rbaldwin

Admittedly, I've been living in a cave for the last 12 years or so, but I had never even heard of Steepwater until I came sniffing around Bomber. When I asked around in the WTB section, I had slim hopes of one of you guys having one you wanted to part with. Instead it seems as if every one of you have 3 sitting in your closet! If any of my friends get jealous of my new ride, I'll hit you up!

I was a big fan of Louis Ricard, and then I saw your Diamond Blade video on Youtube... Not bad on a snowboard either!

Concave as in edge high.

That's a good looking board Mig! Any plans to make a slightly bigger version? I certainly don't mean to question your ideas, but a 168 cm + length with a 10-11m radius would be so rad!

Hi all, I've got a 1998 Burton Alp 71 for sale on ebay right now if anyone is interested. I'm starting it at $95 shipped. It's got a concave base, some stains, and there was some light rust on the edges. Edges are smooth and sharp. Top is pretty nice other than the stains and a chip near the rear binding area. I'll send good pics if you want any. Thanks for looking!

Thanks for the replies guys. You helped me pull the trigger on a Steepwater that one of the other forum member offered up. Looking forward to trying it out! Although, I got to say... It's been a good year for my old Supermodel 74. I just got back from another powder day at Lookout!

Can anyone here compare an original Steepwater to an Incline? And how do boards like these compare to even more regular boards like the old Supermodels?

So, in addition to a 4WD, and a Donek Incline, I'm now interested in trying out a Steepwater. Searching for versatility! If you have one you are willing to part with, hit me up. Thank you!

Yeah, I'm the same guy asking around for a 4WD... I'm all over the place right now. But I would definitely like to give the Incline a try as well. Thanks for looking!

So, what is it like to ride in these super stiff softboot setups, compared to a soft hardboot setup? Edge hold, agility, and tweakability? Anyone ridden in carved up Alpine touring boots and stiff softboots?

I started using some Scarpa AT boots this year for versatility and uniformity across my platforms. I am really happy with them so far. Especially on my big freeride setup. Made it carve way better than I thought it capable of, but still agile enough for trees, slashes, tail grabs, and the occasional crappy method (my methods were crappy to start with, so the boots didn't hurt them!). A lot of good info at Teton Gravity regarding Scarpa and Dynafit AT boots.

Did it stay cold enough to keep snowing today? I might try to get up there tomorrow.

Wow... That video makes me want to go snowboarding. Right now. Then go out to some club and dance awkwardly by myself.

WTB a Prior 4WD 174. Just putting this out there in case someone is thinking of getting rid of one. Thanks!

Oh man... Trying so hard to get up there this week!

Jones' influence on the backcountry community pretty much got me back on hard boots this year. I was looking into some backcountry splitboard setups, and a lot of the people using alpine touring boots on bigger freeride boards were talking up the versatility and edge response. I tried it and they were right. I suspect we will be seeing more bigger freeride boards with softish hard boot setups in the next couple of years.

I'm sure you already know this, but it's worth it! Being able to slide to a stop opens up up EVERY hill out there. Spending life trying to hook up on things that want to slide, and sliding things that want to hook up. It's a good life.

This must be the same guy from the slalom skate community... I didn't know they made snowboards. I'll check that out. I really like their skate decks. Not to derail (bootout?) the conversation, but do a lot of you carve skateboards too?

Cool. Thanks. I was planning on going once this week anyway. Keeping my eye on the weather!

I'll try that this week. Thanks. I have a lot to process, but I like it.

Long time lurker, first time poster. I used to hardboot in the '90s, but I've spent the last 12 years hiking for powder in soft boots. I recently moved to a city that has quite a few smaller resorts around, and started going to them with friends. I was riding my old Burton Supermodel 174 with 3 strap bindings, and getting frustrated by my lack of edge hold. I started thinking it would be nice to have a softish carving setup, so I bought boots and bindings, but had not decided on a board. So, I threw my new hard boot setup on my Supermodel for a powder/soft groomer day with about a 30 degree rear, 35 front. I wasn't expecting much, since the board is pretty soft and has a pretty short radius. First run felt awkward and I was regretting everything. Second run I got my upper body squared up a little better and locked in slower carves. Third run felt awesome in the powder and on the groomers, and was amazed at what my old flexy powder rig was capable of. As long as I didn't try to crank over too far at speed, it held an edge in soft groomers and crud, and slow speed carving was a blast! I'm still trying to decide what kind of carving board, but I'm not really worrying about it since the snow keeps coming! It's making me think that a stiffer regular freeride board with a bigger radius (Prior MFR?) could be a hoot on fresh snow/soft groomer days. And thank you for all the help you all have given me!