Be nice to the new guy

[Mallard_with_a_Gun]

Ok all, don't blame me for my curiosity, I was born with it.

Let me give a quick nutshell about myself. I skied for just under 20 years and loved it, still would if it wasn't for a slightly malevolent ankle. A buddy of mine suggested I try boarding a few years ago as he thought it was easier on the body, so I did.

AND WAS BORN AGAIN!!!!

Yeehaw, wot-ho pip pip and all that drivel. Anyway, upshot is I currently ride a arbor crossbow, which has this thing about holding a edge alarmingly well as the more speed is applied(which is just plain cool). This same amigo and I were out fussing around one fine evening when he watched me trying once again to achieve my goal of warp-9, and he said "Dude, you need to check out a race-board, your getting suicidal on that thing." I replied "what pray tell is a race board?"

He told me to go to a site called bomber something, that there was people there who know "stuff". So, here I am.

I'm looking for suggestions on getting into some basic gear, as I know absolutely NOTHING about what any of you are talking about....hardboots and whatnot........so, take pity on the new guy eh?

[Erik J]

Welcome, you have just stepped into a universe where snowboards perform beyond your wildest dreams.

[ar(angel]

May your days be clear, your runs be freshly groomed, and your pockets be sufficiently deep....this stuff gets addicting.

[Blue Bird]

He told me to go to a site called bomber something, that there was people there who know "stuff". So, here I am.

Well, I know enough to be dangerous!

Glad you came around! Carving is a damn good time

To get started, find boots that fit, http://www.bomberonline.com/store/boots/sizing_boots.pdf

[Mallard_with_a_Gun]

I'm fairly ecstatic!

I've felt for a while now that there was more to boarding than what I've been doing. I've simply never had any interest in park/pike freestyle stuff, and while riding the slopes I just felt that there was a more purfect turn, something with more inate synergy that what I was currently doing. You know that feeling you get when your pressing the envelope and on the verge of a breakthrough? The split second right before the ship hits the sand and you turn into a spinning ball of death and your liver flies out? Its that feeling that keeps me trying, knowing that I'm almost "there". I believe that I've found what that was, and I'm quite giddy about it!

As I've poked around, some of you hinted in different articles that its possible to find some success carving on your regular board with hardboots and plates, can someone who has tried this speak up? Would I be much better off simply buying a solid used board?

Thanks so much for the advice and support!

[Pow]

I've simply never had any interest in park/pike freestyle stuff, and while riding the slopes I just felt that there was a more purfect turn

Welcome home

You're lucky enough to be riding an Arbor, some of the most formidable "regular" snowboards under the feet of a hardbooter. However, a softboot board is still a softboot board. You'll be able to ride it in the hard stuff for a while, getting used to the new feeling of hardbooting, but the board just wont perform the same as an alpine board under hardboots.

So to answer your question, if you want to dive headfirst into this sport, get the full setup. If you want to adjust, one thing first then the other, get the plates and boots, expiriment a bit, then go for the board. Don't plan on riding your freerider on hardboots for the rest of its days, though! you'll need an alpine board one way or the other.

just my two cents, others may disagree.

[jtslalom]

I like your user name, malard with a gun. Thank god there aren't any because I would have been dead a long time ago. As for hard booting, definately find a used board, bindings and boots and buy them. Even if you have never been hard riding before, you won't regret it. Prior to this, try angling your soft bindings to about 40 - 45 degrees each and ride like that for a few days. If your hitting mach 5 speeds I think you will do better with your body facing more towards the front of your board. Steeper angles will achieve this. Don't give up on your soft board especially if it carves well. Once you develope good technique on your soft board it is easy to switch to a hard setup.

Good luck dude

[bumpyride]

What's your weight and shoe size?

[carvedog]

I'm looking for suggestions on getting into some basic gear, as I know absolutely NOTHING about what any of you are talking about....hardboots and whatnot........so, take pity on the new guy eh?

