snowmatic

New F2 product range is out now as a 60 page Flash site: www.f2.com/catalog/f2_15-16/ Short overview: - Seppl Loipfuhrer was coming back to F2 last Year - the plate-binding F2 Race Worldcup anounced for 2014/2015 disappeared, was never build - Eliminator HannoPro edition (Austrian SBX rider Hanno Douschan) - Speedster SL get a yellow-black print - Perlatech racebase (wtf is this) - veneered wooden topsheets on many boards like once Burton Alp asymetrical had 20 Years ago: Speedster WC SL+RS: ash, Speedster equipe SL+RS+Silberpfeil+Silberpfeil Vantage: maple, Eliminator Proto+WC: ash Eliminator: birch - so no more scratch proof ABS topsheets. Wooden desks splinter very soon edge-side! - Children boards (Speedster SL only) at 125cm/133cm/139cm/145cm - Silberpfeil Vantage (EC-board) with Titanal construction! (became a "Volkswagen beetle" of Swoard-Pro) - tightest SCR on shortest GS board now at 14m (Speedster RS 169) - Intec Titanium with slot in plate under heel receiver, giving more sideflex - S-Flex dampers: now on 2 sizes: M=60-75kg board=170-190mm waist, L=70-100kg board=185-205mm waist Many distributors on the World, like in Iran, Romania, Hungary, Greece, Korea, but no USA. Americans see Canada: www.mordiff-distribution.com . They list some stores.

Yes softbootsailer, I agree, it's a thread is for pictures of Tracks. But there must be room for comments. Even if one of the best picture on thread was posted. Boring pictures from countless trenches are easy to get. But that picture from Verbier 2002 is a kind of magic. You see the scene, the sun, two trenches and the rider just on the right position. And the picture let open how he did it. Was he riding like everyday, or was he taken up speed riding straight down from the top and he cut than a least the trenches? There are pictures which are able to transpond emotions, other ones didn't it. And by the way, out of the text below picture, there must be a big story behind. Did You know softbootsailer, Youngest rider on a Swoard-Pro snowboard is just 16. And he race gates with Swoard-Pro too. There are pictures about on internet.

Sudelfeld ski resort of Bayrisch-Zell (Bavaria / Germany) was holding a good race. Beside the brand new six-chair highspeed lift with laser-blue bubbles and seat-heatings (Waldkopf / climbs 650ft), the PGS-Race was hold for first time this season as a real parallel-race. 150 volunters did a great job. PGS Sudelfeld starts on cloudy sky and ends on blue sky on small finals and big finals. Slope was very consistent and perfect all the time. No bad and deep trenches / not worn out until end of race. Made of Artifical snow and pure snow. Best fitting SCR was at around 22-23m for the boards on course. We saw many exceptional tight fights on that re-run race-format. Riders ride the heats not with that high risk, like we see it at single-run format races. So there are less crashes and on finish line 2 to 5 hundreds of a second did often the difference of winning or loosing. Podium men: 1. Andrey Sobolev (RUS) - SG.snowboards - Allflex - F2.Titanium - Northwave.950 2. Vic Wild (RUS) - Kessler - Allflex - F2.Titanium - Northwave.950 yellow-red 3. Zan Kosir (SLO) - Oxess - Allflex - F2.Titanium - Northwave.950 yellow-red 9. Justin Reiter (USA) 18. Aron Muss USA 34. Darren Gardener CAN 36. Michael Trapp USA 38. Sebastien Beaulieu CAN 41. Jasey Jay Anderson CAN Podium women: 1. Ester Ledecka (CZE) - SG.snowboards - SG-Plate - F2.Titanium - UPZ RC10 green-grey 2. Zogg Julie (SUI) - Kessler - Allflex - ACT Gear - Deeluxe Indy orange 3. Marion Kreiner (AUT) - BlackPearl - Vist - F2.Titanium - UPZ RC10 white-grey 5. Caroline Calve (CAN) Nations: Russia was again very strong (gold and silver for men). Russia is supporting his snowboard race program by around $3'400'000 to $4'500'000, even the Year after Sochi Olympics! This seem to be some bucks more than racers get in Canada and the USA for racing gates. Riders: Andrey Sobolev (Winner / RUS) won his first Worldcup race. Alexander Bergmann (6. / GER) had serios problems with chatter with the board on the gates. Chatter like we saw it no more since Years. He rides a yellow color Nobil snowboard (Poland). Julie Zogg (2. / SUI) switched from asymetric K-Plate to Allflex, even on bindings he switched from F2 Titanium to Japanese ACT Gear bindings.

