Jack M

Says you!

I think you should try a plate. I can arrange that.

One example - getting the board to point dowhill from a sideslip. You probably pedal briefly, among other things, in order to let the nose slide while the tail grips. For carving, I have never consciously tried to pedal my board. I didn't think I was pedaling, until I tried a plate for the first time. I don't think pedaling is a necessary tool for carving, but we just do it naturally. I think it is necessary for steering, skidding, and maneuvering a snowboard. Which is why plates that completely prevent pedaling are especially awkward for anything but strictly carving.

Soooo, not to be Debbie Downer but I just want to warn you not to get discouraged if you don't like the boots at first. I've had to upgrade my UPZs with Intuition liners and stiffer tongues, and I've tightened the springs. Now I love them. If you feel your liners "squirming" inside the shell, this happens to some people. Intuitions are the fix. The prices we pay for glorified sledding...

Sounds like the 4mm BP lite is the better BP. The 5mm original was very difficult for me to skid and maneuver when not purely carving. I would definitely give credit for the increased edge grip to the plate. I was blown away yesterday by the extra grip. Dare I say the Donek AF is the magic silver bullet on ice I've been waiting for. Hoping the Apex is on par... just because it's so sexy... I like CF.

There's also this: http://alpinesnowboarder.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/canting-and-lift.pdf Sounds like you might also be hanging your butt off to the side of the board and rotating your hips sideways on heelside, which is common for beginner hardbooters. If so, you gotta get over this, you're not softbooting anymore. More on this here: http://alpinesnowboarder.com/separate-the-knees/

Did some back to back runs on the Vistflex on loan from Bola, and a Donek AF on loan from @~tb today. And wouldn't you know it, Fed Ex arrived 4 days early (!!) with the X-plate but not in time for me to ride it today. Conditions were excellent for plate testing. Cold day starting at 3℉, very very firm granular conditions with patches of ice here and there, and groomer seams abound. Had I not been riding with a plate, I know I would have done what carving compadre @trailertrash did and throw in the towel after 3 runs. He was having a hard time controlling speed, getting edge penetration, and preventing chatter, even on his Coiler Angrry 160. I've ridden these conditions hundreds of times and I know I would have been having the same problems. With these two plates I was thoroughly enjoying myself. Both plates are leg savers and increased edge hold and comfort significantly. I will save my full thoughts until after I've ridden all 4 plates, but I can say that the Vistflex offered a bit more comfort, while the Donek AF had more snow feel and even more edge hold. Turned the board into a hockey skate. Astonishing really. I'm late to the party because of previous arrangements with Bomber but my game has been changed. The X-Plate better match or beat the AF. I will also say that the Vistflex made the board carve longer, and the Donek AF made it carve shorter, which is consistent with my feelings about isolation plates above. Can't wait to try the Apex, and can't wait to try the UPM plates on my longer boards too. A new light has dawned upon my carving life! Both Kessler 168:

I never tried that plate but it was supposed to do just that - return some snow feel and some torsional flex. Last week I went ahead and purchased a UPM Apex X-Plate, betting that I will get to know it and love it. If not I will sell it. I did like it the one day I tried my friend's 4x4 X-Plate last year. The X-Plate mechanism is basically very similar to the Boilerplate (rear hinge, front sliding hinge, no board flex interference), but the plate has some flex and the whole thing is lower and lighter. At first I thought my 5mm Boilerplate was making the board turn bigger, but once I spent some time on it and got better at "working" the board with it, I could carve the board shorter than without - and sometimes unintentionally, which I didn't like and made me worry about breaking the board. I think that initial effect of longer turns was from the total elimination of pedaling. It was a Kessler, Coiler, Prior, and two Doneks. Previous site owners deleted it as the board comparisons were dated. It's on my to-do list to resurrect the parts that compared old vs modern board design.

