Guest holag Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and hardboots but not the snow. I'm glad to be here and hope that some of you can help me get started with alpine racing. I'll start off by introducing myself as a well-seasoned softbooter who has been racing on a 162cm freeride board and riding powder and park religiously in the winter time. Carving is nothing new to me, I can still lay it down on softer hardpack but needless to say I'm simply not competitive enough on the racecourse without hardboots. I'll admit that I know very little about alpine boards, I'm ~160lbs size 27.5-28cm soft boots, 5'10", and mostly race GS (sometimes slalom). While doing some research I came across some info saying I should buy a board that is between my chin and nose...normally I would slap a shop employee if he tried to sell me a freestyle/freeride board based on height and not weight, but then again I just don't know that much about alpine boards. So, basically what i'm asking is what I should be looking for in an alpine board. Price is a big factor for me, I'm planning on buying used, and ideally would like to start off with a board that will do well on the race course. First off, what size should I be looking at? Second, as confident as I am on freeride and freestyle boards, will a race board still throw me on my butt if I havn't ridden an alpine board before, or is it ok to start out with one? Also, advice on boots+bindings would be great...I apologize if I'm the 100th person to ask these questions, I know I would be if I were on a soft-boot freestyle/freeride forum, but I just didn't find that much information doing searches. Any and all help is much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arc2Arc Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Welcome aboard I have not been posting long but have been riding for 5-6 seasons taught and rode soft for about 8-9 seasons. There are many others who are much more qualified than I to advise but here's my 2 cents. The most note worthy thing I have told others about your first time on hard boots, is you will feel more like a passanger than a pilot for the first hour or so. hang in there it will pass and when it dose you start piloting the board. Soft boots are akin to riding a motocross bike. hard boots are akin to riding a cafe race bike. both really fun in their right environment but totally different beasts. Start on runs that you would consider very very easy for the first 15 min or so. Board length is really up to you adn what you like to do. Generally speaking for GS/ Nastar type racing I would suggest something in the range of 166-177 with about a 13-15m side cut. As you improve you can always move up in length as you get more speedy. this is all very subjective though and I know several racers who started on shorter used boards untill they got used to hardboot seet up. lots of people selling used stuff here and several on ebay from time to time. bomber close outs and Demo's is a great way to get great equip and you know it will be good. With boots the best piece of advice I would have liked to have had in the beginning was to get a boot that is intec compatable so that you can get step ins if you want. Hope this helps i am sure many others will have great advice too. good luck:biggthump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardfast Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 I would get invovled with a racing program at your local mountain if you can. You could probably start racing with just about any decent alpine board and a good pair of hardboots that fit right. If you can attend a race as a spectator do that and talk to the racers as they can help you with equipment choices. They also might have some used gear avaiable for you to buy. If you are going to race both gs and slalom you would have to have a board for both as you woudn't be able to negotiate a tight course on a longer board. I can't really tell you exactly what to buy for racing as I haven't done much of it and everyone has a preference for equipment as well. You might contact Billy Bordy at Hardbooter.com as he has done a lot of racing and could help you with selecting gear. You might start off with a slalom board and learn to ride it well and then get a longer board for gs as your skills improve. I hope this helps and you might also post on the racing section of this forum . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself would be to hook up with Mort Nyberg, head coach for the Squaw Valley Snowboard Team. Mort is a really good coach and knows a lot about equipment and riding in your area and events taking place. You have probably seen him at events in your area if you have already started racing. Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 While doing some research I came across some info saying I should buy a board that is between my chin and nose...normally I would slap a shop employee if he tried to sell me a freestyle/freeride board based on height and not weight, but then again I just don't know that much about alpine boards. . You should slap whoever gave you that advice :D Racing has more to do with the correct sidecut than length. Generally, a SL board will be shorter than a GS board, but it also depends on style, weight, and preference...If I was to buy a SL board it would be in the mid-160's, which for smaller guys is a typical GS length. If I was buying a GS board, it would be high 170-low 180 length, and superG 190+ start with a SL deck close to the size of your freeride board and a GS stick about 10cm longer...then figure out what you like from there... Price is a big factor for me, I'm planning on buying used, and