gdboytyler

I got to try out the SG 157 for the first time yesterday. I started off the day on my Coiler 171 and after a couple of runs, the snow already started to get soft. By the time I switched to the SG 157, all the firm cord was gone, but still carvable. Even with the soft conditions, I was laying down hip-to-hip carves almost immediately. The last short alpine board I had was a MADD 158 (I think 3rd gen). In the soft groom which got cut up quickly, I definitely prefer the SG over the MADD. It's been over 5 years or so since I had the MADD, but I remembered it feeling a little squirrely at higher speeds. With the SG, I was hitting 42 mph and feeling completely comfortable. I was more worried about hitting a slow spot and going head over heels. On the steepest run I had available at Bear Mt, I was able to lay over a tight carve and go uphill to scrub speed. I was worried the variable side cut might make it difficult to complete a carve. SG doesn't have recommended weights on their spec sheet, but the flex on the SG 157 FR PT felt for good my 140-145 lb (with gear). Being in So Cal, in March, I probably won't experience any icy conditions to test out the SG unless I take a trip to Mammoth.

Who's in for some possible Hero conditions at Bear Mt on Wed, 3/9/16? So far, it's looking like Idbaustria and myself. 2016/17 season passes also went on sale in March. I'm assuming they are good for the remainder of this season, if so, it's time for a season pass. If not, $50 lift tickets are on sale this week!

Sounds good. I hope to be at Bear Mt around 8am. Here are my preferred carving runs: Bear Mt Express: Rip's Run and Showtime. Too bad you can't do both on the same run. Silver Mt Express: Exhibition and Ripcord Geronimo

Weather looks best for Wednesay. Let's meet at Bear Mt on Wed. I prefer the steeper runs at Bear:-)

Butt-check? I totally thought that was a planned air to carve; something I needed to add to repertoire

There is chemical coating on the metal that is suppose to help epoxies adhere to the metal. The short shelf life is for the coating.

Lydia, rain/snow is forecasted for Sunday. So I'm canceling my Bear Mt trip for Sunday. Hopefully the forecast is correct and the snow levels drop on Mon and Tues with clearing on Wed. If that is the case I will probably go to Bear on Wed for some hero conditions:-)

Quick internet search found some posts that AMAG's patents ran out a few years ago and they were cutting some products due to competition. Any truth to this?

Anybody in for some carving on Sunday, 3/6/16 at Bear Mt?

Thanks for the snow report. I guess I will wait for the colder temps on Sunday to try out my SG.

I'd be interested on a snow report. I was wondering how slushy it's getting. I'm thinking about going to Bear Mtn around Thursday or so to also try out a new to me SG 157 slalom board. Good luck with your new board.

Yes, good or bad, I'll write up a review after I get a chance to put the board through its paces.

Thanks for the info, I'll leave my bindings centered. I also plan on riding my SG SL when the carving conditions are NOT ideal. When carving conditions are good, I usually do EC on the groomed black runs and switch to a freestyle board when the snow gets bumped up. Hopefully, I'll extend my carving time with the slalom board.

I just got a used SG 157 Full Race in good condition. What's the recommended binding setup? I currently mounted my bindings centered on the binding inserts. I should get a chance for a test drive next week. The last short alpine board I had was a MADD 158 (the sequel), which I rode biased towards the nose. I also tried the MADD with the bindings centered on the inserts, but it turned quicker when biased towards the nose. I ended up selling the MADD after a few days of riding it.

Check out these guys for the best forecast for the I70 resorts/roads, http://opensnow.com/dailysnow/i70# Copper Mountain lift tickets are less than $100 if bought online. My favorite carving run there is Rosi's: black diamond, wide, well groomed, and less traffic than Keystone.

I like the date change I'm in. I'll bring a Donek FC 165, Furberg 162, and F2 plates for folks to demo. The Donek will also be up for sale.

I would be in for 3/12 to 3/13. Can NOT do 3/5 or Easter.

Do what Olympian, Nevin, does. The free carving demo starts around 1:45. I had to play it in slo mo to really notice how quickly he got the board inclinated, which helped him control his speed without skidding. When I first watched the video, I thought Nevin was counter-rotating. Then, I flipped the video to show him riding as a regular foot and the counter-rotation disappeared, LOL. Are his turns considered, "cross under"? Does anyone know if Nevin is riding a slalom board in the free carve section? The board looks to be on the short side or maybe he's tall?

My softboot setup is Burton C60 bindings and K2 T1 boots. Hardboot setup is Dynafit TLT5 boots and F2 plate bindings. I can get the same tweakability for grabs on the TLT5 by riding with the top buckle undone. Even with just one snug buckle, I get better heel down on the TLT5 than with the soft boots. Edge hold/agility is better with the TLT5 because of less boot out when run at the same angles as soft boot. TLT5 are one of the lightest hardboots around. So overall weight of both setups is about the same.

In addition to alpine boards I've used the following "regular" boards with hardboots: Furberg 162 Tanker 172 Burton Custom 152 w/ V-rocker Donek Incline 160 Dupraz 5'5" Osin 168 All the above were decent for carving groomers, but my favorite is the Furberg 162. I've read other reviewers say rockered boards suck for carving, but I disagree. Both the Furberg and the Burton Custom are rockered and both carve well albeit not as well as a carve-specific alpine board.

I'm guessing the riders that PhilW saw did not have much experience in deep pow and that is why they didn't look competent. I'm assuming the riders had proper equipment since a lot of heli/cat operations will provide good powder skis/boards. My powder performance is the same whether I ride soft boots or flexy hardboots. I prefer my hardboots just from a comfort standpoint. I don't know of any big name free riders that use hard boots and their powder riding is obviously not hampered by soft boots. I would have expected David Capozzi, sponsored Furberg rider, to be in hard boots due to him splitboarding and I never seen pics of him doing any tricks/grabs. But David also uses soft boots for powder.

Ended up working late on Thursday and Friday, so I skipped out on the Mammoth trip. Probably go to Bear Mt. instead on Sunday.

I remember you! Welcome back to the "Dark Side"! I might be going to Bear Mt. tomorrow (Sunday). Gotta work during the week. Have a good time on Wednesday

Going to June Mtn on Sat, 1/9 and Mammoth on 1/10. Anybody else? Erwin

Coincidentally, I watched a bunch of your "how-to butter" videos the other night and saw you were carving really well between tricks. So I set up my Burton Custom 152 duck-stance with plate bindings and plan on trying some butter tricks the next time I go snowboarding Time for an old dog to learn some new tricks,,,