Stef1

Quite a bit of difference based on my experience...and what feels right to you will depend on whether you favor smoothness or response. Different boards will also react differently to the Gecko plates - my Coiler Nirvana felt a bit dead with the Geckos while my Kessler became much more responsive (I ended up using just the red bumpers with the plates set up asymmetrically). I would suggest you experiment until you find something that works for you - maybe start with all red, then all orange, then red with orange at the tips.

My rear binding rotates during the course of the day. I start at 53 degrees and by mid-afternoon it's at 47 and I need to stop and re-adjust. The bindings are F2 race titanium and the board a Kessler. Have tried a different set of bindings on the board and the same thing happened - and I don't experience the rotation when using the same bindings on other boards, which makes me think it may be something to do with the Kessler top sheet (p-tex). Any of you wise men and women of snowboarding have any tips and tricks to stop this from happening? :)

I'll start a collection :D You're right that from the specs on the website it looks like the 168 is a slalom board but I've also seen it described on some online retailers as an 'allround' model. And people on this forum who have tried both the 162 and 168 all seem to describe the 162 as stiffer and more responsive...

If you're limiting yourself to the stock boards and not taking into account your existing quiver, I would go for the 168. Whatever you do, don't ignore the weight ranges associated with the boards - the 168 is the all-rounder so has a broad weight range but If you choose a slalom or GS board, pick the one that corresponds to your weight. Looking at your quiver, however, you already have a relatively new Coiler 170 and, given that you ride short hills, a 162 could be great fun. A third alternative would be to get Kessler to make you a custom ride. I have a 168 freecarve with a 11.3 average sidecut (that tightens slightly in the tail) and it's fabulous - a great all rounder. Having now ridden this board for a year I would go for a slightly longer length (171 or 173) and longer sidecut (@12.5) if I were to order it again. I say this because the board is extremely manouvreable in any situation (so why not go a bit longer and have a slightly longer sidecut for more stability at speed) yet holds an edge better than longer boards from other manufacturers (so no need to go much longer than 173). I think a Kessler built to those specs would instantly make your quiver obsolete!

I've got the RC 8s and I'm very happy with them. However, I've never tried the RC10s or ATBs so can't make any comparisons. As I understand it they use a thinner plastic than the 10s and have one less buckle so offer more flexibility. Compared to my previous Deeluxe 325s, the RC8s have a shorter sole length, allowing lower angles, are more snug around the heel, and give more control and precision. I did feel that the Deeluxes had a more comfortable liner and provided more edge power though.

After experiencing acute pain in both my arches from the liners in my UPZ RC8s (to the point where I'd have to take my boots off every 4 runs and let the pain dissapate!), I took drastic measures and went to Surefoot. The result is a revelation :D - no pain at all, warm feet, and significantly more edge pressure and control! I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone who is suffering from standard liners. Yes it's expensive, but there's a lifetime guarantee and they will tweak the fit as many times as is necessary to make the liners comfortable and, by all accounts, they last a lot longer than other after-market liners so the initial investment will be amortized after a few years. One word of advice - wait until you try them on the slopes before making any adjustments. Mine were causing soreness around the ankles when I put them on in the living room but the discomfort completely disappeared on the slopes.

In contrast to last year, Europe is currently drowning in snow! It's been snowing nearly constantly since the middle of December and many resorts have already received as much snow as they got all of last season. Up to this week the weather has been pretty poor with not a ray of sun and very poor visibility but the forecast is predicting clear skies until at least this weekend so the lucky buggers who have chosen this week for their ski holidays are going to have the time of their lives! Have a look at this link to see snow conditions at various resorts around Europe: http://www.welove2ski.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=520

Well done Alex for taking the initiative and producing this annual. I've placed my order and am waiting with bated breath for its arrival!

As the winter season approaches - though not quickly enough :)- I'm thinking I might get some professional tuition to accelerate my progression. I've had a trawl through the internet but can't find any schools or instructors for alpine snowboarding in either France or Switzerland (I live in Lausanne so have relatively easy access to both). This is a bit of a long shot but I wondered if anyone on this forum could recommend somewhere in my neck of the woods where I could get hardooting lessons?