ideally would like to start off with a board that will do well on the race course.. classifieds here are good. so is the ebay link on raceboarders.com will a race board still throw me on my butt if I havn't ridden an alpine board before, or is it ok to start out with one? Also, advice on boots+bindings would be great. it will take a few runs to get used to the balance but you should be ok. Bindings - most racers are on old burton raceplates or similar. TD2 and Cateks, at your weight, are probably too stiff... Boots - get what's comfortable. make sure they are sized & fitted correctly. If your feet hurt, your day will suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Welcome to bomber. This is my 3rd season on plates, but I don't really race. I have heard from many that you can't go wrong with an F2 Speedster. I have both the GS and SL and they truly rip. I was carving up steeper parts of blues using my SL on snow/ice (frozen granular) most people couldn't even turn on, a few weeks ago. That thing just cuts right into the ice and holds. I was lucky enough to get it used for cheap in the classifieds here. F2 makes great non custom boards that are great right out of the bo x, but once you get more competitive, go for a metal board from Coiler or Prior. Size wise, I'm 5'11'' 180 and for SL i have a 162, and a 183 for GS. As tex said, go with burton plates for now. For boots, I use UPZ, and I really like the stiffness of them, and you might too if you're racing. I think its one of the stiffer boots out there. I've never tried softies, but from what I heard/seen, you might look like you're brand new to snowboarding when you strap on some hardboots. In the transition from soft to hardboot, you loose a great deal of range of motion and the muscles you use to carve are pretty different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest holag Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 All great advice here, thanks for the replies. I recently came across a Nidecker Tornado GS 173cm with Nidecker Carbon bindings, from 2000 but lightly used and has been sitting in a closet most of it's life. Is this a decent board that will work with my weight, and what's a reasonable price for this setup? I know it's not quite what you guys recommended, but again price and availability are going to largely determine what I buy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 IMHO $250 tops on that board+binding combo. Personally I'd start with $200 ($100 each). That wouldn't be a bad start really. There was a Volkl 168(?) GS with TD1's that went unbid on Ebay last week for $199. If you can keep the BOL boys from jacking up the bid maybe you can get it (it's been relisted). I'm not sold on getting an SL board before a GS board. From what I read most SL boards have a higher learning curve? Personally I've found most 170'ish boards the best for the beg/int rider. 10-11m SCR give or take? Again this is my opinion and YMMV. Also very important is I'm a freecarver and not a gate basher so maybe you should just throw everything I say out the window? Welcome to BOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 R2C is right, SL boards need to be ridden more aggressively and leave less room for error. The way most boards are is that the bigger they are and the bigger the sidecut, the more room for error since the sweet spot is much bigger. I've heard nothing but great things about the oxygen proton boards. I know guys that swear by them that have been riding for 15-20 years. Don't spend more on the bindings than you do for your first board. I haven't touched my first board in 2 seasons outside of teaching someone how to carve, but I still use my first set of bindings. If they held your feet on the board 10 years ago, as long as they are in good shape, you'll hold your feet in place now. Not quite the same goes for boards though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danked Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I have a 2006 168 F2 speedster RS for sale. it's got a 13 meter sidecut. I won city's on it in a week ago. e-mail me if you're interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinecure Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Where in CA are you? I'd suggest surfing over to TahoeCarvers and tracking down a guy named Randy S. He no longer posts here on BOL (long story, do a search if you want to see the boring details). He races in Tahoe, has a bunch of spare equipment and is pretty generous with advice, help, and with letting people try out stuff. Your local USASA series probably has some hardbooters. They may or may not be helpful, but would probably be worth watching. Buying used is a good plan. If you can hook up with someone and try out some gear, probably even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingbat Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 There was a Volkl 168(?) GS with TD1's that went unbid on Ebay last week for $199. ......(it's been relisted).I'm not sold on getting an SL board before a GS board. From what I read most SL boards have a higher learning curve? Personally I've found most 170'ish boards the best for the beg/int rider. 10-11m SCR give or take? Again this is my opinion and YMMV. Welcome to BOL! +1 I started riding hardboots this year (freecarving, not racing) on a Volkl RT168GS with Catek OS1s. At 5' 11", 200# I'm finding it very easy to learn on and fairly versitile as far as the range of conditions it rides well in and the types of turns it will make. Think I'm already starting to out-grow it though.:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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