Pity my ass, you brought this on yourself. You know curiousity killed the carve! See your life is good now. You seem happy and well adjusted. If you go down this road you truly won't care if it snow or not. There will be powder days when you are riding and thinking about how nice it will be in two days when this gets all groomed in and isn't so soft.

Now what kind of life is that?

You will start obsessing about your edges. You will feel the need to be razor sharp regardless of conditions. And no one under any conditions is allowed to touch your board with their board. On the lift, in the line - anywhre. You will want to have custom foam injected liners for the best possible fit available.

You will doodle (in pen) a set of linked half circles across your bossed deskpad while downloading some software. While driving your car and turning you will make carving sounds at the same time.

Is this really worth it? Are you ready??

Welcome home!

[Jack M]

Glad to have another eager carver-to-be, especially one who writes funny posts. Something you should do before you buy anything is to make sure you can do The Norm on your existing setup (no need to do it at warp speed either). That's the gateway to carving.

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

ps - Snoopy rules.

[kirtap]

You will start obsessing about your edges. You will feel the need to be razor sharp regardless of conditions. And no one under any conditions is allowed to touch your board with their board. On the lift, in the line - anywhre. You will want to have custom foam injected liners for the best possible fit available.

You will doodle (in pen) a set of linked half circles across your bossed deskpad while downloading some software. While driving your car and turning you will make carving sounds at the same time. !

HA! That’s funny because it’s definitely true.... Most of my friends have never seen an alpine board, yet could pick out different brands because I have them drawn out all over my folders for school and stuff. And I think I'm probably the only kid I know that doesn't want constant powder (not that we get much/any here in Minnesota).

No matter how hard you try to resist, all these things will happen to you...sorry....

[Buell]

Pity my ass, you brought this on yourself. You know curiousity killed the carve! See your life is good now. You seem happy and well adjusted. If you go down this road you truly won't care if it snow or not. There will be powder days when you are riding and thinking about how nice it will be in two days when this gets all groomed in and isn't so soft.

Wait till you are staring at the black runs you could easily do before you started learning to actually carve a snowboard. Spending day after day on the wide greens and easy blues which now are plenty steep and fast, wondering when you might get back to the steeper runs.

This is a great information source in addition to Bomber: http://www.alpinecarving.com/

Welcome to carving. Let us know where you are, there are a good number of helpful carvers in the Northwest.

Buell

[Baka Dasai]

...some of you hinted in different articles that its possible to find some success carving on your regular board with hardboots and plates, can someone who has tried this speak up? Would I be much better off simply buying a solid used board?

I first tried hard boots by using them on my old soft-boot board. I think it's a good way to transition to hard-booting as you already know your old board and what it can do, and you won't require the extra speed that an alpine board needs to respond properly (although you might find that it only takes a couple of days to outgrow the old board and start wanting a proper alpine board).

I always imagine that if I'd gone straight to an alpine board I'd have struggled more in those first few days.

[NateW]

It really isn't significantly harder than softbooting - lots of stuff gets easier - and you sound committed, so I say just take the plunge. Buy boots, bindings, and a board. Check the classifieds here if the up-front cost of a whole new setup is too much. But don't worry too much about trying it and not liking it, once you get past the adjustment period you'll find that you can ride just fine, only with more control and confidence.

Where do you normally ride?

[Mallard_with_a_Gun]

Sorry for the delay, it was a bloody busy weekend. I'll try to answer most of the questions if my feeble brain will recall them.

One, if any of all ya'll know where the pit known as Eugene is, I live rougly an hour south and a touch east of there.

Boot size 9. and I've allready done forgot what the second half of that question was, forgive me, only had a few hours sleep in the last several days.

My usual haunt is sadly willamette pass, but its a easy day trip so.....as with many things....it is what it is.

Thanks once again for the advice, it is a wonderful thing to find a place where the people are passionate about doing something they love. It is as well all to rare.

