Setup Analysis

[BadBrad]

Since this is the off-season for most of us, I thought I'd post a long post and ask for some setup input. I usually don't even think much about snowboarding this time of year since my summer is busy with other hobbies and activities, but I had such a great time at SES '08 that I can't stop thinking about it. I am also eagerly awaiting delivery of a new Prior WCR Metal which adds to the anticipation.

Setup Background

I weighed under 140 lbs for years and generally liked shorter boards with a slalom-like sidecut. I rode asyms for awhile (Asym Air then Asym Alp), then got a symmetrical Alp and an UltraPrime. The Alp and UltraPrime were 156es. Boots are Burton Winds, bindings are Burton RacePlates. No cant/lift, but just a bit of toe lift in the front and a little more heel lift at the rear. A little more rear boot forward lean than the front. Binding angles around 60/57 or 57/54. Stance widths were set to the board's design reference, which was 16" on the UP and 17" on the Alp, quite narrow but comfortable for me.

I now weigh 160-165 (working to get down to about 150 again), and I'm 5'7". Last season I bought a new Prior 4WD 164 and a used Madd 158. On the 4WD I set binding angles of 54/51 to line up my heel and toe with the board's edge. I tried a wider stance based on current trends and recommendations, about 20", and my heelside carves were wavy. I'm guessing that I was twisting the board in some strange way. Any other ideas what might have been going on? I installed a rear cant/lift plate and narrowed the stance to around 19" and it got rid of the wavy heelsides and felt a lot more comfortable.

On the Madd I ended up with angles of 63/60 or 60/57 and a stance widths of 19" set slightly forward of the boards reference center. It felt great. I had a blast on that board, but it really tired me out quickly.

Boots:

The original liners in my Burton Winds finally wore out, so I bought some ZipFit liners. Very comfortable and warm, I like them a lot, except that they made the boot noticeably stiffer. I removed the laces on the liner and buckled my boots more loosely to soften things up, but then my foot was moving a bit inside the boot instead of the boot flexing, which probably isn't good.

1. Any suggestions for different liners that won't stiffen up the flex?

2. If I were to buy new boots, what would you suggest for a fairly soft and forgiving boot?

Bindings:

I like the RacePlates. They are light, low to the board, and have some forgiving flex to them which I like. My main complaint is that the canting/lifting options are limited. I have some shims that can go under the toe and heel bails which give a little adjustment, but not much. My cant/lift plates are for the 3D pattern so they won't work on my newer boards.

I bought a used set of TD2 step-ins and some various bases (0, 3, and 6 degrees), that I haven't used yet.

1. Will I find these way stiffer than the RacePlates?

2. What if I install the suspension kit?

3. Any recommendations for canting angles and stance widths? I'm thinking of starting with 3 degrees up front set to mostly toe lift and 6 degrees rear with a combination of cant and lift and a stance width around 20". I am only 5'7" but I have long legs (32" inseam), but like I said before I am comfortable with fairly narrow stance widths.

Thanks,

Brad B.

[Cindy Kleh]

Thanks for all your helpful posts. Good stuff to think about. I have a 157 Nitro Supra Team with a 24.8 cm waist that I use for slalom and a 163 Nitro Samurai with a 25.4cm waist for GS. The bad knees came from hiking, not riding, but they get worse when I ride moguls, train gates hard or land big air hard. Also, it's inner knees on both. Sean McCarron, my alpine coach at Copper, suggested putting my back binding at -3 (from +3) and it worked. I felt better in the carve and it hurt less.

[BlueB]

Brad,

You'll find the TD2s noticeably stiffer then Race Plates, even with suspension kit. I would say that suspension kit is a must, especially on the metal boards.

Start by setting them as close as possible to your existing and comfortable setup - the only reasonable way to compare them. Don't go wider in the beggining, due to the stiffness they would feel wider even when set to the same stance as your old bindings.