mnfusion Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I have been seeing a growing number of soft boot carvers on this site (myself being one of them) and am wondering what everyone is riding, binding angles, etc... Myself, I have a Burton Fusion 160 and just bought a Burton Alp 164. I ride Burton Briver SI boots and Burton SI-X bindings. My binding angles are 41/36 but I think I am going to try to go steeper once I get the Alp set up. Would love to hear from all you 'softies' out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I My binding angles are 41/36 but I think I am going to try to go steeper once I get the Alp set up. Steeper? Those are borderline as it is. Go flatter if anything and ride the boards in the way they were designed for. I ride 28 and -3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfusion Posted February 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I ride an 18/3 on my Malolo, but on my carve boards I ride steeper and have never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwmaron Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 Lots of threads related to soft boot carving and equipment set ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafercr35 Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I've ridden hard boots for 12 yrs now and this year got on softboots for the first time. At first, I start at 15/ -3....super hard for me.....I moved them to 25/15 which felt more comfy. My issue was I was trying to ride the set up like an alpine board which did nothing but hurt my legs....once I realized I was standing sideways and began to concentrate on the toe and heel lifting as opposed to driving my knee it all came together. Carving on a softboard feels just as sweet.....IMO it is a totally different technique that drives the carve. And it wasn't until I realized that I needed to change my riding style that I could smoothly link the carves and enjoy the softboard carve. just my 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfusion Posted February 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 rwmaron...thanks for the advice. I have used the search function and have read through and searched many threads. If I fully found what I was looking for by doing that I would not have felt the need to start this thread. Thank you though:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcarver Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I would just set your angles as far forward as it takes to get the boots on edge and not boot out. This has worked for me and has been fairly comfy to ride this way. I ended up with 34 F and 20 R and had the bindings set back a good deal. Was able to carve and do everything else I wanted with a 159 Academy Merit, Burton Cartels, and 32 boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 What else do you want to do besides carve? That would help in making recos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfusion Posted February 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I don't jump or try tricks anymore. I just enjoy carving. I used to have a hard boot set up but sold it because I just did not enjoy the hard boots, I felt too much like a skier. I have size 7 feet so overhang has never been a problem for me. The whole reason I started this thread is because I know there are many soft carvers out there that lurk here and I just what to know what they are riding and the stance they use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 I would just set your angles as far forward as it takes to get the boots on edge and not boot out. This has worked for me and has been fairly comfy to ride this way. I ended up with 34 F and 20 R and had the bindings set back a good deal. Was able to carve and do everything else I wanted with a 159 Academy Merit, Burton Cartels, and 32 boots. ++++ depends on the board width. I ride em toe and heel on the very edge for the same reason mentioned. most power without booting out. on a 4807 thats about 35/30 on a madd bx its about 45/45 on a surfrodz demo I have been trying out that has a 19cm waist its about 85/80 I notice the angles closest to the middle 45/45 range are the hardest and the ones steeper than that get easier again as long as you are on the edges. 45/45 requires a deep stance and a knee driving technique but all that said the madd is my fave on the cord.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 Deck: 3800 169. Holds great edge and rules the pow, bumps, slush... True AM stick. And it has that cool alpinesque look with still being almost twin tip. Doable switch. It has soft nose and stiff tail. Sometimes when I forget I wasn't on alpine board and jump on the nose od drop the hip in and forward on heel side it kinda folds on me... Bindings: Burton 3 straps and Switch X type. Burton is more supportive latterally but has some play of the boot sole on the binding. Pain in the neck to deal with 3 straps and old style buckles. Switch has super solid boot to binding interface, period. Hard to step in when high-backs are rotated to bias the edge, easy when in normal position. Boots: Burton Drivers and Vans Apex X tupe. After I added some old Raichle tongues under the laces of Drivers I finally got them as stiff as I wanted. Toe side carves became a breeze. Vans, thanks to Intuition liners, are stiffer then the Drivers, without bindings. However, still softer when observed in