WinterGold

Pius, the flex patterns are really interesting. The 163 is also noticeably stiffer than the 170 for example. Pictures - the first one shows the base of the FullCarve and the new FreeSolo in the back (in the far back there is a FreeSolo from this year) and the second one shows the FullRace Pro Team and the FullRace Titan.

The sizes 157 and 175 will get a slightly softer flex for 2013.

The FreeSolo will get a new smaller size - 152. And there are two new sizes for the BX board - Force - 155 and 160F (fat). The alpine ranges keep the same sizes.

I haven´t heard of any major changes yet, so I assume that the shapes will mainly stay the same. But what would you change at the moment? :rolleyes: ... Here is a teaser of the new graphics - I guess the order is - Full Race Pro Team, Full Race Titan, Force, Race Junior, Full Carve, Free Solo.

I guess you know the extreme carving website. Here is what the godfathers of extreme carving ride - http://www.extremecarving.com/tech/set.html So the boards are between 12,5m and 13,5m sidecut and relatively soft for an alpine board. On the site you also have a very good explanation of the technique. Those riders also manage some pretty good transitions ;) .

kieran, Prommegger has been on RC10s for quite some while now ... but the usual suspects (Karl, Grabner, Schoch, Fischnaller, etc., etc.) are all still on .950s and it seems that these boots will live forever ... Willow 15 - :D

Pius, if you think a board is too damp, then your thighs are too weak ... It was a crazy party :D ... and today we did some slalom turns ourselves!

You want results ;) ... here we go - Women - http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/610.html?sector=SB&raceid=9999 Men - http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/610.html?sector=SB&raceid=10001

Photo 4 - nice frontside by Marion Kreiner Photo 5 - Prommegger transitions in the air ... raceboards don´t have enough pop? I won´t show you the photos where I smile into the camera with Andi Prommegger and later with Sigi Grabner ... too embarrassing :o ...

I had the chance to visit the World Cup at the Jauerling in Austria. It was an amazing event! There were about 4000 fans. They made a lot of noise :D ... One of the trainers said that this was the best event on the whole circuit! A real party! After the race we had the chance to talk to some of the riders. Sigi told us a bit about his plate - there is still a lot going on ... As pictures say more than 1000 words, here are some ... Photo 1 - the crowd! Photo 2 - this is how women pressure their boards ... Marion Kreiner Photo 3 - the world champion accelerates his board ... Benjamin Karl

I find the posts of philw always interesting. He brings in the "powder perspective" ... I have ridden various Burton powder boards and they all performed excellent. As I understand it, philw tests a lot of boards. They don´t have to be Burtons, but it is nice to be able to use them ;) ... On Tuesday I spent a whole day in powder on my Burton Stellar. This shape rocks in powder big time!!! So many nice details (flat, extra long, decambered nose; very soft flex in the nose (which gives extra lift if the snow presses against it); very smooth swallow tail construction; etc.). I also have a Burton Piranha at home and I have tried different Fish boards. All of those boards had excellent riding characteristics. And I don´t need to change anything as I ride softboots in powder :D!

Here is the official list of the shell sizes, etc. Be careful with downsizing as the liners of the UPZ are very thin. Some foam liners need more space/volume than the original liners!

Is the plate itself supposed to flex? It has been mentioned several times here that a rigid plate provides a stable stance. That´s the theory. But it seems that some people like their plate to flex just like their snowboard did without a plate. What´s the point? Is the feeling similar to the ride without a plate and some riders prefer that?

Jim Callen, it can´t hurt to get different opinions :) ... Flywalker, I use a stance of about 51cm (I´m 183cm tall). If you use the "big" Burton cant, then you are pretty high on the heel side. So you could move the binding a tad bit in the heel side direction. That way 48° should be no problem. With a low plate (I used the Flex Plate from Apex Austria), I used my normal angles on a 19,4cm board and had no bootout problems.

Of course it also depends on what boots you are using and the type of bindings (+ cant/lift), but I guess it might be possible to get away with 48 or 49 degree on the back foot. For several seasons now I have been using Ibex bindings mounted directly to the board. So this is a very low setup. I use UPZ RC10 size 27 and my back foot angle is 51 degrees. I never had problems with bootout. And I always ride 20cm waist boards. If your setup is higher (different binding or some kind of plate), then there should be no problem with the suggested angles. Side note - I would definitely have a look at the different plate options available and give them a try, especially if you are into racing ;) ...

Pokkis, you seem to like Coilers ... Nice collection! Any differences between the Tinkler and the BBP? Height, Weight, Mechanism?

Hey Dragon! The shop has a small selection, but very fine stuff - Deeluxe, UPZ, Kessler, SG, Bomber, etc.

For the first time Bomber is available in Austria . And because the shop also ships to the rest of Europe, all the Europeans can be happy about it ;) . Besides the different TD3 bindings, the Hangloose snowboardshop (www.hangloose.com) even carries the Bomber Boiler Plate (5mm). At the moment all the different canting and eRing options are available (also the new low assembly!). Very limited stock! I´m not working for the shop. I just help them as a kind of advisor and I´m happy that they support the alpine community.

Are you bragging or what? Why do you have two SGs 185? Did you like the new design better ? What is your boot size? Binding angles look pretty high ... Except for one (maybe two) board(s) this is a nice collection!!! :D

Good point, mc-alex! The Vist is a proven design that is still heavily used in the World Cup. The best SG riders in Landgraaf (men and women) were using Vist plates. Therefore I don´t understand why SG left out the inserts. I know that some racers on different levels are not happy about the decision. First I thought that SG wanted to push their own plate system, but as they are not even selling one at the moment, it is even more mysterious. There might be "better" systems out there, but it would still be nice to have the option. Of course, it is no problem to drill holes for the Vist plate in the middle, but who likes to do that?

EmDee406, this is an impressive collection! The whole setups are well chosen :-)!

The "normal" (first) version is a 5mm plate - very stiff, more isolation from the board, the feeling most racers like. The "newer" (second) version is 4mm - it is supposed to provide the rider with more feedback from the board, the isolation effect is not that strong, better performance at slower speeds, so some freecarvers might prefer the feeling.

Looking at this fine assembly, why is it not recommended that you use the new lower assembly directly on a board and only on plates? And I thought the new e-ring is black?

I don´t want to step down a notch ... ;) ... Ups, did I say that out loud ? (Just joking ... although the World Champion is riding ... no, no ... just a joke!!!)

You´re absolutely right :D! I thought the same thing, but tell me what to do? I already tried Kessler and Apex. Since the Black Pearls are made in Japan now, they are pretty hard to get (not that they were easy to get before). But let´s see what the future will bring ...