dhamann

Probably gonna lean in the direction of the American flag donek logo for the topsheet he already has spec’d in his system after all this discussion. just kidding. American humor. Whatever you want, as long as it’s black.

Also compare the effective edge spec of your swoard dual to the donek you’re designing. The other boards aren’t even part of the discussion but good to know what you have experience with.

Eu 47 is mondo 30.5 according to upz chart. Measure naked feet while standing in evening cm. It’s not always waist but width at rear inserts that matter most depending on sidecut profile/binding angle. The 165 (or 168) is solid and don’t be shy with the larger sidecut you feel most comfortable with, reading about your higher speed riding and extreme carving aspirations. Consider sidecut depth, not just radii. You’ll probably need to ask Sean specifically for this spec; if he’s willing. Above tree line open piste and firm groom, 30cm wide is “good enough” and better to add a plate when desired. Otherwise at least 30.5 if high snowfall in your area of riding in France. Imo, go secret or full titanal. Sean knows best about the hairs you may be splitting with regards to performance between these options. Working with the board builder is the most important but others feedback can help. It can also sound like noise so take all input with a grain of salt and you make the call. All board makers mentioned above should recommend good things. You’re in good hands and on the right path.

Two weights available for q-iso with the ‘stick. It’s the “faucet” to the “kitchen sink”. Also “secret”… apparently. TBD. A bxfr imo is the “standard” for ice grip/hold.

thanks @crackaddict. that combo of shell/liner appears pretty solid. probably one of the most solid for softies actually. i considered plug race, but i just ordered the fx race to try this year myself. plug wrap in upz. when and if additional support/stiffness may be desired, check the inventory. feel free to PM with any questions. meanwhile, enjoy that kit! EDIT: not to highjack here and/or come off like i'm pushing anything, but liner choice is important whether running POWERRIDE or not. if it hasn't been said yet (definitely has somewhere), changing a stock liner to an intuition or other aftermarket liner is a great recommendation for those looking for more than what a stock liner can offer. they break down, pack out etc. as mentioned. furthermore, these stock intuition liners that come with boots don't necessarily have the same foam makeup as a liner direct from manufacturer. ie, not all foam may mold in a moldable stock liner. if running a stock liner and thinking that a POWERRIDE insert is going to turn your boot into a hardboot, this is simply not the case. it can be close, but also can be objective. they will help and provide additional support/flex but not really make it ride like a hardboot. therefore, the technique of simply turning by leaning into the shins of the boot is a method to engage the edge/sidecut of the board, it's not the only way. it can be nice to have that option with such a kit though, if that's your flavor. there's a lot more going on and can be rather complex, especially with the alpine turn focused crowd. we're a bunch of nerds. point is, get and test what the rider thinks may be best as we all have different needs, but liner choice is pretty key. the inserts may enhance. intuition should make a comical video about 'what does liner choice say about you?'. liner descriptions are so vague to leave it up to the rider i suppose, as liners can be objective just the same.

Couple of 6 degree cants available here. Just pm if interested.

that's the snowboarder in you! welcome back! rider specs are helpful, but knee jerk response would be... if directional carve is your agenda and not knowing exactly the terrain (geographically) you intend to ride ETC. then the Jones Freecarver 9000, the winterstick line, stranda cheat or check Vaughn boards stock. binding. NOW drive (pick your flavor), Flux cv for some forgiveness or xv if you want stiffer than stiff. maybe higher end union and if you're around nelson, bc call the tribute shop to get their new collab with union; think it's in store sale only. boots. lower volume foot, ride insano. higher volume just about any other based on flex preferences.

i ride the newer orange/red UPZ as well. could've been @workshop7 but think he just does softboot now. gonna check out the crotch for a couple hours mid day today. i don't expect much after three days of falling water and in the 40's+. thankful to see just cloudy today and somewhat colder temps upon us. geesh, what a tough week for the snowpack and that wet storm wreaking havoc the week prior. frig'n north east bs. the two month window of "winter" is upon us now. snow making equipment gets returned end of February if that's still the case. CONDITIONS: rode about 12:30-2. three ways down of the 980' vertical. racing on Meteor was closed until about 12:38. racing stopped just after 11 and sat idle for lunch and then final laps or clean up... idk for sure, i was driving. saw the racing on the webcam so i called the "local" number. after about six attempts to try to contact the mountain about an eta on the racing finishing up, i just went. there is no way to contact the mountain directly. upon following numerous prompts, all i got was the vail call center. that's all you'll get i guess. seems weird if an emergency were to happen. even the special 234 extension i was advised to use didn't help. anyways, as expected, all very soft, wet and mashed potatoeee. more of a surf than a carve. rocket shut down temporarily for a half hour or so; what's new? head on a swivel. some straight liners around going for fastest time on their apps. the three jumps in park are of solid size. looked like 20' to 25' to 30'. great setup for the jumpers. so temped!!!!!! but stayed on the ground. gotta be working with a good 8" for a base right about now. looking forward to the freeze and maybe try Monday for a few. lincoln tues pm through thursday i think. HNY!

that zebra is worse to wax than just white.

