Hard vs. Soft boots

[ak_rider]

I'll start off by saying that I'm not trying to compare the 2, because I think it's pretty obvious what the answer would be on this site(i personally like hb's better than soft).

What I'm wondering is, among those of us who do both hard and soft boots, when do you use one over the other? Also, are your stances different?

I ride hb's when there's nice groomers or i feel like going fast and laying down some nice carves. also bumps, i just feel more comfortable in hb's in the moguls.

I bust out the softies when i'm working(kinda have to). I also ride them when i'm in the park, or when i'm riding super steeps-just because i'm not confident enough on hb's to do 55+ degree stuff.

but i enjoy a bit of freestyle with the hardboots and can carve(albeit not as trenchy) in softies.

In hb's i ride 18.5" stance and angles 57 front and 54 rear. In softies I ride 21" stance and 21 front and -18 rear.(i'm also wondering if there are other hbers like me who ride super duck in softies. i just started rding duck 2 seasons ago)

[D-Sub]

I havent ridden my softboots in years, but I used to prefer them in deep, steep, or trees. I might be leaning toward all hard all the time. will make a decision this season

curious...but...if you ride a 21" stance in softboots, which seems VERY wide for a girl unless youre tall...why so narrow in hardboots? Have you tried wider? Perhaps that would make you more comfy in more terrain with hardboots?

dunno. just seems like a big variation, ya know?

[jtslalom]

Up until three years ago I would barely ever ride soft. Since I sold all my hard equipment this fall I have no choice but to ride soft. I prefer soft now because I truly believe that I can carve almost as well in soft boots as I can in hard boots in almost any conditions. Recently, the only time I prefer hard over soft is when conditions got icy hard. There is definately an advantage to having a hard deck drive through ice over a softer freeride board. I LOVE driving hard lines on groomers on a soft deck as much as I did a hard one. Through bumps, trees and parks and pipes I would much rather ride soft.

My hard setup angles were about 69 back 67 front with no cants or lifts. Now my soft bindings are 45 back and 43 front.

[Raisputin]

When I am teaching we are required to use soft boots, and my stance is something like -5/15 (slight duck). Not sure what my stance is on my hard setup, but I like to ride it equally as often.

When it comes to carving, I am able to carve equally on my regular boards as I am on my hard boot setup in a regular riding situation, though my heelside carves are better on the alpine gear.. For regular everyday riding in who-knows-what conditions or powder I typically prefer my soft setup, but if I am in good carving conditions I will go out on the hard setup. Typically there are not a lot of hard-booters in my area, so I am mostly on softs these days, but with a good stiff binding, I can still carve like a maniac :)

[lonerider]

What I'm wondering is, among those of us who do both hard and soft boots, when do you use one over the other? Also, are your stances different?

In hb's i ride 18.5" stance and angles 57 front and 54 rear. In softies I ride 21" stance and 21 front and -18 rear.(i'm also wondering if there are other hbers like me who ride super duck in softies. i just started rding duck 2 seasons ago)

I ride hardboots on cold, firm, fast conditions or in super-warm slushy conditions where edgehold isn't as good. Softboots all other situations (park/pipe, regular conditions, powder, trees). I might trade in my snowshoes for a splitboard eventually - not sure if I would ride hard or soft on that.

I ride 57/55 with a 18.5" stance on hardboots (down from 60/55). For straps I ride 20" stance, 18/3 (down from 21" 15/-3). To answer D-Sub's question, when you go super duck it is much easier to go wider. More and more rail riders seems to like wider duck stances.

Yay for people who ride both softboots and hardboots in the current century/millenium

[gdboytyler]

I wear soft boots only when I ride the pipe and park. I go with a 20" stance and angles of 18F, 9B.

Carving in my softboots is too painful to do for more than a half-day.

Everything else: steeps, powder, trees, moguls, groomers, I'll do on hardboots, but on different boards. The hardboot setup is around a 19" stance and angles of 54F and 51B.

