Guest scaryfastandrew Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 HI, I am pretty new to carving and have never owned a carving board before, wanted some suggestions. This will be my only Board due to poor college student syndrom. So i will most likely want an All mountain. I am 156 pounds and 6' tall. I have been looking at getting the Donek Axxess for a board. Probably 167 or 172 cm length. I am also not sure on what size i should get. Any suggestions or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 guessing you ride aspen I'd say you'll want the extra length of the 172 pretty quick - especially if you get into powder. I'd even consider a 177. Your other all-mountain options are Prior 4wd or ATV, Coiler AM (if you've got a few months to wait), or you can go with a longer bx-type board... The Axis 172 was my first modern carver and I highly reccomend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buell Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 I also recommend the Axxess. Depending on how you ride and how fast you learn, as Tex said, the 177 might be a good bet. I am 145 and find the 172 very turny on the groomers. If it were my only board, I would want it longer. If you spend a lot of time on the Axxess in the trees, the 172 might be a better bet, or you might look at the Prior 4WD (easier to ride off trail). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 If I was going to only have ONE board Im not even sure it would be an "alpine" board. If it was going to be an alpine board, it would be a lean toward the Prior AWD or ATV. I have a custom AWD with a 23cm waist and that thing rules in ALL conditions (except ice. I drink hot cocoa when it's icy so Im not sure) so...this "AWD" is likely actually an "ATV" and RULES. Its a 182 though...a tad bit tight in trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoelP Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Andrew, I live in glenwood too. If you are riding Sunlight then a 172 to 178 AllMtn (4x4 or Coiler Allmtn or Axis) will work great for your size. The slopes there aren't groomed as well or as wide as Aspen slopes. I have a Coiler 172 AllMtn, I weigh 165 and 5'10". Anything smaller would be a higher speed disapointment ALTHOUGH you can carve very well on the smaller boards too. I have a larger friend that rails a 168 very well but he also has longer boards for other days. My 172 would go to a 178 if it was my only board and that's all I could afford. But if you ride Aspen mtns then move to at least the 177 + length. Anything shorter and you'll find that you'll want more soon. The runs there are wider and much faster. There are a lot of carvers there and you'll progress fast. All of this advice is based on having one board and needing a carving with Allmtn attributes. things change up some if you want to be only carving specific and will stick to groomed runs all the time. If that was the case then a more carve specific board would be the way to go. Drop me a note sometime with contact info and I'll meet up with you to show you some boards if you want to get a better feel for what to do. I mostly ride Aspen but can ride sunlight if conditions get better soon. Joel jparker (at) sopris (dot) com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Dave* has a custom stiffened up ATV 171, and can carve up the storm on groomers. He also wiggles it through trees and pow, like no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scaryfastandrew Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Hey thanks guys, you have cleared up a lot of questions in my head. It seems to be a general consensus here that i would be better off with a 177. Has anyone here ridden both the Axxess and 4X4? it seems like both are very highly recomended. The 4X4 seems to be a little bit more of a off Piste carve board. How do the two of them compare in carving vs off-piste? I was'nt looking at a coiler just because of the wait times to get one, although i have seen that alot of people really recommend them. I plan on carving 70-80% of the time, and the rest anything from bumps to powder. Next year if i think that i might have enough time i might want a second non-carve specific board aswell, so i wanted to er on the carve side if any, but not sure right now. I downhill, backcountry, and nordic ski aswell, so my time gets eaten up pretty well already. I am really stoked for carving right now, so i think i might find myself spending a lot more time on a board. Lately i have been riding at Sunlight a bit, but i will ride most anywhere from aspen, vail, steamboat, to telluride. At the end of school this year i plan on moving to steamboat, breakenridge, somewhere around whistler, or somewhere in the US rockies depending on where my photography career takes me. Joel, you said that you are 5'10" and ride a 172, do you think that the extra height but lighter weight of me would still be better with a 177 vs 172? Thanks alot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 It seems to be a general consensus here that i would be better off with a 177. As your only board, you will quickly tire of hauling that much lumber around everywhere you go, every time you ride. I wouldn't go longer than 172, and would prefer something in the upper 160s. Here's some general reading on buying an alpine board: http://www.bomberonline.com//articles/how_to_buy_snowboard.