Transistor Rhythm

Ask about any given woman in the western world, and they will swear this is all you need to play music on. Really. Why have two sets of speakers while you have this great sounding surround set already? And those cute little satellites can be tucked away nicely, instead of those lumpy old stereo speakers. But it's a horrible idea for playing music, it's already a challenge to have the phase 100% correct with two or three way speakers, I can't imagine how a subwoofer hidden somewhere where the wife can't see it would perform as good. And if you let out the subwoofer, it sounds even worse. I have a set of small KRK active nearfields, and they're pretty nice to make music on in a small untreated room, but if I really want to hear what's going in bass or in the mix on I need to play it on either a bigger system or headphones. If you want to move air there are some things that you can never overcome without using some diameter in your speakers. If I had money to burn I would not even like small speakers + subwoofer for watching movies, but five decent speakers plus a subwoofer for just the really low rumble.

Nice and flat, but still big! I mean:

My sister, just turned 16. Ofcourse me being an alpine freak has nothing to do with this

But in the seventies and eighties already people were building outstanding HiFi systems, snowboarding is still in full development. There are some simple rules to audio for me: - Those little speakers do not sound as good as good big speakers - They really don't - Look at what the guys that make your favorite music use. Studio speakers are used by people that can earn their money because those speakers are detailed and balanced!

Gewoon lekker knallen

Aren't we telling him to just use the F.A.S.T. if he can get rid of the cants and to just ride the board? Both aren't considered very good but if you start out it will be a nice setup from which you can progress. But the boots are essential in my opinion. He already got a pretty nice shell but I think the RAB will limit him. A recreational carver will benefit a lot from more flex. If you get a lot of days on the mountain or if you have a lot of power in your legs and like a more racy style you might get away with having boots that do not flex as much. People even put on ski boots because hardboots are not stiff enough, but that's a bad advice for the average carver. I've seen people struggle hard without proper boots or bootflex, never because of the board itself or the cheapness of their bindings.

BTS would be the optimum solution, but it's pricey compared to the 5 pos lever. If getting the 5 pos lever would prove to be too much of a hassle I would get the BTS without hesitation. Proven concept. See that you get the correct springs, they have different colors with different resistance. Maybe I want a pair of 5 pos levers too.

I live in Holland. I could not find any online source of those parts in Europe but you could also try carversparadise or Deeluxe directly. Wim Jacquet stopped stocking hardboots, didn't they?

All systems are interchangable I believe, but you must doublecheck before trying to put in a walk/comfort/race switch in from the SB-shell type of Deeluxe/Raichle boots. I think they're the same for every Deeluxe/Raichle boot though. Donor boots could be found at Marktplaats, otherwise I'd advice to ask at http://www.soulboarders.nl . Deeluxe can help you with spare parts, maybe Topsurf Vinkenveen too. The RAB is actually the worst option, followed by the simple lever. The 5 position lever is pretty good already because it lets you set the angle as well as give you a 2 position swing in comfort mode, but getting a BTS would probabily even be better. I got more flex out of the 5 pos switch in my AT shell than other people with the soft BTS on a SB shell I noticed at the ECS, so I think the AT shell is by design a better flexing boot and will also augment the BTS better. Geting rid of the RAB would be my strong advice. The idea was already not perfect, but the execution was bad also. I don't see it anymore on their newer boots, so probabily Deeluxe knows it sucks too ;) The difference between SB and AT is the easiest to recognize if you watch at the part where your ankle pivots. It's round with SB shells and shaped like a half moon on AT boots. I think the current T225 and T325 are SB shells and the T700 is a AT shell.

If you cannot get rid of lift/cant because it's inbuilt get rid of the bindings I'd say, but watch carefully because even new bindings like F2 have them built in, but they're removable if you screw the blocks off. F.A.S.T. is not as nice as Intec because you can have snow in the holes of your heels and then it won't engage. Cants / lifts will give you a more old school knees together stance. On a narrow race deck I sometimes use some lift but no cants but if I can get away with riding with no lift and cant at all because it's more natural I think. Stance: always start with the center holes. Then try to figure out if you need more stability or more manouvrability. Wider is more stable. Boots: what kind of mechanism is on the heel. Spring? Simple walk/ride mechanism? Five position lever (teardrop shaped switch with another switch that can go over it)? 'Freecarvers' like to have more travel in their boots than most stock boots will deliver, the heel mechanism is important for it. I have the same shells and I think if it has a nice fit for your foot it has the possibility to be a very nice boot. Board: never heard of it! Verdict: nice boots, board will probably be OK, bindings I would change them probabily if cants can't be removed.

I think they are here: http://www.legna.co.jp/form/f2spec.pdf

So the softest model for next year almost looks the same as the stiffest model from this year? At least we can have the grey ones for discount prices because they are obsolote technology :rolleyes:

You should look for a well groomed, wide trail that is graded red or maybe a blue trail that is a bit steeper. What you don't want is a trail that is so flat every carve you make will kill your speed, or so narrow you can't complete your turns. Try to get the first lift as the slopes will be empty and the grooming will be perfect, so the only thing you need to focus on is you and your board.

Stiffer, shorter and narrower boards in general act more nervous when ridden flat. The first board I rode was near impossible to ride in a straight line. Stable when in a turn, really unexpected crashes when riding in a straight line. Some boards are just made to turn!

Check out Rabanser, their boards go as low as 110cm

Nicolien!

The Swoard 161 is just 21cm wide, but it's for lighter and smaller riders (there is a guide on their website). If your feet are really small compared to your weight and height Jack might be right. The boards are wider because they are designed to have zero boot out for laid down turns and more natural binding angles at the same time.

Why no Swoard? It's a pretty forgiving board for beginners, wide but grippy. Those laid down turns are for advanced riders ofcourse, as with any board. Some people here don't like it because it doesn't do some things as well as more race oriented shapes. But I guess it's pretty expensive compared to North American offerings. Boots and bindings seem to be a pretty good choice. I ride stepins even when I ride my Swoard, it's about the best reason to ride hardboots

GS Hot Blasts are great boards, they can take a LOT of abuse. Ride it aggressively, you will be rewarded :)

Maybe some p-tex for enhanced EC performance?

They seem quite similar to the Two, any info about the improvements?

What happened to the Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft I like the black and white sweater though. But it needs moose to be perfect.

Rode the Scalpel, a bit more skinny than a Swoard, but generally it's the same principle. Very good edge hold. But it was too soft for me, I couldn't "trust" the board because I had to stay dead centered or it would sometimes drastically change the radius. It was probably built for a lighter/shorter rider (I'm 188cm / 92kg / 28.5 mondo), or a much better one ;) The Xtreme Carver is even more like a swoard. I don't know about weight/length requirments though. This type of boards are a bit tricky to select because you want them soft but not too soft. Swoard offers different flexes and lengths, Virus can be custom built too. Virus makes a very wide range of boards and I don't know why a Vampire would compare to a Scalpel. If you like the Vampire over a Swoard buy a Vampire, not a Virus built Swoard.

See: http://www.truesport.cz/boards/boards_cult.html Seems to be OK

You can do some form of laid down turns on about any board, including your skwal. But to do it in their style, I would suggest something at least very similar to a Swoard. The wider board, softer flex but being torsionally very rigid, it's all geared toward that specific type of turn.