slinkygnu

The freerides don't need modding though. The bolt holes are already factory fitted into the highback.

Why are burton torques more sought after than burton freerides? I've used them both, and currently have 2 sets of freerides. But why do people seem to prefer torques?

Wild-duck Phoenix 168, Burton freeride bindings 15f -15r Wild-duck Devil 157, Snowpro Pipemaster Pro 15f -15r Salomon Malamutes

Thought snowpro only went up to size 14? Snowpro can be contacted on office@snowpro.de if you need more info on sizes. They speak/read English.

If its soft boot riding then set him up as duck footed, +15 front -15 back is 'normal' over here. Ensure the boots have a good upturn at the toes and heels (if you have any choice of boots at all), and put risers on, ex. Palmer Power Link System Standard Lifters. This should cut down on toe drop. As to board width, due to the fact hes got - lets not beat about the bush here - big feet, its all in proportion to the width of the board. As most, if not all, turning is done from the knees down (well over here it is), with the emphasis on foot steering, it won't create a major cause for concern having him on a wide board. (having just read the original question that doesn't really help). I beleive size 16 is about 32.5 mondo, and most manufacturers stop at size 15.

Theres a thread elsewhere on these bindings. 93-94 models have a different disc type to the later ones which is a major difficulty. I used to have torques on a 4 pattern Haulin Oats board, so they do work. I have a vague feeling these were Preston discs I used due to incompatability issues with burton disc pattern and Gnu.

From http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/setup.cfm The running length is the length of your board actually in contact with the snow when you are riding it. Burton and some others differentiate between effective edge and running lengths by saying that the running length is the overall length minus nose length minus tail length, and that effective edge is the actual length of the curve of the sidecut, which will generally be a few centimeters longer.

Also take note of the boards serial number. A lot of manufacturers do put them on the board. Had one nicked from Keystone years ago, the amount of hassle that caused me was more than the board was worth.

Mac Endo, a Japanese guy, he was good. He was writing books on carving technique back in the early 90s.

You can still buy these new off german and austrian ebay sites. Example bindings and Boots A lot of them only supply to Europe though.

Why snow tyres AND chains. Depending where you live (how the roads are ploughed) you may get away with normal tyres and occasional/permanent use of chains. As for the rubber ones, I've seen them and wasn't impressed - preferring chains.

BBC just finished showing the womens quarters, semis and finals live here. The boardercross event kicked off a storm here as well.

Weight on your front foot will slow you down (all the pressure will act as a brake), neutral will be like err neutral, weight on the back will speed it up, and also make it interesting as its very hard to get any front toe-side/heel-side pressure when the tips in the air. Give it a try, its good for a laugh.

I was in Val D'Isere last week. Only saw about 6 other people on hard-boots there. No shops in Val had any hard-boot kit at all (I was even told by some guy to try the museum). Tignes was the same. UK holiday season finishes on the 25th of February, French ones end on the 15th February, so the slopes should be less busy after the 25th.

I was in Val D'Isere in early December last season. Unfortunately it was not good snowwise. Lots of snowmelt because of the sun, cold at night. Some pistes were frozen water, literally blue ice stretching over the entire piste (lower down, but still above Tignes). Its pot luck nowadays regarding the snow conditions. Les Arcs and La Plagne were virtually green coming up the valley, nothing was open below Les Arcs 1800. Grand Motte, as previous stated, is always a good bet.