Cthulhufish

If you like aggressive, stiff bindings, what are your favorite softer bindings and why? In short, I love aggressive, responsive gear (it’s why I got into hard booting), but my knees can only handle so much of that, so I’m looking for bindings that offer a gentler ride without feeling sloppy. For reference, currently my softest bindings are older Burton Cartels (pre-Cartel X). I like them a lot, but the lack of fine stance width adjustment causes problems for me on some boards. Canted footbeds and more shock absorption would also be improvements, and I want to avoid sacrificing edge response if possible.

Can anyone who has ridden Burton X Bases give a comparison with the Ride A10s (or similar Ride bindings)? I’m mostly happy with my X Bases, but the aluminum construction of the A10s caught my attention.

I had a great time meeting and riding with everyone!

I'm trying to figure out which mountain to head to. Where are people riding today?

When/where are people planning to meet up/ride?

There are free buses between the mountains.

Any bootfitters in the Aspen area (or at least the valley) that work with snowboard boot liners? I want to replace the liners in a couple pairs of boots (one hard pair and one soft), and I'd prefer to buy from a local shop rather than taking a guess at what liner to get and ordering online. I usually get orthotics done at Surefoot, but when I brought my hard and soft boots in to ask about liners the person there told me that they don't do snowboard boots.

I'll be there. Any particular mountain in mind?

Thanks for all the replies. It sounds like people aren't worried about the length, which was my main concern. I can control the board, and it felt good in carves. I just found it exhausting to skid for speed control or maneuvering in tight spaces, so I'd have to switch back to softboot boards or head home early. I'll work on conditioning pre-season and technique once the season starts and see how it goes this winter.

I got my first alpine setup last Spring, and with Autumn approaching I've started thinking about the coming season. I got a 160cm Voyager from Donek based on their recommendation, and the board felt good in carves, but I found myself struggling to swing it around to slow down or maneuver at low speed. I found myself getting tired much faster compared to carving my soft boot boards. I weigh 115lbs, and my longer soft boot boards are up to 154cm. Is this board too long for me, or is it more likely a technique issue? I plan on doing some proper core and leg conditioning before the snowboard season either way, but if the board is just too long for me, I don't want to wear myself out fighting it.

Spring conditions now. Coverage is fine, with more snow expected this weekend.

SkiSkootys sounds like just the thing.

Nope, standard heels.

I have ridden my new UPZs all of three times, and the soles are noticeably worn from walking on hard surfaces to/from the slope. At this rate, I expect to wear flat spots into the treads by the end of the season. Is there something I'm missing? How do people get from the car to the lift and back without destroying their soles?

Oh, by custom liners I mean the foam-injected variety. They said they can do heat molding.

Thanks for all the responses. I've settled on the UPZ RC12s and F2 Race Titaniums (and extra lift kit). I don't like thinking about how much money I've spent on custom insoles, but they sure do prevent some pain and misery on the slopes... Thanks for the tip about Intuition liners. I've heard great things about custom liners from skiers, but the bootfitter I asked doesn't think they can do them for snowboard hard boots. As for the board, the Metal Freecarve does sound appealing. I take it damper boards are better at dealing with choppy afternoon groomers? For now I'll fill out Donek's order form and see where things go from there. I'm excited to try it all out!

Hello, I recently made the switch to hard boots for my splitboard (Backland Pros with Phantom Link Levers and M6 bindings), and I loved how that felt carving on groomers so much that by the end of the first run I was convinced that I wanted a full alpine setup. I've tried to do as much research as I could, but I'd like to get opinions from people more knowledgeable than myself. I'm 115lbs/52kg, and I generally like my (soft) boots, boards, and bindings on the stiffer side. When I first rode my Driver X/X Base/Flagship setup, it felt like all the responsiveness I could ever want... but now I find myself wanting more. Currently, I'm thinking about getting UPZ RC12s, F2 Race Titaniums, and ordering a board from Donek (Freecarve or Metal FC?). Boots: Going with Deeluxes and ordering everything from Donek is tempting, but I tend to have heel lift issues, and I've seen a lot of mention of poor heel hold in Deeluxes. The spring system in the UPZ boots sounds appealing as well. I plan to get custom insoles and a replacement liner. Does UPZ seem like the right call? How should I choose between the XC12 and RC12? My only point of reference for hard boots are the Backland Pros, which I find flexy enough to be comfortable in moguls, even with the stiffest link lever springs. I've also considered the Point.951s, but the extra cost seems hard to justify, and I'm worried that they might be too stiff. For bindings, what are the trade-offs between the Race Titanium and Carve RS? Overall, I'm looking for more of a carving setup than all-mountain (I'll still have my soft boot boards for that), but I don't want to get too beat up on choppy groomers. Does anyone have thoughts or suggestions? I don't mind sinking some money into a nice setup, but I'd like to avoid needing to do that twice.

I'm a similar height and weight and looking for a first alpine setup. Why the Race Titanium versus the Carve RS?