Fat Old Bastard Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 I've read the reviews and both boards sound good. But which is better for a 200lb 5'9" lazy unfit rider craving easy all-mountain cruising ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheman0177 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 I'm a 190lb 5'7" lazy mountain carver. I have ridden both at SES and settled on the 4WD. It just seemed more comfortable to me the time I rode it. But that is not to say that the Axis wasn't a great ride - quite the contrary. I suggest trying to get on both and see for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.T. Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 I'm 5'9", ~210 lbs. Hard to say which is better. I rode both as SES and preferred the Prior. IMO, it was more crisp than the Axis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 I'd just get whichever is easier for you to get ahold of - you really can't go wrong with either one. I'm partial to Donek, just because the axis was my first "modern" carving board, but having demoed a Prior i'd say they are equal. The Donek has a little bigger sidecut (10.2m on the 172 vs 10m on the 174 4wd) so it will not turn quite as tight, but you'll hardly notice the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Prior is generally viewed as a more "all mountain" board, while the donek is viewed as more of a carver that can venture off trail. I rode an axis 82 for a few days and loved it, but it still felt like a carving board I now have a custom 4WD that is closer to the ATV in spec, also a 182, and I spent 3 days at mammoth riding pretty much everything on it. Ive never ridden a whole mountain in hardboots before. the only issue was the length in tight trees, but it felt...um...just a bit more...tame? my opinion is that the axxess is a bit more of a carver. not to say the 4Wd wont rail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crucible Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 The Prior AWD will do off-piste conditions better than the Donek - I've used a Prior AWD in the trees for a day up in Whistler and it was surprisingly nimble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest claudio Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 The Prior AWD will do off-piste conditions better than the Donek - I've used a Prior AWD in the trees for a day up in Whistler and it was surprisingly nimble. You might want to look at the Prior ATV also - a bit wider than the AWD. If you want to go in powder it's a definite plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Don't forget the Coiler AM, if you can lay your hands on one! It allows you to be lazy when you feel like it, but would rail quite mean turns, too. Didn't try it off-piste, though... Boris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Don't forget the Coiler AM, if you can lay your hands on one! It allows you to be lazy when you feel like it, but would rail quite mean turns, too. Didn't try it off-piste, though... Boris Mine works fine in big bumps or a little pow. Haven't had the chance to take it into anything deep.If you dig around, you can even find a statement here from either Sean (Donek head honcho) or Chris Prior to the effect of what other people have said. To wit: if you want a carver that you can take off-piste, get the Axis, if you want an off-piste board you can take carving, get the 4WD. ETA: here's the post from Sean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 I have an Axis 172, albeit retired - I loved that board so much I literally ride it into the ground. Never been on the 4x4. I would agree with those who say that the Axis is a carver that can go off-piste as opposed to the other way around. It rode fine "lazy" but better "hard". I got over 120 days over 4 seasons on it. I have a tendency to break things and this board stood up to more punishment than any other I've owned. Sounds like you might want the 4x4 though... I think the Axis/Axxess truly shines when ridden with some oomph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 I only can attest to the greatness of the Prior 4X4 -- have the 174 and the 179 - both are great boards, spend most of my All mountain type board riding on the 179. It is always a tough choice to ride a square tail or the 4X4. Oh well gotta go play golf and think about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 I own a 174cm Prior 4x4, actually 2 of them at the moment. I'm keeping the red topsheet and selling the blue one. Both ride well, I just don't need two. I have a friend that has dibs on it, but I haven't seen the $$ yet. Both Prior and Donek are great boards --Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 The assessment is accurate. The Axxess is designed as a Carver that can go anywhere. It's a bit stiffer than the Prior. You're a big guy, so you may need something a bit stiffer. I can always tame it down a little if you need though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrCR Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Does Donek still do the demo thing via mail? I'm 5'7" and 140lbs. Used to be ~155lbs but I started jogging for soccer and really don't have an ounce of fat on me anymore. I did loose some upperbody strength though since I've only been running. Thinking about demoing a 172Axxess if the via mail thing is still an option and if the 172 wouldn't been too stiff for me. DrCR ______________ The only good thing about summer - one season closer to winter than spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pushee Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 DrCr, I'm close to your size 5'6, and 155 lbs. I'm 59, so probably a less aggressive rider than you. I ride a 162 Axis (before the name change). I expect the 167 would be good for you, but depending on what you want to do with it, the 172 might be a bit much. If you are going to mostly be on groomed, the 172 might work well for you. If you want to take it in any king of bumps, chopped up crud, or off trail at all, I think the 172 would be too big and stiff. What are you riding now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrCR Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 I'm currently riding a foam-core 157cm Nitro Range (22cm, All-Moutain Alpine shape) that I got on ebay for $50 a while back. Its supersoft flex + tight scr = no fun. Trying to feel out what I would like to upgrade to via demoing, though I'm sold on wider alpines. A mail demo is really my only option, which is why I certainly appreciate Donek. Well the stiffness difference between the 167 and the 172 doesn't look to be that great, from 5.0 to 5.7. I would like to go for the 172's larger sidecut if I could. Going to be riding on Eastcoast stuff, not particularly well groomed. 