toe side is pretty easy, You can just kind of lean on your rear foot toes and the board will dig in and whip round.

    For heelside try feeling like you are leaning on your front heel while keeping your COM between the bindings.

    Alternatively, make sure your body is rotated to face toward the nose of the board, then try turning left by feeling like you are leaning on the left side of both feet. Turn right by leaning on the right side of both feet.

    • Like 1
  14. Sportube rigid plastic board box. 3 models for different amounts of equipment. Much better protection when travelling by air. Design will accommodate lengths up to around 200cm. I will get a link and post it. Mine is orange to really stand out in baggage collection areas. Also has wheels to trundle along rather than carry full weight.

    https://www.sportube.com/category-s/1923.htm

    PS: Have now properly read OPs list of desired features. My bad! Thanks @Neil Gendzwill

  15. @philw I ride UPZ RC10s with the original spring system. I do notice the difference between the spring tension I've setup between front and rear. I ride 65F and 60 R with a front facing stance, so quite different from your more cross board stance.

    My rear boot is setup at 3 or 4th step of propositioned forward lean i.e. lots. My rear springs have minimal compression allowing me maximum movement forwards from the preset position. My rear lower leg moves through quite an arc as I move my COM up and down while riding.

    My front boot is setup in the most vertical preset position. The springs are set to mid to high compression as I need much less forward movement in actual riding, want to be able to accurately load the front half of the edge, and have a little bit of give to help me soak up bumps.

    • Like 1
  16. I have a 17cm waist Skwal USA powder Skwal I accidentally won in the Aspen Trenching Convention 2017 raffle. I've not ridden it in powder, just on firm manmade snow at an indoor venue. But the more forward angled stance around 80 degrees with outward can't that I was using also gave full rein to my knees to act as shock absorbers while initiating and holding turns with lateral foot sole pressure. Skwal stance really helps soak up the bumps and carve through crud.

    Stances higher than 60 degrees often benefit from outward cant, and the closer you get to 90 degrees more degrees of cant are likely to be needed to restore the natural alignment of the knee joint. I've posted the link to the YouTube video (RiotSuperCarver channel) that explains how this works so many times on ASB. Message me for the link if you can't find it.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  17. I ride boards with waists between 17cm and 25cm. And happiest around 19 to 21cm. Riding boards with different characteristics is all part of the fun, but it can involve setup adjustments [binding angles and/or biasing binding toes or heels towards the appropriate edge) and of course technique adjustment.

    @EastsiiiideThe F2 bindings noted in your profile have the nice feature of being able to freely rotate the discs that attach the binding to the board. I have some F2 Intecs that I rotate the binding discs 90 degrees and use that to achieve toe/heel binding bias (also called Gilmore/Gilmour bias on the ASB Forums) to get my front foot heel close to the edge and my rear toes close to the edge on my 25cm waist RadAir board, and still ride my preferred angles (65F, 60R) with mininmal technique adjustment. The F2s allow fine adjustment laterally of a little over 1cm in either direction from centre. Video below shows the results.

    Like @Carvin' Marvinsaid, you can spend thousands searching and discarding till you find the perfect board, or you can make the most of what you already have, or you can gradually gather a quiver and have fun riding them all.

    • Thanks 1
  18. In the stance that you ride your snowboard, what do you want your knees and ankles to be able to do?

    Try standing in bare feet on a flat floor in your snowboard stance and observe how your legs move as you make snowboarding movements.

    If there was no ankle movement in a boot then all the movements of your leg for shock absorption, moving your centre of mass up and down for edge weighting and unweighting, and turn initiation would have to come from your knees and hips. 

    If you feel you ride more across the board, certainly 45 degrees or less, then your ankles and knees move differently than if you ride higher angles and aligned more along the board.

    Aligned along the board, as you move your COM up and down to absorb shocks and to weight/unweight the board while ideally remaining roughly centered over the edge, your front lower leg moves through a much smaller angle than your rear, and will start in the at rest, uncompressed, position relatively close to vertical. Your rear leg starts off angled forward and moves through a considerable range further forward.

    From that it follows that your starting position should have the front cuff near vertical when mounted in the binding, while the rear should be angled further forward. Use a spring system to adjust how much resistance there is to movement away from that starting position. Alternatively softer/harder shells and tongues can be used to produce the same effect but perhaps with less easy adjustability.

    I ride at 65F, 60R and don't ride with an across board style. Others here who ride across the board may be able to give insight as to how both their legs move as they ride and turn, and what starting position and range of movement is useful/desirable.

     

     

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