DiveBomber Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 What kind of angles do you run? same or Slightly less, alot less? any other tips? How is it going over boxes/tables etc, VS soft boots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 are your friend when trying to land soft is good too, the easiest board to land on as far as alpine boards go was my burton FP 178, all around friendly when you made a mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiveBomber Posted November 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 are your friend when trying to landsoft is good too, the easiest board to land on as far as alpine boards go was my burton FP 178, all around friendly when you made a mistake. any thoughts on how that 177 f2 is going to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 I also weigh 250 so whats soft to me might be a plank to you the speedsters are more racey® than primes though so I'd bet less forgiving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neuffy Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 I've gotten _way_ better at freestyle since switching to hardboots. I no longer have to fear snapping my rear ankle on landing (over-flex). Then again, I was at somewhere 40+ degrees in softboots by the time I switched. With hardboots, all you have to do is make sure that you damn well HIT the landing. I think I'd kill myself if I tried to land flat, so I don't land flat. The extra control of hardboots makes it easier for me to control landings, and so I actually go way bigger now than I ever did in softboots. The other side: If you want to do rotation, then it's harder. The angles make landing straight/360 jumps a breeze relatively, but 180s are brutal. Tweaking is essentially impossible. Grabs are difficult. Again, landing flat will kill you. Although, I did something once that makes me wonder: I landed essentially flat after overshooting the landing, landed on edge into a carve and it seems to me that I dissipated the downward energy by powering the board into a very deep, very sharp carve. Went back and saw a carve that was tighter than any I've ever seen from myself. Is this a viable landing technique? Then again, take this all with a grain of salt. I'm not a park monkey at all, and far, far, far prefer natural jumps, preferably with fresh powder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 any thoughts on how that 177 f2 is going to be? I love it. Freestyle in hardboots is way easier.... I've gotten _way_ better at freestyle since switching to hardboots. ...If you want to do rotation, then it's harder. ... but 180s are brutal. ...Tweaking is essentially impossible. Grabs are difficult. Again, landing flat will kill you. . Well, what do you call freestyle then? To the O.P., it is definitely harder (by my definition of freestyle) but you can do it. Personally, I do not change angles. I run angles that are appropriate (IMO) to the board that I am on. I also pretty much do the same stuff regardless of what board I am on (GS, SL, FR, FS). I think that straight airs can actually be easier. Spins, especially with switch landings feel harder. If you know how to do boxes and rails well, you should be able to 50/50 pretty easily. To do boardslides, you have to really be on your game. My advice for those who want to do FS on alpine boards is to really pay attention to setting up for your tricks. Perfect setup is everything since your equipment gives you less room for error. Get really good at a move on softies before doing it on hard - unless you don't care about falling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pushee Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 ... Although, I did something once that makes me wonder: I landed essentially flat after overshooting the landing, landed on edge into a carve and it seems to me that I dissipated the downward energy by powering the board into a very deep, very sharp carve. Went back and saw a carve that was tighter than any I've ever seen from myself. Is this a viable landing technique? ... I don't do big air intentionally, but I know from experience that there is a risk in that landing technique (I have a disconnected AC joint to prove it). If your body gets too far forward on that uber-carve, the result is a catapult launch to a body slam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neuffy Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Ah, so you fold the nose...yeah, that would make sense. Alternatively, you could have the board skid out from under you and slam into the ground directly, with essentially no downward dissipation, which would suck. (Although on the note of folding the nose, I am ever so grateful that my Coiler for all my intents and purposes cannot fold its nose.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 I enjoy hitting the tables but what I do is certainly not freestyle in any sense. Usually just straight airs with an Indy grab or at least an attempt at it... if the board doesn't make it to my hand oh well I am more comfortable on hard boots than soft due to the fact that I have an easier time taking off well in the more forward facing stance. AM boards such as the usual Big 3 are my favorite decks for this kind of thing. I completely suck in the pipe, but I actually suck the least on an AM board with plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 it can be done-Canyon 181 with custom made Swiss hardboots-50/50 last December Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Speaking only for myself: Tail grabs are trivially easy, but nose grabs are utterly impossible. For tabletop-type jumps, straight airs are no harder, in fact probably easier as I'm more confident approaching the jump with hard boots. 360s are the same. Frontside 180s are not a problem, but I still struggle with backside (blnd) 180s. I think that's mostly mental though, I've gotten confident at riding switch, including taking off and landing, but the "flying blind" moment of a backside 180 is still really unsettling. 50/50s are easy enough, I started working on boardslides a bit last season and made some progress... I think the narrower waist is a bit of a drawback for that. I'm not really into rails though, and don't expect to spend much time working on them. I've done lots of bumps and jumps with a 17cm waisted board and 60/65 angles (size 27 Raichle 324s, no overhang) it's not a problem. Riding groomers with such a narrow waist took some getting used to, but once I got over that I felt just as confident in the park as I did on my previous board, which had a 21cm waist and 55/50 angles. Other than certain tweaks (like nose grabs), I don't think hard boots make things more difficult. Overall, I think they make most things easier. I plan my runs around where the best jumps are, for me that's what everything revolves around... I switched to hard boots a long time ago, and I don't see myself switching back to soft boots. The extra control I get on the ground is more than enough to make up for not being able to reach the nose when I'm in the air. They built a big plexiglass wall ride thing at my home hill last year and I was able to hit it frontside, backside, and fakie (forward up, switch down, never thought to try the opposite). I was just starting on alley-oops, I think backsides will be do-able but the boots might interfere with frontsides. This year my goals are blind 180s and "switch 0s," taking off switch and landing switch. I am sure I will be able to do switch 0s consistently in the kiddie parks, and possibly in the real parks too, but blind 180s have eluded me for years so I'm not as optimistic about those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Speaking only for myself:... Frontside 180s are not a problem, but I still struggle with backside (blnd) 180s. I think that's mostly mental though, I've gotten confident at riding switch, including taking off and landing, but the "flying blind" moment of a backside 180 is still really unsettling. . It is funny how everyone is different. I never really struggled with backside 180's but I had a hard time learning frontsides. For backside 180's (oversimplifying) I just thought about spinning less (duh) and looking uphill to land. Once you land, you can orient yourself and look downhill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 duck feet. 10 degrees rear. 15 degrees front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 My riding buddy taught me to focus on a spot on he ground behind the lip and above the landing, as it always stays visible through the rotation. Seems like a good idea, helped a bit, but I still have a ways to go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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