Should I get Freecarve board?

[DiveBomber]

all the boards i have are race boards, seems like its tough to find deals(or find them in the firstplace, second hand). Ive never ridden a freecarve board, but what differences will I notice?

reason I ask is because lately I've been kinda of wanting to ride my freeride board (burton custom 164) with hard boots, but as the same time want a carving board that has more of that "surfing" type feel.

I mean i like the carving part, but lets face it, its not the most comfortable ride. On a surfboard it feels alot more, well surflike! I mean using g-force to keep your self upright gets tiring.

[bobdea]

freecarver by a long shot is the coiler AM

when the new coilers start getting into peoples hands around december expect to see people selling their old ones

the axis is alright, but the axis has a flex patern that is not nearly as effective as the coiler AM

the AM is soft in the middle with a stiff nose and tail, the Axis has a soft nose and stiff tail, the traditional approach that works but can turn into a springboard at high speed when you hit a soft bit of snow where a AM would tear through it

get one, you won't regret it

[DiveBomber]

thanks but, that doesnt exactly answer my question?

[Bobby Buggs]

Your Question Well let me make it simple for you. If you dont have one, you Need to get one

[Pow]

having a board that functions as an all-mountain carver is the only sure way to ride all day without the terrain sending you packing. although my longboard isnt classified as all mountain carver, thats what i use it for anyway and it does work well. you'll be looking at the usual suspects, coiler am, donek axxess, prior atv, ect

[DiveBomber]

well what are the differences? what about binding set up on them?

[Pow]

your bindings will probably have a little more setback, with lower binding angles. but as always its still whats comfy for ya and what allows you to perform at your own personal best.

[Jack M]

Biggest difference IMO is that freecarve boards have shorter sidecut radii for any given overall length. For example, a 170 freecarve will have about an 11 meter sidecut, whereas a 170 raceboard will be around 13m, in many cases. The freecarve board will want to carve tighter and/or slower. This also means the freecarve board will have greater sidecut depth, which can make the board a little less easy to skid and a little less easy to point straight.

All mountain carving boards are another choice, and those usually have bigger noses, wider waists, bigger tails, and similar sidecut radii as freecarvers, or even shorter.

here's some further reading:

http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/how_to_buy_snowboard.cfm

[D.T.]

Should I get a Freecarve board?

Define what you are calling a freecarve board. What resorts do you ride?

If you mean something like a Donek FC or Coiler FC, you will find a board a little wider in the nose and tail with a tighter SCR. Flex will be slightly softer than a race board. Typically the FC boards have little to no taper. I tend to like this type of board when carving steep terrain. The board requires less input to get it on edge and carves a tight turn, so controlling you speed is easy.

If you mean something like a Coiler AM, Prior 4WD or Donek Axxess, they are wider than a FC, similar SCR, typically a little softer flex than a FC and have some taper.

The allmountain carving boards are extremely versatile, more so than a FC. They have a larger surface area so if/when you get into soft stuff, they will float better.

I rode a Silberpfeil for a few years. It was too soft for my weight. Last year at SES I rode a Donek FCI and absolutely loved it and am considering adding one to my quiver; that said, no way will I ever consider getting rid of my Coiler AM. It is my first Coiler and I am sold on Bruce's build, quality, flex, design... I liked my Prior 4WD, but it is a very different beast than the AM.

With either a freecarve or allmountain carving board, I think you will find that you do not have to be as focused and intense in your riding. You can step things back a notch and enjoy the scenery a little more while still riding a great performing board.

I have found having a FC or AM board is a great addition to the quiver when riding in Colorado! :D

[D.T.]

what about binding set up on them?

I ride binding angles ~5*less on the AM. I rode the same angles onn the FC. I always center the bindings about the sweet spot on the board; thus, it is different for almost every board.

[Bobby Buggs]

no way will I ever consider getting rid of my Coiler AM. It is my first Coiler and I am sold on Bruce's build, quality, flex, design...

With either a freecarve or allmountain carving board, I think you will find that you do not have to be as focused and intense in your riding. You can step things back a notch and enjoy the scenery a little more while still riding a great performing board.

:D

Bro, I dont think I could have said it better. My vote is Coiler AM

[Phil]

The simple answer is that you can never have enough boards, so go for it.

but...

I mean using g-force to keep your self upright gets tiring.

having a board that functions as an all-mountain carver is the only sure way to ride all day without the terrain sending you packing.

It is not essential to ride this way. There are much more efficient and effective (my two snowboarding buzz words) to ride that will not tire you out. If this is your reasoning for getting a freecarve board, you should probably consider learning other techniques of riding that will allow you to last all day. It does not have to be hard work.

I truly believe that based on that statement, this is a technique issue and that a FC board will not solve it for you.

Of course, I have not seen you ride, and I could be wrong.

[DiveBomber]

well Ive been riding a couple of 162 and then My 173 volant, i kinda prefer the 173. The other board turn to quickly, its like im fighting to make a bigger arc, but then with the longer board its not a quick obviously, but feels more stable.