Definitely depends on the type of plate. Is it a full isolation plate, or a board flex modifier, or some hybrid of the two? The older style Vist is mostly a board flex modifier as it sits right on the board. I had an original 5mm Boilerplate that I tried on my 2010 Coiler NSR 185 which was built with the old Vist inserts. I don't know if Bruce built the board differently for a Vist plate, but I tend to think not because the board was great without any plate. The Boilerplate definitely made the board carve shorter and livelier. It would seem that this was because it was more free to do so, without being affected nearly as much by the rider or bindings. I would find myself unexpectedly airborne on that plate. However the fact that it completely prevented any pedaling made it feel like the board was less willing to come around in certain situations, and harder to manipulate. Ultimately I stopped using it due to a number of factors - the total disconnection from the snow, total lack of any flex (torsional or lengthwise), extra height and weight. An Allflex style plate works completely differently. The plate itself has some flex, but works as an isolation plate for the first 6mm of travel away from the middle of the board per their website. Then the mechanism locks and beyond that the plate flexes with the board, becoming a flex modifier. I haven't tried an Allflex yet, but I am currently demo'ing a Vistflex from Bola at All Boards Sports. It works in a similar way as the Allflex. Without a doubt, it makes my Kessler 168 carve longer and more damp than it does without. To @big mario's comment, I felt the same way about the Boilerplate, which is why I stopped using it. When I first stepped on the Vistflex I had the same feeling - too tall, too heavy, too disconnected. But then I gave it a couple days and actually became one with it in a way I never did with the Boilerplate. The height and weight disappeared (well, not on chairlifts with no footrest), and the snow feel actually came back. I credit this to the flex. I can trust it - I can tell when the edge is holding and when it's about to let go. I never got to that point on the Boilerplate, not sure I ever would have. It's definitely a comfortable ride and a leg saver. It improves edge hold on ice, and makes crummy conditions more enjoyable. In the coming days I'll be comparing this plate against my friend's new Allflex, an Apex X-Plate (UPM), and a Donek AF plate (UPM).

Is your Coiler 163 still going?

That's a sweet board. How about a pic of the bike?

I had the same impression of the 5mm Boilerplate as lonbordin. Fin used to offer the service to cut a slot down the middle of it to give it some more flex which was especially welcome torsionally. This could be a relatively easy DIY project. I use the same cants on a plate or not. Bomber BP lower kit helps to reduce stack height, I prefer using them with plates.

A friend's wife is from Texas, had never been on snow at all. He tried to teach her. She eventually learned but there were some scary moments. She was like a fish out of water. Had no idea how to do anything, not even fall down. We had to explain things to her that I never had to in any other lesson. One particular moment that sticks in my head was when she had a very low speed fall (almost from a standstill) that would be pretty routine for anybody experienced in slipping on snow. She crumpled to the ground in this really strange way that I had never seen before, and in the process tried to rotate opposite of the board and twisted her knee pretty badly. Fortunately this was many years ago so she was still a relatively young woman and wasn't injured.

It is possible. When I was an instructor, I taught about 5 people how to snowboard in ski boots who had never snowboarded before, including my wife (!!). Frankly I think they all had an easier time than the poor souls in rental softboots. However all of them were good skiers, which I think was very important. I can't imagine teaching someone who has never been in hardboots at all, but I've never tried. I don't know of any video lessons for a never-ever beginner in hardboots, but you could try to teach her yourself. The odds are against you, but it could be worth a try if you manage expectations in advance. My beginner lesson plan went like this: With the back foot out on a gentle slope, either close to the bottom or close to a flat plateau, repeat each step a few times: skating around on flat ground skate to glide with back foot on board on flat ground crab-walk uphill with board across the fall line heelside sideslip to stop. Explain this is how you stop on heelside. Hike back up between tries. toeside sideslip to stop. Explain this is how you stop on toeside. heelside traverse, ride it out to a heelside stop toeside traverse, ride it out to a toeside stop point board straight down the fall line, step on board, get a little speed, pressure toe edge and let the board carve into a toeside traverse same as above on heelside start with board across the fall line on heelside, step on, heelside sideslip, point board downhill, pressure toe edge into a toeside traverse same as above starting on toeside explain how to get on and off the chairlift, and take it up. Lean forward down the off-ramp! At the top of the lift, strap/clip in the back foot. Then: Heelside traverse to stop, roll over Toeside traverse to stop, roll over, repeat as necessary Heelside sideslip, let board point downhill, pressure toe edge into a toeside traverse, ride it out to a stop same as above starting on toeside Heelside traverse, let board point downhill, pressure toe edge into a toeside traverse, ride it out to a stop same as above starting on toeside Repeat 5 and 6 without stopping between turns - you are now linking turns, i.e., snowboarding!

