moose

Awesome GIF creation! Inspiring that you are doing that on a Proteus... I am SO STOKED on my Proteus but usually ride the softboot board in any kind of softness and only carve it - this is inspiring me to get a little more creative with it!

If you are sticking to the Epic Pass, I'd hit up Keystone early morning and stay on the frontside (a ton of people go straight to the back to sideslip and shave the groomers down to the manmade ice underneath). There are several 'side runs' there where (for whatever reason) most of the tourists don't go, so you can get many sections of really good turns for quite an extended period of time (last weekend I rode the Proteus all the way until noon!). If you are going there on 3/11 I'd love to join you (have a powder cat trip planned on 3/10 so I won't be there). Same goes for anyone else who would like to carve there - I'm usually the lone hardbooter... However, I simply must recommend that you go against my offer to ride with you and take the Loveland Sunday crew up on their offer. Such a cool community from the few times I've joined them, and Loveland is one of my favorite resorts for variety of terrain, lack of people / %of really cool people, etc. I think I may do only a Loveland pass next year because it's awesome (I got sucked into Epic this year by the lure of lots of resort options...) A-Basin is great, but I'd go Loveland over it - the real magic of A-Basin (in my opinion) is taking out the all-mountain softboot board and riding Palli/New Terrain in the Beavers and Steep Gullies. With that said, as someone mentioned, I've seen Sean there many times - he really likes it! Copper is awesome, I loved carving there back when I had a pass. It has some good steeps on Super Bee. However, it hasn't been mentioned a ton because it's not on Epic and the ticket price is high. Our house is in Breck, so we never go to Beaver (too far) or Vail (too pretentious and parking is a shitshow), and I think it says something that we also never ski Breck on a weekend. Hope that helps! Let me know if you do want to try to meet up!

Thanks MK! Board is sold, thanks folks!

PM'd you in case they are still available!

I attempted to buy a new pair of Track 700's last year from Bomber, but never got them before the bankruptcy. Well, the pair of hardboots they were going to replace has officially crapped the bed. The crack shown in the photo actually extends onto the top of the boot and I doubt any sort of JB Weld, etc will make it hold. Because I never got the $600 back that I paid to Bomber, I would love to see if someone has a pair of Mondo 28 they'd be willing to part with for a cheaper price than new. Brand doesn't matter too much, I believe I can make an intuition liner work for most any boot. Happy turning! moose

Continuing to sell my board quiver in hopes of buying a custom. This one's a Donek Incline 164, 26 waist, 7.5-8.5 m radius. In very good shape, photos attached. I used it as an all-mountain softboot board that was also a great short-radius carver. For reference, I am 210# - I think someone a lot lighter would find it a great carver but perhaps a tad stiff in bumps/tight trees? The right person might also make it an all-mountain hardboot board? $375 plus shipping!

Cool, great info @Sasquatch_Surfer - I've wondered about the very ''racy' shape of the Flux! Maybe stick with an Incline for the shape... What do you think about the metal? Your board looks to be about the right size for that bear, wonder if he shreds it?

This topic is definitely of interest to me. Here's my main finding/concern (buying a custom soon and still debating what to do about it): go too wide and you can't ride the whole mountain, but too narrow and you can't lay out carves. For example, on my 26 waist incline I have to run hardboots, 44/33, to get the most out of it (Mondo 28 boots). On my 28 waist Incline, I ride 30/15 (maybe still above the threshold for this topic?) and I can still ride moguls and trees, but when I carve if I do a full lay-out I boot out. If I do a "Korua shapes style carve" (Yearning for turning - he carves with both arms down but still has his butt up rather than laying out), I don't boot out... but the butt-up doesn't feel as cool. I also give up some agility on moguls and trees from a 26 waist board. Part of me would like to get a 30+ waist board in order to fully lay-out, but I also fear that it would become a 'carver only' softboot board, in which case I'd rather just ride the Proteus. I'm coming to think that I should just ride hardboots on perfect groom, and then switch to a ~28 waist board that can do it all fairly well. I like being able to ride moguls and trees and still have some fun on groomers on the way back... So what I'm thinking on the custom is a Flux in the 167 range with a 28 waist. Does anyone have experience with custom tailoring the flex to make a uber-wide board still perform OK on bumps, etc., or is that just fantasy?

Sold!

It definitely sounds like an awesome ride, I hope someone who wants to absolutely tear up some carves takes it!

Oh goodness Lurch. So tempting! My first thought was 'totally!' but I think I'll have to pass on the grounds of actually starting to narrow down the board quiver, which is what I was originally hoping to do. This is just a few of where I'm at right now... I want to eventually narrow down to the Proteus, one softie all-arounder (thinking 165-167 and 28-29 waist with a medium-ish flex), and the split. The powder hound was just the first to go (aside from that other Incline I let go a few weeks ago). My guess is the Nomad may be of a similar stiffness to this Flux... I wonder if we'd both still find them to be 'charger' boards. Anyway, if you're interested in buying without a trade let me know, otherwise there was another PM'er after your post - just keep me updated!

