[European Resorts]

Silvretta Montafon (Austria) - Winter Resort

Open from December until May

From May onwards it's a resort for hiking,  biking and climbing.

Great variety of slopes (ranging from blue to black), though blues often feel more like reds and vice-versa.

We go here once a year for a week, and have never been let down (besides extremely late snow 2 years ago around Christmas).

https://www.silvretta-montafon.at/en/

 

EDIT: I will be here this January 20th until January 27th.

Must say that in the last couple of years I've only seen like 3 hardbooters pass me by.

I will happily try and be the 4th this year :P

[What's your perspective/objective?]

I'm yet to start my hardbooting career, but my eventual goal is to ride beautifully. I want to make the carved turns look like they require no effort at all. So I guess that puts me in box #2.

But yeah, looooong way to go!

[Beginner question about boot flex]

1 minute ago, Zone said:

If you're relying on the tongue for stiffness (or softness), do keep in mind that the stiffness can vary greatly between 0C and -25C.

I ride in Austria, temperatures rarely get to -10°. Usually it's between 0° and -5°.. so not sure what the effects (if any) would be on tongue stiffness.

[Beginner question about boot flex]

So much info and so many opinions again. Awesome!

Well I got my hands on a pair of 2014 UPZ RC10 boots with only 5 days on them for a small price (only €160). So I should be able to feel the difference between them and the pair of 225's I already have once I hit the snow.

@philw, the combination of boot and binding flex makes sense. In the end, like others have alreay states, I guess it all comes down to the combination of rider, gear and style.

@Beckmann AG, in that case I will definitely be spending my first meters on the softer 225's!

 

EDIT: it feels a bit weird by the way. On the one hand, I feel like asking tons of questions and being the sponge absorbing it all. On the other hand I know that most of this comes down to feel, trial and error. So my plan is to ask questions until I can get the feels once I'm in the snow hehe.

[Beginner question about boot flex]

Wow....

When I was taking a few slalom trainings, all they could tell me was that some boots are stiff, and others are flexible. And basically told me that everyone should be wearing stiff boots. But reading all this feedback, it's not as black-and-white as they made it appear to be.

So, to sum up the comments here (and please correct me if I got it wrong!)...

- "Boot stiffness" is actually not as straight-forward as it sounds. Stiffness can be required and achieved on several aspects of the boot, such as the spring system, the amount of "give" when bending, the material of the boot and tongues, and so on.

- The "optimal" boot stiffness depends on the rider and their style.

Meaning that reaching "boot stiffness" nirvana will probably require a lot of trial and error, finding a style that suits the rider, and aiming for boots that help the rider getting the most out of that style.

 

Which also means that I am very, very far from knowing my optimal boot stiffness

Thanks so much for another bunch of lessons learned. I hope that after my first full week in the snow I will get an even better understanding of everything that is said here, so I can put these comments to good use!

[Beginner question about boot flex]

Hi everyone,

A week ago I started a topic about groomed slopes and I learned a lot. Hoping to learn as much about boot flex!

So, some context. As some might have read in the groomed slopes topic, I only recently made the switch to hardboots, coming from riding softboots one or two weeks a year for about 13 years. I was able to get my hands on some second hand hardboot gear; some boards and a set of hardboots.

The boots I have are Deeluxe Track-225 boots. I read online that they are some of the most flexible hardboots made by Deeluxe. They are apparently a little softer than Track-325's, and a LOT softer than Track-700's. Then, there's also the boots from UPZ, which have the RC-10/11 (11 is the new 10?) being the stiffer, and the RC-8 being the more flexible.

I keep reading online that most of the slalom racers use very stiff boots to have more feel/control. But if the stiff boots were always the way to go, then they wouldn't have to produce more flexible ones. Right?

Can you guys explain to me what the benifits are of a stiffer or more flexible boot?  Does it have to do with control/feel, does it have to do with the stiffness of the board they are on, or with the style of carving, or something completely different

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

22 minutes ago, pokkis said:

<funny video>

That was hilarious!

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

@noschoolrider your comments about EC lowering overall speed due to body parts in the snow makes a lot of sense. I also see vids where people vary their carving styles between EC and other carving styles. I guess it also depends on what type of snow and slope people are on when deciding on the carving style, once they masrer different styles.

