WinterGold

mc-alex, do you mean the Kessler Plate itself or this kind of plate in general (Vist, Italian plate by Renzler, etc.)? Which plate system did Prommegger use yesterday?

I just found this picture on the net. The price is considerably higher than the Vist plate (Vist is around 300 Euro (420 dollars) in Europe, the Kessler plate is around 450 Euro (630 dollars)). By the way, many pros are still using the Vist system (or a similar one) - it can´t be that "oldschool" ...

The topsheet of the FLC sure is beautiful. I like that style very much !

Yes, exactly, the red Factory Primes are from the 97/98 season and this was the last asymmetrical Factory Prime. So it´s about 13 years old!

If you look at the baseplate, you can see that there are differently sized holes on the inside and the outside. But I just got confirmation from the builder that that´s more or less cosmetic. I never felt a difference when riding ...

You asked for it ... SG Force Pro Team 165 and 160 (for my wife)

I´m here :D ,but I must admit that I´m not 100% sure what you are trying to get at in this thread ... After Sigi´s binding failed him, he was looking for other options (as Fin already posted somewhere here). Maybe the setup on the picture is used because of the different flex, but maybe it is just used this way to have a direct comparison ... hard to tell. There are also pictures where he uses the Sidewinders on both feet. Sigi was using (heavily adapted) Atomic boots in Telluride, but if my memory serves me right, he was using Northwaves again for the Olympics. And he seems to have tested and even built several plates in the off season. Having a different setup for the front and back foot has been an issue for quite some time - hardboot/softboot mix, different dampeners for the bindings, different tongues in the boots, etc. Whatever feels "right" for you and helps you feel comfortable on the board.

Here are my new toys for this season - SG Full Race Pro Team 163 SG Full Race Titan 170 SG Full Race Pro Team 185

Agreed

As far as I know the Kessler production boards are made in the Nidecker factory. Some of the "real" ones are pretty close to the production models. Others are different, because they are made according to riders´ wishes. Of course not everything is public, but you do get enough info on the boards, e.g. http://www.k-snow.com/kessler/spec.html Despite the absolute top athletes (and even some of those), a lot of racers on different levels use "production" SGs. The specs of those boards can be found easily. No need to be over secretive in this segment.

Now I am a bit confused ... I thought Asyms were the way to go? By the way, there are lots of info on the radii of the Kessler boards on the net. The radii of the production models are even in the catalog this year (2011). No problem there ...

The new website is online. Looks very nice ! http://www.sgsnowboards.com/ Unfortunately no new info on the plate ...

Karl has put the toe and heel block directly on his plate for quite some time now. Several pictures have been posted here on BOL.

The plate is definitely too narrow, but I guess this is just for some initial field tests ...

Now we also need plates for our softboot setups ... this will be an expensive season ;) ...

Willow 15, the price isn´t fixed yet, but I fear it will be closer to the Apex Comp than the Donek ...

Some more details of the plate -

I guess this discussion would deserve it´s own thread. Looking at Benjamin Karl doing his thing, I always wondered how he manages to get the edge pressure he needs without moving his body as much as all the other guys. He seems to be more upright than the other racers. He is extremely well balanced and therefore super consistent (out of 11 races last year he had 9 podiums and made it to the top ten in every race!). He doesn´t look that aggressive, but his board control is almost always spot on. His technique raises quite some questions, at least for me ... And as we are in a plate thread, I think that his equipment (he was the first who used an isolating plate, right?) is also part of his secret. I heard from a coach that other riders wouldn´t be able to ride Karl´s setup effectively ...

Nils, from my understanding I would say that when riding with a plate you can even improve the pressure on the edges, because you can place your toes and heels almost directly over your edges without any bootout problems, as you have more space. And the distance also creates a better leverage, no? From my experiences I would say that a plate improves the edge pressure a bit. Also because the pressure is distributed more evenly along the edge. But the better the conditions, the less you recognize this and therefore the plate becomes less necessary.

In theory placing the buckle so that it pulls directly in the direction of the heel would probably be best, but very often that leaves not enough space for the next buckle on the shaft and then they rub against each other (destroying your buckles and your pants ...). That´s often a problem ...

two_ravens - thank you very much and I hope your financial situation will get better soon!

caspercarver, cool video, amazing board control (as always :D) and a funky jacket !

SG Snowboards will be offering their own plate system for this season (just as Oxess and Kessler). It´s compatible with the 4x4 insert system. It´s made of carbon and supposed to be light (according to a Japanese blog). Here is a picture (of a prototype?) -

@Jack - raspberry jam is my favorite ;) ... about the ACLs - no problems when sitting on the tail, but it is a different story when landing jumps ... @kinpa - Thanks! @colintkemp - Thank you @Jonny - the tunnel is still there! Unfortunately it is closed most of the time now and the slope down to the lift is hardly ever prepared ... 1972 ... that´s a looooong time ;) @Emdee406 - you will LOVE your new ride! :D

Thank you so much, Bryan! (deep bow)