A bit of a bitter sweet post here. Selling a Donek Nomad that I picked up last year because I am replacing it with a wider waist width Donek and I have too many boards (at least in my wife's opinion). 170 cm with a 27 cm width. VSR is 8-12 and the flex is, according to Sean, for someone between 180-240 lbs. I find this board very stiff - the size and taper means it floats effortlessly (and I mean effortlessly, I've never had a board that floats my 215# so easily) and it absolutely charges through steep powder and chop. It carves fantastically on the groomed, though I would sometimes boot out (size 10.5) when doing full euro carves in soft snow. I found it a bit too much to handle steep, tight trees unless it was a powder day, in which it's a dream. Bitter sweet post because I would love to keep this for powder days, but I feel that the new board I am getting will have too much overlap for me to justify keeping both, even though I want to. Overall good condition, some scratches on the base and some topsheet chipping which I took a photo of. Can get more photos by request. $400 OBO + Shipping!

I had seen talk of the Promad before (I think it was actually on our Nomad discussion) and I am completely intrigued! It's definitely on my mind as I am planning to pair down the quiver next year and get a true custom from Sean. I feel like the less tapered shape of it would fix some of the problem we discussed on the Nomad where if you want to carve it, it will certainly do it, but you have to adjust to more of a back-foot surfy style of carving. Always takes me a few runs to re-adjust to it so I've been only bringing it out on truly deep days, but that seems to almost be a waste since it can carve so well, too. Promad may be the perfect mix! Have fun on your Trip, Lurch!

VERY interesting! I hadn't even thought about trying it in bumps but perhaps I should! Agree on the leg pump after 2 hours!

Funny, I didn't even think I was writing a review when I started writing - I figure all Alpine boards are to some extent like this. However, upon reflection of my experience on the Voyager vs Proteus, maybe this post should be moved! Lurch, I'm still excited to hear how you like the Flux! I gotta say, I do still love doing bumps on the Incline, and that is something I would guess an Alpine board sucks at.

Last year I went to a demo day and tried out Donek's new Voyager(/Legacy). Coming from a softboot carving setup and also being a ski carver, adjusting to the 60/55 angles happened fairly quickly, so I picked up a Proteus from these forums at the end of last year. After riding it for pretty much every groomer day I've been out this season, I must lodge a formal complaint. This board has made my Incline a lot less fun. I mean to say that you can pump-carve this board through a long flat and still be gaining speed! It's ridiculous. My typical approach is to get the first chair on a groomer day and do about 1-2 hours on it, then switch back to a softboot setup or skis. Every time I switch to softboots, I start out thinking "OK, now I'm going to do some playful softboot carving and it will be just as fun!" and it never is. I have to seek out the steepest sections of groomed runs to get the same feeling that the Proteus gets while gaining speed on low angles! It changes edges really quickly, but the more angulation you give it, the more it fires back - it's this weird combination of ... like playful and badass. I'm still not an expert at carving the steeps on this thing because it just goes so fast. Actually, the first day I rode it I laid into the first turn and that 'explosive pop' that Sean describes sent me flying and skittering on my butt across a whole empty sea of groom. But now that I've been on it I grow to love it more and more every day. Just felt the need to get this out there. Also, even though it's less fun to softboot groom, I feel that it's improved my heelsides on my Incline. Just for reference, I got a 170 despite my ~205 lbs. because I was hoping for some tighter turns, so I think this is one reason I can bend it. Sounds like other people who don't weigh as much have found it to be very stiff. However, I do wonder if the 175 or 180 would be a good one for me once I master the steeps on this one. If anyone would like to teach this newbie a thing or two in Summit County I'm all game!

@Lurch, thoughts from riding the flux? Hardboots or soft? Length (182, right?)? I've heard lots of good stuff but there's surprisingly little talk on the forums...

This thread is really interesting to me - the widest board I had ridden until 2 weeks ago was a 27 waist Nomad, which was the best softboot carver I had ever tried (despite the need to put a lot of weight on the tail). I just got an older Incline from RJ with a 28 waist and over the past two weeks have considered selling every other softboot board I own - this thing is the most fun board I have ever ridden! However, as discussed, the flex profile is perhaps even more important for me than the width - the Nomad (a 170) is SO STIFF, especially in the tail, that it is a beast to do anything on but carve or charge (e.g. almost straightline) steep powder. The Incline (164), though not soft, has plenty of flex to make bumps and trees awesome also, and as we all know, one board to roam the whole mountain perfectly feels like I found my unicorn-vehicle. The reason this is interesting for me is because when this board is done for, I want another just like it. The obvious answer would be to get a custom Incline with the same specs, but I wonder if the flex pattern has changed significantly enough on the newer Inclines to mean that I would no longer like the 28 waist and want to size down to a 27? Or alternatively, if I can custom the flex pattern, and what exactly I would describe for that? (I guess I could bring in the old board?) Just thoughts for the future as I am STOKED on this older Incline right now.

Thank you, Dave! Happy carving! Board has sold, thanks!

