Jack M

That contraption made the rounds here a while ago. Not what I had in mind and not what that is. I'm thinking more like putting the front sliding hinge in a track in the board, and the rear hinge would also be embedded in the board. Then the plate goes on top of them. You heard it here first, I expect royalties! ;-)

@Carvin' Marvin, you should check out this board. Seems to check all your boxes.

yeah see that's neither accurate nor polite.

I would recommend shell stretching before permanently compromising the integrity of the shell by grinding. I had a shop do this for more width in my UPZs, it made all the difference.

I actually don't really have a view on this, and I've edited my post to more clearly say what I was trying to. Fortunately I am not bow legged or knock kneed, so I don't have to think about this much. It does seem that inward canting for a bow-legged rider would result in pressure against the boot cuff, and that might be undesirable.

Maybe this isn't the main or right reason, but I think of Beckman's explanation as bringing the knees into a better position. So if you are bow-legged you cant inward to bring the knees closer together. If you are knock-kneed then you cant outward to move the knees apart. @AJCdice, did you mold your new liners while sitting down? I made that mistake once and felt similar pain as you describe. Gotta stand while molding so your foot is squashed out wider like it will be while riding. Other than that, I agree you need to get back to your previous setup, or as close as possible, see if the pain goes away, and then change one thing at a time from there, if you even need to.

Frankly I believe it is due to that he carves more and better than most others, IMO. It is usually only a mistake or recovery move when he lets his left hand get behind him. His style and technique is the gold standard. Many other racers seem too sideways to me, and seem to rely too much on slide-lock turns. Also, experience matters. His body knows what to do in more emergency situations without him having to think about it.

I have yet to pay $1500 for a board, but I think I'm close. I got that Kessler 168 on sale from Bomber in the fall, 40% off. I am loving it. I think there is something special about that sidecut. I swear it seems to work better than just a 2 or 3 radius VSR. And this thing will definitely launch you. The Kessler SL 162 has a sidecut range of 7-12m. This 168 is 8-12m. It seems about as stiff as SG and F2 slalom boards I've flexed by hand. I got first and second in two USASA slaloms on it a few weeks ago at Sunday River, and it's been my go-to freecarver so far this year. I could see myself shelling out for a custom 178 version. Same idea just 2m longer. It's a very difficult thing to justify when we have Donek, Coiler, Prior, and Thirst here at a significant savings and the performance is so close. The Proteus strikes a great balance between lively and damp, as does the Nirvana Energy. Very fun boards. However there is something cool about riding what the World Cup guys are using. It's a bit of a white whale for me. I'm not getting any younger (44 next month) so I may as well treat myself while I can still enjoy it to the fullest. Also, this is my life, this is what I do, this is a big part of why I get out of bed and go to work, so why limit myself? Saving $500 or so over the lifespan of a board seems silly in that context. I also got a barely used stock Kessler 180 here for $900. I figured I'd give it a whirl and sell it if I didn't like it. Well, it's been a revelation for my Wednesday night beer league racing pursuits. The thing is made to go around gates, fast. It's too much for freecarving at Sugarloaf, but I enjoyed freecarving it between race runs at Sunday River on their wider, less steep slopes. Let me tell you... when you get this thing up to speed, load it up and release, you are going for a long sail through the air.

https://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/2018/01/26/canadas-jasey-jay-anderson-wins-gold-in-parallel-giant-slalom-at-snowboard-world-cup.html

Funny joke, boardski. Whoever is behind that Deuce contraption is ignorant of history. Appropriate name though.

Pretty sure that on that 4-edged snowboard you're talking about, the inner edges were straight, for going straight. The inner edges were on a raised inner base.

Double edges would really only work at one edge angle. I'd like to try two piece bindings, somewhat like the old Emery Surf. So just a toe block and a heel block mounted right to the board or plate for less stack height and weight. These could be custom machined for cant and lift, or shimmed. There could also be some cushion built in like the Sidewinder. Of course you'd need a custom board or plate with inserts in the right spots, and you wouldn't be able to change your stance much, so this is a beyond niche idea. I think this would make suspension plates much nicer to ride.

No, it's fixed. You can insert an allen wrench through the inserts in the plate to get to the hardware-to-board mounting screws. @Corey, I agree with lonbordin. I would want to try both the red and the orange.

Cool, I guess I would have to do the piece of paper test to detect it, because I couldn't see any decamber by eye.

@workshop7 was kind enough to let me try this board. It rips. Definitely a candidate to be included in the MK line. Cuts like a knife, very energetic. I had just stepped off my metal Kessler 168, so my first impression of this non-metal board while just moving around and sliding to the trail was that it felt "brittle". However once carving, any concerns about edge hold disappeared. Tenacious tip to tail grip that locks on quickly and holds on longer. Reminded me of that original Donek Freecarve 171 I demo'd in 2001 that I immediately had to have, no matter what price. Although there is no decambering whatsoever (edit - so it appeared at first, see below), the nose surprisingly sliced right through piles of loose stuff. Of course it did have its limits, and I would give the K the nod for overall terrain handling, smoothness, and versatility. This should be expected, it's metal. But this board is more lively and poppy and very entertaining. This longer length and longer radius is a better fit for me at 5'11" 190, over the MK 161. It gives you more time to settle in and enjoy each carve, and if you need to surf out a turn or just cruise it's more agreeable. The flex pattern felt perfectly matched to the sidecut, whereas I felt my Proteus 175 was a touch stiff for the radius. The 19cm waist is also a better fit for my size 28 boots than the MK's 18cm waist, but it still feels very quick and responsive. It's just right for an all-business board like this. Nice design, Workshop!

