dhamann

It’s a fun little hill. All those boards sound like a good fit. The rocket lift gets you up quick and you can either focus on things or rip around exploring every trail in short time to get the layout and options. Chances are you’ll bump into another rider for some lift rides and/or take some laps together. Tomorrow should be a good one.

My most recent test. This combo is even yet another step up stiffer and more supportive than just a large hard flex. Also noticeable lateral support. The size large medium flex helps distribute pressures from the hard flex wing which uses a medium size mold. Haven’t tested hard flex large with hard wing yet but my theory is that this may be too much. TBD. I’ve gotten feedback that using large size medium flex with medium wing is also “better”. Starting to think these should be sold in pairs of rider choice.

i wasn't around last year, so i guess that's why it popped out to me. ropes are definitely bumped and the guns (if new last year) definitely are the culprit. bummer. i do remember it being listed open really early in December last year. go figure. maybe we need to work a little bit on mountain awareness?

twin is zero setback, zero taper. this is freestyle to me. flagship huge shovel nose, directional everything (not twin) 20mm setback. not even gray, but i hear ya. korua does well with their marketing too. so many boards to use as examples. for instance the nitro pantera is a freestyle board in it's actual ride characteristics to me with just a 15mm setback. soft! the 9000 free carver has 40mm setback. every board has their place (if they're wide enough for you). just buy em all, right? problem solved. haha

eh. then you probably saw me binding out at the top. adjustment needed. plutos was bust. grooming nightmare. meteor was the jam and most of the rest of the hill. met up with with blue upz rider which demonstrated how an MK should be ridden. was fun riding with him for a good handful of laps. switched to softies late morning because it was too good and didn't want to leave. made it until about 1 and then left. some business to take care of tomorrow, but Friday is a strong potential for me as well. a little slow and soft in sections today with the new sharp crystal snow. i'm waxin, but Friday should be fast and firm. maybe even a little surface hoar chalk mixed in.

don't know where you get this, but absolutely not. if you're referring to the splitting hairs, this is in reference to the mainstream free ride vs all mountain groups. these terms are one and the same to me. even if they're defined, anyone but the nerds are going to grasp. nothing wrong with being a snowboard nerd. the 6000 and 9000 version of what this thread is about starts to open the eyes of sidecut to production board buyers (most) and clearly define this spec. they're not all fixed at 6m or 9m. let's start there. for the custom nerds, we know there is a lot going on in terms of board design; ie sidecut/effective edge/flex need to get along. this free carver pretty much nailed it with regards to the numbers alone for a production board with a fairly clear design and intentions of use. at least for a 9-10.5us size boot on hardpack groom. capable may be a strong word. too much gray area i guess. all boards can carve. the intentions of the design of the board matters 50%, no matter if it's mainstream or custom. without question. the other connecting equipment and rider skill and talent make up the rest. total guesstimate on the 50% and bias may play a factor here. do socks play a factor? where's the line? it all matters at the end of the day so to be fixed on just a board may be a little bit user error or otherwise.

the jones is a free carver, hence the name. bx boards are race boards. both can do anything the rider is capable of, but they each have their best intentions designed into the board. same goes for all mountain boards vs free ride boards. huh? see, it can be confusing in the mainstream world. splitting hairs that don't need to be split. each rider can define their riding differently. run whatchya brung

About 20 laps on plutos is on the menu for tomorrow if they groom it. Small alpine race car to start and softies change if necessary.

i think you may have answered your own question already. i personally love that cold grabby snow, but we still have to slide the stuff. the one layer topcoat may help, but there's still going to be compromise when it can get this cold or colder. when we use the correct specified temp wax for these cold conditions and it's still sticky, don't fret. we glide on a thin film of water. that's what the wax intentions are. no enough friction is created to welcome this film for the glide we're looking for. i'm no chemist, but this information was recently brought to my attention so thought i would share. makes sense to me. gotta put those knees in the front of the boots a little bit more, perhaps. also key to note is to use this harder/colder wax as kind of a hot scrape method and not wait to fully 'cure' or whatever you want to call it before you scrape. scrape 'warm'. otherwise it is a nightmare to work with. that one top layer is more or less gone after a day of riding, or two morning sessions. i use an LF4 or 5, but hate having to use the 4 because of the working properties; ie iron temp (311f), scraping sensitivities and/or lack thereof, etc. I do tend to just use these along the edges and not the whole board as a compromise too. maybe a drip up the middle. at least it's cold! finally.