When I'm in softboots and freestyle board, I can carve nice round turns on blue runs and soft groomed snow.

On hardboots and alpine board, I can carve on black runs with firm snow.

My perfect snowboard day would be deep powder, steep bowl, hardboots (for comfort) and a good powder board.

[jdgang]

I ride my soft on soft spring days..pipe dont do the park and powder....I ride 21/9....but i have not been able to get out alot lately so since i like to ride HB more than softies I save my days to go for perfect carving weather..I am still playing around with my HB angles rode 51/54 18 inch two years ago and switch to 51/48 19 inch last year

[bumpyride]

Everything is relative. There's a wide range within each category so it's kind of unfair to draw comparatives unless the boundaries are specified. I've been riding Raichle 123's w/thermoflex liners and Burton Plastic bindings for years (10). I duct tape the boots in the walk mode, and they're the most comfortable things I've ever been in. Use them for everything including the Fish and O'Sin Swallowtail. No problem with feel, and a great combo for bumps and steeps and chatter. I can't say the same for the stiffer hardboots I've tried, but if you check with other riders in this forum, they'd probably say my choice is pretty wussy.

I don't spend much time on high speed groomed carving, but if I did, I'd lock my boots into ride mode. I've tried stiffer boots and all of a sudden it feels like I've been fitted with concrete overshoes, and the same goes with metal bindings. Come to think of it, that's one of the reasons why I've duct taped into walk mode. When I've come out of the steep and deep, and all of a sudden it feels like I can't move, invariably I'll look down and seen the duct tape ripped and I'm riding in the ride mode.

So pick your boots and bindings according to how you're going to ride, and how they perform within their respective categories. Hard Hard to Soft Hard, etc. Also the 123's and Burton Plastic bindings are the lightest and most flexible I've found, by a bunch, which also adds to the versitility in varied terrain, and again others will say the bindings are a piece of crap, but I love 'em

[bobdea]

I want to spend the day on the hill

softboots are my choice in pow and at work if I have a on hill job because of the ease of walking in softies

my stance width is 18.75 on alpine and 21.5 or 22 in softboots

I also do bumps in softies and avoid them on plates

now, terrain that is sketchy windblown and steep I usually prefer a small alpine board like a coiler AM

[Mike T]

I ride softies when I plan to hike, when the snow is deep and dense, and every now and then when I just feel like it. My hard boots are more comfy so I choose them on most days when conditions are such that I could go either way e.g. powder.

Softie stance - 24/15, 19.25" width

Plate stance - 56/54 give or take, 19-20.5" stance, depending on deck

[Guest nhsurfergirl]

Way back in the day- early 90's anyway- I rode a Burton Air with the old Flex 3-strap when I was out with my friends, and a PJ with plates on the clock, doing the sled dog routine. I wore old Nordica race boots that I'd softened/ slit cuffs with a Dremel tool, and I could slip into the planks I'd leave out with the sleds when somebody needed a ride. It was way fun to put the Flex's on the race board now and then. Young'uns may not remember that patrollers and boarders didn't get along too well back then- I was kind of the "ambassador to the barbarians." This little arrangement changed when riding the amazing Nitro 186 Diablo at Waterville Valley one day (a board that outrageous I had to have, the instant I saw one). Full crank and the whole toeside edge caught in something and the board just stopped. My left knee and forehead touched the snow on the downhill side of the board and a bone in my left foot got stressed-to-failure. I'm really jealous of my partner on powder days, on her all-mountain board and soft boots. . .I'm thinking about setting up an all-mountain or a freecarver with plates and a set of three-buckle hard boots for those days, but I can't do soft boots anymore!

[Kent]

I havent ridden my softboots in years, but I used to prefer them in deep, steep, or trees. I might be leaning toward all hard all the time. will make a decision this season

curious...but...if you ride a 21" stance in softboots, which seems VERY wide for a girl unless youre tall...why so narrow in hardboots? Have you tried wider? Perhaps that would make you more comfy in more terrain with hardboots?

dunno. just seems like a big variation, ya know?

