side cut radii - single vs dual & multiple?

[Michael Pukas]

Alright, now I'm confused...

I just got off the phone w/ Prior and they told me the WCRM w/ a single radius side cut - which makes the board want to finish a turn across the hill - is better for racing gates, while the FLC w/ a dual side cut radius - which makes the board release from the turn easier and seek the fall line earlier - is better for free carving as it's less effort. I'm certainly not questioning Prior on this, just trying to understand it. Mainly 'cuz I want a new board and not sure what yet...

I've been following the threads regarding this new trend in blending side cut radii for some time now, and I thought I understood it. As I understand it, or thought I did, a race board like a Kessler has tighter radius at the nose so it hooks up into a turn quickly and has larger radius towards the tail so it will release easier and early from a turn to better set up for the next gate.

Maybe it's the degree of difference in the tip and tail radiai that separate a free carving board f/ a race board (in terms of side cut only). I have no idea on the specs of my Kessler, but it seems the rear radiai is much, much bigger than the front. Much more so than the 2m difference on the FLC. The board doesn't like to go across the hill much - it will, but I really have to work it. It really likes to make short turns on the nose and then run down hill. Fast. Really fast.

My suspicions seem to be confirmed by Donek's specs on Sean's website. The Metal GS boards have a much bigger tip to tail radiai difference than the Metal FC boards. This makes sense to me. What do you think?

[KingCrimson]

You have that backwards, I think.

Ideally, a race board will rapidly turn above the gate, and straightline to the next gate. Having a tight radius on the front and a wide radius on the back only accentuates the input from the rider that causes such behavior.

A FC board should easily come back uphill to scrub speed. In my experience, my big metal race Coiler (New cheesy board name? BMR? Beemer, or bimmer for all you car snobs!) does not want to come back uphill. Not a "blended radius" by name, but it does have a lot of taper which means the sidecut does straighten out.