frunobulax

Had the new Virus binding in my hands at the Carving Masters. Can't remember any plastic parts. I agree, the price tag shows a lot of self-confidence. And personally I'm not a friend of the Intec system. But on the other hand this is exactly what I expected from a new design: few parts, easy mounting, a bit of lateral flex and really heavy duty materials. Frank told me lots of things about the curved design of the base. Seems like a lot of brainpower has gone into this. The reason why I didn't buy a TD3 or Catek so far is, I don't like the complicated design. I fear that, the more parts there are, the more parts can break. From this point of view, the powerlock II seems to be exactly what I've been looking for. AFAIK, 7000 aluminum is more or less the same as Titanal. And the binding looks really bulletproof. Frank put it this way: you'll never have to buy a binding again because this one will last forever. From that point of view the price looks more reasonable, but nevertheless it's quite high. The suspension plate seems to be mostly about board protection and is reasonably priced IMO.

Ed and Jasi have won the titles. Incredible performances. But both contests were very close. The overall riding level gets higher every year. I had to learn that riding flat and fast on the Rettenbach in medium conditions (partly icy, partly slush) is just enough for the round of the best 20... Ed seems to use the slope only if is it inevitably necessary for turning. Most of the time he flies like an eagle.. And the girls seem to have closed the gap. One could hardly tell when the men's contest was over and the girls' started. Unbelievable. There will be footage from the contest, but please be patient. It was a great, great, great event.

@Ladia: I'm sure the UFC will be carefully examined.. If you're interested: I posted a review on the 183 UFC on http://www.frozen-backside.de/thread.php?threadid=3695 and a few statements here in the review section http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=29624 First one is in German, I can give you a short translation if you want me to.

Pureboarding is highly recommendable IMO. But if you're coming to Austria in May, you definitely should attend the Carving Masters (www dot carving-masters dot de) We're holding a couple of courses there, and there is a special former-softbooter-course as well!! We're even providing the equipment!

sh.. :( you try and try NOT to translate from german to english and then it happens without you even noticing. Grundplatte.. Uhm.. base plate. The big steel thing about 25 cm long and 15 cm wide and 5 mm thick. With the big hole in the middle. Every other part of the binding is attached to it. Broken under the heel exactly where the T-nuts are.

Just an update: Broke another binding. Same sort of failure, T-nuts and ground plate at the same time. It was the second binding of the pair. Now both are broken. No injuries. Just to emphasize DiveBomber's point..

I did ride the UFC 183 on hardpack during the World Carving Session in Austria, but only for about one hour. There was one slope with hardpack/artificial snow/a bit of ice and one slope reserved for carvers which was quite soft and had lots of crumbs and grip. The UFC performed exceptionally well on both surfaces. It is a quite heavy and very stable board (nearly as stable as my Virus Spartan) and provides huge amounts of ice grip. There was no difference in ice grip to a couple of high end GS raceboards I tested the same weekend. It cuts through ice like a chainsaw, better than the Spartan. Yet it seems to behave quite smoothly on rough and soft terrain. No tendency towards folding the nose so far. There are some NSR features going with it, such as a modestly decambered nose and tail, multi radius scr and titanal. So you may expect some of the NSR typical characteristics, e.g. changing the radius when shifting your weight from front to rear. I had some slight difficulty with low speed turns and modestly inclined turns. That may be due to the width, torsional stiffness and the NSR features. But as I said, I had only one hour with it. There may be some riding adaptation necessary. As far as I can tell, the board likes medium to high speeds and it likes to be tilted to maximum. Then it shows incredible performance. A perfect Eurocarving board. If it is really as good in powder as is it on hardpack.. sounds like a miracle.. couple of photos of me and the UFC:

I'd say it depends. On a real mogul field like on page one with big moguls standing close to each other carving is not possible anymore, at least not for me. You have to go the zipper line if you want do get through it quickly. The reason why skiers can do it better is IMO that they can go through the field facing the fall line. They don't need to rotate their upper body to keep control. With a snowboard, it is essential to rotate the upper body in every turn, otherwise you cannot control your edge on the lower part of the mogul. Additionally, as long as you face the fall line, the flexion/extension range of your legs is limited, and you need every bit of that on big moguls. Facing the fall line you would quickly become too fast, and eventually the opposed edge can get caught on the upper part of mogul, leading to a painful crash. On "normal" mogul fields one can still carve, going the S-line like on groomers. Stay centered, use the moguls for jumps or absorb them with your knees, then on a small flat space place your carve with abrupt initiation, preferably cross-under, and try to get through the curve before you cross the next bump. Try to keep your upper body and knees away from the ground because the mogul is always harder than you. Additional fun comes from jumping over one mogul (when riding square to the fall line) and initiating the carve on the rear side of the next one.