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buell Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 scaryfast, The Axxess / 4WD question is addressed here. There are also other excellent links in this thread from a few days ago. http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?t=13522 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scaryfastandrew Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 oh thanks buell, i think that answered the questions about the which board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 not a full alpine, but will carve pretty damn solid and handles ALL conditions: Steepwater 171. Find a "steep" (narrower waisted) and BAM I believe its almost a 12m sidecut radius (site is down) on the 171, and the waist is like 24.x. Wider than an alpine, but narrow enough to feel agile. Softer nose, taper, stiff waist... good boards. usually need a base grind though when new Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoelP Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Andrew, Everyone here is narrowing in on the same length suggestion of high 160's to low 170's. It's a great place to start especially where it's your only board. Once you want something carve only specific then you can add another board and move up in length. I had a 4x4 179 and loved it but chose to downsize to the Allmtn 172 for a bit more versatility since I have other boards that are longer for carve specific purposes + I added some custom stuff to the board. If you get anything around 170 I bet you'll keep that board forever if it's a 4x4 or Allmtn. I was on the lift today with another guy who has a 168 Allmtn and we both agreed we would always grab that board first if we had to travel someplace and we could only take 1 board. They are just that versatile and we can have a blast carving, riding powder or crud with them on any mtn. even bumps. Then when SES rolls into town (Aspen) come out and try some carving/racing boards. then you'll need to dial in more specifically what you might like since there is a million combinations of length/width/sidecuts/flexs blah blah blah...A full blown carving board becomes more of a labor of getting exactly what you want since you can!!!!!! I ride just about everyday on either Buttermilk or Highlands (pass restricted). If you can join us call me at 948-3348 and we'll meet up with some other guys and you can get more feedback. But if you NEED a board right away the 169 4x4 or the 168 Access are great products and Bomber probably can get it to you next day since you are in CO too. You'll not be disapointed. Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 The Axxess 177 is pretty stiff - at 156# I might recommend not going there. Buell is aggressive enough that he can ride stiffer boards than most fellas his weight. (B - betcha you would choose the Axxess 172 vs the Axxess 177 if you rode back to back - but that you would prefer a Coiler Am 177 or a Prior 4x4 179. At some point the stiffness does become an issue for light guys like yourself!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ-PS Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 Hate to weigh in here since I'm also selling, but to be clear....if you want an all-mountain board that carves hard, look up the Rad-Air Tanker. If you want a carve board that can still do all-mountain, I'm agreed with the previous suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buell Posted December 22, 2006 Report Share Posted December 22, 2006 Alright, that's it, I'm ordering a 177 Axxess tonight then, Mike! ;) I just know that the 172 Axxess turns quick and often. One thing you will find on this board, Scaryfast, is many riders and many opinions. There is some really good info on this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 22, 2006 Report Share Posted December 22, 2006 Alright, that's it, I'm ordering a 177 Axxess tonight then, Mike! ;) I just know that the 172 Axxess turns quick and often. Methinks you would love the AM 172 / 12m that should be headed my way sometime very soon :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted December 22, 2006 Report Share Posted December 22, 2006 Hate to weigh in here since I'm also selling, but to be clear....if you want an all-mountain board that carves hard, look up the Rad-Air Tanker. If you want a carve board that can still do all-mountain, I'm agreed with the previous suggestions. it would be a cold day in hell that I'd sell my tanker so I'll confirm what RJ says, tankers serve multi-duty real well and there is one in the classifieds right now if you want a true hard boot experience with a alpine board that will function everywhere I gotta say a coiler AM if you can find one built for a light rider or axess or a prior atv, I prefer the coilers by a long shot though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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