@Aracan, @Allee ,back protactor might be useful, though I nev er needed one before. As in, never been hit from behind on the slopes.

Back protactors look so bulky, heavy and uncomfortable... Any recommendations? :)

[Learned two things today !!!]

41 minutes ago, Aracan said:

It seems that such a camera (or its mount) played in role in Michael Schumacher's skiing accident, so you might be on to something.

I read about that as well... sounds risky! Is this maybe one of the reasons why I see many carve videos made by people holding a selfiestick instead of riding with a helmet mount?

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

2 minutes ago, Jack Michaud said:

I don't use anything, but It might be nice to use some padded undershorts.  Google "padded shorts snowboarding" for some choices.  Burton makes a pricey one here.

If you are still in the stage of snowboarding where catching your downhill edge is an occasional accident, maybe also a back protector.

Definitely use a helmet.

Alright. Well my softboot snowboard skills are intermediate (one week a year for around 13 years) so I think catching an edge will not be an issue, neither for softbooting nor for hardbooting. I will look into padded shorts but until now I've never worn any protection either. Will probably try with just the helmet and if I do come home bruised I will get padded pants for next year :)

Oh and @Corey most ski lifts where I'm going have nice soft (fake-)leather clad seatings :P

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

17 hours ago, nitro said:

Id recommend getting some body armour  

Is body armour a "must" when starting out, or is this more a thing for when I will achieve higher speeds? Or would it be especially useful for newcomers because they fall relatively often, though at lower speeds?

I have never worn a helmet before on my softboot setup but will definitely wear one when I'm going to hardboot. But never thought of wearing body armour.....

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

2 hours ago, Beckmann AG said:

Be aware of what you're doing, while doing it, without thinking about doing what you're doing.

Haha, thanks. Will be holding on to that quote when I'm at it :P

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

Guys,

Thanks for making a newbie feel so very welcome to these forums. As I said before, I'm taking all this in and can't wait to get going.

I've read through the first tech article and will definitely read through a few more before my week in the snow. My aim the first couple of days is to first gently carve frontside and heelside turns one by one. Then with a little more speed trying J turns one by one. Them maybe, just maybe try to link... but that all depends on the feels!

Definitely don't want to rush things, want to try doing things "right" rather than trying to improve too fast.

And definitely will be visiting these forums a lot before and during my holidays!!!

:D

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

All this info and your opinions really makes me want to get out onto the snow! Wish there were real slopes in the Netherlands. Ah well..

I'm taking note of everything that's said here. Definitely will start on an easy slope, already have one in mind which I will be spending the first hours of my holiday on.

8 hours ago, SunSurfer said:

Concentrate on 2 things

1/ learn to carve your board, and to "find your edge" with just bindings. 

2/ Read the Plate thread at your leisure. Don't hurry, and think lots. The thread began when isolation plates were relatively new, and the thinking and opinions evolved over time. The different designs do VERY different things. How the plate is set up in relation to bindings and board affects performance and introduces a whole lot more variables and complexity.

My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy with the amount of research I'm doing before trying it on the actual slopes.... I'm a real thinker when I get enthusiastic about something, so I hope I can turn those thoughts into action when I'm there!

6 hours ago, ursle said:

Dont get on the Kessler until you can carve the other boards, the Kessler will carve anything but it has a 15-17 foot radius turn and until your comfortable making the board come around, and know it will come around, the Kessler will just go faster and faster, skidding turns isn’t carving and makes for bad habits.

Yea, I got that tip a little earlier in this topic as well. Leaving the Kessler at home for now. Was already intimidated by it, but couldn't pass on the offer for it :) I'll just keep it for when I'm comfortable going down the slopes.

6 hours ago, ursle said:

If I were you I’d stick to a slope you’re comfortable with until you can turn the board uphill at the end of the turn on both edges, sounds easy, try it...then, when you can link turns with speed, move to a more progressive run and start over, no need to get in trouble and get hurt, lots of hours figuring out how the board reacts will be a good foundation.

About doing turns that go back uphill a little, I saw this video of a carving clinic where Corey Dyck explains why we would want to do J-turns (reduce speed by making full turns). Do you guys agree on most of what he's instructing?