Ya. The nose decamber goes to just about those wood knots just below my effective edge markings. It’ll probably be the only time I try a rad-air or like rad-air, but ya never know.

Gecko cross

tested in some pretty horrible conditions with softboot and then with hardboot. about 17" of wet snow fell the day before at the loaf. due to warmer temps, groomers skipped first shift and only second shift went out to groom limited terrain and didn't stop grooming until mid morning. everything was pretty freshly groomed with not much time to set up, etc. before some rather heavy skier/rider traffic devoured the surface. ridges f-ing everywhere. speed bump city. imagine the conditions. i did find a spot to link two or three consecutive turns though, where the rest of the feelings i got from this board were very variable conditions; ie crapolla. 29 mondo softboot riding a 26 waist 191, carbon, 12m radial board here. a added a plate, but still fairly limited for any carving. took me back to the days before i even knew how to set an edge and how limited the equipment forced the ability and progression of the rider. thankfullly, times have changed. i located and marked the effective edge contact points at the nose for reference while riding ("visually", identical to a k68). tail ee just about at the rad-air logo. the tail is long. 'baby got back'. stiffer core profile flex in the tail. it's felt more when hand flexing than when riding. it blends nicely overall while riding. i could only get this feeling when i was using with hardboots where i could tip it up accordingly and rail a few turns. with the lower angles on hardboots, my knees only tolerated a handful of runs, given the conditions i was dealing with. while i preferred to demo other stock spec'd boards, this was the closest board to what was available in the demo fleet at the time for me to feel some of the features this board has. not everything, but some. the two variables i focused on was the carbon construction and radial sidecut. the increased torsional flex helps hold a locked in turn as good as anything. moreso than other full titanal boards suited to my size. does it help with dampness? well, it's carbon. i think that on a more appropriately/desired sized board for me would help with still being able to 'pedal' a bit to alter turns while still holding a rail if desired. technique plays a factor here, as opposed to the rider solely relying on board construction to make the turn. maybe something fun to play with. the radial sidecut felt normal i'd say. it was difficult to dial this in due to conditions and also the core profile flex in the design of this board. it is a particular animal of a board. it's not for me, but had fun testing. snowboarding is fun no matter what. testing and riding boards of all kinds helps the rider better understand their own needs. while there is no such thing as a perfect board or a one board quiver, we can try. test test test.

No comment on today’s conditions. Tomorrow will be better.

pretty much. i drive four hours and hope conditions are appropriate for these two turns a few times a year. no soup for you! at least the lift towers aren't in gondi line. may have to try that tomorrow, but don't know if it'll be ready.

the 9000 is sized 152-164 and sidecut goes 9-9.6. it's minor, but factored accordingly per manufacturer. anyone here want to invest to design a line of boards? i don't think Jones uses this term, but this "volume shifted" term is used with some boards and manufacturers. it is a confusing term to understand and feel that misinformation is being thrown out there to simply sell boards and not necessarily size boards correctly for the rider. kinda grinds my gears. this is a common term used in shops. i know this crowd understands the bs behind this term, but this is the market Jones is marketing to. understand that. he does, and is walking a fine line with this new line of boards. as i've said before, it is well thought out and it introduces this niche to the mainstream. i say, well done. now, this scoop thing is something i just can't get behind. what do you mean it's 100 for basic tune? sign says 50. those poor tech's. i feel for em.

that headwall. the fixed gun footings/posts are positioned into the slope away from lift towers at least 12'. the arms of the new guns are swung into lift towers for storage, but assume they swing over slope as needed when making snow. friggin sugarloaf! for goofy, no more transitional heelside into a nice toeside at the steepest fall line part of the headwall to rail off of. if you do, it is at least 12' smaller of a radius to work with now. i got one of those skinny tankers to demo tomorrow. probably do a power "hour" to warm up with bxfr and then futz with the tanker to feel what i need to feel with the tanker. closest thing they had in current demo fleet to what i was looking for.

fiddled around most of the morning with some snow cleanup, molding insoles to new liners, etc. since lifts were all on hold and saw the change from snow/mix to full on wet around 9. forecast said a change coming around noon so suited up and headed out around 11. drenched gore-tex until midway up skyline. then snow started to fly. the winds helped "dry" things a bit at the top. some sleet for a half hour and then stopped around 12:30. got a good couple of hours of heavy slashing and looking for the goods. skidder was kinda done so i called it. tomorrows another day. same flexible approach, but keeping a keen eye on temp drop/winds/etc. slopes should drain well and groom out good if they have half care. i hope they groom everything. noticed the headwall got narrower by at least 12' with that new line of guns. completely ruining one of my favorite lines. glad they have pads on the guns.