At Stowe, Gondolier and Perry Merrill are nice blues, and it's beautiful being over there below that summit. On the Mansfield Lodge side, there are a number of options depending on conditions and grooming of course. Liftline is a great challenge if it's groomed. Hayride and Lord to North Slope are my favorites. Spruce Peak is worth exploring if you want to mix it up. If they are running the zipline tours - DO IT!! Well worth it. May need to book in advance.

Glad you enjoyed your trip, Dave. Sorry we didn't connect - next time! Kirby was an instructor until this year. Great softbooter who can carve - I've been working on him to get into hardbooting but it’s not a priority for him. Sir Milky (Mike Egan) is a Sugarloaf institution - longtime ski instructor who gets booked for privates. He is the third Egan Brother, and the skiing genes are strong. His son is in my daughter's CVA mogul group, and he is all Egan as well. Happy Tunes is great. I gave up on the chore of shipping boards to SkiMD after I found HT. It's true that the front upper slopes are steep and challenging. If you can carve them you can carve anywhere. When conditions are good they're absolutely exhilarating. When it's icy they're humbling. Sugarloaf is bipolar - the highs are worth the lows. The timing of your trip proved to be as good as possible, as conditions have deteriorated since Christmas. Another rain and freeze has created sugar-on-concrete that no amount of grooming can fix. We got 6" of snow last night, followed by a little rain which made the snow very heavy and slow. Now the system is blowing out and the whole mountain is on wind hold. Hopefully the new snow will at least give the groomers new material to work with. Frankly I wouldn't advise anyone to book a ski vacation in New England around Christmas time. Yes I am in a negative mood as I sit indoors after walking the dog, but it always seems to be a bust. If you have to scratch the itch, you take your chances. Come back in late February or March. Best chances of hitting Sugarloaf in its prime. Then there is no other place I'd rather be.

A new one costs $1440 with 4x4 inserts from all-boards.com. UPM inserts do not cost extra, Allflex inserts add $100. I just got another 168 with Allflex inserts so I can test that plate here against Vistflex and Apex. Depending on what I like better for freecarving I'll be selling one of my 168s after the test.

Custom Kessler arrived with 3 side, 0.5 base, without asking.

Wife and I are friends with the owner in charge of running the business and he gives me a deal, so I’ll just keep quiet about that. However the past few years Winterstick has run 40% off sales in the spring. I do like it very much. It carves better than the standard ST166. Longer effective edge, low profile early rise nose, more damp, torsionally stiffer, a bit stiffer lengthwise, better sidecut. I don’t have much to compare to though, never tried any other modern BX other than a F2 Eliminator 166 Wide that still wasn’t wide enough at only 26cm. As much as I could carve that, I would put this board up against it.

Ha, I suppose it is, although they’re not paying me to ride it!

Ptex sidewalls. The woodie stuff is more decorative as far as I can tell. I have one of those and it’s holding up fine.

Winterstick Custom RS 166. My new softboot carver/banked slalom tool. Just picked it up. I asked them to try to replicate a Kessler sidecut, it’s about 10m average. 27.5cm waist so I can carve like Knapty. Ptex topsheet, carbon fiber weave, titanal inlay. Wintersticks are made at my home mountain, Sugarloaf, how can I resist?

Awesome. While you wait, you can practice carving on your softboots. The test is if you can roll the board over and start carving the next turn before the board points downhill. In other words, carve the downhill edge. If you can do that back and forth, back and forth, the transition to hardboots will be easier. I would also plump for the metal F2s.

Beer league hasn't started yet. Unfortunately I have a conflict and can't do it this year. I had a good year last year.

I think most people lose some technique over the summer, and then we work to get it back for the first part of the season. All part of the fun. Some great advice in this thread. There are some articles here that may be helpful: http://alpinesnowboarder.com/tech-articles/ You're past The Norm obviously, but it could be good to try it on an easy slope just to eliminate all other factors and concentrate on what you feel happening with the board. Then add joints back in to the equation one by one. Good luck.