Older model, Donek 164 with a tip/waist/tail of 28.5/24/28. I am the second owner, but I believe it is an Incline model (or at least rides like one - I have another Incline that feels very similar. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). There is a small, very circular chip in the base that was p-texed as well as a shallow gouge near an edge (no damage to the edge, just to the base). Had a finger in the photo for scale. Should make for a really fun board for someone out there looking for Donek quality at a cheaper price point - $100 + shipping. Would also love to trade for a very similar board with a wider waist!

I was interested in similar questions to @chowtownsfinest, but use different gear: I ride the Spark Dyno bindings on my split with some old BD Primes and became interested in riding the same boot and same angles at the resort on a solid. At first, I picked up a pair of TD2's. I had some similar concerns to yours, but the biggest concern was that they seem to put SO much torque on the boards while riding all mountain that I broke one board (an old Burton, no big loss) and was too worried about another board (a Donek Incline... which should hold up but I didn't want to take any chances...). I switched over to F2's recently (the titanium race rather than the softer model) and have had great success with these. They flex more than the TD2's, making the concern about breaking boards lower, and they still allow quickness for bump runs, pop off jumps, etc. Plus, they seem to be pretty easy to get your hands on (which can be a challenge for some binding models). In terms of weight ranges, I'm also a bigger guy - 6'3" 210lbs. I think that's why the titanium race were a good fit for me - flex but still strong enough to stand up to my fat-guy abuse. And, of course, on the incline they rip carves. They just might make you want to get a carve board (I did... and it's awesome).

My guess is that the 170 nomad, being so long, has the 8m scr up front by necessity, whereas the stock models all have 7. However, I like the 8-12 just fine - it feels right in the sweet spot. Workshop mentioned this, and it's not totally related, but if I go too front foot heavy trying to actuate the smaller scr, I lose the tail and skid, so for me it was placing the bindings in the right spot (a bit more forward) and learning a very subtle weight shift. At first, transitioning back and forth between my Proteus w/ 60/55 angles to this board was a challenge because I wasn't re-adjusting that subtle weight shift, but it just took a little time and I don't have that problem anymore. Point is that I wonder if one went too small on the front SCR if it would feel like an abrupt transition to that tighter turn and be more likely to skid? Total conjecture. Could be the opposite effect, the shift of weight forward to a tighter radius turn would rocket you into the turn and cause you to shift your weight back as you finish the turn, making it longer for the transition? No idea. I'll go back to sticking with my original answer: I like the 8-12. Ha!

Same as @workshop7, I love the length and width. For me, the width is essential for softboot angles because I find that if I do any lay-down carves with less than 27, my boots start to scrape. Sometimes they even scrape on my Incline with a 28 waist (mondo 28 boots). The 27 seems perfect because it's a nice sweet spot where it feels like I can carve very deep, but it's not so wide that it feels like an oil tanker in bumps.

I own @workshop7's Nomad now - 170 with a 27 waist - and my thoughts are very similar. All around a great board, effortless in powder (as expected) and carves unbelievably well. VSR seemed very responsive to me, but I don't own a Flux. As stated, the tail is surprisingly stiff, which makes it my go to 'charger,' but which also means it is not a playful board. What I mean is that if I'm going to be charging down powder or chop in one of A Basin's East Wall Chutes, I love this board. However, I don't like doing trees or bumps on it, or riding it while tired - it's one of those boards that if I'm below a certain speed, there's not as much room for 'playing around' or making quick, slashy turns - it's all business and I better be paying attention. Even more so than my 28 Waist Incline. So right now I'm really glad I got it, but I also choose what I'm doing for the day before going out (steep runs, or trees/bumps?). Related to the flex, the recommended weight range is 180-240 and I weigh 210. Part of the reason I bought this one used is because ultimately I'd love to design my perfect board with Donek, but I wanted to get to know a board truly meant for my weight class before figuring out exactly what I wanted. I think a Nomad could truly be my perfect all-arounder at some point, and if I were to customize one I would ask for a softer flex than my weight range, therefore sacrificing some of the 'charger/freeride' and carving performance for some more trees/playfulness performance. If possible, I would try to ask for a softer flex specifically in the tail while stiffening up the nose a bit. I think this would allow me to enjoy it for more of the things I do on a daily basis in Colorado - a mix of steeper stuff and mellow trees on powder days, as well as some carving the next day's groomed. The extreme taper on the tail combined with making it a tad softer would (seems to me) give it that more surfy, playful feel. Of course, this is all just conjecture, but perhaps it will help someone customizing a Nomad? If all I ever did was steep powder bowls and carve up the groomers, this would be my one and only board. But I like bumps and trees, too. For reference, I've been riding it in stiff softboots, +30/+15, 21.5" stance using the centermost 4-holes front and back feet. Only been able to test in powder in softboots so far, but plan to test in hardboots with the same low angles in the future. Will report if it's radically different! I also ride an Incline 164, a Proteus 170, and have demoed a Flux, but not in a wide enough size to ride my softboot angles (so it wasn't a true comparison to this).

I ride the Primes as my splitboard boot and love them. Wide toe box and I've got the flex figured out (loose on the front, but lock out in ski mode, tight on the back to restrict range of motion but still in walk mode). They are actually coming close to replacement so interested in these! @LambertoMI - interested in what you mean when you say you ride them? On hardboot boards, or do you mean on skis/splitboard?