Well, it can be hard to see what/how other riders are capable to carve, even if ones rides a shape which is not the best choice for to do similar. Just take a board which perform for Extremecarving. Proton may be a good thing for racing gates. I mean, a friend of mine did try to carve with Proton's on different lenght too some vew Years ago. He screw on a Bomber binding from that Years to that Proton's SL which match colorway of board perfect. And he tried to follow the wonderful radius of some wine-gasks to get a taste of nice carving turns. But he couln't get fun with that Proton's, even because they had never been shaped for riding nice carving turns. nils, You did rather ride that days of 2002 a Fanatic Ltd EC 165 than Oxygen Proton 172. The Fanatic Ltd EC 165 was distributed that time in France from Wings S.A. F-83270 St Cyr les Lecques/St Cyr sur Mer and was just made for Extremecarving. They used special alligned carbon wings on uper and lower belt, for edge power distribution and torsion control of the board. The Fanatic Ltd EC 165 (from 1998/99 and up) was the follower shape of the 1997/98 Fanatic Supernova board, which was developed for (Fanatic named/wrote it as): "EXTREMECARVING". And for to show the strongness of riding the Extremecarving, the Fanatic Ltd EC cames out for 1998/99 and 1999/2000 in black/anthracit color with a gray label and some red colored segments. If there are any boards on market just now-a-days using similar colorways too, please let me know it! Well as we know it all today ( "Extremecarving" ) and the abbreviation EC is used very often and mostly loose for any kind of carving and from many brands too. In counterpoint to that, good and powerfull action on carving like extreme an alpine snowboard we can see unfortunately less and less these days.

As listed here we would see tomorrow February 7. one more Worldcup race. Sudelfeld PGS (Germany) would be hold as a re-run format with 21 gates. First time for this season! We had qualification runs today. On women tableau Caroline Calve CAN was qualified for the finals (rank 5). On men tableau Justin Reiter USA did it too (rank 6). Did not qualify for finals: 18. Aron Muss USA 34. Darren Gardener CAN 36. Michael Trapp USA 38. Sebastien Beaulieu CAN 41. Jasey Jay Anderson CAN Again Russia was strong and brougt 4 men to the finals, while other nations did only 2 (JPN / SLO / AUT / SUI), or 1 (USA / FRA / GER / ITA). Race would start February 7. 09:00 UTC and ends 11:15 UTC. Calculate Your local time. For the 1/4 finals there would be a on hour TV life broadcast. Because it's a re-run format, race takes longer than single run format. Single run format can be broadcasted over all the 1/8 final runs. As we like it from other races in Europe, there is a 1024x768 webcam taking Your eyes right to the finish line of the race! Even more than the half of course webcam is showing. Weather: it should be sunny tomorrow.

Sorry, but I post just a warning for pokkis in case of he like to be in stoke on a Swoard Dual.I mean nothing else than a little warning! 15 victims (update: >21) on avalanche we count the last days on European Alps. From today we count 6 victims (update: 8 / next update: 10), maybe this figure will rise again. Not included are the ones with heavy injury. Thats the tribute to tracks and stoke, if outside of slope. But on-slope too, like we can see it just from today on a ready to extreme-carving steep slope in Austria (no victims, but one skier under avalanche on slope) (update: +4 more victims on Saturday, 2 of them on mountains around 10 to 20 miles beside Zinal) 5 rescue helicopters on work at one single hot-spot

Looks very over-tracked. Im not talking from the slope, no interrests on that. No ice, so way to easy for carving. I'm talking from outside of slope. Take care, avalanche danger is since Tuesday on level 4 (high risks) on that mountains - tricky snow. Don't step one single foot outside of steeper slopes! Avalanche can erease Your tracks, but even Your life too. We can hope nothing will happen in case of avalaches to that Euro-Carving-Session in Zinal. Val Anniviers has one victim this Month and 2 victims last winter, one at Sorbois mountain of Zinal. All of the 3 victims died on level 3 (considerable risks)! We are now on 4 (high risks).