 

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

6 minutes ago, noschoolrider said:

I'm glad you guys liked the video and I hope it inspires some of you to develop the skills (and strength) to get good at riding hard boots on less than perfect conditions.

Like the others, I'd like to thank you for linking this vid. Sigi makes it look so easy.. I've found a lot of vids that inspired and motivated me to start hardbooting and I'll surely add this one to my library!

And the discussion about plates is also an interesting one. Since I'm only just starting I won't be looking at anything else than a stock setup before I try making any adjustments.. but here I read that plates dampen and would make you feel leas connected with the slope, while I thought race plates were added to stiffen and stabilize a board. Are they only for dampening?

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

Thanks for the replies guys, amazing how active these forums are. Glad I decided to go ahead and make an account to post my questions after lurking in the shadows for a while!

Great to hear that the less than perfect snow is not an issue, but a good way to learn. And thanks for the tip on the Kessler as well. Was already doubting whether to take it with me or wait until I gain some experience. I only have the Kessler because I was lucky to buy it for just €150 in near mint condition and haven't really dared to ride it yet... I will just keep looking at its beauty for now :)

I will also try carving on my softboot setup this year. Read on these forums that my Rossignol One Mag isn't the best for carving but it probably can't hurt to try.

I will let you guys know how I fare during my week in the snow. Again, thanks a lot for the tips and quick replies! :D

 

[Beginner question about groomed slopes]

Hi everyone,

First some context: my name is Wessel, and I'm an aspiring hardbooter from the Netherlands. Been snowboarding (softboots) one week a year since 2003 and during this time got intrigued by the carving phenomenon. In order to pursue this myself, I've started hardbooting last summer on an indoor slope, attending a few trainings aimed at the slalom discipline. Though competitive slalom is not my ambition, I did get some pointers and excersises for when I get to ride outdoors in Austria later this month.

While I will probably have tons of questions after my first week of hardbooting, there is something I would like to know before going;

Most videos and pictures I found on the net when searching for hardbooting tips were on perfectly groomed slopes. I'm an obvious beginner on hardboots and will probably switch between skidding turns and half-carves most of the time.

Should I focus my hardbooting efforts on perfectly groomed slopes only, and swap to a softboot setup once the snow gets bad? Are there risks with hardbooting on less-than-perfect snow or are any risks only a thing at high speeds?

I already got the tip on another topic to at least start with most flexible board and work my way up if I feel comfortable.

 

My gear:

- Deeluxe Track-225

- 163 F2 Speedster GTS / F2 Race Titanium

- 163 F2 Speedster SL / F2 Race Titanium

- 171 Kessler Alpine / F2 Race Titanium

[Freerider looking for answers!]

43 minutes ago, BlueB said:

Good idea. The softest board will start to carve at the lowest speed. It would max out at the lowest speed too, you'll know when that happens. 

Thanks for that feedback. Confirms my initial thoughts. Very eager to try hardbooting on an actual slope instead of just indoors where the width of the slope is limited.

Sorry for the little thread-hijack.

[Freerider looking for answers!]

Hi Tim,

I'm a Dutchie who recently started hardbooting as well. If you're serious about your ambitions to hardboot, then perhaps it's a good idea to look at the snowpepper and soulboarders websites. They organize weekly carving sessions (mostly hardbooters, but there's softboot carvers there as well) in Zoetermeer and Landgraaf. I've joined a few of the Snowpepper training sessions over the summer. Snowpepper is more aimed at training slalom (competitively), soulboarders are more aimed towards carving in general. Will probably try out the Soulboarders training sessions when I get back from Austria. I can't carve my hardboot setup yet, but I did get some good pointers, basic techniques and exercises that I can attempt during my holiday.

Besides that, I have a question for the community here as well.

My current hardboot quiver consists of an 163 F2 Speedster GTS, an 163 F2 Speedster SL and an 171 Kessler Alpine, all with F2 Race Titanium bindings. I'm on Deeluxe Track-225's (I know, rather flexible, but I got a good deal on them 2nd hand).

My initial idea is to ride the GTS first (most flexible of the 3), then the SL, and MAYBE the Alpine if I feel comfortable. But probably just the F2's this year.

Is that a good way to work my way up from a more flexible board towards the stiffer? Or would it be best to get on the stiffer SL to begin with?