3 days at WV's Winterplace or Snowshoe if you want particulars. If I could demo something ~22cm, 10.5-11m sidecut I would be all over it. Would like to try 12.7m (Swoard), but something a bit tighter would probably be more approperiate for where I will be demoing. Maybe I would be able to demo a donek ECing board. :D DrCR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy D Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 If you are on the east coast ... I have demo'd Donek gear at the Starting Gate at Stratton. Of course, there are enough carvers up there that if you ask nicely, they may have an Axis (Or other gear) for you to try. If I had one, I'd let you try mine. IIRC, the Madd crew will let you demo gear at Stratton, or other nearby areas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 Does Donek still do the demo thing via mail? I'm 5'7" and 140lbs. Used to be ~155lbs but I started jogging for soccer and really don't have an ounce of fat on me anymore. I did loose some upperbody strength though since I've only been running. Thinking about demoing a 172Axxess if the via mail thing is still an option and if the 172 wouldn't been too stiff for me. Starting Gate is your best bet for demoing on the East coast. We did stop the mail order demo thing this last season primarily due to the new baby and not enough time to run it. There is a chance we could start it up again, but we would have some policy changes regarding payment and shipping. We had some boards dissapear and never come back during the 0405 season and want to ensure that doesn't happen again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 SEAN! are you serious? man...whoever pulled that **** should be named and shamed. really too bad to hear about you stopping that offering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 I'm sure we'll start up the demo program again in the next couple of years. We just need a better way to run it and someone who can dedicate the time. It's a logistical nightmare to tell you the truth. We need a good system for tracking where each board is and where it needs to go, so we can figure out the best way to get it to the next guy. When there are 4 to 5 boards in the demo fleet, it's no big deal but when you have 20 to 30, it becomes difficult to keep straight. I guess it's something I can assign to the engineering intern I have starting in September. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Sean, Like many places that lend stuff out...you could charge the full price of the demo board + shipping + demo fee, so if it doesn't come back then you haven't lost anything. Sucks that anyone would take advantage of your generosity. Carve on, Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pushee Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Somehow, I wonder whether the Starting Gate is a viable option for DrCR. He mentioned Snowshoe, WV as a likely destination resort - that's about 650 miles from Stratton. It does suck that anyone would take advantage of Sean's trust of his fellow man. I recall picking up a demo from Sean a couple of years ago - when I asked what kind of security he wanted, he said "that's OK, I've got your email address". Oh yeah, I returned the demo and he sold me a board. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Sean,Like many places that lend stuff out...you could charge the full price of the demo board + shipping + demo fee, so if it doesn't come back then you haven't lost anything. Sucks that anyone would take advantage of your generosity. Hugh Dave's right. I used to be very relaxed about it. When shipping a demo I felt very secure in that I had a shipping address and all necessary contact information. On the boards that dissapeared, the phone numbers and e-mail addresses no longer work. I'm sure that if we hired someone to look into them, they could track the individuals down, but we had no contract with them indicating they had to return the board or that they would have to pay for it if they didn't. As a result, we don't really have much legal recourse. Lesson learned and time to move on. We'll have an official agreement with someone wanting to demo in the future. At this point I believe most of the demo fleet will be housed with Bomber next season and we'll work on a good mail order program for the future. I've already e-mail the assignment to my intern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I've already e-mail the assignment to my intern. "Get to work, imp." Also, do you have demo deal with Team Copper too ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 If you're training with Sean McCarron, you'll have access to all the prototyping we do with him. I'm sure any of the other riders will be willing to let you test the boards they are riding as well. Although demoing with Sean will help, if you're training with him, you'll be working with him and myself to develop the correct specs for your needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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