bindings, especially latteraly. I pretty much ditched the Burtons in favor of Vans for the sake of teaching (quick in-out). I still get very sore feet from hard carving. I want to try some Vans Switch N type, that's supposed to be stiffer. Setup: I only started with soft boots because my snow school wouldn't allow me to teach on h/boots any longer... So, I started with 45/35 angles and 18.75" stance. It carved great, in despite of the underhang I had. Felt almost like h/boots... As they didn't like me at all on high angles I started gradually reducing. Now I'm on 21/6 and ~20.5" stance. Even with my baby feet and 25.6 wide board this gives me some small overhang, but I havn't booted out yet... It took me a while to dial in my heel side carve. I still blow it quite often when I forget I wasn't on an alpine board. Widening of the stance improved the heel side. I definitelly ride bumps better on softies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmartshopper Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 I have an old Salamon Precept 167 plank I soft carve one. It's a 26.5mm waist and I run malamutes at 30/24 give or take. I've had them up to 40 before and thought they still worked OK... starting to change how you turn a little at that point though. Just blew the wad on some catek FR2's from my Salamon SPX Carbons. Although they are excellent bindings, honestly... the difference probably doesn't justify the cost, except for the lift and rise I can get so I can rail on heelsides without booting out now. Ditto BlueB... I'm too chicken to take the hardgear into bumps... softies there and on powder days for me. Maybe as I continue to get more skilled in the alpine gear... I know I've finally gotten over the hump that I enjoy carving on the hard gear more than on softies now - but only on good groom with low crowds. Softies still super fun, but far more fatiguing on less powerful IMHO. ________ Paxil Side Effect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 drive your front knee into the hill on your heelsides and it'll hold. same for toesides but its much more forgiving that way. you can be lazy with the knee toeside but you have to drive it heelside to keep from skidding out. anybody else know what I am talking about and have a different way of explaining it? I never know if it makes sense when I talk about it:freak3: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skedaddle Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Hello. Im new to this forum and i have a couple of questions about soft boot carving. However I try, I cannot stop my tail end from skidding into the turn. Do I need to pull my back foot in to stop it from skidding out or something? What im doing now is basically following the article "the norm" on this website and staying centered on my board not moving a muscle and just leaning onto my toeside and heelside. Im riding a 153 burton air 15/-3 1 inch setback 20 inch stance width. Anybody have any tips for me? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafercr35 Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Hello. Im new to this forum and i have a couple of questions about soft boot carving. However I try, I cannot stop my tail end from skidding into the turn. Do I need to pull my back foot in to stop it from skidding out or something? What im doing now is basically following the article "the norm" on this website and staying centered on my board not moving a muscle and just leaning onto my toeside and heelside. Im riding a 153 burton air 15/-3 1 inch setback 20 inch stance width. Anybody have any tips for me? Thanks As Dr D says "drive the knee" - driving the knee helps to tweak the board and holds the edge.....i just started soft boot carving and found my stance to be a little wide....I shrunk down from 19.25 to 18.5.....I was centered on the board at 19.25....I left my rear foot and shrunk the stance by moving my front foot back...this also put me back on the board more and helped me hold my edge. This is only my experience and my way of finding the sweet spot. my angles are 25/15 - I also can carve switch but not as stable because of board placement and the aggressive angles. I weigh 180 5'7" foot size mundo 27.5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcarver Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Like said above drive with your knees. Kind of crouched down and pushing your weight into the board. You might not have a stiff enough board to hold and edge well. That board is pretty short, but you should still be able to do lower speed, tight arcs. Also, make sure you have your stick tuned with sharp edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 I ride softies at 34f and 20r on either my 167 or 200. No problems carving on this set up with a 10.5 boot. staying centered on my board not moving a muscle and just leaning onto my toeside and heelside.Thanks Here is your problem. You should move the board beneath you at all times while in a turn. A static position will almost always skid out. Initiate the turn by rolling the board on edge and some pressure on the nose. By the apex of your turn you should have pushed the board forward so that your weight is centered and by the end of the turn your feet should be slightly ahead of your mass. Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skedaddle Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 oh okay cool thanks. I'll try this out next time im up on the slopes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 oh okay cool thanks. I'll try this out next time im up on the slopes. It should help a ton. Welcome to BOL. Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexgforce Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 this is a photo from the SES 2008. I am riding a G-FORCE RAZOR 176 with Catek FR2 Limited (47 and 44 degrees) with burton andy Warhol soft boots. With this set up I was able to carve just as good as I do with my hard boots. Sean took some great photos of soft boot carving and I will post them as soon as I have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 drive your front knee into the hill on your heelsides and it'll hold. same for toesides but its much more forgiving that way. you can be lazy with the knee toeside but you have to drive it heelside to keep from skidding out. Hey D, thanks for input. My heel side problems seem to originate from TOO much front knee drive combined with dropping in of the hip and weight onto the nose, i.e. alpine like riding. It seems that eagerness to drive that knee triggers the other 2 actions which are not desirable with low angles and soft-nosed board. When I concentrate on maintaining my weight in between the bindings with just a gentle drive, or disk twist, and do the same thing with the rear knee, without inclining the board over 45deg, I seem to be able to perform the nice heel side carve. Before, when I used 45 front angle, I cuold use all the knee drive I wanted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 I've ridden hard boots for 12 yrs now and this year got on softboots for the first time.At first, I start at 15/ -3....super hard for me.....I moved them to 25/15 which felt more comfy. My issue was I was trying to ride the set up like an alpine board which did nothing but hurt my legs....once I realized I was standing sideways and began to concentrate on the toe and heel lifting as opposed to driving my knee it all came together. Carving on a softboard feels just as sweet.....IMO it is a totally different technique that drives the carve. And it wasn't until I realized that I needed to change my riding style that I could smoothly link the carves and enjoy the softboard carve. just my 2 cents I had the same problem with getting used to my softboots.. it was a process of learning how to carve again on different setups where pressure applied in the same ways resulted in different movements, yadayada.... I'm on a tanker (164 swallow-tail.. custom :p), soon to be replaced by a 187 tanker, salomon SPX90 bindings and burton Driver-X boots. At the beginning of the season I had my angles set all the way up (5x-5x) to avoid overghang, but after I realized that no matter how hard I tried soft boots would not be hard boots, and that carving hard-boot style with softboots hurt, I switched them down to 30/30 for a while. Recentluy I got palmer 20mm raisers and lowered the angles to 24/0. Though I can't lay down heel-sides because of binding-out, I can lay down toesides with my toes dragging, and it's fun enough finding that perfect angle where I'm over the board on heelside but not so far over that I boot out. it's great in powder :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Hey D, thanks for input. My heel side problems seem to originate from TOO much front knee drive combined with dropping in of the hip and weight onto the nose, i.e. alpine like riding. It seems that eagerness to drive that knee triggers the other 2 actions which are not desirable with low angles and soft-nosed board. When I concentrate on maintaining my weight in between the bindings with just a gentle drive, or disk twist, and do the same thing with the rear knee, without inclining the board over 45deg, I seem to be able to perform the nice heel side carve. Before, when I used 45 front angle, I cuold use all the knee drive I wanted... You know you're right. I forgot you were running the low angles. anything over 40 seems to respond better to the knee drive thing where as the high back takes the load lower. It does still help to keep your ass I mean mass over the board. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 B's right. Driving the knees to the side in low angles pressures the nose, not the edge. You want even pressure along the whole board and it is an easy, quiet position to get into. In your balanced stance, both toeside and heelside, use a wall or handrail to lean against while putting the board on edge. Try pushing it away from you. If it stays locked in, you can use this same position to turn in a carve. All you're doing in "the Norm" is balancing on the sidecut, with equal pressure on both feet. Feel you feet below your knees, below your hips, under a centered, aligned upper body and the board will do the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_A Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Feel you feet below your knees, below your hips, under a centered, aligned upper body and the board will do the rest. Rob, For softboot carving, do you have any control over the radius (the way we can in hardboots) or are you more locked into the board's radius? If all you can do is stay balanced over the edge (especially on heelside) what else can you do to get more dynamic through the carve? Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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