Jack M

Even if there were no spelling/grammar/terminology errors, that excerpt tells me all I need to know. Took out the camber? Softened up the flex? Not my idea of an alpine snowboard.

Shrug. The way I like it, it's a two-handed operation. (and get your mind out of the gutter!) The performance feels the same to me.

I don't get this argument. Whenever I try standard bindings, I size them the way I think is proper - such that it takes some effort to open and close them. And then, they perform the same and are just as stiff as step-ins. Video has been shared here in the past of EC-types opening and closing their bindings with one finger, which to me seems like inviting disaster, and a klugey way to achieve a certain feel.

I ride in a state of Nirvana every day that I can get an edge in. To the point that I don't care if there is a 1% difference in performance between a step-in boot and a standard, I will take the convenience. There's no way the difference between step-in and standard boots is as great as Deeluxe to Megaflex.

Shred man... ease off the gas pedal. I think you may be forgetting that the goal was to recreate a much sought-after boot for which the original molds disappeared - NOT to make a "new" boot. And they actually pulled it off! It would be like someone actually duplicating an original Madd. They had to build brand new molds, which I've heard are crazy expensive - something like $25k per size! They have to recoup that, from a tiny market. I think the boots look great. I love my UPZs but they aren't any more modern at all, and neither is almost any ski boot really. Original Northwave .950s were going for $3k to $5k on eBay. If it's not broke don't fix it! I agree about the liner though. All premium boots should either come with no liner for a lower price, or an Intuition liner - heck, my kids' Full Tilts do! Anyway I think you should cut them some slack. They did a great thing in our minuscule, insignificant world here. Let's not crap on it.

Unfortunately they won't send you a pair to try - I asked, knowing it was a longshot. I think in the absence of demos, one could easily sell the boots if they bought them and then decided against them after a brief trial. I will probably do that with the step-in version.

UPZs fit a lot differently (and for me a lot better) than Deeluxe, yet are Intec compatible.

From his "about us" page: "We took out the camber, softend [sic] up the flex, and added todays [sic] technology with Tri-Axle [sic] Carbon Fiber Matterial [sic]. Using Set Screws in the boards to allow different stances and bindings..."

It depends on how far over you want to tilt the board. Yes you can carve a 25.5cm wide board with 31cm long boots, but only up to a point. If you want to do fully laid out carves, you are going to boot out.

Resort is responsible for operating their lift in tolerable wind/weather. Anyway, I know Sugarloaf was sued and that they compensated victims. My mother did not participate in the lawsuit although she was invited, but did receive direct compensation from the resort. And Maine has laws that are quite favorable to ski resorts.

That's very vague. Inherent risk while "riding" the lift could mean a number of things. The lift de-roping or rolling back are very different things than falling off the chair by your own carelessness. These are very far apart on that spectrum of possibilities. This section of that document does nothing to imply that we accept the risk of a major lift malfunction. Nobody in their right mind would accept (really accept) that risk if a resort explicitly made them aware that it existed, and made them sign off on it. That resort would soon go out of business. Whatever legal boilerplate they try to bury in some obscure state law or in 0.5 point print on the back of a ticket, nobody accepts that risk.

I hear you, but it's not really true. It's just another skill in the sport of snowboarding. Guys who carve (really carve) on softboots - when they stop skidding and start carving are they not still snowboarding? It goes both ways too - if you can't have fun on your alpine board on mixed terrain/conditions, are you really snowboarding?

I agree with skategoat about inherent risk. You don't really accept the risk of riding an elevator or a roller coaster or chairlift. If that thing malfunctions and seriously injures you, the owner/operator and maybe manufacturer are going to be on the hook for some serious compensation. Or at least you will try. Accepting risk IMO means you will not even attempt to sue anybody else if something goes wrong. I agree and I was saying something similar earlier.

Do you accept the risk that an elevator might crash before you get inside?

That, and it's a red herring argument.

We're still making snowboard graphics that objectify women in 2018?