Upper comp. So skinny but not for long. Great surface out there from a quick afternoon inspection prior to this foot of mixed precip over the next 24. Counting on Thursday Friday. Spillway is owed a turn or two.

Re: plutos. Was there for a couple hours yesterday am. Heard they’ve been blowing for four days. Surprised it wasn’t packed down for today, regardless of being open. All in due time I suppose.

uhm, supply and demand. awareness. exclusiveness or lack thereof. roots. there's probably a reason the ticker numbers on disc plates stop getting printed at 27 or 30 degrees. do the burton disc plates still stop here without grinding down teeth on the plate? it's in the design and what is "most" efficient per that binder. could also just be what's always been done; racer mentality if you will. retooling manufacturing to accommodate. same goes for that Japan crew running their angles. i run 36 at front and tried 39. i feel i've reached the max, but also it's what works best for me; even with aftermarket liners, etc.. nothing wrong with pushing the limits. different strokes...

why is it that riding through that family ski zone (bear claw) always feels like riding through a private bedroom? like cows learning to use their legs. welcome, but don't look and keep 'er mooovin.

thanks @slopestar. they don't turn a soft boot into a hard boot but their are benefits. i think you got the large medium flex. the large hard flex would be even more difference if interested in that. moreso than going with a hard flex wing model IMO due to the taller mold and more leverage than the wing. i've even heard some riders may lap two together in each boot. plenty of flavors and different ways to enjoy.

@Ster those %age numbers of focus for your riding aspirations should be shared with Sean, if not already. they know their stuff and trust you're being led in the right direction. Sean and/or consultants should be helping you here with these things you bring to the forum. this community is great and can be helpful, but the business is with the board maker. maybe this is the American northeast in me? the customer must help the board maker understand their needs. that is all. the extreme carve and "c" shaped turns are two different boards IMO. again, welcome to custom board design. wax that credit card. this is something that needs to be clarified within yourself and with your board maker to decide upon what to have made to meet your needs. i think that @pegtal has some great realistic insight for getting a board made that is not only going to look good on paper, but ride like you want it to. realizing a focus for the build must be made. the %age numbers shared call for two boards so keep Seans contact info handy for the next one. gotta start somewhere. trust your decision and trust in your board maker. take the forum chat with a grain of salt. same with app calcs. you got to feel the ride and fahghet 'bout tha rest. dampness... if working with Donek, the secret or full titanal construction will be a better option than just added rubber from my research and the direction i've been lead working with custom board makers. time to get something built to decide for yourself with the help of the village. the turns will be great, one way or another. no promises.

@Ster welcome to custom board design! only more and more questions arise. at some point, you gotta pull the trigger. this is why multiple boards are almost necessary, especially talking about somewhat minor differences. it's easy to get hung up on these things, but consider the big picture of your goal. this is why certain boards are base lined with a certain specs via the professional board makers. this doesn't mean it's going to work for you, so define your needs. going middle of the road for everything isn't always the cure either. truth is, there is no one board for everything. sorry. as @nextcarve points out, i'll go as far as saying that flex is a major factor regardless of the established base line. what type of riding are you looking to do 80% of the time vs 20%? are you only going out to extreme carve? high speed gs carves only? are you looking to link as many "c" shaped carves as possible? define these differences for yourself and lean towards one way or the other. skills, strength, technique and athletic ability will need to take care of the rest. binding/boot choice too. thank goodness there aren't any custom boot companies out there! oops. i say just ride and set up the board how you wish, knowing the limits they present and/or affects on the body. balance it for you. if duck works, then run it but testing can be fun. just don't cry wolf if your knees hurt though. the board will now be white top, white base. shipped by April 1.