Yeah, I know.. Riding physics for more than 10 years now. Tried other bindings only when testriding other boards. Most of them felt too hard for me (the bindings, not the boards). I'm quite puzzled myself that I never broke a board or something (*knockonwoodagain*). But I've been using very stiff high end custom boards (virus) for many years now, that could be part of an explanation. I think there are not many riders who put more pressure on the board or ride harder/faster. When I say I broke physics parts I'm counting in my brothers who also ride them, and since we have kind of a gear pool I cannot clearly differentiate between parts they broke and parts I broke. Still, there is clear evidence that the physics are getting old and fatigued and I would not recommend using them anymore to anyone who isn't as nostalgic as me. No doubt about that. What I want to say is IMO there is something missing on the market. My credits to the binding manufacturers, they are doing a great job for the sport, but I'd personally rather go for a more simple solution. And I'd love to see a step-in system that's not Intec. Maybe the new Virus Powerlock II is a step in that way, but as long as I haven't seen it I doubt it.

my chance... No, me too. What else should we do in our offices while the precious snow is destroyed and flattened by those a......s who have taken a day off today...? Where I live we call this kind of discussion "hirnwixen" which would translate "brainwanking".. you got a better word for that? No, it wasn't my TD2, it was a friend's. And he has broken lots of things, ok. Myself, I never broke anything else than parts of my physics bindings and of my body.. *knockonwood* Superior craftsmanship ok.. there's not many things that are as beautiful as a piece of technical art that emerged from a solid alloy block. And I have to bow deeply before the men who gave such a piece of craftsmanship to us. But does it have to be so complicated? Ever tried to assemble a Catek? I'm not an engineer, but to me the task sounds simple: Fix two boots to a flat plank of wood. The fixation should be easy to release, pivotable, adjustable to boots between 25 and 32 cm, and a bit flexible to the sides. And it should not damage the plank. Is it naive to dream of a solution that's not Intec, that's light, flat and cheap? Ok maybe it is. What impresses me about the physics is that it is the only different approach to the matter. It may be a less than perfect approach, but I still like it for that.

You got a point there, Jim. More than one, to be honest. I have to admit that I'm on the wrong side, and it is useless to defend a binding that is prone to breaking and that cannot be bought anymore. But I'm not giving up that easily: as a matter of fact, I've never heard of a plate binding that doesn't break. Before I'm asked, yes I've seen a broken TD2 ground plate. Anything can happen. I suppose I would trust in a TD3 more that in any other binding, but you can never be sure. And there is one thing to say about simplifying: the lesser parts there are, the lesser parts can break. And it's easier to check a simple binding (that consists of a plate and a couple of screws) for breakage and crazes, than to check a technical marvel like a TD3 or Catek.

It's just.. you know, the physics is a technical solution I really like. Simple, elegant, light, flat, enough flex and - apart from the difficulties with releasing - functional. Just like the IBEX. I do think that's the reason why so many people still use them. I'm really reluctant to buy something that's twice as expensive in all the words meanings. And that comes with the ridiculous intec-system which was inelegant and behind the times from the first day on. If I don't use cant and heellift, why do I have to carry around something that's as big as a motorhome? If the physics can provide controlled flex without pads and stuff why do I need them? Next year someone convinces me to buy a vist plate and TD3 sidewinders... then I'm 4 or 5 inches from the snow, and my board weighs 30 lbs... wasn't snowboarding a simple sport at one time? I could have stick to the Swingbo Fuzzysurfer then.. Somehow I'm still waiting that someone takes the design of the physics, eliminates all the flaws (which would be easy.. better T-Nuts, slightly thinner tower pieces, a slightly thicker ground plate, and some modifications to the heels) and strikes back against the evil Intec Imperium. Ok I know I'm somewhat backward myself, and it's all just whining..

You're hitting a sore spot.. Apart from the fact that I've still got three complete Physics pairs with heels at home, I like the feeling the physics gives more than any other binding I've tested so far. Especially the lateral flex (I'm using normal toe bails, not the "speed hook"). But yes, it's getting too dangerous. I will buy Bombers or Cateks this or next year. Until then I have to double check all the parts prone to breaking.

Ok :o I should have guessed. But I'm still surprised that everyone seems to concentrate so much on gear issues. Sure, there is a chance that the wobble comes from bad gear or a bad setup. I can think of many more possibilities (short stance, forward lean, heellift/cant, setback...) But most of the guys here in EU ride yellow springs (ok, I use blue springs, but I'm much heavier and ride a 195 cm board) and I never heard of a connection between soft springs and wobble problems. There are even a lot of people riding in walk mode without springs, without wobbling. Plus, a 167 Burner is quite a soft and short board. I don't think it would be useful to combine it with a very stiff boot/springs/binding setup. I had a hard time to teach my formerly softbooting brother how to ride alpine, and it was all about rotation. When he finally got the clue, he had changed his boot setup from stiff to loose/walk mode, but despite his board is quite soft there is no wobbling at all after he got rid of his counter-rotated hips.