All TD discs sold. Only pair of black F2 titanium race plate disc covers left.

TD3 red discs gone. F2 disc cover I have. One red. Two black. Just pay shipping if you want the red one. Pm me

thanks @slopestar please allow some additional shipping time for these. there's a few current orders. the elves are packaging everyone's items and getting ready to ship out next week. tracking to follow. thanks for understanding and Merry Christmas.

i've seen a few folks get back into softboots and not like it. maybe getting that "ideal" kit and feeling good. with a current seasoned alpine snowboarder who can make good turns already coming from the 90's era and/or prior, a little toe/heel at the edge isn't going to hurt. if anything, it'll provide confidence on edging. it may be nice to have the option to tip a board high on edge at 90 degrees to carve without any drag if one has the desire/ability to do so, but this is not necessary, nor mandatory. some folks wear jeans, take a schwinn to the start gate and smoke all the redlines and haro's with the checkered vans. run what ya brung. i think there's some solid recommendations on this recommendation thread, but what works for some may not for others. i'd encourage either and we all have our preferences. choose accordingly. start somewhere. explore and test. progress at ones own desire. have fun.

woah woah woah. who's funding that venture? gecko or isolator are tough to beat. shim/cant the baseplate if desired. hard flex POWERRIDE offers more leverage; especially the "large" (M 27+, US 9.5+) size. almost cancels out the need/want for lift/cant. i don't understand the desire for cant with softies other than marketing.

@jburk i think you'll be happy with that setup to get back into softboot carving. i have some basic riser plates if that's something you may want to explore. jut hit me up. one thing i don't like about the Soul is that the pow inserts are "missing" (omitted) a set of inserts between the last set of 4x4 and i'd like to see it a 6x6 at the most rear inserts. they took away that option of running one set up from the most set back option. eh. i prefer the pow insert set as the 2cm setback spec just doesn't do it for me. probably the half-warp speed as the standard situation. i feel ya there. feels too far forward unless all the way back. just another personal preference. with your alpine background, you know how to set it up. trial and error. enjoy the new kit! happy turns. it's like riding a bike.

jones freecarver 9000. 156 or 160? i love my soul 64xt with 29 mondo, but also use gecko plates. intermediate or not, this works for the firmer conditions typically encountered in my neck of the woods. if it is softer and the carves tend to trench more, then additional width is welcomed to help limit boot drag. however, tradeoff can be handling and quicker edge to edge may be compromised. crack climbing core strength recommended. gravity and physics. standard rec's for width can be so objective to each rider based on preferences, style, abilities, terrain, angles, plates, etc.. what works for one, may not for another. gotta start somewhere though. i don't know if AI can help. getting some feedback from other carvers should help you make the best decision for you, based on your experience with alpine boards.

http://i-carve.com/outlet/snowboard_outlet contact Ivan to confirm inventory. maybe consider the soul surf 64 if you want wider and if you plan to lay it down on the belly or just want the security. it's the same running length (essentially effective edge) as 59 soul. great board for PNW.

8,9,10m radius is all anyone should need for free carve (learning or otherwise), unless skiing, racing, wants to make things more difficult, personal preference or wants to wag their "big feet" around. There are very few individuals that can truly handle and feel comfortable on a larger radius (12m+) daily driver soft boot snowboard. as previously stated, perfectly balanced. the remainder is technique. i love this take. run what ya brung. the majority of the YT videos i see focused on soft boot carving have these 10m radius or less boards. some pretty displays of athleticism with these boards where the larger radius board riders are less pretty IMO, although appreciated. there are some outliers for sure and these are unique individuals with a very sound understanding of all things snowboarding, for the most part. custom stuff, alterations to equipment, etc. for sake of mainstream vs custom the market is ever changing and more and more options becoming available, therefore balanced. a lot has changed since the 90's. the focus on the performance, design, features etc. of a snowboard to carve is something that some mainstream shops have less of an understanding of. not all shops, but some. most don't care, but some do. it's a niche. this is why the focus of carve specific equipment has been the higher end stuff that's available in 'select' shops in limited quantities and only found online or special order. barriers to entry aren't made easy. if it was, everyone would do it. is this the goal? this is slowly becoming a thing of the past due to the ever changing market and interests of the riders. it's a cliche, but snowboarding drives snowboarding. commercial mainstream doesn't. think target, amazon etc. cares about snowboarding? we know who the true drivers are and are not. is anyone here looking at the malls for equipment? there's nothing wrong with that if that's what gets people started but maybe sports illustrated and "authentic" brands group is not the direction the sport/activity of snowboarding should go. careful what we wish for.