He was the best. "What if snowboards had been invented first? Then certain snowboard resorts wouldn't be allowing skiers up their snowboard lifts. Dumb." - Warren Miller

Follow up on this - I liked it. This is the lowest, lightest plate I've tried (15mm, 1500g). Seems about as tall as Geckos. My biggest issues with the other plates I've tried (Bomber, Donek AF) are the height and weight. Turned me right off for freecarving. The bumpers give back some board feel and snow feel, which is welcome, but the plate still does the isolation thing well. This is a slightly older version, the new one has the bumpers next to and just behind the binding inserts, not in front and behind. Their website shows only two bumpers mounted under each foot. The binding inserts are bottomless, so you can access the mounting screws for the 4x4 hardware through them. This made removing the plate very easy. I bet you could also learn to mount the plate this way too. This also meant that it was very easy to reproduce my stance, as the plate inserts were aligned directly over my board inserts. I guess the plate is made to match Kessler's insert pattern, ymmv. I'm still not sure I *need* it for freecarving, I would still need to adapt to the extra height and weight, but it did start to disappear after a handful of runs. The ride is definitely more comfortable. I can see how it would be very beneficial for racing on a rutty course. I think I need more time on one of these. If I were to buy a plate now it would surely be this one. I'm curious to try an Allflex, but I don't have a board with those inserts. However I have to admit the mechanics of the thing don't make sense to me. Only 6.4mm of travel before it locks up and becomes a flex modifier? All that stress going into your board at the outward anchor points? I don't see why this is better. Someone should build a board with the plate mounting/hinging/sliding mechanism built right in...

After years of riding Bombers I tried a board with Burton Race Plates on it. Felt like rubber bands holding my feet to the board. Very unnerving. Last year I tried a pair of F2 bindings for the first time. I sized them the way I would size any toe-clip binding - such that it takes significant effort to close and open them. I felt no difference between them and Bombers while riding. This makes me think two things - 1, F2s are a shit-ton stiffer than Burtons, 2, I don't know why racers think F2s are softer and more appropriate than Bombers. Some people size toe-clip bindings such that they can be closed and opened with only one or two fingers. Maybe this is what racers do? I dunno. Personally I think this is inviting disaster, because I've had loose bindings pop open before.

My dad was an English major and ski racer at Middlebury. He regaled me with the tale of his professor who would dock you a full letter grade for each misspelling, among other things. He would review my papers in high school and college. He told me never to write "I think" or "In my opinion" or anything like that because that much is implied by the fact that you are writing it. While this is logically true, I've realized people don't read that way. Oh well.

No, the young Jaguars simply need to learn how to play football cleanly, and without deliberately injuring star players they can't compete with.

Much respect for Joni Mitchell, but she is before my time. I vaguely remember school figures I think. Mostly what pops into my head when I think of figure skating is Katarina Witt, and, unfortunately, Scott Hamilton seemingly having an orgasm every time someone does a triple lutz triple toe. Interesting section in Mitchell's Wikipedia page: Despite her prominence among the young musicians of the 1960s and 1970s, and her writing of "Woodstock" (where she was prevented from performing because her manager thought it was more advantageous to appear on The Dick Cavett Show[77]), she did not align herself with the era's protest movements or its cultural manifestations. She has said that the parents of the boomers were unhappy, and "out of it came this liberated, spoiled, selfish generation into the costume ball of free love, free sex, free music, free, free, free, free we're so free. And Woodstock was the culmination of it." But "I was not a part of that," she explained in an interview. "I was not a part of the anti-war movement, either. I played in Fort Bragg. I went the Bob Hope route because I had uncles who died in the war, and I thought it was a shame to blame the boys who were drafted." Even Bob Dylan, one of the most iconic musicians of the Baby Boom generation, has not escaped Mitchell's generational critique: "I like a lot of Bob's songs. Musically he's not very gifted."

Fair enough, thanks. Seems imperfect to me, but I am technical like that. No way a figure skater would get credited for completing a quad like this. I cannot believe I just referenced figure skating.

Do you mean front axle fixed and rear axle floating? Or both axles fixed?

I bought the last stock Kessler 168 from Bomber this past fall. I don't know what the differences are between that and the 162 other than the obvious length and the 1m difference in nose radius according to their specs. (162 = 7-12m, 168 = 8-12m) It's an outstanding freecarver and race board. I got first and second in a USASA SL double header a couple weeks ago at Sunday River on this board. I think there is definitely something special about the clothoid sidecut. It's very smooth and versatile. The board can be driven hard or you can surf it out. It's like it has the comfort of a long board with the turn size of a short board on tap when you want. It's been my go-to board so far this season. It's a work out for sure, and you just have to get conditioned for it. But it's not nearly as much of a workout as the MK I had before. Exhilarating, but too many turns in one run for me at this point.

No way that was 4 complete rotations in the air. Nope. Sorry.