Hans

The swiss Raichle brand indeed do not produce snowboard- and skiboots anymore. They are only in mountaineering and hiking. The swiss snowboard- and skibootsfirm Raichle was sold in 1995 to Kneissl. Now the brand Raichle in ski and snowboardboots dissapeared (out of business) and went further/changed into the brand and company Deeluxe. The boots and technique are still the same as mentioned before. The boots have only gotten names instead of numbers. (I don't like the new colors but that isn't important I think, especially that orange/dutch :o color of the Indy) They make ultimate fitting softboots now too. Greets, Hans.

I am looking for a new helmet because I don't like my RED. PSR attended me for the OVO Bomber,http://www.ovousa.com/helmet_bomber.asp . I like the helmet but I have to buy this helmet by internet because they don't sell this item in Europe. Who has some experience with this helmet? Want to know about comfort in cold and warm temps, fit, and room for my ears because the RED hurts my ears after a halfaday of riding. Thanks in advance, Greets, Hans.

Thanks, PSR Nice helmets, the OVO things, especially that leather retro one, the bomber and the Titan. I am considering to buy. Greets, Hans.

DAINESE: Knee - back - but RED : Helmet I am looking for a new helmet, may be Salomon because the RED doesn't fit perfectly (pain in the ears after a halfday wearing). The Dainese protection fits perfectly, is safe, warm and comfortable fit. The backprotection has also a kidneybelt, so keeps me warm and keeps everything in place as a schockabsorber (Dainese shield 7). Greets, Hans

Marko, All areas are very crowded around Christmas in Europe. Because many germans and dutchmen go to Austria with Christmas. Me and my family go for the 3th year to http://www.hauser-kaibling.at/index_de.htm and http://www.planai.at/index.html(http://www.sportregion.cc/) and these areas are not crowded at all in the high season, only in the weekends it's sometimes busy with locals. The pistes are well groomed every morning. They have mainly very modern highspeed sixseats lifts. The area invests millions of euros every year to improve pistes. This year they have broaden the pistes of Haus and Schladming. Mainly in Haus because there is a SkiWorldcup for ladies. So there is an official FISpiste in Haus and Schladming. Because of the not so high altitude, this area has the largest snow making system of Austria. So even when the temps are high you are insured of snow on the pistes! But the season started well this year (last year too!) with the first snow starting beginning of November! You have also the opportunity to try all the boards of F2 because the guys of http://www.blue-tomato.at/shop/FrameSet.asp have shops in the main villages, and are very alpine orientated. The area is also the most cheapest of Austria concerning staying, eating. A very good and cheap address to eat and drink in Schladming is Cafe Landgraf(www.landgraf.cc). There are enough places to stay, they have packagedeals with Christmas. If you want some good apres-ski (the time you spend drinking and partying in the afternoon after 3 o'clock), you have to go for Schladming. The blond beers are very well tasting in Austria! As you understand, I love this area. If you want some more information, don't hesitate to mail me. (Other nice areas with carvepistes where I have been are Solden, Kaprun and Hintertux, much more crowded and far more expensive) Greets, Hans

To be more specific: http://www.extremecarving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=95&highlight=af700 http://www.extremecarving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=175 Some topics about adjusting AF 700 Greets, Hans

Look at the forum of www.swoard.com and search for raichle or 700. You can find much topics with photographs of modifying the acceleratorbox of these boots. Also find topics about the workingthing of the springs. Greets, Hans.

Some misunderstandings about insoles and adjusting the outershell of the boot. I agree with Kent that is important that you need a good footbed when you do customizing your outershell, like I did. Greets, Hans. (total re-edit)

The width of the boots isn't important because you can do this boots very well with a bootfitter. I had my Raichle AF700 with a bootfitter because my feet were too broad. They heated the outer plastic shell from the inside several times. They fit perfectly now without an expensive Thermoliner. So my advice is to buy your boots a little too small. The length of the boots must be okay. So when you stand right up, your toes (with snowboardstockings) must touch the front of the bootliner (bootliner in hardboot of course). When you bend forward into your boots some space must be there with your toes then. A good measurementscale-list you can find at www.blue-tomato.at for Deeluxeboots. Greets, Hans.

If you read this topic more carefully, your answere you can find on the first page of this topic (but people don't read nowadays). Cheers, Hans.

I like the menu of www.freecarve.com/default.asp The subjects of the site covers all the stuff we want to talk about. The only disadvantage is that you don't have an actual oversight of the youngest thread. But there is a statement of Johan Cruijff (the best soccerplayer in the world) which make sense: every advantage has its own disadvantage. So you can't please everyone. Cheers, Hans.

Quality, service, price and knowing what you are talking about, are important. But most of all, which product fills up my utmost wishes. So all the above distributionchannels mentioned, I used. And the internet is the utmost channel for me to get the information you are searching for to decide which product you buy. Cheers, Hans.

Bob, I ride the Raichle AF 700 TS for three years now (the black ones, I liked them more than the ugly coloured orange Deeluxe ones). I demoed a pair of Indy's last year for half a day in Haus from the guys of Blue Tomato. They are almost exactly the same. One buckle, they replaced it some, that's the only modification, oh forgot something the standard liners differs a little bit, the closing of the liner is something different but nothing really exciting. The stiffness of both type of boots worked the same for me, so I sticked to my nice black 700's. I liked the way they are now, stiff enough for riding my SWOARD 168 Hard. Modified it something with another springbail at the back of my boot, something longer, so I could stand up more. And this week I modified them at a local skishop which molded the outside/inside plastic of the boot with a special moldingmachine because I had some pressurepoints at the side of my foot, near my little too. So I saved some money for an expensive Thermoflex liner. They are perfect now. Let's carve some really deep trenches now :D :D at the upcoming Lechcarvingsession in Austria. Cheers, Hans.

Hoi, Erwin All the boards you mentioned, are good boards. It depends on what you want with the board. If you are looking for a GS board, I would go for the F2. The only one in the Netherlands who sell the whole line of F2 carving and raceboards, is Wim Jaquet sports in Amersfoort (and also Deeluxe hardboots). If you know what you want, Blue-tomato has also F2 boards and Hotboards and some demoboards who looks like new (I have seen and board the demoboards there, I have been there the last two years). You pay no postalcosts with blue tomato if you buy over the amount of euro 100,-- (look at their site for the precise amount). If you want to make some real carves, just look at www.swoard.com or www.extremecarving.com. I just have some fun with a Swoard 168 Hard. There will be a test of this board in the next dutch snowboarder magazine, tested by a dutch carver, Frank Germann (dutch team trainer). Cheers, Hans.

Okay, Fin That's fun to have a beer opener on my stepinbindings, is it worthwhile waiting for this, because I have to import the bindings to the Netherlands. And I only import this once, because of the expensive taxes I have to pay over the amount (something about 23%). Will this modification be ready before Christmas 2003? Cheers, Hans (Oh, you and Bob and others did a really good job so far, wish you all luck and good business with your new product)