Snowboard-Cross boards runs not well for carving. Buy an older Nidecker Megalight if available. They looks similar (3D-topsheet), but had a camber profile, while newer shapes have CamRock profile. It's an excellent carving board for softboots. Camber boards runs more stable for carving on softboots. Nidecker Platinium is more a freeride to freestyle board with less camber than Legend. Take a look to Nidecker Escape 165XL (waist 263mm). It's of the same riding range like Megalight/Ultralight/Legend but on a good price. Ask ben@duna.com (Duna Traiding 11380 Tarifa) for informations, where to get one. Burton CustomX may be also a good board, but it's way more expensive. Goodboards Apikal Camber 163XW, 165W and 170XW are on a good price to: € 529.- ( www.goodboards.eu from Bavaria/GER/Czech owner ) They have boards up to 202cm (Legends long Camber 202) and are hand made in EU (not in China like RadAir Tankers) Remark: No hardboots on goodboards allowable!

Any news to report? No? I mean You can turn it to the right, to the left, or flip it upside-down. But you coulnd't find that much hotels on the World which shows a carver on top of their hotel homepage. Even not one on a Skwal or a narrow carving board. www.hotel-surpunt.com/ Upcomming weekend Burton European Open would hold there (TTR 6-star). Worlds biggest halfpipe at Laax/Flims, which is 1/8-mile long, and has 23ft high walls!

As I reported here 2 over-50 riders did race snowboard World Championships at Lachtal / Kreischberg (Austria) last week. Vladimir Bella (Slovakia) is 55 Years old and get last rank No.52. While Leos Prokopec Senior (Czech Republic) is 58 Years old. He did not finish. Bella tooks 40 % more time for his run, than slowest young Canadian rider. As from a note of a newspaper both crashed on that run of Worldchampionships. Prokopec was crossing the course of Bella, hit him and they crashed to the ground. Bella became a re-run. We can find 2 more riders on FIS races coming from the "Over 50 club". Marko Vezovisek from Slovenia, he is 55 Years old, Fabrizio Fava from Italy, he sis 54 Years old. The 4 riders do FIS races and/or Europa-Cup races during the season.

About the read my conclusion here. (Podium Bad Gastein)Single run format was introduced by FIS last season as a test. Since season 2014-2015 all races are hold as a single run format without any re-runs. The full finals can be done this way during 1 hour only, what was a demand for TV broadcasting. While the Years before finals took 2 full hours and TV was start brodacasting from the 1/4 final runs, now the full finals can be on-air. So a twice amount of riders can be see now on TV. This new single race format does affect a lot. While lucky chance becomes more important, rider with less power can reach the podium faster. On re-run format the winner and the second had to race 10 time (200 gates). Now You can be a winner in only 6 runs (120 gates). In contribution to that, slope got worn out much more on 10 runs than on less runs of all riders like we see it now on single run format. So athletes which did train a lot more and are comming with high power to the races the Years ago, they are now the loosers. Even very experienced athletes which are able to handle tricky worn-out slope conditions are loosers.

What we saw on 2015 Januray races in Lachtal / Kreischberg: boards on podium: 4x SigiGrabner snowboards (3x Worldchampion) 4x Kessler snowboards 3x Black Pearl snowboards (1x Worldchampion) 1x Oxess snowboards plates on podium: 5x Vist plates (3x Worldchampion) 5x AllFlex plates (1x Worldchampion) 1x Kessler K-plate 1x home brew plate bindings on podium: 10x F2 Titanium 1x ACT Gear 1x home brew, using Ibex lever and Ibex bails. boots on podium: 6x Northwave Point .950 5x UPZ RC10 1x Deeluxe Track 69 - On boards we can see one more time a battle between Schoch bros. and Sigi Grabner. While Kessler had been once developed in strong contribution with Schoch bros. Sigi Grabner had to go his own way. Sigi Grabner didn't get any Kessler snowboards because of an embargo by Kessler/Schoch bros.. So Sigi Grabner had to develop his own boards/brand. Since Schoch leaves Kessler research for better boards stagnate a bit on Kessler. BlackPearl from Schoch bros. seems to be on a good way to success. Even Kessler, like many other brands too (F2/Donek), did copy ideas of Black-Pearl snowboards. Other brands like Apex (Austria), Nobil (Poland) and Rabanser are far away from to be on top. (Georg Rabanser was racing that weekend a FIS-PSL, he get rank 7 beside some riders which do sometimes also FIS-Worldcup races.) - On plates we can see a revival of Vist plates. Floating plates by less hinge-mountings seem to be no more the way for to be fast. While 2-axle floating plates takes too much time for riders to find the sweet spot of the gear (board-plate-binding-boots), damping plates are easyer to manage. Apex plates from Canada seems to be no more competitiv enough. I think I saw only one Apex plate on the finals of PGS. That's why maybe apex-insider became a bit nervous on Apex Gecko thread here on BOL forum. - F2 Titanium bindings are used very often. They are all non-CNC bindings on podium.

