WinterGold Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 In order to put my ideas here into some context, I will write a few words about myself - I am far from being a professional, but I have been on hardboots for more than 20 years. I have been teaching snowboarding on university level and I have worked as a product tester for Burton (mainly testing the Race Physics bindings and different Fire boot models). I had the chance to put the Vist plate system and the Flex Plate system by Apex to the test for several days. I´m trying to give my impressions as a freecarver who is not into racing. What the plates give you - - you stand higher up on the board which gives you a better leverage and a bit more space for your boots. You can place your boots closer to the edges without any boot out even with high angulation. This is a nice thing, if you like your binding angles as low as possible on any given waist width. - you can feel that the pressure you put on your board is distributed more evenly and therefore the edgehold is improved. - your board gets much heavier (the Vist plate is about 2/3 the weight of a raceboard - so you almost double the weight of your setup ...) - it feels like a train going on its tracks - nothing seems to disturb your board. It absorbs bumps better and dampens your ride. - the edges of your board engage quicker because of the better leverage which can help in certain situations. What the plate takes away - - you lose some of the playfulness of your board - changing to switch (doing 180s) or doing jump turns becomes more tiresome and less fun. When going switch the quicker edge engagement makes it a bit more challenging. - your setup gets heavy, so if the slopes are crowded or there are lots of moguls or the slopes are very narrow it is a bit of a burden. Drifting in general becomes more strenuous. - using the system on different boards is a real pain, because the Vist system uses 30 (!) screws to mount (the Flex plate can only be used with Apex boards at the moment). So the question is - plate or no plate? Especially when the conditions get more "difficult" to ride (hardpack, ice, etc.) the plates really help you to pressure your edges. You feel more comfortable and secure on your board when carving. But when the conditions become "easier" to ride and you have your perfect slopes, you don´t really need the plates. So if your goal is carving, carving, carving and playing around on your board is just useless nonsense, you should give plates a try. If you like your board as versatile as possible, you should keep in mind what you trade in when mounting plates. The Vist plate can be tuned (you decide where it is fixed and where it glides) while the Apex plate is fixed on the inside (the middle) and glides on the outside. I didn´t test different settings on the Vist (it was always fixed on the back), so I can´t tell you anything about this feature. The differences between the two systems were noticeable, but not that decisive. What you do notice is that the Flex Plate is lighter and therefore maybe a better allround compromise ... The plates were tested on slalomboards - a Kessler KST 162 and an Apex The Fast 163. Test ride in Obertauern at - 14°C ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrutton Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 To lighten the plate setup, plate manufacturers obviously need to sell a Titanium screw upgrade kit. With the 30 screws needed on some plates, this could really lighten the setup, as well as the users wallet.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Nice, thanks. Sounds like you and I have similar riding goals. Bola is letting me borrow a Vist for my race-boards-for-freecarving review, I haven't received it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Prokopiw Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 You've answered a few questions that I now know will keep me off plates for the time being(versatlity,effects of extra weight) Most useful review I've read this season.Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 <snip>What the plates give you - - you stand higher up on the board which gives you a better leverage and a bit more space for your boots. You can place your boots closer to the edges without any boot out even with high angulation. This is a nice thing, if you like your binding angles as low as possible on any given waist width.<snip> "Closer to the edges" seems to infer possibly overhang or still within 90??? My boot overhang post: http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28034 Thanks for the great review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc-alex Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Gerald, thanks for your info. I had the same feeling with the Vist-Plate but for me it's better to ride without plate. Matthias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterGold Posted January 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 "Closer to the edges" seems to infer possibly overhang or still within 90???My boot overhang post: http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28034 Thanks for the great review! The higher you stand above your board, the more space you have, but don´t worry too much about boot out ... I know that when riding the board digs into the snow and it also bends, but what I do at home is this - I put the bindings and the boots on my board (and also the plate sometimes) and tilt the board to the side till the boot (or binding lever) touches the ground. If the board is angled at 90° or a bit higher, I am good to go ... not an exact science, but it has always worked for me. @all - thanks for your positive feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 The higher you stand above your board, the more space you have, but don´t worry too much about boot out ... I know that when riding the board digs into the snow and it also bends, but what I do at home is this - I put the bindings and the boots on my board (and also the plate sometimes) and tilt the board to the side till the boot (or binding lever) touches the ground. If the board is angled at 90° or a bit higher, I am good to go ... not an exact science, but it has always worked for me.@all - thanks for your positive feedback! So all things being equal your system leads to running higher binding angles on boards with larger SCR, yes? Is that what you find in looking at your setups? Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterGold Posted January 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 So all things being equal your system leads to running higher binding angles on boards with larger SCR, yes? Is that what you find in looking at your setups?Thanks again! In theory yes, but try it - there isn´t much difference. I have been on 20cm waist raceboards for a very long time and I always use 54° front and 51° back, no matter what the sidecut is ;). My boot size is 27.0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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