Jack M

Geoff shipped them to me via 2-day USPS Priority Mail on the 12th. They went from Massachusetts to Rochester NY and are still en route to me in Maine. Not that there is any snow to ride on, that is.

Ridiculous.

Awesome. The ECU upgrade is a must. +100 hp can’t be denied. I also did the TCU upgrade, nice, but it’s not as dramatic. Here she is with new winter rims and Michelin Pilot Alpin’s

It was great! I was skeptical but I'm really surprised how quickly they got up to speed with full metal construction! Correct, 2 full length/width sheets. They are using 0.3 Titanal. Flex is spot on, and in perfect harmony with the camber and sidecut. The ride has all the characteristics we have come to expect from metal construction - buttery smooth, edge hold, torsional stiffness, leg-saving. Personally if I were to order a 162 I would want 9-12-11 for that SL hook. This 9-11-12 reminds me more of a 168. That said, the strictly progressive sidecut cruises better than my hookier F2 Proto SL, and allows more speed. Put Winterstick on your list! Recommended! He's a true engineer and a great rider. I put him on my UPZs and Kessler 168 last year and he took right off. He gets it.

We’ll see how this goes tomorrow. Winterstick Alpine 3D 162... 20cm, 9-11-12m clothoid, 2 layers of titanal, 2 carbon, 2 rubber, ptex top, high camber... thanks for the demo @soccerdoge

@pow4ever Unfortunately the southern New England blizzard delayed my shipment so I don’t have the Contras. I’m at the loaf now. You could try my Kessler 168 if you want.

Don't worry @pow4ever, harsh truth means he likes you.

@pow4ever I forget, are you on MS .951 now? I run the stock booster strap inside the plastic tongue and it prevents the liner tongue from twisting. I only have to do this on my back foot though, because I am weird. If you are on a different boot, get some Intuition Power Wrap liners. Happy Tunes has them and can mold them. You may need a thinner model if you have a tighter fit. But definitely get some footbeds!!

Do you have Beckmann AG Footbeds? If not, make an appointment! I wouldn't ride without them.

I’ll be up Thursday evening with demo Contras 166 and 174. Let’s ride.

I think I threw mine away but now I'm using these boots as loaners, so... who's got a pair? Newer single bolt style please and thanks. For RC10/11/12.

Price drop! Still available.

Pics are here: https://fis.smugmug.com/FISSnowboard/World-Cup/2021/Alpine-Snowboard/Cortina-dAmpezzo-ITA-/

I noticed that too. I wonder if the bulk of the course was flatter than most. Ledecka charges out of the gate and has to drift the first few turns, and then fully carves the rest. Crazy how she can take a year off and come back and win on day one. Hoffmeister has her work cut out for her!

Women's big final Men's big final Women's small final Men's small final

About that... For me the .951 is perfect right out of the box. With Deeluxe you basically have to purchase an aftermarket spring system because the stock forward lean adjuster locks out the ankle joint. Many people also add Booster straps and additional liner padding. With UPZ I had to buy aftermarket liners and stiffer tongues. The stock liners were too soft and squirmed around inside the shell for me, and the stock tongues were too soft for me. Those issues bring the cost of those boots much closer to the .951. Over the lifespan of the boots, which I anticipate will be several seasons (10?) the difference is insignificant. How are the stock liners that come with the S5? I assume not great since you went with Zipfit? S5 calling their boots a copy of the Northwave seems a bit of a stretch. The .951 is an actual copy. By the looks of them and the pictures here, the S5 seems to be a hybrid of .950 and Deeluxe T700.

The 4 open trails are in good shape as of yesterday. They are blowing snow on Narrow Gauge, should be open soon, which will be good to move the racers there and off of King's.

Thanks. It would be for my nephew if this other board he is going to try on Saturday doesn't work out. If you wouldn't mind checking with me before selling it, I'd appreciate it.

Yeah Barry, very legit. I wonder how much they "learned" while OEM'ing Kesslers. I picked up the F2 Proto SL from @Termin8tor. Took a couple runs today. Seems a bit smoother, a bit more damp, but still goes airborne between carves. Great torsional stiffness. Slightly more turny. I held them base to base and the waist is the same but the nose and tail of the Proto are a little wider. Takes up a little less space on the hill but my legs are not cooked. Really great boards.

Interested

I believe so. I guess that says something. They have none of the cache of boutique builders yet still produce world cup results. Good for them.

True. My foot measures 28.4cm. The 27 boot was definitely a race fit. Even with molded liners the cable was a dealbreaker.

I don’t have the boots in front of me now, but I seem to recall only one hole in the shell for the cable? So you can’t swap them like this? Unless you drill your own holes?

One other point for non-step-ins... I once tried to downsize from 28 to 27 in Deeluxe, which are two different shell sizes. It would have worked great and increased performance if not for the Intec cable causing intolerable pain in the sides of my heels. Had to sell those boots and go back to 28s.