Gee, sometimes I truly am the window cleaner on the short bus, just figured out that I can scroll down and find the other posts in the thread. *sigh*

Weight is 165 lbs.....and Snoopy is just about as cool as it gets, though sometimes I feel more like Bob the Cat if any of you remember who that was. In the process of getting one hell of a Snoopy tat, its plain too bad I'm pelted like the proverbial sasquatch, why can't anything be simple?!

[AaronG]

[quote

I feel more like Bob the Cat if any of you remember who that was.

Bob the Cat?? or do you mean Bill the Cat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Billthecat.jpg

[Dr D]

start by pointing both feet the same direction with the toes and heels as close to the edges as possible. ITs the only way to control a carve in soft boots that I have been successful with.

Then get on the for sale section and find something in your price range to get started. THere is lots to choose from and you won't know the difference between a coiler and burton for a while anyway. have fun learning this year and save for that big day next fall when your new TD2's come in and you mount them on one of the 12 boards you bought over the summer on EBAY.

Then have a huge online garage sale and order a TINKLER:1luvu:

[Dan]

As I've poked around, some of you hinted in different articles that its possible to find some success carving on your regular board with hardboots and plates, can someone who has tried this speak up? Would I be much better off simply buying a solid used board?

Thanks so much for the advice and support!

I learned to ride hardboots on a freeride board before transitioning to an alpine board, and I do think it makes the transition easier/less painful. If you ever get a chance to ride Mt. Hood Meadows, there's a fairly healthy crew up there that might be able to help you with pointers. I myself wouldn't be doing you any favors if I presumed to give you pointers, but I'm always happy to give another carver the nickel tour of Meadows.

[EnisiWaya]

Welcome to the fold! I've been riding Arbors for 10 years plus. My first one had to be special ordered the shop folks did not know what it was nor that thier owner had singned them up as the only Arbor dealer in NH.

They are great boards and probably the toughest most durable borads out there. Never heard of anything else that can survive five or more full time teaching seasons on New England hardpack and in the woods riding. That said I'm planning on replacing my Woodie with a Donek Sasquatch as soon as funds are in.

max out your Arbor ride!

Take your Arbor crank some serious alpine stance onto it (not as much as on a hardboot race board but maybe 2/3 to 3/4 of the angles. Open your stance up as far as is comfortable ( it will take some getting used to). Now take the Arbor and put it right up on the edge like an extreme carve Swoard. If you use your legs (drive the back knee hard towards the back of the front one) to bend the board you will be able to put the whole edge on the snow while laying out to the side of the board. You CAN extreme carve an Arbor on soft boots. We have five of us instructors at Ragged Mt that do it all the time anywhere from the beginner slope to the toughest we have. One thing I did that helps me is to crank my highbacks around another 10 to 15 degrees further than my bindings are set for. My softboots are the high O'sins SIS step ins with the ten inch or so highbacks which are easy to twisst the back further on. This gives me the extra leverage to really hold a laid over carve on the heel side as well as the toe side.

Now with that in stock, Try it out! If you like the feelling of being way over sideways with the board up at close to 90 degrees to the snow Don't buy a typical race board. For laid out/over carving you will need a board with a much wider waist. If you just want to go fast get the racer.

I run a Burton 163 for most hard booting but it is not enough anymore ( an old slalom board). sO i'M TRYING TO PICK UP A 173 TO 178 with a 24 cm miniumum waist and a 13.5 to 16.5 meter sidcut. Wish I could afford a Swoard to try but will probably go to a Donek pertersen 170 FreeCarve by the end of this season.

As to boots i go a bit against the flow on thisboard as I teach advanced carving on skis as well as teaching both hard and soft boot snowboarding. So for me the challenge waas to find a boot that I could go back and forth from skis to the snowboard with. Although i ski alaid over like on the carving board i prefer a boot with a softer for and aft flex. So I'm using a pair of Technica Rival X7 boots. For normal easy snowboarding I run them in Walk mode. If we get some good stuff for extreme (euro) carving then I hook them up .

hope this helps a bit.

chase