Sometimes Kim Jong Un makes some noise and the rider turns for to see what was happen behind or above him.Advertising consultants of North Korea are actualy in Europe on tour for to promote holidays/travel in/to North Korea. After Vietnam and Kambodscha are visited allready and no more the place for to go, many European tourists take high interests about traveling to North Korea. I mean it's one of the last and today rare country, which isn't infected by Western type of influence. One thing is amazing on that "carving flow" video. While our slopes sometimes are bounded on either side by barbed wire, they use high walls of red plastic on each side. That slope on "carving flow" video must be very danger to ride on skis and snowboards, so they had to install that ugly red plastic walls. We can be happy on the Alps to not have such danger slopes. Protection by rocks on either side of slope help us a lot to feel safe. Even if there is a daily high frequency of skiers and snowboarders. It give sense to carve ec-turns with a slolom raceboard on such protected-by-rocks slopes. The good/pro ones do it fakie! - Just my 2 cents.

As I read today on a newspaper the #TWO oldies crashed on the run of Worldchampionships at Lachtal Kreischberg 2015.Prokopec was crossing the course of Bella, hit him and both crashed than to the snow. Bella became a re-run. By the way, we can find #TWO more riders on FIS races from the "Over 50 club". Marko Vezovisek from Slovenia, he is 55 Years old, Fabrizio Fava from Italy, he sis 54 Years old.

he reached rank No.5 on PGS World Snowboard Championships of Lachtal/Kreischberg. see report here

Breaking news: He did it . He is on the 1/4 finals!

