kieran

i've found titanal to be the difference between 'huh, that was close' and 'omg i'm going to die' once or twice. the thrill of scenario number two is only worth it if you get away with it. ;)

maybe, maybe not. it's meant for racing, which is lots of comparatively brief turns. the silberpfeil is meant for fun carving and hooking big turns. it's not to say that fun carving isnt possible on the WC, but it's going to be quite different. if it's a great price, buy it and dont ride it until halfway through next season, when you're strong and find someplace WIDE, SMOOTH and QUIET. edit: just saw it's an equipe. skip it unless you want to end up in orbit.

oh dear oh dear. orange trousers and orange boots. oh dear. ;) booting-out and even bindinging-out in some of those turns. good stuff.

just new toe and heel blocks. but you also need the boot heels. usually works out cheaper to find some intec ti secondhand.

snake oil? you decide. http://liquiglide.com/

you mean there are people who don't?

you might find most isolation plates (bomber, donek, vist) are wider than a silberpfeil.

this never really goes away. the silberpfeil is happy to go in a mostly straight line, but it wants to turn - and fast. to bleed off speed you can kick the tail out a little bit (inelegant imo) or continue your turn uphill a bit (much better and more fun). the latter comes into play with cross-under turn styles, and is hilariously addictive.

'vitelli turn' makes me think of neon, and headbands. shudder.

if memory serves you said you'd ordered reinforcement on the inserts for hardboot use. ?

our powder is quite heavy and usually falls as windslab, last week in over a metre of fresh i was on my silberpfeil. no changes to setup except keeping all of my weight rearward and never ever ever letting the fore/aft balance go past 50% ... after the first 10 noseflips or so.

;)

have you seen the phantom splitboard bindings for hardboots? nice engagement interface, but seems to only go as high as 30°. may be a detractor, but you need dynafit toe-pieces and compatible boot toes.

particularly what teach said about uncrowded slopes. freedom to choose your line makes everything easier, and while you could probably crank the turns out in a crowded area just the same afterward, there's nothing like space the first few times. if you don't mind stock boards, a völkl renntiger 178 would probably be quite good. the black rubbertop models with the silver tiger seem to have a sidecut that is longer in the nose and tail than 13m radius suggests. i have the 183, but i'm at least 230#

disregarded humour aside, it has been my personal discovery that long stiff boards with biggish SCR and soft deepish surfaces to not make for lasting happiness. in fact, even a 172 with 12m sidecut made for far too many noseflips, as recently as wednesday passed.

you aren't relaxed?

Originally Posted by Erik J At the top of the run, grab your balls with one hand and beat your chest with the other like a wild silverback gorilla. Tell the mountain "I'm coming, do not f@$k with me." unless you like nose flips, i'd go with a different board.

more heel ramp than RC10's, there.

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don't forget the crucial heel lift for forward-biased stance.

as a silberpfeil rider of similar boot size and greater height, congrats on buying a great board. do not be the least bit intimidated about its narrow width or the high angles required to have the boots inboard of the edge. i have a 55cm stance width and 65°/70° angles. it's probably not the best board to convert with, but like you i got a cracking deal. these days i love it. keep your weight forward, look where you want to go, and enjoy the ride. you will discover that it does not transition slowly. :D

no hate here, but first closeups i've seen of the gecko risers.

oh, i thought the gecko plates used UPM mounts, and werent just standoffs. hmm.

are you looking where you're going on heelside, or looking down the hill?

has anyone tried 'indicating' with the lead hand? although i see it less these days, a lot of skiers still make a pole plant before they change direction. an obvious change in body posture or shape should be enough warning.. for anyone paying attention.