Budge

I found the stock liners of my Salomon Malamutes were very painful on the top of my arch. I swapped the Intuition liners out of my hardboots into the Malamutes and the solved the problem completely. They do not have the fancy velcro hold down and the lacing, but they are way more comfortable and hold my foot just fine.

I prefer Big White although, as was previously mentioned, fog can be an issue. Big White has a broad range of runs and terrain. Silverstar has a lot of beginner and intermediate runs on the front-side which are good for carving if you are there mid week and it is not too busy. There are some more challenging runs on the back-side but many of them have an annoying traverse to get to them at the top and again at the bottom. Many of them are steep, narrow and bumpy, which is not ideal for hardboots. It is not that far between the two hills, so you could get up early and try the other area out.

It sounds as though you are in the same situation that I was. I had a Prior 4WD that I used with hard boots but lacked the time and skills to get the set up to work anywhere other than on the groomed stuff. I want to be able to ride anywhere on the mountain without bein unduly limited by my gear. I ended up trying soft boots on the 4WD but it was too narrow and the binding heel would lift the edge out of the snow on agressive heel-edge turns. I have size 9 feet, but it was the binding, rather than the boot that was causing problems. I got a Volkl Cross with Catek freerides on it and was much happier on that set up. It does not carve as well as the 4WD with plates (at least not with me driving) but it is a far more forgiving setup in the rougher, steeper and narrower sections of the mountain. The Volkl Cross is getting a bit tired now and I have sold the 4WD and acquired a Tanker 172 with Nidecker bindings. I really like this combination, and have not been out on the Cross since I got it. It floats much better in deeper snow (The Cross tends to dive) but is still quite quick edge to edge and in the bumps. I'd like to try a Tanker 200 sometime, but it is obviously not going to be very good in the bumps. I have not tried either of these boards with the hardboot set up although they are both supposedly very good. I have the original TD1s with Raichle boots and I think this rather unforgiving interface may have been part of my problem on the 4WD. I should really get rid of the TD1s and pick up something a little more forgiving. I'm not sure if any of this is helpful, but there are plenty of softboot set ups that carve pretty well and can be used with either soft or hard boots.

I wasn't aware that they made a 155. I have a 159 which I thought was the smallest they made. What size are your feet? Unless you have very small feet, and bindings, the 4WD is a bit narrow for soft boots in my opinion. I initially tried it with Burton three-strap bindings but found that I had boot out problems. I got some TD1s and hard boots and found that it was fantastic for carving on the groomed stuff but not that versatile in the bumps and steeps. This is probably a technique issue, rather than an equipment one, but I have reverted back to soft boots and have not used the 4WD the last 2 years. I probably put 10-15 days on it in total. I would consider selling it if you are interested. David Spear

Seth tweaks it pretty well for stability. http://www.newsday.com/sports/olympics/ny-sposcot0217-1,0,7015859.photo?coll=ny-sports-olympics-headlines

Heel hold down was not a problem. The Intuition liners are very snug and hold the heel down nicely. You end up losing the lacing on the inner boot and the velcro strap over thetop of your foot which ahd me concerned but the Intuition liners were much more comfortable and still very secure. The liner also stiffens the boot up somewhat which you may or may not want. AIf your boots are comfortable now, I wouldn't bother. If they are not, I wouldn't hesitate to swap for the Intuitions.

I found that the stock liners in the Malamutes had pressure points from the tongue that caused me quite a bit of discomfort. I took the Intuiition liners out of my hardboots and used them in the Malamutes and the worked really well. They are stiffer than the stock liners and much more comfortable. I did not remold them and there is less space in the Malamutes so that I got a bit of pressure on the toes but remolding the liners will deal with that I expect. I would recommend the Intuition liners if the stock liners are giving you problems. David

I have a Prior 4WD 159 with TD1s which I would be prepared to sell for $400. It is a 2001 with the flower top sheet. I bought it new and it hasn't seen that much use as I have reverted back to soft boots. I have 0°, 3° and 6° cants.

You are supposed to pay provincial tax as well, but Canada Customs does not have an agreement with the provinces to collect the PST. Technically, I think you are expected to send your PST in to the province. I don't think that many people do }:o)~. I have also been stung by the couriers charging exorbitant fees for minimal service. The postal service route is much better.

How do the oversize Tankers perform compared to the regular ones? I can see the appeal of a long and wide board in wide open fresh snow but how are the bigger boards, 177+, in the trees and bumps etc? I like the idea of the extra float but the idea of trying to manoeuver in tight quarters with a 180 cm monster attached to my feet is a little daunting. Are the big Tankers just for wide open spaces? Curious

I have a 159 as well. I have about a dozen days on it and have reverted back to soft boots. E-mail me if you are interested. I have a picture that I can send tomorrow. David

I have a 159 which is surprisingly soft. I also have a Volkl Cross which is a much stiffer board. After buying the 159, I had the opportunity to try out the 169 and 179. They were both quite a bit stiffer and I really liked the 169 but found the 179 to be a bit of a beast in the springtime bumps that were around on the day I tried it. there was not a 174 around to try but I did try some of their freeride decks as well which seemed really solid.

Measure the length of your foot in centimeters and that is your Mondo size.

If you go to Whistler and the Peak Chair is open, you would really be missing out if you stuck to carving the groomed runs. In my opinion, if Whistler didn't have the more challenging terrain made available from the Peak Chair, it would not be that great an area. If it is foggy and windy, they sometimes close it.

I think if you combine both of the above techniques, you might be on to something! "Do fully laid-out Euro-carves with really really baggy clothes." }:o)~