World Snowboard Championships - Parallel giant slalom Kreischberg (Austria) which was hold today at Lachtal Styria (5300ft-7300ft / 370-acre / 2 highspeed-six, 8 surface lifts). Lachtal is a newer made resort from this century. Most lifts (5) are from the decade we are now. Weather: cloudy, strong wind. 22 gates, single-run race. Slope: same like PSL, hard and good grip, on very best condition, never sawn as good since a long long time now (sea-level does matter), steeper on start - flater on the middle - something between steep and flat to the end. T-bar lift beside slope. Podium men: 1. Andrey Sobolev (RUS) - SG.snowboards - AllFlex - F2.Titanium - Northwave.950 2. Zan Kosir (SLO) - Oxess - AllFlex silver - F2.Titanium - Northwave.950 3. Benjamin Karl (AUT) - Kessler - home brew plate - home brew bindings - Nortwave.950 5. Jasey Jay Anderson (CAN) 7. Vic Wild (RUS) 12. Sang-ho Lee (KOR) 21. Darren Gardener (CAN) 28. Justin Reiter (USA) 33. Indrik Trahan (CAN) 37. Michael Trapp (USA) Exotic riders on PGS from China: 40./41., from Kazachstan: 45., from Hungary: 46./51., from Iran: 47./49. Podium women: 1. Claudia Riegler (AUT) - BlackPearl - Vist - F2.Titanium - UPZ RC10 white 2. Alena Zavarzina (RUS) - Kessler - AllFlex gold - F2.Titanium - UPZ RC10 blue 3. Tomoka Takeuchi (JAP) - BlackPearl - AllFlex - ACT Gear - Northwave.950 8. Marianne Leeson (CAN) 10. Caroline Calve (CAN) 21. Ariane Lavigne (CAN) Exotic riders on PGS from China: 39./40., from Kazachstan: 42., from Hungary: 43., from Poland: 26./33./35. to resume: - No Germans, Italiens, or Swiss riders on podium. Swiss riders go home without any medals from World Snowboard Championships the first time since 16 Years. - World Champion Claudia Riegler has now a full set of medals from World Snowboard Championships (gold/silver/brounce). That 41 Years old woman was not able to win a WC race since 2002 (since 13 Years now). - World Cahmpion Andrey Sobolev did never win a WC race before. On PSL he use a Vist plate, on PGS an AllFlex plate. He did eliminate Vic Wild on 1/8 finals. - Benjamin Karl holds now a new record. He has new 7 medals from World Snowboard Championships, more than any other rider on men. Even he has 7 medals of the 7 last World Snowboard Championships! On woman Karin Ruby (FRA) is holder of the record (12 medals). - Marianne Leeson (CAN) failed on a gate, but enter 1/4 finals because Sabine Schoeffmann (GER) was overrun the last gate by some vew inches. - Jasey Jay Anderson whoops on a gate on 1/4 finals, Zan Kosir beat him. - Caroline Calve failed on start gate on 1/8 finals. She was to early, crashed to the sheet and had to restart. - Sang-ho Lee from Korea, 19 Years, was never seen before on finals. His best WC rank is 49. more: - Race was hold as a single run format again (the first time ever on WSCS). After qualification runs one gate was set closer to the middle. One course was again too fast. So they did this modification for equalize the finals. On blue course snow was harder/colder then on red course on the steep and on the flat, means it was faster. Red course got more sunshine in the morning, so it was softer and slower there. - The steep section does the selection. Good riders manage to be good and fast there and enter with speed to the flat section. Riders with lack of skill on snowboards did fail, or get too slow for the flat. - World Champion Claudia Riegler was the oldest rider from Worldcup (Age: 41 Year). - There are #TWO competing riders from the "Over 50 club" on this FIS World Snowboard Championships. Vladimir Bella (SVK), he is 55 Years old and get last rank No.52. Leos Prokopec Senior (CZE), is 58 Years old. He did not finish. Vladimir Bella tooks 40 % more time for a run, than slowest Canadian rider. Maybe Vladimir Bella holds-on for to take a Whiskey at a snow-bar beside slope on the run, I don't know. Otherwise he should work a bit on his power, flexibilty, reactivity and riding skill for to follow the younger riders. beside: There was a livecam on the race: race course on hill finish-line behind the finish-line

