cb0y1 Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 So as I was getting ready for some carving, a guy in his early 20s walk by and said to his buddy, "dude check out that alpine board" that was my proud moment before actually getting it on the hill and finding out that there were so many people I couldn't even use it. On my way back down to the car, another snowboarder sees it and asked if this was new school. I ride a Burton Coil. But at least he asked the right questions so I pointed him to Bomber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crucible Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 I have also noticed a growing appreciation of alpine boards from the general snowboarding and skiing masses. Most little kids tell me that they think the board looks "race car cool"- their parents tell me my turns look fluid and cool. I always smile and thank them for their kind words and interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Just this morning I was carving down a slope under the quad lift at our local resort. The lift stopped...there was nobody but me on the slope...so I had a captive audience! My only thought wasn't to show off...but rather, I was thinking "Okay people...WATCH CAREFULLY! Do you see anything DIFFERENT? See how I'm actually following a LINE? See how I'm NOT riding straight down the mountain?" :D Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Alpine is the only way to be both a snowboarder and a non-conformist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtslalom Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Jack Michaud - Alpine is the only way to be both a snowboarder and a non-conformist! Not true. Carving a soft board as if it were an Alpine board is the only way to be both a snowboarder and a non-conformist! I'm a soft boarder that neither the soft booting or hard booting community accept. In either case most people I meet on the slopes are pretty cool and genuine in asking questions about carving. I personally hear " What kind of board is that?" or " Thats one of those race boards isn't it?" This coming from both soft booters and hard booters. My normal reply is to face my board towards the questioner so they can see for themselves that my board is just like any other soft deck with regular soft bindings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Ban jt!!!!.......infidel!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ur13 Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Not true.Carving a soft board as if it were an Alpine board is the only way to be both a snowboarder and a non-conformist! I'm a soft boarder that neither the soft booting or hard booting community accept. In either case most people I meet on the slopes are pretty cool and genuine in asking questions about carving. I personally hear " What kind of board is that?" or " Thats one of those race boards isn't it?" This coming from both soft booters and hard booters. My normal reply is to face my board towards the questioner so they can see for themselves that my board is just like any other soft deck with regular soft bindings. Maybe this was true 17 years ago when hardboots where at their peak. I used to be "that guy", the soft boot rider who tried to carve like a proper alpine rider. I had been riding exclusevly hardboots since about 87 and in 1993 decided to move away from them for softies and become the bastard son of Andy Coglhan and Craig Kelly (with a little Peter Bauer thrown in too boot). The little I still raced I wore my hardboots but for 90% of my riding I was on normal boards or asym race decks with 45+ angles in 2 or 3 strap softies. At the time the new-found jib kids with their 21"+ stances (just starting their take over of snowboarding) looked at me like a kook and the alpine guys I raced with looked at me as a bigger kook. I never owned a Burton Asym Air, but I tried to make softies work like hardboots...that was non-conformist back then. Now-a-days in snowboarding... anyone who rides gear made to actually turn and carve (not flop around and skid like most mainstream gear is now) is a non-conformist. These people are us as the alpine guys, freeriders, BX riders and big-mountain guys riding hard or soft boots. Basically we like to turn and not skid. That distinction alone is enough to make us non-conformists in the face of what snowboarding is in 2009. Especially given that 95% of the boards, bindings, boots sold in snowboard shops now are almost useless for carving a turn and properly weighting a board through a carve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Maybe this was true 17 years ago when hardboots where at their peak. peak of marketability maybe. Not true.Carving a soft board as if it were an Alpine board is the only way to be both a snowboarder and a non-conformist! Nah. In lift-line or walking around with your board (or just in your boots) you're the same as the other bazillion snowboarders out there. On snow, you're an expert softbooter. A hardbooter stands out like a sore thumb no matter where we are or what we're doing while in gear. I'm a soft boarder that neither the soft booting or hard booting community accept. We got the love for ya buddy. That's why you're here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shred Gruumer Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Everythime I ride my local hill.... If I was 14 or 60 I would be the **** with the chicks... Somewhere in the middle would be great for a change!!! hahahahahah:ices_ange RSS.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ur13 Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 peak of marketability maybe. More like peak of saturation. Think of how many board makers had alpine gear in their lines back then. I'd argue that now-a-days, given how specialized and custom alpine is, that it's more marketable to those un-interested in mainstream snowboard trends. I have a feeling that marketability is relative though. I'll assume that the money involved in alpine then vs. now is around the same. We just have better gear now then we did then, with fewer (but more gear savvy) riders who spend more on gear than your average snowboarder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffV Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 At Berkshire East our group of 10+ riders got more compliments about our smooth and fluid riding then we've ever gotten before in one day. The local race coach wanted to know if any of us raced. His quote was" Man that is my kind of carving, I could use you guys on my race team":1luvu: Few weeks back at Sunapee I had an older retired fella walk right up to me at the lift and shake my hand vigorously. He complimented me on my riding. I was :eek:because usually we confuse retired skiers and they hate our ruts of course. I'd love to see video footage under a chair of a group of riders tearing it up and then the camera focusing on the folks riding up on the chair and turning their heads down to watch the "mysterious snowboarders" rip down the trail. That is such a classic image of the hole chair watching carvers pass under them.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 * I agree with Geoff. I also agree with JT and can say that ripping it in a soft boot set up that looks "normal" at a glance, but once seen on the hill in motion with a completely different ride style and stance as the people on the lift turn all their heads and watch as I (and others) rip by is one of the best parts of how I've come to love this aspect of ridin'. I fully love watching the ski racers doing big sweeping arcs down the hill just as much as I like riding back up and seeing the tracks I (we) lay down that look so distinctly different from many other peoples. MAKE ARCS.. NOT PARKS ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomoto Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Respect to anyone who carves the snot out of anything. Most of the kids out there could carve a turn to save their life. Every once in a while I see one or two and I usually go out of my way to let them know I think it's cool. Often times I'm on skis and there looking at me like "What? Cool, thanks." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonestock Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 I remember a picture of Dave Dowd -Kemper Rider-(not a 100% sure of the spelling of the name) with a hard boot in the front and a soft boot in the rear. Talk about non-conformist! I took out the Mystery Air last week. Had so much fun on ice with the non-conformist stance -5 degrees in the back and 35-40 in the front-. People were riding the 0 degree-0 degree stance (with the gigantic space between the bindings) and trying to catch an edge on the ice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiveBomber Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 So as I was getting ready for some carving, a guy in his early 20s walk by and said to his buddy, "dude check out that alpine board" that was my proud moment before actually getting it on the hill and finding out that there were so many people I couldn't even use it. On my way back down to the car, another snowboarder sees it and asked if this was new school. I ride a Burton Coil. But at least he asked the right questions so I pointed him to Bomber. hey what size burton coil? And woodland park, CO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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