Jack M

Many people report heel lift inside Deeluxe boots. UPZ and Mountain Slope boots are known for good heel hold-down, which is key. UPZ are less expensive for starters, and they have softer options than MS. UPZ also offer walk mode, which some people ride in for extra flex. Your mondopoint size is the length of your foot in centimeters. You can easily measure this yourself by standing on a piece of paper with your heel against a wall and marking the end of your longest toe. Some good board brands are Coiler, Donek, F2, Prior, Kessler, SG, Oxess. A board at least as tall as your nose is a good start. Measuring on my 5'3" daughter that is 150cm. I wouldn't go shorter than that. 160 would be fine too. Bindings, accept nothing less than F2 Race Titanium. They come with one lift wedge. Spend the $20 for an extra one. You want a lift under your front foot toe and one under your rear foot heel. Bomber bindings are awesome and last forever but are stiffer. Welcome and good luck!!

76. He raced at Middlebury College. He’s still pretty fast!

Got them from Ivan at i-carve.com.

Got my dad some new skis... Phantom S 172. He loves them! They carve like we do!

That seems like a radical difference, but hey if it works for you then great. Sounds like the A shell is for you. I have tried the "race fit" in the past. Never again.

Measure your foot in centimeters. That is your mondopoint size. Then look at the MS size chart below. Just a guess but I would think it is more difficult to punch a boot for length, and that there is less leeway to do so. That said, my bigger foot measures 28.4cm and I am in the C shell and I'm very glad I didn't go D.

In the heel/ankle area I'd say they're similar. In the ball of the foot area I'd say MS is wider. I had to get my UPZs punched for width there, and I would have gotten them punched a second time if I didn't move on to MS. Haven't had to modify my 951s at all other than molding the liners.

Got the old "do you like that?" the other day. Followed by "that's really cool, did you make that?" (pointing at my new custom Kessler 180)

Any night it doesn’t snow they groom

Oh sorry, I'm not using Sidewinders. Just standard TD3s. I guess I missed that late last night. I feel the TD's can also be a little loose or tight with the changing boot size and still work. Keep at it. These boots are worth the effort to get everything just right. I don't touch them all day. At lunch I leave them buckled.

Neon uni-tards are only allowed at Sugarloaf if you are also sporting a trucker mustache, knit toque, rear-entry boots, and are carrying several nips of Fireball.

I'd be happy to help on a weekday morning. PM sent. Oh by the way, Beckman asks ME for critique. When you are ready to learn unified string theory of carving and quantum boot encabulation, talk to him.

I hear ya. These boots do seem to change size with temperature more than others. But also sometimes I think the rubber sole is preventing the heel from seating all the way back into the bail. I will pick up my boot and start over if I think that’s happening. I haven’t had to readjust yet.

Yes, excellent photos, masterfully taken and processed, thanks!!

They are also at http://alpinesnowboarder.com/tech-articles/

Geckos were cool looking. But I think the design could have been refined and simplified. So I'm surprised to see Virus copy it with little innovation. 10 fasteners and 10 urethane pads per foot? I think the XPE plates or even the Kessler K plates are on a better track. If you must have carbon fiber, I'd like to see it with a laminated urethane (or something squishy) pad under the whole thing. I still disagree with asym placement. I think it introduces a twist into the board under load.

But... but... what about edge bevels?? Detuning?? Wax temperature?? You monsters!!

Sounds about right. Once Beckman pointed me on the right track in '92, I have tried to ride with my understanding of race technique. Although I do like to finish my turns and make full round carves, as the steeps of Sugarloaf require. Hence my new custom K180 (BBE) is shaped to do that. It's a rare day that I can take out and enjoy the stock K185. But when that happens it's mind bending.

There are many things you can do with a death wish.

Ah, I guess I misremembered your measurements. Corrected. Wouldn't you also have to make up the difference with more padding on top of the instep? If your foot won't fill the extra space that is.

3 years ago, but I just stumbled upon this

Thank you @johnasmo for the detailed review. After two days on a Contra 174/20.5/12.5, I generally have similar impressions and feelings. However my preference is for the K168. If I could own only one board, that is the one. I did feel the Contra was easier to find edge hold on mid-day well-used conditions, I can see why this sidecut would be useful/popular in places where conditions get bumpy quickly. However the overall feel of the sidecut was strange to me, something I'd never felt before. It kind of felt as if the board was riding on two skates, one in front of your front foot and one behind your back foot, and nothing in between. I didn't sense much feedback under or between my feet. I felt it was more reluctant to tip up on edge, and low angle cruise carving was kind of "sticky". It seemed to be happiest inside a certain range of edge angles, and sort of awkward outside of it. The KST sidecut is silky smooth to me, everywhere. I agree all the parameters of the board are in total harmony. IMO it is noticeably more pleasing on good conditions like early morning groom. I would rather maximize that time of day. I have also become a conditions snob in my advanced age. I get enough days on hill now that when conditions go to hell I'll just call it a day or I'll just cruise and choose good spots to put a carve down. If I were to be really extravagant, I'd use a KST in the morning and a Contra after lunch. That's probably the ultimate quiver for my mountain. But that seems kind of like having two drivers in your golf bag. The stock Kessler 171, 180, 185 are like that, the 168 is not. The largest radius on the 168 is in the middle near the rear foot per John's measurements, and then it tightens towards the tail. It feels this way while riding. My new custom 180 (avg 15m) is like that too, it's an absolute dream. I'm not sure how the 162 is, but I suspect it is tail-tight.

Mountain Slope/Northwave were never compatible with Intec. My recollection is that Northwave thought it would be a selling feature to shove the heel forward to reduce boot length and boot drag, and that UPZ (then UPS) followed suit. Or maybe it was the other way around, but who cares, the value of that decision is debatable. Considering the cost of boot molds, we are stuck with it for the foreseeable future. Deeluxe achieves less ramp than UPZ while being Intec compatible because the heel is in a more typical place. But many riders and I report worse heel retention with Deeluxe. Personally I will take the ramp with the better heel hold.

That's a great board. I sold it to make room for a MK, which didn't really work out for me. Looks like a fun group! Nice carving!

I haven't perused the Swoard forums in years, but that was the dogma last I knew. The argument at the time was that you don't need cant/lift because the board bends and puts your feet in a natural position. Well, I simply cannot disagree more. There's plenty of time when we're riding and the board is not bent like that. Like in between carves, and gliding, and whatnot. I actually had to try flat/flat last year in order to try a ****** *** prototype (oops, was that out loud? shhh) because the cants hadn't been developed yet, and I just hated being set up like that. Had to go to a narrower stance just to make it tolerable, and that's no good. It robbed me of the benefits I listed above.