I kinda of want a board that i can "work" more if i want to. So i think id want less of a side cut, and a slightly wider board, so i have less of that twisted feeling on the board

[D.T.]

So i think id want less of a side cut, and a slightly wider board, so i have less of that twisted feeling on the board

Based on your response I would recommend you find the specs on your Volants, determine what characteristics of each board you like, then demo like crazy. A FC or AM board will likely have a tighter SCR than your 173, which from what you are saying, is not what you want. Your 162 is a slalom board, it is not designed to make large radius turns.

Call Donek, All Boards Sport, and Bomber to find out what boards you can demo. Better yet, if you can wait, get up to SES in February and try everything. You will be able to find a board that suits your needs, it is just a matter of which board.

[DiveBomber]

ok so what are some guidelines as far as these baords go? are they longer or shorter than racer boards? sidecuts?

anyone have a deal on anything?

[big mario]

try this check under axxes, then give sean a yell. I don't think you will be able to find a deal because of the rarity of a used board coming up, though you may be able to demo one through the resources d.t. mentioned above.

mario

[Jack M]

ok so what are some guidelines as far as these baords go? are they longer or shorter than racer boards? sidecuts?

Did you see my post?

[Jack M]

Just curious why you say/think that. I believe the 'freecarve' board will be considerably stiffer (for the same rider) than a 'race' board. I believe this to be true because when freecarving, the board is typically inclinated much more than when racing. This leads me to believe that a freecarve board must be stiffer (more force to decamber) than a race board in order to function properly and not wash out.

Dave, I believe most "stock" race boards are built stiffer than most freecarve boards. Whether or not they should be is another matter though. And once you start talking about customs or race-room gear, all bets are off.

[D.T.]

Just curious why you say/think that.

Dave, I believe most "stock" race boards are built stiffer than most freecarve boards. Whether or not they should be is another matter though. And once you start talking about customs or race-room gear, all bets are off.

Dave - I agree with Jack. From my experience, your average race board is stiffer. I am not saying that the stiffness is a good thing, just how it is. Personally, if I was to start racing there would be only one company whose boards I would consider -- Coiler. I do agree with you flex/decambering analysis.

[Mike T]

Ahh... now we're talking. I was being devil's advocate and trying to clarify what should be the case.

F2 may now be the exception to that. Over the past 2 seasons there has been a marked increase in 'relative' stiffness of the Silberpfeil and a slight decrease in the Speedster RS line. Maybe they're onto something?

I seem to recall Bruce Varsava saying the same thing Dave! One reason why my first and 2nd GS boards were both Coilers.

Look at Donek's spec sheet too. It's a lot easier to find a soft race deck in their line than a soft FC deck. (BTW My personal experience says that the Donek stiffness index is apples and oranges in different lengths - the longer the deck, the higher number to have a similar feel - this is corroborated by the fact that SL boards for a given racer have smaller stiffness indices - Sean can explain more I am sure!)

[Neil Gendzwill]

That's certainly the case for Coiler - the stiffness index is just a measure of how much the board deflects under a given static load, so length is a factor.

[FTA2R]

easy to compare different models of the same brand.

equivalent models of different brands is harder to compare and different models of different brands even harder. Experience with the boards and what people (in your weight range) say should help.

"one man's stiff stick is another's noodle"

hahaha now that sounded scary but you the gist, it's all subjective

on his alpinecarving.com site, Scott Firestone says the Donek FC has nearly as good a hold as race boards. Sean did soften the FC line starting last year though (I think), and then there are teh Olympic upgrade options...so, a ton of variables.

educate yourself as much as possible, as your local hard core riders, and i'm sure you'll make a good decision. demo if possible (consider yourself lucky if you can)

==========

just to spice teh discussion up a bit, what really interests me is

"how do stiff freeride boards compare to some of the softer alpine boards?"

i heard some of the new boards are getting sorta stiff. Anyone wanna do a little freeride - alpine stiffness comparison.

for instance, maybe the "stiffer" freerides are comparable to a Burton Alp Flex? maybe even an Ultra Prime....

what i'd really really love to see (and i'm sure others would) is the weight recs for some of the popular older boards (all Burtons, Burners, etc.) Some of the history buffs might know?? Derf???

[Derf]

what i'd really really love to see (and i'm sure others would) is the weight recs for some of the popular older boards (all Burtons, Burners, etc.) Some of the history buffs might know?? Derf???

My website is presently offline as my friend (where my server is) moved AGAIN (last time was 6 months ago). I don't know when it will be back online, it depends on his internet provider.

Sorry about that.:(

[redriver]

I posted yesterday on a similar question- like to race a little and ride all day but didn't like the Burton Alp I had. Have size 11 boots- are the FC and AM models going to get me at better angles (be wider) than race boards too. Thanks for the continuing ed...