mickey Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Hi, I'm new to this forum and I thought I'd introduce myself. I have been riding on soft boots for about 10 years, but have always tried to carve on a board. Even though I spent half of that time on a mid-range conventional board I've it just felt more natural to carve than slide, maybe because I skied for 15 years before I tried snowboarding. I had no idea that there were so many others who felt like I do about carving on a snowboard until I found Bomber Online! After wading through these forums for a while I realize that there are folks who are way more fanatical than I am about it :) My most recent board was a Rossignol Judge, which I rode in everything - powder, moguls and on-piste. I ski mostly in the BC Interior but no matter where we are, I go off-piste whenever I have the option. Earlier this winter I broke the nose on the Judge. I loved everything about riding this board except the sloppy boot feel and the flimsy bindings. So I just bought a replacement Half-Gun 168 and now I'm looking for some advice on boots and bindings. For boots the Burton Driver X seems to be popular here and that's probably what I'll go with unless there is some secret hotness that I should know about? But I have no idea what to do about bindings. My current bindings were the top of the line from Rossi at the time, but after three years they are falling apart and I want to get something more solid and better suited for more aggressive carving. Catek comes up in conversation here a lot, but I haven't heard of that brand before. They seem expensive but do they last longer than big brand bindings and are they better? Any advice from softboot carvers would be welcome. Thanks, Michal PS - I spent last weekend at Whistler/Blackcomb with friends from the Netherlands. It was amazing - nobody there! There was little snow but what was there was better than I ever remember at Whistler: dry, light powder on a soft but firm base. The top of the Blackcomb Glacier was just amazing but we were afraid to go up Spanky's because of the sparse conditions. Looking forward to Sun Peaks in a couple of weeks. Michal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call me jack Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 i can't really give a world of advice, but i can tell catek makes good bindings. the free rides are all aluminum and fully adjustable, like the OS2s, which are the binds i use for hardboots. the new catek freeride should last for ever, and if some thing does break i'm pretty sure they have replacement parts for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardfast Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 I just got a pair of the Catek free ride bindings this year and they work great. They are an older pair with carbon fiber high backs and the older disc system. I like the highbacks because they are stiff and have better turning power than other bindings I have used.The Catek binding I think is the best for carve oriented soft boot riding. It still doesn't give you as much turning power as a hard boot but that is okay because I prefer soft boots for all mountain riding as I feel that hard boots are too rough and pounding for off piste riding. This is after riding hard boots mostly full time for almost 20 years. I am using the Burton DriverX boot.The only place I feel that I am at a disadvantage compared to hardboots is on groomed snow otherwise I think it works better all mountain. I am not that concerned about riding on groomed snow anymore anyway when conditions are good as the good snow is off piste anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 for inbounds carving I suggest the catek fr2, it's what I'm on, great bindings and the most adjustible soft binding there is. Nidecker 900s are good, these are now called something else though.... The high end bindings from Ride are great. If I were going to be riding back country and pow more though I'd suggest burton, their high end bindings are quite good but are a touch softer but also much lighter than the cateks, nideckers and rides. From burton the models to look at are the c60, c02 and the p1 When it comes to soft bindings there's tons of great options, if you make a informed purchase you have a mess of options and most of them will probably work great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhD Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I'd recommend the Burton bindings with the cap-style toe straps. They are a lot easier on the transverse arch. I squashed mine with conventional straps badly enough to trigger Mortons Neuroma, eventually requiring a couple of surgeries to make it quit hurting (a LOT). I'm riding a pair of 2-year old Drivers that ar estarting to shed rubber and get a little squishy in the front foot. THey've been great boots, though, and I'm scouting around Whistler evenings this week for some new ones at a decent price. My hardboot setup feels so much more powerful and secure that it's my preferred ride for anything but powder in the woods, and I'm getting quick and comfortable enough on it that the woods aren't all that scary anymore. Having torn both calf muscles in soft boots I really like having a supportive boot that protects the calves and ankles from damage, especially if I sketch out on a hard toeside turn. BTW - Blackcomb was excellent today. We got 6" of unexpected pow overnight. Still needs another 3 ft - there's a lot of talus exposed and many of the interesting lines are out of the question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcarver Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I picked up last years Head PX10 binding. They are nice and stiff enough for carving. They have a carbon piece to make the highback stiffness adjustable. They have a toe strap that can be used over the front of the boot or like a conventional strap. Pretty light and have a lot of nice features. I got them for $150 shipped. Not bad for a new pair of high end bindings. Got them from fleabay from ski universe (I think that was the sellers name anyway). Only down fall is that the rear binding can only be angled forward at 20 deg max. While the front will go to 45. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolyMathMan Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Try to pick up a set of Burton Carbon bindings - I've been using the C14's for a couple of years, and I couldn't be happier. Also try the Malamutes for their ability to heat fit the heel area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickey Posted February 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. I'll be busy for the next few days visiting local shops that carry Burton or Salomon boots. I might regret this part, but as for the bindings I'm not sure that I need to go all out with Catek. It seems like at half the price I might just go for high end bindings from Burton or Head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardfast Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 I went with the Burton driver X boot because the sole is stiff and it has elminated the problem of the balls of my feet hurting after a day of riding. It is supposed to be the stiffest boot available. I thought it was stiffer than the Saloman malumutes that I tried on. I hope Burton continues to make it as I will probably buy another pair when these wear out. I don't know what I will do for a boot if this gets discontinued. Hopefully not as I think the shops sell out of them every year. I couldn't buy any from last year when I went to look for a pair of boots in October. The lacing system is working well and stays tight -so far I am very happy with these boots. The liners are heat moldable. you will have to try them on and see if they fit right and if you like the flex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nine40 Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 My Driver X boots are stiffer (and MUCH lighter) than my old Raichle hardboots. I love em. For carving I use Ride SPI bindings. Inexpensive, comfortable, stiff highback, and enough cushon for those carve - to - drop-off situations. Not as adjustable as the Catek's, but it doesn't really bother me any. I like the convertible rubber toe strap, which I use the old-school over-the-top way. I find the toe caps like the Burtons are great for cinching your foot back into the binding, but they add to what's hanging over the toe-side edge..... my feet are big enough as they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 I might regret this part, but as for the bindings I'm not sure that I need to go all out with Catek. It seems like at half the price I might just go for high end bindings from Burton or Head.There are lots of people here who swear by the Nidecker 800s or 900s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 There are lots of people here who swear by the Nidecker 800s or 900s. yeah, cateks are awesome, the best for me and some others but they are a super high end product. if you want to spend less look at the top tier Burton or Ride bindings have really great products in their lineup. Nidecker too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Trust me you want the Cateks:1luvu: Look for a used set if you don't want to spring for the new ones. used ones run $200- $300:biggthump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLS Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 By theory you should definitely go for Cateks. I use Ride C.A.D. with DriverX'es, and those work awesome as well. Just as stif as top-end Burton's but with cant/lift adjustment plates, which helped me reducing heel chatter/lift on the backside. They're identical to the Spi's but with plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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