Corey

Sorry about that!

We don't know your skill level. If you're starting with Alpine, this is a terrible first setup. Not terrible as in the board sucks, but a terrible thing to try to link your first turns on as it needs a confident pilot. Beginning drivers don't start in Ferraris.

It's just a normal- to tight-turning board when centered. It starts getting wild when you load the nose and feed the board forward through the turn. Respect it and it'll be fun as heck!

But maybe try both! Part of the charm of the MK is it's "liveliness".

I'd think more flexible is preferred on the MK. This board seems to pass vibrations through that metal boards damp out.

I haven't had the pleasure of trying a K162. I have ridden SG SL boards and own a Donek Rev 163. The MK is entirely different! The SL boards are almost boring in comparison. Stable, damp, predictable, with a wide variety of turn shapes possible. The MK is very responsive/active and initiates a turn HARD when you load it up appropriately. It'll do 2 turns in the space of 1 for the SL boards on mellow runs. I bring both for tiny Midwest hills. When I want to do many turns at lower speeds; MK. When I want to go faster; SL boards.

The MK sure is an exhilarating ride when you're up for it!

I used a Blackburn stick-on one when I commuted exclusively by bike, like this: https://a.co/d/9rtafoi I'm sure it would work on a snow helmet. I won't be trying it.

Calgary isn't too much further than the closest US airports and is usually a fraction of the cost of a cross-border flight. That's been my choice the last 2 years that I could go.

Non-audiophile here with minor hearing loss: This topic begs for double blind testing. Can people actually perceive the differences that they claim to? Prove it. Us humans are pretty darn good at convincing ourselves that the money we spent for something is DEFINITELY worth it.

And hand the tail of the board first as it's thinner when they're measuring it.

Years ago I was riding with Mr. Knapton, we were stopped and waiting for a clearing. After one racer guy buzzed way too close to our group, he got up and started flailing like he was fighting for balance. All of the others gave a WIDE berth around us. Simply brilliant! Moral: Look out of control to be safer?

That's LOW level in your world? Damn. Don't get me wrong, that's awesome! But you have to recognize that you're in the slim minority.

Be careful with how much policing you want. If you look at an average ski slope with a critical eye, 99.9% of users go roughly straight down the hill, with few paths crossing. Then there are a tiny % of users that dart and dodge all over the place, weaving back and forth at high accelerations. Collisions can only happen when paths intersect. So it's simple: Paint lanes down the run, mandate turn signals, and ban turning. This is said tongue-in-cheek, but I had a ski patroller tell me that I "came into his lane" years ago. Everyone is confident that their ideas are correct and it's everyone else that's the problem.

Make sure you have nice rounded inside corners like @Wolf has shown above. This greatly reduces stress concentration - meaning it'll reduce the chances of a crack starting. The worst possible thing you can do is use a hacksaw or cut-off wheel and leave a sharp notch at the end of the cut. Round dremel or files are much preferred to finish the surface.