Agreed. I wonder if it is simply the economy of demand or if they are also gov't subsidized. It wouldn't surprise me if Austria and European alps countries subsidized ski lifts. They have ski lifts there like we have baseball fields and basketball courts here. On a summer motorcycle tour through the alps I was stunned at all the little towns along the way with lifts. Good luck in the US asking taxpayers to subsidize people sliding down a snowy hill. Profitable resorts like Park City and Okemo, etc, can have high speed bubble chairs with heated seats because a lot of people go there. Sugarloaf is constantly riding the edge of sustainability because it is too far away from everywhere else. This makes it both horrible and awesome at the same time. (old lifts, low crowds, friendly atmosphere) Ski lifts in Maine are regulated and overseen by the same government agency as elevators. Fat lot of good that did though... typical... government incompetence, yadda yadda yadda. However the industry and gov't is certainly more careful and aware since the Sugarloaf accident. I don't think the car analogy is apt. More like a drawbridge or elevator I'd say. I remember seeing you at Sugarloaf, I forgot it was at that time. I was too close to the Spillway accident, my mom was on one of the chairs that hit the ground. A crappy cell-phone pic I took of the scene was on the front page of the Portland Press Herald, and several were picked up by the AP. There were good samaritans all over the place. As a photographer myself I think it's important to document things like this. It's good that we have pics and video of the rollback in Georgia from multiple angles. Of course I wouldn't have chosen picture-taking over life-saving if that had been a choice. Borvig parts are available through Partek Ski Lifts in NY. There are engineering standards for safety factors of just about everything. Last I knew, the standard safety factor for suspending things in the air where human lives are at risk is 7. So if the maximum load a haul rope will ever see is 100 tons (w.a.g.) then it is built to fail at 700 tons. AND??

I bet you have, even if you didn't know it. Sunday River has a number of lifts easily over 25 years old. One of their premier lifts, the Sunday River Express on Barker Mountain, is 30 years old. The quad going up White Heat is 29 years old. You can see the ages of all their lifts here, towards the bottom. Sugarloaf's premier lift, the SuperQuad, is 25 years old. It's running like a top, as far as we know. They have several lifts even older. Of course like all chairlifts they get maintained and retrofitted over time, so there's no equation which says a chairlift must be replaced after X years. Maybe there should be? Just be prepared to pay $150 for a day ticket.

With all due respect to Mr. Holland, and assuming he will be pacesetting in softboots, I have to believe there are some skilled NASTAR hardbooters who could beat him on the same course, just by virtue of the hardboot advantage. Wish I could have gone to nationals, I guess I will just have to settle for having the best 3-run average handicap for the regular season. Good luck Pat!

Hi guys. I'm helping Fin with the administration of the forum during this transitional period. I was also a moderator from 2003 to 2013. The original post in this thread is about a powder board, and does not mention carving. Also, discussing powder boards that happen to carve ok was never the intent of the Carving Central forum. Nor is Carving Central simply a catch-all for "adult snowboarding". This thread also does not belong in the All-Mountain Hardbooting forum. No shame in the Off Topic forum whatsoever! Thanks for your participation and understanding.

I'll take the lowers if still available.

Love it. Awesome freecarve board, and I won a USASA slalom on it against some good competition. The feel of the sidecut is unique. I'm going to have a 175 version made, with 2m longer sidecut range (10-14m).

Thanks Mark. I did have a couple PMs with EmDee beforehand. We'll see about a future trip! Wouldn't that be nice. Next time I think we would stay at Snowbird and do 1 or 2 hardboot excursion days to PC instead of the other way around. I hardboot because IMO it's the best way to enjoy eastern conditions - and when it's good here, it's really really good for carving. So when I go out west I want to schralp the gnar!

I think if the goal of the Geckos is to spread out the footprint of the bindings on the board, then one would want that footprint to be symmetrical, not oblong and rotated. I understand the temptation to offset them, but I don't think there's really anything to justify it. I could see myself using Geckos on my "SL" Kessler 168 or my Coiler Nirvana Energy 174 or maybe my Coiler NSR 185, but I feel like my beer league GS Kessler 180 is stiff and straight enough that they wouldn't have much effect. I'd be better served with an isolation plate there.