the K2 thraxis has a third boa for internal heel hold. my previous boot with SBC liner and booster strap. deeluxe edge pro has internal harness. this is my current boot and believe it is the stiffest overall stock boot out there. plastic sewed into shell tongue, etc. top cuff is a little difficult to get snug, but some movement is welcomed. for less movement and more stiffness, that's a hard boot. POWERRIDE increases stiffness/support too. thirtytwo Jones MTB has internal harness. just saw a review of Jones' equipment with fawcett on this boot (TM-2 Jones, not the Jones MTB). tribute lounge, u tube. look it up. he prefers the use the harness to hold ankle down and keep top of boot a little loose for movement similar to how Rusty describes. it's a no budget, may need financing kind of boot. geesh. it really boils down to personal preference, other equipment, terrain, etc. but i prefer the most support i can get without going to hard boots. free carve and free ride is the style i prefer to focus on these days. my body doesn't really allow for tweaked out grabs very well anymore, but still has the ability to carve. i get the equipment that suits this specific style. the overall does everything well equipment has it's drawbacks if the rider prefers to focus carving IMO. lean towards what you'll do 80% of the time and not 20%. for myself being located in New England, there's not a whole lot of powder or soft conditions so why get equipment that rips in powder and big mountain that can "carve"? i ride lifts at a resort with groomed trails. it's what works best for me. bindings too, huh? the flux xv is the stiffest softboot binding that i know of. for variable and softer conditions, i'd steer clear of this one. everything else is game. the flux cv is more foregiving of a highback with a higher heel cup; greater lateral support/response in theory. the jones apollo is a step down with regards to response/stiffness from xv, but also on the stiff and responsive side of the spectrum. they're more friendly of a daily driver than the xv if the rider gets in a lot of days. the NOW odrive is no longer. the drive cx is what replaced the odrive. seems a bit more forgiving than odrive. consider the terrain the promoters are riding the majority of the time. i tried a union binding years ago (6-7?) with a carbon highback and broke on my second or third run at the highback connection to base. taking laps before a race day. ruined my day. this may have been the atlas fc. i forget. people seem to like the atlas pro. they look good with the newer design and absorbent base plate. consider base plate design for lateral forces/movement, ankle strap and highback. don't be scared of a non-rotatable highback. i run 36/15 in general and never felt like i needed to rotate the highback on the odrive, but do prefer the curved highback on the apollo. this highback is not as stiff as the flux xv. i tried the Ride A10 a couple years ago and some people like them. i did not! the highbacks were stiff, but not much support with the angles i run. aluminum base plate does not break. it bends, and the body may not be able to absorb these forces. something to consider. the ankle strap was nauseating to be considered on this binding. so much R&D with Ride and kind of disappointing to come to this conclusion, but this is just my take. like i said, some people like them. again, boils down to personal preference. hope this feeback helps make your decision. happy carving!

@slabber good news and thanks for sharing. these aging Driver boots are unique. i'm glad the POWERRIDE somewhat fits and works for you. however, if you're married to these boots then i might suggest trying them between liner and tongue of boot. stitching and/or fabrics may get torn up using this way. i know you know this and wanted to test as the boot was designed with that original insert, but the POWERRIDE should provide more response if installed as they are intended (between liner/boot shell). try it out. having on the outside really creates some extra flare though, doesn't it? minus the duct tape. i have seen some videos that the POWERRIDE can be put under a laced boot like this as an alternative if between the liner/shell is not allowed for whatever reason. human intuition. enjoy the POWERRIDE however you wish.

thanks @JohnE. are those new boots/liners? if rider preferences are looking for more leverage, consider sizing up. this is why i believe the sizing for POWERRIDE isn't so hard and fast. i am a size 12 street shoe and mondo 29 snowboard boot. i'll run the large size and/or medium size depending on conditions and preferences. i'll note that the large size hard flex basic model has more leverage than the Wing hard flex model if the rider is after a stiffer harder option fore/aft. this is because the wing models use a medium size mold but add the wings. this helps with lateral support and response. the large size basic is a larger mold (a little taller and longer), hence the leverage. if it fits, it rips.

bump

Late afternoon hours strong hold grippy and some clumpage with warmer temps. As always, look for the bald spots. Good. M-F. That pond looking low. Is there a dam dam to fill that thing? I should know this.

fast and firm alpine ice this afternoon. softy laps tomorrow morning.

POWERRIDE stock has been added to store. product in hand and ready to ship. a new model is also available called POWERRIDE FIT. i tested all models recently with the FIT. they work as the product description says. check them out.