let me give a try: Jasey-Jay Anderson: «Im not on the end of my career» Not amused about head of Canada Snowboard, Jasey-Jay Anderson takes worry about the future for upcomming racers. After Sochi Olympics he was not knowing what will happen. Jasey-Jay Anderson was not sure to look for a further race-season. Comming with one Olympic gold medal (Vancouver), 4 Worldchampion title and 27 Worldcup victory, there would be no reasoning for him to proceed, even if on age of 39 Years. On his small snowboard brand he is still on a full phase for research and development. The races on FIS-tour are the only chance for him to test the snowboard shape improvements he do. Improvements on which he work on his shack and test them on slopes of Mont-Tremblant. «Im not at the point to bring it to market, you know I need some more quiet time for it», he resume on a telephone call the last week. That was some days before he left to his 8th Worldchampionships to Kreischberg (Styria / Austria). I'm to old? One next point to wake-up his intention to compete and brought him to revolting is what was going on for the future: Canada Snowboard decide to put out a group of authorized racers of foundings from Sport Canada. Thats the first time since 13 Years. Even if he match to the requirements, the federation says: he can not get better and they is no potential for the Olympics 2018. Even because 2018 will be his 6th Olympic games. On vew words: to old (my comment: ****, about what I wrote on PB thread? please open an "Over 40 club" thread) He feel banned. So Anderson looks fast foreward to take force against a notorius false consideration. A consideration against him and PAR races in general. «They want to take me out. Head of Canada Snowboard empower to do that. I said NO. If I'm ready for retirement, I will say it to you. I'm not ready now. That means You have to give me back my licence to race.» This takes 5 month since and some more retirements on Canadian Worldcup team riders occur because of this. But after the judgement he had the goal to pay back to the federation in October. The highest sport comission did include at least 5 registred racers for Olympic Games on a list and even for foundings from Sport Canada. In consistence with a team program of Quebec, Anderson can pay the most things of his costs during a season, which will reach 30'000 CAD. But Canadian federation doesn't pay for anything. In addition to that, 5'000 CAD he has to be pay for a coach (travel, hotel and so on). Costs are shared with his team mates from Quebec. Worry about the future of the Youth Not amused about head of Canada Snowboard, Jasey-Jay Anderson takes worry about the future of upcomming racers. «I feel me hooked-off. I have my company, I have my Olympic gold medall and a family on good health. But the gleam isn't true. I feel sad about my sport.» December 16. Anderson was 3rd on PGS of Carezza (Dolomit Italy). It was the first Worldcup race of this season. I was not on podium since my victory of March 2010 in Molina (Sierra Nevada Spain). That was some weeks after my Vancouver Olympics gold medal. Falling not in melancholy, this was the base for to bring him a lot of fun. «Belief me, that time was like sugar in my mouth» On his eye, his experience and the quality of his equipment are the only reasons for his performance. «With an age of 39 Years, it's hard to step to the podium», which he reach because he was able to dominate the qualification runs even on a very high bib-No. of 44 in Carezza! The results of Sochi Olympics does strongly matter to the used tech-stuff. He did a worse fault chosing on his boards, he think. He get a penalty in Russia to the 14. and 15. rank. «The tech-stuff of others worked very good in Sochi. It was icy and a super plain surface. But that tech-stuff didn't work at all on other places of the World. You can go faster on that super plain surface, but it wouln't be fast on steeper terrain. I like to ride boards which are more versatile. A terrain which fit his equipment Now Anderson think he will see a terrain which favour his equipment at Worldchampionship of Lachtal (Styria Austria). He go for the podium, even on PGS Friday, January 23. He try to adjust to the PSL of January 22. too. (( was today, he reach rank 24. )). But he think his board wouldn't be as perfect for it, like he want to have it. If he reach top-8, he can feel fine to get a good financal base for upcomming season 2015-2016. Not for him only, but for the entire Alpine snowboarding team too. He hope the Youth can take profit about it. Can be Olympic Games 2018 of Pyeongchang (KOR) a goal for a father with two children? He let open the doors. «This would be a decision of me, go ahead Anderson, go. Like You saw on last races, I'm ready to take up speed. I'm not in the up-shot. Even not on 39 Years»

World Snowboard Championships Parallel slalom Kreischberg (Austria) which was hold at Lachtal Styria (5300ft-7300ft / 370-acre / 2 highspeed-six, 8 surface lifts). Lachtal is a newer made resort from this century. Most lifts (5) are from the decade we are now. Weather: sunny to clowdy, most time fog on lower part of the slope. Exceptional long course! There have been 30 gates to race. On normal PSL-races we find around 22 gates only. Single-run race. Hard and good grip on slope (man-made snow), steeper on start - flater on the middle - something between steep and flat to the end. T-bar lift beside slope. Podium men: 1. Roland Fischnaller (ITA) - SG.snowboards - Vist - F2.Titanium - Northwave.950 2. Andrey Sobolev (RUS) - SG.snowboards - Vist - F2.Titanium - Northwave.950 3. Rok Marguc (SLO) - Kessler red - Allflex red - F2.Titanium - UPZ RC10 white 7. Vic Wild (RUS) 14. Justin Reiter (USA) - failed on a gate on 1/8 finals 24. Jasey Jay Anderson (CAN) 29. Indrik Trahan (CAN) 31. Michael Trapp (USA) 33. Daren Gardener (CAN) Podium women: 1. Ester Ledecka (CZE) - SG.snowboards - Vist - F2.Titanium - UPZ RC10 green 2. Julia Dujmovits (AUT) - Kessler - K-Plate - F2.Titanium - Deeluxe Track69 3. Marion Kreiner (AUT) - BlackPearl - Vist - F2.Titanium - UPZ RC10 white 25. Ariane Lavigne (CAN) 30. Marianne Leeson (CAN) / DSQ 32. Caroline Calve (CAN) / DSQ No F2-CNC bindings on finals at all.