+1 to kjl.. that really sounds kinda weird.. not sure if I simply missed a joke since I'm not that familiar with BOL talk.. but "if you got HS problems buy a metal Kessler an blue springs!"??? you can't be serious. Ok a Sims Burner is not top notch gear anymore, but IMO it will serve most purposes. I'd guess that 90 percent of HS problems are the effect of counter-rotation remnants. And on the other hand, if someone has already been given anti-counter-rotation advice (e.g. in a pureboarding clinic), he may tend to over-rotate and put too much weight on the front foot, resulting in classical oversteer like in a front-engine/RWD car. The first type can be cured with eliminating counter-rotation (you'll find advice for that all over the forum), the second one with shifting your weight a bit back and flexing your knees a bit more. Maybe also with some more commitment. If reaching to the boot cuff helps I'd guess you belong to the first type. If you have been a softbooter it is probable that you rotate only your shoulders, while your hips stay counter-rotated. Seen that with many former softbooters. So the boot cuff thing won't cure it completely, since it allows your hips to stay counter-rotated. Some video footage of yourself could be of great help..

Using various Race Physics for 10 years now. In the beginning nothing broke for nearly 5 years. Since then breakages increase every year, esp. cables of course, but also heels, heel socket plastics, and one ground plate. No difference between used parts and unused ones. One week ago on the last turn of the day I had a loose feeling on my front foot after a rather sharp BS turn. Looked down, and had virtually half of the binding stuck to the heel of my boot, the other half still on the board. Both T-Nuts broken, and strangely enough also the ground plate torn at the very same point (usually I thought that only the weakest part breaks). Lucky me, I had another binding in stock. But I think as the parts grow old, they are more and more subject to fatigue, no matter whether the parts are used or not. I liked the physics very much, but I think its life expectancy comes to an end.

Hans, I don't know if you can get the Evo option for each Virus board. The real wide ones like Scalpel or X-treme are available in Titanal instead.. not sure. The Spartans are 18cm Boards. The thing about Evo seems to be that the boards are very stable and damp, esp in crud and bumpy conditions. Spartan shape helps with that, but there is also a major difference between a classic and an Evo Tantalus. Maybe there is a slight loss of snappyness, but you can't have everything in one board. Tramp, I don't understand. You think the Spartan could do better with a different rider? Sure.. but don't be too harsh about that. We're still learning. What I wanted to show is how forgiving and stable the Board is. The average carver on a slope with reputedly 100% steepness (=45° degree; I don't really believe these figures, but it's steep anyway) in the mist? You need to trust in your edge to even try this.

@Ear Dragger: the outcome couldn't be better for you. The Tantalus Evolution, from all I've heard, seems to be a very very fine board. A friend of mine is very pleased with it, and lays big trenches with it. Evo construction seems to be absolute cutting edge technology in all the words meanings. My Spartan's got Evo construction as well. Have a look at this quickly cut vid (shot this weekend on Katschberg/Austria) in which you can see 4 Evo Boards (all of them Spartans) at work

Du you know if sby's going to bring some of the new metal US boards to the CM? Would love to testride a metal donek or coiler or prior but never seen one in real life. Pleeeaaaaasee...

@Max: What EXACTLY do yo mean by "neat HB's"?

NEVER! Don't you see this girl's got softboob.. oops.. boots? Can't let this kind of stuff into your mag!!

frunobulax: good research. A "very large poodle dog", walking through Frank Zappa's song about bad monster movies, "Cheepnis". Bullets can't stop it. Rockets can't stop it. We may have to use NUCLEAR FORCE! I do: snowboarding. drinking. developing strange plans. we: me and a couple of friends from the Frozen Backside. No stealing intended. Willling to share the results and everything else with everybody who wants to solve the problem, e.g. you. Any help appreciated. Frank Zappa: best musician in history. Inquiring minds satisfied?

I don't think there's any gear on the market right now that would really withstand the wear and tear long enough. So we're experimenting with new fabrics. Kevlar keprotec was disappointing, maybe because of high friction with the snow. But maybe we will have results by the middle of next season. I'm pretty confident that this superfabric stuff will work out fine. The goal is either to develop complete carving gear, or to find out if and how everyone can have his gear equipped with the wear-resistant fabric. More to come next year.

We're currently doing some research in this area. I'm quite optimistic about a material called superfabric, which is made in the US (www.superfabric.com). Haven't tried it on snow yet, but there will be two prototypes for next season.

I see.. I was already suspecting you wouldn't dare to buy a real men's snowboard. If I were you I wouldn't only go for a second tail but also for some stabilizer wheels..