Jack M

I've got one, vintage 1991, with bindings. Goofy model. very good condition. I'll open the floor at US$500. :D

bad bad naughty wicked evil sliders! they teach you to reach for the snow. ALL wrong. they should be outlawed. existing pairs should be rounded up and tossed into a bon-fire.

Yes, what they call push-pull is basically the same idea as cross-under or cross-through. And that ENR pic is one of the funniest carving pics I've seen in a long time.

No. Angulation is simply a way to improve balance, and to increase edge angle beyond that which pure inclination would allow by itself. There is no way to generate <i>sustained</i> magnified pressure on the edge - your mass is fixed. Only when it's icy. When the cord is buff, lay 'em out!!

I think you should probably take up alpine snowboarding then! Yes, it's pretty common for good hardbooters to be able to lay out turns. It's easier to do on toeside, like this one of me. It's harder to do on heelside, but I don't think it's as natural as a more upright, poised position which you can still crank over like this. Check out the welcome center here for info on getting into the sport. Don't get upset over thread hijackings, it happens all the time, like any conversation.

...but I would probably word it differently. Unfortunately I just started reading this thread, and could only skim the various dissertations here. I agree with Bordy when he says that EC style turns are one skill out of many that a good snowboarder should posess. I agree pontificating that EC style is the holy grail of all carving technique is probably not helpful. I'm not quite sure that is what the EC guys are doing though. I agree that setting one's carving goals at "touching the snow" is not a good thing. It all too often results in newbies who ride like this. Years ago I came to the realization that touching the snow is a pleasant <i>byproduct</i> of good technique, but it is not the goal of good technique. I really enjoy the EC movies though. I wish I had the time to make something similar. Maybe next year.

It was a beautiful heelside EC carve, and the bastard ran right into me. He ruined my perfect run. just kidding. it wasn't me.

Umm, those are the specs for the 178. You have the 183, right?

I took that photo, didn't realize it was you - nice turn! What kind of board is that? I took all the pictures in the SES article, except for the one of me (taken by Ben Schurman) and the one at the end (taken by Maurie Kink (MozzMan)). I tried to note this in the mouse-over text, but Firefox doesn't do that (only IE, afaik).

Have you seen our Welcome Center? There's some info in there about buying a board and getting started, etc. But I'd say that Prior 159 is probably a great place to start. As for your feet, you've come to the right place. The ultimate combination is a properly sized snowboarding hardboot with heat-moldable liners, and custom orthotic footbeds. After I got all that stuff, I realized I could put on my boots in the morning, buckle them on the first notch, ride all day with great performance and in near perfect comfort, and not touch my boots until the apres beers start flowing. Sooo much better than crushing your feet in softboots. Good luck!

Yes. A Nidecker NBX would have to be 173cm long to equal the running length of the F2 Eliminator 164. Before you start to think that perhaps the Eliminator has too little tail, consider the F2 Speedcross (their all-mtn carver). The 165 has a running length of 140.

The F2 Eliminator seems to be it for true BX softboot boards on the market. The 164 has an effective edge of 135, and waist width of 25.4cm. The Nidecker NBX isn't really a BX board, imo. Their 164 has an effective edge of 126cm.

I think every good carve-minded skier knows that we're both out there trying to do the same thing - and in many cases, we're doing it at a level they aspire to, therefore they respect us. However mediocre skiers who don't know what carving is probably view us differently. Recently I got a "your ruts are too deep" comment from a skier.

It really doesn't matter, you can use them whichever way you want. My point was that the standard terminology is that 90 degrees is inline with the board. Most bindings have the degree markings such that the slots end up parallel with the board. If you turn the disc so the slots are perpendicular to the board, the degree markings are no longer telling you your true stance angle. Burton used to make the front disc with slots parallel to the board and the rear disc with slots perpendicular to the board, but with degree markings on each that had 90 pointing at the nose. On a board with the basic "loose grouping" of inserts (every 4cm), the adjustment range is very "coarse" (few choices of binding placement). Chances are good that you'll have to use the slots to achieve a stance width you like - by using them parallel with the board. Bias affects stance width a little, but I don't think you should have to bias your bindings so much that it wrecks your stance width.

The rule here in Maine is if it snows in Portland and/or Boston, the slopes will be crowded - regardless of whether the storm hit or missed the mountains. Conversely, when it's 60 degrees in the cities and all the snow is rapidly melting or gone, and crocuses are popping up, the daytrippers just stop thinking about skiing and stop going.

Sugarloaf has had over 10 FEET of snow in the past 5 weeks. Based on my front yard, I believe it. Here's my 3 year old *standing* in the hole I dug, which is up to my waist and isn't even down to the grass.

In the morning we're going to change Ron's BOL name to "quads of steel".

Right, and you could do all that on a BX board. You don't <i>need</i> a full freestyle shape to do any of that. (and all freeride boards are basically a full frestyle shape - just different construction) Right, swing weight doesn't matter <i>as</i> much to carvers, but that wasn't my point... Yes, but also freeriders - people who want to both carve and not carve, in softboots. A shorter board with low swing weight is more important to them in the trees and bumps and just for general maneuverability. But if they could have an extra 5cm of edge length with a BX board of the same overall length, it would carve better and handle more speed. That's why I believe most softbooters who mostly just cruise the mountain should really be on BX boards. As for why race boards have square tails, well, it's just about maximizing edge length for more speed and edge hold. Race/freecarve board tails are usually 5cm worth of non-running length. Race/fc board noses are usually 15cm. You could make a twin tip race board, but it would be 10cm longer for no real reason. I'd rather ride a 170 than a 180 if the 180 isn't going to be any faster or more stable than the 170. Like I said, having a twin tipped board is only <i>necessary</i> for logging lots of time riding fakie and for launching/landing big airs switch. For casual fakie antics, a BX style tail is plenty. And behold and lo, that's what is on the all-mtn carvers like the Axis and 4x4, etc.

The slots are meant to be parallel to the board to give you some extra stance width adjustment. You can adjust the positioning of your foot with respect to the width of the board by moving the toe/heel blocks towards either edge.

90 degrees is inline with the long axis of the board. 0 degrees is straight across the board.

...is one that most riders should ask themselves - "why does my board have a huge upturned tail?" Unless you're riding fakie 40% of the time or you spend <i>a lot</i> of time in the park/pipe, you don't need that giant tail adding to the swing weight of your board. I think most snowboarders would be better served on a BX style board than any current freeride board.

By all means, try out your new board. An Axis isn't prohibitively different from a freeride board, aside from forcing you to ride higher angles. Also, be sure to check out the Welcome Center here. And don't be afraid to buy boots here. The Bomber folks are pros at getting you the right fit via long-distance!

Sure, the board is predictable, it's just very turny, imo. If you get lazy and let it run too fast, your next carve is going to happen very quickly. Whereas on the 180 you can just let it cruise. I think I'm a long board guy in general. I don't think I'll ever own a board shorter than 170 again.

Thanks guys. Haven't seen it yet. I Just renewed my subscription. I only answered the "why carve?" question.

Here it is! Warning to our dial-up users: clicking on some of the images will bring you to a large image file. Large versions were scaled to be either 1024 wide or 768 tall, or both. Enjoy!