Hmmm…the plot thickens re: VSR v. Clothoid. Maybe it's a VCR - variable clothoid radius :) Shame Herr Kessler isn't on this forum to resolve the issue himself…though in a way it's more fun to have everyone pitching in their different opinions! Randy, I may be saying something silly but I think you can work out the taper by subtracting the tail width from the nose width. You must be dying to try out your board! If it's anything like mine, you'll love it! It will be easy to manouvre because of the decambred tips yet still hold an edge like it's nobody's business! In response to your question, I got the F2 bindings because that was the only model they had in the shop! And this from supposedly one of the best stocked alpine snowboard shops in Switzerland (plus it was 150 miles from where I live!). The bindings are easy to install and use and not too stiff. My only criticisms are that they don't come with that many canting/lift options and I've had some issues with the bindings rotating during use - but I think adding some loctite and removing some ill-judged washers should fix this latter problem.

Thanks Randy! From my interactions with Kessler I got the feeling freecarve boards with a narrowing sidecut towards the tail were not an unusual request for him. I've only been out on the custom once and the difference with my stock Kessler BX in terms of finishing turns is not that apparent on blue slopes but on anything steeper, the BX requires more concentration immediately after the apex of a turn as it wants to race straight down the hill at speed whereas the custom naturally wants to continue the carve and therefore you can control your speed better. Just out of curiosity, Randy, what is the taper on your custom? It does sound like yours has similar sidecut characteristics as mine.

Well, I spoke to Mr Kessler about wanting the tail to tighten and he seemed to clearly understand what I was after and acknowledged that their stock boards were built specifically for racing and were not necessarily ideal for freecarving. I think the sidecut is something along the lines of 11-13-12. I'm not an engineer and I'm clueless about the relationship between taper and sidecut but it does have about 12-13cm less taper than the stock Kesslers (which I suspect has something to do with the change in sidecut characteristics?)and on the slope I do notice that it continues the carve for longer and feels more locked in than my stock Kessler BX (though I haven't compared it directly to a Kessler Alpine)... Anybody out there understand the alchemy between taper and sidecut?...

LOL - I think I'm already afflicted. Managed to convince the girlfriend that it would be a good idea to drive 7 hours to go to the Hintertux glacier next weekend!

I will try using steeper angles the next time I hit the slopes. My problem is: 1) I am severely knock-kneed with very splayed out feet so I'm not comfortable unless there's a difference of at least 15 degrees between my bindings 2) And I have mondo size 30 boots so I have to have fairly steep angles at the back if I don't want my boot to stick out. I tried setting up the angles at home to avoid boot out and ended up with 50 at the back and 65 at the front - we'll see how it feels on the slopes. Bizarrely, from the posts I have read on this site, most people get boots with a mondo size that corresponds or is slightly smaller than their foot. But, for me, I had to go two sizes bigger otherwise my toes were being severely compressed by the front of the boot (Deeluxe 325).

After many years of trying to carve on soft boots and getting frustrated by the lack of edgehold and the pain in my feet from trying to tighten my straps for more control, I finally decided enough was enough and decided to venture into the world of hardboots. I spent weeks browsing this forum and posted a few questions to find out what board I should get (thanks to all the members who replied - your advice was invaluable!). Finally I decided to splash out on a custom Kessler (I already have the Kessler bx and I live in Switzerland so it was an easy decision): 168 cm, 21 cm waist, 27 nose, 26 tail, 11.3 scr, radius tightening towards the tail (thanks to BlueB for that good piece of advice). Yesterday I took her up to the local glacier and was completely and utterly blown away! The incredible edgehold, the control at speed, the ease of transition from edge to edge, how every input you make is so efficiently transmitted to the board, the total lack of any sliding, the comfort of the boots, the ease of putting the bindings on...my first hardboot experience totally surpassed my expectations in every way possible!!! :):):) I was also surprised at how easy it was - admittedly, I was going down empty blue runs on soft snow but it only took me a 3rd of the slope to get used to the board and then I was carving away with a s**t-eating grin on my face. My first thoughts on getting to the bottom of that hill were: why didn't anyone tell me about this earlier!? ; ) And, I can't believe I don't see more hardbooters on the slopes given how much fun this is. After 5 runs, my legs were like jelly from the increased g-forces but I was as happy as I'd ever been on a snowboard. I have been converted!