Yes, the comments and questions on "Heard It In The Lift Line" are realy funny to read. I was laughing a lot. @Hilux cliff jumps? Why not! Pro jumps? Why not! Every rider can ride and have fun as he want, thats all-right. Otherwise hardbooting turnes more and more to one of the most boring sport on snow.

You are asking for insights? I think You missunderstood me. Don't think I'm evil. I was writing that as serious. Let me explain.Some raceboarder get older and older, so they get maybe heavier, but they loose power, they loose flexibilty and reactivity. This is normal if on age. They don't realize to be more and more disconnected from the basics of racboarding and even from snowboarding at all. How can we recognize that: - seek for good action pics on Alpine boards today, they are hard to find - there is an "Over 50 club" thread and an "Over 65 Club" thread too. - there are "Heard It In The Lift Line" thread and so on. You know, hardbooters which ride close to the basics of raceboarding and which stay connected to snowboarding don't have to answer any odd question on lift line. They are followed by freeriders and freestylers on softboots, which try to keep up the speed. Even if that softbooters are locals from World famous snowboards resorts. On lift line and on lift they don't talk from your board and your boots. They talk about the lines we ride, the sprays we do, the moves we do and how we handle cliff-jumps and similar obstacles. Watch this pic from Burton Alp carving snowboard. I ask: How do you think he proceed to ride-on without leaving the border of slope? The basics of raceboarding does matter!

You wrote about this? Covered by snow such barbed wire looks soft, even if nails are 1/2 of an inch long, isn't it? Maybe it's cool talking about riding "beyond the limits" even if never coming close to any limit. Rather to "get low" we can get close. Closer to things which give us the limits and show us the way. That trench is not from me. It shows only things which is having-fun-as-usual by snowboarders there over in good old Europe. Coming back to the boot discussions here. Riding a stiffer boot on front foot and a softer one on back foot is and was just normal like ever. Does anyone remember what was supplied with the old SB Raichle hardboots? Each pair of hardboots are comming with two sets of tongues, except the softest models. One set was stiffer, one set was softer. Sometimes they had been different in colorway. Raichle had about 5 kind of flex for SB tongues. So any rider goofy, or regular was able to put the softer tongue to the back boot and the stiffer one to the front boot. The leg behind was able to flex more. That is what we need riding snowboard with hardboots! Same on Raichle RAB spring system. Each RAB set was delivered with totaly 3+3 springs (wire-diameters of 3.5mm/4mm/5mm). Then Raichle became Kneissl-and-Friends (Austria, later Deeluxe). No longer 2 sets of tongues on each pair of Raichle SB hardboots since than. You know, Kneissl is a ski brand. Skiers don't need a softer flex boot on the one foot and a stiffer one on the other foot. And for to reduce costs (and rise price), hardboots we get since than comes only with one single set of tongue. Well, many usere here refeers about Pureboarding to Joerg Egli. In case of him you should pay attention to his age. He seems to be an old man. So his state of health can affect to which boots and angles of bindings he ride. Just for not get in pain, or without run out of power during his ride. I didn't watch all that PB videos, but it seems hardbooting basics like cliff-jumps on raceboards became out of his reach. Coming back to binding discussion. Take care and avoid to turn your front bindings to much to the nose of your board. Side force to your knees exceed to a dangourus level. Even on a wide board. There can be overload of crucial ligament if riding this way the whole day, even on heavy or wet snow. And than this Burton to Ibex bindings, they are sometimes aweful. This former Burton race-plate binders had been developed for to fit burton hardboots in perfection. You know the Burton Reactor, Furnance and so on. On other boots they can be a desaster. Binding manufacturers like Fritschi, SnowPro, Drake, Nidecker, Proflex-F2 took care about all hardboot designs on market, maybe Burton not. Many time if I open my front boot binding the perfect-to-Burton-boots-lever doesn't open full and it doesn't flip away as like on other bindings. The heel-bail is comming closer to the center of binders (they flex back!). Instead I can step-out of the plate, the board do flip-flap and let me hooked-in on the heel. This is realy a danger thing to crash to the ground, much more than any barbed wire on either side of a slope. Beside this, Burton-to-Ibex bindings remains (beside other small amount binding manufactors) the only one binders coming with full and wide metal plates as a junction to the boots-sole. All other binding makers switched since decades to non-metal interfaces. They know it well why. Burton-to-Ibex binders icy-up very fast itself and your boot soles too. Closing force of lever becomes a very variable thing. Maybe one of the reason why Pureboarding Joerg use them not fasten too tight. Even on back foot whitch forced you to open and entry bindings many time a days.

I wouldn't say that, but they are not on high Quality. Elan factory, now Capita mfg are talking for sure they have "high quality", even if quality can not reach at all any other European board builders. "Elan-made" is a good choice if you like to earn more money for each board you sell. As I wrote above, they don't have/use best materials. Saw up a core of a Kessler and than a Pureboard. You will see the difference. Only the asymmetrical Pureboard #One was made by Kessler. Good to know about the quality of Pureboarding's Elan factory: Nitro was comming out of that factory too and poor quality of Nitro snowboards was a never ending discusion on snowboarder forums worldwide. Now Nitro switched then to Taiwan, no Q-discussions anymore. Same to Capita snowboards. Capita's are still made by that factory (Capita mfg Furnitz Austria). Discussions and issues about lack of quality on 2014/2015 boards are still going on. Even after first day of use, you can have incredible issues. Capita customer service deny and put back many warranty asks. Kessler The Cross is a board for to ride on high speed with softboots, at an excellent running silence. I mean speed on straight down, like on SBX courses. Test ride Kessler The Cross before You buy it. It's not best choice for beginners or leisure time riders. Thanks, so that must be a EC PRO. Didn't found any information about how they should be ridden. Did they need that special and new to me kind of carving-style like on picture? I don't know and I don't think so.That rider was riding a kind like of lame carving turns on his runs. Even he choose every time the most boring part of slope for to carve. Good carvers don't do that. You know, there over in the Alpes good carvers choose every time the most challenge part of a slope, which gives back way more fun on a raceboard. If You watch photo again, upper-body is realy wrong on his turn. He wouldn't be able to carve tricky parts of slopes on this way. As I wrote on my post, experienced raceboarders do there much more spectacular turns. Beside this, the clothing was similar, but not the same like on picture from You. And that yellow boots looks ugly to the colorway of clothing too, it's a no-go. You know here in Europe we keep care about what we wear. We live (and carve) on a fashionable and trendsetting way. There is Paris (France) and Milano (Italy), which help us to keep close to the newest silhouette. A silhouette which is driven by elegance.

There are a couple of boards in Europe for sure, each Year. Prices are around $150 to $200.Don't touch them. Near to every Pureboarding board I saw used for sale had been worn out, on thin base and thin edge. Pureboarding boards comes out of cheap Elan Ski and Snowboard mass production factory (for boards it is now Capita mfg). You can not compare quality (poor quality of wood, steel for edge and so on) to what leading makers use for producing snowboards. Even because of less snow and more artifical snow in Europe wearing-out becomes a significant thing (harder slopes, sometimes more stones, more edge and base tuning needed and so on). Good companies, which stands for high quality, have knowledge about whats going on with slopes. Look at Kessler, he takes care about changes on the structure of snow on slopes. He builds his products to the demand of this changes. That's one of the secrets, why Kessler is ahead. Rider-System is a pure snowboard school system, no skis! As I wrote, Pureboarding is based on that, but a small slice of it! Yes, You aren't wrong! The Guru and his follower. And he play and pray it brilliant.

Kreischberg (Austria), sunny weather, icy and agressiv slope out of artifical snow, small water-pool with plastic-ducks swimming there before final-jump, many crashes to the safty-nets, some of them had been heavy crashes, which holds course on for some longer repair time of safty-nets. Schairer didn't compete (injury on a feet) Vaultier crashed on 1/4 finals due one of his very rarely failure riding a snowboard men: 1. Luca Matteotti (ITA) 2. Kevin Hill (CAN) 3. Nick Baumgartner (USA) women: 1. Lindsy Jacobellis (USA) 2. Nelly Moenne Loccoz (FRA) 3. Michaela Moiolis (ITA) 5. Dominique Maltais (CAN)