D-sub

I don't think this is a political forum...so perhaps you autosignature shouldn't refect that.

K

[Rob Stevens]

I like the political undertones... it gives you a bit of an idea about the personalities of the people here.

... that, and the tireless rants.

HB- 55 and 50 or lower, depending on the width, set as wide as they'll go. (alpine boards aren't usually drilled for wider stances... though if anyone knows about a non-custom alpine with a larger stance allowance, let me know)

SB- 35 and -5. I love duck. 22 inches. Carbon or aluminum only. Since I turned my back knee out, I have been able to compress much lower to the ground, increasing my legs "travel" for landings and overall mobility. The heelside turns got a bit "blocked out" for awhile, but the toesides were just as good as ever.

If I had my way, I would never wear bindings of any kind. Strictly heli drops on the Noboard.

[BlueB]

HB- 55 and 50 or lower, depending on the width, set as wide as they'll go. (alpine boards aren't usually drilled for wider stances... though if anyone knows about a non-custom alpine with a larger stance allowance, let me know)

SB- 35 and -5. I love duck. 22 inches.

Quite a few alpine, or at least AM alpines can go about 22" stace. Prior 4WD 174 has 21.5" max stance + shift on binding slots will get you to 22". Coiler is similar, if I recall correctly. It also might be an answer to your need, from some other tread, for a he softer wider board that would carve at slower speeds.

Boris

[alpinegirl]

i like riding the board that has the most recent wax job. ;)

[ak_rider]

what's wax ;) waxing did become my best friend in summit county. I ride so wide on softies because it feels a bit more comfortable to go wider when i ride so duck. I've settled on a narrower stance for hb's because wider hurts by back knee. when i rode forward angles on softies i only had an 18.5"-19" stance.

[Derf]

D-sub

I don't think this is a political forum...so perhaps you autosignature shouldn't refect that.

K

It depends on each persons perspective. Maybe to you, D-Sub's signature is political, to me, he is citing a great writer and has a picture of the US president. I consider my signature to be political by saying that cycling is not only a sport, but a way of protesting the government's promotion of the car as an economic development tool and as the universal means of transportation. I consider all three guns thread in the OT forum as political threads because gun possession and promotion is a matter of politics in the US (Constitution) and in Canada (firearms registry).

So to each his own.

[FTA2R]

sb - choppy conditions, doing the whole mountain (esp. steeper stuff), riding socially with others, or just "crusing." starting to bother ankles and feet which i don't want to happen so i'll try to ride sb more.

hb- riding solo (what i want), working on technique.

don't have stance width or angles memorized, they're all normal.

jtslalom,

how do you ride w/ 45 back and 43 front on your soft setup? i've tried and came to the conclusion one can't ride sb like hb (for several reasons). thought conventional wisdom said after ~ 39 deg. in sb, you're losing leverage...curious to hear your take

[D-Sub]

D-sub

I don't think this is a political forum...so perhaps you autosignature shouldn't refect that.

K

sorry my man but I got approval from the man himself.

'sides. It's a photo. not edited or manipulated in any way, shape, or form. Open to inference, yes, but I make no specific declarations.

[Dr D]

I wear the softies in the deep and steep stuff and in the spring slop.

I use the same angles as with my hard boots and even use a cant plate on the back foot. I use ntype vans with the step ins. The ntypes are super stiff if you get the higher end ones. I throw on a booster strap at the top and carve in comfort.

I prefer the hard boots when riding the longer and stiffer boards. My new aquisition from shred for instance:biggthump

I ride an identity board when I can talk it out of its owner and it needs hard bootsx3 its insanely stiff. the stiffest hard boots you can find and then booster straps and anything else you can think of but wow what a ride.

As for duck:eek: I don't think so:eplus2:

I look like a moose on roller skates as it is no need to compound the problem:eplus2: